Lionheart has left 1440 comments

Lionheart comments on The Poorbuthappy Survey

the other site it's Surveymonkey, which owns the engine to generate the surveys ... I actually saved its link in case I need a survey in the future myself.

It's the price you pay for using their stuff ... at least no pop-ups etc which is fair.

Lionheart comments on Want to go back but need help

I ignore typos now thx 2 ims communications have become so fast and mercyless, no chance to correct much before you hit return or send. Same in chat rooms and forums (or forii?) ... if you try to keep up and need a spellchecker or a proofreader, forget it. I gave up trying to understand the abbreviations used in text messaging with cell phones.

Nevertheless, most English teachers in the USA do not impress me.

Lionheart comments on How do poorbuthappy guides work?

send it via email to poorbuthappy at yahoogroups.com

Peter & moderators all receive the emails there. Attach the report to the email.

Thanks for doing that work!

Lionheart comments on Online Colombia Trip Planner?

congrats 100,000 posts on PBH ... impressive ... I will think about a free Darien Gap tour or skateboarding trip on the gas pipeline in Colombia ...

Where do you see that count?

Lionheart comments on Cheating novia at EAFIT, part 2

trying to finish post I tried responding earlier, but kept timimg out

it is common girls seek a man to provide up front ... I had dozens giving me their love online, then a brother, mother or whatever gets sick ... and they ask for cash. Most in my experience are from Peru. I never got that from Colombia. There must be a difference.

Response: register as spam email and ignore

Lionheart comments on Member Contact Info

spam is my daily diet My addy is already public because of my radio station.

Since I am moderator you need to be able to contact me:
Lionheart_Live at hotmail dot com

Lionheart comments on Meeting Opportunity for PBH members in Southern Florida

Harleys and more Right here seems to be major biker meeting point, and many go to wet Willie's for their drinks. On some nights there are over 100 bikes lined up along the street, and the biker's are rambling around in the park across the street with their biker chicks.

I'll probably be at the bar in front most of the time, hope you can make it! Just ask for Dave ...

Lionheart comments on Has anyone seen the new Shakira album?

do you mean Oral Fixation Vol.2? She is posing as Eve holding an apple with a baby in a tree reaching for the apple .... yes, she does look great there.

Oral Fixation Vol.2

Lionheart comments on Meeting Opportunity for PBH members in Southern Florida

Sure we can I could reserve like one half of the terrace once we have the planters and umbrellas in place. The terrace is then split into two halves, that gives us room for a group of about 20 people. Later in the year we will be opening inside dining, in a year we will also have roof top dining and entertainment.

I am uploading a photo of our block on Ocean Drive to my profile, the Starlite is the building on the far right.

Lionheart comments on Meeting Opportunity for PBH members in Southern Florida

webmanco We should coordinate the schedule of meetings, I know several in this area want to meet each other. I know a bit about your meeting concept.

Anybody can get the ball rolling with a suggestion for a date. The March weekends are very full now - Spring break season, most hotels close to here are sold out now.

Lionheart comments on Meeting Opportunity for PBH members in Southern Florida

We are open for business just to make it easier, here is the address again:

Starlite Hotel and Café
750 Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33139

phone and fax for café: 305-534-3073
starlitecafe at bellsouth.net

I haven't designed a voucher yet, so whoever comes by earlier just bring a copy of this post (not the whole thread) to get specials. Please incluse your PBH name on it so I know who you are. Currently I am present in the Café during business hours, but that will change fast ... it has to ... we are open 8am to 2am for now, when possible we will be open 24/7. It is hard to find reliable people willing to work.

I bought a few bottles of Aguardiente Crystal for PBH members ... any other ideas?

Cheers,
Lionheart

Lionheart comments on I removed the private messaging function

I requested to turn it on ... ... until we find a solution. We moderators need the PM communication. If you get too much spam, you can turn PMs off.

Lionheart comments on Should I go to School in colombia?

degrees and pains I'll try to keep it short ...

