The Bicentennial or the Piñera's show?

Good Morning Classmates!

Today I will write about the Chile of the Bicentennial, this year 2010 was considered like a special year. What think the people about this celebration? Or the great cost for the government? Or only was a demonstration of populism of the president and his cabinet? We can have own opinions, and we can be critical the actions of the Government, and the politics of Sebastian Piñera, the position of the social scientist is more critical that the rest of the population, but we need consider a lot of things and reflect about the global situation.

Is not easy for the people thinking about the cost of the celebration of the Bicentennial, you think that I believe that the people are stupid, but is a more complicated to explain. The people were exposed to vision of the media, a no reflexive and superficial position. But, we can’t ignore the fact of the orientation of our government: populist, neoliberal, business look of privileged people. We cannot deny that our president is more a show-man that a man of government is so superficial and he is prone to make mistakes in any moment (we can remember the incident in Germany, when he wrote “Germany Über Alles”, a phrase with a Nazi past), or the show that he did with the accident of the miners (I know that you think when he give rocks of the mine a lot people in Europe). But, the topic of today is the Bicentennial of our country, not the stupid things that do our President. Well, in this year the country used their best appearance of the world forgetting the injustice and the poverty (is a shame the statistics of poverty and percents of violence). The celebrations were adopted in all the country, especially in the “Fiestas Patrias”, when the people spent a lot of money.




To conclude this essay, I need give an excuse: this post is supposed is about of the Bicentennial of our country, but I wrote about the bad government of the present president, but if we think in this celebration is impossible to think in the stupid things that our president do. I don’t like the atmosphere of the Bicentennial, the situation of our country is the same… the social injustice are here, are outside.

Greetings!

A sabbatical year??

This week I will talk about my idea of a sabbatical year. And I’m thinking of my personal projects and what to do in one occasion like that. The idea of a “Sabbatical year” is very tempting because I’ve never had a gap year. It is very common for some people to take a gap year, especially when they finish their secondary school, they finish their university or when they work.



Definitely, I’ve been thinking of taking a sabbatical year, but not yet maybe in the future, this year I’ll finish the University (specifically the period of classes and subjects), next year I’ll start my dissertation and I’ll start to work (I applied for some foundations and organizations in the area of Education to realize my Professional Training – that is my area of investigation). At the moment, I guess that a sabbatical year is a “luxury” because I need to create a “social net of contacts” and I hope to make some money to pay my expenses.



For some people, it is important to relax, forget their work and stressful things, and I consider that it is a good idea. I need a gap year, but I don’t have the possibility to take one. If I had the chance, I’d travel around a lot of places (maybe Europe) and I’d do stupid things such as writing poems, composing music, learning to play drums, learning German and French. I have a lot of plans to make in a gap year, but if I have the opportunity to take one it would be in five or ten years (maybe when I’m pregnant).

Well, to sum up, I hope that you have the opportunity of to take a gap year and have fun.
Greetings

My Green Side

Hi!

When we talk and write about the environment, we try to appear like mature and intelligent people talking about a lot of things that we don’t know, really the people don’t read and ask themselves about these topics. Personally, I don’t consider me like a green people, but I take conscience in the school when the teachers talked about it. I consider that so import for the children.



The people in general don’t have conscience and habits, they don’t care the environment: use cars for short distances, don’t recycle, use plastic bag and produce a lot of wasted. In my case, I don’t use bicycle (because I don’t know ride a bike), but I walk and use the public transport system (especially subway), I don’t like use car for many reasons: the cost of gasoline, the problem of traffic congestion and the contamination. But I don’t have a green side, regularly I don’t recycle (in my building is impossible to separated the trash, only the glass and plastic bottles, and cardboards), but I re-used the plastic bags, the plastic packaging, and others things. Other thing that I do is reduce my use of electricity and water in my house; I think that these little things can help especially to reduce the carbon footprints, other thinks that we can do are don’t smoke, don’t use cars all the time, and others things.

