TioCharlie has left 54 comments

TioCharlie comments on moving to colombia

I too see a move to Colombia in the next 2 - 3 years. My wife is Colombian, no kids... lots of time to do whatever. I will have a pension and plan on enjoying life on the Atlantico coast

TioCharlie comments on Bush looks into terror list for Venezuela

I think that Chavez should be put on the list. The guy is a little nutty and takes every chnce he gets to try to inflate himself both in Latin America and internationally.

TioCharlie comments on Families sue Chiquita in deaths of 5 men

Money is the root of all evil. I m servin in the military and and have also seen how big money has funded terrorism in Afganistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Qatar, and Somolia. I cn only hope that there is a better life in the future for the next generation.

TioCharlie comments on Surfing Barranquilla

Even in Parque Tayrona the surfing is very weak. Typicaly 3 - 5 ft - unless its hurricane season (Colombia is not in the hurricane belt) and there a storm running way way south on the track - then you might get an OCCASIONAL 8 - 10 footer (and alot of seaweed) but they break on the coral about 400 meters offshore

TioCharlie comments on Stepchild Adoption

I am asuming that your friend got an I-90 Visa for his fiancee. After the marriage he/she will be a permenant resident (not a citizen) for the next 5 years. The child can get a Visa as well to immigrate with his parent to the U.S. After the 5 year period, the adoption can take place as a normal stepchild adoption. Until this time, your friend can try an international adoption.

TioCharlie comments on

PBH needs this type of help BAD!!!

TioCharlie comments on

PBH needs this type of help BAD!!!

TioCharlie comments on Most dangerous big city?

All cities anywhere in the world carry an elememnt of danger. As for Colombia, I too have run into questionalbe people. I have found the people in the Cartegena - Barannquilla - Santa Marta area to be very friendly and helpful. But don't get me wrong, there are questionable people there too, as well as drugs (sad to say that much of the country suffers from this problem), FARC, and normal petty criminals. I don't know when the last time you were in Colombia but you can get into as much trouble in Cali as you could in Chicago. Just use common sense, don't go to the "bad" part of town (if you don't know where that is, ask someone), keep your valuables secure, say NO to drugs. Explain to your cousins that you would like to visit Cali and would like someone to accompany you. I do not recommend driving too much to the various cities sue to everchaning situations with paramilitaries.

TioCharlie comments on RETIREING IN COLOMBIA

I too have a dream to retire to Colombia ... I perfer the coast ... Barranquilla ... fun aand sun is the life for me...

TioCharlie comments on Cartagena safety tips anyone?

Don't Panic... I had a good time!! Cartagena I thought overall was a very safe city to be around. I met several 'gringos' too... a couple of people from Miami and several Germans on vacation....
I did have an amusing incident involving the police checkpoint as we (me and my wife} in a taxi as we were traveling back one evening from a day trip to Santa Marta. As usual we were stopped breifly for and I swear that when he saw a gringo in the taxi his eyes turned into $$ and we we led over to the Guard shack for a "identification check" ... showed him my passport and all was in order. I also had a Spanish/Engish dictionary .... so the police felt that he had to check out something further and then pulled out a very big 3 ring binder and began to thumb through several pages. After about 5 minutes he closed the book and stated that I ws required to pay a "city book license". I know it was something he made up but I gave him $15 dollars (US) and he then let us go on our way. I recomend that you prepare for one of those kinds of encounters. All in all it really no differnt than I've encountered in trips to Mexico and Panama, as well as Colombia. "greasing the palm" of the local law enforcement.

TioCharlie comments on A Little Angry.....

When I think of Colombia two things come to mind:
1. Good People - the average Colombian is very friendly

2. Bad Government - nuf said there

TioCharlie comments on Ingrid Betancourt

and her husband had to leave the country... It seems that because of his open critizism of the way the Colombian government has treated this whole sad affair he has been receiving right wing death threats. I read it on Caracol 3/12.

TioCharlie comments on Ingrid Betancourt

I think this is StUpId Anyone who is treating this like a bet in Vegas deserves to have the same fate as Ingrid. Personally I have admired this gadfly to the Colombian goverment and how she was not intimidated by the deeply entrenched corruption of Colombian politics.

