Popayan, Colombia
El verdadero oro esta en nuestras raíces…
A large red dino, wades through a bay. He’s relaxed to the max, for the rest of the day.
Painted by AWESOME AMBAH!
Postcard #0104
Decoration flags for the Sub-20 Colombia.
Parque El Lago_Pereira (by Christ Montoya)
Two workers doing their work in Cartagena, Colombia.
Fruit Market - Santa Marta, Colombia (by whl.travel)
Stan Kroenke, hideously rich.
The current holders of the MLS Cup are Colorado Rapids. An extra-time own goal by FC Dallas defender George John saw The Centennial State gain its first soccer cup since the now defunct Colorado Foxes won the APSL in 1993. It was also the first MLS Cup for the Colorado Rapids.
Owned by Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder at Arsenal and owner of teams across all the major sports in North America, the Rapids play at the wonderfully named Dick`s Sporting Goods Park after five years at the now-demolished Mile High Stadium, followed by four years at Invesco Field at Mile High (home of the NFL`s Denver Broncos).
Perhaps the most recognisable face from their past is midfielder Carlos Valderrama. After a spells at Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion, and then back at Mutiny, Colombian Valderrama spent his final year in the game at Colorado Rapids.
Hair Bear loses Bubi Bear and Square Bear in Wonderland Zoo.
Despite being slower than my friend Samuel’s letter from Afghanistan (that Canadian postal strike is getting a bit irritating), and questions over his best position, Valderrama represented Colombia 111 times, scoring 11 times. His international career, coupled with influencial performances for Montpellier HSC in European competitions and, in particular, a French Cup semi-final against Saint-Étienne, made him bigger than his hair. He was transferred to Montpellier on the strength of a performance against England at Wembley in 1988, and a 2-0 loss at World Cup 1998 to England, courtesy of goals from Darren Anderton (that clown got 30 caps!) and David Beckham, marked his last appearance for his country.
Colorado Rapids` first ever manager was Bob Houghton, a former colleague and compatriot in Swedish football with friend Roy Hodgson. Houghton has had nineteen managerial stints, taking him all over the world. His last job was with the Indian national team where he resigned in April after five years in charge. In his playing career he was a competent and traditional English forward.
Bob Houghton
There has been plenty of English connections in recent years. You can make the beginnings of a side with former Rapid players who are currently out of contract: goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, recently released from Wolves, spent two-and-a-half years in Colorado; Manchester United trainee Terry Cooke was at Rapids for four years and last played for Tony Adams’s Gabala FC in Azerbaijan; forward Junior Agogo, who has played for nine different English clubs, scored 11 in 32 games for Rapids; and former Charlton striker Shaun Bartlett (goal of the season 2000-01: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPTm0vrX-LU) played for Rapids in the MLS’s first season.
Former Colorado boys with English connections who are now retired include former Chelsea man John Spencer; former Arsenal, Everton and Birmingham midfielder Anders Limpar; and England international goalkeeper Chris Woods.
John Spencer at Chelsea
Nowadays, under the tutelage of Englishman Gary Smith, “firepower” of Caleb Folan (he isn’t scoring much in the MLS either), Aston Villa trainee Danny Earls, and twice-capped Scotsman Jamie Smith, Rapids are fifth in a nine-team Western Conference. They will look to redeem themselves after losing 4-1 at Columbus Crew when they face Houston Dynamo at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday.
Monumento de los comuneros.
LA MUERTE DE MARCO RUIZ
Someone new to me: Gabriel Valenzuela, who plays Emilio ?onde in Telemundo’s “La Casa de al Lado”.
Nos llegaron nuevas camisas! 100% Algodòn con bordados en seda hechos a mano.
