phillyguy has left 74 comments

phillyguy comments on Hey Any Pasta Lovers!

So are their are there local brands of tomato sauce? Can you find a colombian equivalent to Prego? Or al least canned tomatos to make your own sauce. (Once, I cooked an Italian meal for some friends and I was shocked at the prices for the ingrediants.)

phillyguy comments on Hey Any Pasta Lovers!

Not just pasta, but tomato sauce and other tomato products also seem to be twice as expensive in Colombia as in the USA. Don't colombians eat tomatos? Why should these things be so expensive when the tomato is native to South America?

phillyguy comments on Vonage offers FREE calls to ALL landlines in Colombia

How much does vonnage charge per minute for a call to a cell phone in colombia?

phillyguy comments on Colombia - recession finally biting?

Even Carnival business seems be down in baq. In August, I inquired about the price for an apartment during Carnival. I was told 400,000 pesos, but hurry because they are always gone by November. Last week I was quoted a price of 350,000, with no mention of a need to hurry.

phillyguy comments on Continental fares sharply higher for 2010.

guacharaca - i had the same problem with continental - I could never find an available flight to use my miles. What finally worked was to book way in advance (6 months) for the season (November). In fact, I just returned from colombia yesterday, and the flight from bogota was half full.

phillyguy comments on The cost of everything in Bogota.

Cake Designer. You have your economics a bit confused. Economies of scale reduce production costs. Early versions of products, like VCRs, are expensive because the bugs are not fully worked out of the production process. If fewer units are sold, the costs for product development, plant and equipment must recouped by higher unit prices. Later, as more units are sold, prices come down because fixed costs are spread over more units. It this case, costs are the same to the producer, no matter who the buyer is. A VCR costs the Chinese the same amount to produce, whether he sells it to England or Colombia. The English buyer may be able to negociate a lower price (as Walmart does), but the production cost is the same. I suspect that it is taxes and a higher profit margin that explains the difference in prices. The Colombian government seems to tax consumption rather than income (how exactly do you tax drug profits?), and there seems to be a high tax rate on imported goods.

phillyguy comments on

If you want to be an effective troll, try a less obvious approach. Even the knee-jerk Colombia defenders on PBH should see through this ploy.

phillyguy comments on Rumor has it ...

Hey Brians. What a bummer last night. Did you find a place to watch the Series?

phillyguy comments on crazy shooting on bus in medellin

If I'm not mistaken, Aguas Frias is the name of a town, hence the capitalizaion in the article. Aguas frias literally means "cold waters".

phillyguy comments on How many of you would run back to the USA if Venezuela declares war on Colombia

Please, PLEASE, let Chavez declare war on Colombia. Notwithstanding the fact that Colombia could kick his ass without help, it would give the USA a perfect excuse to waste the stupid fool. Wouldn't it be great if a predator drone hit him with a smart bomb right in the middle of one of his "alo presidente" telecasts? We could see it over and over on the evening news.

phillyguy comments on

These bases are a critical necessity. Chavez must eventually be overthrown, not least because he is talking the the Iranians and will eventually seek nuclear weapons. If the Venezuelan people cannot do it for themselves, the gringos will have to do it for them. Bases will be needed close by for air support and supply. Time to start stockpiling.

phillyguy comments on Colombian police kill rebel leader

What a load of crap. There is no requirement that they "have to make them prisoners" unless they are actively trying to surrender, and there is no evidence of that in this case. If a soldier breaks down a door in urban combat, the order of the day is to shoot first and ask questions later. You don't announce yourself, you don't ask them if they want to surrender, you break down the door and fire. Of course, you deem the following not worth mentioning" "Triana was the leader of the FARC's Teofilo Forero (TF) mobile column that carried out the 2003 El Nogal Club bombing in northern Bogota, one of the worst attacks in the city that killed 36 and injured 200. The FARC guerrillas managed to park a car containing 200 kg of explosives in the club's garage and detonated the car bomb. There were approximately 600 people in the building at the time of the explosion." If I'm not mistaken, the Geneva Convention does not allow the use of massive car bombs to massacre innocent civilians either. Nor does it allow the kidnapping and ransom of non-combatants. The FARC, and their cowardly supporters like you, want it both ways. The FARC isn't obligated to play by the rules, but the govenment is. Bullcrap. It's time to resurect "los pepes".

