Post # 12 (last post!): A brief essay

We live in a world of techonologies, of modern systems and cybernetic things, and all this stuffs are part of our lives. It doesn’t matter if you are not a good friend of computers or internet, I’m sure you wil have to use those resources in some moment. This could turn extremely complicated, especially for adult people wich didn’t grow up with technologies, and of coure they never had a computer when they were kids. But this situation is no the same for us, a generation that was born with this tools, and obviously, we have learned to use it better than anyone.

We use the internet not only for chat and meet people, also helps a lot to find information and recently for support our work in the differents subjects we have at the University. For example, University of Chile created the “platform”, a page on the internet that helps estudents of this house of knowledge, to be informed about marks, tests, classes, and to keep on contact with the rest of classmates and of course, with teachers. Another virtual platform, very used is “u-cursos”, where you can upload material and other important thigs. We, as students, know perfect where to go and where to make “ click “, but maybe for teachers things have been a little bit more complicated. At the end of every semester, we spect marks on the internet, because they are usually published by this way, but there always a delays on publication, and of course this happens because some teachers doesn’t know very well how to use internet. They doesn’t have fault about that, is just the example to demonstrate how differences between one generation to another, can be very big. For us is normal to turn on a computer and being talking with some people at the other side of the world, and If we don’t know very well how to use it, it’s probably that we could find out by ourselves because we were born with this. It’s always a matter of generation.

As everything on life, we (the ‘young’ generation), some day will have to live the obsolence of our knowledge. I’m sure in our works we will have to be always learning new technologies, but the estudents of the future, wil be very differents to us. Maybe they will not have to go to University, because they’ll have classes from their homes, and from there will give tests and exams. I’m sure for that future generation, the use of technologies will be much important than for us. We are always learning, and we should use this nowledge to make things eassier and better.

Post # 11: Commenting the news

I think the news with the biggest impact on me this year, was the dead of Michael Jackson “The King of Pop”. Michael for several years was the most important artist on the pop scene, and his music is well known in the whole world, also his dramatic life. I grew up listening to Michael’s music, and I think he was almost famous as The Beatles, so it doesn’t no matter if you don’t like music too much, I’m sure you have heard music of “Jacko” anyway. I saw this new by the internet, I remember I came as every evening to see the news by the internet, and when I opened “La tercera” I could read the next phrase “ Michael Jackson is dead”; first I couldn’t believe it, but then I turned on the T.V. and every single channel of the television, was passing the news. It’s true that, from the day I was dead, until today, no one knows what happened really, but It seems that he was killed by a overdose of “Demerol” . His personal doctor putted him an injection, and the dose was very high, so Jacko could’t hold on and he made a heart shock. It’s true that this even it has no relevance for the country, but It has a great relevance for the music in general all over the world, because Jacko’s music influence has no boundaries: pop, rock, electronic, folk…all music genders has something of Jacko music, so we all that love music in general, agree that the lost of Michael Jackson is a great lost for music and entertainment. I felt sad, because his music has a big meaning to me, specially for mi childhood when I remember many things, but like George Harrison said on a song of The Beatles : “ All things must pass away….”, and I think the way that Jacko died, is the way an artist should die: still young, by irregular causes, and of course by an overdose of some drug.

Long Live to King of Pop!

Post # 10: Challenges in your discipline

Post # 10: Challenges in your discipline

Our ‘discipline’ I think It can’t be called like as a unique discipline, because we study so many areas of knowledge (political cience, history, mathematics, estatistic, law), that we have a multiple handle of disciplines. It’s because of that multiple handle of knowledge, we are connected in some way with many areas. For example, with technology, we are facing the “Improvement of the State”, and the use of new tools like the “Electronic Government”, wich contemplate that the new public managers, should know very well how to use technology for resolve problems and make new project with public services. This has a direct connection with “social matters” like polution, public health system or education, in order to make things faster than before. Education, and knowledge is going every day faster and faster, so the estudents, needs to be all connected with the internet and the ‘easy acces’ to information. This can be done if we, the future public managers, learn how to use techonology and how to create new tools for the estudents. And without going exclusively on technology issues, I’d say that the callenges we face for today and the future, all are related to the nature protection. Every day more and more people are ‘coming to live’ to the world, and this situation has a visible effect and consecuences: every day we see more trash in the streets, factories never stops production, so they are always throwing to the air and black pollution wich generates other problems, especially on people’s health. No matter what are we are going on, the critical issue is pollution and the protection of our enviroment. For this reason, I’d put on schools teaching, something related to the enviroment and the protection of it, so is a good way to teach new generations about what they have to do, and of course what they don’t, for save planet and avoid a chaos. In this way, technology is a good support, because people can notice at the moment what is happening in the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, so you can react faster. For our discipline is very important to have a ‘social concience’, and to be always working to put our career higher on the Administration of Estate.