In the USA you don't get hired by corporations on your degrees alone. You need to fit into a tight hiring matrix. If you don't fit into it you are tossed out by HR, if they have enough that fit. Only the matrix counts, nothing else. Even if a department requests you, you won't get hired.

Factors of the matrix are secret, as they are illegal. Age, sex, race, and work history (illegal reference checks) are included there. It is a fact, PM me if in doubt.

Go to Colombia, study there, then go to Europe for job experience. Accept offers in Europe and Asia ... then name your price in the USA.

Good luck!

Lionheart comments on My colombian wife is going to kill me!

the yellow spice It is called Annatto.

Annatto is native to South America, and is currently mostly in use as a flavouring and food colouring in Central and Northern South America. In the Caribbean, the seeds are usually fried in (animal or vegetable) fat; after discarding the seeds, the then golden-yellow fat is used to fry vegetables or meat. By this procedure, a golden yellow to golden brown colour is achieved. Mexican cooks often use a paste (achiote) of annatto seeds with some preservatives (acetic acid) that dissolves completely in hot fat; it is easy to use and can also be added to marinades and sauces to improve the colour. Similar use is found in South America, namely, Perú and Bolivia.

The original Aztec drinking chocolate (see also vanilla) is reported to have contained annatto seeds as well; given their high fat content, this is entirely plausible, even more since red colour bears associations with blood and thus had religious connotations in Aztec society. Using annatto to deepen the colour of chocolate was common in Europe until the 17.th century; today, the spice has little if any significance and is used occasionally to give butter and cheese a deep yellow colour (see also blue fenugreek).

In South México (Yucatán), meat is often marinated with a spice mixture called recado that derives its vibrantly yellow colour from liberal addition of annatto. The annatto seeds may be used ground (often after soaking in hot water to soften them) or in form of annatto oil. Recado is made from annatto, dried oregano, ground spices (black pepper, allspice and cumin), garlic and fiery Yucatecan chiles. They key flavour is the juice of bitter oranges (also known as sour oranges or Seville oranges) which adds a distinct, acidic fruitiness.

Recado-marinated meats are wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a hot stone pit. Baking in a hot oven, pan-frying or grilling is also possible. The technique can be applied to poultry and fish, but is most popular for pork, especially suckling pig. Food prepared this way is generally referred to as pibil.

By Spanish influence, annatto also has made its way to South East Asia. On the Philippines, the seeds are often ground to a powder and added to soups and stews; meat is often marinated with annatto-coloured seasonings. The colour obtained hereby is brownish-yellow, less vibrant than the colour resulting from usage of annatto oil in the Caribbean.

Besides Philippino cooking, the cuisines of South East Asia make little use of annatto seeds. In Vietnam, batters are often prepared with annatto oil to achieve a more attractive colour; annatto oil is also common for improving the colour of coconut-based curries (ca ri [cà ri], see rice paddy herb). Lastly, there are Vietnamese varieties of Beijing duck (ga quay mat ong, can be prepared with either duck or chicken) that use annatto oil to colour the bird's skin; Chinese cooks produce a similar colour by treating the duck with malt solutions, which caramelizes during baking. In China, annatto seeds are occasionally contained in seasonings or marinades for grilled or fried meats (predominantly pork), resulting in a bright orange meat surface.

Although some books state that annatto imparts its specific flavour to the food stained therewith, I cannot myself agree with this opinion. It is true that pure annatto seeds have same very faint fragrance, but this aroma is not transmitted to the food.

Thank you Gernot
Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages

Lionheart comments on miami layover

colombian breakfast ? Tell me more, I am curious ...

We are going to be serving breakfast all day long, so I am very interested in finding specialties to do ... why not offer a Colombian breakfast?

Lionheart comments on My colombian wife is going to kill me!

culinary revolutions Sabores de Colombia

It is good to see that happening in Colombia now too. Many food culturs needed a culinary revolution to gain international acceptance. Bland does not mean poor quality. Like traditional German cooking, where salt was considered the only real spice, and a dash of pepper was considered as daring.

