English Language Challenges

It’s hard for me learn english, I learn a little when I was in the school but for myself, never had a english class really good. I learned listening music like the Beatles and then watching movies without subtitles.  At university I had a english class again, but I’m still very bad in the language.  

The other day I was in a interview for a job in a newspaper, and they required me good english, good pronunciation, good reading and good writing.  They also were demanding me certificates showing that I know something of english. Bad news, I don’t have any certificates, and my pronunciation is really bad.

This makes me sad, I think when I finish the university, I will have the time to take a course of English at an institute. But I don’t know if the courses start at beginner level for everyone or not. I would like to take the course from an intermediate level to keep what I was learned at university.  

My partners at university, said that the best thing that we can do for learn a new language it’s travel to another country for a while. In fact, there are English courses for latino-american people in foreign parts like Australia (Latino Australia Education).

I don’t know, but I hope that in a year I can start studying English, because English is very important for the career of a journalist, you need it to find a good job in a newspaper. If I knew English, I would be more competent than other journalists who do not. Anyway, I have to learn English as quickly as possible.

The good and the bad of 2014

The good: I think the best thing of this year was my travel to Valdivia for the 21° Festival of International Cinema.  In this time, Valdivia became a city very culturally. You can see movies and listen music all day, and in the afternoons walk and see the river, the nature,  the popular market.

The movies that I wash were independents, and  the public had to classify them.The movie with the higth score in the festival  was “Los Castores” by Nicolás Molina y Antonio Luco. A documental that talks about the enviromental problem of overpopulation of beavers  in Tierra del Fuego.  Originally,  the beavers don’t live in Chile, they were introduced by the textile industry, and now they are the cause ecological catastrophe.

I put a 7.0 to this movie, I like very much. And a 7.0 to Valdivia, because I never see this city before. It’s very beautiful, the river across everyplace, the botanical garden. Other good thing that I do in Valdivia was taste the beer  make in the city called “Selva Fría”, that won a second place in a competition with all the drinks of the country.

The bad:  This year I had to finish my internship in journalism. And I don’t have idea that I will going to do. This is make me crazy, because at this time I have to know something, I had to take wherever I found, and the soon as possible. The other bad thing, really, really bad, at this time are the tests of the end of semester. I had a lot, and the worst thing is that I don’t studied yet. I’m so nervous! 

Latin-America: Women in power

In most places of the world it’s very rare that woman takes a position in a high place in government and doesn’t have the same chances that man to become a president of a nation.  However, there is good news for the gender equity.

In Latin-America happens something very strange, because it’s assumed that we were in the land of “machismo”. But in this land  woman has the power. In fact in the last forty years ten women have become presidents, and four of them are in government at this time: Michelle Bachelet, in Chile; Dilma Roussef, Brazil; Cristina Kirchner, Argentina; Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica.

This situation shows that we are in a situation of political transformation in which women brings fresh air in our countries, for clean the image of corruption throughout Latin America.

The first woman that became president in Latin-America was the argentine Isabel Martinez de Peron in 1976 when her husband died in a military dictatorship.  A few years later in Bolivia Laura Gueiler Tejada take the power and became the first woman elected president for her people.

In Chile, Michelle Bachelet won elections in Chile in 2006, which made ​​her the first woman to become president of his country. She is daughter of General Alberto Bachelet, who died in prison after the 1973 military dictatorshis. Bachelet is very feminist and ran the United Nations women's agency.

Environmental issues

A few years ago I became to worry about environmental issues, and for all the things that happen now with the economic system in which we live. You Know, the power of destruction of the Industry and the criminal way in that is performed the exploitation of natural resources.

In Chile, this picture is not very good. The state doesn’t care about the nature. The production of copper is more important that the destruction of the environment and even more important than quality of life of the community. You can see that with the town of “Ventanas” in the north of the country. Ventanas is located near Codelco S.A, company that has contaminated every place, the houses, the sea. But not only this, Codelco contaminated the human and animal life in neighborhood. People consume metal waste in the air and workers of this plant had a strange cancer that leaves their skin green. People of the community call them “Green man”.

I’m worry about this issues because happen in every place, and in every time. The things that we consume are contaminated, the air we breathe. And the industry has no mercy. Monsanto destroys agriculture in the whole world.

And more close in Chile, the water going to be a problem. Industry need to take the control of the rivers to create more and more hydroelectric systems no matter what people think.  

And for all this I think the environmental problem, is not only talk about recycle and sustainability. It’s talk about human rights. 

My future job

I have the image of the journalist who travel a lot writing news and chronicles. Knowing different cultures in their trips, interviewing people with another point of view. 

If I have lucky I want to be like this type of journalist. But I think that is quite difficult. (It's really a dream. But if I think my future job in a realistic way, I like to work in a writing media. 

For the journalist, the ability to write about things, and specially the chronicle and report can be developed in a magazine or in a newspaper. 

