august has left 88 comments

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

Houstongal, actually though the debate is quite relevant because the original post is a greeting to people from the US, not Colombia - remember "USA Gringos." I mean if you want to encourage Colombians to be unaware of the fact that Asia consists of more countries than China, that's fine, but it's a bit patronizing in my view. Some of us would just prefer to be seen as something more than stereotypes based on "Clint Eastwood" or that dude from "Complices."

august comments on HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!

Tejasmarcos, North America is a continent. It includes Canada, the US and Mexico. NAFTA?

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

I can't understand how people could feel so strongly about applying an ignorant nickname to other people that they would continue to defend the nickname even once the receiving party says their offended. People are offended, let it be and learn from it. You're best off not using the word.

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

Desideria, I appreciate the anecdote, but I don't understand the connection to whether or not "gringo" is offensive. CatGirl: good anecdote, also appreciated. I think you get what I'm saying here. I just think people should be a little more thoughtful about the word. No one's really sure about the origins of the word, but even the fact that most people assume it goes back to the Mexican-American War (as a Mexican rejection of US troops who had conducted a good amount of raping and other forms of violence on the civilian population) is reason enough alone to group it with the "N" word and set it aside for good. The fact that it's used adoringly amongst Colombians certainly doesn't mean that it's OK to use with people from the US either. Try translating "Negrito," another supposedly endearing term in Colombia, to English and directing that to an African-American male adult in the US. Exactly.

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

MaFe, that´s my point though: as a Colombian you can´t fully understand the word because you´re not from the US or Mexico. There´s also a delivery truck that drives around Medellín representing the company "Niggaz Denim" (or something close to that) with pictures of light skinned Colombians in jean jackets. You can use it if you must, just understand that it carries a deeper significance to some people from those two countries where the word originated.

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

Desideria, I´m not saying that I sweat it in the street when the word comes up in conversation, but it does have meaning. I notice that you´re Scandinavian, so you´re probably coming from a different perspective (eg. there are probably fewer Latinos waiting on the side of the road for work or cleaning toilets where you´re from). Although I get the sense you´ve spent some time in the Americas, I´m just not sure you can fully “get it." The word is rooted in the historical socio-economic inequality between European-(US) Americans and Mexicans as well as Mexican- (US) Americans, so anyone outside of those groups is going to have something of a watered down understanding of it. And it´s tricky because its use implies a different power relation than something like “wetback." Whereas “wetback" is derogatory towards the receiver of the word, “gringo" is really more of an admission of weakness in the face of clueless, but dominant, person of privilege and therefore derogatory towards the receiver of the word and even more so towards the speaker of the word. Again though, the roles which the word implies are going to be less familiar to anyone not born in the US or Mexico, so I don´t expect you to feel as strongly about this. Just know that there are some people who do and if you spend some time really thinking about this history, you probably will to.

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

From the perspective of someone to whom the word is directed, I still feel it´s a word better phased out than continued. If some people are offended by it, why continuing to use it? Happy 4th.

august comments on HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!

OK folks, Mexico celebrates their independence in September and Canada has not yet declared their independence, as far as I know. My intention was more to highlight the fact that Colombians too often inaccurately use "The USA" and "North America" interchangeably. North America includes Canada, the USA and Mexico - three different countries with three different colonial histories. Therefore, referring to "North American independence day" is just as nonsensical as referring to "South American independence day." I try to correct this point not to be annoying but just to keep Colombians from looking silly to "North Americans."

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

I dig that the conscious intentions behind the intentions of the word aren´t negative, that´s largely why your "gringo" friends don´t say anything. I´m just saying, for honesty and accuracy, try using "generally clueless white person who probably has more privilege than me" instead.

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

No worries man, it´s just not a positive word when it comes down to it - too many negative connotations that don´t apply to all people from wherever it is that "gringos" come from - so it´s better to leave it out that´s all. Again, I do appreciate the good intentions!

august comments on GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL " USA GRINGOS"

Huskie, appreciate the intentions, but there´s no need for the "gringo" part.

august comments on HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!

Which North Americans are we talking about? The people of Mexico? Canada? or the US?

august comments on Where are the Colombians in New Jersey?

