I get your concerns. I can see making this video gave you a lot of stress.

A lot of things you said are simply a misunderstanding. Your problem isn't with Manuel or the SWC but with myself. You are upset at the wrong people. I'm the project manager who decides on Hive promotional events in Venezuela, and SWC is part of Hive promotion. It is not a club like those you are describing; it is a Hive promotional activity. I am very grateful to all of the athletes and I know Manuel always tries to do everything he can to take good care of everyone. But in the end, some events are worked on but must be terminated because of conditions that no one here has any control over. In the end, I'm the guy who with a heavy heart must say "we have to cut an activity".

This is also why the graphics all have to look the same. They must be approved to best showcase Hive. The flyer responsibility is not an excuse or an insult towards you, it simply must be made in a way that matches all the other flyers and when we pay for its creation, we need to have hours accounted as they are paid for. Manuel or his mother do not receive any money for designs. Only designers may receive payments. No organizer is paid. Manuel and his mother are not paid anything.

The posting instructions are there to encourage people to write on Hive. Hive needs more users. Unfortunately, there are not enough curators. Curators are stakeholders, those like OCD who seek out and vote on good content. They have larger votes and can reward content. But OCD curates posts from all over Hive, and they cannot do all. Other curators are in a similar position, they are spread thin. They try to do their best.

Here is the problem: Hive is a decentralized project. It is a global project. We have a marketing budget. We have promotional activities such as the SWC events. People like yourself, and like hundreds of others, including SWC organizers and athletes, contribute to Hive promotion because when we do well, the value of Hive will rise, it will become more popular, and we will succeed together. We all have our small part to do. My job is to sign off on the budget for a range of marketing activities. I answer to you, a Hive member, and to all the other members on Hive equally. But if an event, usually because of the location or other events in the area that did not do well, can't promote Hive enough, it can't go on despite all the planning in the world.

The funds you're talking about are not stolen. Each event has a spreadsheet for accounting with invoices and receipts and the funds that are issued to this event are used to pay for supplies, vendors, transportation, etc. There are other expenses such as insurance and regulatory paperwork that are included. Clothes is all Hive merchandise. Because funds are issued in HBD and payments are made in local currencies, the organizers convert it. In the case of SWC, very often Manuel ends up paying left over costs out of his own pocket. Many organizers do this, including myself, because we want to lower the costs for Hive.

All Hive members when they are sent to events are mandated to travel and stay in safe locations. This is why there are buses for athletes where possible. This is our rule because our competitors have lost people in the past.

Manuel's trip to Cuba was for a Hive event. It wasn't a great trip for him and he got very sick during it as I recall.

SWC events are not only about the retention of athletes. The purpose of the events is to advertise Hive in affluent areas and bring in investors. This is why almost all of the events are in malls. I do realize this project would have done much better if it was not a promotional project and that the constant pressure to get investors is what kills it for the organizers and for the athletes. If you were in Manuel's position and you were put in charge of a large event, you would find yourself in the exact same predicament as he does and as all other organizers do, which is a lot of stress. Everyone thinks its easier to get investors and publicity than it is. Every single person realized that the actual costs of events are higher than they thought they would be. It's a very difficult time we live in, that's all it is.