mark has left 37 comments

mark comments on She wants to go to Panama

go to panama, and for gods sake De-flower her!!!

mark comments on The Design Of This Forum Is Weak/Confused/Confusing and Ultimately Unsatisfying

sound like a democrat crying over the election eom..

mark comments on Colombian Soldiers in Iraque

WHAT ORGANIZATION IS HIRING THEM? Does anyone know who is actually recruiting them in IRAQ? seems to be hush-hush.

ps. it would be nice if they hired the FARC, jejeje.

the way things are going in IRAQ, I bet the FARC can take care of the situation in IRAQ , that place needs the devils work and satans children , all that is the FARC.

mark comments on Safety in Medellin.....

Do the same thing if you would visit Los angeles, chicago,detroit or any dense populated area in the US..


do your homework, know where you go, they have a cool transportation system, heavely guarded.

Try to decide where you want to go and do your homework. Colombia is colombia.. You'll love it complete with all the adreline for first time visitor.

Farc does have cells in medellin as well bogota and the rest of colombia.

the good news however is that colombia sent a big honcho drug lord to the states, so the FARC may be chillin for a while. but one never knows .

ok.. now if you a bit confused...

just do it...

one thing about cabs.... always.. always ask how much they will charge to take you from one place to another..

also if your in a up-scale hotel .. dont use there taxis.. they typically charge a lot more..

you'll feel a lot safer than in baltimore or DC.

generally people are cool, but keep in mind high un-employment in dense areas defines " the opportunistic criminal" , if you know a bit how to profile them they will stick out like a sore thumbs.

be alert & enjoy the music , flavor, life unlike any..

mark comments on

like this BOOM...BOOM..BOOM..


I did new years in the philippines, ( where every one and their gradmother has at least 1 hand gun 1 shot gun, & others that can be bought here in the states, and supposedly you cant even carry a knife in public.

anways.. It sounded like a war zone, heavy guns too.. I think its a time when they all show off their firepower..

In the morning you read about those stray bullets landing on people..

ps.. I'm guessing about Bogota, but in medellin .. they're poppin right now..

mark comments on Does anyone know when the Arcos underwater cable will be fixed?

Probably as soon as the CIA Does their cross connect interface, into their mainframes.

mark comments on My second trip to Colombia

check out el retiro, they got a cute little church there, they make furniture there, they also have rodeo events ocassionaly.. sometimes ochoa's horses compete there.

many weekend entertainment gigs too. it's between la ceja and las palmas. they have a little square where the church is, food music,pigeons, etc.

i seen a waterfall near la ceja , I think but I havent checked it out.

el retiro- Lat: 6:05:34N (6.0928) Lon: 75:27:31W (-75.4585)

rio negro- Lat: 6:09:20N (6.1556) Lon: 75:22:49W (-75.3802)

11.11km between the two

mark comments on How about creating a Chat room here?

ummmmm How aboUt creating with a YAHOO name extension poorbuthappyCO.

such as MADLIONPOORBUTHAPPYCO, MARKPOORBUTHAPPYCO, ETC

AND SIMPLY USE YAHOO MESSENGER. PLUS FOR THOSE BOLD ONES U CAN USE THE CAM.

mark comments on looking for info on FARC

try this site http://www.colombiaweek.org/

mark comments on Firearms Law for US citizen

Option B Remember one this about doing business in third world countries.

it's not like the us..

think about the source, in your case I would contact DAS , and to to a high level guy, he may be dirty but for a good business opportunity he could be your best bet.

make a deal that includes a bonus and the end , and make several references to repeat business and referrals.

off duty or other wise FED's in colombia would probably take the job, plus they definitetly know the ropes.

Don't be shy to ask what you want, and go directly to the top.

search for the various ministry offices too, these people are very accessable when you mention foreign money.

payment in euros is popular as well.

mark comments on Firearms Law for US citizen

Carry-permit, huh I'm sure it can be done. You may have to talk to DAS or other authorities.

Usually they require a specific reason for your needing one, ie. jewlery salesman, etc.

I would try contacting the Colombia embassy reps in the US first, I'd also do it in person and would bring in the carry permits for the ones issued in the states.

mark comments on Hotel near US embassy Bogota

hotels near embassy. http://www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/5218

I got several good replies for same question.

your visa question can best be answered by understanding the laws for your country, as always I advise on the use of lawyers. It can viewed as a necessary expense & investment plus relieves the stress.

mark comments on Uribe or not

huh???? What do u think about Uribe????
In Italy there is a bad communication about Colombia because every news id from Usa. What do u think about Colombia and Uribe?

