How to fight obesity

Being natural and having an educated eating behavior are a way to avoid obesity. Thus, I've got accustomed to eat like a wild animal! Have we ever seen an animal obese in the wilderness where they live ecologically?



Without taking a position of sub-estimation on other cultures, what we call ethnocentrism, humans should interact with different cultures out of their own from an ethnographic point of view.


Ethnography is the branch of anthropology which studies particular cultures, what includes, indeed, the social behavior of people living under any of these particular cultures. And social behavior, as a whole, implies nutritional behavior.


As for me, I compare myself to animals_ having similar morphological features such as eyes and skeletal structure_ and to plants with which we share a common habitat from a nutritional and developmental point of view.


Why do I establish such a comparison? I do so because I've never seen such common animals and plants getting overweight while they normally develop through an ecological way; however, we do see animals altering their natural orderly development and getting overweight when they are overfed or fed through growing hormones by humans and plants developing fast when they are purposely kept under fertilization. Consequently, under a natural selection point of view, these animals and plants are less resistant to their environment than those that are fed ecologically by themselves through their own way.


Such a thing occurs in humans when they are overweight. They are less fit and less resistant to the environment. What happens, for example, if an obese person is trapped inside a house or a car in fire and he has to escape through a window too narrow for him because of his obesity? What happens if an aggressive dog or bull runs after him and he has to run fast enough and jump over a fence to escape from the animal? What happens if a lunatic person runs after him with a knife? What would happen if ultimately he has to climb quickly on a tree to be safe from an approaching tsunami?


In addition to this common possible situation that a non overweight person might face better, he should be as natural as possible when getting fed to live better and longer; i.e. he has to have a natural and ecological diet. Let's think about how a baby is fed from birth. S/he is fed with nutrients coming through the mother's breast. Look at the baby! In a few months, s/he has grown up fast, having a weight in concordance with his or her time and stature. Yet, sometimes, the baby becomes overweight when s/he is fed unnecessarily with additional food.


In nature, to develop, a green plant takes its energy using sun light and rains, along with the nutrients it takes from the soil through its roots. And that's it! Have you ever seen tree populations in vast forest in America, Africa, and Australia? Oh, wood, wood coming from trees, how we need you for our lives! Every single house in America has needed wood for its building! How great is divine nature that holds trees only fed with the power of the sun that brings also rains. Rains that also pour plants used to feed humans and keep our rivers and lakes plenty of water, our fishes' habitat. Oh, our sun whose power maintains rain circle, making our rivers flow to our seas, training nutrients and mineral molecules of iodine, potassium, magnesium, cooper, phosphorus, etc., feeding and fertilizing ecologically marine microorganisms and plants, food of sea habitat. And all this process occurs through a natural and ecological way.


Therefore, to avoid obesity, humans should meet their food needs ecologically, i.e. eating in an elegant way; what would help to keep a healthy body and a dynamic attitude. What means an elegant way to eat? Eating in an educated and healthy way; i.e. eating small balanced portions of food which include proteins, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates.


If you happen to eat in group, do so while you talk with those who share the same table with you and try not to be the first in finishing; otherwise, you are obliging the others to stop eating. Of course, while eating, you should talk when your mouth is empty. And don't neglect to use a napkin to clean your mouth before talking, even if you are eating along with your partner or with your children. Moreover, eating elegantly might help you fight and avoid either anxiety or bulimia nervosa. And, furthermore, you would enjoy your meal better and nicely. Inevitably, it happens that most people devour in minutes a meal that has been cooked in hours! And concluding, what may help you be elegant when you are eating in public and enjoy your meal better, is dramaturgy and impression management, because devouring your meal fast is seen as something awful, tasteless and unmannerly, but ultimately, unhealthy, too.


And remember to have an ecological eating behavior to be healthier and to live longer.

Lord's peace before, now and forever

Since there was only one star, despite the distance, to see the light, we need darkness! When all is darker, more brilliant the light! May Lord's peace be with us!

Havana, Feeding Paradise

The Cuban government has done its best to keep the people with its wellbeing and its feeding and culinary traditions, a clear Spanish heritage. An example of this is that they have maintained entertaining sites like bistros for the people's health and nutrition. It's really nice take a “bit of rum” along with a piece of cheese and sausage. And then, smoke a cigar Partagas, Montecristo or Cohiba in a romantic atmosphere under the light of candelabra.  Oh, Havana!

Let me wish you a Happy New Year, plenty of happiness, health and abundance!

To all my Friends,

I wish the moonlight illuminates you this 2012 along with the morning stars despite standing far in the sky! Try to find these morning stars in the picture.

Angel

Language and Culture

         Without a doubt, a language is the most changing aspect of a "central "culture out of the interaction of people of different ethnics or subcultures. The Latin, the official language of the Roman Empire  was a clear example of cultural changing despite the ethnocentric position of Patricians vis-à-vis to the culture of Plebeians and that of other ethnic residents living within the Roman Empire.

