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Desideria has written 132 posts

An Announcement: I'm Taking A Break

I'm going to be quite busy in the next few days so I won't be posting any new material or commenting any posts. I will take care of my moderating duties, however. Right now it feels like it's not really worth sharing anything here. Even people I had considered my friends stab me in the back. I don't really have the time or the interest to be the target of all these insults and ad hominem attacks. I have always allowed everybody the right to disagree with me and everybody else without attac ...

Chocó 7 dias...The Director of Fiduagraria in Cahoots with the Paras and African Palm Growers

Maria Fernanda Zuluaga Chaux had to resign fromher position as the Director of Fiduagraria, a Government Entity that parcels out the the government money to Chocoan agriculture (More than 1.800 millions of pesos monthly). She turned out to be on the payroll of the African Oil Palm Growers who have been usurping community land/individually owned land in Chocó, in cahoots with the Paras. A long and disturbing report in Chocó 7 dias: "Renunció directora de Fiduagraria por vínculos con ...

Principe de Asturias Prize to Betancourt

http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Septiembre102008/premio.html "I'm accepting this prize in the name of my fellow hostages, the ones still waiting to be freed and with much love, in the name of my fellow hostages who will not return, the ones who died in the jungle, Guillermo Gaviria, Gilberto Echeverri, the 11 lawmakers from Cali ´City Council and Major Guevara" She was awarded the prize on the grounds of the fortitude, dignity and courage shown during her long captivity, for bei ...

Country Fans Work Hard, Metal Fans Are Gentle

http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/09/study-country-f.html Subscribe Renew Give a Gift Change Address International Questions Cars 2.0 Culture Entertainment Gadgets Gaming How-To Med Tech Politics Product Reviews Science Software Tech Biz Commentary Multimedia Wired Biz Wired Insider All Autopia Beyond the Beyond Danger Room Epicenter Gadget Lab Game | Life GeekDad Listening Post Monkey Bites Threat Level Underwire Wired Science Top Stories Magazine Wired Blogs All Wired « Heart La ...

Blame It On the Genes

Male infidelity traced down to a "bad" gene : http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/02gene.htm Why men cheat, its in the genes! September 02, 2008 15:49 IST Last Updated: September 02, 2008 16:19 IST Thanks to science, unfaithful men now have a new excuse--their infidelity might be down to their genes. A study has revealed that men who inherit a genetic variant which affects an important attachment hormone are more likely to have weaker relationships and marital problems, and less li ...

29% of Colombian Homes Have Computer

According to latest statistics: 29% of Colombian homes have a computer (The statistics don't say if it works....) Bogotá is the most "connected" city, Barranquilla the least. (Wohoo Elmo) 92,7% of Colombian homes have a color TV. 80,1% of Colombian homes have a cellular telephone. The city with most cels phones (%) is Villavicencio, followed by Bogotá, Manizales and Cali. 93% of businesses have a computer, 31% have a web site. http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Septiem ...

Bomb Explosion Downtown Cali

Where's ColombiaReports and his newsreel in English? A taxicab loaded with 80 k of explosives was parked downtown Cali, between Carrera 10 and Calle 10-13, inthe heart of Cali downtown exploded at 11:45 causing 4 deaths and 28 injured, ripping off the facade of the Palace of Justice and damaging lots of other buildings in the area, including the traditional Aristi Hotel. The noise was heard in several kilometers radius fromt he site. The police have initially placed the blame on the urban mil ...

Uribe Out Of Control

At the most crirtical point of his administration, Uribe distracts the public eye by battling the Courts: http://www.cambio.com.co/portadacambio/791/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR_CAMBIO-4470439.html

Keep Your Sneakers Tied

Desideria (Moderator) on 2008-08-22 13:45:22. 9 comments.

Festival Petronio Alvarez

Culture, food, music,instruments from the Pacific Coast in Colombia. Enjoy! http://www.calibuenanota.com/especiales/petronio2008/

90% Of Colombian Homes Have Computers

The Minister of Communications made a suprising announcement based on a recent study. http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Agosto152008/nuevede.html "El Ministro encargado, Daniel Medina, se mostró sorprendido al encontrarse con las cifras de un trabajo de campo desarrollado en municipios que demuestran que en promedio nueve de cada diez hogares colombianos tiene computador, contrario a lo que siempre han indicado las firmas consultoras que mostraban un panorama completamente opuesto: ...

Documento Conpes sobre el Chocó, otra decepción

Documento Conpes sobre el Chocó, otra decepción Editorial de Chocó 7 días, edición 669, agosto 8/08 Tras varios meses de anuncios, el 22 de julio el gobierno nacional dio a conocer la versión preliminar del documento Conpes titulado pomposamente "Programa Estratégico para la reactivación social y económica del Departamento de Chocó". Quien lea y analice de manera racional sus 71 páginas concluirá que es una nueva burla al pueblo chocoano. Se trata de una recopilación apre ...