phillyguy comments on Colombian police kill rebel leader

No, I believe my positon is in accordance with international law. The FARC claims that they are fighting a war of revolution. (They say this to avoid murder charges for all of their crimes if and when they are captured.) You can't have it both ways. If you are a combatant in a war of revolution, you are liable to be shot by the enemy. Any time, any where. You can't claim "prisoner of war" status after you are captured, but claim that the authorities are obliged to "arrest you" like a normal criminal. A combatant in a war of revolution can be shot by their enemy any time, any where." Did the USA or the USSR "arrest" the Nazis during world war 2? No, they killed them whenever and where ever they could. Colombia should do the same to the FARC. Gee, are you saying that the FARC has the right conduct war against the Colombian state, and to bomb innocent civilians, but the police have to arrest them? Guess again.

phillyguy comments on Colombian police kill rebel leader

Since when do the FARC or ELN have rights? They claim to be revolutionary guerrillas at war with the Colombian government. That makes them combatants and ince when do combantants have rights to arrest and trial? If I am at war with sombody, and I have them in the cross-hairs, guess what? They're dead. End of story. Shoot all FARC members on sight, and then read them their rights while the vultures are picking at their bones.

phillyguy comments on Chavez - 3 minute showers, no more

BB - Typical. You tell us that gringos are not welcome, and that we know nothing of the real colombia, but you somehow have better information than us on a murder case that occured in my own city. I WAS LIVING IN PHILLY WHEN THE MUMIA ABU JAMAL TRIAL WAS HAPPENING. I followed the entire case in real time. From Winkipedi (hardly a conservative source) on the physical evidence from the case: "A .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver registered to Abu-Jamal was found at the scene next to him with 5 spent shell casings.[22] Tests performed with the physical evidence verify that Faulkner was killed by a .38 caliber bullet. The extracted slugs were identified as Federal brand .38 Special P bullets with hollow bases, which matched the shell casings in Abu-Jamal's handgun retrieved at the scene. Rifling characteristics evident on the bullet fragments extracted from Faulkner's body matched those of the handgun. Anthony L. Paul, Supervisor of the Firearms Identification Unit, testified that the type of bullet was rare at the time, with only one manufacturer, though he could name two other manufacturers which produced weapons bearing the same rifling characteristics.[23] Experts testified that the bullet taken from Abu-Jamal was fired from Faulkner's service weapon. George Fassnacht, the defence's ballistics expert, did not dispute the findings of the prosecution's experts.[24] Amnesty International, with reference to the physical evidence, has expressed the view that "...the police failed to conduct tests to ascertain whether the weapon had been fired in the immediate past...Compounding this error, the police also failed to conduct chemical tests on Abu-Jamal's hands to find out if he had fired a gun recently."[21] In a 1995 hearing, a defense ballistics expert testified that due to Abu-Jamal's struggle with the police during his arrest, such a test would have been difficult to accomplish and, due to the gunpowder residue possibly being shaken or rubbed off, would not have been scientifically reliable.[25] A note written by coroner Dr. Paul Hoyer, who autopsied Daniel Faulkner, states that he extracted a .44 caliber bullet from Faulkner. This has led to claims that Faulkner was shot by a .44 caliber rather than a .38 caliber weapon. Hoyer admitted in 1995 that his note had been a "lay guess" based on his own observations, that he was not a firearms expert and that he had not received any training in weapons ballistics.[26]"

phillyguy comments on Chavez - 3 minute showers, no more

Kudos tasco. BB is just too funny. Guantanamo is a "concentration camp", but Stalin's purges, Mao's 'reeducation camps", Fidel's jails and Pol Pot's butchery doesn't rate a mention. The fact that communist/socialist dictators slaughtered hundreds of millions of innocent people is somehow inconsequential, but somehow Guantamo is an atrocity. GO COMMUNISM! As for the small farmers, it's called a market. I support efforts to help small farmers, but what about the poor who live in cities. How will higher food prices help them? When commodity prices are high, the left screams about how the urban poor are being squeezed and can't afford to eat. When commodity prices are low, they scream about the poor farmers. Which is it?

phillyguy comments on Chavez - 3 minute showers, no more

Bill - What exactly are they stealing? Last time I looked, the USA BUYS things from latin america - oil from Venezuela, coffee from colombia etc. etc. How exactly is this stealing? The USA is about 5% of the world's population and less than 25% of the world economy. Do you think Chavez, or anybody else in latin america is going to sell to the USA for less than the going rate? Try learning something about the real world instead of just spouting ridiculous commie propaganda. If the US market for latin american products suddenly disappeared, would latin economies improve or get worse?

