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Three departments that yield nearly half of Colombia’s coffee crop; Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío: are fertile lands that produce some of the world’s best coffee. The combination of pleasant temperatures, abundant green valleys and extraordinary snowy peaks make it a perfect destination to be explored.

This interesting mountainous place has always been a refuge of tranquility and prosperity in Colombia. The Coffee Zone has developed into a much visited tourism site. Besides being able to live the culture of coffee and getting to know about it by staying in a typical coffee hacienda, tourists can also find lush nature everywhere, extremely warm people and a significant amount of activities such as ecotourism, theme parks, adventure sports, tours of its cities and towns, and ecological attractions to name a few.

The excellent network of roads will help you divide your time and energy to spend it in all three departments of the region:

Manizales

Manizales is an important sector of the coffee trade being the capital city of the Caldas department. Because it is suspended along the edge of the mountains it has very hilly streets which have a special charm.

Unfortunately due to devastating earthquakes and fires there are no longer many historical buildings left but its is still very interesting to visit the Plaza de Bolivar and the Manizales Cathedral; if you are interested in indigenous culture you can visit a small collection of gold pieces and artifacts of Quimbaya culture.

Situated nearby the city is the stunning and safe Park of the Nevados (Parque Nacional Los Nevados), a group of snowy-volcanic peaks and the central attraction of the area; if you want to experience the contrasts of our country this is a must! One of the most popular options is to do a one-day tour to the Nevado Del Ruiz which reaches 5321 meters above sea level and is the highest snowy volcano in the park.

If you are lucky enough and can plan your trip for January you will be able to enjoy one of Colombia’s most important festivals, The Manizales Fair (Feria de Manizales) : bullfighting, crafts, parades, partying, beauty contest and all in all a joyful celebration showing a prideful part of our culture.

Pereira

With a delightful average temperature of 21° C is Pereira the capital of the Risaralda department, is an industrial and commercial area. In the city be sure to have a look at an unusual monument: the Bolivar Desnudo, a bronze statue which shows a naked “libertador” (liberator).

Marsella, Termales de Santa Rosa and Ecotermales San Vicente are found close to the city. Marsella is a typical country town with its unique Alejandro Humboldt botanical garden and cemetery: a masterpiece of funerary architecture. You can also find thermals pools which are perfect spots for relaxation: The thermal pools are surrounded by nature and waterfalls complemented by restaurants, hotels and bars.

Armenia

Armenia is the capital city of Quindío department. This city was quickly rebuilt after a destructive earthquake in 1999; it has monuments that honor this effort. Near the center of the city there is the Museo Del Oro, one of the best in the country, which holds a complete collection of gold artifacts and ceramics of the indigenous Quimbaya culture.

To make your trip more fun and amusing don’t miss the Parque Del Café a thematic park which combines learning about the whole coffee process, coffee culture and traditions, with exuberant nature and mechanical attractions and rides.

There is also PANACA a huge public farm full of animals, perfect for families and children: a great place to learn about animals and farm chores through interaction and watching fun shows; visitors can experience the rural life style by being up close to animals and even getting to feed some of them! To get another hint of the region and our country stopover, there is the Cocora Valley, a rural conservation area which holds the wax palm, Colombia’s national tree.

Here there is camping, nature walks, and horse riding to enjoy this magnificent place.

Venezuela is getting ready to present its response to Colombia's complaint over 'threats of war' before the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council on Wednesday.

Venezuelan Ambassador to the U.N. Jorge Valero will address Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's orders to his nation several weeks ago to "prepare for war".

According to Valero, Chavez was simply calling attention to the fact that the U.S could launch an attack on Venezuela from Colombian territory, WRadio reported Tuesday.

Colombia complained about Venezuela's 'threats of war' to the U.N. Security Council.

Chavez has since softened his rhetoric, claiming that the media had manipulated his words and that "Venezuela's military is pacifist."

Relation between Colombia and Venezuela deteriorated rapidly after Colombia announced a new military pact with the United States, allowing the Americans to use military bases and civilian airports for antiterrorism and counternarcotics operations.

Venezuela then froze diplomatic relations and threatened with a trade block for Colombian products.

Venezuela views the military pact as an imperialistic attempt by the U.S. to undermine sovereignty in Latin America.

Valero said that Venezuela's response before the U.B Security Council "will focus on the theme of the military bases, which are the source of the conflict"

The Complete Guide to Google Wave is a comprehensive user manual by Gina Trapani with Adam Pash.

Google Wave is a new web-based collaboration tool that's notoriously difficult to understand. This guide will help. Here you'll learn how to use Google Wave to get things done with your group. Because Wave is such a new product that's evolving quickly, this guidebook is a work in progress that will update in concert with Wave as it grows and changes. Read more about The Complete Guide to Google Wave.

J-1 TEACHER PROGRAM: PILOT EXTENDED
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17. ECA has authorized a two-year extension of the Pilot program being conducted by the Center for International Education (ref E). The pilot was originally authorized through February 15, 2009. The two-year extension authorizes it through February 15, 2011, and adds a second teacher exchange sponsor, Foreign Academic and Cultural Exchange Services (FACES). 9 FAM 41.62 N 4.13 will be updated to include paragraph c, as follows:

c. Pilot Program for Exchange Visitor Teachers

1. In February 2007 ECA announced a two-year Pilot Program for Exchange Visitor Teachers to provide an opportunity to evaluate the need for and acceptance of a reduced experience requirement. The Pilot period, scheduled to conclude February 15, 2009, has been extended for an additional two-year period to February 15, 2011. The Pilot is being conducted by the Center for International Education, Inc. and Foreign Academic and Cultural Exchange Services (FACES), Department-designated Exchange Visitor Program sponsors. The Pilot is limited to nine countries: Australia, Canada, Columbia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Venezuela. Only nationals from these countries who apply in their country of nationality may participate.
2. Participants in this pilot program are not required to have three years of prior teaching experience. Participants are required to be eligible for employment as a teacher in their home country as demonstrated by a provisional or full teaching certificate, license, or other credential that permits employment as a teacher in the respective home country. They must also present a signed letter of acceptance for a full time teaching position from a U.S. accredited school (K-12), on school letterhead and signed by the appropriate school official. All other eligibility requirements for this exchange category must be met (Teacher - 22 CFR 62.24).
3. Pilot program participants are not exempt from the usual MRV and reciprocity fees or the SEVIS I-901 Fee.