Indigenous Children Starve To Death Due to Fumigations

25 children of three indigenous tribes have starved to death since April due to illicit crops fumigations in their area. http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/otraszonas/home/muertos-unos-25-ninos-desde-abril-en-zona-de-fumigacion-de-cultivos-ilegales-_4426398-1 Muertos unos 25 niños desde abril en zona de fumigación de cultivos ilegales El gobernador de Barranco Siare (Vichada) denunció ante una ONG de derechos humanos que los infantes perecieron por hambruna. Un portavoz de la Cons ...

It Rained Blood In Chocó

At 10:30 A-M- yesterday, a red rain that was certified by a local bacteriologist to be blood fell on a small community of La Sierra, Chocó. A sample was collected and taken to the nearest town, Bagadó where it was analyzed. The priest of the hamlet says it's a sign fromGod that people will have to change their sinful ways. Here's the article, in Spanish: http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/otraszonas/home/investigan-origen-de-lluvia-con-apariencia-de-sangre-en-area-rural-de-bagado-choco_44200 ...

The Next Step; The "Uribization of the Constitutional Court"

Corte Constitucional se 'uribizó': Carlos Gaviria Polo Democrático Alternativo El Heraldo, Barranquilla, 2 de agosto de 2008 Fuertes críticas a la Corte Constitucional por su gran afinidad con el presidente �?lvaro Uribe, hizo ayer el máximo dirigente del Polo Democrático Alternativo, Carlos Gaviria Díaz, durante su visita a la capital del Atlántico. Según sus afirmaciones, al alto tribunal están llegando magistrados que son amigos del Presidente, de quien dijo, "uribizó la Corte" ...

Ingrid superstar

Zona franca. Por: Jorge Restrepo Potes. El Pais �?ngrid, superstar Julio 24 de 2008 Antes del secuestro, �?ngrid Betancourt me parecía persona desagradable, pues sus intervenciones en política la mostraban con una suficiencia y un ego desbordados, al punto de creerse Juana de Arco rediviva. Sus posturas moralistas, sus huelgas de hambre en el Congreso y sus ofensas a la gente que odiaba eran siempre salidas de tono. Inclusive, pensaba que buena parte de culpa le cupo en el secues ...

FARC Frees 8 Hostages

http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/080724/latinoamerica/latinoamerica_colombia_rehenes_sol FARC liberan 8 secuestrados en Colombia, los entrega a Cruz Roja 24 de julio de 2008, 10:21 AM BOGOTA (Reuters) - Las FARC liberaron a ocho colombianos que tenían secuestrados desde hace una semana y los entregaron a la Cruz Roja, en una acción humanitaria anunciada por el organismo internacional el jueves y que ocurre casi un mes después del rescate de 15 rehenes de alto perfil. ADVE ...

The Best Universities in Colombia

Las mejores Universidades de Colombia, entre las TOP 100 de Latinoamérica. The Arwu Ranking 2007 según el "4international College & Universities"[1], el directorio internacional de la educación que selecciona y compara universidades acreditadas de todo el mundo, a partir de 7600 universidades reconocidas y de renombre en 200 países. En éste se clasifican las 100 mejores universidades latinoaméricas, considerando cuatro aspectos: Investigación, Publicaciones, Personal Académico ...

The Best Schools in Colombia

The list is old (2002) but I wonder if we have some ex-alumni from these schools here on PBH? ICFES seleccionó a los 96 mejores colegios del pais durante 2001Caracol | Enero 28 de 2002 Vote:Promedio:2 votos Servicios Buscar temas relacionados En este sitio Google en españolCompartirBogotá.--- Noventa y seis colegios del país fueron clasificados por el Icfes como los de mejor desempeño durante el año 2001. Según el Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educación Supe ...

CUMBELEY!

From Los Angeles, el Cale~no Joe Cumbé y su banda Cumbeley! ...

Uribe Should Step Down

"I would have resigned if I had been in his position" says Antanas Mockus, ex.candidate to presidency, a mathematician and philosopher, son of Lettish immigrants and best known as the Mayor of Bogotá who transformed the city. As Uribe has started recurring to populist measures like referendum and and attacking the Supreme Court he has started looking more and more like Alberto Fujimori. My question to all you Uribe supporters is how much are you willing to accept from this man, would yo ...

Switching languages can also switch personality: study

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080624/lf_nm_life/languages_personalities_dc "Tue Jun 24, 11:33 AM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - People who are bicultural and speak two languages may unconsciously change their personality when they switch languages, according to a U.S. study. Researchers David Luna from Baruch College and Torsten Ringberg and Laura A. Peracchio from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studied groups of Hispanic women, all of whom were bilingual, but with varying d ...

