Month: May 2010

Categories
analysis Colombia news

Blogging for Colombia

Translated by Patrick Russell

I searched around some Spanish media websites and came across some opinion blogs written by newspaper columnists about various issues in Colombia. Blogging is a relatively new phenomenon in the e-world, but its popularity is growing rapidly as it provides people with a public way of expressing their own personal opinions about various topics. So, I thought that translating a collecting of blog posts by the same writer would be an interesting final project as it is a good reflection of what I feel is the goal of this final project.

All of the following posts are written by Janeth Acevedo as part of the blog section for the Colombian newspaper La República.

Source texts: “Los 513.000 desempleados de Bogotá, el histórico karma”, “Se marchita el Polo en Bogotá”, “Sin problemas a la entrada de Eldorado”.

513,000 Unemployed in Bogota, the Historic Karma
April 5th, 2010

In Bogota, we get used to seeing delays in road work and issues of security stealing news headlines. However, other equally severe problems like the high rate of unemployment in the city go unnoticed.

This is one of the historic karmas of the capital, which keeps growing with every passing month; but, hardly anyone seems to care.

The figures could not be more disturbing. According to a report from the National Administrative Department of Statistics, the unemployment rate in the city reached 12.9% during the quarter from December (2009) to February (2010). This corresponds to a 1.6% increase from the figure reported one year ago.

The preceding statistics mean that there are 513 000 people without jobs in Colombia’s capital, 89 000 more than the same period from 2009.

Even more troubling is that while the level of unemployment has increased by 20%, that of employment has only increased by a measly 3.03%. In effect, the number of people with some sort of work changed from 3.3 million to 3.4 million.

The bad figures are mimicked in the data for underemployment, which increased by 19.5%. In the city, there are 1.1 million residents who are dissatisfied with their jobs which is either due to low salaries, the type of labor they perform or hours worked.

It is certain that this is not an easy problem to solve since the arrival of people from other cities searching for employment opportunities is spiraling out of control. The attraction to the city is due to the nearly 300 000 companies that are based in the capital. Nevertheless, cities like Bucarmanga, where there has been a focus on entrepreneurship and the creation of small and medium sized businesses to boost the level of employment(coincidentally is the city with the lowest unemployment rates in the country), should be taken as examples. Another successful example is that of the Colombian Coffee-Grower’s Axis, where governments in the region fervently created plans to generate work in reaction to social problems in the area.

The private sector must also play its part in this matter to make Bogota a more competitive and productive city.

The Pole Fades Away in Bogota
March 15th, 2010

It doesn’t seem strange that the Democratic Pole has lost power in Bogota. Even though the results of last Sunday’s elections came as a surprise to some of the Pole’s followers, the nonconformity of mayor Samuel Moreno Rojas’ administration is certainly to blame for the electoral loss.

No one is going to deny that leader is working hard. However, the residents of Bogota have not been content with the events and decisions from recent months. Problems with contracts and delays in the road work on Avenue El Dorado, the mess of public transit and the recent hold on transports by the Integrated Public Transport System not only tarnished the image of Moreno, but also the entire left party. This image was also reflected in the polls.

If there was one area where members of the Pole felt calm, it was Bogota. No less could be expected, given that when Samuel was elected over two years ago, the vote was heavily one sided and it was thought that the trend would be similar — although obviously not in the same proportion since the political machinery of the U was in full force.

Indeed, in the elections for the House of Representatives, votes for the presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos’ party exceeded 410 000, which constitutes 30% of the vote in the country’s capital.

These results inevitably have the Pole thinking, as the U21 practically doubled its results. The yellow movement nearly had 216,000 votes, which represents 15% of the vote.

Hopefully the president can move forward. He still has almost two years left to demonstrate that he is a good leader and he should be left to his work, not only for the sake of his party, his image and his political future, but also for the welfare of all who live in the city. More specifically, the city needs the Transmilenio (Rapid Bus System) the Integrated Public Transport System projects to resolve quickly so that efficient transportation is guaranteed.

On another note, the amount of apathy towards the vote in Bogota is impressive. This past election will be recorded as one of the most abstentious. Of the 4.7 million people eligible to vote, only 1.8 million exercised their right. Could it be that it lacked candidates with more proposals and less politicking?

Eldorado’s Entrance Free of Problems
February 15th, 2010

After the the delays in the Phase 3 projects of Transmilenio due to the mess with Nule and the constant traffic jams on Avenue El Dorado, something good has finally happened for Bogota’s mayor, Samuel Moreno Rojas – for now at least.

I speak of the route to Eldorado International Airport’s closure. Many of us have doubts about the changes to the north causeway.

In fact, we expected monumental traffic jams that were worse than usual. However, much to our surprise the road was properly marked and transit officials were coordinating traffic flow. Most of the clueless drivers were from the public service who became disoriented at the peak of the roundabout despite having two stops on the service roads to allow the passing and going of passengers.

At the front of the terminal, things were slightly more complicated due to the quantity of vehicles that were aiming to return to the east of the capital. In the end though, everything is running smoothly enough that it is not necessary to arrive at the airport early to avoid missing your flight.

Hopefully, the feelings of contentment with the traffic organization will last for the two years that it will take for the new passenger terminal to be constructed by Opain under the Eldorado Modernization and Expansion Plan.