You imply that in Italy there is only one source of news and what?? Italy has you strapped to only watch news from the USA.

amigo... be real.. there are TON's of news on colombia or any countryfor that matter not influenced by america, if you choose to only listen to one side then you are at fault.

now Urbie and Colombia..

Majority rules amigo.. and it appears that the people want him..
those who don't have something to lose.

the real question that needs to be addressed is .. Who specifically and How many people control the problems of Colombia.

Also remember this COCAINE has something to do with the problems, Cocaine to colombia is what is OIL to the arabs... lotsa money.. except that its illegal..

what would happen to the participating banking systems if the cocaine problem ended tomorrow.

A few years ago the banks in Los Angeles saw an unusual upswing inthe economy while the rest of the banks in other areas did not...

it was even admitted that it was probably due to dope money flowing..

a better question is "When will people see colombia as a place to hang out and enjoy" as opposed to a armed conflict with the FARC.

mark comments on Street Kids, to give money or not?

I always give um money But they have to listen to my words of wisdom , if however I profile them to be druggies I wont.

usually they have something to offer , flowers, candy etc. I dont take the product, reason being,they are often exploited by someone and maintain an inventory.

I tell them that this is their money and not to give it to anyone. I tell them they will earn it for my attention. I tell them that they will teach me something and that is why i pay them.

i also tell them if they ever have a chance to be in school, to do it. I'll explain a bit about those who did their "time" in school and the difference about doing time in "jail".

i explain that life is better if one is poor with honesty, and honor. And I also explained a bit about karma.

sometimes i tell them about a friend who never went to school and worked his way as a cook to a multi-millionare, buying restaurants.

I tell them to do something very often and become good at it as long as they enjoy it and that it is an honest endeavor, I explain how this can make them an expert, sometimes i give them ideas.

I tell them when they wake up every day they should remember these things and live by them.

I tell them to ask advise from people who seem to have it all.

I tell them to go to church when they are sad and need questions answered.

I tell them they will never forget this conversation for the rest of their lives.

then and only then I give them the money.

Often i will tell them that they know what is right and what is wrong.

If I see an old man on the ground, i'll buy him food, but my words have no hope for him so i just move on, if he has a bottle of booze i'll trade it for the food... some do it .. others don't. those who accept the food also get a cig.

i've done this in many countries not just colombia, USA included.


What I do is random and I don't look for it.

mark comments on cali taxi drivers.(WARNING)

lol, gringoinbogota I like your number 5, sounds like you also improvise.

I'd like to offer my tactics.... but sometimes it's not good to expose one's talents.

but for those who are curious on having improvised firepower with everday articles, experiment a bit.. you'd be suprised.


I only had to do that once on a pit bull in los angeles, not a pen but similar and effective, damm dog was gonna eat my cocker spaniel hehehe.

timing is everything.

mark comments on Local (bad) news

lol I'd like to see that video, if he was tall he was probably a young kid lookin at a basket ball gig.

Iv'e been around in other countries seen similar situations, in europe i saw a bunch "brothers together very big & tall" , I walked and asked them straight up if they were pro athelets. they were.. we talked a bit about how they stuck out like sour thumbs, they were all jersey-ed up. one wore tennis shoes with slacks.. hella funny.. I took a chance and goofed on him..

thing is while they may have felt out of place , I had no problem walking up and starting a conversation.

The way security is at Heathrow I bet they had the cameras on me for a while too.

mark comments on cali taxi drivers.(WARNING)

kernow62.. you are correct however it is not a favorite theme as it often relates to innocent people being murdered by colombians.

such as the recent girl around 10 years old (something like that) , they had already murdered her and were asking for money implying she was still alive, put your shoes in those who suffer this way.

Empathy for these murderers is not the solution to achieve harmony in colombia, they must be put down.. simple as that. Cocaine or not they will continue to extort in this manner.

I often wonder how these murderers can actually have the mind set to kill a child in this manner, what goes through their mind as they end the life, what is going through the mind of the child as she sees the light dim away.

And how can any civilized government body whose purpose is to represent their people and offer security,freedom & opportunity have Empathy for these killers but not having a death penality, prison time for a murderer... your NUTTS.

perhaps if you could read spanish and have sources of knowledge of the daily killings in colombia of completly innocent people you would reserve your Empathy.

Colombias hidden treasure has yet to be exploited, their people, talents, & way of life are being held at bay and yet they survive.

People who choose to express their point of view by means of extreme violence have no place on earth , they represent a species of humans that have neurological abnormalities.

these are very violent people and you would rather resolve it by housing,feeding& caring for them when there are people who have no place to live , have no daily meal and are peaceful when compared to their counterparts in prison.

your nutts.. to rather feed and house murderers than distribute those resources to those who have not by not their choice.