In Chile are so many organizations that pretend protect and care the environment; I don’t participate in none, and I don’t think in participate in the future, because I think that these people are so artificial and the environment is only a pose for look like important and intelligent.



If we asked about the behavior of the society in Chile about the environment, we need think in a lot of things particularly education about the recycling and the care of the nature in children and old population, and we learn about the correct habits, because the population in this society don’t have more knowledge about it. For conclude we need think in the future generations.

Greetings!

Indie Fluor Party!

Hi Classmates in this sad morning of Tuesday!

Well, I had a lot of parties some very boring some very funny, but the important is the great moment with friends and special people. The parties can be special or a resounding disaster. This year I had a lot of parties and “carretes”, I remember one how the worst of my life (really I can remember nothing about those night, the only I can say about those is “tequila no more”)…

But, the latest party or say of other way “party night” was at two weeks ago, with my boyfriend and a couple of friends; the first thing that we did was drink a couple of beers in a small bar (near at the house of my boyfriend), then we go to dance in the discotheque called “Blondie”, in that occasion the party had the theme “Indie Flour Party” – the parties in this place are thematic you can dance different types of music like old wave, brit pop, new wave, post punk, kitsch, indie, gothic, and others types of music – the music was new rave and electronic in the principal dance floor, in the second dace floor the music was brit pop.



Well, we danced a lot, and in the second floor a friend band called “Intimate Stranger” played we saw their presentation was great and the last in Chile for this year (they travel to USA in October for play in a lot of festivals). We drunk a lot too, beers and vodka in the backstage with the members of the band, and we did a lot of stupid things that I can say…



For conclude, I can say that I had so much fun and I had a great moment.

The Industrial World!

Hi!

For star this post I need say that I love the music, especially the original and particularly bet, in this moment I love especially the industrial movement, my favorite groups in this style are Nine inch Nails, Von Throntahl, Rammstein, Coil, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Rome, and others.




Well, the Industrial music movement begins in the decade of 1970, in England with the foundation of “Industrial Records”, in particularly with Throbbing Gristle. The influence of the experimental rock and post-punk are very important for this genre, and the sounds of the industries. In the nineties the industrial movement had a big change to use of synthesizers and electronic drum bases, is add the use of samplers (extracts of other song or dialogues of movies, etc.) and lyrical voices. The lyrics and proposals are very varied topics like war, history (especially of Second World War), love, politics, and feelings; the musical influences are varied to, some groups are close to the heavy metal and others of neoclassical, we can find a lot of subgenres of industrial like as: neofolk, EBM, tanz metal, neoclassical, noise, martial, experimental or avant-garde. My favorite labels of industrial are “Cold Meat Industry” (http://www.coldmeat.se/), “Tulsa” and “Project Records” (http://www.projekt.com/).



My sub-style of industrial is the neofolk; this is a sub-genre who mix industrial music and apocalyptic folk, the most import influence in this style are Current 93 and subsequently be Death In June and Sol Invictus, both groups formed for ex-members of the English punk group Crisis formed in 1979 for Tony Wakeford and Douglas P.







For conclude, I hope that you like this short count of the industrial music world.

Persa Bio-Bio: Vintage World

Well, Classmates!

After the Bicentenary Festivities, we need to return to reality and Santiago is an interesting city with so many activities and things to do. I love the flea markets and antiquities, specially “Persa Bio-Bio” and the most famous place that sells “vintage clothes” is Bandera Street. The reason that I love those places full of old things is because old things are very special and unique. And another reason is because is so fashionable wearing vintage clothes and re-discovering objects and customized them. I love specially “el Persa Bio-Bio” because I can find old books, accessories, things for the home and other eccentric uses, furniture, and so many things very lovely and specials.




