Your New Job

"If you think you are too big for small jobs, maybe you are too small for big jobs"

The Ingalls family

Little House on the Prairie was a TV series of the 1970s and early '80s based on the life of the Ingalls family who lived in the nineteenth and the turn of the 20th century in the USA. The everyday activities of this charming family give us a glimpse of their way of living in the new world.

Apart from surviving in a sometimes hostile surrounding, finding a job was not then a big deal: people worked as farmers, as fishermen, as craftsmen, as woodworkers, as handymen, bankers, silversmiths, furniture makers, traders... 

The probabilities of moving from one place to a distant one to find a new job offering greater possibilities for personal growth in a new attractive surrounding were limited, not always an easy decision, nor a feasible choice.

Downton Abbey's butler, housekeeper, maid

By then, in England, the butler and the housekeeper were common jobs, less glamorous than we want to believe after watching the BBC series; the butler was the chief of servants in a household, while the housekeeper ran the house with the help of maids,  cooks, gardeners...  Many young people were moving from the countryside to the city in search of a better future; some of them working in textiles, clothing, ... and leaving farming, mining, and other heavy activities behind.

At present, research and development, R&D, in various areas account largely for the continuous progress of mankind, the internet being probably the most important breakthrough in our growth, and innovations in different areas are a challenge for today's man.

Inserting samples into a freezer - Nutrition Study
Credits: NASA

Thus, finding a good job nowadays is becoming a complex issue. After studying a significant number of years, you want a well-paid, comfortable, challenging job ... with modern (research) facilities in a healthy and friendly environment. In addition, globalization now permits mobility to work here and elsewhere and usually calls for a fairly good command of another language, mainly English.  

Our civilization becomes more demanding and we have to be prepared to improve our abilities to adapt ourselves to this brave new world since novel fields of work are open to your participation.

Luckily, we can use internet resources to find the best possible job and also to keep updated in our field of work. Some people have online jobs... maybe a future trend...

Freelance online job

I would like to have an online job in the near future. Technology is becoming a wonderful tool to work indoors and earn your living, thus it would be challenging to have a new start in a different environment...yet, I think that writing professional issues is gaining space in my mind.

At present, the once unreachable institutions, like NASA, are ready to offer new opportunities for a job to capable professionals like you will become.

So how will your future be? I cannot but expect the best for you all.

Now, it's your turn,

- What kind of job would you like to have? How do you imagine it?

- Outdoors /indoors?

- Would you like to travel a lot in your job?

- What about the salary?

- What major are you studying /are you thinking of taking? Explain why

- Add any other related ideas.

Total Wordcount: 210
Remember to make comments on 3 of your classmates' and the teacher's posts.

From the invisible to the visible world and back

Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. 

Rumi

From  the minute we are born, we  increasingly  receive  novel  information about the world we shall live  in: louder  sounds  find  their way to  fully functional ears; our eyes receive  light  from the wild world and  blurred-to-clear  images  are  processed by  a brand-new  brain; our soft skin feels the gentle  touch of  air and the warm contact of familiar hands....

The newborn brain grows incredibly fast up to the third month and then adapts to an adequate rhythm... The infant, once almost invisible in the womb of his mum, observes with an inquisitive mind the objects around him... he grasps them, tastes them, and observes them... He repeats this routine time and again as if it were the first time... he giggles... At times, he seems to comprehend the nature of them, as if the objects were his old friends.

Yet, neither he nor we probably think of the actual nature of his "friends". A plastic ball, for example, is, to our touch and sight, a solid of a certain shape and colour with mechanical properties that make it roll easily on a flat floor... Kids, dogs, and cats feel compelled to run happily and nervously after a rolling ball... and that's enough for us...

I'm watching you...!

But the ball is not the same for all of them. While humans have a considerable number of red, green and blue cone photoreceptors to process colours, cats and dogs may have them, but in lower amounts, different densities, having problems to receive red light and distinguish the wide array of colours of visible light, particularly the "red" colour of the ball. 

And the colour of the ball is elusive to humans as well... it will depend on several factors, such as light intensity and a sound number of healthy blue, green and red photoreceptors able to convert light into electrical impulses that will reach the brain for color processing... Thus, we might fairly say that the ball is "red", but that we all perceive particular shades of such a color.

Can you actually believe your eyes? Of course, we can, they give us valuable information about the world we live in. However, there are instruments that detect signals that the human eye cannot notice... devices that "see" the invisible world.... out there and in here...

Probing the Outer Space

While powerful telescopes scan the sky, sophisticated satellites are our eyes that travel, "see" and give information about the piece of the universe that is at hand. In here, on the other hand, the micro and nano world is gaining interest in all of us, when we see how powerful electron microscopes are used to understand the "invisible" world... when complex devices are used to obtain MRIs and thus understand what goes on in our body... when gold nanoparticles are used to treat  cancer... when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is used to understand unsolved physical laws and mysteries of life ... and the traveling into the micro and nano world has just started and has a long way to go ...

