The power of the people

In life we have been thought that the government holds the power to manage and administrate a country's wealth and it's people.But history has been proving us constantly trough history that when the situation demands it, it takes the citizens of that particular government to take matters into their own hands.

Since the beginnings of time revolutions have encouraged civilians to take a stand against what they believe to be unjust. One of this revolutions that marked a turning point in history is the French Revolution.

Where the starving citizens of the streets of Paris acted against the measure of its monarch Louis XVI.It lasted 9 years in which hundredths of Parisian men, women and children perished.Even thought the road to their long awaited freedom was not easy, the French accomplished what they needed. Overthrown the king and got a fearer treatment.

 

In this modern era that we are living in, there's always people around the world attempting to take back the power that it's government viciously stole.Egypt and Ukraine are recent zones where uprisings  took place and where the results favored the views of the protesters and a change was achived. 

 In the present there are two major displays of protests. Syria and my own country Venezuela. Where power is so poorly managed that it has left both countries with need  for a change and an uncertain future.

An Utopic Resolution

The article gives a personal opinion about what is the perfect solution in order to end the disturbances in Venezuela and he proposes the action of international organization. He says that these international organizations will give an open channel to peaceful discussions in order to find an agreement between the opposition and the government.

 I have to say that I do not agree with this article and its conclusion.

Venezuela is in a difficult situation, socioeconomically.

Where the finding of a kg of sugar has more value than the life of the person sitting next to you.

We are also talking about a country with a decade of political separation induced by the government.

Families have been torned apart by political ideals and the whole country has felt this impact. Divorces and discussions between the parents and their kids, the complete isolation of a families have affected the whole country and my own family.

I can’t help to think ,asmy personal opinion, that for a positive change to happen in Venezuela both sides need to find a common ground and unite. They need to see that the situation of the country is one that affects the vast majority of their country and demand the government to create solutions.

This is not an easy task, but I want t believe that it is not impossible. And that if we unify as a country there is no adversity that we can’t overcome.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2014/02/20-venezuela-crisis-trinkunas

Trinkunas, Harold. "Up Front." The Brookings Institution. Up Front, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. <http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2014/02/20-venezuela-crisis-trinkunas>.

What is race ?

    The generic vision of race it’ a combination of physical and biological traits that exist to classify people, but after watching the PBS Race: the Power of Illusion, we as a class, agreed that our perception of Race had been mistaken. An idea created by people in a position of power to classify and create more diversity in our world. A strategy to disqualify and over qualify people with certain traits to create a society that is beneficial to certain individuals and detrimental to others.

  

     There are numerous events during history that showed us the impact that race has in the process in dehumanizing certain people because of biological traits. The invention of eugenics which is the scientific way of creating the prefect and superior race has sparked one of the most terrible events in the history of humanity. The holocaust was the persecution and murdered of Jews in Europe during the WWII because they were not pure enough to belong to the human race. This ended up with the death of 6 million Jewish people, just because they did not fit the criteria of the superior race.

  

    The process of classification and differentiation was created to empower a group of people with certain features and diminish another group with different attributes. We have been thought to believe in race because of the way that this society works and also to keep this cycle of categorizing and highlighting our differences rather than the things that unites us as the only predominant race.

 Human.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

John Perkins wrote “Confessions of an Economic Hit man” this was a huge risk.

  

The book exposed the ways in which the corporations of the United States benefit from smaller under developed countries. It revealed events that changed the history of such countries had an involvement from the U.S or its companies. Detailed explanations about the process used to talk with the heads of state in order to persuade them to take the option created by the economic hit man. If it failed they would spark disturbances or revolutions on the inside of the small nation. When this was unsuccessful they would send the Jackals to terminate the head of state therefore pressuring the country to a complete change of policy and president. Rarely this would fail, but when it did they would send American troops to take matters into their own hands.

 One lasting impact of the revealing of the presented information is the change of perception from the outside countries about the United States. The country that preaches about spreading freedom and democracy around the world is now presented as an imperialist country that takes advantage of countries that try to nationalize its resources.

Another consequence of this process is the creations of coup d’états and revolutions that changed the history of the countries in which this events happened. Would the situations in many of these countries would be different? Would the reprecutions of these actions ,like wars and clashes of ideals, be over by now?. These are all questions of “What if “ That we will never know the answer now.

Lemon Tree

Salma Zidane is a humble widow that lives alone and works on her lemon grove.

Mira Navon is the wife of the minister of Defense; she is rich and constantly surrounded by people.

Salma is Palestinian and Mira is Jewish.

The relationship of these two women is explained in the movie in seconds. Subtle moments where the

intertwining of two opposite worlds is created by a deep stare.