The Persa Bio-Bio is located in the sector of “Barrio Franklin” (in the subway station of the same name) is so big and the things that you can find a lot of things at a special price (very cheap), there are sheds specialized for example in computers (technical service), clothes, antiquities, books, furniture, and etcetera. In the streets you can find also so much stuff, people who sell many products such as pets, eccentric things, clothes (new and second- hand – today in the “hipsters” and “fashionist” circles are called “vintage”), accessories, and other cool stuff! The last time I went to Persa Bio-Bio was in June when I needed to fix my computer, in that occasion I also bought a briefcase, nice and unique.



To conclude, you can find so many things and are so funny passing by the streets and watching little treasures, but you must be careful because some things that are sold in that place are stolen. Another warning is that you must be careful with your personal things or you can be robed.

National Holydays!

The next week the country will go crazy… Chile will be madness; the “Fiestas Patrias” in this year have a special taste is the bicentennial of our nation. I don’t feel special for this, but is national atmosphere and I can’t do anything about it (well, I hate the nationalism and manifestations like “Military Parade”, the cuecas and chicha, and other bother things).

In this holydays I hope go to my home with my family in the region of Coquimbo, my family lives in Vicuña. Well, in this region of the country is special, the people celebrate for 4 days (17, 18, 19 y 20 of September) in a place called Pampilla the most famous is the Coquimbo, in this a lot of people (around of 20.000 people for day).

Is so common that in this date the people spend a lot of money in drinks (alcohol particularly), meat and so much food, I don’t consider necessary buy a lot of things the important is join in family, share and have fun. The only thing that I love of this holydays is that this be holydays and nothing more.

Well, I hope that we enjoy this holydays and have a good time with our family and friends.

Greetings
B.

Privatization: vote noP

Hello Classmates!

This week I write (I must write) about the actual problem in the superior education in this country and the current politics of the Government, particularly about the privatization of the state Universities.

The current president, Sebastian Piñera proposed a restructuration of the system of financing of the universities and theirs study programs, but this politics are so problematic because implies the privatization of the superior education’s system, specially affecting to regional center of studies. I think this a big problem because, the current situation of the education is so bad, and this politics contribute to worsen, I can’t understand what pretends this president and his cabinet. The minister of education Joaquín Lavin hasn’t idea of the real problems of the students or the universities.

Clearly, this politics will be applied in the next years, creating an imbalance in the system principally with the private universities (maybe giving them more funds and support). I can’t think in a solution of this problem, maybe with an implementation paralyzation of those. Is hard to believe but is so difficult to fix the current problem and the future with this stupid politics. This future and this ideas can affect the Universidad de Chile, because is the most important university of this country and the pioneer of the reforms.

Well, we have a big work in the future, fighting for the quality of the Chilean education.

Germany!

Good Morning Classmates!

I’m here today for tell you in what country I like to live, well, I think that my election would be Germany, for many reasons, specially for I like to get a doctor’s degree in studies of culture and patters of cultural education.

When I was a child I love the German music, the special aesthetics of the musicians and artists (my favorites bands are German: Rammstein, Von Thronstahl, Rouska, and others). Also I like many writers and philosophers like as Goethe, Nietzsche, Hess, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger and others. Well, the intellectual life in this country is great and varied.

I think in live in Germany for five or six years, maybe only study in that country, I wish study in the Heidelberg’s university (This had students like: Hegel, Goebbels, Weber, Habermas, Max Plank, Jaspers); but, if I have the opportunity to live in this country I’ll be so happy. I like to go with a “special person”, but if I’ll go alone, I’m happy too.

This sounds great, but Germany is so expensive (without talk about the airfares), my plan is get a scholarship (I think in the Beca Chile or Erasmus Mundus), because I haven’t money or saving capacity.

The First Blog of this Semester

Hello!
The last semester was great, I had good grades and good experiences, I learned so much things specially about the people and their ways of life in different contexts,
I had a field experience in the north of the country with the Atacama’s people, in a small village called Lasana, in that place I learned about their ethnicity and their identity and problems about the relation with the government. I felt so much happy with the people, I walked in those beautiful places and talked with nice persons. In other aspects of my academic life, I felt so comfortable; I had my first experience in the work world, in a municipal department of education.
My personal life also was great, I did so many things with my friends, for example I danced, talked, singed, and so many things!!
Well, I have to say good bye for this week!
Greetings,
B.

