My 'beloved? faculty

Today, for post 9 I have to talk about my “beloved faculty”, I don’t know if I have to say something about the faculty itself (I mean the building and facilities) or the careers given in Social sciences (anthropology, psychology, sociology and education), or some institutional aspects.
I going to talk about the faculty’s facilities, well, it’s not a very old building (was built in the first half of the 90s), it has good classrooms, a very good computer rooms, with brand new computers.
But the faculty has a lot of things that need improvements. Starting with the problem of the library, well, actually is a study room and a library, with old computers, most of them turn off, and the others are break down or infested with viruses. There isn’t open shelf, the books are in a mysterious, dark, chamber, located who-knows-where, and protected by a little, hunchbacked, man who can’t see the daylight... (actually, this is my image of where go the books…); the library doesn’t have armchairs where to seat to read…I envy the library of philosophy an humanities’ faculty!!it has two floors, it’s so big, with great computers, you can´t enter with your bag, and it has lockers if you want!!I think Social Science deserves a library like that one.
The cafeteria it´s too little and needs more microwaves; something funny: the students ask for a new study room, and guest what room became one…
Despite the brand new and last generation computers of the computer room, always are missing of computers (in the way that there are not enough for everyone), due to the English class. It’s important to recognize that were placed more new computers, but I think is not enough…
I think the first steps to dealing with this problems is let know to the authorities of the faculty our (in this case, my) uneasiness, well, for that I’m paying for (and a lot of money), and if we aren’t heard, we have to radicalize our stand…jajaja…that sounds revolutionary…
The benefits are many, about the cafeteria, everyone can lunch there, and the people who heats their lunch, don’t have to skip clases to reach to use the microwave before all the others, and to not waste your lunch time waiting to warm your meal.
Well, I would say a lot of others benefits but I think I passed for much the 300 words. See you next time!

A film that I like: Star Wars

Hello everyone!! For post 8 I have to talk about a film, and this is an evaluated post so I will do my best!
Well, the film I chose was STAR WARS, all the sage (the six movies). Since the day I saw it, I loved it.
It’s not a film that have a lot of contain, it’ s not so deep, and the three first ones were of low budget, but I like the storyline, the war between the dark and the light side of the “force” and how the main character has to struggle with his own inclination for the dark side to not go through the same path as his father who was seduced by the dark side and became a evil man (Darth Vader), but in the end he had redemption. I like the battles with light sabers (in the first movie, the special effects were very bad) too. But in the last three I think the director use too much special effects by computer.
The storyline starts with this famous phrase: A long time ago in galaxy far far away…
Like the phrase say, the film is set in another galaxy, where live a civilization more advanced than ours, and one of the most important components of life is The Force and the people who have a strong presence of the force in them, can become a Jedi, a Jedi is a knight who can control the force and use it, the Jedi knights are the guardians of the Republic, and preserve the peace in the galaxy, they are good people with noble intentions.
One of the Jedi, Qui Gonn, finds a kid who has a very strong presence of the force and he suspects he may be the Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. This kid is Anakin Skywalker, and he is a slave of Tatooine planet, thanks to some circumstances, Anakin is released and starts his path to become a Jedi, trained by Obi Wan Kenoby ; and the Sith Lords (jedis who use the dark side of the force, people full of hate and anger) reappeared to destroy the Republic and bring darkness to the universe . By the time Anakin is a Padawan (an apprentice of Jedi) he falls in love of Padme, a senator who in the past was Queen of the Naboo planet, and they married, but Anakin have a dream were Padme dies, in his try to avoid that, he is seduced by the dark side of the force, and he become evil man, full of anger, and he fight with his own mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi ; he loses, and becomes Darth Vader, but he can avoid the death of Padme when she was having two babies (the sons of Anakin): Luke and Leia.
When Luke grows up, it’s trained by Obi Wan Quenobi to become a Jedi (the sith lords exterminate them, destroy the republic and establish an Empire) and fight with the resistance against the empire. In the end, Luke has to fight with his own father to eliminate the Emperor (an awful man), Dark Vader, when see his son suffering in hands of Emperor, he become good and eliminate him. In the end, he dies like a Jedi, and the Republic is established again.
Well, the director is great, George Lucas made a excellent job, and the actors too, but a lot o people think that the last three movies were worse than the first three, I don’t care what others say, I like it.
The music is incredible, I love it, I have it in my cell phone as my ringtone.
This is all for today, see you next time.