          Later, the Latin developed into two registers, the written Classical Latin and the spoken Vulgar Latin. Classical Latin did not evolved while Vulgar Latin, for being a spoken language, became the lingua franca in the western provinces, which was not a common mother language used as means of communication. 

       Diachronically, that Vulgar Latin being used as a lingua franca evolved into Romance languages such as Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Catalan and Occitan.

        It was through this way that the cultural interaction between those Roman Plebeians and people coming from the Northeastern and across the Mediterranean Sea gave rise to new European languages. Therefore, the spoken language of Roman Plebeians, that Vulgar Latin, interacting diachronically with the spoken language of Germanic tribes of Franks and Normans, gave rise to French language and culture. So, it is undeniable that people interacting affects or shapes language and culture.

Since the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620, America's culture has been receiving a great deal of cultural influence or acculturation, making this Western new society increasingly richer, mainly for being a multicultural conglomeration of people. This sort of acculturation or cultural interaction may be considered an inner social phenomenon as people from other culture and ethnics interact within the same territory regardless the huge land surface, though the Hispanic cultural influence, which is perceived in the “sunbelt” area including the big states of Florida, Texas and California, is much wider than that of the Northern area of the country where the European influence is broader despite the high number of people from Porto Rico and Republican Dominican living in the states of New England and in New York

With regard to cultural influence, I would say that a culture may be influenced from outside. I would like to add that this sort of cultural influence may take place as an outer social influence when other cultures affect a specific culture from the outside. Of course, this main culture may be highly influencing as it is the case of the United States, the culture of which influences other cultures of underdeveloped and developing countries.

Linguistically speaking, I already wrote above how cultural influence may occur. However, cultural influence may also occur consciously. Learning a foreign language like French, a person may help in cultural enrichment either individually or socially as s/he learns or acquires features of French culture and behavior if s/he studies French language well enough and is able to spend time visiting France or other French speaking-zones such as Belgium, in Europe, or the Canadian province of Quebec in North America.

Thus, it is very important to learn French as a foreign language, and to visit France. Not only s/he would be able to read great French poets and writers such as Honoré de Balsac, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant Marguerite Duras, and others. S/he would also be able to acquire French behavior in eating bread and cheese or drinking either red or white wine according to the kind of meal s/he is eating. Moreover, s/h would find him or herself loving fine perfume and being bound of fashion, while becoming more socially friendly and lovely.

You too, you should enrich your culture. When you have learned French language and culture, and you happen to visit France, or other French-speaking countries, you would certainly meet new people, and learn other people's behavior, norms, values and traditions, including their way of life and feelings.

In essence, the most important aspect in leaning French language and visiting France is the fact that we contribute to have a longer peace and understand better people's cultural interrelation and integration. Also, as residents of the United States of America, we can travel to underdeveloped and developing French-speaking countries in Africa where we can be able to understand and help more easily people in need.
In fact, speaking other people language, we can communicate without linguistic barriers; what would permit a much better communication and comprehension.

Having taught French language for years has allowed me to enrich other people culture and education. Still living and working in Cuba as French teacher, one of my best experiences took place when I taught French language to students of Technical Institutes and Public Schools as I was preparing them to visit Guadeloupe Island, a French territory in America. Those students were able to meet other people of other culture without language barriers as they could communicate in French language and interchanged culturally.

There are many ways to learn or improve French language. I would like to invite you to try to improve your French language using the method “Le Français par La Poésie et la Musique”: http://www.aralmagro-newpoetry.com

Cuba: Ser culto para ser libre

En un artículo aparecido en el Blog Café Fuerte, Vicky Peláez, periodista peruana procesada en los Estados Unidos bajo el cargo de agente ruso no registrado en un país extranjero, y canjeada junto con varios procesados rusos por varios agentes norteamericanos que operaban en Rusia, se queja que “solo valía para Cuba cuando criticaba al gobierno de los Estados Unidos.”

La decepción de la peruana Vicky Peláez le ha ocurrido a mucha gente y "honor a quien honor marece". Es bueno recordar que el reconocimiento a la gloria pasada depende de la cultura de un pueblo. En una sociedad de cultura pobre y cerrada, independientemente que sea una sociedad instruida, “agua pasada no mueve molino”.

José Martí dijo de “Ser culto para ser libre”. Hay mucha gente que no conocen ni reconocen lo pasado. No es una falacia que la mayoría de los cubanos solo conocen la historia cubana a partir de 1959 porque les enseñaron que antes de la revolución solo existió la “pseudo república” o la falsa república.

Desde hace mucho tiempo, se desconoce la grandeza de esa falsa república donde sus primeros cinco presidentes fueron generales en la guerra de independencia, excepto Alfredo Zayas Alfonso (IV), hermano del General Juan Bruno Zayas, muerto en la guerra. Alfredo Zayas había sido hecho prisionero durante la guerra y enviado al destierro.