Anybody Here With Experience From The Dominican Republic?

I know this is not the right place to ask but if any of you guys here have any experience on DR legal aspects concerning child custody please drop me a PM.

Increased Legal Protection For Women

in Colombia; a new law has been approved. "The Women's Bench" in the Congress, consisting of female lawmakers over party divisions had been working to improve the legal protection of women and the already existing penal codes have been tightened. It is illegal in Colombia not just to hit women but also to insult them, force them to dress in a certain way, force them to marital sex, make sexual innnuendos or harass female co-workers at work places. To harass women sexually will be punished by ...

Come Celebrate Midsummer Ikea Style

with us in Sweden... ...

Learning Spanish

or English or whatever, I hope you guys have noticed the new section dedicated to language acquisition issues http://poorbuthappy.com/learn_spanish/recentcomments/ the link is at the bottom of the page. ...

Himno de paleo

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Not Easy Being A Mum In Colombia

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La Ultima Noticia

Image and video hosting by TinyPic El computador de Reyes maúlla, pruebas felinas contra las Farc En uno de los computadores incautados descubren foto de Raúl Reyes con el gato que mordió al niño en Santander de Quilichao. Caracol - RCN - El Tiempo- Según fuentes oficiales, en uno de los indestructibles computadores de Raúl Reyes, se encontraron fotografías que vincularían al felino que atacó a cuatro niños ...

Finally! Love In The Time of Cholera here

Just saw it Friday night. Stunning photography...that scene with the mule caravan crossing the Magdalena is sheer beauty. What a disappointment with Fermina Daza, the Italian acress did a terrible job. John Leguizamo as one-dimensioned as always and the only the two best role interpretations belonging to Hector Elizondo y Catalina Sandino. We enjoyed it, though. Lots of García Marquez lines direct from the book made the old-fashioned dialog worth listening. Does anybody know what did Gabr ...

CIAT won the battle over the Bean Thief

http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/notas/Mayo032008/ciat.html The International Center of Tropical Agriculture in Palmira, Valle won an important battle of biopiracy when a North American citizen Larry Proctor tried to patent his "invention" the yellow bean that he had named "Enola" that has been cultivated in peru for centuries as his own. The patent had already been granted and has now been revoked. Thumbs up for CIAT for the important work they do in favor of food production in the tro ...

Ecos de la Diaspora

El blog de JuanCarlos Bejarano Lo recomiendo especialmente para nuesra gente colombiana en el Reino Unido. Mamá llegué a Londres!13 Comentarios Emilio el inmigrante Carta 1 Querida y apreciada mamá, La de ayer fue la primera noche que pasé en Londres. Que extraño es despertarse, abrir los ojos y no reconocer el cielorraso que tienes arriba de ti. Me acosté tan cansado que no recuerdo absolutamente nada de lo que soñé. Ayer llegué como a la una de la tarde ...

Are You A True Colombian?

This is a follow-up to Elmo's thread. How are Colombians born and raised in Colombia different from the ones who have be born in exile or raised up in exile? If you never left Colombia ...are you somehow more "Colombian" than a person raised up in USA or in Europe by Colombian parents? I'm with Kat in this one: even if people in Colombia who never left their country differ culturally from one region to another there's usually one thing they share: they are not all that patriotic, no ...

Putin Following Sarky's Footsteps

has just dumped his wife to marry a 24-year-old gymnast, Alina Kabayeva, one of the Puti-dolls and Playboy models at the Puti Party, United Russia. The Future First Lady of Ru ...

Sweden May Sell Spy Radar to Colombia

The Erieye Radar may well become the first weapon of war that Sweden has sold to Colombia in a very long time. Saab has been authorized to negotiate the sale to Colombia in spite of country's dismal human rights record and massive protests from Amnesty International and peace organizations. Vice President Santos is in Sweden discussing human rights violations in Colombia and climate change issues with Swedish vice minister of state Maud Olofssson today. More to come.... ...

Mme Sarcozy uncensored..(adult video)

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Colombia limita al norte con la tortura

http://www.colombiainformausa.com/2008/marzo_02/yesquero.htm Para su consideración: un articulo de Rafael Rincón Patoño, Director de Hábeas Corpus, Oficina de Derechos y Gobernabilidad. "La eficacia del actual Gobierno colombiano fundada en la legitimación de la muerte no es éticamente admisible, es una eficacia propia de un Estado que usa el terrorismo para afianzarse en el poder." "El terrorismo de Estado es una forma de ejercicio del poder estatal cuya regla de reconocimien ...