Monpirri, I dig that businesses owned by people of those ethnicities might be nearby each other, but Iranians and Turks still are not Arabs. Different ethnic groups, as far as I know.

august comments on The gringonazation of our youth in the interior of Colombia

I knew it! The dubbed Spanish version they keep showing on tv!

august comments on The gringonazation of our youth in the interior of Colombia

I´d just like to pose the questions of where the fascination comes from among the Colombian youth for the mullet hairstyle. Is that also an example of "gringo-ization" or does that have some kind of legitimate South American roots? Damn crazines.

august comments on Where are the Colombians in New Jersey?

First, I have to figure that the Iranians and Turks would dispute their grouping with Arabs, but also, in terms of tracking down Colombians, you might check out Elizabeth - especially during the Carnival festivities in September. Plenty of chicharron (sp?) to be found. Other than that, yes, Jersey is generally the wasteland that its reputation suggests.

august comments on Cartagena to San Blas Islands

I went one way from Kuna Yala (the indigenous reserve of the Kuna - spelled with a "K" in Panama, at least) to Capurgana for $50. Cartegena is only a short boat ride from there. That was on a dodgy cargo boat, but I think the cost of your trip is going to depend on what sort of conditions you are looking to travel in and how much time you put into scrounging around for deals. Also, in my opinion, scratch the earlier advice about taking "lots of pictures" of the Kuna. First of all, that is rude with any people, but especially with the Kuna, that´s just not their style and it makes the photo snapper look like they are treating the Kuna like wild animals. If you must, the (mostly) unstated rule is $1 per picture. I support that.

august comments on Córdoba advised FARC not to release Betancourt

It's difficult to determine if Tasco is taking a side on this one, but reading the translated reactions following the original article (whose source was mysteriously missing from the post) reminded me of how difficult it is to stomach the praise so often laid at Uribe's feet by his loyal followers (and which frequently comes hand in hand with a preference for a Republican administration over a Democratic one in the US). I mean I'm not expert on the topic, I've got no love for the guerrilla approach to the situation, and I'm not trying to get partisan with this, but how do all the people making up Uribe's crazy approval rating overlook so quickly that it was Pastrana and Clinton who started Plan Colombia? Uribe and the Republicans didn't bring the policy shift about, It was the softy once willing to negotiate with the FARC and the Democratic prez (and likely a few enterprising US congressmen) who made it happen, people!

august comments on

Yeah, I´ve often wondered what sort of what sort of improvements we might see in Colombia´s economy just by introducing something as basic as a decent mail delivery service. Maybe it´s my US bias, but I´ve never been able to understand how Colombian businesses, say especially the service-based ones, survive without such a system.

august comments on online resources for renting a room in medellin?

Yeah I dunno, I think the utility of on-line classifieds in Medellin depends on what sort of price range you're aiming for. Maybe for the upper end options lessors on-line searching might be helpful, but for the cheaper options I think you're best cruising your neighborhood of choice by foot and looking for the many signs offering rooms.

august comments on Where to find Peter Pan peanut butter?

Yes, PB is simply too costosa in this country. I waver back and forth on the FTA topic, but man, if it can bring down the cost of PB by flooding the country with sweet mantaquilla de mani, then lets go for it! And creamy, please - way too much chunky around here!

august comments on Watch the NBA finals at The Tiger Paw in Parque Lleras, Medellin

Yes, but on the very bottle of Pilsen it says 1100 COP suggested retail and on the TV ads for Costeno they say the same price! I know every cornershop sells for 1500, but almost doubling the price for backpackers? Scandalous!

august comments on Watch the NBA finals at The Tiger Paw in Parque Lleras, Medellin

Now hold on one second. 2000 COP for domestics? Both Pilson and Costeno have made it quite clear that their suggested price is mil cien. Que tal?

august comments on Cartagena Airport to Cartagena Terminal de Pasajeros?