Look what happened in France with the Nouvelle Cousine which was started by Paul Bocuse. It would be nice to see the same happen to Colombian cooking.

Lionheart comments on Gropin' Tales...

here in SoBe the girls do the flashing ...

nevertheless, I understand the feelings ... it is humiliating. I see no solution, putting one guy in jail will change nothing. The feminist movement in the USA and Europe changed a lot, but also much other stuff to the negative.

Lionheart comments on hot water - what to do?

a fruitless discussion I discussed this often with my friend in Cali.

To her a warm or hot shower is a bad thing. Only a cold shower is needed twice a day. She even said that sex under a cold shower is better. She would never install a water heater.

Brrrr ...

Lionheart comments on My colombian wife is going to kill me!

read my comment as a cook in other thread I translated many regional Colombian recipes, none were fried, but still they are bland. How do you kill the flavor of a food? Deep-fry it.

As a cook I couldn't serve Colombian food to an international audience here in SoBe ... it is too bland. I mix Caribbean and Latin American recipes to create an interesting flavor.

Sure, if you come to my restaurant as PBH mmber, I will deep-fry a plantain for you ... but I suffer doing that.

Lionheart comments on Useless topic but I didn´t get much sleep last night

dog meat once I was in the port district of Toulon, France ... I went to a chinese restaurant there. A dog was barking all the time upstairs, where the kitchen was. Halfway to being served my food the dog fell silent. The food was excellent, but the meat was something I never tasted before.

I don't know what I ate, but the mind does give suggestions ...

Lionheart comments on Any colombians in the NW of the US?

hmmm ... a cooks view To me Colombian cooking isn't very exciting, it is rather bland, when I cook Colombian I enhance it. Those who know me know I did extensive resaerch and cooked many resional dishes. I have also discussed the recipes with my Colombian friends, they all become rather clueless when I talk about enhancing the flavors.

Mexican cooking cannot be compared at all, a totaly diferent style. But Bolivean and Peruvian styles should fall into that category, but they don't. Argentinean cooking is the closest, but Colombia leaves out the spices and herbs.

I translated a few Colombian cookbooks ... they are boring.

Lionheart comments on Why not The Stones in Colombia?

it is about the money as a poster above said, the logistics prohibit a tour.

A friend of mine is a trucker for a company who hauls the top group's stuff aroung the USA, up to 5 18-wheelers per band (Stones, Pink Floyd etc.) If these bands don't get other incentives they won't go there.

Some go anyway, like Kansas and U2 ... tonight Kansas performed in Viña Del Mar in Chile, and U2 tomorrow. They have a one week sponsored music festival there every year. Colombia does nothing.

Lionheart comments on

a learning process In Germany and some other European countries the carless days have been quite common. I had to learn how to use public transport around Frankfurt and Munich.

Having lived in several US cities with decent public transport I didn't buy a car and used the options. Seattle is a good example. Now in Miami Beach it is the same, excellent public transport also with Miami. Is it really not acceptable to wait 15min for a bus?

We use the truck for shopping at the wholesellers, but that is about it. Loosing your parking space costs ten times the costs of taking the bus. And on foot I am faster than the cars during the tourist times.

Many friends refuse to ride the bus, it is for the lowest class only ... bah!

Lionheart comments on Should I go to School in colombia?

the problem is the USA I have friends with medical degrees in Europe, or studying medicine there, and one friend in Chile. Their certificates/degrees will NOT be accepted in the USA. Some of them are successful doctors in Germany, they must repeat their finals in the USA, a 1-2 year process.

In general the Latin American degrees are accepted in Europe, you might need to do a test interview, but it is easier. The US doctors are protecting themselves with a lobby to make doctors willing to work for less to enter, or change the numbers of employment needs. Doctors are needed, not enough here, so the price is high.

And as a doctor, why would you want to work in the USA with its f****d up health system?

I heard that Spain is a good entry port for Colombian doctors.

Lionheart comments on hot water - what to do?