Post # 9: Improving your faculty facilities.

1. WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION IN YOUR FACULTY?
The situation in our Institute, is no the best. Right now, we are going trough a
process of "reestructurarion", where the authorities of the INAP wants to make a
"New" model of eduction and investigation, that's great, but the way they are making
it is not right.

2. WHAT THINGS NEED IMPROVEMENT?
We need a new director, because the one we have is disabled for the process of
"reestructuration". For example, The Insitute made a call for a " public concourse"
to get new teachers, but with no conditions of profession, just asking them for a Ph. D. which doesn't reflects necesarily "Academic Excellence". In this public concourse, everybody (from all areas of knowledge) can present their curriculms, which is fair but Where is the problem? At the end of our carrer, we will have anthropologists, sociologist, lawyers, and other professionals taking us, the "grade exam", with the obvious consecuence: they are not Public Managers, so they don't know as well as they the career. That is bad for us, because we are estuding to be Public Managers, not to be an Antropologist, or a Sociologist, and we are on the risk to rest power to our career. In fact, if we don't make strong the Institute, getting Public Managers, with differents especialitys, our career and our discipline is going to dissapear. So, as long as the director (the actual one, or another) doesn’t be prepared with knowledge of the areas and the proyect, we are going nowhere.

3. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FIRST STEPS TO DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION?
Keeping the dialog and comunication with authorites, to be permanently keeping an eye on the process and always been askig to our level representants and "Students Centre", so we can act at the moment If something bad happens.

4. HOW WOULD YOU RESOLVE THIS SITUATION?
If situation doesn't get better by the dialog, I would call to all my school mates to
make an strike, to take Central House or "15 Tower", but is the only way to give a new direction to the process.

5. WHAT COULD BE THE REAL BENEFITS/IMPACT OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS?
To put a new director, and make of course a new "reestructuarion" to be the best

school of government in Chile, on these days we are the best one, but we can be much
better. And maybe the best benefit of this, would be to avoid that our Institute
get into a "Political platform" for jobs.


6. NEXT STEPS & FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS.
Be all together waiting for the moment to Act.

Free Time

Topin Nº 8 : Free Time

I think people's life is going everyday faster and quickly than before. Time is relative, so, maybe one hour ten years ago
is like 30 minutes of today. The reason? Some cientifics like Prigogine, says that time is going faster, like an spiral and
we are going on the "top" of this structure. But what can cause such sensation? Maybe the answer is Technology.
As long as technology is part of our lives, we are forgeting how to do things by somehting that I call the "Elemental way",
to resolve problems by ourselves and put more time in our activities. And this is like "a big snow ball", because in the way
that we use techonology and this resource makes things faster and easier, we want to do almost the double of work than we
could make without using it. So, people of this century, doesn't have enough time for themselves. Like an example,

"Blackberrys" are really helpful, but they convert you in a "slave" of your work or information. With that escene who can
get disconnected from their works with just going outside of the office?
In my case, I'm just an estudent and my work is just to be learning and reading, and for that reason, I don't have much time
free for me in the week. Every day I rest like 30 or 45 minutes after the University, but I'm always so tired, that this
"free time" I spend it just sleeping, in a very bad sleeping by the way. Anf of course, apart from that, I use my free time
to play guitar and listen to music, for sure, I couldn't let music behind.
So it's clear that I don't use my free time wisely, but I keep on the guitar.
Just in summer, I can read more about topics that I like: politics and history.
If I had more time, I think I'd like to go lot of time out of my house, to make photography every where: parks, streets,
people, etc. And also I would spend it writing a book, because on this life you should plant a tree, have a son, and write a book. I haven't do any of this three misions, so I'd like first to write a book, and then going with the son and the tree.
Anyway, It doesn't matter what do you do in your free time, except for one thing: to do nothing. Leisure time, is the mother
of all the vices.