Categories
culture food health Mexico

The Nopal: Tasty, Cheap, and Good for You

Translated by Edda Mata

I chose this article because as a Mexican I thought it was important for English speakers travelling to Mexico to understand the benefits of the nopal; an exotic vegetable, and dare them to try it on their next trip to Mexico. Unlike other consumer-oriented articles, this article’s main purpose is not so much to sell a particular branded product to the consumer, but to inform them of the health benefits of consuming a local produce.

Source text: “Nopal: sabroso, benéfico y barato”

The Nopal: Tasty, Cheap, and Good for You
Adriana Hernández Uresti

Its nutritional contributions, its qualities (true or invented) to prevent and/or control some diseases, the possibility of cooking it in different ways and even eating it raw, and its low cost (less than a peso per piece) are enough reasons for this vegetable to have earned a place on the dining table of Mexican families, who in average consume 6.36 kg per year.

The production of nopal has increased over the past decade; not only has its plantings increased, but also the states where it gets cultivated, assured Javier Montes de Oca, president of the Consejo del Nopal y Tuna (Nopal and Pickly Pear Fig Council of Mexico City). According to the farmers’ representative, a key factor in this trend is the organization of the Feria Nacional del Nopal (National Nopal Fair), where the consumption and cultivation of this thorny food is promoted.

Although it is cultivated in 23 states throughout the country, there are four states considered the main nopal producers: the Distrito Federal (303, 755 tones), Morelos (61,110), Estado de Mexico (14,464) and Aguascalientes (13,178). Out of 436, 222 tons farmed each year, 97% is consumed fresh and the other 3% is used as a primary product by food, pharmaceutics, and perfumery industries.

Its demand has also increased outside the country, and even though Mexico is the main exporter, the amount of nopal sold in other countries is still little, less than 1% of the national production. The United States is the main market followed by Japan and some European countries.

For Those With a Big Appetite:

The nopal provides a daring table companion of proteins, calcium, iron, vitamins A and B, and fibre (even though it’s a food with a high amount of humidity, its dietetic fibre content is greater than 20%). These properties can be altered depending on the way it is consumed; for example, cooking it provokes a small loss in all the nutrients, particularly in carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin C.

According to the nutritionist, Cecilia Sommer, it is advisable that people with problems such as high glucose (like diabetics) consume raw nopal, given that it controls sugar levels more effectively than in its cooked form. The specialist also warns about the risks of broiling as this cooking method may result in the nopal containing traces of this mineral such as phenolic compounds derivatives, which are harmful for the health. There are no restrictions in regards to consuming it like that, but one of the thumb rules of smart nutrition must not be: a varied and balanced diet.

In regard to dehydrated nopal (in pills or other varieties), nutritionist Sommer, commented that: “when a food is dehydrated, normally the loss of water causes the nutrients content to increase by net weight; another advantage is that it has a longer shelf life, and for many people the fact that it isn’t slimy is important, however, it is precisely in its sliminess where one is able to find a significant source of fibre. In addition, dehydrated nopal is much more expensive than the fresh one.

The Father of all Remedies

In addition to its proven benefits, there are other fictional benefits that can be added, specially those invented by charlatans, who offer this product as “the mother of all remedies,” even for diseases that up to date have no cure. For Cecilia Sommer, the biggest myth that exists about the nopal is related to diabetes; she admits that there are in fact studies that demonstrate that its consumption decreases the level of glucose in the blood, but up to date there is no evidence to consider it a cure, like many people believe.

Its high fibre content (soluble and insoluble) is the main cause of its medical benefits, as it prevents or delays the absorption of sugars. In the book El Poder Curativo del Nopal (The Healing Powers of the Nopal) by Guillermo Murrayhe mentions that it helps control the following disorders:

Obesity: The insoluble dietetic fibre absorbs water and accelerates the passing of food through the digestive tract, preventing or delaying the absorption of sugars, which provoke a sensation of satiety, through which the ingestion of food is decreased; likewise, it helps regulate the intestinal movement.

Gastrointestinal Problems: The fibre and the mucilage (the slime) control the production in excess of gastric acids and protect the gastrointestinal mucous. Also, they contribute to a good digestion, avoiding constipation problems. Cholesterol: The amino acids, the fibre and the niacin avoid that the excess of sugar in the blood turns into fat; on the other hand, they metabolize the fat and the fat acids, thus reducing the cholesterol levels.

Arteriosclerosis: The effect of the amino acids and fibre, including the antioxidants, vitamins C and A, prevent the possibilities of damage in the blood vessels’ walls, like the formation of fat platelets.

Colon Purity: Insoluble fibres help dilute the concentration of carcinogenic agents in the colon, which can help to a degree prevent the appearance of such disease.

There is no doubt that including the nopal in daily diet is very recommendable, due to its nutritional benefits as well as its medical benefits. Although it is worth mentioning that it is not a drug on its own, but an supplement to help control or prevent the problems already mentioned.

The Scientists raise their hands

The innovations in the production and procedure of the nopal are few; actually, the majority of the farmers use traditional sowing systems. Despite what has been mentioned, researchers of different centres work to improve its farming. Three examples are:

Increased resistance: Doctor Candelario Mondragón Jacobo, at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Precuarias (National Forest Research Institute of Agriculture and Livestock) works in genetic improvement of nopal in order to increase its protein content and make it more resistant to frost and pests; likewise he develops cactus figs of different colours from the traditional ones in order to make them more attractive. In the case of the forage nopal, he seeks to improve its nutritional content, to facilitate cattle its consumption.