I use them too My bar has one to provide hot water in the bar sink, that way we saved about laying 100 feet of pipe from the kitchen, since cold water was already available.

Since I installed it myself I had a good look at its guts. It has several security circuits to cut off power immediately if something goes wrong. It will not even work without ground.I couldn't tell in that pic if it uses a ground wire or not.

This is the manufacturer's website, in case somebody wants to donate one to their Colombian novia/novio.

Eemax Tankless Electric Hot Water Heaters

Lionheart comments on

urban legends I agree, the likelyhood of getting your kidneys stolen after a bing night on campus is higher than getting kidnapped in Colombia if you are cautious and use common sense.

Lionheart comments on Stratfor Intelligence Report on Venezuela and the USA

Radical Islam I read that they are most active in the border triangle of Paraguay, that they virtually control the area.

According to the map it must be the Bolivian and Argentinean border area, but I recall the article also mentioning the botder to Brazil, so it may be the whole Western border.

Lionheart comments on Colombian Culture - Women

not a riot actually a positive twist in this thread

I am too tired now to reply to some comments, I will write them when I am awake and have time tomorrow. Don't leave, I have a few replies to you too, Jessica.

Lionheart comments on Let's update this dictionary of Colombian words

yes do a search here for the Colombian Spanish discussions, many differences are listed there, check the Guide on the left as well.

Lionheart comments on Colombian Culture - Women

Careful with your words Be patient and learn more about the members here ... many have had a lot of bad experiences and express them in this way. I learned to understand their point of view, and I have had my share of experiences as well. Ok, I don't put anybody down, but some people do due to what they have been through.

As a generalization the general opinion sees the Colombiana as the ressurection of traditional family values and a woman who knows her place in a marriage - and it can be a good place if the man knows his place as well. In the USA and especially in Europe the traditions have become warped and I have a feeling especially the men are unhappy about it.

and this site is famous for bashing the USA ...

Lionheart comments on Indigenous people export Good Quality Coffee

Do you have a link? I am interested in finding sources. I will be selling Colombian coffee in my café.

Lionheart comments on Colombian Spanish

there is a difference It has been discussed several times here, and did you check the link on the left called 7. Learning Colombian Spanish?

Do a search here for Colombian Spanish, and you will find many resources and links about it.

Lionheart comments on Colombia probes army officer abuse of soldiers

Westpoint Did anybody see the movie about Westpoint? They had to clean up their act big time. But still in all countries hazing happens especially to young wannabe officers. In countries with draft there are normally no hazing rituals for draftees, and the enlisted soldiers stay away from them and do their stuff elsewhere. I was drafted in Germany and the bootcamp is fairly harmless there. Future officers go through the same bootcamp, but then move on to an extended bootcamp. I only heard rumors of it getting a bit rougher there.

One of the main purposes of bootcamp is to turn boys into men. The kids have never been really away from home yet or they have lead a spoiled life in college. For me it was different, I was drafted when I was 24 and was already in the working world. Legal issues concerning my dual citizenship needed 6 years to be sorted out, and they wanted me bad. But being older than most of the trainers brought me an advantage and I led a failrly good life for the 18 months I was there. But I understood what I was seeing, and I saw many boys turned into men. In general I think it is a good thing that happens, a good preparation for life.

I am a pacifist, I don't like the purpose of the miltary, and since I have been there I know even more what I am talking about. But as a learning process it was good, also for me.

Bootcamp is about the same in any culture, all military leaders use the book the Prussians wrote on military training. it was rougher in the former Eastern European (Communist) countries, and it is still rough in China and a few others, but the basics are the same.

Lionheart comments on miami layover

Art Deco and clubbing The Starlite is in the middle of the Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, the road in front of the beach. You also have the best view of the cruise ships from here, when they sit in the harbor they are quite boring. When they leave at sundown, mainly Fridays and Sundays, they leave in a procession and pass SoBe, all lit up and glamerous, a nice sight.

