International development is driven by donors. Whoever has the money gets to pick what kinds of interventions are paid for and undertaken. This is a mixed bag. Pros Cons $ and mandate to buy public goods not being provided by recipient countries. Political...
I promised to write about the peace talks this week, and I will. But not yet. There’s some seriously unfinished business on my mind. Can someone tell me how we’re still fighting these battles? Didn’t the country just (more or less) finally admit...
Bogota has its share of problems. It’s a big, noisy, gritty city with more inhabitants than it can reasonably handle. Unlike back home, demand for public transportation is enviably high: bus it and they will come. Supply is another story. Foto: Carlos Julio...
What a joy this week to head to Barranquilla for Carnaval with my best buds Shane and Ali. Barranquilla hosts the second largest Carnaval in the world, with Rio (natch) holding the top spot. I don’t know… I can’t quite imagine more feathers than what...
I bet that’s not a headline you could have predicted. Me either! I was surprised to read a story about USAID outfitting city vultures with GPS and cameras to try to track urban dumping. Yes, really Knowing USAID as I do, I read between the lines of the story a...
It strikes me that Villa de Leyva is the perfect little Colonial town for a lazy vacation. It’s 3-4 hours’ drive from Bogota, settled in a warm valley, full of restaurants and hotels, and very peaceful and safe. Oodles of stars become visible as night...