Thorn Free: Engineers at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN) (National Polytechnic Institute) have designed a machine capable of cutting off 80% of the nopal’s thorns, at a velocity of four seconds per piece. This equipment could help accelerate the process of de-thorning, a task that has been qualified by farmers as slow, tiring and tedious. Engineers Guillermo Cruz Villa, Jacobo Moreno Cruz and Sigfrido Soria Farias, at the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería y Technologías Avanzadas (Professional Interdisciplinary Unit of Engineering and Advanced Technologies), work with farmers from Milpa Alta to develop a machine at an industrial level.

Strong Bones: The doctor Mario Enrique Rodriguez, at the Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada (Department of Physics and High Technology) in the UNAM, is the head of the project “Nopal flour as a treatment to prevent osteoporosis.” It is still rather early to offer conclusions, but no one would be surprised that this product could add a new virtue to the ones we already know.

In detail

The nopal is endemic of America; there are 258 species, out of which 100 exist in Mexico, the main producer at a national level. Nopal is the name given to several species of the Oputina genre, of the cactus family. The Nopalea Cochenillifera is the species that we normally consume and the one referred to in this text.

Multiple Possibilities

Nopal mole, nopal pizza, nopales y cheese sauce, spaghetti with nopales or with cream, dirty beans with nopales, Jell-O, marmalade, ate, nopal cake, tamales with nopales and cattle brains, nopal cookies with cinnamon and a tuna salad, are only some of the 112 recipes that the Recetario del nopal de Milpa Alta, D.F. & Colima (number 48 of the collection Popular Indigenous cuisine of the General Cultures Directorate of CONACULTA). The recipes were collected among the people of the Distrito Federal, the majority producers of Milpa Alta. This culinary jewel can be found in Educal bookstores (www.librosyarte.com.mx) and in the National Museum of Popular Cultures.

Nutritional Facts

Every 100 grams of nopal contain: Energy: 27 kcal Proteins: 1.7g Fat: 0.3g Carbohydrates: 5.6g Calcium: 93 mg Iron: 1.6 mg Retinol (Vitamin A): 41 mcg Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 0.03 mg Riboflavin: (Vitamin B2): 0.06 mg Niacin: 0.3 mg Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): 8 mg Source: Instituto Nacional de Nutrición (National Nutrition Institute).

Tips for Nopal Lovers

Pick nopals with firm thorns (a sign of their of freshness) and without brown-orange stains (a symbol of oxidation). When eating them raw, asides from washing them it is indispensable to disinfect them. Boil them with little water, and avoid overcooking them as this decreases its nutrimental benefits. Use a copper pot to cook them if you want them to keep a lively green colour. If possible, buy and consume them the same day. If you want to store them, put them in a plastic bag inside the fridge; they will preserve well for three days. Grilled nopales tend to have some white spots after a couple of days of storage; these are due to the vegetable reactions and signs of decay. Source: Nutricionist Cecilia Sommer.

Categories
analysis Chile news politics

Earthquake Unveils Hidden Chile

Translated by Karen Chang

The ST is from Jorge Ramos’ recent article “Dos Chiles Tras el Sismo,” first published in March 2010, after the Chilean earthquake. The article is an opinion article that examines the underlying social problems such as inequality and poverty in Chile. The ST belongs to a hybrid genre within the written discourse. The ST contains factual reference of the earthquake, which situates the text in the descriptive genre. However, the ST also has a persuasive function that seeks to express the author’s opinion, and his interpretation on the situation.

Source text: “Dos Chiles tras el sismo”

Earthquake Unveils Hidden Chile
Jorge Ramos
March 8, 2010

It’s not about the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that has split Chile into two. What happened is that the earthquake has uncovered the reality of two Chiles. The first Chile is the one marketed abroad : modern, avant-garde, industrious , a country of free trade agreements, an almost first world nation. The other one is the Chile that wasn’t invite to the party, the one who didn’t board the development bus , the home for those ignored by the residents of the Mint Palace (Chile’s Presidential Palace) and the intact skyscrapers of capital Santiago.

This is the ‘primitive Chile’ , according to diplomat and writer Jorge Edwards. It has always been there, he commented, but not many noticed it, until the earthquake shook off the veil . The best evidence of the existence of two Chiles emerged during the riots in the city of Concepción a few hours after the earthquake. The violence caught everyone by surprise . Thousands of Chileans from the ignored Chile felt disconnected and completely isolated from the rest of the country and the central government. They went to the streets to sack shops and supermarkets. Some of them were after food for their families . Others took advantage of the chaos and stole Plasma TVs and refrigerators in a city that didn’t even have electricity. No wonder many Chileans were horrified at the thefts and looting. But, like the filmmaker Jorge Ulla commented, poverty cannot be hidden .

In Chile, as the rest of Latin America, the richest ten percent of the population earns more than half of the nation’s income. The poor continue to be terribly poor, and can barely survive. These poor people were the ones who complained of the absence of aid. They were the ones who were attacked by the army when the president Michelle Bachelet finally decided to send soldiers to control the disturbances a few days later. I can understand her hesitation in making that decision. The army has not attacked the people ever since the cruel era of General Augusto Pinochet . Even Bachelet’s own father died during the dictatorship. It was not an easy decision, but she hesitated too long. That was her first mistake.