Campus Party Colombia 2011
Sangre&Fe // 7000 Robles
Colombia :)
Moda colombiana
Najla Said: An Open Letter to Shakira: We Are Not All Israel:Dear Shakira,
Since your trip to Israel this week was ostensibly one of “good will” and humanity, and since in your speech to the Israeli Presidential Conference you stated that you are “convinced…that investing in education is the best strategy for peace and global stability,” I am going to give you an education. In humanity and solidarity.
Let me start by saying that I was a fan of yours before your mainstream American commercial success. I loved your Spanish albums, and I loved you for seeming like a rebellious little punk who dyed her hair funny colors and sang melodiously along to crunchy “rock ‘n’ roll” guitar riffs about how messed up you were over a boy. You reminded me of the Spanish Alanis Morrissette. When you released your first English language album, I was a little sad that the whole world would know about you, but I was also excited for them to, because you loved to talk about being Lebanese. So even though your English lyrics were laughable and you dyed your hair blonde and became a Britney Spears clone like they all do, you were still you, shaking your hips and banging your drums and telling the world that belly dancing was in your blood, because you are Lebanese. And when Wyclef Jean said, “Let me see you move like you come from Colombia,” as you did your famous hip gyrations, a few of us who are also Lebanese cringed, but we got over it because we were proud of you.
Don’t get me wrong, Shaki, I don’t want you to go back to being your younger self. I am glad that you, like Alanis, grew up and discovered love, peace and happiness, but you might have thought a bit about what it means to be educated before you spoke publicly about how important it is. I don’t expect you to be “political.” I know you are an entertainer and it’s not your job to “be political.” But you made yourself political from day one by showing off your Lebanese-ness.
Here is the thing about being Lebanese or Arab; you kind of have to love us for who we are and what we feel as much as you love us for our hummus and our belly dancing because for the first time in a long time we are proud of where we are from and are able to speak out about injustices that have been committed against us and our loved ones for decades. And here you are, making us feel shitty and hurt. You weren’t an Orientalist before because you seemed to be one of us, but now, my love, you are.
The modern state of Israel shares geography, but nothing more, with the “Abrahamic” religions that may have originated there.As a UN goodwill ambassador, you maybe should have thought about the hundred or so (give or take) UN resolutions that the State of Israel has defied before hugging their President, Shimon Peres. You might have thought of visiting Gaza instead of one of the rare schools in Israel proper, where Israeli and Arab children, who are fortunate enough to be allowed citizenship, learn together. In 2006, you spoke out against the Israeli war on Lebanon, and called for an end to the fighting. In your statement, you said, “We do not need leaders who create dispute, anger and hate, but rather leaders who care about the people and their needs.” Well, your lips lied on that one, honey. Again, I need only to point to your ridiculous love fest with Peres at the Israeli Presidential Conference yesterday to prove my point. People who actually believe in peace and goodwill do not ignore half the people in the equation when they set out to perform acts of peace and good will. They don’t hug former military leaders (even ones who have a Nobel Peace Prize), and they don’t say things like this:
“I am very happy to be in Israel, because I believe this is the perfect place to talk about how urgent it is to make education a priority. Israel has been a great melting pot of cultures for so many centuries. It will continue to be. In my song ‘Waka Waka,’ I sang how we are all Africa. Today I want to say that as part of western civilization we are all the inheritors of an Abrahamic culture and a soul that has been forged here; therefore, we are all Israel, too.”
We are not all Israel, Shakira, and that’s the point. The modern State of Israel shares geography, but nothing more, with the “Abrahamic” religions that may have originated there. Some of us are Palestinian and cannot be Israeli. Some of us are from Gaza and cannot even go to Israel. Some of us are Lebanese and have been bombed by Israel. Some of us are Jewish and don’t believe in what Israel says and does. That doesn’t mean it has no right to exist; it does, but so do we.
And since you spoke of children and education, I’d like to leave you with something that Alice Walker said the other day about her decision to ride on the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. It sums up everything I am trying to say much more beautifully than I ever could:
“I see children, all children, as humanity’s most precious resource, because it will be to them that the care of the planet will always be left. One child must never be set above another, even in casual conversation, not to mention in speeches that circle the globe.