Empathy for the FARC is not in my vocabulary, and as well as those who lost family , friends & strangers to the FARC.

mark comments on Begging for VISA help!

wow creo que la immigracion tiene algo para ayudarte, sera mejor buscar un abogado. mira si te casas todo es facil a llenar los papeles para la immigracion, pero como tienes visa de estudiante creo que podia tener problemas con eso.

hay muchas web site en espanol que hablan de eso, este web site (poor but happy)no es bueno para obtener bueno informacion, digo de abogados.

http://www.visajourney.com/

este web site es en ingles.

mira si dices todo de la verdad y tienes puebra, creo que la immigracion te ayuda, pero que no sera broma o mentiras a hacer mentiras al immigracion de cosas de eso sera grave.

por fin ... busca un abogado


good luck..

mark comments on first time travel

What part of colombia are you going to? dude, you gotta atleast know where the town is.. study the maps, read up on the town and surrounding areas, do you know if its a hot spot for the FARC? ELN?..

do a translaton on babel for this link.

http://www.derechoshumanos.gov.co/observatorio/modules.php?name=informacion&file=article&sid=194


pretend your a white boy in south central L.A. get to know the area.




do your homework , if its your first time you may want to be close to the airport.

consider Panama first, that way you wont be so considered about family members.

If you dont blend in , dont sweat it but yet be aware of your surroundings. dress casual.

your gonna love it there, colombia is so full of life and flavor.

especially the weekend parties.

mark comments on cali taxi drivers.(WARNING)

You may consider using the CAM on phone let them know the camera can email the pics, it's pretty intimidating when you have high tech toys.

And yes use taxis from good restaurants or hotels. It is common to have third parties take down license plate numbers.

Always ask how much it costs before entering. Let them see you talking on the cell while looking at their license plates.

I flat out ask people if they are criminals, sometimes ask them if they rob people for a living.

best thing to do is make them feel that you have recorded their info.

Funny thing about Colombia allowing gun permits or mace for good people, but the most silly thing they dont have a DEATH penality.

One good public be-heading on a FARC member otta do it.

Once in Caracas VE , I took a pic of a taxi driver with my cell.. I then let him see his picture, then i told him I was emailing it to an associate.

It was real late, and my pick up cancelled, I improvised..

mark comments on requirement for national to fly out of colombia

Viewpoint- good narrative... good points viewpoint..

Also one more point..

When my woman left medellin they searched her big-time.. heheh I guess hot chicks are profiled there, they thought she was a drug mule or something.. they took her to a seperat room and had a female agent search her.

Also one thing led to another and she wound up drinking a lot of orange juice to satisfy them that she did not have anything in her stomach..

this kinda freaked her out, cause she never traveled out of colombia and thought this was normal..

but at the same time she was all dressed up looking real HOT I told her its better to keep a low profile when you travel..hehehhe

mark comments on Going to Medellin 2005

hey utopiacowboy is there a waterfall near La Ceja?? I think I saw it when i was driving past La Ceja?

I keep forgetting to check it out.

mark comments on Going to Medellin 2005

hety litost.. chill out Just goofin..

and yes i've been to colombia about 5 times, la ceja, envigado, rio negro, el retiro to name a few.. & Medellin. Bogota in a few days..

but lets be realistic.. if he don't look hispanic he'll stick out like a sore thumb, if he gets pulled over at a road block by the FARC, he'll have a hard time blending in.

and yes colombia is a very lively place, every time I go i get an adreline rush, colombia keeps me alert , kinda like a double sided sword .

But it saddens me to hear when they kidnapp foreigners and residents, 18000 FARC members do a great deal of harm to colombia it's reality.. they recently killed a child and were still trying to get money for her.. very sad.. (thats not media hype.. simply factual)

sometimes its necessary to accept the reality, last sunday another bomb in bogota.. dude i'm being real here.. not hating Colombia.. I love it there..

But at the same time I would not recommend a non-native lookin friend to accompany me.

and yes Colombia is no walk in the park , but when i read naive statements from these people it appears that they have not done their homework.

a little humor with reality is part of life..

mark comments on Going to Medellin 2005

I hope you look hispanic What are your plans for security?

http://www.derechoshumanos.gov.co/observatorio/modules.php?name=informacion&file=article&sid=194

here's a web site with statistics on the civil war over there.

cheers..

mark comments on Uribe or not

COLOMBIA NEEDS A DEATH PENALITY He's a good president, he needs to get a DEATH penality set up for these nuts, hard to believe they dont have one!!

mark comments on requirement for national to fly out of colombia

.they are full of SHIT I went through the same thing, exact same thing.. I made a few personal calls to the airline.. try avianca instead. they denied any law to that effect. I think they dont want hookers visiting with no cash in hand.