TioCharlie comments on Mono JoyJoy and Tirofijo

Mono JoJoy' s real name is Jorge Briceño

TioCharlie comments on Want do Colombian women look for in a man ?

Hip Hip Hooray!! I agree totally with you about these anonymous postings that are full of self-centered hatred and closed mindedness of these posts!!

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Churchill Tinto
I believe that Churchhill made that statement in 1916 when trying to justify the invasion of Galipoli (that's in Turkey).

TioCharlie comments on Is the Spanish of Colombia different from that of other South American countries?

Yes I am happy now. I always love a good discussion/debate!!!

TioCharlie comments on Is the Spanish of Colombia different from that of other South American countries?

Thanks for the Clarification So we are talking about words like "darn it", "shoot", "golly", etc.

;)

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Check this out Your right about Saxony, but the word I used was Anglo-Saxon.

How Englishness has been defined in the past is a surprisingly complex story and I only intend to highlight a few episodes and phases in the recognition of the insular Anglo-Saxons as a distinct people. Whether or not they can, or should, be so regarded is a quite separate question. But there is a major problem here and it is one which will not go away and which still awakes powerful political echoes. How a modern British nation was forged has recently been admirably discussed by Linda Colley. The English have been studied by someone who originated in central Europe, first saw England at the age of seventeen, and stayed on to occupy the Regius Chair of History at Cambridge. Geoffrey Elton's view of the English was bound to be highly individual. The trouble is that anybody's view will be so. I will begin with a native Northumbrian, probably the greatest. The most effective definer of the early English was Bede. It was he who first presented the English as a culturally unified people living under a number of regional kings. In Bede's own day (the early eighth century) they were nothing of the kind and his account of how the motley band of Germanic settlers in Britain, entering in increasing numbers from the middle of the fifth century to the late sixth, had been brought together in the seventh century by good, i.e. Christian, kings is one of the most brilliant works of creative history ever produced in Europe. What Bede created was not only a history of the English Church, but also a history of the early English nation itself. It is the nearest thing we have to a foundation legend, though it is much more than that. Although they were neither ethnically pure nor culturally close-knit, the Germanic migrants who found their way to Britain did have access to one unifying force which was to prove enormously effective in building the nation: the English language. Latin, whether late Classical or demotic, was a learned language, a writer's language. Anglo-Saxon dialects formed a vernacular, but a remarkably adaptable one, capable of producing Beowulf but also able to deal with the technical requirements of government and law, and before long the writing of history. The rapid growth of Anglo-Saxon into an expressive language, capable of great subtlety and blunt power, is one of the central facts of early English history.

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

I was refering to this nugget It is nice to see that you used your Encarta!!

I was refering to this nugget of misinformation posted by someone who is unwilling to identify themselves.

"It has nothing to do with the politics. Only with geography. Geographically speaking Mexico is situtated partially on both subcontinents. Sorry if your teachers were incompetent."

Mexico on a cultural level IS grouped in Central America because of the common heritage/laguages and histories (Aztecs and Mayans) and beliefs brought by the Spanish Conquistidors.

The United States and Canada trace thier heritage to Anglo-Saxon Europe because they were influenced mainly by France and England.

While you're at it look up the definition of ismith

Gee Whiz, there are humdreds of entries about this stuff!! look'em up sometime!!
:P

And you were right with Geographical definition of the area of land that is recognized as Central America but in a Geographical sense the aarea of Central America is niether a recognized continent or subconteninent in its own right.

Here is the deffinition from Rand_McNalley, National Geographic, and Encarta of the North Americain continent:

and I quote "The northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending northward from the Colombia-Panama border and including Central America, Mexico, the islands of the Caribbean Sea, the United States, Canada, the Arctic Archipelago, and Greenland."
And here is the defintion of a subcontinent in case you missed that post:
Subcontinent noun
1. A large landmass, such as India, that is part of a continent but is considered either geographically or politically as an independent entity.
2. A large landmass, such as Greenland, that is smaller than a continent."

TioCharlie comments on Is the Spanish of Colombia different from that of other South American countries?

Vulgarities Desideria,
So the next time I'm in London and walk up to a bobbie and say (in my American dialect) "How is your day you bloody wanker?" ; he is going to smile because it sounds cute? I don't think so...