As adults, we must affirm, constantly, that the Arab child, the Muslim child, the Palestinian child, the African child, the Jewish child, the Christian child, the American child, the Chinese child, the Israeli child, the Native American child, etc., is equal to all others on the planet. We must do everything in our power to cease the behavior that makes children everywhere feel afraid.”
Thank you for your time, Miss Mubarak (Hey, come to think of it, are you related to the dude who ran Egypt for a really long time? Because that would explain EVERYTHING!).
Love,
Najla
Another long, loooong interview with Bolillo was published in Colombia today, this time in El Espectador. In this one, he talks a lot about the past, both his own and of the national team, and we get far more detail than such a profile usually includes. Again, definitely worth reading.
(by whl.travel)
Harvesting bananas. Latal Farm, Colombia, ca. 1929.
United Fruit Company Photograph Collection. Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.
Miner 4 on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
Do you think about me now and then?
Cuz I’m coming home again..
Terra Firma in quae Dariae Fluvius Novum Regnum Granatense et Popayan, 1630
Seventeenth century map of the New Kingdom of Granada, encompassing parts of present-day Colombia, Panama and Venezuela. By Dutch cartographer Willem Janszoon Blaeu.
Well… Everything is going fine. Pude ir a un partido de Futbol Profesional Colombiano! Tambien hemos ido a tantos sitios turםsticos tan, pero que tan bellos! Como en Santa Elena… Fuimos para una finca el fin de semana antepasado… Allם si se sabe lo que es respirar aire puro de verdad! Aire limpio, sin contaminar… Arboles verdes, caminos en pura roca…. Mucho frםo! Tuve un contacto con la naturaleza maravilloso! En esta semana que paso fui a Marinilla… Hermoso lugar! Ver gente campesina labrando la tierra es brutal! Uno ve todos esos campesinos trabajando en los cultivos, y todas las montaסas llenas de puros cultivos y sembrados de lechuga, tomate, cilantro, papa.. De todo! La estadםa en Antioquia Colombia ha sido maravillosa!
Aunque aveces estבn sus malas noticias… Como el que la semana pasada muriף mi abuelita por parte de mi mami… Y pues me chocף duro… Pero Dios sabe porque hace las cosas!
La gente en Colombia es muy querida! Todos alegres! Y andar por las calles donde se criף mi papa… No tiene precio! Muchos niסos lindos… mucha fiesta. En fin… Colombia es una maravilla!
En las prףximas semanas espero andar por todas las calles de Medellin y comprar muchas cosas! Souvenirs para mis amigos mas cercanos, ropa para mi, mucha cositas… Porque si se trae plata es para gastar!!
Si no estoy activa de vez en cuando saben porque es. Porque ando por acב y no me conecto mucho al internet! Pero les irי contando de lo que resta de este largo viaje! Y mostrare fotos para que conozcan un poco mas sobre Colombia… Mi segunda tierra! (;
I want to follow you(:
I love looking at others’ work and sharing and stuff (:
Cinco Sentidos
Hardcore Positivo!
Andrés Caicedo.
1951 – 1977.
Taken while climbing the mountains, checking out the waterfalls in the area. We were literally climbing at some points and going through barbed-wire fences. You’ll see a photo of that later on.
A few friends outside of the house. Michelle (the one in blue) was looking the other way, so I called her name and took the photo when she turned. Totally unposed.
En Cْcuta,atmَsfera es malo.’~’
Me encanta Bogotل, porque persona de Bogotل son muy buena y amable.Todos lugares son muy lindo.Y esto es muy importante,policias de Bogotل son muuuuuy guapo!!!Tuanis!Entonces Me encanta Bogotل.jajaja
delicioso!
No camine sola.(Yo estaba caminando juntos hombre.)
