Post 9:Year 2014!

Hey Bloggers! It is time to do a recap of the year. If it not enough, I will analyse good and bad things. I will try to remember all of it. So, let us go! I will arrange my year chronologically.

First, I did my professional-practice at FAO in the summer, until February. That was great, because I get what I wanted. I had direct contact with small farmers, and their problems. Also, I met a looot of foreign people. A bad thing was that I had to do some boring tasks relate to politics: a lot of paperwork and hours sitting in front of a computer.

My boyfriend breaked-up with me at the end of February, but I have to say that I have made the most of my new status. Indeed, I have had a good year in this item!

March was great, because was my 25^th birthday. I organised a camping with my best friends for a weekend. That is an achievement!

My year haven´t has really good in the University. I have not finished my thesis yet! But I over all the curses, at least. My last finish line is October 20^th.

Recently, I travelled to Iquique with my friends. That is an achievement too, because we did many activities, including paragliding. I hate stairs, and I was afraid of it. I am proud of myself, because I flied! This gave me mental energy to succeed in this last part of the year. I promise to finish my thesis, that is all what I want!

Post 8: Facebook

Sometimes, Facebook seems to be a demon. A huge strength which stops my life, getting me off from my duties, and even I forget my favourites activities.

So, why I cannot stop this? Let us find a reason, or many reasons. I only logging in Facebook on my laptop, not in my phone. I usually turn on my laptop to achieve some duty, related to University. Although I like my activities, it demands all my attention and it is exhausting. Then, I need a break. The easier form to distract me is Facebook. It contains all kind of information: friend’s agenda, beautiful pictures, jokes, breaking news, gossips, good songs, videos, etc. All comes from my friends, so it interesting to me! If I do not know about these things, my friends will talk in Chinese to me.

From last week, I started to log less in Facebook. I took mini-vacations, so I spend my time in more interesting things. It appear to be a good decision, because I do not miss anything sooo important. There is WhatsApp to maintain communication with my friends, and I can spend my break-time looking for other interesting information, like how to take better pictures with my camera.

I have to confess that I wanted to share some stuff, like my emotions about the trip, or today, when I found in Instagram a photo showing “Elevators are 5.800% safer than stairs”. It would be funny for my friends, because it justify my phobia to stairs. Then, I thought who cares about it? It will be funnier if I tell this fact, one by one, face to face. In addition, I will laugh with them. That is why I have friends, or not?

Post 7 : How green are you?

Hi bloggers!

Nowadays, a greener life is inevitable. Little by little, the media have created social awareness about caring our world, because of Global Warming. News, novels, events and new products, send a message about recycling or minimizing the human impact on Earth.

I must to assume that I do not recycle, but I have incorporated other practices. I try to reduce the use of plastic bags in market, which minimize my total garbage. I separate cans and glasses, because trash-collectors will rescue and recycle it. I know, I do not do much, but I swear to do my best in the future.

In my defense, I have to say that, besides my garbage, I do not contaminate so much: I do not drive a car unless I have to, e.g. when I have to transport a heavy thing, or when my grandpa want to take a ride. I prefer to walk or use public transport. I am afraid of ride a bike in Santiago, so I use it only for sport.

I think we have to start a greener life changing details. For this, local organizations are essential. Town council or residents' association could provide support tools and recycle channels. An associative work will improve our self-management, and our behaviour can keep clean of apathy. If my neighbour sees me recycling, he will are convince that recycling is possible.

Post 6: Trash management

Hi my dear bloggers! Today I’m going to write about trash. All of us generate a lot of waste every day, and we are irresponsable about it. In fact, most of people take a bag and put it in the street, and they has confidence on the trash-truck. Recently, when a service-trash’s strike occur in certain places of Santiago and Valparaíso, these cities collapsed.

Picture 1. Trash-strike in front of La Moneda. 

Photo by Rodrigo Bravo https://flic.kr/p/4yaUWy

The basic management of trash is separating, into metal, plastic, glass and organic. In this form, each material can decompose quickly, especially organic matter. Another management is re-use and create new stuff from recycled paper, metal and glass.