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Lobsterbacks..... Englsh troops of this period were refered to as "lobsterbacks" by the American colonists it the same spirit that gringo is used to refer to the American army... No Taxation without representation!! Remember that phrase pedropan? Don't forget about the Boer wars either.

TioCharlie comments on Is the Spanish of Colombia different from that of other South American countries?

Here's something else to think about Desidera - sorry for forgetting you in Cuidate. I have an appology posted there. :)

Where do colloquialisms fit into the language?


A colloquialism is an informal expression, that is, an expression not used in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or "grouty"), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a doornail"), or sometimes even an entire aphorism ("There's more than one way to skin a cat").

In the past and in some quarters, overuse by native speakers of colloquialisms has been and is sometimes regarded as a sign of substandard ability with the language in question. But in the mouth of a non-native speaker, they are sometimes taken as signalling unusual facility with the language.

8)

TioCharlie comments on Hotels in Barranquilla

Try the Parador Hotel... I stayed there in August last year, nice rooms, the staff was very accomidating and the price was reasonable.

TioCharlie comments on President Uribe

Uribe is good.... I agree with the anonymous post tht Uribe is doing a good job. I feel that his stance with the FARC/Paramilitaries is the right one. This is a cancer that is draining the the ability of all Colombians from elevating thier country to a status that it truly deserves. I have alos read that Uribe's father was killed by the FARC. Does anyone know if this is true or not?

TioCharlie comments on How does Colombia compare with other Central and South American countries?

Get outta here Phil... It is assinine comments like this that give all Americans a bad name. Phil I don't want anyone with such a shallow view of such a wonderful country as Colombia to ever return. I hope you get caught on the way out of the country.

TioCharlie comments on Got a question - cuidate

Going to Mexico If your going to Mexico, check out this web site....
http://travel.state.gov/tips_mexico.html

TioCharlie comments on The US Army a bunch of clowns, or what?

I agree with MJ... War is a very stressfull experience and I hope that it is something that our British 'friend' never has to experience.
"Monday morning quarterbacks always have winning records, an I predict.." - Jimmy the Greek

Anyways, i just wanted to toss my blurb into this thread.

TioCharlie comments on Got a question - cuidate

1,000 pardons Desideria Your definition was also correct. I was wowed over the link(s) provided. Please don't be too tiffed!!

After all if you give a man a fish, you have fed him for a day, teach him to fish and he will feed himself.

Tűs ... (Thats German for 'see ya later'). :)
TioCharlie

TioCharlie comments on Hello:) I'm new here.

Welcome Hello Marguie! Welcome!! I am an American living in Arizona and have been to Colombia many times over the last 5 years and every time I return my love for this country and its people. If there is anything that I can help answer for you I would be happy to do so -

again welcome!

TioCharlie comments on Got a question - cuidate

Travel to Mexico I live in Tucson AZ and travel about Mexico fairly often You can enter Mexico with just your Drivers Licence if you follow these restrictios:
1. You don't stay longer than 72 hours
and/or
2. You don't travel more than 50 miles from the border.

Otherwise you have to purchase a tourist visa - and that will allow you to stay in country for upto 90 days. You can buy them at either the Mexican Consulate's office or on the Mexican side of the border.

TioCharlie comments on Got a question - cuidate

Thanks tinto and Ronthan2003 for the help - much appriciated!!

TioCharlie comments on Got a question - cuidate

I have heard... Many Colombians can easily get Visas for either Venezuela or Curasao

TioCharlie comments on U.S. Involvement in Colombia

US tropps have helped out many Here's afew countries where US troops have made a Positive impact:
1. Grenada
2. Cypress
3. Germany
4. S Korea
5. France
6. Japan

TioCharlie comments on The Future of Poorbuthappy.com

I know I saw it posted somewhere Peter
Again, I salute you... this is a GRRRRREAT site. Its like a good book, once I start reading its hard to lay it down. I KNEW I saw somewhere on the site that you wanted some suggestions about the site - and one of them was about adding a chat feature. Personally I don't think that gonna be a great idea at this time UNLESS:
1. you gotta lot of bandwidth because I have a feeling (after seeing the pattern of a lot of the posts) that there is going to be a lot of namecalling and "my daddy is better than your daddy" type chats.
2. You do not allow anyone to enter the chat as Anynomous.
3. Have some sorta chat room monitor in place.