Los primeros cubanos electos presidente, Don Tomás Estrada Palma (I), José Miguel Gómez (II), Mario García Menocal (III), y Geraldo Machado Morales (V) fueron Generales durante La Gran Guerra del siglo XIX para la independencia de Cuba contra España.

Con respecto a Alfredo Zayas Alfonso, además de ser presidente, fue abogado y poeta, quien sirvió como procurador (fiscal), juez y alcalde de La Habana. Fue secretario de la Convención Constituyente, senador (1905) y presidente del senado (1906), además de haber sido vicepresidente durante la administración de José Miguel Gómez, segundo presidente cubano.

El sexto presidente en esa pseudo república, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Quesada, hijo del Padre de la Patria, y de Ana María de Quesada y Loinaz, quien nació en Nueva York en 12 de agosto de 1871, fue Teniente Coronel del Ejército Mambí Cubano. Este Presidente era primo de Perucho Figueredo, autor del himno nacional cubano “La Bayamesa”.

Durante el inicio de la República cubana, independientemente del origen ibérico de la mayoría de los próceres cubanos, la cultura anglo-sajona también estuvo presente en nuestra nacionalidad y cultura política, sobre todo por la cantidad de cubanos que vivieron exilados en los Estados Unidos de América. Esta influencia política del país norteño lo comprobamos en los primeros cubanos que formaron parte de las primeras administraciones presidenciales después de proclamada la República.

Los vicepresidentes de Mario García Menocal (IV) fueron Enrique José Varona (1913-17), quien había vivido exilado en los Estados Unidos durante la guerra de independencia y quien fuera un fuerte crítico del socialismo. De 1898 hasta 1917, Varona, quien manisfestada que la sociedad era una consecuencia del desarrollo evolutivo, ocupó la cátedra de Lógica, Etica, Sicología y Sociología en la Universidad de La Habana.

El otro vicepresidente de Mario García Menocal fue Emilio Núñez (1917-21), cubano-americano quien había obtenido el grado de general en la Guerra de Independencia y quien fuera colaborador de José Martí. Era graduado en cirugía dental de la Universidad de Pensilvania. Fue uno de los 31 delegados a la Convención Constituyente de 1900 y la primera persona que izó la bandera cubana en el Castillo del Morro al mediodía del 20 de Mayo de 1902.

Es lamentable que haya cubanos que se hayan olvidado de Vicky Peláez después de su colaboración a través de sus artículos como periodista en defensa del gobierno socoalista cubano, pero que podemos esperar de esa parte del pueblo cubano que aprendieron a ignorar su propia historia tan rica y patriótica. Esa historia plena de democracia y derechos bajo la cual generales que un día, unidos a través de las ideas del Apóstol de la Independencia, el magnánimo José Martí Pérez, combatieron con fiereza y lealtad por nuestra cultura y civilización cubanas. Y así, con respeto cívico al sufragio, fueron electos presidentes de la Nación por la cual no hubieron vacilado en dar su vida.

¡Cuán bello y patriótico hubiera sido dedicarnos a preservar y enardecer esa, nuestra historia, nuestra cultura toda, a través de la cual nos hicimos cubanos! ¡Con cuánto amor y orgullo los cubanos agradecidos no conservaríamos esa, nuestra Cuba por la cual nuestros próceres y fundadores de la Patria no murieron en vano, incluyendo aquellos Generales de la Gran Guerra de Independencia que fueron electos Presidente democráticamente durante la Pseudo República!

No tenemos derecho de reprochar al cubano de ignorar la gloria de nuestros Generales fundadores de nuestra República, cuando a nuestros niños, saludando con la mano en la frente la insignia nacional, La Bandera tricolor cofeccionada por Cintia Tolón y traida a Cuba por el cubano-venezolano, el General Narciso López, y delante la estatua de nuestro Apóstol Nacional, el autor de La Edad de Oro, les enseñan a decir que serán como el "Che". Ni siquiera les dicen que se llamaba Ernesto Guevara. Y estos niños cubanos desconocen que "che" es un sobrenombre o apodo proveniente de la cultura ítalo-argentina.

La palabra "che" es un vocablo fónico de la palabra italiana "c'è", que significa "hay". En Argentina, en tiempos pasados, los desempleados iban a buscar trabajo en las fábricas de autos italianos. Había anuncios donde se podía leer: "c'è lavoro" o "non c'è lavoro", lo que significaba en español: "hay empleo" o "no hay empleo". De ahí el uso popular del vocablo "che", ya que la oración italiana "c'è", que quiere decir "hay", se pronuncia "che" [tʃe].


C'è lavoro oggi? (hay empleo hoy?)

Non c'è! (no hay)


No en vano el Apóstol de la Independencia, el General Martí, quien murió en combate "de cara al sol", nos enseñó que tenemos que "Ser culto para ser libre".