Tuesday, January 29, 2019

I woke up once at 3:30 but quickly fell back asleep, woke up again at 6am but fell back asleep finally waking & getting up at 7am.

Teresa called me at 7:20 and invited me to join her for breakfast at Aymará.  I told her to give me 30 minutes.  I took my shower, 

dressed and left the apt at 7:40.  I arrived at Aymará at 7:45 and Teresa had already finished her breakfast of scambled eggs.  I basically ordered the same with coffee and bread.  At 8:15 I noticed Nobraskja crossing the street to catch a bus to work.  After I paid 18,800 pesos we were going to walk to Exito but Teresa noticed mass in progress across the street at San Marcos church so we had to go there first.  It soon ended and we both took communion.

We walked down to Exito in the mall.  She spent some time looking around but finally picked out 2 fitted sheet sets for the 2^nd & 3^rd bedroom.  I picked up a package of 4 AA batteries.  Before we left she stopped at the information booth and inquired about using her Colombia Points from last year.  I understood we had to use them to buy vegetables so we headed to the produce area.

I soon got a call from my brother.  His Thursday afternoon arrival flight has been cancelled due to the extreme cold in Chicago.  Now he’ll be taking the red eye and arriving Thursday morning at 8:40am.  At that early hour I won’t be waiting for him at the airport but we already have a driver – Bryan - set to pick him up.

At the cashier they scanned all our produce and then Teresa told them she wanted to pay with points and she had to go to the information desk again.  She returned 10-15 minutes later and they removed everything from the bags and had to scan everything again.  Yikes!

We walked outside and quickly caught a taxi back to the apt.

I watched 3 more episodes of The Walking Dead.

Laura told me she saw snow falling for the first time and said it is beautiful.

On our evening news they showed video of the snow and cold in Chicago.

Joke of the day

Once, there was a preacher who was an avid golfer. Every chance he could get, he would be on the golf course swinging away. It was an obsession.

One Sunday was a picture-perfect day for golfing. The sun was out, no clouds were in the sky, and the temperature was just right.  The preacher was in a quandary as to what to do, and shortly, the urge to play golf overcame him. He called an assistant to tell him that he was sick and could not do church, packed the car up, and drove three hours to a golf course where no one would recognize him. Happily, he began to play the course.

An angel up above was watching the preacher and was quite perturbed. He went to God and said, "Look at the preacher. He should be punished for what he is doing."

God nodded in agreement.

The preacher teed up on the first hole. He swung at the ball, and it sailed effortlessly through the air and landed right in the cup 250 yards away.  A picture-perfect hole-in-one. He was amazed and excited.

The angel was a little shocked. He turned to God and said, "I beg your pardon, but I thought you were going to punish him."

God smiled. "Think about it - who can he tell?"

Monday, January 28, 2019

Last night it seemed to take awhile to fall asleep.  I got up once at 5:30, fell back asleep and woke up at 6:40and got up at 7:45.

On the other side of the nextdoor Exito is a warehouse and this morning an 18 wheeler struggled for 10 minutes to back into it.

I decided to skip gym today partially because my back is still a little sore.

I watched the first 90 minutes of the Today show.

Today’s a cool overcast day.  The temp is still 70 degrees at noon with an expected high of 78.  It does look like it could rain at any moment.

And 10 minutes later it started raining but it didn’t last long.

I left the apt at 2pm and walked down to the mall.  I first stopped at Exito’s travel office and inquired about a round trip flight from Rionegro to Monteria for my brother.  I was quoted an approximate price of $190.  For flights from the Medellin airport he said we would have to ask there.  I then went into Exito and found the sheet sets that Teresa asked me to look for.

At Habia Una Vez I had a café con leche while checking news on my cellphone and reading my Nook.  I traded some Facebook posts but I finally had enough of David Simmons and his friends so I blocked them.

Teresa called and asked me to print out an email that Esmeralda sent me.  I went to Auros in Exito where I printed out a medical appointment.

At the guard shack I asked Reynaldo if he liked the cookies I gave him last week and he gave me a thumbs-up and gave me our Direct TV bill.

Back at the apt Teresa asked me what time I would be leaving the apt for the airport on Thursday.  Just off the top of my head I said before 3pm.  She then informed me that I have an appointment at 1:40pm with a doctor about my back pain.  I told her that wouldn’t work as there is too much going on that day.  Besides, I explained, he will be an intern and won’t speak English and other than saying I have lower back pain we won’t be able to communicate.  Teresa called someone and cancelled the appointment.