The Simpsons’ obesity drive

The health department thinks Homer and family can promote healthier lifestyles. D'oh! Or should that be DoH?

For post number 7, I had to select a new from guardian.co.uk related with my carreer, and write a summary of it.
Well, I chose a new that connects my career with one of my favorite series: The Simpsons. This is a article written by Neville Rigby.
The government's official obesity campaign is turning to cartoons capers in a way to persuade everyone to make our kids take up healthier eating and exercise. The Department of Health took £640.000 to Change4life to sponsor The Simpsons. The public health minister, Gillian Merron said that Homer gives a good message to kids and families about “simple ways of improving their diet and activity for a healthier lifestyle". Some things they forget it is that obesity is symptomatic of some fundamental and structural changes in society that have gone on over many decades and have had a quite marked adverse impact, and the government prefers to promulgate a "public health announcement" besides search the causes of obesity.
In the 90s one of the most popular chapters of The Simpsons was when Homer became obese to obtain a disability dispensation to work from home; but he succumb to ill-health due to his weight, and being a victim of the all too familiar discrimination suffered by obese people.
Nothing proves that chapter helped to make conscience about obesity. Actually, the obesity rates have risen 50% in the years since the programme first went out.
But Homer's dumb expression will take on a new meaning from now on – DoH (Department of Health).
Well, this is the new I chose, I found it very interesting because the obesity, like the article says, has its roots in the structural changes in the society, and I don’t think that a campaign with fashionable cartoons can make the difference.
That’s all for today, see you in the next post!!

The link of the new is http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/06/simpsons-health-obesity

The current situation in Honduras

Hello to everyone!!To the post number 6, I have to write about the current situation in Honduras…
Well this isn’t a easy topic, because almost everything what we know about what is happening there, we know it by the press, and there a lot of things we don’t know.
Some people say that what happens in Honduras was a true coup d’ etat, others say that was a legitimate way to protect The Constitution.
The situation was this: The president Zelaya decided to hold a referendum to introduce changes in the Constitution of the country, one of them was allow the president to be reelected, this was considered by the parliament as Zelaya was trying to perpetuate in the power. Because the parliament denied to allow to hold the referendum, the president ordered to the country’s top military leadership to carry out the referendum, he didn’t want to, so Zelaya fired. After that, Zelaya was arrested in Tegucigalpa and taken to Costa Rica by force, and the parliament named Roberto Micheletti as the head of state, approving Zelaya’s dismissal.
After some intents of Zelaya to come back to his country, he was sheltered by the Brazil’s embassy in Honduras (until where I know), to not be arrested, because the government of Michelleti says he has to be judged for his aiming to go against the constitution.
The American States Organization is trying to find a solution to put an end to the conflict in Honduras, because it’s no more a politic problem, it’s social too. I’m afraid of a civil war…
About Michelleti I don’t have a particular opinion, neither of Zelaya, but about the deposed president, I think he is making a media circus, when he crossed the frontier between Nicaragua and Honduras, and then came back, or the picture of him sleeping in two chairs in the embassy of Brasil, etc
Well, this is all for this post…See ya!!