The last post!

Well, in a very short retrospective I think in this experience, in the end I have a good impression of this process, I love write about my ideas and my personal world (I’m a frustrated writer). These months were so productive and incredible; I met new people and excellent persons in my classmates…

The classes are great I enjoyed… But I had problems with the assistance of the classes due to more work in other areas of my life, especially the studies and job (I work in a Education Department of the Municipality of Santiago in a project), also I have problems of concentration (attentional deficit), that is not a fact for to fail to classes, but I have a lot of things to make in few time. In many times I got bored… in that moments my mind left this planet… I learned so much and enjoy the activities in the class.

Thinking in the input of the blogger experience I have many ideas for example: when you write in English you think in English, you use new words and learn the grammar of this language, read the post of the other classmates and you know them better (their experiences, ideas, dreams, and life in general)… this exercise is a productive form to learn English and understand the way of the grammar.

Now, this experience helps me to learn and improve my English, especially my use of vocabulary and grammar… my vocabulary is poor and limited, but I learn so much words and idioms.

Well, I say goodbye for everyone and wish a great year and end of semester!!!

In other World... without World Cup fever

This week we must talk about what everyone is talking and says... The football World Cup and the matches played multiple daily...

I personally do not like football... in fact to be in the field (in a little community called Lasana in the Region of Atacama), I stayed away from the environment in general... so I don’t saw the first matches, and the few that could see I saw them with my classmates in the field (in home of the person who gave us accommodation at the time).
Well, so do not know much about football, or results or of games won or lost ... but it is interesting to see how people are involved in “mundialera fever”, as the pace of things is suspended while playing Chile. The people are happy, many feel like children again. Their world revolves around the games, results, biographies of the players, they eat and how their future rivals in Chile.
However, although the people watching the football World Cup in Chile are attentive to what is happening in South Africa is also a phenomenon that involves expectations and weave as the projections, we define ourselves as a country. a win means a national celebration in which all Chileans are somehow alike, beyond the common distinctions. Although I do not like football, but it's nice to see the country happy.
Beyond speculation, the triumphs of the Chilean team will serve the country to raise the morale, to revive the smiles ... well, do the media emphasis on people who have suffered in the earthquake, and how these events will generate a small hope. I think that's important, makes the difference.

well, that's it for this week ... hopefully they will pass the World Cup fever

trip or not trip...

Well, this week talk about my favorite trip ... but to be honest I do not usually travel, for lack of money, time and motivation… but hey, I write about my favorite trip ... I think perhaps I will write about the trip during which I was very happy ... was not a great place, not too far ... but I went with my family and had a great time…

The trip was a couple of years ago... travel north without a definite destination ...but ended up at a secluded beach near a national park called "Pan de Azucar". On that occasion I went with my mom, my dad, my little sister and my favorite dog - Jim -... my dad drove ... in the way we hear good music, talk, and everyone seemed happy ... I think that for me was something special, never in the house there is an atmosphere of tranquility, but this time yes.

I remember there were like seven days, we woke early to walk along the beach, and after lunch, we swam with my sister until the sun was hiding.

The last days of the trip we sunstroked ... and our skin was red and hurt us even when we put on clothes... we brought back many shells and rocks... also many photos…all enjoyed the beach, sun and leisure ... my mom and my dad took advantage of having a time for them, leaving us to play on the beach ... Well, that was the story of my favorite travel ... I hope to go again and see the changes that have taken place…

Greentings!

B.!

Spiritual Front: strong lyrics and passion!