I always value trash-collectors, who select garbage like cardboard, cans of soda, and glass. Usually, this people are homeless or extremely poor and society sneer at them, because they do not have a formal job.

Picture 2. A trash-collector.

Interview available in http://www.tropezon.cl/2011/09/25/%E2%80%9Cno-ensuciamos-pudahuel-con-basura-domiciliaria-si-no-que-limpiamos-la-comuna%E2%80%9D/

In Chile, some people use to separate trash, but they complain about the few trash bin available to maintain this divide. Always is easier wait for the trash-truck, and all the garbage will mix.

I think that the better way to improve our trash management is spare no effort to produce less waste every day. For example, rejecting plastic bags in the market, or buying less packed products. If society give up a portion of commodity instead of living unconsciously, then we will have a healthier planet. 

Post 5: My future job

Hello, blogers!

Today, I am going to write about future. Because I have to, not because I want to! Well, I don’t think too much about my future. I’ve decided through my life that the best choice is “carpe diem”. So, I prefer to enjoy the present. If I do my best in everything, then I’ll have many options to choose and to build my life. Thus far, this method has worked.

As I said: this entry is a task. So, I will make up a story! No, I am joking. I remember when I decided to study Agronomy. I based my decision, thinking in my future (but not a specific future, I mean: not my specialization). I thought: if I live until I am 60 years old, I want to be an old woman who knows nature, plants names, birds, etc. Therefore, if I want to be that kind of woman at 60 years old, why not the rest of my life, since now? Thus, I studied Agronomy.

When I was at 4^th grade in Agronomy, I decided to study Master in Crop Production. I didn’t have many reasons. I was influenced by friends and teachers opinions. Master implied to study one year more, so I took it. Indeed, Master has given me a lot of opportunities. The knowledge that I have, I would have it in undergraduate, taking postgraduate courses by free.

I don’t know anything about future. The most certain possibility is become a researcher, because my knowledge is related to. In fact, I want to finish my postgraduate work and probably, I'll work with some teacher. Ask me in December, not now please!

 

Post 4: GMO

Hi everybody! Today’s topic is transgenics, or GMO (Genetic Modified Organism). In a few words, transgenics are any organism, like bacteria, fungus or plant, whom have an intervened genome by biotechnology. A classic example: new tomato variety is resistant to all known diseases, but it has a fish gene.

I’ve heard an argument pro-transgenics: we are getting ahead the evolution! But, where are the limits? Will a fish gene naturally incorporate to a tomato? I don’t think so. There are examples less dramatic: crops with higher yields, plants resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. In these cases, biotechnologists used to work within the same family, or specie, to change genome.

Inside the agriculture, transgenic appear like a hunger solution. This idea will be truth, if the world hunger are caused by low yields. In fact, humanity are rising yields with agronomic management, from ancient times. The world hunger will disappear with political and social changes, not genetics. The current food that we are producing, is enough to feeding the whole humanity. Although, in USA the edibles are wasting. In the meantime, child are suffering hunger pangs in Africa.

I’m against trangenics, if you are still doubt. I have another reason: we are giving our genetic heritage to a few enterprises. Imagine our future: people will have to pay royalty by seeds and plants, and these companies will manage what food will produce, where and when will sow. We are creating another mafia. 

Post 3: The best concert ever

Hi, my dear bloggers. Today, I’ll write about the best concert I’ve ever attended. The decision was very difficult to me. Even, I’m still thinking about it, while I writing this.

I had to call one of my BFF, who have been my concert-partner at many events, and she gave me some advices. The criteria includes staging, emotion (once we cried!), known songs, kind people around us and the distance to the artist.

The winner is Babasónicos at Caupolicán Theatre, in december 2011. Caupolicán is two blocks from my house, so was easy to get early.  My friend and I bought field tickets; therefore, we stand close to the stage. First, Javiera Mena and Gepe played, as the supporting artists. We analysed her custom; it was really awful (see Picture 1).

 Picture 1. Javiera Mena and Gepe

Babasónicos is an argentine band compose by five musicians. Adrián Dárgelos is the singer (see Picture 2), and they play progressive rock. Once at the stage, they performed their last album at 2011: “A Propósito”, mixed with their most popular songs, like “Putita”, “Irresponsables”, “Carimático” and many others.

Picture 2. Adrián Dárgelos at concert (Caupolicán Theatre, december 2011)

It was a great experience; even we appeared in a photograph at Terra.cl (see Picture 3, the shirt of my friend is blue striped). The next Saturday, we’ll attend our second Babasónico’s concert. They’ll present their newest album “Romantisísmico”. Now, we recognize ourselves as fans, and we have waited by almost three years! 

Picture 3. My best friend and I, near the stage.

Post 2 : Food and Sustainability

Today, I’m going to review a Youtube video about permaculture: "7 Food Forests in 7 minutes with Geoff Lawton". He explains the food forest evolution, using 7 stages of development over time.

The establishment requires a soil well-conditioned (that’s why he plays with soil through the video), and the most important component for this achievement is organic matter. On the next stage, Geoff shows how annual plants have been growing and forming the winter cover. In the summer cover, the presenter finds nodules in the legumes roots, and plants are higher. After that, we can observe the first harvesting. Of course, on the next stage the annual plants are chopped, which will improve the soil quality. Since now, Geoff shows a complex community, where every plant contribute for the entire ecosystem.

I think this type of agriculture combines the best of agronomy and sustainability. Although, these yields probably cannot feed the world. So, people who have access to land, seeds and knowledge, have to incorporate permaculture in their lives, caring a better future for humanity. 

Post 1: Another country that I'd like to visit

Hello everyone! This return on blogging merit a remembrance! This post is about travelling, again. Last time I said I would to visit Africa, but now, I’ll tell you about a nearest place.

I always have been attracted to Latin America and Caribbean. These countries have a similar history, because we are the “New World”. I especially curious about Guatemala. Guatemala has a great past, particularly before colonization. I want to visit Tikal, an ancient Capital of the maya civilization. Besides, the nature is wonderful: includes mangroves, forests and beaches. The most prized bird is the Quetzal (Figure 1).

I would like to meet the society, I’m wondering if guatemalans are more happy than chilean people. They lived three decades of a civil war! Also, architecture is special: you can find little colonial houses in Antigua Guatemala city.

I will travel to Guatemala as a tourist, but without a vacation package. I want to schedule my own places to visit (all nature I mentioned, and more!). 

Figure 1. Quetzal

Post 10: Blogging Experience

Hi everyone! This is my last post. The experience of being a blogger was fun! I developed my writing skills and learned some vocabulary. Maybe, the principal warring was the word extension, but most cases I was developing an idea and surprise! The limit has been over. I expect this post will not be an exception.

The post’s themes was great, except for the one that I have to write about a scientist or a paper. I did not understand it! My favourite post was about a TED talk, because I have to listen first, and then try to summarize all the ideas.

For the next instance, I would like to write about something real, telling a story, or even, write a paper about my thesis (with the real data, I hope). Another theme that can be very interesting is “facing the real English” like the first web test. Day a day, I must to search papers and information, but if someday I have to live in an English country, I would like to be prepared on the real life.

I will miss my blog (only a little). For now, I cannot say, “oh God, I have to write about my life on the internet! My blog!”

Post 9: A country I'd like to visit

Hi everyone! I have to write about a country I’d like to visit. It’s hard to choose one country, I prefer to write about a continent! I’ve always been attracted to Africa, because it’s a place where you can do anything you want.

Africa is well known about its nature; many people go into a safari and meet a wild experience. I’d like to meet a lion or an elephant, but I concern about the impact of a safari on a natural park. Indeed, Africa is a fragile ecosystem, where a minimal injury can cause an unrepairable damage.