phillyguy comments on Chavez - 3 minute showers, no more

OK Bushwick, how about a trade. The Yankees will leave Latin America after every latino illegal alien leaves the USA. Deal? Funny, according the the pinkos, every wetback who sneaks across the border has the "fundamental right" to stay in the USA, but the USA has no rights in South America whatsoever. Every country that has tried communism has ended in disaster. Those with sense (Russia, China, Vietnam, Eastern Europe) have all dumped communism, since all it brought is misery. In all of those countries, capitalism has provided a higher standard of living than communism. There are 2 commie holdouts left. Cuba is liberalizing now that Fidel is dying, and North Korea is one of the worst hellholes on earth. Great idea. Let Chavez turn all of South America into another North Korea. That should improve things. Was the Iron Curtain built to keep people out, or keep people in? If communism is so great, why is the traffic one-way? Why do so many people risk their lives to flee cuba, when nobody risks their lives to enter cuba?

phillyguy comments on Chavez - 3 minute showers, no more

The Chavez apologists seem to be missing a few things (how typical). Chavez has been in power for years, but now he is suddenly and environmentalis? Guess again:"Venezuela has suffered several serious blackouts in the past year because of rapidly growing demand and under-investment, which has been aggravated by a drop in water levels in hydroelectric dams that provide most of its energy." Venezuela is going broke because of his stupid policies, so rationing in the only answer. The following is precious: "Chavez announced energy-saving measures and said he would create a ministry to deal with the electricity shortages, which have affected the image of his socialist revolution before legislative elections due in 2010." The govenment has screwed up the economy throught excessive meddling, so what is the solution? Let's add ANOTHER government ministry. Miguel Clavo seems to be the only one to notice the smoking gun here: "What kind of communism is this." Like all communists, Chavez believes that a society that is miserable but equal is preferable to a society that is prosperous but unequal. That is the essence of communism. (Of course equality does not apply to Chavez, his families, and their cronies who are enriching themselves with the property that they are illegally seizing.

phillyguy comments on

After the Phils won last night, I'm even angrier that they pissed away that game on Friday. We're going to the game tonight and, if the Phils had won Friday, they'd be going for a sweep. What a party that could have been.

phillyguy comments on

Well, it is almost time to leave work, meet some friends at the bar, and plastered watching the Phils. If they can take this one, the nlcs is over. No way the dodgers want to go to freezin freakin filly 2 down.

phillyguy comments on

GREAT GAME last night. Luckily, I don't return to Colombia till November 11th, so I won't have to miss any World Series games (knock on wood) if the Phils get that far. Who knows what we will see from Pedro tonight.

phillyguy comments on

If it weren't so much trouble, I'd change my handle to Phillyadoptedguy, in deference to Brians.

phillyguy comments on

My father was in the navy, and we moved around when I was young, so basically I was from nowhere. My earliest memories are of livin in Norfolk, Philly, and Mechanicsburg PA. If birthplace is all that matters, I'm screwed. Who on PBH know what what "Mechanicsburgguy" meant?

phillyguy comments on

Rocco - No. I lived in Philly rom the 70s to the late 90s, a but now I actually live about 70 miles away. Always a Philly guy at heart.

phillyguy comments on Medical system in Colombia. What can the US learn?

Drug patents are good for 20 years in the USA, but in latin america they don't seem to be too concerned. In colombia, many drugs under patent are copied. Myself, I like Placidum.

phillyguy comments on Medical system in Colombia. What can the US learn?

viajero - I don't know what plan she is on, but I am going to call her tonight and I will ask. She lives in Barranquilla. I think the good clinic she went to is the one on Calle 70 near 49 or 50.

phillyguy comments on

Rocco - If they win it in 4, I'll be at McFaddens right after the final out. Brians - that was a great series. After game 4, I'll never doubt los filis de filadefia again.

phillyguy comments on

Way to go Brians - a Phillies fan! I am hoping for a sweep as well. My friend and I have tickets for game 4 in Philly, and we can party like maniacs if the Phills win in 4 at home.

phillyguy comments on Medical system in Colombia. What can the US learn?