However the newspaper is so stressful for a junior journalist. You don’t have a life running from one place to another for a story. And the publishers don’t have much patience. 

I prefer the Magazine, is a great media, maybe when I ended my career I can work in a magazine doing reports about social issues and culture like I want, or maybe can do photographs to illustrate the writing. I love photographs, I would like this too! 

But wherever I do in future I hope that was great for me, and that I can learn of the people who I'm going to work with. I hope my writing and reports improve over the years. And who knows, maybe can write a book one day! 

Blindness by J. Saramago

"That's the way we are made, half indifference, half evilness", this phrase of the book resume the thought of José Saramago when he brote 'Blindness'. José Saramago is a Portuguese author who wins the nobel price of literature in 1998, Blindness in one of his most famous novels.

The novel talks about the darkness inside the human being. The story begins when an unexplained mass  of epidemic blindness impact the  whole world.  Most of the people fall in and become blind, and when that's happens, people shows their ugly face. The society is lost in chaos with the disorder, looting, robbery and even worst with rapes and murders. 

The principal characters are a doctor with a group of pacients, they try to survive in this environment. But the group has an advantage from the rest,  becouse one of they, the wife of the doctor, is the only person who can see everything whats happens. 

The thesis of Saramago focus in the moral of the humans. When nobody see whats happens there is no one to judge you, no one to control, and people lost in crime. For Saramago there are a evil essence inside all of us. 

The concert of Pink Floyd

I like go to concerts, once I went to see Pink Floyd, one of my favourite bands. I earn the ticket in a contest of the Emol newspaper. I was so happy because the ticket was one of the most expensive, and I stayed close to the show to watch the musicians. The only bad thing, that I had to go alone.  

When I sat in my place, I see a lot of people smoking, and happy. You can imagine why. And next to me, was the actor Alvaro Rudolphy an he was really mad with all the smoke. A rare situation.

 The stage was so great, you can saw psychedelic ligths, and colors everywhere. In this occasion, Pink Floyd came to Chile to play a classic album in their discography: “The dark side of the moon”, one of their most famous albums and a masterpiece in rock music.

The music  was perfect, and the scenery was a crazy thing. In a moment a giant triangle was burning and a balloon shaped like a pig flying through the air. I think this was my best concert, and the most strange of all. 

One flew over the cuckoo's nest

A few time ago, I see the name of the movie very attractive "One flew over the cuckoo's nest". And  I ask myself: What kind of movie can be called like that? What genre is the movie? What kind of topics speak about? 

The only thing I now about the movie is that was starring by Jack Nicholson and for that reazon the movie must be good, and It' was! 

The movie  won a Oscar in 1975 and is a great classic in history of  North American cinema.  It's a dramma film, directed by Milos Forman.

The history beggins when Mac McMurphy( Jack Nicholson) gets in a mental institution. MacMurphy is a prisoner who pretends to be crazy only for scape to jail, and stays for a long time receiving a treatment for his behavior.

MacMurphy changes all the structure in the institution,he turns the hospital in a place for fun and bet. For that reazon MacMurphy becomes in a new leader for all the crazy mans. MacMurphy try that all the sick mans who stay in hospital enjoy life for first time in their lives.  

Also, MacMurphy meets a friend in the institution who stays in there for his own will. The Chief Bromden (Will Sampson).At the end Chief and MacMurphy plans run away from there to live in Canada. 

But Doctor's Knows what McMurphy really are, and they give him the worst treatment: "the lobotomy", that changes MacMurphy life forever.  

I hope visit the India one day

I think travel to India must be very special for all the mystical customs there. You Know, the elefants walking together with the crowd. The city's with the ancient buildings, the religion, the ganges river. An the strange beliefs like for example: The cows are sacred! 

India is the second most populous country in the world with 29 states. The capital city is New Dhali and they speak in english and Hindu. One of the places more representative is the "Taj  Mahal" a mausoleum builded in 1631 by the emperor Shah Jahan. The structure was created for the emperor's wife who died after a pregnancy. The place is so great that became a UNESCO World heritage site.

Travel to India it means a unique experience. It's funny when people is "bored" about they lives, jobs and all the society and  want to scape of they  lifestyle and running away to India, in some way for find themselves. Many artist and musicians do that.

I read one time about The Beatles, they went to India to find inspiration, and they found it! When the band was in India, composed the most famous success:"the white album".

I hope one day I can go. I want to take me a picture in the Taj Mahal like George Harrison made long ago. 

Searching for sugar man

Yesterday I found out a bad new. Malik Bendjelloul the director of the documentary called "Searching for sugar man" died in Sweden at 36 years old.

He won a Oscar last year with this beautiful documentary about Sixto Rodriguez, a mistery man who became a rock star in South Africa, but nobody knows nothing about his life. In South Africa he became bigger than Bob Dylan. Sixto was so important for South Africans that he was the soundtrack of the protests against apartheid in the 70's. However was impossible to they, find any information of Sixto in Internet. That was so strange thing, and the reason of Malik to looking for this man in a documentary.   

