building houses and schools, >>>and in Jinotega yet! Well, at least they are not missionaries. . .

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leader...

Wait, ,, WAIT..... they might be . . . .

http://www.bridgestocommunity.org/

I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get my money (held in a US bank account) for free (in Esteli) in a timely manner. Finally, I' have it all figured out! (Of course, we'll see how long that lasts.)

I have a Capital One MasterCard debit card that doesn't charge me any fees, foreign exchange %'s, etc for signature transactions. The exchange rate always seems to be the previous day's "prevailing rate" (about 24.4 recently).

Semana Santa

First of all, I want to say that this is not a piss and moan post, just an update on my experiences as an hombre de negocio in Nicaragua.

A group of Ontario paramedics is arriving in Nicaraguan this weekend to spend 10-days training first responders. This is the 2nd year the paramedics have been visiting Nicaragua in a volunteer program with the Nicaraguan Health Department. This visit, they plan to train 60 locals in 15 villages in first aid and emergency care. By the time the program is completed in 2014, there will be 360 trained Nicaraguans, enough to staff 90 clinics across the country.

You’re invited! U.S. Citizen Town Hall Meeting in Esteli- April 18, 2013

The U.S. Embassy will hold a Town Hall Meeting for U.S. citizens at Hotel Panorama #1 located at Km. 147 Pan-American Highway in Estelí on April 18, 2013, from 1:30 PM to 3:00 p.m. Ambassador Phyllis M. Powers will be the principal speaker.

this would look promising, if nica had pumper trucks: http://www.apexblock.com/video

our friend Holly Beck's on-going adventure:

http://hipehabitat.com/2011/09/20/building-in-nicaragua-concrete-floor-t...

http://hipehabitat.com/2013/03/20/bodega-progress/

Living the dream -whatever it is. Gives me hope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBkv5jjjhJ0

This one claims to have been built in Mexico!

right moment to check out:

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/01/17519026-how-the-us-oil-...

" . . . .Besides guaranteeing a stable domestic energy supply, those energy resources add tools to the U.S. diplomatic toolbox, said David L. Phillips, director of the Peace-building and Human Rights Program at Columbia University.

This came up in http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/what-is-the-pur... as a system for describing various levels of language proficiency. I searched this site to see if someone had brought it up before but didn't see anything. It may be of interest for people setting goals in their Spanish acquisition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_... describes the level.

Great movie. I kept missing it but it's finally out on DVD. Best picture in a year with some very solid competition

It tells a feel good story with a happy ending, and rightfully omits most of the nastiness of the Iran hostage crisis.

From Wikipedia:

so says the following article! reminds me of a song, "losing my religion!" btw, the devil made me post this:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/twenty-year-hiatus-in-risi...