The movie Lemon Tree tells the journey of Salma in order to keep her grove, after the security team of the Minister of Defense deems it “too dangerous”. It shows us the bias ways of the Israeli government and it gives us a glimpse towards the culture that surrounds the Palestinian people.

For Salma the salvation of her grove does not only mean the safekeeping of the legacy of her family, but also an opportunity to take back control of the life that had become monotonous. She challenges the culture that she is immersed in by making the decisions that may seem silly and disrespectful to the ones surrounding her. Ignoring the headscarf, inviting a man to her house and starting a romantic relationship while being a widow, are some ways that she rebels to the world surrounding her.

For Mira , she is hit with the reality of the world surrounding her for the first time. She sees the true intentions and values of a husband that she used to admire. And she sees herself reflected in Salma’s life.

Both woman are lonely and desperate to find the meaning of life in the situations that they have come in contact with. Their children are away and the husbands are absent, with the conflict of the grove comes an opportunity for two women from complete different backgrounds to come together and share moments of understanding, coming together and crossing the borders of a society separated by hate and differences. 

Viva la Patria

Many times something happens in your home country and there is suffering involved. You can do nothing but (if you believe) you pray so that the ones that you love are never affected or involved in the agony of the situation.

I have posted about Venezuela before in this blog but I never saw it as close as I did thursday. When for the first time in the time lapsus of a month my family was directly affected.  

The GNB (National Guard) raided the condominium of my aunt in which she lives in whit her husband. They would scream “Viva Chavez” and drop gas grenades simultaneously. “Viva la Patria” while shooting pellets and bullets all over. They destroyed the cars parked on the bottom level and stole the peace of mind of 3 buildings filled with people.

This is happening all over the country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GazvLOol2uE 

As a Venezuelan, the news that the men and women that are supposed to protect your loved ones are  now spreading terror in order to keep the people out of the street. To scare them away from from demanding the rights and basic needs  that every nation should offer.

It is awful to wake up with the uncertainty of what your family is going through. Like  I have said before the only medium that we now have to communicate is the social network Twitter, it lets you know from where to find chicken and sugar to the latest detainees and murdered Venezuelans.

  

Every hour I scroll down that page with the hopes of not recognizing anybody in the pictures or lists.

UPDATE (3/9/2014)  4:30 AM .The GNB went back. 2 teenagers are wounded and in critical condition.

A child in War

More than 140,040 people have died In Syria.8.000 children make part of the 140,040.

How do you deal with a conflict that started before you could understand what surrounds you. Over more than two years the Syrian people have gone through a civil war, which in a way has become the “playground” for millions of children. At times this children get involved in the cross fire, are used as human shields. Kidnapping, torture and killings are usual in their surroundings. The lucky ones have the ability to run away with their families and end up being refugees.

International organizations have been creating funds to provide aid specifically for the children’s needs. Education has become something not as important as surviving.

If you care to know more about the struggles that this kids go trougth daily see the link below.

http://news.yahoo.com/un-39-unspeakable-suffering-39-syria-39-children-155121570.html

Citation 

Surk, Barbara. "UN:'Unspeakable Suffering' for Syria's Children." AP. N.p., 5 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://news.yahoo.com/un-39-unspeakable-suffering-39-syria-39-children-155121570.html>.

Taking the Carnaval to the Streets

Carnaval is a holy 4 to 5 days for the Venezuelan people of any religion or lifestyle. It’s is that time of the year before the actual Holy Week where you repent for the sins committed during Carnaval. Unlike Colombia whose Carnaval exist only in the beautiful Barranquilla, Venezuelans all over the national territory celebrate, party, get costumes and mainly go to the beach at least twice. This year after almost a month of protest it was uncertain if the festivities were going to take place or if the unrest was going to continue.

Right now we are in Sunday of Carnaval and it makes me immensely proud to say that today the streets of Caracas look like this:

 

 Credit: (lapatilla.com)

This year carnival is canceled nationwide by the Venezuelan people. Famous national artist have canceled their appearance in various festivals, the beaches are empty and are being used as protest sites and most importantly the streets are filled by people and barricades. The government’s incentive to make this year’s celebrations bigger than ever failed abruptly. The desire for a supermarket stocked with its necessary goods it is bigger than the need of a Venezuelan to party (trust me, it is a big deal).

In this article by the Washington Post it explains the national and international worry about the dissolvent of the conflict. It explains the causes and effects of the situation that Venezuela is going through and the measures that have been taken by the government. If you want to see more I will leave the link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/carnaval-could-sap-venezuela-protests/2014/02/26/50088b96-9f10-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html

Citation

Diaz-Struck, Emilia, and Nick Miroff. "Carnaval Could Sap Venezuela Protests."Whashington Post. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 May 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/carnaval-could-sap-venezuela-protests/2014/02/26/50088b96-9f10-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html>.