The social issues is another characteristic that I’d like to experience in Africa.  This is the poorest continent, and a great part of the children is undernourished. My profession is related to feeding people, so I want to contribute to eradicate hungry of this continent.  

You can notice that Africa get two opposite sides: nature and poor. Someday, I want to travel to Africa and enjoy its wonderful natural marvels. At the same time, I’d like to meet the Africans,  and build a better place to live. 

Post 8: a career-related article

Hi everyone! I have to write about an article related to my specialism. Physiology is a specific knowledge! My research deal with plant stress, so I will try to explain an article that describe plant mechanisms to avoid the stress. 

“Photoprotection in plants: a new light on photosystem II damage” is a review article, written in 2011 by Shunichi Takahashi and Murray R. Badger, both from the Australian National University. 

Under certain circumstances, the leaves receive a lot of radiation, and they can be expose to photoinhibition. This problem leads to a minor photosynthetic capacity, thereafter, it will reduce yield (the principal variable on plants). 

Takahashi and Badger explains different mechanisms to avoid photoinhibition: the photoprotection. The most important mechanisms are:

- Paraheliotropism (Fig 1a): some plant species can move their leaves, to intercept less radiation. If the leaves are vertical, the radiation exposition will be minor. 

- Epidermis pigments (Fig 1c): some pigments in the leaf epidermis can serve as screen, so the chloroplasts will be expose to a minor radiation.

- ROS scavening (Fig 1d): This is a detoxification mechanism, because it works when the photoinhibition just begins. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are molecules that are produce by photoinhibition.  Ascorbate can eliminate these molecules, and avoid more damage.

As I said, this article is important because summarize all known plant mechanisms about photoinhibition. You can find this on http://libgen.org/scimag4/10.1016/j.tplants.2010.10.001.pdf 

Figure 1. Photoprotection mechanisms. Takahashi and Badger, 2011.

Post 7 : Your favourite film

Hi everyone! I’d like to write about films. I prefer movies which are a challenge to understand (like “Memento”), also that films which tell a true story (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and the most important, films that make me laugh.

I don’t have any favourite director or actor, although I admire Quentin Tarantino as a director, and Clint Eastwood as a director and as an actor too.

My favourite film by a long time has been “Finding Nemo”. I know, it’s a little embarrassing, because I’m a young woman talking about an animated movie. But Nemo has all! There’s action (a hard travel trough the ocean), good persons (or fishes in this case), great characters (I really love Dory) and a happy ending (I don’t tell you a spoiler).

I expect to second part. It’s named “Finding Dory” and will be release at 2016. I can’t imagine what will occur! Dory is my favourite character all over the films. She is a Royal Blue Tang fish and she forgets all new memories (a kind of amnesia). She sings all the time and keep in a good mood,  even when she was the lunch of a whale. Here are the best scenes of Dory! Prepare yourselves to a lot of laugh!

(and here is in Spanish)

Post 6: If people really wanted ethically produced products, they would already be buying them.

First, I need to clarify the concept “ethically produced”.  I understand that it contains two principal aspects: (1) environmental sustainability, like fewer agrochemicals products; (2) social sustainability, such as fairtrade products. Then, an ethically production could contribute to build a better society.

Why wouldn’t a person want to buy a better product? There’s several answers. Generally, these products are more expensive than common food. Indeed, upper class families consume organic products, because they have money to buy it.

Another reason is low availability of natural food on markets. Nowadays, if you do not put a product on the people’s nose, they will not see it. Overall, habit lead the preferences of a consumer. Although, I think the habit can be change. For example, there’s an ecological conscience, and it is growing around the entire world. The Climate Change contributes to a more sustainable life, because people understand how we can damage the planet.

Therefore, ethically produced products is a way to save the planet. Now these products are a little contribution, compared to traditional food. However, I think it will grow, joined to an ecological conscience. 

Post 5: My favourite photograph

Hello everyone! This week, I have to write about my favorite photograph. I was looking through my photos on Facebook, and I found this. It was taken at Cajón del Maipo, during the celebration of my birthday, this year.