Just wanted to pass the thought on to you before it evaporated from my brain to be lost for all time!! Take care...

TioCharlie

P.S. Hope your enjoying Medellin 8)

TioCharlie comments on National Security Archive

Golly!! This is information that Latin American governments have been PAYING US to teach them at SOA (School of the Americas) Ft. Benning, GA since 1950. And I have to admit that they have been good students! Death squads in Guatamala, thousands of Argentines treated to a one way helicopter ride over the Atlantic, intimidation by Noregea...

TioCharlie comments on National Security Archive

Wake up and smell the coffee... every staff officer in the Colombian Army has also graduated from the School of the Americas.

TioCharlie comments on The upside of war...

I could say something mean but I won't War is a loser for all involved. I know because I have had to face that fact head on. It sickens me to this day the fact that I shot a man; it is a guilt that I live with every day.
Again, I am glad to be an American because we are the ones who define the cutting standards of warfare, there are several examples (M1A1 Abrahms tank, Polaris subs, and the best trained air force on earth). It kinda funny that so many of our Latin friends wanted to know what we know, we opened a school just for them at Ft. Benning. And you know what's even cooler, we got a fat wallet to research, develop and deploy these new weapons while selling our has-beens to everone else ( this is a left handed jab at my remark in the Colombian fingerprinting thread).

TioCharlie comments on Recent Improvement

Roughing up the paramilitaries I definately agree with the tougher stance that Uribe is taking with the FARC/Paramilitaries. Personally I thought it was a big sign of weakness by the Pastrana administration to give the FARC a safe haven and I applaud Uribe for taking it away from them. And this tougher stance seems to be making some positive headway - several AUC units have recently disbanded, the capture of Trinidad, and the overall growing military competance of the Colombian government.

TioCharlie comments on Terrified but have to go to Colombia

If you want to wet your toes .... Miami has a very large Colombian community. Why not take a "dry run" as it were to Miami, you can meet/interact with many Colombians, try to make some friends, brush up on your Spanish,etc. before you go to colombia. But I am sure that the actual trip to colombia will amaze you... seriously I have never encoutered a more friendly group of people. It is a shame that there are problems there, but there are problems everywhere; if you wait until everything is perfect then I fear you will never go and experience this wonderful country.

TioCharlie comments on Colombians to be fingerprinted upon entry to US

We don't take orders - we take money This is a reply to the "we're not a carpet" post...

It is patriotic to say to the Argentine peolple that we make our own decisions, but when its time to pay we DO take American money. Sounds sorta left handed. That is one of the things I like about America; we got ideas and a fat wallet.

TioCharlie comments on Need some information on San Andres

Sorry, I don't know of a real estate agent I have been to San Andres too on day trips. It is a lovely place, the town reminds me of Catalina, California (the only difference is that you are not allowed to drive cars on Catalina Island). Sorry, I don't know of a real estate agent (good or bad) in the area. ( was too busy at the beach) :)

TioCharlie comments on Prostituion in Colombia--Some Moral Questions

Another thought...hmmmm If all you are doing is looking to pick up a prostitute I recommend that you travel to Western Europe. In England, Germany, Holland, Austria, and Denmark prostitution is legal if you go to one of the designated legal brothels (in any major German city you can find them within 2 blocks of the bonnhoff (that's German for train station)). They are clean, the girls receive monthly health checks, condoms are provided (as a matter of fact they are required),the cops ain't gonna come kicking in the door and then you can truly justify the experience as paying the woman for a service so that she can support that child at home or whatever other justification you want give for the encounter. I know this to be a fact because I've been there... and its not just the GIs that are in this part of town either...

TioCharlie comments on Prostituion in Colombia--Some Moral Questions

two cents worth I am new to this site (less than 2 weeks) and it is amazing how many people wear thier feelings on thier sleeves and are so passionate to defend them. One thing that bothers me though is that it is always the Americans fault. I am of the strong feeling that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. From the way that I see it the first prostitues were the indians who traded sex for favorable recognition by the conquistidors from Spain (who with less than 200 men conquered the area fomerly known as the Gran Colombia). Some of these women did this by choice but the vast majority were forced into this situation.