SOLUTION: Send your woman some MONEY...

http://www.viamericas.com/login.asp

viamericas is cheaper than western union, your need her bank account info to have it deposited.

immigration may hold her passport till you show up too.

I met mine there roughly the same time, when i met up with her in the luggage area she went back to the inspection booth with me, afterwards they gave her the passports.

p.s. we stayed at an upscale hotel. but dont use their cabs to get around, they rip you off.

you'll dig it there too

also there is a beach area that robert duran (boxer) hangs out at ( drunkie alcoholic), i missed him..


theres also a cool marina night spot about 20min towards the canal, good food & dancing..

enjoy..

mark comments on Bogota-Hotel-Near Embassy-------------------------INFO. PLEASE

thanks 4 info.. p.s Chuck................... thanks 4 da info.. Chuck jejej I'm bringing my honey here doing the interview , jus wanna be close for that.. Actually being close to embassy is probably just a dangerour as any major street in Los Angeles,detroit,baltimore,pittsburg,atlanta... but not Amherst, NY

I have an apartment Medellin.. sometimes i'm there sometimes I'm here U.S. , sometimes I'm somewhere else..jejej

Regards

mark comments on The Mystery of the Coca Plant That Wouldn't Die

If there was a real global interest to end cocaine It could be done in about 9 months.. tops..

Colombia is not that very big for an all out global attact..

this is how it can be done..

1)establish a mandate to ban all these areas as a no-mans land.

2) move the farmers out of these areas , feed them & give them work, and move them in the city.

3) set a date and invade, a global UN attack

4) maintain bombardment in these areas daily for ever, (we know where they plant the dope it's no secret)


unfortunately this wont happen.. why??

a)we the US maintain our strength when others are week, currently we would rather prioritize protecting the oil wells and trying to make a deal..

b) too many players would be affected....

mark comments on Questions about marriage visa

hire a lawyer and drink a BUD.. not smoke.. drink If she's worth it spend a couple grand.. find a lawyer for example that does many for the military boys who hook up with foreigners.

check yellow pages near bases , these guys are experienced and dont fool around..

having a lawyer takes all the stress away..

nowadays it can take as little as 5 to 8 months on a fiancee visa..

mark comments on To move or not to move to Medellin?

what is dangerous? I grew up in Los Angeles, survived the floods, riots,fires and that portion of society that gives a bad name to such populated areas.

I've been to medellin and some towns on the outskirts, very lovely atmosphere.

Yes Latin america has its problems yes organizations like the FARC are real and do exist.

Some humans have a nature of trying to be informed without bias, here are some links I use to avail myself of what happens in colombia. The first link colombia makes reference to news and other events relating to the politics of colombia.

http://www.colombiaweek.org/

The secon link I personally like, there is one section that makes reference to activity relating to the different factions and yes , things like murder, kidnapping, difusing of land mines, etc.

every couple weeks or so they have new maps that outline various activities.

http://www.derechoshumanos.gov.co/observatorio/modules.php?name=informacion&file=article&sid=191

statistically , yes colombia does have many kidnappings for ransom , much like mexico or other countries where thugs prey.

yes you can buy a cop in colombia or even a federal one.. these things are common not only in colombia..

when I go to colombia, however i do have a sense of security.. you will always see military guys with guns, you will always see the roadblocks. interestingly enough the FARC and other resistance groups also have military attire.. jeje . I guess there is a way to differientate them.

a couple years ago it was common to be held up on the roads by these guys, who would basically rob people on busses, but that has slowed down quite a bit.

it is necessary for you to understand that colombia is still #1 for the dope they export, and it is necessary for you to understand that this will probably not go away, problems exist.

Right now the FARC has a bounty on the president of colombia.. imagine that?? what if some group inside the US made that statement publically? that would never happen.. the last person who did that was from IRAQ.. sadamm..

having said that............. I'll always look foward to going to colombia, there is a real sense of life there with all the weekend festivities and music & color..

I was sitting at one thinking .. this is life... and yet knowing that the FARC is nearby is simply part of life in colombia.

keep a low profile, many people are kind and yet many cannot be trusted.. do not speak of the politics openly..

enjoy

mark comments on U. S. pushing for more Military involvement in Latin America

same old song different band. Its hard to understand why WE tend to get involved in south america. we did it before as in panama.. we first courted noreiga ... then took him out..

many leaders are wary of being too close to the US, for similar tactics.. remember Sadamm and Osama.. we were friends with them when they did things for us.. Osama helped kill russians for Us and Sadamm helped kill Iranians for us.