Chilean’s fear towards the army seems hereditary. It’s as though it has been passed down from generation to generation through their genes. I have never seen a Latin American country respect their army so much. “Not even a bird flies without authorization” a military told me. He wasn’t joking. The journalists had to submit. We could only enter Concepción with a safe-conduct permit from the military. The curfew only allowed people go out from their houses for six hours a day to look for water and food. However, sometimes this was an impossible task. It was incredible to see that almost every business and office closed for days in the second biggest city of the country.

The second mistake was Bachelet’s government not warning the inhabitants of the towns on the southern coast the risk of a tsunami after Saturday’s earthquake. The army had already admitted their mistake. But it was tragic that many lives were lost because of bureaucratic inefficiency. The Third mistake was that Chiles’ reputation of self- reliance crumbled a few days after the earthquake. A government official stated that offers of international aid would be studied. But he mentioned nothing about accepting them. The vague and inept response stopped international aid when lives could be saved, and the populations in the most affected areas could receive help.

President Bachelet did not say anything about the minister’s statement and it took her six days to clarify that Chile never turned down international aid. I suppose that the sight of Peruvian President Alan Garcia offering help — in spite of the two countries’ long-standing maritime disputes and historical tensions – was too difficult for Chile’s politicians to swallow . But these are extraordinary moments.

The Fourth mistake was that the aid did not go to the people most affected by the earthquake. I talked to many people in the city who lost their homes, who were living on the streets, and hadn’t received a single piece of bread . This made the president’s earlier statement that there had been no interruption in food and gasoline provisions seem utterly absurd . If Bachelet walked a few blocks without bodyguards, she would realize that this was not true.

The fifth mistake was Bachelet’s paralysis in the Mint Palace . The earthquake overwhelmed Bachelet. The Chileans wanted her to be in control of the situation. But, she delayed to visit the worst hit towns and cities. Mind you , she was a good president in normal times but not during times of crisis.

Now, it’s the new president Sebastian Piñera’s turn, to fulfill the expectations of the people. His mission, he said, is not about rebuilding the country, but to rebuild it better. And it’s true. Chile’s fundamental problems are not the cracks caused by the earthquake or the cities destroyed by the Tsunami. The fundamental problem is that some people kept pace with modernity, but did not realize that millions of their countrymen were left behind, without hope, and without a way to catch up. With the collision of tectonic plates, the Chilean society may foresee what is to come. If the tension caused by inequality is not relieved , then the next problem might be greater. Piñera’s challenge will be to unite two Chiles into one. If he doesn’t, the country runs the risk of experiencing a shock even greater than the Feb. 27 quake.

Categories
business Mexico

An interview with Mexican professionals about unified communications

Translated by Alejandra Castaneda

This translation will by no means strive to exoticize the text as the reader is not searching for better cultural understanding of Latin American business. They require a domesticated text that will make them feel as if Canadian/American business professionals wrote it. The language used in the translated text will need to cater to business standards including a professional and informative tonal register. Nevertheless, since the text was originally an audible verbal exchange of words, the tone may also be conversational and less formal than a strictly written account of ideas.

Elaine and Luis

Elaine Ferreira, Latin American President of Altitude
Luis Terra, Commercial Director of Altitude Software in Latin America

Interviewer –- Elaine, what is the future vision for unified communications?

Elaine – Well, unified communications is a topic that has been talked about a lot in the past little while. In all of the conferences we attend it is a topic of great interest for people. Truthfully, there are many companies that have yet to start using unified communications, but they have is a lot of intention to do so. Look, there are various studies that indicate this is a topic present in companies’ investment plans in the next three years. Truthfully, the main point of unified communications is the idea of mobility, which in today’s world is present in people’s the day-to-day life and also in the Contact Centers. In fact, it gives them more productivity and allows them to work and perform operations “offshore” and other sorts of operations that do not exist there.

Interviewer –- Luis, What is the impact of mobility on unified communications?

Luis – Well, with respect to mobility and in terms of unified communications the impact is very high, considering that the mobile devices today have more and more capability to place applications of high aggregate value. They also allow the end clients to have voice access over IP or other kinds of communications. Companies that own unified communication channels that are free for clients are utilizing this as a form of contact. Consequently, I would say the impact is very high. This is a very very strong tendency of the market and increases the client’s ability to be in contact with the companies and the contact centers through the mobile devices. Nevertheless, there is much discussion over traditional telephones, but the purpose of additional communication channels goes along with the idea that mobile devices are going to be able to accept various communication channels.

Interviewer –- And what are your thoughts on the adoption of unified communications in Latin America?

Elaine- I see that it is starting strong in Brazil, immediately after in Mexico and some corporations, some companies have already adapted in Colombia, in Chile, and Argentina. Last year was a little difficult on a global level, but for this year we have heard of many companies that have already included in their budget working a little more in depth on mobility and unified communication projects.

So, we hope that this year the utilization of this kind of technology is more pronounced than in the past year.

Interviewer — Luis, What developments are you hoping to see in Mexico this 2010?

