World Book Capital City 2007

Based on the positive experience of World Book and Copyright Day, launched in 1996, UNESCO initiated the concept of World Book Capital City and nominated Madrid as the Capital for Year 2001. Following this successful experience, the General Conference adopted, on 2 November 2001, the 31 C/Resolution 29, establishing the yearly nomination of the Book Capital City.

The International Publishers Associations (IPA-UIE), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) are associated to this initiative and are therefore represented with UNESCO in the nominating committee, so as to guarantee appropriate representation from the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry.

The city of Bogotá was nominated as World Book Capital 2007 for the following reasons:

* comprehensiveness of the bid;
* presence of several specific initiatives for the World Book Capital City 2007 programme, including creative activities for the promotion of reading;
* involvement of all local public and private stakeholders in the book sector.

For the first time two applications from a region of the world which had so far not been represented (Latin America).

Amsterdam (the Netherlands) will be World Book Capital City 2008.

Previous World Book Capitals

2001: Madrid
2002: Alexandria
2003: New Delhi (India)
2004: Antwerp (Belgium)
2005: Montreal (Canada)
2006: Turin (Italy)

Source: UNESCO

Drop it on Me

Now I've started to enjoy spanglish and spanish songs as I understand them quite well.

Let me drop this video for you:

Artist: Ricky Martin

Event: Victoria Secrets Fashion Show 2006

Song: Drop it on Me!



Drop it mami,drop it on me...

Oh!By the way...this show took everyone's breath away with some spectacular performanes by big artists(Justin Timberlake,Ricky Martin etc) and of course the victoria super models(Gisele Bundchen,Alessandra Ambrosio etc).

Heaven in Heaven! (along with my favorite and versatile genius Heidi Klum!)

Oops!

I wonder how I forgot to blog about my adventurous weekend.Huh!Well...Sarah(roomate of Sarah) and I had been to one of the eco-destinations close to Bogota called Rafting Tobia (Cundinamarca).Now doesn't that give you a sign,for the reason we had been there?Yeah...Adventure Activities!

Tobia is a small town,75 kilometers from Bogota.Very affordable.55,000 pesos for Rafting,Rappelling with Seguros(Insurance),Lunch and kind guides.The mountains with the rivers are right there.The reason to go is for rafting in Rio Negro(Black River).It might look to be dangerous but honestly it's a LOT of fun.I was really excited about it,though I don't know how to swim :-P

Before going down the rapids you get the training etc.Then you'll be given a helmet,oar and a life jacket.We were six groups and six in each raft raising slogans etc.Then began the adventure...

It started off,nice and easy but within a few seconds...I started to have the taste of the REAL ADVENTURE! Woo Hoo!

DURO DURO(Hard)...ADELANTE ADELANTE(Forward)Each one of us..rowing the oars hard while the water hitting real hard on us.Rafting is a certainly a great recreational activity.

Then we were taken in a special mini-train(like the one in Zoo, walked along the woods for almost half an hour to do our next adventure activity,Rappelling(the process of descending on a fixed rope).We rappelled twice from 55-60 mts high in the waterfalls.

Simply Adventurous!

Here's a link for such eco-destinations in Colombia.

Choices

We all make choices and live with the outcome

You'll need to weigh them and decide what to pursue

Here is the thing to consider when we have choices:

-Will a choice bring myself and others happiness?

- or Will it cause suffering?

-Am i making a choice that will make me grow?

-or Am i making a choice to avoid something else?

When a choice you make brings joy and excitement to your heart,you are doing the right thing!

Atlas Corps

Atlas Corps Accepting Fellow Applications:

Atlas Service Corps, Inc. ("Atlas Corps") is a new international citizen sector (nonprofit or NGO) organization that will revolutionize international service and build a global partnership for development. Atlas Corps is currently seeking the best rising leaders in the citizen sectors of India and Colombia to apply for a one-year fellowship in the United States. All candidates must have 4-8 years of experience in the citizen sector, a bachelor's degree, be fluent in written and spoken English, and be committed to returning to their home country at the end of the program. Candidates must be nominated by a citizen sector leader before their application can be submitted. Nominations can be submitted online at: http://www.atlascorps.org/nomination.html Atlas Corps is seeking 7 outstanding citizen sector leaders for our inaugural 2007 Fellowship program. More details about the U.S. Host organizations and Fellow job descriptions can be found at: http://www.atlascorps.org/fellow_profile.html

About Atlas Corps:

Atlas Corps is a new, international citizen sector organization that brings mid-career CSO leaders from developing countries to volunteer for one year at like minded U.S. CSO Host organizations. Our mission is to create a global partnership for development through an innovative, sustainable and scalable Fellowship program that demonstrates that the global south should not just be a destination for support, but a partner in tackling the world's most pressing social issues. While in the U.S. Fellows will learn best practices from the United States, share unique perspectives from abroad, and then return home to create avenues of cooperation and continued learning. Atlas Corps Fellows will address a wide range of issues related to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals including hunger, poverty, education, gender equity, health, the environment, and human rights. We invite you to visit our website to learn more about the program and read about our fantastic staff and Senior Advisory Board that includes such notables as Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, and Senator Harris Wofford, one of the founding leaders of the Peace Corps - www.atlascorps.org

Learn more by watching videos in English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, French, Malay, and more ...

Email: scott@atlascorps.org

Colombian Times

I was looking at the world map one day- I was overwhelmed to see so many countries on this planet. Although I’ve learnt about many countries in my school I didn’t pay much attention then- It was just a subject then, just wanted to read about it and pass the examination.

So many countries with different cultures, different beliefs and most importantly different languages. Was wondering how people live in those countries and about their lifestyle. Born and brought in a conservative family and country with strict values and traditions, I wanted to explore the world. Wanted to see different places and see how they went about with their daily chores.

Always ready for a challenge I wanted to visit a country whose culture and beliefs were different from my own country. As I was searching for a country my eyes stuck on a place COLOMBIA- then I knew nothing about the place or their lifestyle, being a vegetarian I was skeptical on how I would cope with the main source of my survival FOOD. But then what is life without challenge. So I decided to take this challenge and packed my bags and came to this land.

When I landed here I wasn’t sure how things would be, but people here are very friendly- Though it took me time to learn this language, I got used to this place. I still remember when i told folks back in my home country that I would be going to Colombia, people weren't that encouraging and felt that maybe I should reconsider my decision- But now that am here I feel my decision to come to Colombia wasn't wrong.

Present generation is always ready for a challenge. We have come a long way- previously people couldn’t connect with each other in past years because of many barriers. But now thanks to new inventions, people are getting to know each other from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Now we can connect to people all over the world and make our world a happy place to live- Hoping our future generations will benefit from the efforts we are making to bridge the gap of diversity in culture.

My experiences with this country so far has been very good and its a wonderful experience.Colombians whom I've known/met have been extremely warm, friendly and affectionate- They’ve supported and encouraged me in whatever I did.

We have one life to live, so why not live it to the maximum- Why not challenge yourself and visit places- I would encourage people to visit Colombia atleast once in their lifetime- This place not only has beautiful landscapes but also loving people. No country in this world is safe- Every country has some flaws- but just because it has flaws, you can’t say that the place is bad. So all those of you who are in doubt about this place, I would say. This country has many good things to give- so Come and visit Colombia- “A place for all Reasons and Seasons!”

It has been exactly six months today since I came to Colombia.Still can't believe that time raced away so fast...