I don't do the clubs, when they start I go to bed, I can't go there from midnaight to 6am, for example, I have to work, plus I hate the music style, the loudness, and the intoxicated kids. I usually go to a sports bar or one of the pubs, where many locals hang out. It is easy to get into the clubs if you get a pass from the promoters handing out invitation cards on the streets. I think you pay them the cover charge, then you get the pass, and you are let in if you look and behave decent, i.e. you are not drunk or stoned on arrival.

Lionheart comments on Can foreigners own property in colombia?

I heard it is not so easy I heard you must have a lawyer to do so. On the otherside, many Colombian house owners hire lawyers as property managers, my friend in Cali does that as lawyer on the side. She tells me there are many reasons the lawyers do that job.

If I remember correctly, as foreigner you must have a Colombian somehow connected to you for legal reasons. Do a search in the older threads, I recall it being discussed a few times in the past.

If you need a trustworthy lawyer in Bogota, I am sure my friend can help you find one, PM me then.

Lionheart comments on Rudol Yethon, a poor German in Colombia

I edited the link and some thoughts about Germany The link looks better now.

Sad but true, the families in Germany aren't tight together anymore, at least not in the most cases. I am experiencing this myself, an occasional email from my mother once or twice a year to check if I am alive, then silence. Even when I was still living in Germany the contact wasn't frequent, even when I still lived in the same town.

I can believe it that nobody really cares what happened to him. Germany has a high divorce rate, many more people never get married, just live together until they break up and move on. The birthrate for Germans is negative, only immegrants have kids, so in a century or so there will be no more Germans with a German heritage.

I had a young childhood with my grandparents in the US military, traveling back and forth, and we had a huge family in the USA, with was very close. I have always missed that in Germany. Now with my experiences with Latinas I am enjoying the life in families again, I hope they stay close and do not follow the German example. I am seeing the same trend in the USA, especially amoungst younger succesful business people = yuppies ... their careers are more important than family or partners.

Lionheart comments on Help

Currently this option is turned off Too many photos have made the browsing of forum topics difficult, plus offensive photos were posted, since the upload is not moderated. In general this action was approved of by the members. Only moderators can upload pictures into the main gallery, since we must approve the content first - it must be a Colombia travel topic or something like that.

Lionheart comments on miami layover

Depends where you go I agree, a layover isn't time enough to integrate. If you stay longer and do the clubbing scene you will have success if you try. There are locations for each age group. Plus the scenes wanders to new locations every few months. When you are here I can find out what is in and what is out. But chances are good by just sitting around in the street cafés and strolling up and down Ocean Drive in the evening. Mangos and Cleavelander are good places to find company.

Springbreak season is starting soon, enough drunken meat for both genders available then. It will get wild.

Lionheart comments on Help

this is different topic To upload an image into your privat image gallery you click on create content under your name on the top left. Then select image.

Enter title and description, upload your image, and make sure Personal is enabled. Finish with submit or preview, then submit.

The image is then created in your personal gallery.

Lionheart comments on miami layover

and you can eat here too I am opening the Starlite Café this week and will offer PBH members special discounts. Check this thread for more info:

Starlite Café

I wouldn't say the girls don't give you a good time here ... I have to disagree.

Lionheart comments on Arab Airline to have 7 flights to Colombia per week.

A documentation I saw On PBS or History Channel I saw a documentation on the Western Caribbean Islands, not just the West Indies, and how they got populated by Europeans and Africans. The islands were turned into plantations often and used slaves. The guards on the ships and many merchants were of Middle-Eastern decent, from Egypt to Arabia. When the ships returned across the Atlantic they weren't needed anymore and they were left behind to save on supplies. The islands were also the hub for slaves into the USA.

The Middle-Easterners became mainly merchants and traders and created trade throughout the Caribbean islands and the surrounding coasts. Just like persecuted Europeans fled to North America many Middle-Easterners fled to South America ... because they had relatives already there, who had established themselves?

My friend in Trinidad told me the same, adding that also many Indians from India are merchants there, coming from India via South Africa to the West Indies. These migrations add incredibly to the great mix of Caribbean foods and their dishes.