Risky Business

http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=35 "The government of Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has been paralyzed by allegations that highly placed officials colluded with paramilitary groups implicated in assassinations and drug smuggling, even as Uribe presses the United States for a lucrative trade deal and to continue its massive flow of military and counter-narcotics aid. Journalist Phillip Robertson and videographer Carlos Villalon investigate the controversies swirling around Am ...

557 Reasons

why the FARC is on the international list of terrorist groups. http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/farc/557_Reasons.pdf (This post is in response to all people here who have been asking questions about the guerrilla in Colombia. They've come a long way separating themselves from the liberation theology of Padre Camilo Torres) Images of Marulanda, other leaders of the FARC here: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/colombia-rev.htm Cheers, Desi ...

Canine Intelligence

"CANINE INTELLIGENCE An engineer, an accountant, a chemist, an IT specialist and a Colombian senator were bragging about how smart their dogs were. The engineer told his dog, “Protractor, show what you can do.‿ The dog gathered some bricks and boards, and built a small doghouse. All agreed that it was incredible. The accountant said his dog could do better. “Cash Flow, show what you can do.‿ The dog went to the kitchen, returned with 12 cookies and divided them into 4 piles of t ...

The New Sins: Caleños Have More to Confess Now

"The Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight. The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance, spoke of modern evils. The list includes; genetic modification, carrying out experiments on humans, polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty becoming obscenely wealthy and taking drugs. Are the items on the new V ...

"Colombia: the Genocidal Democracy"

Father Javier Giraldo's book: http://www.javiergiraldo.org/IMG/pdf/Colombia_The_Genocidal_Democracy.pdf It's 44 pages in PDF format; about Human Rights issues in Colombia.

Let's keep these forums separate

There has been a lot of posts about the Farc/Chavez/Correa/Uribe situation and the threat of war in Colombia and northern South America, but let's keep in mind that we have an appropriate forum for these threads: Politics and the war. I've removed most of the war/politics thread from Friendly Talkzone to the right place now, at least from the first page. Keep on commenting but hey let's be civil, respect everybody's right to their opinions and the freedom of speech. Cheers, Desi ...

I have three main questions for you! (Monpirri's Thread)

I have three main questions for you! 1. Can someone tell me why there is so much sensationalism here? Please someone tell me I want to hear why you spend so much time looking for articles or news about the guerrillas, Chavez or now the war? What’s in your mind? What’s your gain? 2. Can someone tell me what is the infatuation with Chavez and guerrillas? I really do not see the point of visiting a site about Colombia where all you see is recycled news from the media. Yeap, it’s very easy ...

The Carimagua Scandal

Here is a quick overview of the utterly depressing scandal that, for the time being at least, has knocked Hugo Chávez off of Colombia’s front pages. On August 8, 2004, Colombian President �?lvaro Uribe announced that his government would liquidate Carimagua, an enormous state-owned hacienda in Meta department, in Colombia’s eastern plains. 17,000 hectares (43,000 acres) of land, Uribe told reporters, would be distributed to 800 families who had been forced off their land by violence. ...

Off-topic posts

I moved the Colombian peso thread and the kill who thread to Off-topic.My apologies for not having done it sooner; both are very busy and have lots of comments. I guess I'll have to start reading money threads too, because you never know what you guys are going to be up to under the disguise of a Colombia-related title. ...

Noam Chomsky's statement supporting the vigil on March 6

Noam Chomsky's statement supporting the vigil on March 6 "For far too long, Colombians have suffered torture, displacement, disappearance, and general misery under the dark shadow of paramilitary and military terror, constantly taking new and more menacing forms. To our everlasting shame, citizens of the United States have unwittingly made a decisive contribution to these horrors for close to half a century. The vigil on March 6 is a courageous stand by the victims and their supporters, in ...

Sittin' On a Bar Stool...

somewhere in smallville in Palm Beach County some years back, I got in a conversation with a tall, handsome Finn sittin' right next to me... we started comparing notes on our favourite places on Earth...I talked about that mountain path just above Silvia, Cauca, on Colombian Andes, under a starry sky. late in the evening, listening to the "night speech of leaf and stone"...he talked about the campfire in Finnish Lapland, amidst the great forests, midwinter, with the sighing of the north wind ...

Price of the Land

About African Oil Palm, Paras, Displaced people and death in Chocó. In a related piece of news, Uribe is auctioning away llanero land designated for displaced peasants to hig ...

What's Happening In Your City?

post your local news of general interest here: Colombian Newsreel as reported by the expat community and as reported in the online papers from Colombia. (Strictly Colombia-related) I'll start: In Cali, the Cauca River is floating with garbage. Clean-up needed, urgently. The Mio is being delayed by legal hassle; two lawsuits have been filed by different entities which both believe to have the right to run it. What's happening in your town? ...

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