Hello!
My favourite band is called Spiritual Front, an Italian band of neofolk formed in Rome (in underground scene), but they classified like “nihilist suicide pop” perhaps because their musical influences – groups like Death In June, Cabaret Voltaire, Sol Invictus, and others; music styles such as neofolk, new wave and dark wave, Italian avant-garde, indie pop and brit pop (specially The Smiths and Joy Division).
The band born in 2000 as solo project of Simone H. Salvatore (affectionately called Hellvis for his fans, because his personality is very attractive and mysterious, and he is handsome), but with the time joined others members to the band, currently are: Rossano Baldini (Piano and keyboards), Andrea Freda (drums), Giorgio Maria Condemi (electric guitar) and Amorosi (bass). There is Also a significant number of members who left the band, including: Piergiorgio Ambrosi (2006-2009: piano, keyboards and string arrangements), Steb Puri (2004-2006: Piano, keyboards and string arrangements) and Jack Puri (2004-2006: electric guitar). Simone is the frontman of the band and the most important song writer. Simone defines its music as “Nihilist catchy ballads for heartbreaker nihilist youth”, his sounds are very personal and particular, and this is a reason for these become my favourite band. And for their songs talk about love, sex, betrayal, spiritual journeys and other similar topics, in addiction the pagan lifestyle of neofolk.
Their disc is:
"Songs for the Will" (1999)
"Nihilist Cocktails for Calypso Inferno"(2001)
"Twin a Tin Tin Towers"(2002)
"Nihilist EP" (2003)
"No Kisses on the Mouth" (2003)
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio & Spiritual Front
"Satyriasis: Somewhere Between Equilibrium and Nihilism" (2005)
Naevus & Spiritual Front
"Bedtime/Badtime" (2005)
"Armageddon Gigolò" (2006)

The last disc is my favourite because for their songs (specially “Love Thought Vaseline” and “My Kingdom for a Horse”) and music arrangements...

And a special data, I have to Simone Salvatori as a friend on Facebook.

The website of the band is: http://www.spiritualfront.com/, and the profile of myspace is: http://www.myspace.com/spiritualfront

Enjoy it...!

BUUUU: my notebook...

Hello! The present week I wirte about my notebook… is my favorite piece of technology… l called BUUUU, at this time needs some repairs, then missed a section called "power jack”… and that is so difficult to change and repair… I hope can be fixed soon.
I have my notebook two years ago, my mom gave me for my second year of college and from there became a faithful companion. I still remember when I went to buy ... I liked its shape, size and color, as well as extras including built-in camera, fingerprint sensor, and other things that I've never known how to use. And the easy to work in it… I love it!
I use it for work, write papers for the university, chat with my school friends, store and listen to my favorite music (I have a lot of specially selected music and hard to find)… also store photos, pictures, articles, books, comics, and many other things ... In short I can say that my life is stored in BUUUU… For this reason I think I made dependent on it, using it for almost everything ...even my interaction with others ...
As I said earlier, these days without my notebook has been very difficult because some of my files, I could not do my work well for college ... has been really hard ...
I’ll see you guys!

Italian dish for a Chilean Girl

This week I write about my favorite food, but I don’t know, is a very difficult decision… maybe my favorite dish are the raviolis, an italian dish. The reasson for that election are the memories associated with this and I like raviolis, because are a tipical italian dish .

The origin of this dish are in Italy, but that no are so clear, because are compare with a chinese dish called wanton. Actually are very famous in Argentina and Uruguay because a italian immigrants.

The raviolis are basically square folded and stuffed pasta, such as varying across regions, recipes and culinary cultures, my favorite are stuffed with meat. Actually in the supermarket we can found a lot of marks, tipes, preparations and varieties – the fresh type are the best but are expensive and difficult to prepare-.

The preparation of this type of pasta are so easy –because they sell almost done, only in special restore us make them themselves -. For to prepare Raviolis you need in a saucepan to cook the ravioli with plenty of water and add salt content, and then they are cooked drain them, pass them through cold water and drain again. The special touch of flavor are in the salsa that you add, since they require more preparation time, I prefer the sauce pomodoro – only tomatoes and spices -, but are a lot for example alfredo, italian, mediterranean, etc.


Buon appetito!

