Nice To Meet You; Pass the Purell

Read an article on USA TODAY and couldn't help to comment on it.

Nice to meet you; Pass the Purell is the headline and not far fetched and it's something that I will do without hesitation. Or better yet, shouldn't we incorporate the "bow" rather than the typical "handshake"? I lived in Asia for 3 years and would not be awkward in reverting to the bow, it comes natural for me (I must say, I'm doing it now, and of course, been looked at "funny"). Could we blame "them"?

Now, let's be frank here, H1N1 hasn't killed any more (so far) than the typical Influenza Type A for instance, so, is it the possibility of a "pandemic" in question and feared here? Nevertheless, none of us have stopped going on with our lives, though some establishments (mostly medical facilities, I think) have taken precautions, some doctor's offices have pulled their magazines and toys from the waiting room (actually I am glad they have done that and would be even happier if they discontinue for good), I never liked the idea of touching items in the waiting room that other people (who could possibly be contagious) anyways.

Something that really bothers me and I don't seem to ever understand: Why do "early learning centers" where toddlers, teachers and parents walk about the classroom floors with their "street shoes" on, the same floor these toddlers play on. What's wrong with that picture? I think everyone should remove their shoes when inside the classroom where activities are on the floor, i.e., playing with toys, sitting on the floor to read and laying on the floor, though in a mat, I've seen kids with their faces on the floor while sleeping. They do it in certain Asian cultures!

Yes, pass the sanitizer, sneeze into your elbow and remove your shoes! Oh yes, wash your hands!!!

Rio wins right to host the 2016 Olympics

I am totally ecstatic with the win of the bid to host the 2016 Olympics! This was a very emotional moment for me, as it made me feel nostalgic of my home country. "President Lula" gave a very passionate speech and indeed confirming the theme (at least according to my book) of the the next Olympics in Rio: Live with Passion! Indeed, he showed what a passionate Brazilian citizen can be! Just goes to show you, the influence Brazil has gained-- they truly are a rising global power- in my opinion at least!

Here's some links to some of the online news:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/sports/03olympics.html?_r=1&WT.mc_id=fb_nyt644&WT.mc_ev=click

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091002/ap_on_sp_ol/oly2016_bids

http://globoesporte.globo.com/Esportes/Noticias/Olimpiadas/0,,MUL1327272-17698,00-RIO%20TRANSFORMA%20O%20SONHO%20OLIMPICO%20EM%20REALIDADE%20E%20CONQUISTA%20OS%20JOGOS%20DE.html

Sympathy for Caster Semenya: Hermaphrodites Are People Too

by John Devereux



Imagine for a moment that you’re eighteen years old and the entire world is wondering if you’re a man, woman, or something in between. Helpful people have tried to remove the uncertainty by giving you a feminizing makeover. Welcome to Caster Semenya’s life.
Semenya’s prowess at the women’s 800 meters, combined with her muscular physique and curiously male demeanor have made the world wonder about her true sex. It has now been leaked by track and field officials that Caster Semenya has been declared a “hermaphrodite”.
In order to compete in track and field she has been forced to submit to an intrusive investigation of her chromosomal make-up and the structure of her reproductive organs. How would you feel in her shoes? Humiliated, embarrassed, downtrodden, ready to crawl into the nearest hole and never come back, I warrant. Can we show a little sensitivity and understanding in this difficult situation? After all, nobody is accusing Caster Semenya of cheating. She has been raised as a girl, considers herself to be a girl, and for all intents and purposes is a girl.