Luis – Well, Mexico is a country that was also very affected by last year’s crisis. This was not only in unified communications but in general terms. This year we plan on restarting all of the growth projects that had to be halted last year. Then, in terms of room for growth there is talk of between 10 and 20 percent, I believe we will be within this range if we recommence everything that was discontinued last year, as this is the tendency that has been observed even at this event. It has been noted that many of the halted projects have been recommenced and the formation of new projects focused primarily on unified communication. What I mean to say is that whoever already has partnerships with traditional contact centers will now be looking for the movement to or adoption of unified communications.

Valeria Perez

Interviewer – According to your active work in the field of social responsibility,
which story has satisfied you the most on a personal level?

Valeria – The story that has satisfied me the most on personal level has to do with the introduction of non-traditional profiles to the labor market. Particularly, a project dealing with the introduction of labor profiles that are not commonly available. It gave me a great sense of fulfillment, the project in and of itself and its evolution. It is a very difficult project because of its inherent characteristics enabling it to manage all of the underlying aspects in the labor profile introduction. The learning I took away from this project was substantial, including the knowledge to be able to create projects of social inclusion for people with disabilities or for the elderly or for single mothers or for others that are not habitually taken into account to carry out a tasks like that of a telephone operator at a contact center. In all honesty, on a personal level this was what fulfilled me the most.

Categories
business Chile news politics

Employers call on the Chilean Government

Translated by Kyla Burke-Lazarus

The article is taken from El Mercurio, a newspaper from Santiago, Chile. The article is found in the “Economía y negocios” or the “Business and Economy” section of the paper. The article addresses the impact the earthquake, that shook Chile on February 27th, 2010, had on the Chilean economy. The article continues to weigh proposed plans to fund the reconstruction, and stresses the need for reconstruction. The ST is informative and persuasive, the text tries to convince the reader that tax increase are not necessarily the most beneficial way to raise the required money.

Source text: “Empresarios piden al Gobierno entregar plan de financiamiento y acelerar reconstrucción”

Employers call on the Chilean Government to Deliver a Financial Plan to Accelerate Reconstruction
Lina Castaneda and Victoria Reyes

To respond to the recent earthquake the Chilean government must now raise U.S.$9.3 billion. Whatever the plan to finance this large sum may be, it will have drastic implications for the economy. The union managers of banking, construction, mining, agriculture, and trade agreed that the final arrangements adopted should not rely n one source of funding but rather be as balanced as possible.

Representatives of various economic sectors gathered yesterday at the seminar, “Economic Projections: Solutions for Sectors,” organized by the Santiago Chamber of Commerce. It was agreed that the government should devise a financial plan that will accelerate reconstruction.
A major concern for the Agriculture Sector is how the funding plans will affect the strength of the dollar. “Unfortunately the days pass, and we continue to wait for a proposed plan. The uncertainty doesn’t help,” says Ema Budinic, manager of research at the National Agriculture Society (SNA).

The Treasury needs to finance about U.S.$ 2,500 million for the next four years. The various potential funding sources will have different impacts on relative prices, explains Alejandro Alarcon, the general manager for the Association of Banks. For example, suppose everything was financed with fiscal deficit, as a result the exchange rate would fall and interest rates would rise.

In the same vein, Javier Hurtado, head of research at the Chilean Chamber of Construction, explains that “if funds are raised by borrowing a lot of dollars internationally, the exchange rate would be negatively affected; if it is mostly local borrowing it will impact the interest rate, and if comes from tax increases, it will affect productivity. ”

Projections by sector:

Banking It’s projected that loans will increase by 10 % this year. For March, April and May, a negative Monthly Index of Chilean Economic Activity (IMACEC) is projected. This figure, which is measured by the Central Bank, aims to estimate the progress of the Chilean net production of goods and services during the period of one month and is an approximation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the short term. GDP for the first quarter is expected to be close to zero. An inflation of 3.5% has been calculated, with an investment growth of 15%, and a GDP of 4.5% for the year.

Mining Mining will grow by 6% this year, producing five million eight hundred thousand tons of copper and exporting U.S. $ 43 billion worth of materials. The price of copper is projected to be around U.S. $ 3.2 and $ 3.3 per pound.

Agriculture The current realized loss in this field is estimated at U.S. $ 760 million and future losses are expected to increase by 5%. The wine sector will fall between 8 and 10% and crops between 5 and 8%, due to smaller harvests and climate problems.

Industry This sector’s activity should grow between 1.5% and 2.5% over the course of the year. March will show a sharp drop in industrial production and will be the month hardest hit by the earthquake. Exports in March fell from U.S. $ 1.5 billion to 1.0 billion dollars.

Trade It’s estimated that the trade sector’s GDP will be 6%; investments will grow by 15%; and household expenditure by 4%. Sales will increase by 5% and employment by 2.5%. An increase in late fees in the earthquake-affected areas is foreseen. In any event, the South African World Cup should be beneficial to this sector.

Construction Due to the earthquake, housing costs are calculated to increase to U.S. $ 3,943 million and lost capital from stocks is anticipated to reach U.S. $ 20 billion. The sector will grow by 7.2%, even though industries will be affected by a lower income. Investments in reconstructions will enhance the infrastructure of the construction sector, this trend will continue to grow.

Tax Hikes: Not a Good Time

Not all trade unions firmly reject a possible increase in corporate taxes, but the consensus is that it is not a good time to do so.

In that vein, Alvaro Merino, head of research at the National Mining Society (Sonami), affirms that any tax increase carries with it higher costs to business.

