miércoles, 11 de agosto de 2010

Microcredits

Microcredit’s in CR

According to the SUGEF, in January 2010, the number of institutions it supervised it was: 3 state-owned commercial Banks, 2 banks created by special law, 13 private-owned and cooperative banks, 34 financial companies and groups, 23 unions of loans and credit, 3 organizations for housing credit and loans, and 2 exchange institutions.

Also the Red of organizations (RedCom) estimated that over 100 thousand persons benefited directly and indirectly from microcredit provided by 21 of its affiliated institutions in Costa Rica. The credit values vary from US$ 1,000.00 to US$ 1,500.00. There are 22,000 micro businesses developed from these microcredit institutions, and the government estimates that 98% of all companies in Costa Rica are micro, small or medium businesses. RedCom’s credit portfolio is composed by 37% commerce, 30% services, 23% small industries and 10% agriculture; 52% of the credit is received by people in rural areas and 47% of the total number of clients of microcredit institutions are women.


The Associations have concentrated on offering credit programs aimed mainly at the commercial, industrial, services and tourist sectors. For the financing of productive projects, they offer different forms of credit to the small and medium-sized producer as follows: direct credit in amounts ranging from US $1,000 to US $45,672.50 in revolving credit lines and international credit cards.

Also there is a program:”CREDIMUJER” focuses on women and men of limited economic resources that intend to use credit and training to develop micro-enterprises. 88% of their portfolio is comprised of women.

The companies the work with credit card sales have benefited many people due to sometimes the people do not have the money to buy their things, so to use a credit card will be a fantastic option. A negative reason of having a credit card might be to exceed the used and then do not have enough money to pay.

Trends

Music trends
Nowadays, we see people walking and they are present everywhere. Each of them has a totally different choice or preferences with regard to tastes in music, clothes, technology, among others. We live in an age that frequently evolves, trying to create an image of a human being almost perfect, and we live in a changing world that tries to immerse deeply to humans in fashion in order to generate sales of each item of the moment, with the use of advertising and marketing techniques.
Moreover, the subject under discussion here is how the music was born? The first music was born in the first city of humanity, Eridu in the ancient Sumeria or Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq.
It was people from this region (Sumeria) who wrote in clay boards the first musical notes and lyrics. According to an article in the newspaper ˝La Nacion˝ this event occurred approximately 6,800 years ago. Since that moment on, music has gradually evolved with a variety of different genres.

Music is first and foremost an art, combining the sounds and silence in accordance with the principles of melody, harmony and rhythm, and these are essential elements. At the same time, it is a science and not all people are able to work as musicians or use it as a profession. Sometimes I think it is an innate quality, but after talking with one of my coworkers who is a music teacher I realized that it is not correct. He told me that no matter if the person belongs to a family of musicians or not, due to the fact that you can learn it and it is a process that everybody can create and develop with discipline.

Today we have a wide variety of musical genres such as Acid, Agropop, Candombia, Dance, R & B, Hip-Hop, Electronic Music, Ragtime, Underground, tango, romantic, salsa, rancheras, cumbia and many other genders. Musical trends are closely related to the location of either country or people. For example, in Limon, Costa Rica it is customary to hear reggaeton, while in other geographically and San Carlos people tend to listen to meringue and salsa.

The biggest problem that involves dividing the music into categories is that each artist has his own history, its own style and own way of doing things. One of the disadvantages in grouping music by genre is that it is a subjective process that is heavily influenced by personal knowledge and how each feel and hear the music. Finally everyone is free of his tendency to choose the right kind or genre of music. Music is the soul as how the gymnastics is for the body.

Mozart

The Mozart effect
As per an internet web site “Neuroscientists have intensified their research into music and its role in the developing brain”. This is partly due to evolving diagnostic techniques and technology, and due, also, to the growing awareness of the probative opportunities presented by such studies.
The "Mozart Effect", has been bandied about by popular print and broadcast media. It is featured in parenting, education, and music oriented publications, and in the mainstream general press. While it has renewed interest in classical music, education and focused much deserved attention on the general field of childhood development to help others to improve their skills.
A set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as reasoning. Popularized versions of the theory, which suggest that "listening to Mozart makes you smarter", or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development.
To test the Mozart effect I believe that will be a good idea to take statistics in a population with people of different ages and take a measure of the connectivity ability, because if it works it could be implemented in the future to create positive and clever people and a better world with trained humans.