By the way,  nanobots are currently being tried in humans to seek out and destroy cancer cells... the present and future of nanomedicine are becoming apparent and unavoidable to scientists.

Diverse disciplines and products receive the benefits of research and development in this micro and nano world: gene therapy, cloning, miniaturization, nanotechnology, telecommunications, genetically modified foods (GMF)....

Sooner rather than later, we realize that life is deeper and, like an onion, has different layers... Meanwhile, the kid, the dog and the cat will go on playing happily and nervously with no further concern.

Now, it's your turn:

Tell me about materials (eg gold nanoparticles), instruments (eg LHC) and/or techniques (eg cloning) that are important in the micro or nano world and have or might have a promising use in your career.

What they are used for

What importance they have in your career

Why you chose them

What future use they may have

When you learned about them

What impact they may have in human welfare
What advantages/disadvantages they may have

Minimum number of words : 200

Add comments to 3 of your classmates’ posts
plus a comment on your teacher's post

About pets, love and friendship

Man's best friend

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. 

Hellen Keller

People say that dogs are man's best friend... In my case, however,  my first memory goes back to a small green parrot, Enicognathus ferrugineus, that is usually found in the south of Chile. This Austral parakeet lived free in my house, walked around all the rooms, fed on my mum's hands and had a sharp voice that was heard from distant places. The longer wings had been cut so that it couldn't fly away. By then, I was in primary school and I remember as it were yesterday when my little friend combed my hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows to wake me up on weekends.

It also used to walk on my shoulders and observed enthusiastically how I did my homework. One day, at lunch, it was on my mum's shoulders observing with distant interest the conversation of my family and friends, so I decided to bother it by touching its long tail; it moved towards me, protesting for such an uncomfortable situation; I did it, again and again, a little time later ... it moved restlessly, was really upset and protested by using its powerful voice... I was told not to bother again, so I focussed my attention on my dish. My little friend looked at me peacefully, showing sympathy... then it quietly walked from my mum's shoulders to mine in a clear demonstration of affection..., all of a sudden, it reacted by biting into my face and ran away to my mum's shoulders....my little friend gave emphasis to the lesson "do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself".

Time passed and when my kids were adolescents, I looked for a parrot to satisfy the need for a pet at home. Another small green parrot of the same kind became part of our family, a friend of all. I felt it had a special connection with me; it reminded me of my first friend, the same kind, color, mood. I used to whistle when I walked back home, and this little friend heard me and used its sharp voice to announce my presence... In sunny days, my family enjoyed watching it having a bath under the sun...

Many years passed till one afternoon, when I had just come back from work, I was told that our little friend was very badly ill. I took it gently put it on one hand; it opened the eyes, moved its head and passed away... My little friend, Polo, had waited to say goodbye.

The love you feel for your pets is greatly corresponded by them, and sometimes they are better friends than you are. These videos are a great demonstration of love for the other.

Remember to take care of your pets!

Now is your turn:

Tell me about your favourite pet(s)

What its(their) name is(are)

Since when you have it(them)

Why you love your pet(s)

Upload a photograph if possible

Minimum length: 180 words

Your best holidays or concert ever...!

a) Holidays...

Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.

 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Holidays mean fun, relaxation, enjoying yourself, plenty of free time to do anything with no obligation, no concern. You are the owner and master of your life and everything is within your reach, or at least you want to believe so. The mountains, the lakes, the beaches, the parks ... are waiting for you.

Going on holiday is so natural today that we feel frustated when we don't have them--even ashamed. This is so much so, that some people may spend a couple of days off a few miles away, just to say that they had spent wonderful holidays somewhere.

Yet, only wealthy people could afford "holidays" until the 19th century; their young sons spent sometimes a (long) time abroad in Europe, as part of their education.

Just at the beginning of the nineteenth century, in England, every worker got a Sunday off and about the end of that century some skilled workers had a Saturday afternoon off. Late in the nineteenth century, a few skilled workers obtained paid holidays in some countries . In the twentieth century, holidays gained space and from then on they are considered indispensable in our modern world.

Holidays mean memories and "carpe diem". I recall wonderful memories of journeys, travelling by train and enjoying with wide open eyes the landscapes, the trees, the forest...

 Market Place, Castro, Chiloé Island

In rather recent holidays, a couple of years ago, in Chiloé, I opened my eyes to my mother's birthplace. Beautiful views, piers, market places, hundreds of churches and the friendliness of Chilotes gained my heart. My wife and I went on tour to the "pinguineras" in Puñihuil and also visited many churches on the island. The weather was great, so we had splendid views. We also moved to Puerto Varas and Frutillar, spending some time admiring All Saint's Lake and Petrohue's waterfalls...