As a general rule, higher taxes on production affect investment decisions. At a time when investment companies are ready to support reconstruction, the manager of Research of the Santiago Chamber of Commerce (CCS), George Lever, believes it would be a good idea to explore ways to help channel this support, instead of resorting to the traditional tax hikes.

“We must be very careful in making temporary tax decisions in times of crisis, because historically the increases became permanent and only tax reductions are able to be reversed,” says Lever. He added that there are divisions within large companies that have been badly affected by the disaster and are unlikely to survive even a minimal tax hike.

He sees the initiative to raise donations for disaster relief as a good way to channel the goodwill that exists in businesses.

The National Agriculture Society (SNA) would prefer if the plan to fund reconstruction did not have a component to raise taxes at all. However, because this unrealistic, they hope the increase will be as small as possible, explains the manager of Studies, Ema Budinich.

This, he says, is because tax hikes do not always result in a proportional increase in revenues. This is because there are different loop holes, within the existing legal standards, that companies use to pay less taxes.

Budinich also stresses the need to improve the disaster relief innitiative’s ability to distribute the revenues in a decentralized way, “This is a concept that aims to achieve a democratic system where taxpayers express their preference for how theur tax money is spent.”

However, Javier Hurtado, of the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CCHC), warns that the U.S. $155 million expected to be collected from the initiative does not compare with U.S. $ 9,300 million the Treasury needs to raise.

Categories
analysis culture Ecuador politics

Ecotourism and Climate Change in Latin America

Translated by Lucie Bardos

Both of the ST’s are popular media articles that can be found online. ST1 is from AFP (Agence France Presse) and can be found through Google News, and ST2 is from a Latin American news website, which deals primarily with the issues surrounding nature conservation and sustainability, called “Ecoportal” (www.ecoportal.net). ST1 talks about a small-scale ecotourism business, in the effort to gain economic self-sustainability, initiated by a group of Ecuadorian indigenous people after successful land reclamation from a previous hacienda owner. ST2, on the other hand, talks about some of the main issues that Latin America as a whole will be faced with in the coming years as a result of climate change, and the role that governments should have in managing the risks associated with climate change.

Indigenous People in Ecuador Discover Ecotourism as a Last Hope
By Alexander Martínez (APF) – 18/02/2010

Source text: “Indígenas ecuatorianos hallan en el ecoturismo su tabla de salvación”

PIÑAN, ECUADOR – A marvel of nature in the Andes has become the last hope for an Ecuadorian indigenous community that, after many years, has succeeded in obtaining a chunk of the roughly 27,000-hectare piece of land belonging to an old hacienda owner. Now, the indigenous community is putting its money on adventure tourism.

Colossal mountains of green and ochre that seem to have been outlined by a paintbrush, rivers, lakes, vultures, and foxes all make up the Piñan landscape. Piñan is a village at 3,170 meters above sea level, which 180 Caraqui indigenous people (who long ago faced the Incan Empire in battle) now call home.

Piñan is located in the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve, one of the biggest and most ecologically diverse reserves in Ecuador. It also makes up part of a 27,000-hectare hacienda that belonged to a Spanish lord in the colonial period, which now belongs to a non-indigenous family-owned agriculture business.

Even though Piñan is 54 kilometers away from Ibarra, the nearest urban centre, the trip from Piñan to Ibarra takes 4 hours by car due to bad road conditions. The journey, nevertheless, offers a trip back in time through postcard scenes, such as those of the Pucares – perfect concentric rings that served as indigenous fortresses on mountaintops.

“This community has been historically forced into subservience. It’s a prototype of Ecuadorian haciendas, in which the indigenous people were kept captive and were transferred from owner to owner with the property,” says Iván Suárez, Public Relations officer of the indigenous collective and member of the Cordillera NGO, which supports the community tourism project.

The idea began to take shape 10 years ago after a rebellion by the indigenous people, who had become tired of working for the landowner. They began a process of reclaiming the land, alleging that there had been violations of both their ancestral rights and their labor rights.

“They were prohibited from passing through the door to the hacienda; there were threats, assaults. On top of neglect, they had to endure the fact that the owner, who wanted them outside, humiliated them”, remembers Suarez, who also claims that the owner only paid 400 USD a year in property tax.

The request made by the indigenous people ended with the landowner conceding 1,200 hectares of land where the high altitude grassland plains kiss the clouds. After the settlement, the indigenous group created a company that would offer guides, as well as carriage rides and trail rides on horseback.

However, the plan fell short for an indigenous community that cultivates crops for subsistence, and that can barely sell one broad bean harvest a year for the set price, according to Rigoberto Rodríguez (known as ‘Don Rigo’), one of the denizens of Piñan.

From this need arose the proposal for the construction of a mountain refuge for adventure-seekers. The European Union (EU) contributed 60,000 USD and the indigenous group pledged 30 “mingas” (communal working days) for the construction of a lodge capable of accommodating 20 people, between last July and December.

“We are very proud. We never imagined having something like this”, affirms Rodríguez, a 55 year-old guide overflowing with youthful energy as he accompanies the horseback rides on foot. For the purpose of being able to offer these rides, each indigenous family contributed one horse.

The lodge, whose comforts contrast with the humble indigenous communal huts, had its official opening last weekend, just in time for the annual Huairasinchi Adventure Competition (a race which forms part of the Adventure Racing World Series). The contestants of the race were due to pass through the town of Piñan, which also happens to boast views of several volcanoes, one of which is Mt. Cotacachi (4,937 meters above sea level).