B. Malinowski, one of the fathers of anthropology

Greetings again in this post I will talk about one of the most important anthropologists of the twentieth century, the creator of the ethnographic method and passionate scientist: Bronislaw Malinowski.
First of all I will give a brief biographical: Malinowski was born in Krakow, Poland on April 7, 1884 - later died in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, May 16, 1942. Malinowski despite a degree in physics and mathematics at the University of Cracow, study and later worked at the London School of Economics (where he earned a Ph.D. in anthropology). In 1914 he traveled to Papua (now Papua New Guinea), where he conducted a fieldwork in Mailu and the Trobriand Islands. whose field experience would generate its major works as "The Argonauts of the Western Pacific" where he developed his views on anthropology and the work of the anthropologist.
Others works are:

-The Trobriand Islands (1915)
-Myth in Primitive Society (1926)
-Crime and Custom in Savage Society (1926)
-Sex and Repression in Savage Society (1927)
-The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia (1929)
-Coral Gardens and Their Magic: A Study of the Methods of Tilling the Soil and of Agricultural Rites in the Trobriand Islands (1935)
-The Scientific Theory of Culture (1944)
-Freedom and Civilization (1944)
-Magic, Science, and Religion (1948)
-The Dynamics of Culture Change (1945)
-A Diary In the Strict Sense of the Term (1967)

However, because think of Malinowski as one of my favorite inspirational and anthropologists, I think mainly because of its contribution to the methodology and systematization of ethnographic methods. many of their ideas as well as objectivity and its possibility in anthropology, a description of the Kula Ring, etc. generating a reflection that lasts until today.

The Scielo Catalog and I

Hello!

In this post I tell about the best page of articles and papers of social and natural sciences: The Scielo Catolog, whose task is to collect the various writings of the most prominent scientists at the Latin America. Chilean version is supported by CONICYT and aims to be an instance of diffusion of the Chilean scientific production with a view abroad.

In the collection you can find articles of anthropology, archeology, sociology, historiography, and many more disciplines linked to the social sciences. this is of great help to do good works and to have a comprehensive bibliography of the most diverse topics. I personally use it whenever I can, especially when I cannot find adequate bibliography in the library of the faculty (well that happens almost every time).

The web page functions primarily like a searcher, and offering for this many options as countries and a section devoted to reviews independently. In the main menu there are three columns, one related to the various magazines (in alphabetical order, specialty and country), one for articles by subject, and finally a site dedicated to reports of all kinds.

Good here I leave the link to the page www.scielo.cl and you can have it! Enjoy it!

The Silence of the Lambs

Today I haven't good ideas because I'm feel bad... a big headache... but today I shall write about the last movie I saw, I don't remember it... I think I have a memory problems... maybe was a action, indepent, classic or drama movie... In this case I write about my favorite movie -I saw last week, for twentieth time- because is a great movie. The movie is THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, based in the books and characters of the writer Thomas Harris –who also write the scrips with Ted Tally and won a Oscar-, the director was Jonathan Demme in 1991 for the Universal Studios.

The story is about a serial killer called “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine) who kills a big women for (hacerse) a drees with a human leather and his persecution for the FBI in the hands of young student Clarice Starling and her mentor. The actuation of Jodie Foster as special agent Starling is great she show vulnerable, alone and little bit confuse with her relation with the doctor Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkings), an another serial killer who helps her to catch the character of Ted Levine.

In my opinion the movie is great because the story is thrilling, the actuations are excellent and I love the stories about serial killers.

Welcome to my blog

First I'm Ruth Segovia, an student of anthropology in the Universidad of Chile. I think in a lot of things to write and share with the world, friends and classmates. This year is very important for my, because is my last year in the actual regimen of class with my friends and favorite proffesors.

My principal interest are the music, poetry, third position ideas and history (specially chilean history). In my free time I write poetry and short stories, play drummer and listen music. I like music, specially the neofolk, industrial, martial, post-rock, and more styles.