jay1234 has left 309 comments

jay1234 comments on Why does the Great Gabriel Garcia Marquez...

CA That is interesting, people said that about Hemingway, that he did not understand women. A lot of critics say his women characters are flat or one dimensional.
Not sure how easy it is for a male author to "get" female characters or vice versa, but this made me think of Jack Nicholson in As Good As it Gets when he was asked how he writes women so well. "I think of a man and take away reason and accountability."

jay1234 comments on Colombia/Bogota Divorce Law

What jurisdiction? From the threads title, it seems you are talking about a divorce in Bogota, Colombia? I haven't a clue about how long this should take, though my Colombian fiancee thinks it can take as long as a year. Whether this is a guess or not, the better question is why don't you ask the lawyer? If s/he can't give you a good answer, maybe the lawyer is incompetent. Either way, good luck. I hope all goes well.

jay1234 comments on How do you feel about her age

bama What I don't get is that you posted a question to get people's thoughts on this. But your last post talks about people being full of it and how people would flip if their daughter brought home a much older man (which most would). You also ask if this isn't a little sick.
It seems that you were just making a statement disguised as a question. Which is fine, but what I really don't get is people's fascination with what others do. As long as it's not illegal or immoral, why the concern? Either the relationship works or it doesn't. Not sure why anyone should care. Also, the statement that you had your boots on when you posted because you knew it would get deep? Your words say you expected this, but your tone suggests that you are suprised by the responses ("a lot of you guys are full of it").
All that being said, I hope you enjoy Colombia.

jay1234 comments on Why does the Great Gabriel Garcia Marquez...

He's not the only one. Read this on Colombian writer Fernando Vallejo:
http://colombiaherald.wordpress.com/2007/05/08/controversial-writer-renounces-his-colombian-nationality/

jay1234 comments on Escalating Drug Wars Turn Buenaventura Into Colombia's Deadliest City

What I mean is whether the government is only putting a half hearted effort to combatting the problems in this city because of the population being black. Sort of the argument in the US that inner cities with large black population only get lip service to addressing problems rather than a concerted effort to help the people there.
A problem in separating out whether or not this is true is the issue that Buenaventura is not one of the top tourist destinations, plus trying to separate out race vs. economic status of folks. Look at what is happening in Cartagena. Even though there are very poor people there (as well as a sizable Afro-Colombian population, that based on first hand observation, I didn't do any research on this point), because it is a popular tourist destination, there are very vocal efforts to combat crime.

jay1234 comments on Escalating Drug Wars Turn Buenaventura Into Colombia's Deadliest City

Interesting article I thought there were two points that are noteworthy in this article. One is the issue of whether the enofrcement failures there have to do with racism (80% of the population of Buenaventura is Afro-Colombian). Whether it is overt racism, with the government not making this city a priority, or just a case of "whack-a-mole", with efforts in the larger more well-known cities leaving a vaccuum in the lesser known cities is an interesting question. Regardless, I think given the geography of the area, with ready access to the Pacific Ocean, this frontier would have a drug problem.
The second point that caught my attention was the effect of privatizing the port and the resulting loss of jobs, plus the fact that Buenaventura didn't get any benefit from the privatization. With a 28% unemployment rate, the flourishing of the drug trade seems like a natural result.

jay1234 comments on Kudos to the mods

Whether you agree with them or not you have to admit the mods are doing a thankless job. If someone's posts get deleted a little quickly, big deal. No one said the world is fair. That being said, I think they do a great job.

jay1234 comments on Here in Bogota

Thanks... MC, RJ, Cockney Colombian! We've been back in Texas (how depressing compared to Colombia) for a little more than a week now. I really enjoyed Bogota (only thing I would change is the weather). I saw some really great places, tried some great food and drink, and met some great people. rca, I didn't get to try all of your suggestions (though I have had patacon before, love that). I did have some soup that Catherine's cousin called corazon de pollo (but from what she explained it was not chicken heart, but rather throat). I loved the broth, the meat was so-so. Had some great ceviche de corvino (though, I suppose that is peruvian and not Colombian, still great). Also had some fabulous steak at a restaurant called Morrilo.
Anyway, just checking back in. I haven't posted any since our return because we have been settling in and I have been showing Catherine around San Antonio. We have also hosted a few dinners and she made arroz con pollo, arroz con coco, guacamole, y otro picadas, which stunned my friends (my contribution was bbq ribs and deviled eggs). Yesterday, we floated down the Guadalupe River in innertubes. So far, it has been great. The main impressions she has of the US is surprise at the way people drive, the fact that in Colombia the discos will play a few American songs but the reverse is not true in the US, and that the supermarkets here don't have a large variety of fruits and vegetables.
Ok, this pasty gringo is off to get ready for the Spurs game.