A head administrator supervises the earnings made by the lodge and its services, and a percentage of these goes into a savings account. Other types of earning, such as tips, are distributed amongst the workers, and thanks to a store that supplies the town, the earnings made in Piñan stay in Piñan.

The refuge is “the first stage in the construction of the most important trekking route in all of northern Ecuador, because it covers the Intag River, the high altitude grasslands of Piñan, and the thermal pools of Chachimbiro,” explains Suárez.

The Chachimbiro Project, which has been in place for the past 15 years, involves the participation of nine communities that include people of African descent, Indigenous groups, and farming communities. In 2009, they reported sales revenues of 1.1 million USD.

Suárez remarks that if Piñan is to obtain such success, it is necessary that, first of all, the government pass a law that obligates it to buy up private land within the nation’s natural reserves in order to safeguard the conservation of these lands.

“We have been here since this world was born, therefore this belongs to us. Our parents told us to stay here and we will do the same with our own children,” promises ‘Don Rigo’.

Climate Change Will Wreak Havoc in Latin America
20/09/09

Source text: “El cambio climático causará estragos en Latinoamérica”

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) announced yesterday that due to climate change, Latin America will be faced with growing deforestation and lack of water. These factors will complicate food security in a region where 53 million people suffer from hunger.

According to official government calculations, about 70 thousand hectares of forest have already disappeared from the subcontinent since 1990. They greatest decreases in forest cover have occurred in Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

At the same time, the total amount of agricultural land with access to irrigation has remained virtually unchanged. However, there has been a decrease in areas where cereals are grown, due to droughts that have affected Argentina, Uruguay, and Central America throughout the past few years.

“Governments will have to take action to prevent, adapt to, and mitigate the effects of climate change”, commented head official of the Latin American office of the FAO, Jan Van Wambeke.

On the other hand, there will be a direct threat to the capacity of production in the food and agricultural sector in the region, which currently generates 120 million USD in exports, due in large part to the contributions of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.

The situation will complicate the availability of key nutrients in cities, and, since around 60 million farmers will have their livelihoods negatively affected, there is the threat of new migrations of farmers to cities.

“It is probable that deforestation, soil degradation, and lack of water will result in concentrated land ownership, given that many farmers will be unable to adapt to the new conditions”, added Wambeke.

He also recalled that this process will be reinforced by the southward expansion of Latin American deserts, as predicted by various studies. In Chile, however, government officials predict that around 2050, the desert will actually shift by 500 km.

Taking these factors into account, the main worry of the governments should be “implementing a system to manage the agroclimatic risk”, said Wambeke.

With this in mind, he showed appreciation for the efforts put forth by Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile in confronting the effects of climate change on agricultural production and the environment.

Nevertheless, in the name of the FAO, Wambeke added that “the equation is a very complicated one, since we have to fight the effects of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and problems associated with food security.”

The Challenge Concerning Hunger

César Falconi, head of the Latin American and Caribbean branch of the Investment Centre of the FAO, confirmed that there are currently a billion people suffering from hunger, and that in 2050, the challenge will be to feed 9 billion of them.

At a press conference, Falconi announced some of the conclusions reached at a conference entitled “the Environment and Sustainable Development: Dialogues on Theory and Practice”, which took place at the Menendez Pelayo International University (UIMP) in Santander, Spain. Even though studies suggest that the world has the resources and the technological potential to face this challenge, “increasing investment in sustainable development is of utmost importance”, confirms Falconi.

Source website: www.ecoportal.net.

For more information go to www.pnuma.org (United Nations Environment Program)

Categories
analysis health politics Spain

Grandchildren of the Transition

Translated by Jeanette Anderson

For my final project I wanted to do something related to the medical field because of my interest in becoming a medical translator. So I went onto Spain’s Ministry of Health website to see what kind of materials were available and I came across this research presentation related to youth drug use and abuse in Spain. It talks about cultural issues that are related to the current situation in Spain, as well as historical changes that have taken place over time and have had a direct impact on this situation.

Source text: Salir de marcha y consumo de drogas. Plan nacional sobre drogas. Madrid: Ministerio del Interior.

Grandchildren of the Transition

Young people today have been socialized by a generation who grew up during the democratic transition in Spain. This generation of people, who are now between the ages of 35 and 50, entered into adulthood pursuing certain dreams, such as personal and individual freedom, because they were so repressed by the ruling morality of the time when they were growing up. There was also this idea of taking different substances and indulging in different pleasures that Spain, as a country behind the times, saw in its neighbouring European countries. These ideals that today’s adults share have evidently been passed onto their children, and young people today have taken these ideals and given them a meaning of their own.

The generation of young people from the transitional period has given rise to very tolerant and permissive parents and teachers because they want to make it easier for today’s youth to have a lot of life experiences, which is something they fought for but were somehow denied. The parents of today’s youth have tried to overcome their parents’ moral prejudices which made them repressive and intolerant towards aspects related to sexuality, recreation and having fun. Andrés Sopeña published two books that give us a better picture of the era in which the parents of today’s youth were socialized.