Greetings.

Post # 7: summary from a career-related article from The Guardian

-Britain to send more troops to Afghanistan, Gordon Brown confirms-

This article was extracted from "The Guardian" and talks about the decition of Britain, to send more troops to Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that he agree to increase the British forces from 9000 to 9500, ¿the reasons to remain British troops in Afghanistan?: " to protect the streets of Britain" from the rise of al-Qaida, said. Almost 6 years of war, things in Afghanistan seems to be “normal”, but the situation it’s still dangerous. There are terrorist groups making terrorism inside the country, killing citizens and people. The British commanders, says that more troops are needed to keep order and help to build the structure of a new government and society, the funny thing is that how is possible to “build” a new structure of society, if they aren’t Afghans?. Apart from that, the Afghan Government supported by Britain, have a bad image: Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, questioned whether it was right for British soldiers to be "fighting and dying for an Afghan government that is deeply corrupt?". Also, no one knows certainly which plans will take Barack Obama, so a third of the people in the UK, believes that British Army should withdraw. According to these, article mentions that it seems Gordon Brown will have to attempt to improve his image over the people of Britain, because the Afghan war appears to be overrated, and citizens doesn’t want anymore to see their troops dying and suffering “post-war” consecuences. Brown insisted that British soldiers do receive proper training and that veterans are given priority in accessing mental health services, but nothing can erase atrocity of war. The article concludes that is truly unknown what is going to happen if Americans doesn’t manifest if they keep going on war or get their troops back home, Barack Obama said in the “coming weeks” he would make an announce. For now, war is still alive.

Post # 6: a world of sport

Sports are very important for life in general. First, when you practice a sport you keep your mind focus on something and you get "disconected" from the common life, forget at least for a moment of your troubles and worries. In my case, I go two days a week to the swiming pool, and practice for about one hour. The benefits you get from it, are too manies, for the social and invidual development.
I think sports are a very good way to keep people away from drugs and alcohol. And also reflects that a nation with many people making sports, is a nation healthy and worried about their future and quality of life.
To encourage others to do sports, I'd tell them that it doesn't exist a better way of feeling comfortable with ourselfs, that making something for your body and your health. There's so many sports to do, and everyday there are more chances to practice them. So if you don’t do a sport, is just a cheap excuse.
About “rodeo a la chilena” I think is not an sport. Yes, is popular, but it can't be called an sport. I have seen in many rodeos in the Central Region of Chile, that the "cowboys" which practice this "popular game", drink alcohol before going on "stage", and what can we say about the damage that cows suffer when they get hited by horses. Fanatics of this "popular game" says that there is no damage caused to the animals, but the truth is other: they end up with fractures and internal bleeding that can send them to death. If people whant to practice "rodeo", they are probably on their “right”, but it should be modified for protect animals involved on this practice.
Anyway, just keep your body moving and in permanent activity, is the better way to avoid obesity and especially to avoid cardiac problems.

Post # 5: WHAT TO DO & WHERE TO GO IN STGO

When you visit Santiago, there are not so many places to go. But there's a few, that you should visit.

Metropolitan Park is one of them, from the top of the San Cristobal hill, you can see (on days without too much polution) almost the whole city, especially the Andes mountain, and is a beautifull landscape. After rainy days, is ideal for see the city and take pictures. Also, the "civic centre" of Santiago, is mainly located on house of "La Moneda". The "Constitution square" is there, and has been historically, the place where presidents gives their speeches to the people, and also where the government receives the foreigns politicians and presidents from the rest of the world. House of "La Moneda" himself represents also the history of the coutry, especially because is the symbol of democracy that was loosed on September 1973, and recovered on 1990. If you want to have some distraction, you can go to take a beer to "Bellavista", because is a lively place, especially in the night. But anyway, if you can't go there in the night, the day is good too. You can eat "completo", something like a Hot-dog, but with more ingredients than just mustard and the sausage.