jay1234 comments on Is it any more dangerous for an America soldier vs. an America citizen to visit Colombia?

blackout Turn on your PM, or else send me one. Active duty military need a Theater Clearance and a Country Clearance. I can send you a .mil website link that will tell you what you need to do. It takes roughly ten days lead time to get Country Clearance. Unless you are on orders that specify wear of uniform, military uniform is prohibited in Colombia.

jay1234 comments on

Okay, at least enough time for one more johann911,
"i commented on the purchasing power of meat packers using automobiles and houses and silver to illustrate the magnitude of wage depression as a result of illegal immigration.
i never directly linked illegal immigration to house prices."

Those two sentences are contradictory. In the first you claim a relationship between houses and illegals. In the second you disclaim the same. Unless you are counting on the qualifier of "direct link" to back off of the first. In either case, the argument is ridiculous. Why? Well, for one, illegals tend to buy or rent in lower income neighborhoods. But even if the effect on rising house prices were appreciable, that would be a good thing for the vast majority of Americans. In case you didn't notice, home equity (read as rising values of homes) have helped sustain the economy of the last several years. Also, if their was a true relationship, housing prices would not be going down right now.
It is a sign of a weak argument that you don't discuss things directly. Instead you have some fascination with my melon and fish. Either way, don't get mad at me because silver, firebirds, and houses have appreciated over the last 25 years. Nor should you blame illegals. The real culprit is the economic cycle, inflation, speculators, and easy credit. If you know differently, please let Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve know.

Okay, off to a despida for a while. Crawfish and beer, I can't wait.

jay1234 comments on

My hat off to you guys.... You all have a black belt in not responding to points that I raise.

Before I respond, none of this is to disparage your right to have a different opinion. I don't have any illusions about changing your minds, although I will point out that being inflexible in your views (i.e., not entertaining the possibility that you might be wrong or could have views that could evolve) weakens the strength of your position. That, of course, is just my opinion.

MC, I see no inconsistency between the two quotes of mine that you discussed. If it makes it easier, take the second as clarification of the first. If you reject that, well, they are my words, so I guess I am the authority on what I meant. And I still stand by it. The point, again, is that I cry no tears if the net result of a meatpacker ( which is unskilled labor, according to Department of Labor Occupational Handbook) losing a job and then finding a better higher paying job. That's what better means. That is not theory, that is reality. I also think that if labor costs become too high, a business (whose goal is to maximize profits) will look to other methods, including automation or outsourcing to other countries. The ultimate result? Loss of jobs anyway. Okay, let's talk about what the opposite view holds (i.e., that, yes, at all costs, the meatpacker should stay in his job no matter what and not move to a higher paying occupation, say HVAC technician). Well, that would keep the meatpacker poorer than he would be otherwise. What other effect? The cost of HVAC work would likely go up, because of a lack of skilled labor supply. Another example, applying the logic that you espouse. It seems to me, that according to your logic, Americans never should have gotten out of agricultural based jobs for manufacturing, or gotten out of manufacturing for technology or services. Sure, those jobs are better and higher paying, but better to preserve the status quo. My point is that shifting jobs from one sector to another higher paying job is always better. Better for the worker and better for the Macro Economy.
I do acknowledge that some may face challenges or it may take time and/or cause economic discomfort for a time. But it is fantasy to think that that would not happen as the economy changes. There is no way around these economic facts, shifts cause disruption. But, again, a better job is a better job, no matter how you deride that idea. I would always take the better job. And again, by the same unselfish logic, none of us should drive cars because people die in car accidents. I submit that you have to look at individuals pain when deciding on a policy. But how you do that is weigh the costs versus the benefits ("cost-benefit" analysis). Overall, the area is not black and white, it is complicated and there are secondary effects that need to be considered.