Is Caster Semenya a Hermaphrodite?
Technically a hermaphrodite is someone or something with both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphrodism in humans is rare, but far from unknown. According to a Developmental Biology textbook by Scott F. Gilbert, human hermaphrodites typically have a sex organ that is somewhere between a penis and a clitoris. Some hermaphrodites have both a penis and large breasts.
Babies born with ambiguous sex organs are typically assigned a gender by doctors based on the size of the organ. Smaller equals female while larger equals male. Surgical procedures may be performed to “normalize” the organ. Some biologists consider gender to be part of a continuum rather than a binary situation.
The question is not, then, whether Caster Semenya is a man or a woman. She is perhaps somewhere in between. Since her gender identity has always been female, should she be allowed to competed in athletic competitions as a woman?
The answer is not so cut and dried. Semenya’s testosterone level has tested within allowed limits for female athletes. Who is to say than, that she should not be considered a woman? The question, I suppose, is whether it’s fair to other female competitors of unambiguous gender to force them to compete against a person whose unusual genetic make-up may give her a significant advantage. After all, the segmentation of competitors by sex is meant to level the playing field for female athletes.
Adding to the controversy is the fact that Caster Sememya is a black woman from South Africa, a country without a great history of success by black athletes in international competitions. During the apartheid era, South African athletes were long banned from international events. Now that the majority black population has political control over the country, they are understandably touchy about efforts to draw in to question the achievements of one of their own. Mutters about “racism” have been heard.
I suspect that Caster Semenya will be barred from future competitions, but I don’t see how anyone can be happy about it. Fairness is a hard thing to come by in this world, but there’s nothing very “fair” about excluding someone who doesn’t fit our conception about what a “normal” human being is. Here's the link to the original posting by John Devereux: TBD

Brazil Independence

I wonder what it would be if Brazil and Portugal were still a monarchy...on the contrary of many of you, I think such an early independence wasn't such a great idea after all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil

Basic Hindi

I've decided to learn Hindi! Don't be shocked, but I am at the moment fascinated with the idea! I have learned so far (and likely the only phrases I'll ever be able to retain) a few simple phrases that surprises a Hindi speaker, every single time, I attempt to "show of"! I have learned with "Caminho das Indias" a telenovela from Brazil. It's remarkably done, the details of the culture of Rajasthan is very close to it's original principles. Check it here and see it for yourself, of course the protagonists are all beautiful as it's in Bollywood. http://caminhodasindias.globo.com/

My review after a comment from a German visitor at a University in Pernambuco, Brazil

Não muito animador o comentário de Boris Goger, que trabalha com desenvolvimento de software em Munique, a respeito da sua visita a uma Universidade brasileira. ( the original post translation from English to Portuguese was done by Adriana Beal from Desafios em IT http://2wtx.com/adriana/blog/)

Comment by Boris Geler:

Last week I visited UFRPE- Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, an incredible place. It's possible to feel the energy of the place and immediately understand that the people in this university is really wanting to study. But in the other hand, I was also chocked. The ambiance is bad. The buildings don't have the appearance of an university, and the computers that you find in the labs are super old. But...obviously that doesn't prompt the people to be unhappy studying there. If you've seen that, you would never think that the conditions in Germany are not sufficient. Cool!

Translated to Portuguese by Adriana Beal:

Semana passada visitei a UFRPE – Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, em Recife. Um lugar incrível. É possível sentir a energia do lugar e entender imediatamente que as pessoas nessa universidade realmente querem estudar.
Mas por outro lado, eu também fiquei chocado. O ambiente é ruim. Os prédios não parecem com uma universidade, e os computadores que se vê nos laboratórios são super antigos. Mas… obviamente isso não faz as pessoas deixarem de estar felizes por estudar. Se você visse aquilo, você não iria nunca pensar que não tem condições de estudo boas o suficiente na Alemanha. Legal!

My reply:

Though I don't think the German visitor really meant any harm...

Brazil seems to always have the feel of "Love and Hate" relationship with foreigners. I write in English with the hope that the Germans or any other nations get to read this. I agree, Brazil is a lovely country (the love relationship) and a third world country (the hate relationship), but the majority of these foreigners who which tend to define Brazil as lovely are the ones who comes with the view of easy women and beautiful beaches and forget really that Brazilians are very talented and resourceful, after all, they accomplish so much with so little (of course, not talking about the corrupted politicians) who does give Brazil a "bad rep". Do "they" forget that Brazil has been self-sustained for fossil fuels for decades? Do they know that Brazilian, Dr. Eduardo do Couto e Silva is a particle physicist and Deputy Manager of Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope's (GLAST) (who's born and raised in Brazil) to being the Vice-director of the famous telescope lab at Stanford University? Perhaps we could go on and on...the fact of the matter is that the politicians in Brazil need to have the audacity of becoming a honest servant for a change (stop using the people's money to pay for your lavish lifestyles) and who knows, we may catch up with having "finally" what the people deserve, BASIC NEEDS, and yes, current hardware/software and I bet, it will be money left over for a little building remodeling to please the eyes of these "foreigners".

Peace!

The life and death of Arshile Gorky...a sudden urge to remember!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arshile_Gorky