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promote more reading habits

week 4 of 2011
Joensuu, Finland

The days are SO FULL of ideas, events, activities, emotions, dreams and my brain’s digestion is not as fast as the things are happening. But this commitment to post once a week, without pre-awareness, is helping me to focus on the week’s relevant event to be shared.

In the week 4 of this year, I spent considerable amount of time at the university library. One of my favorite places, not only for research purposes as I have mentioned ealier.  But imagine, each library contains the ideas, life, knowledge, fantasy and much more of thousands of humans, from around the world, who have live in so many different periods of time.  The book’s authors might be dead, but their voices are still alive through their creations. Libraries, for me, are magical places.

By coincidence, in these days I also got impressed of the threat that some libraries have around the world. In this case, UK. I can’t believe it honestly. Decision makers in UK are contemplating to close libraries. People is protesting as we can read here. I found very interesting the article of Pullman expressing that decision makers do not really understand the value of libraries. I fully agree with him!

Books  support individuals to change their lives. Unlimited of examples support that claim, as the one I posted some time ago with William Kamkwamba. Books are good friends, they guide us and helps us to think, which supports in turn a life long learning process. This is not only MY personal opinion, it is a fact. In 2008 the UNESCO reported:

“The public libraries in the city play wider role to inculcate reading habits amongst youths and neo-literates. This study suggests that information literacy competency and lifelong education can also be imparted to marginalised groups through public library networks in the country”

Even that the report belongs to a study done in India, honestly I do not think is a exclusive statement for India.

Leaders and decision makers  in “develop” countries, wake up! Instead to take away libraries, we must promote more reading habits!

love books

Image source here

desahogo…

El juego que menos entiendo es política. Y quizás por ello, es uno de los juegos que mas me angustia.

Y ahorita solo me nace el  decir: Oh mi querido México! fijate bien en lo que está pasando.

Quizás algunos personajes no se han enterado que el conflicto financiero es mundial. Por ello recomiendo ampliamente leer la nota de Nacho Giral, siento que es la persona que he leido que explica las cosas lo mas claramente.

 

El juego económico es mucho mas complejo de lo que nuestro  ex-candidato presidencial (AMLO) cree reconocer, como nos muestra este artículo de la jornada, en el que insistentemente dice que es la crisis es culpa del gobierno actual.  Si tan solo pudiese leer un poco este hombre. Por ejemplo la columna: “Atajo de izquierda”  de Ricardo Alemán, tiene una reflexión muy buena de las decisiones de nuestro actual presidente.  Igual y así sus argumentos de fantasias desaparecerían y trataria de refleccionar más sobre la realidad.

 

Ya que sería mucho pedirle que leyera otros puntos de vista como sobre esta crisis, como reflexiones del gobierno de Bush por el Pais,  o que entendiese inglés y vea como YA están en USA por esta crisis, de acuerdo al NYTimes, o alemán para ver como éste gobierno esta proponiendo salvar los bancos Alemanes y que le va a costar millones de euros en impuestos.

 

Realmente en momentos de crisis, se ve quien es quien.

 

Para actuar uno debe de entender el problema.  Y por ello menos entiendo a personajes como Elba (presidenta del Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación) que pide mas fondos en una ola increible de caos económico.  En éste instante me pregunto: ¿que ha hecho Sra. Elba en 20 años para elevar la educación de los Méxicanos?  Me gustaría me mostrara con hechos, digo ya que he podido seguir a través de la media la cantidad de protestas, reclamos y paros que maestros hacen continuamente mientras cobran su salario.  Pero sobre todo a simple vista se puede ver que existe un grupo muy grande de la población mexicana que le gustaría entender que sucede, pero le falta la educación básica para ello.

 

Y lo verdaderamente grave todavia no empieza. (vaya, que jueguito éste de la vida “real”) . Esperen a ver como se va a poner la cosa cuando esta crisis baje a las masas.  Como bien lo dice este artículo, se requiere mucho esfuerzo para prevenir una taza alta de suicidios de personas ya de por sí con alta tendencia a la depresión y que no tienen servicio médico. Además que seguramente incrementará violencia y otros actividades no deseables. En fin, ahorita es momento de que todo mundo jale parejo y pongamos de lo mejor para salvar el juego, pero con un poquito de inteligencia!!!

 

Oh! Sr. Bush, que ataque terrorista tan fuerte! Si se requiere gente preparada, o por lo menos con cierto ICQ para administrar adecuadamente un pais. Y para los ciudadanos comunes y corrientes, darse cuenta de quien es quien antes emitir un voto.

 

Por el otro lado,  me ha sido interesante como otras naciones han actuado. Cómo fuése, esto es mucha información a procesar y que no entiendo del todo. Tan solo puedo decir: a ver que va a pasar con este jueguito.

 

PS. Este post se lo deben a Valentín, ya que normalmente me desahogo de éstos temas con el, teniendo muy buenas conversaciones. Pero en ésta ocasión tuve que desahogarme antes de que él llegara.

money – virtual

My train of thoughts has been challenged once again.  Yeap, let me explain, what do you trust more of its real existence:

a) the money that you have in your bank account and which it is reported in your monthly paper statement.

b) the virtual information that is only in your web-server.

 

Both concepts exist due to human beings. However we can only touch the money and we cannot touch any virtual information (unless we print it out of course). As a matter of fact the “virtuality” only can be accessed through the use of some kind of hardware. Thus, for its own “nature”, perhaps one could say that the logic of the “virtuality”  is more complex to understand than the logic of the money,

Well my dear fellows, I think I  am wrong on this.  Maybe because I have a close emotional relationship with the fields that are related with -ware (hardware and software) but at least for me at this moment in time:

a) I can try to explain what “virtual” is, and the logic behind it. I think it is clear in my head this concept.

b) I cannot explain what money is, and I am confused about it and its actual logic behind it.

I found a youtube video (bellow attached) trying to explain the logic of money. (I recommend to watch it) . No idea if the concepts and information of it are 100% correct or not. Nevertheless it helped me to clarify:

a) If I lost all my emails (due to a bug or something else) I can keep calm because there are backups for this kind of events. I trust in virtuality!

b) Our economical world system has not backup against wall-street events. And we are exponentially heading to an interesting unknown mess. I just hope that this story has a happy end, because I do not trust  (perhaps for the lack of understanding) in our money organization.

Anyway, let’s see what we will happen with these two game arenas 🙂

small consternation…

First I read about DOPA:
The US is in a process to create a law to forbid the use of networking sites and chat room in schools and libraries, which could mean digitalized thoughts, reflections and discussions will be prohibited at school time, which are places that theoretically have people and resources to guide you in further reflection, criticism, discussion and understanding.

Later about PeaceMaker:
My wish came true 😉 and there is a simulation game call
Peace Maker, which simulates the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It seems they are doing a great effort on it, and they are really enthusiastic about it. Actually, I hope we will get it for our department now when it is out, it will be great to see it, and over all to play it. I am really looking forward!. But a new wish comes, and it is to hear or read the Palestine opinion of the game, not only from Israel.

Then to finalize this post, with the information that I have at this point of those two events, leaves me with a small concern feeling

real life games

How shall I describe what is happening in my/our Mexican elections of the 2nd of July.

After all Mexicans had their change to participate in the game (voting),
now we observe more drama than in any soap opera, (just follow any Mexican newspaper)
it exists more suspense as in any gambling game,
and there are high hopes that your team will win when this match is over.

What a game!