However, this tolerance for young people’s actions when it comes to sex, recreation and having fun also has its limitations and paradoxes. To be young, according to the adults, is to be ready for fun and excitement, and experimentation . This same concept of youth is in itself a reflection of reality. According to official organizations, this category encompasses anyone between the ages of 15 and 29 years old. It’s likely that this age range seems quite extensive and we have probably never had the definition of ‘youth’ extend quite this far in the history of mankind. We could also go as far as to say that adolescence begins at 13. Despite all of this, if we consider that someone is no longer ‘young’ once they have passed through a serious of stages that Gil Calvo proposes, many young Spaniards would still be considered ‘young’ even though they are already in their 30’s. Calvo proposes that “someone who is physiologically mature and still does not have a steady, productive job, a spouse, their own home or dependants is considered young.” (1984). In fact, the concept of youth has not changed much since the age of feudalism, when the youngest sons of the royal families, who were excluded from the family wealth and any decision-making, were considered young, regardless of their age. Many of them were allowed to live pleasant yet dissolute lives, dedicated to courting and pleasing the romantic desires of many bored ladies . (Turner 1989).

With regards to recreation, some social scientists consider that today’s youth is the result of the adult population’s imagination coming to life. (Comas, 1995, 1996). The adults’ attitudes are not passively tolerant; they encourage the young people to have fun. They tell them to go out at night and to go after this idea of freedom which includes being spontaneous and daring. They even allow them to be disobedient, they excuse them from their responsibilities, they encourage them to drink , and when they start acting like narcissists, which is common for their age, they make excuses for them. The parents and teachers of this generation, as well as the media, have all contributed to developing and giving off this idea of what it means to be young, which is very much like the current phenomenon.

The way in which Gil Calvo expresses the paradox of young people today is very descriptive. He states that the adults insist that they be disobedient, in such a way that when the young people go out at night to overstep the boundaries, they are actually obeying their parents’ wishes. But this kind of obedience is not exactly what the adults had in mind. However, the young people are not passive either. They have taken the adults’ ideals and given them a meaning of their own. It is true that this gives way to a “double bind,” as Gil Calvo proposes, because during the week the young people are obedient at school or at work, and during the weekend they are disobedient, partially because the adults encourage them to be that way. When it comes to obedience and disobedience, young people contribute to and develop their own ideals and strategies for life. In the adults’ idea of fun, recreational drug use and abuse was not what they had in mind. They fear heroine, which wreaked havoc in their generation, but they are not overly alarmed when it comes to recreational drugs, either because they don’t know enough about them or because they value their own experiences from when they were young and used to do drugs. What they don’t realize is that drug use is changing and becoming commonplace in the recreational lives of many young people today; something which is only made possible by the generous financial support of their parents. Recreational drug abuse is the evil consequence of extreme partying , which is also the focus in young people’s minds. What we have here is a paradox of the adults. On the one hand, they have promoted this idea of what it means to be young, and on the other, they are surprised when they find out the consequences. The adults find it hard to understand and conceptualize some of these changes, which is something they need to do in order to take over their role again and recreate the process.

The New Drug Culture

Parties, music and dancing are all key elements that define youth in Europe and in Spain, and something that has taken centre stage in all this is drug use, including both legal and illegal substances. Young people, as part of the social structure, rely on these drugs, use them on various occasions and therefore they take what society has created for them, and it helps them achieve their goals. Drugs are readily available , just as there are a wide range of recreational activities available . Young people have been socialized to believe that fun should be taken to the maximum; an ideal that has been developed through the various generations that overcame limits and repression to achieve this. Therefore, going out partying is not something that the young people invented, but what they do is use this socially acceptable freedom that they have to develop their own language, identity and strategies.

What is happening in Spain is very similar to what is happening in the rest of Europe and in other industrialized countries. Shapiro (1999) analyzes a substantial change in the role of drug use in social life, basing the study on the situation in England. He states that compared to studies carried out in the 70’s, drugs are no longer something that people use to escape from ordinary life; drugs have become a part of daily life. This change is fundamental to the growing importance of nightlife, partying (club culture) and the new trend of raves, where a lot of young people are developing their own new fun culture.

Recreation, which has always been important to young people, is now the focus of social research. In recent years, in England, Germany and Holland, different studies have been carried out on the connection between young people, recreation and drug use (Klee 1998, South 1999, Tossmann 1996, 1997). A longitudinal study carried out in Manchester (Measham et al. 1998) presents the importance of drug use in the transition from adolescence to young adulthood . It concludes that drug use is becoming acceptable as a part of recreational activity, not only by the ones who do drugs, but also by the non-drug-users as well. This situation shows how recreational drug use is becoming more commonplace.

One of the characteristics of these different studies is that they are confined to local and national areas. However, we must also keep in mind that in this day and age, there is a real interconnectivity between the different European countries. Through cyber communication or at recreational facilities across Europe, thousands of young people become cultural ambassadors and diffuse cultural interests.

Categories
administration

Introduction

This blog showcases the final projects written by students for the course “SPAN401: Advanced Translation: Spanish-English” at the University of British Columbia, in Spring 2010.

For their final project, students were asked to choose a text (of around 1000 words) whose translation would be of public interest or use.

Some students sought and undertook undertook commissions for entities such as NGOs or public companies and corporations. Others translated Wikipedia articles. And still others chose news articles or similar that might provide a perspective from the Spanish-speaking world of interest to English-speaking readers.

Examples of these latter final projects that can be found here on this blog.

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Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada
This work by Spanish 401, UBC, Professor Jon Beasley-Murray is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada.