FELIPE ARGOTE: THE BLOG: agosto 2010

martes, 24 de agosto de 2010

ONE YEAR OF THE BLOG

By: Felipe Argote

After twelve months of continuous writing, training and installation diagram of the blog, I am very pleased with the support received. Add Sense Currently, according to the meter hits the blog, we have averaged more than 2,100 hits a month from readers.

We thank you for your interest and hope that in this second year can exceed your expectations. It is of much value their commentary although most send it to my personal email always serve as a stimulus. I appreciate any criticism or contribution to the topics as you can see include not only the economy but a wide range of issues.

Here I present a list of all published articles segmented by topic. You can access the article with ctrl + click just in case you did not read before and find it interesting.

martes, 10 de agosto de 2010

THE MAYA TESTAMENT OF STEVE ALTEN

By: Felipe Argote

Hun-Hanahpu

I was at first annoyed by the lies and exaggeration that Steve Alten used to justify the supposed prophecy of the Popol Vuh, the so called sacred book of the Mayas where supposedly prophesy the end of the world in December 2012 through cataclysms.

Then I opted for a provision to read just for what it is: a book of science fiction. Maya really is a language, not an adjective. The Spanish aliens decided to put the title of Maya to all those who spoke that language when they arrived to our continent lived in what is now Guatemala, part of southern Mexico and Honduras.

The Popol Vuh, the so called sacred book of the Mayas is also an invention. The book was written by a Catholic priest named Fray Francisco Ximenez in the seventeenth century, as he translated the so-called "book of the community” received from the Quiche Maya who had saved for many years. Thus the book contains some references, as well includes some contributions of the Spanish priest who makes the book in some parts like the Bible

Quetzlcoatl

In any case , viewed from the perspective of a science fiction novel "The Testament Maya" is very entertaining and original, is worthy of a Hollywood movie. It always seems much more imaginative version of Roland Emerich in the movie "2012, We Were Warned . "

All the movie version has to develop the argument is called the Mayan calendar long count. Alten however, develops an interesting argument from a couple of archaeologists, Julius Gabriel and Mary who are step by step discovering a series of clues that lead them to conclude that indeed the world is in danger of extermination and that their child is nothing less than Hun-Hunahpu, who according to Mayan mythology was the god of fertility and the ball game.

The son of Julius and Mary, with an IQ of 160 is held paranoid schizophrenic and confined in a sanatorium like a maximum security prison. A youg girl student psychiatrist falls in love with him and helps him escape so that, contrary to what she believed in, saves the world from apocalypse. On the way Mick, which is the name of the reincarnation of Hun-Hunahpu, makes love with her so Dominique became pregnant, who gave birth to the twin gods Xbalanque and Hunahpú.

Kukuxklan

The interesting copious 586 page book is that the author develops interesting elements such as the origin of life on the planet, taking in fact the theory of Russian Alexander Oparin, the writer of the famous book "The Origin of Life" and also takes elements from the very famous book by Stephen Hawking "From Big Bang to Big Crunch"

Of course that in Maya mythology, which is inherited from the Toltecs, including Kukuxklán, the feathered serpent, which is the same God Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs, does not appear anywhere the cataclysm, the end of the world, nor the trial end that appears in the Bible of the Jewish religion. Therefore, to read "The Mayan Testment" should be seen only as a historical book, a science fiction novel.

Steve Allen

Written in 2000, Steve Alten's novel predicts the first black president of the United States in 2012 would be from the Republican Party, after being vice president occupies the top position after the suicide of the president, in the midst of international crisis nuclear missiles

From this perspective I recommend "The Mayan Testament" by Steve Allen, for being an entertaining read, interesting, and imaginative.

LITTLE BOY

By Felipe Argote

CHURCHILL, ROOSEVELT Y STALIN

While in Potsdam, a town near Berlin in Germany, Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman and Clement Attlee, discussed the distribution of the planet, or rather the remains, after the unconditional surrender of Germany, in the desert of New Mexico United States ended late the last argument for the defeat of Germany and Japan. The conference was developing smoothly. It was the second part of the conference which began in February at Yalta. That is the reason it is generally referred as Yalta and Potsdam. But the actors of this conference had varied by 66 % compared to February in Yalta. Of the three, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, there was only the Russian dictator there. Franklin D. Roosevelt had died at his desk in Warm Springs, Georgia. He died of brain cancer, despite many years to grieve after surviving polio. Winston Churchill began the conference, but was later replaced by Clement Attlee, who had defeated him on the British elections.

In the midst of the conference Harry Truman discussed separately with Attlee and Stalin. He reported to both that U.S. had developed a lethal weapon of mass destruction. A few moments earlier he had received a telegram informing him that in Alamogordo, New Mexico, had been carried out successful test of a nuclear explosion equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT.

Truman then sent a telegram on July 26 to Japan in which he requested their unconditional surrender, surrender to all territories outside Japan and threatened to prosecute military Nipponese leaders. This became known later as the Potsdam Declaration. He never mentioned the atomic bomb. Japan rejected the ultimatum, though they had lost all their possessions in the Pacific and expected land invasion. According to the agreements of Yalta the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and attacked him in Manchuria, northeastern China controlled by the Nipponese.

On August 6, 1945 began one sunny morning in Japan. In Hiroshima looked like the population was going to spend a normal morning in the plight of the war. This was one of the few large cities that had not been devastated by the B-29 which since 1944 dropped thousands of bombs on population centers of the Japanese islands. Its inhabitants had no idea that during the night had taken off three B-29 bombers. One of them was the Enola Gay piloted by Col. Paul Tibbets. The Colonel had put the airplane name on behalf of his mother. This bomber was wearing a uranium bomb named with the suggestive name of Little Boy. He was accompanied by two similar bombers, one carried scientifics and one with a camera crew.

At 8:15 a.m. the hell arrived from the air. First there was a flash with a white light such as magnesium, which blinded those who directly observed. Those who were nearby were vaporized. Some bodies were changed into a shadow on the pavement. Others were burned, turned to dust when touched. After that, a whirlwind destroyed everything in its path with temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius. Finally, acid black rain, full of radioactivity loaded bathed who remained alive. These would have a slow and painful death. 180,000 people died in Hiroshima, 100,000 at the time of the nuclear explosion and the rest in the following weeks. It was the most devastating attack in the history of mankind. The second took place three days later on Nagasaki. They killed 80,000 people, 50,000 at the time of the explosion of another bomb, this time of plutonium.

At 65 years of this extreme show of barbarism there is no argument to justify such a crime against humanity, killing men, women and especially innocent children in the stupidity of war.

lunes, 2 de agosto de 2010

BORINQUEN

By: Felipe Argote

I was tempted to expect a little more time to know better the island and its people before writing this article, but then I decided to write the first impression it gave to me at the arrival to this country so full of contradictions.

I got a surprise that Puerto Rico was not what I imagined, a Caribbean city like Panama, The Havana and Santa Marta. On the contrary, I found a city like Miami just with Puerto Ricans rather than Cubans. With JC Pennys , K mart , Sears and Macys. All connected by a network of highways. To get a taxi is not enough to stand on the street and raise your hand. _You must call it on the phone. To rent a car it took a row of two hours. In the hotel of 14 channels only 3 are in Spanish even though only 3% of the population is bilingual. This population is mostly white (80%) with a few Afro-Caribbean and no Indians. Although a recent study found that Puerto Ricans have in their high level of Taino DNA, the ancient inhabitants of the island and Guanche from the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

When the Spanish first arrived on the island was inhabited by the Taino Indians . They called Boriken or Borinquen. These were a very peaceful people that gave gold and necklaces of shells to the invaders as they saw them only as decorations. This attitude of the Tainos, contrasting with the Spanish barbarians who did not have the bath as part of their customs and disloyalty, treason, and the ill were part of their tradition, as well as tell their own stories, confused this hospitality with consider repeated stupidity that the natives believed they were gods.

Diego Salcedo was one of the first developed it by contacting the peaceful Taino commanded by the chief Agüeivaná decided to enslave them by forcing them to seek more gold. Such conduct after tamely decided to rebel against their oppressors drowning him in a river. The Spanish story says they did it to see if he was a god. The real story is that however noble the Tainos were not withstand the extreme cruelty of the Spanish who paid with his live for his greed.

Eventually, the huge Spanish technological advantage, their greed, their diseases and brutality eventually submit first and then extinguish the noble race of the Taino, whose genes are, as noted, still running through the veins of the current Puerto Rican.

Perhaps because of this meekness Puerto Rico is a town that has never known freedom, and independence. While since the early nineteenth century a large number of American territories got free from Spanish oppression, was not until 1868, with the “shout of Lares” given the attempted emancipation of the island, which was quickly controlled by the Spanish colonizers. Until 1897 Puerto Rico achieves the called “Charter of Autonomy”, which gives autonomy but not independence to the island by Spain, with the bad luck that exploits a year after the U.S. war against Spain which the nascent empire wrested the past colonial territories to the Spanish crown once invincible. Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Philippines become the property of the United States. As Cuba continues its identity and achieved independence and the Philippines achieved independence but loses some of its identity, as it was forced to change its Spanish language for English, Puerto Rico remains a colony status or something very similar. Cuba gained its independence in 1902 but with a level of U.S. intervention, the Philippines continued its war for independence that started against Spain, then against the United States, where they die more than a million Filipinos, but achieved independence in 1946. Puerto Rico was formed with its commonwealth status that it still possesses.

In the referendums that have been developed on the island to comment on their status or the majority voted to remain what it has termed commonwealth or have voted to become a star in the United States flag. In fact, the independence party has only managed in the last election by 2.5 % of the votes thus lost what they call franchise like a baseball team or a fast food restaurant. A superficial analysis will show the reason for this attitude.

In Borinquén live about 4 million people, although living in the United States four million Puerto Ricans. So it's a population slightly larger than Panama's very similar to that of Costa Rica.

BORINQUEN DESDES EL ESPACIO

While in Panama and Costa Rica Gross domestic product per capita is $ 7,000 a year in Puerto Rico is $ 18,000. While in Panama there are 25.000 teachers there are 42.000 in Puerto Rico much better paid. In Puerto Rico, 9.8% of the budget goes to university education.

Borinquen total GDP is U.S. $ 90.000 million. Nearly four times bigger than in Panama or Costa Rica. 44.5% of its GDP comes from industry, 55% of the service sector and only 0.5% of the primary sector. It has a trade surplus of 3.600 billion. Although it has a 16% unemployment and inflation of 14%.

Recently, with the bailout of the economy of the U.S. president Barack Obama has been directed toward an economic boost Puerto Rico in the order of 5.000 billion dollars. This is almost a quarter of Panama's GDP, and very similar to the 7.000 million it costs us the canal expansion.

LOSE LOSE

By: Felipe Argote

Do not owe to rich neither promise to poor, my mom said in her infinite repertoire of proverbs. Such is the case of highways. During the election campaign in this cornucopia of promises when it became the presidential candidate and his campaign, promised a meter in three years, to lower the food basket, reducing unemployment and in turn inflation. Among a myriad of promises pledged to the nationalization of the runners and the gratuity of the same.

Reality is always richer than any theoretical scheme. But the five-year recurrence candidates promising the moon and the stars, but once exalted in power are dedicated to give excuses for the reasons that this same promises are not possible and that people over and over again believe them again is what moves to tenderness for the Panamanian electorate, not to use sadness at how shocking the term is.

But let’s talk about the highways.

It now appears that we the people are going to buy the highways more than double what we receive by 49 percent of the shares of the National Institute of Telecommunications, now Cable & Wireless.

To buy it the government is ready to spent part of the 1.200 million dollars from the Development Trust Fund, whose funds come from the privatization of INTEL and IRHE and some other minor sales. They come from state enterprises that cost more than twenty years to rise, we gave to foreign capital and at least the positive side, the government sold them, the Perez Balladares at least not spent these funds as if he did that of Guillermo Endara to the proceeds of the sale of Cemento Bayano. On the other hand was placed in a fund called the Development Trust with the ban by spending bill or current spending or investment spending disguised. However his interests were deposited to be spent in a institution called the FES. This institution quickly became a piñata for the incumbent government as Mireya Moscoso promised in the campaign to close it. On reaching the government she kept her promise: FES was closed but immediately opened the FIS (Social Investment Fund) with the same features as its immediate predecessor. Then the candidate Martinelli promised to close the FIS. On reaching the government decided that it was not so bad and we're still hoping to at least see the Audit promised.

It is now intended to dismember the fund devoted to buying some of the highways and the other party will come out of depositors' funds Social Security. It expects to pay $650 million for the northern highway corridor and 420 million for the southern highway for a grand total of 1.07 billion dollars.

This means that if the project fails we ran out of domestic savings and no retirement fund of thousands of Panamanians, with serious consequences for the country's financial situation. If the highways are profitable with the current pricing structure, so that users with high rates choked the corridors will not see an improvement in their situation and if prices come down the corridors to the satisfaction of users it won’t be profitable, so we lose our investment as a country.

To paraphrase Stephen R. Covey this is a lose lose situation.

THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY

Born in the Kalahari , N! xau ( the exclamation point is a crack) is famous for being the main actor of the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy ." In the movie a Bushman Tribe receives a gift from heaven, a Coke bottle thrown from the window of an airplane. The gift from the gods to be a source of joy becomes a source of fight until N! xau decided to leave it at what is going on foot to dump it at the end of the world. This is the beginning of an adventure that pits the simple Bushmanlife with the most elemental technology and the stupid rules imposed by civilization. Is said that when he was paid for his performance N! xau released the bills to the wind because they he had no value for him.

MALINCHE BY LAURA ESQUIVEL

Malinche was a daughter of Noble in Nahua, Mexican also be called Aztec becuse they came from a place called Aztlan, and who settled in the valley of Mexico on XV century before expanding to what today is Central. La Malinche, or Doña Marina as she was baptized by spanish collaborated with Hernan Cortes and was one of his concubines. She helped to him to take aztec empire ans was used as translator. After Cortes took the empire he give her to one of his officials. It has been said that she was murdered in her own home.

AN THE MAYOR ? TALKING STUPID THINGS

Throughout the city there are somethings called monuments that have become garbage dumps, or simple mosquito breeding ruins. In Balboa, a monument that are misshapen figures balanced on a log to a dwarf who raises his fingers in sign of peace. The same day ended the Arnulfists government finished the budget for maintenance, the lights and the fountain disappeared and only the grotesque figures left. At Tumba Muerto avenue a group of ladies raised a Roman column holding an event and left it to their fate. Although years ago a red devil bus hit the base of the pilaster, the supposed monument and its significance remain unknown giving the city and ugly picture until it meets the result, it falls over a car or a pedestrian and kill someone.

THE PLOT

FOUR TEENAGERS WERE SWIMMING AT A RIVER WHEN THEY SAW THE ALLIEN BEING IN THE JUNGLE. BECAUSE HE WAS DIFFERENT THEY DECIDE TO BEAT HIM TO DEATH, AS THEY HAVE LEARNED BY HOLLYWOOD FILM AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS. THE FIRST AND SECOND PHOTO SHOW HOW HIS BODY REMAINED AFTER DEATH. THE THIRD SHOWS HOW HE LOOKS LIKE WHEN HE WAS ALIVE, THE FOURTH IS HIS I.D. PICTURE AND YOU CAN SEE AT THE FIFTH ONE OF THE THOUSANDS SHIPS THAT COMO TO AVENT HIS BUDY. WOULD YOU PLESE KILLERS TURN TO THE ALIENS TO AVOID AN INTERGALICTICAL WAR. IT IS NOT A GOOD MOMENT TO WAR WHEN WE THE WORLD ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FINANCIAL CRISIS.

MANATEE AT THE PANAMA CANAL

Few know, some of us did not know until recently that there are manatees at the Gatun Lake. These specimens are not originated from this artificial lake, were implanted in 1964 to control the growth of vegetation in the Panama canal. These animals are herbivors and can eat between 100 to 200 pounds of aquatic plants per day. They were part of a project of the former Canal Commission. One was brought from Peru and ten were brough from Bocas del Toro, but escaped during a storm and are now known to exist in the remotest places of Gatun Lake. They are very shy of human presence and can last up to twenty minutes underwater.

