Manifesto

           History is the story of who we are and where we come from. Also, history helps people learn from the mistakes of those in the past. For me, Freddy Lopez, my history begins in the Colegio Panamericano because it was the place where I learned and grew as a person for many years. For thirteen years, I’ve been studying in this amazing school where I learned a lot from my mistakes which helped me become a better person for the future. These thirteen years passed really fast, but I am happy that I was able to enjoy this wonderful experience to the limit.

            I am grateful for all of the people-parents, teachers, peers- who lived this experience by my side. Without the help of these people, I cannot be the person that I am today because they changed my life drastically. My parents and the teachers helped me change my view of the world by being able to recognize the struggles of others.  From my classmates, I learned to seek the end my goals and to fight for my dreams because no one will fight them for me. I think that my parents selected wisely for choosing this wonderful school because I learned to be a better student and human being. All the values that I acquired in the Colegio Panamericano are going to by essential for my success as a professional, friend, father, and lover.

            One of my best experiences that helped me to be grateful for what I have was the Mega Misiones done in Medellin. I had the opportunity to have this journey because I belonged to a group of teenagers that represented the Catholic Church called Club Faro. We were common people who wanted to change the world by helping the people who need it or did not have God in their heart. The funny side was that my mother forces me to join this group because I needed to change my attitude towards people and be a better person. At the end, I liked Club Faro because I was able to make new friends and get closer to God.  I am grateful with my parents because I could visit many places around Colombia by making charity works.

            This amazing experience made me reflect and think if I had a duty in the world or was able to make the world a better place for everyone. I realized that I could do or be whoever I want in the future but without forgetting that my decisions should benefit or help humanity. Even in my professional career I expect to help people the way I can by changing people’s minds to good because that is my purpose in life. Also, I want to leave a better place for my sons because I do not want them to live in a nasty world.

            All my life I’ve been living with fear of what the people say and think about me. In the last year of school I realized that it was only important what I believed about me. All this process show the maturity I have acquired in all this cycle that is getting over in few weeks; the school. Sometimes when I’m sad, I lose my path and everything starts to go wrong. In these cases I remember the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be"(1952). This beautiful quote remembers me that everything is possible and that I am the one who creates the limits to my dreams. 

            One of my biggest dreams is to become a pilot of airplane from one of the best Airlines in Colombia. I know it is really difficult, but I believe in my capacities and I have the support of many people who believe in me and my dream. Before dying I wish to be able to achieve and accomplish all the goals I set in life.

In order to achieve my dreams I believe in some rules that will help me reach them successfully.

·         Be responsible.

·         Respect others and yourself.

·         Forget about your pride and help others.

·         Write your goals.

·         Expect Failure.

·         Be decisive.

·         Believe in yourself.

Photo Credit: Daily Positive Quotes 

Light Bulb Conspiracy

Photo Credit: Elephant Journal

In the last years the quality of the products created by the human beings has decreased, because of the methods they use in the economy. Planned obsolescence is a strategy used by the big companies to keep the costumers buying their products in order to increase their financial power. A good example of this is the Light Bulb Conspiracy that shows how the light bulb makers created obsolete products. The light bulbs passed from 25000 usage hours to 1000 hours, because they wanted to have a constant consumerism. This is the reason why some objects that we own stop working in few months of usage.

The United States created this strategy because they wanted to get out of the depression that they were living, because of the bad usage of their economy. They believed that they were able to create more employment because more products were needed to be produced due to their bad quality. But the only thing that they reached was a dependence on this products, so many people were affected; especially the lower class. Also, the third world countries were used as trashes so countries could throw away their “obsolete” products. 

Four Horsemen

Photo Credit: Renegade Economist

The movie the Four Horsemen talks about the 4 problems that make an empire to collapse. The film says that and empire lives approximately 10 decades and then it disappears. It is like a cycle that happens over and over again; just like the water cycle. In Four Horsemen they discuss the issues that make and empire to collapse. Just like what is happening to the United States, their economy is falling because of all the problems they have acquired among time. This idea that the film tries to show can be related to the Corpratocracy. The bad usage of resources and money has caused the economy decline in a short period of time.

I believe that the United States era has ended because of its bad administration and lack of communication with their citizens. In the last few years, the middle class in the United States has decreased because of the way their economy system is used. There would be in few years only a high class and a low class if things continue like this. For these reasons, the end of this powerful empire is soon, and it would open a new path to other empire to rise. 

Colombian Monetary System

Actually, the monetary system of Colombia is not based on the gold standard; so this system is controlled by an entity. This entity is separated from everything, but it is in alliance with the government. Like the United States reserve banking; they are the ones who create and control all the money in Colombia. The Banco Central de Colombia tries to regulate the money that is circulated all over the country, and tries to keep the inflation rate low. They are the ones who try to stable all the economy in the country of Colombia.

The Banco Central de Colombia also tries to keep the unemployment rate low all over the country, but it is impossible because it is based in a capitalist system. This system differs from the system of the United States because it does not create money so easily. Also the payment tariffs are different and the taxes obviously change. They are similar because they are independent from the government, so they are able to make their own decisions. In conclusion, they both try to get richer without thinking of the people that becomes affected with this system. 

http://zeitgeistcolombia.pbworks.com/w/page/6582850/Proyecto_comprender%20el%20sistema%20monetario%20en%20Colombia. 

Fractional reserve banking system

                  Photo Credit: Metro Forum

Money is created in the United States thanks to the national reserve banking system. When this process happens, the government obtains a debt with the reserve, because this money was created out of empty air; of nothing. The government acquires the amount of money they have asked by giving the reserve papers called bonds; so it is like and exchange between this entities. After all this process is done, the government gives the money to different banks to store the money or use it with people and organizations. The only rule for the banks is to keep that 10 percent of money that they have received from the government.

This system is based on loans that the citizens or companies must pay to the banks who gave them money. This means that interests are added because the bank needs to make some money. In order that this system works efficiently is that someone needs to get to bankruptcy, because if this no happens more money must be created to pay all this loans. This will cause more inflation in the world and the money will lose the value that have in that determined moment. In conclusion, this system is created to make people lose money so the government can pay the initial debt that they acquire.

Canada licenses medical use of marijuana

Photo Credit: Collective Evolution

In Canada a group of scientists are producing the marijuana in specialized labs because they are going to use it for medical reasons. Canada licensed the use of marijuana only for medical treatment because they know the positive effects that they produce. The doctors will give this drug to the people that are in cancer treatments because they are really harmful for the human body. The scientists are expecting that 400,000 people in Canada will use the marijuana as a drug for their medical treatments. Even, people with doctor prescriptions will be able to order marijuana online.

This news does not mean that marijuana or cannabis will be legal in Canada. Still all the people that use this drug for fun will have conflicts with the law. Also the people that are working in these labs are wisely selected in order to protect this product from the wrong hands. I believe it is good that they use this drug, because it will help many people that suffer in painful treatments. 

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2014/04/canada-licenses-medical-use-marijuana-20144114332615932.html

Food Inc

In the United States there a lot of companies that govern or control almost all the economy of that country. Examples of these companies are: Mc Donald, Tyson, Monsanto, Coca cola and KFC. These corporations try to get richer without caring of the health and security of their workers. All over the world this companies have expanded because they create and sell cheap products to the costumers. By being these products cheap, their quality becomes lower so it is dangerous to the human health.

These corporations can be compared to the corporate control the united states have with other countries. The food companies can be compared with the economic hit men, because they loan money to poor people in order to make part or collaborate with the company in their production. One example is what Tyson do with the farmers that work for them. Tyson decides the process and policies that the farmers must follow and when their machines need to be updated. In conclusion, food inc relates to race, economics and corporate control because of the power they have over the people and even the country.

Photo Credit: Movimiento Latino

Destitucion de Gustavo Petro

Photo Credit: El Tiempo

Gustavo Petro fue el primer alcalde de Bogotá en ser destituido por la Procuraduría tras haber cometido tres faltas durante su mandato. Incluso, Samuel Moreno no fue destituido por haber robado dinero, sino que fue sancionado de su cargo. Uno de sus problemas durante su gobierno fue cuando el año pasado Bogotá se quedó por tres días sin la recolección de basura. Esta y otras causas dejaron a Gustavo Petro fuera del mandato como alcalde de Bogotá. Además de esto, Petro fue inhabilitado por 15 años para ocupar cargos públicos en Colombia. Durante estos días se decidirá quién quedara como alcalde en Bogotá hasta Diciembre mientras se hacen nuevas elecciones.

Una de sus faltas graves fue darle a dos entidades sin experiencia la capacidad de manejar el sistema de aseo en Bogotá.  Estas empresas fueron La empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá y Aguas de Bogotá.  Además, Petro expidió un decreto que restringía y limitaba a otras empresas de aseo en la ciudad de Bogotá. Esto causo conflicto en la ciudad porque estas empresas fueron afectadas gravemente y por causas injustas.  La tercera falta de Gustavo Petro  fue por la volquetas que uso para recoger la basura en Bogotá lo cual violo normas sanitarias en la recolección de estas. Esta fue la causa por la cual en Bogotá no se recogieron casi 9.000 toneladas de basuras en la ciudad durante tres días. 

http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/bogota/ARTICULO-WEB-NEW_NOTA_INTERIOR-13271079.html

The Economic Hit man

An economic hit man is a guy used by the United States that makes other countries invests in the United States. His job is to convince the other countries that the deal is fair and secure, so they are able to obtain a lot of many. The United States lends them money in order to make this deal, and the other country must pay them with the interest. When all this is done, the country is not able to pay the USA because the deal was fake; in order to pay them, they become the slaves of the United States. For the countries that don’t want to cooperate with the USA, their leaders are killed by the chacals or the USA army.

One of the countries that the USA attacked was Venezuela because they wanted their petroleum in order to get their economy better. The deal that the USA government negotiated with Venezuela happened during the government of Chavez.  The United States did not have success because Chavez did not wanted to cooperate and had a good support from the citizens. So the economic hit man could not do his job of influencing citizens to rebel to the government, because they believed in Chavez.

Other country that was affected by the United States was Syria during the government of Saddam Hussein.  Like in Venezuela, they did not want to cooperate so they were attacked by the USA in different manners. First, the economic hit man pays to citizens to rebel to Saddam Hussein government, but he was so strong that this was useless.  The USA decided to send the chacals to kill Saddam Hussein, but they did not succeed because he was well defended. So the USA could not reach to the economy of this country. 

Photo Credit: Riyazahmedk

Race: Reality or Ilussion ?

Race is a social and political issue created by the people and government in order to justify the division of power and social power among the citizens. This idea was supported by the science because they demonstrated that blacks were weaker compared to whites; so the whites were the ones who needed to dominate and rule in the country. The people that tried to reveal against this idea were judged and criticized by the government and the wealthy people. So the people tried to prove that they were wrong by using science against them; but they said that science was only right when the whites use it.

The video shows the idea that race does not exist completely in the human beings because genetically humans are the most similar organism genetically. Only two genes are different in the humans; but the only problem is that it changed drastically the physical traits among human beings. Also the video showed that people from different countries and cultures could be really similar genetically; but different physically. In conclusion, it is really difficult to determine the different type of races in humanity because it is really complex and difficult to classify. 

http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm

Lionel Messi breaks Barcelona record

Lionel Messi became Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer after the game against Osasuna in which he made a hat-trick. With only 26 years, Messi had scored 371 goals since he started to play in the club. Lionel Messi overcomes Paulino Alcantara who had 369 goals with Barcelona in only 357 appearances. This shows that Messi is the best player in the world because it is a ridiculous amount of goals for only one person in a team.  Thanks to the guidance of Tata Martino, the Argentinian, Messi break this record in the day of today.

This news is important to me because I like to see Barcelona play and Lionel Messi is one of my favorite soccer players. Also it is fun and awesome to see this team play because their game style is unique and difficult to play. Today Barcelona beat Osasuna with a 7-0 in the Camp Nou in which is very good because it allows them to continue fighting for the title with Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid. For these reasons I consider this news really important because I like sports, and specially soccer. 

Photo Credit: CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/16/sport/football/barcelona-milan-messi/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

Middle East News and Issues

I found a webpage that talk about all the current issues from the Middle East since its beginnings. http://middleeast.about.com/ was created by Rimoz Manfreda who is a researcher and political risk analyst in the Middle East. He started this webpage since 2001 because he lives in this zone and knows the daily incidents that happen in this area. Also because he loves this types of topics, and is an expert on them. This webpage help us learn the basics of Middle Eastern issues, the most frequently asked questions, and most commonly used terminology. I like this site because it gives news from West Africa to Pakistan. I believe it is a good webpage for the people who want to learn the history of the Middle East and its effects in the whole world.

Photo Credit: http://journal-neo.org/

Movie: Lemon Tree

The movie Lemon Tree tries to show the conflict between Israel and its occupied territories that are: Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the West Bank. The movie starts when Salma Zidane, a Palestinian that lives in the West Bank, is ordered to cut her lemon trees. She feels really sad because her ancestor owned that trees so it was the only memory she had from them. For Salma the trees were like persons, so she tries to fight against the Jews by going to court. The only problem is that she is alone because her husband died and her son lived in the United States. This trouble with the tree started when the Defense Minister of Israel moves to a house near to Salma’s home; the minister believed that these trees were dangerous to him, because they affected his security. At the end Salma Zidane “wins” the case with the help of her lawyer, but the decision was to cut the trees up to 30 cm; so they were not able to produce lemons any more.

This movie reflects the conflict between these territories because it shows the power Israelites had over Palestinians. It is represented in the movie when the government of Israel is trying to take the lemon trees from Salma Zidane. This shows how a woman has few support and rights in the Middle East; especially if it is a Palestinian. Also the movie Lemon Tree represents successfully how the power is divided in Israel because of their government, culture, language, and religion. It’s now fair for a human being to take the things they have work or created for many years because they are different, inferior, and weak. I believe that Palestinians should be treated equally because the also live in that territory for a long time. Both cultures should share the country and leave peacefully in order to stop suffering. 

Photo Credit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/movies/17lemo.html?_r=0

Caracas Chronicles

I found a webpage that gives all the information about the conflict in Venezuela since 2002 until now. http://caracaschronicles.com/ it is directed by a Venezuelan politician who now lives in Chile, so he can give his opinion freely without getting in trouble with the government of Venezuela. I like this webpage because the information is really good, and its organization is awesome; so it is easy to read and learn about this important topic. Also it allows us to comment in the posts he makes, so it creates a connection between the writer and the reader.

Capital One Cup - Final

En el día de hoy el equipo llamado Manchester City gano su tercer trofeo en la copa de la liga inglesa gracias a su gran esfuerzo y dedicación durante todo el torneo. Después de mucho tiempo este equipo inglés alcanzo la gloria gracias a la dirección técnica del chileno Manuel Pellegrini. El partido termino  3-1 a favor del Manchester City con goles de Yaya toure, Samir Nasri y Jesus Navas. Aunque empezaron perdiendo, lograron remontar el resultado ya que no perdieron la calma en el partido, a pesar de ese gol en contra que recibieron al principio del partido.