What to do and where to go in Santiago

Hello to everyone!!I have to write about what to do and where to go in Santiago, well, I think that the tourists can go to better places in Chile (like the beautiful beaches in the north, the forest and the volcanoes in south… actually, there are a lot of other places where to go, but I have to talk about Santiago), I like Santiago, but I think that is grey city with only few spaces of light (I hope you know what I mean), but also have a beautiful places to go…
Let’s see…
In Santiago you can go to the San Cristobal Hill or Santa Lucía Hill (that’s interesting because not to many cities have a hill in the center of them), in the San Cristobal hill you can take a teleferico (cable car) to see the city (but is really difficult because there a lot of smog). Besides, you can go to the Plaza de Armas (a very typical Chilean place), but you have take care all of your things (camera, wallet, etc, etc) because there a lot of thieves searching for tourists who doesn’t know the reality of Santiago, besides, you can see many crazy people in the Plaza, and a lot of Peruvians. But in my personal opinion I hate to go to the center of Santiago it’s so crowded, so noisy and you always have the fear that someone can steal your things!! Well, you can go to the museums in the city, there are great!!Every of them!! (that sounds a little nerd). A place that I like is Bustamante Park, it’s full of trees, grass, and places to seat and rest; but now that place has becoming bad because many teenagers go to the Park to drink and get drunk (it’s not a beautiful thing to see).
Well, this is all I can say about Santiago…but tourist listen to me!!go to others places in Chile, Santiago don’t have spectacular things and it’s a very ugly city…go to the south!!it’s beautiful!!See ya!!

The Congress in Buenos Aires

Well, I don´t know what to say about the congress of Sociology in Buenos Aires because I didn´t go…but I hope all the people who went have enjoyed the stay in that city and the congress itself. But, ¿I have to write 200 words? (I only have written 54). Ahhhhh!!!! I don’t know what to write!!. Well, I didn’t go to the congress because I hadn’t money and I never collect it, but most of all I didn’t want to, I don’t feel like going; but I don’t discard to go in a near future to that congress, I think that I can’t finish my career without going to –at least-one congress. Besides I would like to visit Buenos Aires but in summer vacation (to enjoy it, I don´t want to go under pressure), to see “El barrio de la Boca”, “La Bombonera” (the Boca Junior football club’s stadium, and buy a shirt of the team), “La casa Rosada”, The obelisk, etc; and finally buy a lots of books and leather…
Well, that’s all I can say…take care all of you!!See you next time!

TRANSANTIAGO >> BEFORE AND AFTER

The Transantiago, ufffff! There are a lot of things to say about it, but according with Judy’s list, I have to give my opinion about in what way(s) is better or worse than the pre-Transantiago system; well I think is better in some aspects but worse in others (like almost everything new), the good things are that you can make several journeys with one passage (but in two hours or less, or you have to pay again), the buses are best than the old ones, but with less seats, in my opinion (and I don’t talk for everyone) the drivers doesn’t discriminate against students anymore (before, in the old system, the bus drivers were very evils with students because they paid less, and for that the drivers earned less money, but now they have a permanent pay); something bad is that the authorities change all the buses routes, and there are still many people who doesn’t know what bus has to take to go to his home or work, and for that the people start to take the subway (the best transport system) and now is overcrowded. To conclude, the government finished with the micro businessman who had one or two buses and gave the system to big companies who pay miserable money to the bus drivers. And the image of Iván Zamorano was destroyed!!!
I have to say, since the system started until now, has shown an improvement: more buses (something bad are those old buses painted like news), more routes, etc. But something that makes me really mad, it’s when an adult use a “pase escolar” (I don’t know how to say it in English) just to pay less, I understand the people who think that the system sucks and it’s not bad to steal it (because that is), but I think that doesn’t speak well of our culture…and the evasion is huge!!!
For me, the solution is to go back to the old routes and that the people doesn’t has to take more than one bus to go at the place they want to (the citizen of Santiago hate to take more than one!!!); I know it, because my mom has to take 3 transantiagos to come home!!! It’s just too much!!!! but, this solutions are impossible to apply.
In the end, the Transantiago is just a black hole to the government money (then, our own money), and they don’t know to handle it, the only thing they can do is pass the burden to the next government and see how they solve the problem.
Well, I pass far the number of words for this activity, and I didn’t write all my thoughts about the transport system…..sorry Judy, I wrote too much!!
Take care all of you!!!See ya!!!