US has that reputation..

Latin american leaders / warlords wont trust us anymore like that.

Colombia however has cocaine on its side as the conduit for the US to have their tenticales involved.

recently the US was harassing Venezuela ( for what ever reason...OIL...??) It did not work...

MY theory.....

America is strong when there is Chaos elsewhere....

Latin America CAN be as strong as the US , IF they were to unite and become the united states of Latin America..

thats kinda hard.. look at all the billionares in Latin America.. too many to give in..

Latin america has more real estat than the US, Latin America has Panama, oil , many natural resources..

much potential..

think tanks.. like the RAND corporation establish policy that benifits USA, they create models for the future..

right now the interest is the Middle East.. but they do have Latin America on the back burner..

If Colombia had no drug problems.. the us (we) would find some other reason to have involvement militarely.

Aslo the US needs to practice at warefare, otherwise we cannot be ready for war.. training, experience comes from the wars we get involved in. new weapon technology, human training.. ie. tricks of the trade..

its dirty, very dirty to be the world leader.. and many suffer for it.

Will Latin America ever bounce back as a technology leader as in the ancient times? potentially yes.. predictably no..


Is is possible for the wealthy in latin america to unify Latin America with a no-flip flop scenario.. yes..

the trick is to get them in a single room with promises that no one will be murdered..

being wealthy in Latin America is different than the US millionares..


same old song..... different band...

mark comments on Any Experts on Colombian Women?

$500 for time in jail??? better to ask the authorities.. but i think that should be ok. make it into jewlery or something like that.

mark comments on Notarias in Colombia care if US translator is certified?

www.ultratranslate.com spend the money..

you'll have one less worry.

these guys delivered my docs to my lawyer over the weekend, they are good.

sometimes when you spend money for a quality product or service, you'll only complain once..

regards

mark comments on Fiancee Visa Interview

visa interview i have heard that too.... question is are you willing to take that risk. If in doubt .. do that which is necessary to get the job done.. Immigration people a human , and thus have faults a bad hair day could blow it all.

mark comments on Retire in Colombia? Permanent residency possible?

Try Panama what do you think about Panama ? I believe this country will have no problem with your desires. Many americans retire there.

mark comments on Calling Colombia

phonecardsforsale.com I use phonecardsforsale.com try the globaltalk CARD, they seem reasonable no connect fees.

Also try this for thought.

http://www.skype.com/ free telephony via the internet , combine this with a yahoo or MSN cam and you got it made.

skype has excellent audio quality much better than msn & yahoo audio, reason is that the bandwidth of audio with video through yahoo or msn slows things down a bit. Skype is just audio.

but , try this for a kicker..

fly to colombia via miami its a three hour flight $275 to 300 via Avianca or from houston through Panama via copa/contenintal 6 hour flight roughly.

get to miami or houston on a cheap flight check the time tables , take carry on luggage you'll be running to catch the planes but its do-able. when you get to colombia take a laptop have all the software loaded leave it with your woman, cam included. Get an AOL account give her the account AOL has colombia numbers.

you'll be set...

ps get the lap top from Ebay, screw the retails shops you can get one for about $500.00 used but good enough to get the job done.

www.phonecardsforsale.com global talk- card

www.skype.com- free telephony via internet.

test the whole thing before you get to colombia.

ps. dont be a chicken-$hit.. go to colombia.. get the job done. take your small digital camera for pics for the INS people too..


Sony Cybershot is a small non-intrusive camera.

from what I hear the airports in CO. are more serure than .. for example Caracas and others..

think NIKE............just do it.. suprise your woman too..

mark comments on Medellin- need some facts for a planned visit- May 2004

Thanks for the replies Thanks for the info.

Just a little note to the factual negative side of colombia:

Colombia has the highest murder rate in the world -- 77.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. To put this in context, if the U.S. had the same murder rate, we would suffer approximately 230,000 murders per year as compared to the 18,000 a year we now endure.

http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_6743.shtml

While it is a fact that colombia has the highest murder rate in the world I'm not trying to put a negative spin on that fact, as with many humans who venture into unknown terrorities being well informed is a natural desire.

For those colombian nationals who read these posts, dont take them personal, but the truth is the truth. I will enjoy all the beauty that colombia has and its culture but at the same time employ an enhanced awarness to the fact that colombia has dense polulated areas that are tantamont to a typical high crime area as in any major city in the world, with an understading that statistically meaningful data exists to suggest that colombia does in fact have the highest murder rate in the world.

Regards.