Lionheart comments on Arab Airline to have 7 flights to Colombia per week.

Arabs in Colombia Thre are plenty of Arabs in Colombia, Shakira is best example. They are left-overs from the slave-trading days and eventually were left behind in the Caribbean ... the Arabs where the slave dealers in Africa and shipped them across the Atlantic. Now the successors can be found on the islands and the north shore of South America.

Ever since there has been a steady stream of immigrants from the Middle-East into these countries. It has nothing to do with the Moors in Spain. They weren't Arabs anyway.

Lionheart comments on Anyone know the dates for semana santa?

the main party days I am drawing my memories from Germany and Mardi Gras, I would think the same can be applied everywhere.

The last Thursday is called Old Women's Thursday, the women get to go out alone in Germany and party, basically raping any man they can catch ... many don't come home till Ash Wednesday. This night starts the real partytime. So you have 5 days and nights to try to survive. I recall seeing the parades in Germany, New Orleans, Trinidad (highly recommended at this time) and in Brazil during the daytime in these five days.

Of all carnival destinations I would pick Trinidad. Do a websearch, they go way beyond what you see in Brazil. But I would recommend a 6 month training period of training how to drink rum ... you will need it to survive ... if they could they would inject it.

For the USA I prefered Austin over NO for Mardi Gras, smaller, not so crowded, and you can't ignore the Texan girls. To much petty crime and harder laws now in NO. In Austin you can give away your beads more freely.

Lionheart comments on Going to Colombia in June?

remember European elections Elections in France and Spain also have brought protests and bombings in the past and they will happen again in the future.

Do you avoid going to France or Spain because of that? And what about the millions of tourists going there every year?

I can understand the fears of not going to Indonesia, because tourists are the direct target there. But in Colombia the tourists are not the target of bombings or protesters. The tourists are targets for petty crimes like pick pockets and scams, as they are anywhere else.

Just avoid standing around government buildings to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Lionheart comments on Going to Colombia in June?

too much info the shooting in front of the mall was probably a personal issue ... we all know the Colombians have short fuses concerning personal issues. If it was a political issue it would have made it into the news, the various groups make sure that happens.

I know a few cases in the UK where the spouse got killed because s/he didn't deliver the Lotto ticket on time.

All make a big deal out of Sicarios ... East Europeans do the same for a few bucks in the West. $1000 for a kill, $5000 for a kill with no trace, $10,000 for absolute privacy.

The UK has their share of feuds too, you just might not see them.

Speaking to Colombians, they are over-protective ... with common sense and good behavior you are as safe as anywhere else - or you are at the same risk as anywhere else.

I had to give up my novia because she is a target, me being a gringo would have put her at more risk, including her kids. She is a defense lawyer in Cali, defending those all on PBH are declaring as public enemy and ruthless murderes. As an indigenous lady she has access to the most dangerous areas and must travel there for negotiations.

End of the story, you are as safe as in the UK, as long as you use common sense and stick to friends and family whrn you go out.

Lionheart comments on Colombia remains a dartboard for some

Spain's economic power I have a real issue with Spain in the translation business.

Most big translation contracts from English to Spanish go to huge Spanish agencies, also for Portuguese. Often Latin American adaptations are required. They hire freelance translators in LA ro do the job for peanuts, but charge big bucks to the clients.

I wanted to establish a direct connection to do this service from Colombia direct, but I needed a business partner there. After 2 years of searching and negotiating I gave up, I can't trust anybody on a business level in Colombia. A hard fact.

A good idea died fast ... turns out Chile is more responsible concerning serious business.

Lionheart comments on Anyone know the dates for semana santa?

all about these holidays Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week. It is the Sunday before Easter, and the beginning of the Christian Holy Week. It celebrates the story of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. During Palm Sunday services, many churches distribute cut palm leaves. Greek Orthodox Christians receive branches of fragrant bay leaves, and later used in cooking during the year.