Secondly, true the US has bloodshed in its history, but colombia is no inocent angel either. Just making an observation.... I hope this does not cause too many flame postings to come my way. :)

TioCharlie comments on Visa advise

K-1 Visa I'm a gringo too (for what its worth) and I found the jewel of my life in Barranquilla in 2000. We visited each other, talked on the phone, sent emails, etc. Finally in 2002 we decided that the time was right for us to get married. We began the process in Oct of 2002 and the proces was not completed until Nov 2003. The colombiana is going to have to go to Bogota to apply for any Colombian Passports, Visas, get a medical exam, pay a deposit to the Bank of Colombia, and then pass an a security/background check from the US dept of immigration and obtain an interview at the US Embassy prior to leaving Colombia. If you are going to apply for a K-1 visa for your colombana, then you must start that process here in the United States. Contact you local office of the dept of Immigration. They will be able to help you get on the right track.

Good Luck to you and God speed

:)

TioCharlie comments on Terrified but have to go to Colombia

Colombia is safe, just use common sense I was in the Santa Marta - Cartegenna - Barranquilla area of Colombia during August of 2003. Overall, I found everyone I met to be rather nice and easy going. But remember, these are cities, and try to avoid some of the same dangers you would try to avoid in any city in the U.S

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Where in the world is Mexico? If you are speaking in a purely geographical sense, the country of Mexico is part of North America. Now in the view of the culture of Mexico it is grouped in Central America.

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Try Again in Geography... This is a reply to the anoymous post claiming that Geography teachers were incompitent. He must have been sleeping in school and missed out on the correct information.

SUBCONTINENT noun: 1. a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent: “the subcontinent of India� 2. a large landmass, as Greenland, that is smaller than any of the usually recognized [[seven]] continents.

The seven continents are N. America, S. America, Africa, Austrailia, Antartica, Europe, Asia. Mexico is recognized as a part of the North American continent. Generally speaking, the division of the N. American - S. American continents is at the ismith of Panama.

TioCharlie comments on Origin of the word GRINGO

Why do signs in other countries say "Yankee Go Home," but never do we see signs that say "Gringo, go home?" You may be wondering why I didn't simply look "gringo" up in a Spanish-English dictionary, since I was so determined to find its definition. Well, I did, and the word was defined as "one who speaks gibberish," and "blonde," neither of which made much sense in the common usage of the word unless you are writing a story about a gibberish-talking fair-haired woman, right?

I live in Tucson,AZ - only about 62miles (90km) from Mexico and I have become friends with many Mexican nationals. I have asked them several times about this word. I have heard some interesting things from them about the origins of the word. Obviously if someone is trying to talk to you in a language that you don't understand then it will sound like gibberish to you - and since many Americans don't speak additional laguages - and many Mexicans don't speak english - we have a case of gringoitis (I made that word up!!) So when the American and Mexican cultures began to interact in the early 1820's when the initial mountain men/gold miners/homesteaders were refered to as gringos by the Mexicans because they did not understand the English words spoken by the Americans. At first the word was not too derogitory, but as more and more Americans began to move into the southwestern US (particularly California and Texas) the word was spoken with more resentment because of the strong handed tactics and greed for California gold caused the US and Mexico to go to war (... and we all know how that went). Since then the word has been used in a sorta mean spirited way refering to someone (99% of the time a white person) as someone who cannot be trusted to fufill a promise and tends to change the rules of the game to suit them. Much like the Native American Indians would say "...that we speak with a forked tounge". From there is spread throughout...
Another interesting definition ( and personally I think its nice) is that when expatriates leave their homes in Mexico to visit their places of birth, they sometimes playfully refer to their original country as "Gringolandia."

P.S. The story about Green grow the lillies is nice...
The US Army did not have green uniforms before 1936 - when they hit the beach at Veracruz and marched on Mexico City they were sporting blue uniforms with white leggings.


:P

TioCharlie comments on FARC-ELN Not terrorists Organizations--EU

Couldn't the IRA fit into this catagory too?