Todo el equipo técnico está feliz del resultado porque en los partidos pasados no habían concebido con la victoria porque no estaban jugando en su mejor nivel. Además, venían de jugar en la Champions contra el Barcelona en donde muchos de sus jugadores terminaron agotados por ese fuerte enfrentamiento. Este fue el primer título de Manuel Pellegrini tras llegar del Málaga al Manchester City en el verano pasado. Para concluir, esta victoria será de mucha ayuda para este equipo porque le subirá la confianza y la moral a este gran equipo para que siga ganando más títulos en esta temporada 2013-2014. 

Photo Credit: As.com


Workscited: Pellegrini: "Supimos esperar nuestro momento" | Internacional | AS.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2014/03/02/internacional/1393778785_252417.html

Israel and the Palestinians

The economist explains how the conflict between Israel and the Gaza strip is getting worse as time passes. Both sides have decided to cease fire because many innocent people have been killed because of the hate and rivalry among them. They are fighting in order to get their territory back because according to both sides the territory belongs to them. There are many factors that contribute to this dispute, like religion, culture and language. The majority of the citizens want to end this conflict because at any moment their life could be in risk because that country lacks of security.

The HAMAS are the Islamic movement that have ruled Gaza since 2007, and the fight in order to get their territory back and make their rights value.  Egypt is the country that is helping Gaza by giving them weapons in order to defend themselves from the Israelites. I believe that this conflict will not end until either side gets destroyed or leave the country. The UN should make a plan of action in order to end this ancient conflict. Also, the UN should not listen the countries that BETO this decisions because it is not making any good to that poor country and their citizens.

Photo Credit: The economist

MLA citations:

Israel and the Palestinians: Old battles, new Middle East | The Economist. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/21567086-ceasefire-between-israel-and-hamas-could-yet-be-unlikely-foundation-peace-old-battles-new

Venezuela conflict

The conflict in Venezuela started when they needed to choose a new president because Chavez died. The elections started and the mayor candidates were Nicolas Maduro and Henrique Capriles. Nicolas Maduro beat Henrique Capriles with a small difference of votes, but everyone believed that it was a fraud because no one liked Maduro. All the Venezuelans were frustrated because a man with no studies will govern their country for 6 years.

Everyone knew that a period of dictatorship was coming because Maduro was the pupil of Chavez.  His government started and Venezuela’s economy started to fall because he had no idea what he was doing. The government was stealing the money and the citizens were the ones who get affected. In the stores the food was missing so people need to fight against each other in order to obtain what they want.

The chaos in Venezuela started, so a group of people guided by Capriles decided to make a pacific revolt. Everything went wrong; people were killed because the police was ordered by the government to do that atrocity. One of the leaders that were against Maduro was sent to jail because he was going to get killed. This shows the insecurity in Venezuela, and the tyranny created by Maduro in order to maintain the power.

Now everyone is afraid and upset because the can get killed if they do something against this government. I believe that the only solution is to ask help to stronger countries to help them remove Maduro from the power. People need to unify in order to win this conflict; just like they did in Libia with Muamar Gadafi.

Photo credit Mashable.

URL: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2014/03/03/geraldo-rivera-crisis-closer-to-home/

Syrian Conflict

There has been a conflict in Syria between the Muslims and the Africans since many years. The conflict started because these two races had different cultures, languages and religion. They believed that by dividing the country their problems will end; but it just became worst. They are killing each other because they want more territory and power. 

This happens because the Muslims do not have the resources, while the Africans have all the resources such as oil. In Syria thousands of people have been killed and Damascus is totally destroyed because of this war the two countries have. This conflict is making the people to scape to Jordan, and lives as refugees in order to start a new life and be able to survive. 

Photo credit CNN.

Introduction

I am a 17 year old boy from Bucaramanga, Colombia. I study in the Colegio Panamericano and actually I am in 12 grade. The classes that I like the most are Math and Chemistry. During my free time I like to spend time with my friends or family. The sport that I like the most is soccer. My favorite soccer team is Manchester City. Also I like to read and sleep when I am bored. When I finish school this year, I plan to study Aviation in order to become a commercial pilot in the future.