My best friends and I went camping to Cajón del Maipo, and stay all the weekend. They never went camping before, so I was afraid about what could happen. The first activity was to assemble a really big tent. All our engineering skills joined and we successful! Then, I was the Fire Goddess, and I set fire a huge bonfire, to cook and to stay warm. Late, we started to drink and to eat. At night, some neighbours called our help, to fix the battery of their car. At the same time, two of my friends went to the bathroom. For this reason, the beef at the bonfire was alone, and a dog stole it. We were very angry and a little drunk, so we laughed a lot. At the end, the friendship prevailed, and we cooked a soup.

Now, we promised to come back, or go camping somewhere else. 

Post 4: Your favorite piece of technology

Ok, this post is related to technology. Sometimes, I feel inundated by all the piece of technology that are surrounding us. What happen when the electricity is shut off? Many objects can’t work. That’s why I prefer the power-independent objects, such as pieces with a battery, or a dynamo.

For example, I can’t ride my bicycle at night without my light; it works with the friction of my wheels, by a dynamo. So, my light doesn’t need a power supply. I really love it, is a creative and useful mechanism.

Another issue with technology is the lot of wires. But in these days, some things are wireless. The only wireless-thing I have is my mouse. It simplifies my life, but I’m left-handed, and it designed for right-handed. Then, it’s a little bit akward, but useful. Yeah, I hate you, right-handers of the world!

Post 3 : The Earth from Above

“A wide-angle view of fragile Earth” is a TED talk by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a photographer. He talked about Ecology, and more specifically, about the Climate Change and how the human being have damaged the Earth. The talk shows pictures and videos to motivate the audience to take care about the problem.

First, Yann presents some pictures of different places of the planet: Alberta, Coral reef, North Pole, Kilimanjaro, Borneo, and others. All of them are in dangerous because the Climate Change is working.

Then, Yann shows his project “6 billion Others”, where he captured the voice of the people, related to one question: What is the most beautiful thing that happened in your life?

At the end, Yann shows the teaser of his movie “Home”, where he shows the state of the planet.

I enjoy this talk very much, because I related on this topic. Yann explains a lot of facts related to my occupation. Here is an example: He talked about the corn used to feed animals and do oil, meanwhile, one million people have not enough to eat. 

Post 2 : Writing about statistics

The land area in Chile is 756.096 km2. In this area, coexisted 3,23 millions of people in 1907. This number rose to 15,12 millions in 2002, without any decrease between this years. You can see a exponencial tendency  in Chart 1. So, the population increase 4,7 times along 20th century. 

Chart 1. Population in Chile from 1907 to 2002 (from Memoria Chilena, 2013).

On the other hand, I’d like to compare Spain: a European country with 505.992 km2 of land area (about 200.00 km2 smallest than Chile). In 1990, the Spanish were 18.830.649 (6 times Chile’s population). After this year the increase was linear until 1980, when the growth's rate declined. At the end of 20^th century, Spain has 40,8 millions of people, 2 times the population existing in 1990 (see Chart 2).

Chart 2. Population in Spain from 1900 to 2009 (from Fundación BBVA, 2010).

As you can see, Spain is smallest than Chile in land area, but even in 1990 holds more people. The tendency is exponencial here, but in Spain (an oldest country) the growth’s rate is linear. This fact is actually a problem, because there is not young people who can replace the oldest. The government try to fix it, generating benefits to who’s had childs. In Chile, we’ll have this issue on the next years, as Chile will convert on a First World Country. 

A Self Introduction

Well, as a homework of the English Course, I'll write about me. I don't like to do this, but I must. So, what can I say? I was born in Santiago, Chile, and I have been living here all my life. After school, I studied a Bachelor in Sciences, at Universidad de Chile. Then, I studied Agronomy in the same university, but not in the same place :( .
As hobbies, I hate all the sports you can imagine (a lot). I like to spend time with my friends, cook anything sweet and practise yoga twice a week. I’m afraid of spiders and stairs (yeah, that thing you must climb to get the second floor). That's all!