WILL THE MOON REACT TO ASSAULT?

In order to confirm the theory of the existence of water in a specific location of the moon, NASA scientists sent an unmanned vehicle to bombard a specific area of the small mass of land that runs our planet. According to the disclosures the maneuver was successful because it felt a splash in the bombed area. However, there are reports that the lunatics (inhabitants of the moon) have considered this an attack. Tempers have been heated in recent weeks, the product of murdering by teenage radicals in Cerro Azul, Panama

On Thursday, May 20, was held in the conference room of the master program of the American University of Panama an interesting exposition by the Engineer Jorge Quijano, Executive Vice President Engineering and Program Management of the Panama Canal Authority. The speaker presented the progress of the canal expansion at students and professors at the master's program. The conference was organized and presented by Professor Gustavo Salom who directs the graduate program of this prestigious university.

WHY COULD NOT U.S. CONFRONT MILITARILY THE ARAB EMBARGO IN 1973?

One of the reasons that Richard Nixon could not respond militarily to the oil embargo imposed by Arab countries in the seventies was the public opinion of the American people after seeing this photograph taken by Nic Ut an Associated Press photographer outside the population of Trang Bang in North Vietnam on 8 June 1972. In the photo Kim Phuc, a 9 years old vietnamese child run desesperately out of her town been bombed by napalm. It was not possible for U. S. to enter another war at the time. United States under President Richard Nixon signed the peacce agreement with North Vietnam in January 1973, six months after this photo and a few months before the oil embargo. Neem is now married and has a son. Richard Nixon resigned from his post as president on 8 August 1974.

NEW TAXES IN JANUARY

In January the middle class will receive another blow to his pocket. But contrary to what some believe, it is not the package of new tax reforms which fall to be discussed in January. This is the package already approved by the Assembly of Deputies in September 2009.
Starting January there will be charges of ITBMS of the following banking services:
1. RENEWAL OF CREDIT CARDS
2. FEES FOR HOUSING LOANS
3. FIVE-YEAR REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR MORTGAGE LOAN
4. RENTAL SAFE DEPOSIT BOX
5. CERTIFIED CHECKS
6. MANAGEMENT CHECKS
7. LETTERS OF CREDIT
8. COLLECTIONS
9. LOAN DISBURSEMENT
10. ATM WITHDRAWAL DIFFERENT TO SELF BANK ACCOUNT

The Maldives, a tropical paradise of thousands of islands located southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean is one of the top three places in the world for diving. There are more than a thousand atolls of which only two hundred are inhabited. Those who have visited it say it is a natural aquarium. However, the product of CO2 emissions will do this paradise completely disappear over the next 100 years. Although some islands such as Kandholhudhoo Island, 60% of people will evacuate in the next 15 years. Sea level is growing at almost a centimeter per year. 80% of the islands do not have a meter above sea level. It is one of the flattest places in the world. In the 2004 tsunami, the islands suffered the flooding of a large wave that caused the tsunami. They beg the world for reducing CO2 emissions. Especially the United States. Its President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, sent a year and half ago a letter pleading with former President Bush to sign the Kyoto protocol. Never received a response

PANAMÁ: WORLD BIODIVERSITY CENTER

The Isthmus of Panamá is the biggest botanical biodiversity on the planet. The density of plant life in Panamá is greater than in Colombia, Brazil and China combined. After many years of construction is expected in 2010 will open on biodiversity museum created by one of the world's best architects: Frank Gehry. This is the creator of the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao as one of the 50 most important twentieth century buildings, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, Germany, the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, Minn., the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California among others.

ONE MONTH

One month after the first publication of my blog, thanks a lot to all of you who have written your point of view or have sent it to my personal email.

According to the counter AdSense, this month we have a total of 785 prints which is much more than we expected at the begining. This has committed us to continue to develop short-term analysis on the most important national issues.

Again I thank all the readers of my blog, with the assurance that there is a commitment to regularly update.

Sincerely,

Felipe Argote

Daja Editions

SEPTEMBER 13TH 2009