Esmeralda soon arrived to pick up the things we bought for her at Pricesmart.

I started watching The Walking Dead but soon noticed, not only was this episode a repeat from Friday, but the following episode was out of order as it came before this one.

Esmeralda left about 7:30.

Laura texted me that she got her sim card.  I called her using my magicJack and Teresa and I talked to her for awhile.

To me today was a beautiful day here.  It started in the morning at about 72 degrees, climbed to a high of about 78 and was back to about 72 degrees at bedtime.

Joke of the day

A man in his 40's bought a new BMW and was out on the interstate for a nice evening drive. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through what was left of his hair and he decided to open her up. As the needle jumped up to 80 mph, he suddenly saw flashing red and blue lights behind him.

"There's no way they can catch a BMW," he thought to himself and opened her up further. The needle hit 90, 100.... Then the reality of the situation hit him. "What the hell am I doing?" he thought and pulled over.

The cop came up to him, took his license without a word and examined it and the car.

"It's been a long day, this is the end of my shift and it's Friday the 13th. I don't feel like more paperwork, so if you can give me an excuse for your driving that I haven't heard before, you can go."

The guy thinks for a second and says, "Last week my wife ran off with a cop. I was afraid you were trying to give her back."

"Have a nice weekend," said the officer.

Medellin to host Davos' Fourth Industrial Revolution - The Bogota Post & Medellin Living

Medellín to host Latin America’s first Center for Davos’ Fourth Industrial Revolution

By

 Jordan Jones

 -

January 24, 2019

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Duque announced that Medellin had been tapped to represent Latin America as a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a term coined by the Forum’s founder, Klaus Schwab. The “City of Eternal Spring” will join a global network that includes Israel, Norway, the United Arab Emirates as this year’s selected cities, in addition to San Francisco, Tokyo, Mumbai, and Beijing, which were named in 2018.

After delivering several updates about the security situation in Colombia in the wake of last week’s fatal car bombing, Duque introduced the news in a launch event on Wednesday flanked by the mayor of Medellin, Federico Gutiérrez, and Schwab himself.

“I would like to say that Colombia feels extremely proud to be the headquarters of one of the four centers that will be inaugurated in 2019 for the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said President Duque.

Schwab, who founded the World Economic Forum in 1971, identified Medellin as a progressive, world-renowned city that would align with the kinds of technological advances that are implied in his definition of a Fourth Industrial Revolution. These include artificial intelligence, a focus on the Internet of Things, blockchain, precision medicine, and drones. According to a white paper published (pdf) by the Centre, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the “age in which scientific and technological breakthroughs are disrupting industries, blurring geographical boundaries, challenging existing regulatory frameworks, and even redefining what it means to be human.”

Whether Medellin is up to the challenge to compete with San Francisco and Tokyo in the area of artificial intelligence is to be determined, but within the last few years, the city has garnered international recognition for its innovative practices.

Gustavo Palacios leading a seminar on collaborative sharing models at the Colabamerica conference in Oct. 2018. Photo by Jordan Jones

In 2013, the Urban Land Institute, in partnership with the Wall Street Journal and Citi, voted Medellin the City of the Year in a competition that measured among other criteria, environment and land use, economic investment, mobility, infrastructure, technology, and research. 

Since then, Medellin has been the host-city for several globally recognized innovation conferences including the Wales-based Hay Festival and Ouishare’s Colaboamericaconference. Juan Pablo Ortega, the head of Colaboamerica in Medellin, shed some light on what this announcement means for the city and the country, over an email exchange with The Bogota Post.

“I believe that Colombia has the talent, the ability to learn quickly, the sense of urgency, and through the framework of the Medellin Innovation District, is in the most appropriate position to test and develop the guidelines, strategic framework and standards to face the largest challenges in Latin America through the internet of things, blockchain, and artificial intelligence,” Ortega said.

As a former executive director of Ruta N, the innovation and business center of Medellin, Ortega understands firsthand the challenges that promoting Medellin as an innovation hub will be—it’s been part of their long term strategy for the last decade, he told The Bogota Post.

“There is still a lack of understanding on these issues, which is why it is necessary to develop an aggressive plan of awareness at all levels (government, companies, educational entities and citizens) of the potential of disruptive technologies. . .and the opportunities that open up for everyone in addition to the role that each person involved should play in contributing to the implementation of solutions,” Ortega wrote.

In Duque’s launch announcement, he did not spell out exactly how Medellin would assume the new title but he did present some of the foreseeable benefits.