Also, helpful points. Thanks guys. TomTom: 12 times?!?!?! Oh good god, that's just not fair. I'm going to hope for a less than 22 hour journey!

august comments on More Observations from the side of the Emerald Mountain

I'm just not sure the title "Poor But Happy" was supposed to refer to the citizens (or even ex-pats) of the country on which the site is focused (Colombia, in this case) as much as backpackers/low budget travelers, but that's only my interpretation.

august comments on Cartagena Airport to Cartagena Terminal de Pasajeros?

All good points. I've done the reverse trip from Medellin to Cartagena and yes, as I recall, that was a painful marathon, although I have done longer (Cucuta to Medellin, never again I hope). Unfortunately, I don't have quite so much time as to be able to stay in Cartagena for the night. And so it is, I'll have to cross my fingers for no landslides.

august comments on Cartagena Airport to Cartagena Terminal de Pasajeros?

Because I came across a flight that was 380 roundtrip from NYC to CTG and I wouldn't say that I'm yet in a position in life where time is money for me; that is to say, the extra time seemed worthwhile enough to save some cash.

august comments on Cartagena Airport to Cartagena Terminal de Pasajeros?

Good info folks. I'm arriving at 12:30PM and trying to head directly to Medellin, if that helps at all.

august comments on Que se celebra el 5 de Mayo en Colombia?

Es el Dia Internacional de Los Trabajadores, no?

august comments on Safety in Medellin

I feel like that's a relatively safe area, but you definitely shouldn't let your guard down. I think it depends on what time of day we're talking (nighttime around there certainly feels quite a bit sketchier), if you're alone and how low a profile you're able to keep.

august comments on

Alright, I'll have to accept that. I still don't understand your choice of "american" as a username, but perhaps that's your business. In that case, I'll contribute to this discussion of Bush supporting Colombia (even though Plan Colombia, when US aid to Colombia skyrocketed, was passed under Clinton). I think instead of focusing on why Bush himself supports Colombia, it's more helpful if you think about how the interests of Mr. Bush align with the idea of supporting Colombia (as the President is only able to do so much by himself under our structure of government). This includes his interests in furthering the War on Terror (in rhetoric but also in the massive bureaucracy behind it), keeping supporters in the military and defense industry busy and bolstering up an administration (Uribe's) who largely shares the same ideological roots as his own (which makes Bush's way of thinking look right if it he can prove it works elsewhere).

august comments on

american, I've tried to be in your corner before, but I feel like you make that job damn difficult. I want to know the truth: A) What's your connection to Colombia? and B) Why do you call yourself "american" when you tell us you're English. Things don't quite add up to me. We want some answers.

august comments on Colombian prostitutes tell magistrate of hardships

Oh, why Trinidad? Probably because it's ridiculously easy to get there. With the right amount of bolivares and the right brandy, Venezuelan fisherman will take you over at a very agreeable price and dump you on the docks outside of Port of Spain. From there, it's up to you to report yourself.

august comments on

american, I admit, I really don't know what you wanted from this post. I did my best to contribute with my comments, but I think I'm having trouble following your thoughts.

august comments on The Center Of Medellín ; All The World Is A Stage!

That's some serious Mango's promotion there.

august comments on Cargo Container from northern California to Cartagena….(No.PBH.PH.A)

Miguel, what do all of these acronyms refer to? PH? PM?

august comments on

Rikito, fair enough man. I mistakenly thought you were directing those criticisms towards me. I understand it was more of a Rikito v. american thing now. Thanks for the good word btw.

august comments on

"One of the reason that PBH seems to be "dumbing down " might be due to the non relevant posts and valuless coments made by you. People want to talk about Colombia, but you seldom do and mostly incite people. For example, this post Maybe if you left some of the worthwhile posters who left may return." That was brutal, but baseless, which makes my job easier. I was wondering if any examples could be forwarded to me of "non relevant posts" or "valuless coments" (original spelling). If so, I will go about improving my PBH behavior. I can't say that I will attempt to stop "inciting" people however. This is a discussion forum. Sparking discussion in a constructive manner seems healthy and appropriate. "And if foreign posters can be critical of our country, can we also be just as critical of that particular poster's country of origin?" I'm pretty sure this is a site dedicated to discussing COLOMBIA. So no, even if it may be warranted, criticisms of other countries probably are not so appropriate on this site.