Palm Sunday marks a turn in Christian churches' observance of Lent from a time of discipline and sorrow for one's sins to a time of looking ahead to the Passion (suffering and death) of Jesus and His Resurrection. Christians, in Jerusalem, by the late 300's, were celebrating Palm Sunday on the first day of the week. They did this at holy sites, to remember the events that led up to the crucifixion of Christ.

Maundy Thursday [Lat. mandatum, word in the ceremony], traditional English name for Thursday of Holy Week, so named because it is considered the anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper (that is, the mandatum novum or “new commandment�). In some churches, Jesus's washing of the disciples' feet is symbolically reenacted.

Good Friday observes the death of Jesus on the cross. Most churches hold mourning services. Some services last from noon until 3 p.m. to symbolize the last three hours of darkness while Jesus suffered on the cross. The term Good is a poor evolution from the German Karfreitag or from God's Friday.

Holy Saturday is chiefly a day of solemn vigil (watch). The major activity of the day comes at nightfall as observance of the Resurrection approaches. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches hold vigil services that often include the baptism of new members.

Easter Sunday celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches hold Saturday evening services. Most Protestant churches hold Sunday morning Easter services.

During the 40-day period beginning with Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the time when Jesus reappeared to some of His followers. This period ends on Ascension Day, or Ascension Thursday. On this day, the story of Jesus' rise to heaven is read in churches. In Catholic churches, the Easter paschal candle is put out on Ascension Day. The Easter season concludes 10 days later with the feast of Pentecost, when the apostles reported that the Holy Spirit had entered into them. Christians believe that the church began at that time.

The Carnival Season (a. k. a.Mardi Gras) is a holiday period during the two weeks before the traditional Christian fast of Lent. The origin of the name "Carnival" is unclear as there are several theories. The most commonly known theory states that the name comes from the Italian carne- or carnovale, from Latin carnem (meat) + levare (lighten or raise), literally "to remove the meat" or "stop eating meat".

In Germany the Karnival season start on November 11th, 11:11 am and lasts till Ash Wednesday. In this time the Karnival clubs prepare for the parades during the two week Karnival session.

Ash Wednesday Maundy Thursday Good Friday Easter Sunday
Wed, Feb 09, 2005 Thu, Mar 24, 2005 Fri, Mar 25, 2005 Sun, Mar 27, 2005
Wed, Mar 01, 2006 Thu, Apr 13, 2006 Fri, Apr 14, 2006 Sun, Apr 16, 2006
Wed, Feb 21, 2007 Thu, Apr 05, 2007 Fri, Apr 06, 2007 Sun, Apr 08, 2007
Wed, Feb 06, 2008 Thu, Mar 20, 2008 Fri, Mar 21, 2008 Sun, Mar 23, 2008

I hope this table shows right.

Lionheart comments on

I use all three as well I have to admit I use IE most of the time, because I know it inside out, after all I was on the international team who developed it.

I do like the Firefox tabbed pages, so I mainly use it for that feature, but I noticed it bogs down the system when several multi-media heavy pages are loaded at once. IE would squeal too if I wouldn't have set it to use a new process for each instance in advanced settings.

Opera also has some problems with Unicode encoding, otherwise it is a fast browser. The Javascript issue is a problem ever since Sun pulled the license from MS so they cannot use their latest versions. Therefore the runtime engines are slightly different between the three browsers. It helps to download the latest version directly from Sun, also for IE.

Lionheart comments on Anyone know the dates for semana santa?

same week around the world I remember traveling through Spain and Portugal during the Holy Week. All week long every town and village had huge processions led by the priest, many people carrying holy artifacts and singing or chanting. From what I heard it is similar in Popoyan and some other Colombian villages, as in other Latin American countries as well.

Lionheart comments on What is Manizales like?

Music Central Manizales seems to be the mecca for young musicians and bands. Aside from the big cities most bands have concerts there at least, many reside there. I am talking about rock and metal bands, not latin music. Various websites showing concert and club schedules in Colombia point to Manizales as most active town in general for Colombian and European bands.