By coincidence, I have just had some indirect experience with the Colombian medical system. A young colombian friend was operated on about 6 months ago. Last Friday, she experienced abdominal pain and needed to be taken to the hospital. At first she went to a public hospital because that was all the family could afford. She was put in a room with 2 other people where the hospital gave her antibiotics, but basically did nothing else whatsoever. On Sunday, after learning what happened,I wired money so that she could be taken to a private clinic. (To the more cynical PBHers, save your breath. Yeah, yeah, I'm a fool for giving papaya, they're probably ripping me off, et cetera et cetera.) Once at the private clinic, they actually took X-rays (what a concept), located the problem, and performed minor surgery. Apparently, there was some bleeding near the site of the old operation and the blood was forming an infected sac. Anyway, from everything I have heard from this family, and others, the public system isn't worth a warm bucket of spit. The care in (at least some of) the private clinics is much better. Based on the picures of her room in the private clinic, the place seem pretty nice. It is also more expensive, but still costs anywhere from one-third to one-fifth, or less, of what a similar procedure would cost in the states.

phillyguy comments on Colombian Banks

I don't believe that the law prevents you from carrying more than 10,000 dollars. You just have to declare it and file some forms. Of course, you'd have to be stupid to carry this much cash, especially to Colombia.

phillyguy comments on Dressing for safety in Colombia

Thanks all! How could I have forgotten bling, cowboy boots, a fanny pack and a laptop. But no ostrich skin wallet for me baby - thats fer furriners. I'm going with alligator skin, thank you, like a REAL american. I'll need a second suitcase will be just to carry all this shit, but lucky for me 2 or 3 pieces of luggage is still free on most airlines.

phillyguy comments on Dressing for safety in Colombia

No flowers bigger than 4 square inches All hula dancers are wearing bra tops and grass skirts, minimum

phillyguy comments on What has happen to pbh?

I couldn't agree more.

phillyguy comments on Puerto Colombia's beach: A sorry state of affair

You are right. Puerto Colombia is a dump. Cano dulce is no great shakes either. It is laid out like Puerto Colombia - a like of ugly huts next to a dirty beach. Check out a place in Santa Veronica called Caja Copi (mas o menos). It costs a few thousand pesos to get in but there are clean pavilions with tables, a pool, private cabanas next to the beach, and cheap beer and food. There was trash to the east and west along the beach, but the area by the cabanas was pretty clean. There is another restaurant a short walk to the west with a good view.

phillyguy comments on Communist Uribe Haters at PBH

Three things: 1. Both parties are trying their best to turn this country into a banana republic. The republicans say "to hell with the deficit, we're cutting taxes". The democrats say ""to hell with the deficit, we're raising spending. But by any measures Obama's deficits are INSANE. To be adding on more and more spending when the economy is in the shitter due to overindebteness (by consumers, businesses and government alike), is ludicrous. 2. The govenment cannot pay for the current system of socialized medicine. Medicare and Medicaide have something like 30 trillion in unfunded liabilities coming down the road, so what is washington's solution? Add more people to the system through a public option. 3. Not sure where dwmte gets his figures, but the assertion that "500 hundred billion dollars of the monies spent on health care nationally goes to profits to insurers" is untrue by any measure. The 500 billion figure is closer to the total REVENUE recieved by health insurance companies. According to the Wall Street Journal article, below, over 83% of these reveues went for hospital and doctor reimbursements. After salaries and other operating expenses are deducted, profit margins are in the 4% range. See here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124947013703607453.html Even a source hostile to the private insurers, National Public Radio, estimates industry profits as between "2 to 10 percent" of revenues. Considering the source, the 4% figure cited by the wsj seems about right. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111494182

phillyguy comments on

The socialist Cavistas on this page seem to be forgetting a few historical lessons. The type of repressive socialism that Chavez practices has been a failure everywhere it has been tried (see: Cuba, Castro, USSR). Sharing the wealth may be the goal, but Chavez is destroying wealth faster than it can be shared . He nationalizes companies as fast as he can, and the lets his idiot supporters run them into the ground. Now that the petroleum industry (his cash cow) is declining due to lack of maintenance and expertise, he is courting foreign companies to come to his rescue, but they are thumbing their noses because he already nationalized their investments once. Why give him another chance. Sharing GDP more equitably is fine, but increasing GDP is just (or more) important. As one poster observed, Lula and some others may be onto a better way. That said, it is true that there is considerable support for Chavez in some circles. I have several friends from barrio Cevillar who express favorable opinions of Chavez. Paradoxically, this is likely to increase as the economy in colombia improves. As more and more people improve their situations, those left behind are likely to be increasingly frustrated.

phillyguy comments on Barrio Cevillar, Barranquilla?

