How green are you?

- Where do people learn about enviromentally friendly practices?
- Have you incorporated recycling into your habits? Describe
- Do you use a bike or your legs instead of a car?
- Have you joined or supported any eco-organisations? Why/Why not?
- What else have you done /would you like to do?

- What's missing in our society/Santiago regarding this issue?

People in Chile are not really familiar with recycling or taking care of the environment. Schools do not have programs related to environmental issues and subjects do not deal with those problems in deep.

There are specific programs in higher education that are completely related to these matters but regular syllabus at school or university do not include environmentally friendly practices. It is up to the teacher/professor if they want to include activities that can show students how to be friendly to our planet.

In my personal case, I try to recycle by organizing the waste I produce every day by dividing it into paper, plastic and organic waste. The problem is that the garbage truck puts everything in the same bucket. That’s a shame.

Another thing I do is to use my bike regularly. Apart from helping the environment, it helps my health and my mood. I feel happy every time I ride my bike. It makes me feel like the wind. 


Anyhow, I feel that my contribution is too little for this world full of problems but it’s something, at least.

The perfect song

Hi students:

Today I'm going to refer to what I consider a perfect song. The song is actually called "Perfect day". It was written by New Yorker Lou Reed and it is very well know because it was used in the movie Trainspotting in the 90’s but it was originally written and published in 1973.

I like this song because its lyrics are simple and talk about things anybody could do in a given day, like feeding animals in the zoo, drinking sangria in a park or simply watching a movie and then go home.

Anyhow, such ideas are simple and effective because the lyrics refer to a perfect day shared by two people who get along well and the main character of the story is glad (happy) that he could spend such perfect day with the other person.

However, the line that I like most in the song goes like this: “you made me forget myself. I thought I was someone else, someone good”. I find this idea overwhelming because sometimes I feel like that when I’m surrounded by the right people.

Some years ago I had a perfect day with a girl I used to love a lot. We didn’t have a relationship. We were not girlfriend and boyfriend, but we loved each other and we had only ONE day to spend time together for the last time.

We were living in Sydney, Australia, and she had to go back to her country (Switzerland) and we spend a entire day in the city, walking around, eating chips and drinking iced tea and latte. We took a ferry (boat) and walked along a beautiful beach, then we saw the sunset on the ferry back to the city. After that, we ate at a restaurant where we had to share the table with a group of retired couples and we finally went to a bar where we drank our last beer and said goodbye.

I felt like someone good. Perfect feeling with the right person. Simply, a perfect day.

VIDEO TALK 2

Dear students, here are the instructions for your second video talk:

Video 2:

A JOURNEY YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE

Record a for 2 minute mobile phone video presentation* about a journey you would like to make

Say:

Where you would like to go,

Who you would go with,

What you would do there,

Why you would like to make this journey.

Mention anything else you think is important.

 

You should send this video to my e-mail account: lucasaraya@gmail.com or bring it to the class in a flashdrive and I'll copy it in my computer.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Lucas.

A video clip that I like

Hi students!

Today I'm going to speak about a video clip that I like. It's a video by an American band called Kiss and the song is called "Love 'em, leave 'em".

I saw this video for the first time when I was 12 years old and it blew my mind. It was the first time I saw this band wearing make up and their fancy outfits.

I had never seen anything like that before. For me, video clips were only about bands or solo artists singing a song while different images and pictures appeared on the screen. That was all, but this video was a blast!

The only video clips I liked at that time were Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Smooth Criminal but “Love ‘em, leave ‘em” changed things forever.

It is simple but powerful.

I became a real Kiss fan instantly. I mean, Gene and Paul playing, singing and moving around was one thing. Watching the Cat-man playing the drums was amazing, but... watching Ace Frehley playing his guitar while fire and smoke came out of it was the real thing. When I saw Space Ace doing his thing with the guitar I thought "I want to do that!!!!". That's why I like this video so much, because it was my introduction to one of my favorite bands.

I've been a Kiss fan ever since that moment and I watch this video from time to time (at least once a month) and I have a Kiss record collection I usually listen to when I want to cheer up and have a bit of fun.

I even wore Kiss make up at a party!!!

Career-realted article

Google maps: not perfect just useful

Google has announced that they are going through a period of overhaul on its maps app since other companies maps have been published with outrageous mistakes (some cities ahve been placed in the wrong spot and specific locations have been erased or ignored).

Amit Singhal, Google's vice-president has claimed that the new map "is foundational to delivering exactly what you want, when you want, and where you want it."

One important idea in the new map App is that Google's maps can hel people find places based on a geographical approach instead of using alphabetical names or quests.

Historically, map makers have promised that their maps are the best and most specific maps ever, however maps carry the view of the society in which it is created since they are made based on the beliefs and prejudices of their makers.

Examples of such maps can be found in history depending on the country, culture and the own perception of a nation the map makers have.

Perfection in maps is difficult to find since the concept of being "perfect" can vary but one important aspect is that maps should be useful and help people find what they need and find themselves in the world and this is Google's objective, creating a map that can maximize people´s time on the net.
However, when we talk about internet maps we must remember we are in a commercial concept since most people search for places in a world surrounded by ideas of selling, buying and advertising and Google should admit its approach is commercial rather that geographically pure.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/16/google-no-such-thing-as-perfect-map

A day I will always remember

I will never forget the day my dogs came back home after being missing for two weeks.

I love dogs. I have always loved dogs. I already have four of them, but in December 2010, I only had two dogs, Catalina and Emilio (see picture). One evening, I walked them to the park as usual. That they I took my guitar with me so I could play some music while my pets would run and play with other dogs. After a couple of minutes I noticed my dogs were not around anymore. I started looking for them but I couldn’t find the anywhere. I think they went away following a pack of dogs.

I searched for them for days. Every day,  everywhere.  At night, I would walk around the neighbourhood or I would ride my bike trying to find them.

All my friends were worried and helped me pasting posters on walls and asking for information on facebook.

After two weeks of being really depressed, I heard dogs barking outside my house. I looked through a window and...it was them! They were totally dirty and tired but they were back.

I will never forget the happiness I felt when they were home again.

Every time I feel sad, I remember that moment and a smile comes to me and everything is fine again.

 

Cheers.

A country I would like to visit

A country I would like to visit

I would like to visit India. This idea has been on my mind for many years. I don't know why, but it is an interesting and misterious land for me.

I don't have a lot of information about the country. I have read some articles about its culture and traditions. I have also heard from friends that one can find different aspects of culture depending on the city you visit. Some places are really fancy and mystic while you can see poverty and misery in other parts of the country.

I have seen movies made in India and I love Bollywood movies, specially the dancing scenes. I used to think those parts were funny, but now I know that those songs and dances are the summary of the movie so everybody can understand what happened. That idea opened my mind!

I would like to study there, but I would really like to travel around the country to see all the things I have read about and the things my friends have told me about India.

I would really love to try all kinds of curry because I LOVE curry. I am a vegetarian and I  really enjoy eating in Indian restaurants since they always have really delicious vegetarian alternative dishes. It would be agood idea learning to cook such dishes as well.

One of my best friends lives in India now. She says that I would really fall in love with the country and that I could be happy there. I believe her because she knows me very well (we lived together for a couple of months). That's another reason to visit India.

I am also interested in religion. I want to know about its mysticism and the different gods and godesses they have.

However. the most important reason to go to India is to have a picture of me and the Taj Mahal, just like George Harrison (One of my favorite musicians ever).