Miamimike, of course the argument is an open ended discussion. But you should not get upset with someone responding to your posts. For my part, I find it difficult, because you don't reply to my responses. Example, you discuss the supposed reasons for Colombians or Brits not being eligible for Diversity Visa Program. I provide the text of the law that administers the program and provides the rationale for the inelligibility of citizens from those countries. You ignore, choose not to discuss, then provide an anecdote. Talk about shifting arguments.

Johann911, I don't know if I can help you understand any better. I don't think it was that hard to understand. The statement about selfishness was a CONDITIONAL statement. It was preceded by a big IF. My main point with your posts is you attribute someone you know having paid cash for a car in the 1980's and the increase in the cost of housing prices to the presence of illegal aliens. Can you somehow explain the relation between the two? Do you really believe that illegals being here are responsible for housing costs going up as they have? More so than credit practices and tax breaks?

Okay, as I said up front, we can disagree on all of this. Doesn't make anyone a bad person. But if you want others to respect your opinions, I suggest you debate the points instead of just throwing out rants or not bothering to defend your points when challenged.

I don't want to disappoint anyone, but I probably won't be able to respond to any replies for about 12 days. I am flying to Bogota tomorrow to do my part to support legal immigration (I am going to K1 visa interview for my fiancee Catherine). Take Care,
Jay

jay1234 comments on Cocaine cheaper and Gasoline more expensive

Tinto The point about the US getting only 20% of its oil from the region is interesting. Canada and Mexico are our top two exporters of US
crude oil.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html
I used to think that Venezuela had us in a death grip over there high percentage of oil exports. But I read somewhere an interesting article that made me rethink that. The article pointed out that oil is a global commodity, so if something were to happen, we could just buy from another source on the international market, though with a higher price. So, even though we may be subsidizing security for Japan, India, China, and Europe, in a way it still benefits us because a spike in prices for them would have an impact on our oil prices, too.
On the other hand, I read an article about processing the crude into products that we can use. I think there is something about the grade of oil that we get from Venezuela that we can process very well, but other countries cannot (without changing their processing plants). Anyways, I think there were some PBHers who work in this industry who may know more. I think Southern151 is in the oil business, though I haven't seen him here in a while, maybe he or someone else knows?

jay1234 comments on

Sorry, miamimike, the Diversity Visa law has nothing to do with illegal immigration. The criteria for diversity visa program is found in 8 United States Code Sec. 1153, which states as follows:

"c) Diversity immigrants.
(1) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (2), aliens subject to the worldwide level specified in section 201(e) [8 USCS § 1151(e)] for diversity immigrants shall be allotted visas each fiscal year as follows:
(A) Determination of preference immigration. The Attorney General shall determine for the most recent previous 5-fiscal-year period for which data are available, the total number of aliens who are natives of each foreign state and who (i) were admitted or otherwise provided lawful permanent resident status (other than under this subsection) and (ii) were subject to the numerical limitations of section 201(a) [8 USCS § 1151(a)] (other than paragraph (3) thereof) or who were admitted or otherwise provided lawful permanent resident status as an immediate relative or other alien described in section 201(b)(2) [8 USCS § 1151(b)(2)]."
The numerical number is 50,000. Note the numbers only include legal immigrants. The illegal rate has nothing to do with the Diversity Visa Program. And it has nothing to do with the ease of UK travelers getting tourist visas and/or not overstaying.

MC, I hope you just misunderstood my point. I said that it might not be bad for displaced meatpackers if they eventually found a better job. Is that odd? We should override the market to keep them poorer? Is that what you mean?
"Unless, of course, meat packing was YOUR livelihood and how YOU supported YOUR family. You would probably fight tooth and nail to fight the displacement of your job. Pretty selfish, if you ask me, but typically American." MC. I would not fight tooth and nail if the end result was a higher wage. If that idea is selfish, I wish more people were selfish. Everyone would be richer.

jay1234 comments on

Thanks! It is very exciting for getting through the interview, but also to see Catherine and to spend 10 days in Bogota together before returning here. I can't wait, I fly in two days!

I do agree that illegals have an impact on low or unskilled workers wages. But, I think the argument forgets the other side of the equation. Without the illegals getting a lower wage, you would pay significantly more for many goods. That, and its impact on the economy as a whole have to be taken into account on this point.
I just think that there are so many other factors impacting house prices (including speculators, "bubbles", tax policy, and easy credit practices) and wages than illegals. I don't see the cause and effect.
Another point, if some meatpackers were displaced, that may not be a bad thing. The idea is to follow those who left the industry and see where they are now. I don't know about any longitudinal studies of these folks (I didn't do any research on this point), but it is instinctively correct that these folks continued to work and to maybe retrain. They may have opted for a better paying job, which is good for them.

jay1234 comments on Certificado del Migratorio

Yes They are two separate certificates.
I am just thinking out loud, but remember, the requirement is for a police certificate from every country the beneficiary has lived in for more than 6 months. So the Police certificate from DAS covers Colombia. The certificado de migratorio lists every place s/he entered and will thus tell the consular official if s/he is missing a police certificate from another country.
My fiancee got her Certificado de Migratorio in 3 days from DAS in Bogota.
Good Luck, chester.

jay1234 comments on

My point RJ, is that I don't see the connection between lack of illegals and an easier system. As you know, I am going through the K1 process myself (and I still am appreciative of the info you shared with me). I just don't see how less illegals would reduce the burden of the legal process. If you think about it, though it is a pain, the burden is sort of what I would expect. Prove that you are a citizen, that you are able to marry (not married already or divorced), that your fiancee is healthy, and that you can support your spouse should the need arise. The only connection I see would be that there might be more opportunitities for migrants to come here, but I think the process would stay pretty much the same. The frustration seems to be with the system, not anything intrinsic to illegals.
Johann, Okay, I was utterly confused by those numbers. As a quick reply, I think that it is rare to buy in cash for anything. I don't know anyone that I can think of who has bought a new car in cash. And a house? The median house price in the US is $246,500. http://www.census.gov/const/uspriceann.pdf
Everyone has a mortgage. I just see no relation between immigration (legal and otherwise) and people's ability to pay in cash for big ticket items.

jay1234 comments on Colombian Chicas - Someone please explain!

Only in the US have I felt that people considered gringo a slur. I am of course only speaking about my own experience and opinion, but in my many years of travels in Latin America, I have been called gringo and have referred to myself as the same without any thought that it was pejorative.
As a separate issue, I have also noticed that it is common to call darker skinned people "negrito," which for those from the US raises the inference of the "n"-word. However, I think the racial cultural dynamics are different. Not that it is okay or that discrimination is not there, just that it is not the same as in the US.

jay1234 comments on

visa lottery miamimike, citizens from the United Kingdom are also ineligible for the visa lottery. Are you saying that the illegal immigrants from UK hurt the United Kingdom? Or is the policy more nuanced than that? http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt003.shtm

Ostensibly, what you are saying is that illegals from Colombia hurt Colombia by limiting access to the Diversity Lottery. However, legal or not, Colombians as a whole remit a large amount of money from the US. As a whole, remittances are the second largest foreign currency earner after oil. That factor must be considered when judging the overall net benefit to COlombia from immigration, legal or otherwise.
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/la/migration/index.htm

jay1234 comments on

A new Firebird in the 1980's cost $6000. http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/80scars.html
One or two weeks salary of $6000? If it was every other week that means he made $156000 dollars a year. If weekly, more than $300,000. Either way, in todays dollars, that figure would be double.
Homeownership in the US is at record levels. In 1980 the rate was 65.6%. In 2006, it was 68.8%. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/annual06/ann06t12.html

If there is a relationship between illegals and the homeownership rate, it seems that they have a beneficial effect on homeownership.

jay1234 comments on

Don't confuse cause and effect Johann911, not sure what the reference to ounces of silver is (are you trying to talk about inflation adjusted dollars?) but just because there are illegal immigrants here does not mean that everything in our economy is related to their presence. Just because there are sick people in hospitals does not mean that hospitals cause sick people.

Aztec, I don't get the relevance of the quote.

jay1234 comments on

A follow up question How does an illegal coming here make it more difficult to navigate the legal immigration system? If there were no illegals, how would the legal system get easier? Unless you mean that the system would change. But how would it impact getting through the current system? How are the laws more complex?

jay1234 comments on

Brians I think your dead on on the need for workers. Skilled and unskilled. Japan, for example, is having a huge problem with a lack of workers. There are estimates that they will need to attract between 3-30 million foreign workers over the coming decades. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070419f3.html

There is ample scholarly research for the propostion that illegals actually raise wages for US workers (though if you look carefully, it raises it for 88% of the population with at least high school, lowers for the 12% who do not): "First, foreign-born residents are relatively abundant in the educational groups in which natives are scarce. Second, their choice of occupations for given education and experience attainments is quite different from that of natives. This implies that U.S.- and foreign-born workers with similar education and experience levels are imperfectly substitutable. Accounting carefully for these complementarities and for the adjustment of physical capital induced by immigration, the conventional finding of immigration’s impact on native wages is turned on its head: overall immigration over the 1980- 2000 period significantly increased the average wages of U.S.-born workers (by around 2%). " http://ideas.repec.org/p/fem/femwpa/2006.52.html

The house analogy is flawed. This is a country not a house. If you believe in democracy, you have to concede that our laws and our enforcement of them are a function of our elected officials.

As to the whole "it's wrong because it is illegal" argument. I have pointed out several times in other threads that it is also illegal to pirate DVD's or CD's and to speed down the freeway. I have also read several posters talk about how to avoid Colombian taxes when taking goods there. It seems hypocritical to me. If it's the moral principle of it, well, it doesn't matter how small or great the tax not paid, it is still illegal.

An important question, Buongone. You don't see rioting or real angst here about immigrants here because the US is and has always been tolerant of others. I think it is the same idea as embodied in our First Amendment religious freedom rights ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."). Immigrants who come here usually assimilate and have the opportunity to get ahead. Contrast this with many other countries where second generations tend not to assimilate and stay in ethnic enclaves. They have less opportunity to get ahead and thus resentment builds. Eventually, this leads to violence. Our strength is that we welcome immigrants and give them a chance to do better. By an large they are grateful.

All in all, this anti-illegal screed is a lot to do about nothing. What does concern me is the level of hate leveled against hard working people who come here. That is why, whenever I have the time, I will respond to these threads. What truly stumps me is that having a certain legal status that comes from a body of administrative law does little to nothing to change the immigrants characterisitics as to their impact on society. What, fundamentally, changes about their use of services, rates of crime, etc. from one day to the next when someone is granted a legal status? It is other characterisitics that I think people are really upset about. And if I read it right, that is being poor. Any vitriol for a rich illegal immigrant? I know this is not the usual case, but, what about it?

jay1234 comments on

Congratulations I hope all goes well....

Is ManInRed back?

jay1234 comments on

Don't have enough time to respond at length right now I accept buying the first beer, MC. I know lots of people disagree on this issue, doesn't make them all wrong. And in my experience, beer is always good.

Anyway, my quick two cents is that I have heard nothing to substantiate anything in that list of statistics you threw out. I will leave the 4 million number alone for now (although, I was pretty sure that you accepted those numbers as low in the post I quoted) and go to this one. "2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens. " You can't believe that one, can you? I won't discuss why this makes no sense, but come on. Just on it's face, this one is ridiculous. If they said outstanding warrants (i.e., ones they could not serve, and they meant over many years, at least it would have a plausible basis. But that would mean that many bad folks returned home. Against the common wisdom that once here, illegals stay).

As to not having personal knowledge and personally counting. Well, hell, if you have to personally investigate things to know they are true, how can you say with any certainty that the earth is not flat, or that the landing on the moon is not a myth created on a Hollywood set? I agree that we should not blindly trust what is told to us, but come on, at some point you have to give creedence to the experts. If they are not 100% accurate, they usually have an arguable basis for their positions.

I still like the fact that Colombians are least dangerous out of Gringos or Chicanos.

I feel like I have little to fear out of immigration, legal or otherwise. I will work, enjoy life and not fear anyone coming here to earn a living. I have met a couple of good friends who are illegals. And I give the same weight to their lawbreaker status as (in this order) tax cheats, pot smokers and college kids downloading music from Napster. Bad, but I think today I drove over the speed limit on the way home from work. There is crime and then there is crime.

Okay, this was not horribly short, but if I had more time, I probably would have said more. Gonna go get something for dinner.

jay1234 comments on Robbers in Bogota have 10 “preferred sites” to commit their crimes

Thanks for the info aztec I am going to Bogota on May 1 for ten days. This is helpful to keep me aware of "problem" areas.

jay1234 comments on

Your killing me At least we agree that estimates are just that- an estimate. But how can you extrapolate your personal experiences to come up with a number of immigrants? If that is the methodolgy, better to skip numbers altogether and just say, "based on my personal experience, I think x." When you throw out bad numbers, don't be surprised when people question them.

As to the 4 million number. That came from doing the math from your post. 40% of ten million is 4 million. I rejected that number, you embraced it: "i would not doubt in a heartbeat that that amount (4 mil) is even a conservative estimate" MC
If you want to back off of that, fine, that was the point of my asking that question. You responded that you thought the number is higher.

LA Times. I agree that media is not unbiased and it is important to check the facts. But to cite them as support for your assertions and then not to be able to find the article raised doubts as to the existence of the article. This link discusses the myth about this supposed article: http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/taxes.asp
Further making me suspicious is that such incendiary facts would surely have been picked up by other outlets (AP, Reuters, etc.). The fact that the only cites I can find on this are from anti-immigration websites makes the veracity of the claims highly suspect.

Ok, as to the comments on Mononoke, it was not the slam of the century against her. But you lay into her for her opinion but proceed to do the same. She stated that she had personally never heard of an illegal Mexican farmer killing people. Then you talk about your personal experiences to support your position. Aside from the discussion about the evidence to support an opinion, let's just cut to the chase. Of course there have been illegals who have murdered US citizens. However, it is widely known that illegals have lower crime rates than US citizens:
"In fact, the incarceration rate of the US born
(3.51 percent) was four times the rate of the foreign born (0.86 percent). The foreign-born rate was half the 1.71 percent rate for non-Hispanic white natives, and 13 times less than the 11.6 percent incarceration rate for native black men (Table 1)."
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~rturley/Soc987/Rumbaut%20et%20al.,%20Debunking%20the%20Myth%20of%20Immigrant%20Criminality%20(2006).pdf
Immigrants legal and otherwise are half as dangerous as a percentage of the population than native-born US white non-Hispanics.
You are correct that I have never been to LA or California for that matter. But I have lived in San Antonio, TX for three years now and we have a sizable immigrant population. You don't have to live in LA to discuss the facts. But if you don't want to discuss, that is fine. Eveyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I just re-looked the numbers in the above cite on incarceration. If you look, you will see Colombians incarcerated at about half the percentage rate of Mexicans and at a lower rate than US non-Hispanic whites. Interesting.

jay1234 comments on

You mean to say That you really believe 40% of the population in LA County is an illegal immigrant? 4 million illegals in LA County? The total range of illegals in US is put from a low of 7 milllion (US Census) to as high as 20 million. http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0516/p01s02-ussc.html . I don't think it is as high as 20 million (that would mean out of the 300 million US population roughly 7 percent are illegal) but let's use that figure. Using these figures, you believe that 20% of all illegals live in LA County. Add in Orange County and Riverside- San Bernardino to the mix (the 9th and 10th largest illegal communities according to the Urban Institute) and what percentage of illegals do you think reside in CA? A third? Half? All I can say is that the numbers don't add up. Think about the large numbers in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and NYC. 4 million illegals just doesn't make sense. Even less so if you add in the number of legal migrants. That would push the number of foreign born in LA county to what, half or more? Do you believe that half of the residents of LA county is foreign born?

You start talking about illegals in LA County in your first post and in your last post you switch to talking about the state as a whole. Big difference between one county and the entire State of California.

I don't get the last reference to the LA Times. You cited it as the source from your original numbers. Then you say they have their own political agenda. Does that mean that you agree that all the numbers you posted are bogus? Can you cite the article where your numbers came from?

Everyone is free to have their own opinion. I don't expect to change your mind on this issue. But I do hope to show others that there is no evidence to back up your position.

As an aside, you called Mononoke's remarks ignorant and told her to do her homework. I took from that that you were looking for some objective evidence to back up her post. Ironic.

jay1234 comments on

Some good news http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/opinion/22sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

jay1234 comments on Danger: it's raining

Chupacabra is Puerto Rican, I believe. Don't know if Colombia has something similar, but I have heard of the defoque, he apparently is seen sometimes near farms late at night. All you can hear is vallenato and the braying of burras. In the morning, the burras are no good for work, but do have a sheepish grin. Abuelas will tell the children to be good or the defoque will get you.

UTC, people in San Antonio cannot drive, rain or no. I fear for my life getting off of 1604 as people ignore yield signs, stop randomly, or fail to realize when cars stop in front of them. My boss got rear-ended twice in a month there. Not going out today because of the rain. Gonna watch the NBA playoffs here at home. GO SPURS GO!

jay1234 comments on

There are much bigger issues facing the US The war in Iraq, our lack of a coherent foreign policy, Medicare, Social Security, and trade policy among them.

Let me point out something. Many of the posters who are riled up about illegals seem to be saying, "I am really upset because they are breaking the law." It is not anything intrinsic to the illegals, except they are violating the law. It seems to me that folks are mad about the governments reaction to immigrants and not neccesarily the immigrants themself. A reasonable policy would take away the anger. I am not one who is upset about illegals, but if I were, I would be more upset with our government, not the aliens.

MC, got to throw a flag. You can't believe those "facts," can you?
Let's debunk a few. I tried to search for what you posted. This is what I found:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/taxes.asp

The 40% figure. Hmmm, 40% of 10 million is.... 4 million. The Economist puts the figure of illegals in LA county at 1 million. And dropping. That means the statisitic is off- by a factor of 4.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8931778
Also:
http://www.urban.org/publications/411425.html

MC, I do agree with your point that is would be great to swap out the bad for the good. A meritocracy! That would be great.

jay1234 comments on Another Colombia es Pasion video (spanish)

MC I don't know if I screwed something up, but I didn't see any particular video, just the home page.

jay1234 comments on The falling dollar

mecca I don't know if it will happen, but I can see China becoming top dog in the export arena. What I have doubts about is the producer and the economic power area. Producer of goods? Maybe, but as the US has found, technology, information services, etc., are big money makers and do not rely on natural resources to produce. So, that battle could go lots of ways. India is a good example of a country that could be poised to challenge. They have tons of educated folks, and can pay very little to their workers. They also have good infrastructure for technology. I think China may or may not lead here, but, yeah, on manufacturing, they are very strong. On them being top economic power, I still don't see anyone overtaking the USA. Not for a long time (I am talking hundreds of years...and by then who knows what technology will bring). I whole heartedly agreee about a strong US being in China's best interest. Overall, I would point out that this is good for world peace and stability. A war or instability is bad for business. Unless you are a defense contractor.

jay1234 comments on The falling dollar

UTC Ummm...Yeah. As to China overtaking the US. Well, just food for thought, but why do folks think the Chinese are buying US Debt? Because we are more attractive than anything else. Including investing in their own country.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html. China is almost 25% behind US. They lack a lot of infrastructure. And they have big energy requirements that they are having a hard time meeting. Don't get me wrong, they are number 3, which ain't too shabby. But let's not kid ourselves, they are not the US.

jay1234 comments on Obscenities

Fudge that!!!! On Battlestar Galactica (ok, maybe that is why the girls weren't horribly interested in me in high school) they use "Frack" instead.

jay1234 comments on legal advice of the week

The thing that gets me the most is the double post. (I am a poet and don't even know it).

Why, why, why, have a post to introduce another post? It is almost as helpful as a post announcing that you will leave PBH.

Damn, I sit here, fractured with self-doubt over whether my reply only encourages it.

jay1234 comments on Not getting laid in Barranquilla

For elmo his relations with burras cover many of the above ,CaritadeAngel. Act of love, presence of disaster, and the burras voice lifted in a startled cry. Not quite a song, but you would never forget it if you heard the burra with elmo. It would defintiely be better if it was unseen, though.

jay1234 comments on Danger: it's raining

We should submit the question to MythBusters That show is great.
Don't look down on the costenos on this one though. MythBusters did a show on using cellphones at the gas station, and could not provoke an explosion no matter how they tried. It seems gringos believe that cellphones cause sparks that can ignite fumes. Never heard of this happening in real life, either.

jay1234 comments on I guess you could call it "Speeding on the HIGH Way!"

Blizzard in Colombia yeah, I would hate to be that driver.

jay1234 comments on

I get really confused by people getting so riled up by immigrants. Caritade and Mononoke hit it dead on, IMO. If you believe that immigrants are a drain on the system (I don't) then I am curious if you are angry about everyone that costs you money when you pay taxes. Because the poorer you are, the more services you get for your tax dollar. For example, take someone who pays only $1000 a year in taxes and someone who pays $10,000 in taxes. The person who pays only $1000 uses the same roads, police and EMT services, education costs, etc., as the person who pays $10,000, but pays a tenth for those services. Well, guess what, our society is generally made up of a very few rich people, a few more middle class, and a ton of poor people. So, unless you are very rich, you pay less, and you are a drain on those who pay more (I exclude tax cheats and if there is a regressive tax). My point is, it is a foolish us versus them mentality that drives the debate. The nature of society is to band together for the common good, i.e., everyone pays in, it is not always equal or fair, but if you do belong, your aggregate money buys more than you could individually. If you could opt out of society and go it alone, you would find yourself unable to afford the financing of such services as electricity, telecom, police and fire, EMT, etc. You would be an anarchist.
My 2 cents.

jay1234 comments on Women in PBH

yup Aztec, I agree. The profanity doesn't bother me much, just kinda useless in discussing things. I can see it for humor sometimes, but whatever, usually you can just ignore it. But if it offends or drives out Colombianas who would otherwise add some interesting points of view, why do it? Maybe folks could exercise some restraint in favor of attracting more posters. But what was really dead on was the point about people not posting evidence or really defending their points. It usually goes like this: provocative statment based on opinion. Someone replies with a different point of view. OP answers with something along the lines of "I am a true Colombia expert, you are dumb." Makes for some lame discussions.

Lauthra, bienvenido. Are you planning on staying in your field or is it just something you enjoy doing for now?

jay1234 comments on Women in PBH

yup Aztec, I agree. The profanity doesn't bother me much, just kinda useless in discussing things. I can see it for humor sometimes, but whatever, usually you can just ignore it. But if it offends or drives out Colombianas who would otherwise add some interesting points of view, why do it? Maybe folks could exercise some restraint in favor of attracting more posters. But what was really dead on was the point about people not posting evidence or really defending their points. It usually goes like this: provocative statment based on opinion. Someone replies with a different point of view. OP answers with something along the lines of "I am a true Colombia expert, you are dumb." Makes for some lame discussions.

Lauthra, bienvenido. Are you planning on staying in your field or is it just something you enjoy doing for now?

jay1234 comments on Baby abducted from womb!

especially pasty gringos.

jay1234 comments on Women in PBH

I remember SweetG and also Blondie. LisaZee. I was reading a thread that Desi bumped the other day, something like a typical day for a colombian, and saw all these names that I hadn't seen in a long time. Guess some voted with their feet (ManInRed wasn't female, was he?- That was a joke, in case he is lurking, figure maybe I could provoke a response). Wonder what happened to Blondie and that girl who elmo was in love with who lived under a bridge in the Bronx.

jay1234 comments on

el feliz why "white-hot"? Is that some kind of code word for "pasty gringo"?

jay1234 comments on

A good trend http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/nyregion/16immig.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

jay1234 comments on divorce in US married in colombia

I think you have to specify what is your concern Is it that she also sues for divorce in Colombia and gets a support order there? Or your freedom to remarry? Or the enforcement of your US order in Colombia? Are there children of the marriage and do you have support or custody concerns? Here is a link from the Embassy's site on divorce abroad: http://travel.state.gov/family/family_issues/divorce/divorce_592.html

jay1234 comments on

If the issue is helping their own country immigrants are doing so by sending money back home. "In Ecuador (where the share of GDP is around 6%) and Colombia, remittances are estimated to be the second largest foreign currency earner after oil exports." All those immigrants ARE helping Colombia, it seems.

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/la/migration/index.htm

jay1234 comments on Immigration...one solution

Mods, am I doing

Mods, am I doing something wrong, that the vid is cut off, or is that a function of the google ads? Either way, if you can edit it so I am not double posting the content, that would be great.

jay1234 comments on YOU MUST CHECK THIS OUT!!!

So what is my excuse? Wow, that was incredible. I can dance (when I say dance, I mean no one has yet summoned medical assistance for an incorrectly diagnosed convulsive disorder while I moved to the music), but wow, that guy is incredible. Thanks for posting that.

jay1234 comments on

Now England is a poor country? You are kidding right?