august comments on Madrid Set For Bogota Friendly

Considering the stated intention of remembering history through this match, it is pretty ballsy rooting for the colonial power. Gotta rep for the Americas, I'll be pulling for Santa Fe.

august comments on

Ok, american, I agree that stereotypes have an analytical value, but, not to constrain our dialogue, I figured you did a pretty sufficient job presenting those stereotypes, so I thought I would start the process of breaking them down. I can't imagine you were just hoping that other posters would agree and say "Yes, american, all Colombians and Latinos in general inherently lack the capacity to organize!" That said, I agree, from an Anglo-American point of view, Colombia feels less organized. It seems that you're trying to suggest though that is an inherent cultural quality in Colombians and I don't think that's a very useful point. Since your post seems to be trying to understand what cultural factors facilitate planning-mindedness, I think it's more helpful to start getting right to that point.

august comments on

american, I think we have to be careful with the biases we approach other cultures with. What seems chaotic to one person (say someone with more of an Anglo-American/European) background, may feel perfectly organized to someone of another culture. Also, attributing something to a "culture" is a pretty sticky venture. What looks like culture might be more accurately the result of wealth disparities or historical differences. I think the wealthy tend to be better organized than the less wealthy in any part of the world (you have to be fairly organized to make or hold onto wealth) and most formerly colonized societies have had to grapple with complexities that people from Europe, for example, simply cannot fully understand. Finally, you have to think about the perpetuating effects of these factors. If you grow up in a place where the people around you are not accustomed to running around staring at their watches all day and the institutions you interact with do not facilitate planning (eg. they do not conduct business in a predictable manner), it is very unlikely that you're going to be planning to a T.

august comments on

american, I have to agree with you. There seems to be fewer posters and a higher concentration of less informative posts by the same posters. More tiresome still is that these same posters are so often disregarding posts critical of Colombia as anti-Colombian, instead of embracing such posts for complicating our understanding of the country. Perhaps that's a tactic G.W. Bush (or even Uribe for that matter) would appreciate, but I don't feel that's a good thing for the future of PBH.

august comments on Madrid Set For Bogota Friendly

That does sound like a choice match. Any idea how to get a hold of some tickets?

august comments on best restaurant in medellin

Oh man, if you're into fried fish, I'm a huge fan of the Chocoano place directly underneath Parque San Antonio (under the side opposite Avenida Oriental). There's actually two in a row nowawadays on your left as you're walking down the steps from the park, but I've never had a full meal at the one closest to the steps. The one further from the steps is always damn hot, but it's always full - which is usually a good thing with restaurants - and I've never been disappointed. Go with the plato, you know, with the soup and all. The crowds make the service a little sparse sometimes, but they won't let you down. Those in the know bring their own avocados to eat with the fish - totally acceptable and worthwhile.

august comments on

Man, the NYC/Jersey/Connecticut area has got so many Colombians they've got their own radio station, available online at http://www.radiointernacional.us/ Good for futbol on the weekends!

august comments on SEXUAL HARASSEMENT (WORK)

Touche RAAAAY, I don't claim perfection myself, but I try to be helpful.

august comments on SEXUAL HARASSEMENT (WORK)

Thumbs up to Pedro and Aztec for actually showing this guy enough respect to help him out. Thumbs down to most of the the rest of yous for once again defending the status quo and rendering PBH a sandbox for your personal amusement.

august comments on "White"Colombians and costenos and racism.

Wow, when did this posting turn into a space for white empowerment? Read some damn history books kids.

august comments on Colombian Peso Breaks 1,800 Per Dollar for 1st Time Since 1999

Damn the dollar. Just to be a whiny Norteamericano, isn't it slightly misleading to say that the peso is "exceeding" 1,800 per dollar? Isn't it really dropping below 1,800, Andrea Jaramillo?

august comments on Colombia's displaced women sexually abused and forced into early motherhood

Beyond that, I think it's important that issues such as the one presented in this article make their way to Poorbuthappy. The rosy perspectives and topics germane only to expats and tourists which tend to dominate the discussions here are maybe useful in encouraging interest in Colombia, but I just don't see it as helpful in painting an accurate image of the country.