Petrohué Waterfalls, Puerto Varas

As my son and daugther had never been there, we planned to spend our holidays again in the south of Chile last year, having Puerto Montt as our lodging city. Our son-in-law and our son's fiancée joined us in this new adventure.

The weather was not benevolent, though. Stormy, rainy, cloudy and windy days did not permit to visit such spectacular places as the Petrohue waterfalls or  All the Saints' Lake because of road closures. Yet, we were able to spend some time at various attractive places in Puerto Varas and Frutillar. We did also go to Chiloé under difficult atmospheric conditions; we visited a curious Mythological Theme Park, a few churches, piers, folk craft shops ... together with the folk Chiloé's typical cuisine. Our holidays in the South of Chile were different, but enjoyable by all means, with the warmth of being together...and this is what matters the most in one's holiday.

 Patrimonial Church, Castro, Chiloé

I would be unfair if I told you that  I spent my best holiday in Chiloé. I have been to other wonderful places  that certainly deserve a post as well.

By the way, why do we speak of "holidays"? In the Middle Ages and earlier, pilgrims went to shrines to show their devotion; they were on holidays (holy=sacred).

Now it's your turn:  Choose Holidays or Concert

Holidays:                                                                         Concert:
- when it was                                                                 - when / where it was
- where they went                                                         - the artist they saw
- how long it was                                                          - a bit of info about the artist
- people they went with                                                - describe the atmosphere
- things/activities they did                                               during the event
- why it has been the best so far                                    - describe how they felt and
- any other relevant info                                                   why they enjoyed it
                                                                                      - any other memories about it
Wordcount: 170

Leave comments on 3 of your classmates posts + comments on your teacher's post.

A Country I Would Like to Travel

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes

Marcel Proust 

Travel agencies tempt tourists to discover new places and people during their holidays: "Visit and enjoy the wildlife in national parks and game reserves, Meet new people from all continents, Learn about their culture, Take delight in watching the architecture and art of ancient civilizations, ..."  

Missing the opportunity to travel seems to be out of the question ... if you are willing and have saved some money for food, transportation and lodging,....Hostals, B&Bs, cabins, campings, ... offer varied solutions to your stay.  Much better if you have friends or relatives abroad, they are a plus....

Mole National Park, Ghana, Africa

Where to go? The answer is simple: anywhere or everywhere as the world is becoming within your hands' reach and finding your place in the world is, for some people, a must. 

Technological advance in air, land and sea transportation has significanly contributed to make man's dreams come true, permitting to fly comfortably around the world, to cross the oceans in modern ships, to take high speed trains, to move in modern vehicles, ... 

  

I think back in time to the incredibly unglamorous long journeys across the sea of ancient sailors; most of them, explorers looking for places to settle in or treasures to take to their countries. Some were adventurers, but most of them, people in need. Ferdinand Magellan started a dangerous three year-long circumnavigation of the earth (1519-1522); he died during a battle in Phillipines... his expedition was completed by Sebastian Elcano. Others like Marco Polo (born in 1254), Vasco de Gama (1469), Sir Francis Drake (1540), James Cook (1728), ...  remind us of the sacrificed endeavour of ancient explorers. 

A few decades ago, a bold Chilean pilot, Roberto Parragué Singer (born in 1913), was able to fly for the first time to the Eastern Island (1951). The flight was considered suicidal by the experts of the time. The plane, named Manutara, took off from La Serena, went over  the Pacific Ocean and landed after a 19-hour flight on the island... the danger of running out of fuel had disappeared.

This exciting venture led me to Around the word in 80 days, the novel writen by Jules Verne in 1873 that reflects the restless, adventurous nature of man in a world too big to be known in such a short period of time... and with this in mind, I start thinking of the country I would like to visit... just for the pleasure of it.

Venice, Italy

Italy is certainly a must! Mediterranean climate, warm people, varied monuments, superb natural scenery, magnificent castles and churches, art everywhere, modern and ancient cities at the same time, air filled with music, elegant and mysterious places... Venice with their channels, gondolas, bridges and floating constructions, .... Italy is a country with plenty of interesting cities  and towns, a country that deserves a visit to enjoy, learn and breathe historical events... a place that will surely be painted in the canvas of your mind for a long, long time. 

Acropolis, Greece

And, of course, Greece is at hand to go on... I imagine myself lying on the grass or sitting on a rock watching in my mind famous Greek gods and goddesses such as Zeus and Aphrodite.... On the other hand, can you imagine yourself being in Socrates', Plato's and  many other philosophers' land? Maybe some day....

Now, it´s your turn

- Which country would you like to go to? Why?
- What do you know about it?
- What would you like to do there?
- Would you like to study/work/live there? Explain.
- Upload pictures
- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post
- Word Count: 160 words