Thanks Brian. I'll check it out during the day, first.

phillyguy comments on One of the better deals I have seen in a while

Archie's makes the best pizza I've found in Colombia

phillyguy comments on

I have to agree with your lady. What is vallenato but latin cowboy music? To me, it sounds just like the nortena crap that the mexicans like so much. My rule of thumb is: If a latino band has a tuba or accordian, turn and walk away. If it has both, run away as fast as you can.

phillyguy comments on Those little habits that REALLY are a cause for divorce - in Colombia

True story: I was alone on an elevator and let a truly foul one rip, really horrible. As I was getting off the elevator on the next floor, a really hot young chick got on. Not only was she undoubtedly grossed out, the next person who got on would think that it was her work. Priceless.

phillyguy comments on Cartagena in october

You might want to try San Andreas Island instead. Though officially Colombian territory, it is located near Panama. It's much more peaceful, and prettier than either Santa Marta or Cartegena. The Decameron all-inclusive hotels are a good bet - the Aquarium and the Mar Azul in particular. There are other less expensive options as well.

phillyguy comments on Leading candidate for House of Commons speaker describes Colombian govt as "odious regime"

It is probably true that "there is very little difference in fundamental ideology between Labour and Conservatives", but that is only because virtually the entire british ruling class has been indoctrinated with leftist nonsense. Nobody can admit to being a commie any more, now that the truth about Stalin and Mao is common knowledge, but the ultimate goals have not changed that much. Slogans may change (replace "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" with "social justice", but the general program remains the same - keep expanding the power of government, add more and more clients to welfare state, put all under servaillence, and criminalize dissenting speech. Orwell's 1984 is here. It is just a few decades late.

phillyguy comments on Bogota restaurant recommendations

el gato negro in parque 93

phillyguy comments on Education is a Key to Reducing Poverty in Colombia

Let's look at the following quote from the article, when criticizes politicians when they: "They all talk about development and reel off statistics about economic growth and falling crime rates in parrot fashion." Also, Azunoman says: " education...will attract outside investment as well ad draw foreign companies into Colombia (that is how more jobs will be created). I agree that education is important, but stability, crime reduction, and the destruction of the FARC are more pressing concerns. A story from Cali was related to me several years ago about a young man who had a good-paying job in a factory owned by a foreign company (gillette razors come to mind, but I'm not sure.) Apparently, the some FARC-connected gangsters put the squeeze on, and theatened the gringo plant managers with abduction unless protection was paid. The factory closed, taking the jobs with it. Education is important, but foreign investment will not come unless the foreigners are sure that both their money, and their persons are safe. If you doubt this, look at the investors and people fleeing Venezuela due to the idiocy of Chavez.

phillyguy comments on Education is a Key to Reducing Poverty in Colombia

What good is an education, if you cannot find a job after earning a degree (as some recent graduates in the usa are finding out as well)? I know several colombianas with college degrees (nursing, business administration etc.) who cannot find employment despite receiving good grades. How is an education magically going to create a job in a country with chronic underemployment?

phillyguy comments on Colombians, Spain and Deportations

Yes, it appears grim and the whole family is in an uproar. The mother has been sending money home from Spain for years to support her 2 daughters back in Colombia. If she has to return to the grandmothers crowded house in Colombia, without a job, there will be 3 more mouths to feed out of a reduced income.

phillyguy comments on

I will be in baq from the 11th to the 18th, send me a PM when you get there. What is low cost in your view? There are a number of pretty decent hotels in the areas around 72 con 50 that are in the $40 to $60 a night range. Hotel Versailles comes to mind. Try looking here: http://www.paginasamarillas.com/pagamanet/procesos/empresaCategoriaMBC.aspx?goo=1&/2859/Hoteles/1/5/165/Barranquilla/Hoteles-Barranquilla.htm http://www.paginasamarillas.com/www.hotelcaribeprincess.com.co/web_1261317_4_6_2859_1_1/index.aspx

phillyguy comments on Andres Cepeda

Is he any relation to Angie Cepeda?

phillyguy comments on barranquilla, pre-carnival

thanks