“We also see it as an opportunity to adapt in terms of education, regulation, business development and to be able to create a better environment in Latin America, in the development of this type of technology,” he said.

One of the assets implicit in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is its narrowed scope of emphasis in addition to the precedent and knowledge base that former Centres already possess. It’s Ortega’s hope that by aggressively attracting talent, other areas such as urban development, digital transformation and social sciences will benefit as well.

In his announcement, President Duque also stated some of the benefits of being such a hub for Latin America.

“We also see it as an opportunity to adapt in terms of education, regulation, business development to be able to create a better environment and environment in Latin America, in the development of this type of technology,” he said.

Based off of his comments, what Schwab sees in Medellin is different from what he sees in other cities. Referring to the capital of Antioquia as “young” and possessing “great potential,” Schwab seems to be betting big. Nevertheless, putting Medellin on the global map for innovation is welcome news for the country.

*This article has been updated to include the quotations of Mr. Ortega.

Puente de Occidente; Atlas Obscura & Medellin Living

Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West)

What was once the longest suspension bridge in Latin America was directly inspired by the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.  

 

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Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West). JUAN SEBASTIÁN ECHEVERRY GRISALES/CC BY 3.0

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On December 27, 1895, and after eights years of construction, the Bridge of the West became the longest suspension bridge in all of Latin America and the third in the world.

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The bridge, which was named after its location on the western side of Colombia, was designed by architect José María Villa, who had previously worked on the Brooklyn Bridge. He used that previous experience to design and construct this bridge, adjusting it to the local conditions. This can be noted on the cable-stayed-suspension hybrid structural system and the wooden pedestrian passageways, which were employed in both structures.

The construction of this structure spearheaded an industrial revolution in the nation. Before there was a bridge on this part of the Cauca River, the only other method to get around the waterway was by finding a narrow passageway farther south. The bridge facilitated the connection between the interior of Colombia and the Caribbean Sea, and therefore became an essential player in developing the country’s economy. 

Today, the bridge remains in use and is a local attraction due to its importance for the development of the Antioquia region, which grants it a symbolic reference for the strength and unity for the people which inhabit the area. 

Know Before You Go

The bridge is located between the towns of Santa Fe de Antioquia and Olaya on the Cauca River.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

I got up once during the night finally waking at 6:30 and getting up at 8am.

After a breakfast of French toast I left the apt at 9:45.  I passed a yoga class inside Otra Parte, an exercise class at Euro and another outside Santafe mall.  I walked past Oviedo and as I walked across the street to Starbucks I felt a few random raindrops.  Soon after I sat down it started raining pretty hard – and me without an umbrella.

After about 40 minutes it was still raining lightly but it was time to head back.  It soon turned into a steady light drizzle but it helped keep the heat down as I walked.

I stopped in Exito and picked up a couple bags of milk.

Back at the apt I headed straight for the shower.

Teresa and I left the apt about 2pm and took a taxi to Pricesmart.  I looked at my membership card and it was exactly one year old.

This time for myself I bought a bottle of Canadian maple syrup and a box of Bisquick.  We’ll see if I get better pancakes and waffles from the Bisquick than from my Aunt Jemima mix.  After we had everything we wanted we parked the cart in a corner and went into the food court where Teresa and I shared an order of chicken wings and a chicken salad.  We also renewed our membership for another year.

Downstairs there was no wait for a taxi back to the apt.

I took a little nap from 4:45 to 5:15 while Teresa took hers.

Laura texted me a video of them driving through Brookline, Mass. (I could hear the GPS giving directions in the background.)  Later she sent me a photo of the back of a guy bartending in a bar and said he’s from Colombia.  Today she’s with the same au pair as yesterday and another from Costa Rica.  She texted me a photo of an order of nachos that I guess they were having as a snack.

Joke of the day

A girl goes into a bar.  She says, "Bartender, give me a triple Jack Daniel's."

He gives her a triple Jack Daniel's, and she belts it down. She has five more in a row, belts them all down, passes out dead drunk, and everybody in the bar fucks her.

The next night, she walks into the bar, and says, "Bartender, give me a triple Jack Daniel's."

He gives her a triple Jack Daniel's, and she belts it down. She has five more in a row, belts them all down, passes out dead drunk, and everybody in the bar fucks her again.

The next night, she walks into the bar and says, "Bartender, give me a triple Tequila."

He says, "I thought you drank Jack Daniel's."

She says, "Not any more. Jack Daniel's makes my pussy sore."