The documentary told the story of two South Africans searching for their music hero, music hero completely lost. Some of the South african people thought that Sixto died in accident, others, that he kill him self,  but finally they discover incredible truth. This magic film has the music of Rodriguez all the time is like a musical film about your own history . With Sugar man, the most beautiful of Sixto songs and the header of the documentary. 

                                             Malik Bendjelloul, died yesterday at 36 years old. 
                                             A big lost for the film world. 

                                              Sixto Rodriguez, the rock star of the apartheid. 

Antibiotics are losing effectiveness in every country, says WHO

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the antibiotics are losing his power in the combat to diseases in every part of the world. This problem brings to us "devastating" consequences for the public health. WHO said in a release that the world was 'headed for a post-antibiotic era'. 

The antibiotic is a drug who is used for treating biological infections as common like the flu. But at this time, the drugs are failing. The resistance of the new diseases is more powerful and the antibiotic can't protect us.

This problem is something to worry about the future, could affect to everyone, in every place, at whatever age. The WHO said in their release that the common infections and minor injuries that we don't worry about because which have been treatable for decades. Now can kill again.

The investigation of the who notes in detail the resistance of the drug with seven bacterias. This bacterias are responsible for the most serious diseases like bloodstream infections (sepsis),  pneumonia, urinary tract infections and gonorrhea. And they found a high resistance.

The pathogens are everywhere. They were here before humanity. The who says that is a problem that belong to the entire planet, and the science can be together to discuss.

At here the link to the entire information about this health problem: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/30/antibiotics-losing-effectiveness-country-who

Lars Von Trier, and his "Trilogy"

It's difficult when someone ask me for my favorite film. I see movies every time I can, and always have a new one that I love more, I prefer say what directors I like. In this days I see a lot the movies of Lars Von Trier.  Someone's think that Lars is a genius, others that he is the worst person in the word because in the Cannes Festival he said that the Nazi thought was ok. He always want to provoke people. 

However his films are more sensible. The photography, the screenplay, the art direction are perfect. He always work with actresses, with a heroin who have to pass for a many problems. Once his heroin was Björk. The singer played the rol in a musical of a Czech immigrant in EEUU, that was blind. 

Then he had a new heroin, the french Charlotte Gainsbourg, who played a roll in three movies in the "trilogy of depression". She was the protagonist in "Antichrist", who talks about the hell of a woman that lose her son. Then she works in "Melancholia", a film about the end of the world and play as a woman addicted to sex in the last movie of Lars "nymphomaniac". 

Antichrist and Melancholia are my favorite. Antichrist use the elements of a horror film for tells the history of a couple who retreat to a cabin in the woods after their son died. Gainsbourg turns mad in the middle of the forest and her husband can't do anything. In that movie Gainsbourg wins for the award for the best actress in Cannes.  

Melancholia is a film starring by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte. The narrative revolves around two sisters in a wedding while a planet called Melancholia is about to collide with Earth. Is very beautiful film in the artistic way. 

Sushi, the best one!

I always liked the oriental food. A time ago the Chinese food was the fad, in every corner, in every street you can find a restaurant who offers that kind of meal. I went to the restaurant of "Brasil neighborhood". That was a cute one, you can saw aquariums in there. 

But now Chinese food  is boring me, I change  that for the japonese food. Especially for sushi. Sushi is a meal  consisting of cooked rice and other ingredients like seafood,  vegetables and chicken. I like the ones who are warm called "Tempura Sushi". They have camaron and cream. Very, very good. 

You must now that sushi has a difficulty. You have to eat a sushi with chopsticks, and is very shameful if you dont know. When I was beginner I cant eat very well, and my sushi's fall down to the floor. A Sad thing, dont you think? 

Well you can eat sushi with "wasabi", "jengibre" and "Soya". I dont advise use wasabi, is a little disgusting. First is green and ugly, and the flavor is very strange. 

Sushi can use for share with friends, is funny for eat and  you can cook sushi in very differents ways. 

Saint Petersburg

A time ago I read a book called "ST. Petersburg stories"and I love it. The writers talks about the city, so good that you can go one time in your life to Russia. Saint Petersburg is the 2nd largest city after Moscow. It's described as well as its cultural capital. Someone's says that when you travel to this city you can see high art, a beautiful architecture, an extraordinary history and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world's greatest literature, music, and visual art.

The city was called first as Petrograd, and later Leningrad. This city is considered one of the most beautiful places on earth, because their buildings, the large historic center threaded with canals,  the bridges, etc. Saint Petersburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a magical city, with a long list of attractions like their Hermitage Museum that is the most beautiful building.

I hope one day can travel to know Russia, It's a long trip, the climate is so different to Chile, a lot of cold and snow.  And the language so estrange, and unpronounceable.  But I think that worth it.