If you go to Santiago on winter, and yo like winter sports, you can go to "Farellones" or "El Colorado", both are sky centres. To go there, you can take the undergound until "Escuela Militar" station, and then walk like 10 minutes to Omnium, where are a lot of buses going up to the sky centres. If you want to stay more than just the day, you can stay up there, on hotels. They are not very cheap (for Chilean people), but if you are a tourist, I'm sure you'll have enough money to pay.

Finally, if you like Chilean wine, I recommend you to do the "Wine's route", which is a very good way to know something more about the differents types of wines, and the production of this tipical chilean drink. You can select differents routes, and it depends from the location: Colchagua, Maule, Curicó, Maipo Alto. It cost like 150 dollars per person, but includes lunch and a many drinks. As my last recomendation, if you don't like Santiago, I invite you to go to the South, I'm sure you'll find there something that other places doesn't have: peace, fresh aire, green landscapes and good food.

Enjoy your stay in Chile!

Post # 3: Transantiago, before and after

In my opinion, transantiago is better than the pre-transantiago system
because there's more order between lines and routes, and the system is trying to
make a "culture" about public transport. No matter if still doesn't work very well, I think it's normal because we are
on the phase of improving it, and in a few years we will see results. I was reading the other day, that many many decades ago
when the city of London made work the underground system, at the beginning people had to wait long hours to catch the train.
There were complainings and riot, but If you go to London today, you will see that they have a "perfect" public transport working.
It takes years maybe, but it's part of the progress.
Comparing with the "old" system, this one is better, but is not good enough yet.
I think that I'd make pressure (from the Government) to force operators to put more busses on the streets.
Because the main problem of transantiago is that there's not enough busses making the routs, so people have to wait to much.
And the main consecuense of this, is that people prefers underground, and this one is always in "rush".

Places I'd like to ...Bali

There’s a lot of places in the world that I would like to go, but I think the one that it really interest me, it’s Bali. Why? because I think is one of the most exotic cultures in the world. It's and Island far away from here, in the middle of the Ocean near to Asia, so the noise of civilization doesn't get there. About the island, I know that belongs to Indonesia, and they call it "The Island of Gods" because it's specially beautiful. I'd go there, just to rest a lot, and spend time in the beach. If is possible, I'd stay in Bali 6 months, to get my "Inner self" better, to "find the way" something like an Spiritual travel. There, you don't have too much to worry about, so everything would be peacefully and relaxing. Food, landscapes and people I've read that they are just fantastic. They have a lot of rice camps, and it's the main dish, so they make rice boiled, fried, etc. Also Bali is very cheap, so you can stay a lot of time there, without paying too much for food and hostels. Of course the plane ticket it’s a little bit expensive, but I think that will not be an impediment to get to Bali.

Post 1: First term. Good and bad points.

What can I say about the first term of 2009. Was Great, I passed all my courses, I didn't have to give exams, so I had three weeks of vacations, time that I spent chillin' out with people, sleeping a lot, and sharing with friends and family.
I also made sports. I went to the swimming pool, two days a week, and played soccer with my schoolmates every week. It's healthy to practice some sports, mainly because you keep your body and your mind in activity, so everything turns to what you're doing. You make all your body work. I'm still going to the swimming pool two days a week.
I really didn't have to face hard challenges, because most of the time I'm a responsible person, and I always know very well my duties, so until today, I haven't faced bad situations.
About my family: my mother is a spanish language teacher, and I have a sister, who studies Economy. They don't live with me because they are in Purranque, a small town south of Osorno, but they're always travelling to Santiago, on weekends and we see at least every month. About me: I like to read, specially about history and politic, I also like very much music, Rock in all expresions. Photography is a hobbie that I'm always trying to improve, specially with analog cameras, because they really express art. I mean, a digital camera can take good pictures, but nothing compares to a good picture taked by a "classic" one.
That's all folks .... cheers

Keep on rockin' in the free world

"Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive..."

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