Human Rights

Human Rights Groups
Nowadays there are many groups fighting for the rights of people who are in different social and economic positions. This is in order to help these individuals to prosper and become better people informed and able to face this competitive society. Some examples of groups that are fighting are the ones which fight for poverty, sexual choice, aggression to children, education, women aggression, among others.

Human Rights Education can be defined as all learning that develops the knowledge, skills, and values of human rights with the broad goal of building a culture of universal human rights. Human rights promote values, beliefs and attitudes that encourage all individuals to uphold their own rights and those of others. It develops an understanding of everyone’s common responsibility to make human rights a reality in each community.

The Advocates for Human Rights facilitates the implementation and protection of human rights through its international educational programming. This work includes developing and training programs for its use in other countries as well as providing access to education for children at risk of exploitative labor practices. On the other hand, for teachers, it provides a framework through which they can build safe and appealing classrooms that value diversity and respect for others.
The Women’s Program works with partners at home and in other countries to provide trainings on women’s human rights issues and violence against women. The Women’s Program provides general trainings on the issue of violence against women as a human rights violation to community members, human rights advocates, journalists and direct service providers. Also, it provides specific training to police, judges, and lawyers on effective strategies to address violence against women in legal systems.
As a conclusion, the human rights groups should exist to avoid discrimination in the society for some specific groups. Similarly, it is so important for parents to educate their children keeping in mind that they should be able to help others and that they will encourage a better world. I believe that if every person does something related to this topic, even if it is little act, we will have a sense of culture that will increase benefits for the individuals.

domingo, 8 de agosto de 2010

Privacy

Employers Should Be Allowed to Read Their Employees e-mail

Currently in business I think it is reasonable to allow supervisors to access the e-mails of employees, the reason mentioned above is because to check the e-mails of employees allow to have the control over the skills of those working in the company and thus verify if they are doing an honest job.

It is very common in businesses such as call center operators to be monitored on their jobs because of the fact that the company must comply with metrics and due to customer service is very demanding, so it is really important the treatment that the operator gives to the customer in order to get full satisfaction, to achieve the user and thus higher profits for the company, it is really important to verify that employees give good customer service.

In the company in which work for over a year and is called Hewlett Packard it is interesting to observe how managers and supervisors are aware of the work that are having the employees and also managers have access of the emails of the employees, for example if there is any complaint or escalation by the customer.

In my case I fully agree that such practices do so to end with the productivity and efficiency that should be given to the user and avoid any fraud, it is also a technique that allows to take measures for improvement in business , so that you can implement development strategies and adjustment to the company.

Finally we are in an era of global growth in which the technology advances and new techniques of operating a business are taking place, where what matters is the customer satisfaction for the company to acquire greater recognition and gains, so it is efficient to control the work of employees.

Monastery

I heard that the origins of monasticism are in the third century in the eastern Mediterranean, where, based on the need for greater religious commitment, many hermits and recluses decided to take an ascetic life alone, following the model of a saint. However, people there, also develop forms of religious life in community like the case of the Cenobites, who wanted to imitate the apostles.

From ancient times, there have been men who have felt the need to withdraw from social life and to live in remote and lonely, dedicated to prayer and meditation. They have been called hermits or recluses. Generally, the hermits chose to live in a cave or they built a humble cottage. Next to this hut, they built another one, to be used as oratory. When some of these hermits reached fame of holiness others joined them in order to be close to the saint.

In Costa Rica there is a monastery, according to the webpage http://www.catolicos.com/monasterioscostarica.htm (July 4, 2009)
after the Divine Office (prayer with the Psalms) and the (spiritual reading) is the work, the third essential element of Benedictine life. The Holy Rule is very emphatic on this point: "exactly, then, if they live by the work of their hands, as their fathers and the apostles did, they will be truly monks."

In the monasteries, each community has its work plan in line with their abilities and skills. None of the monastery is considered "retired. Monks and nuns contributed and continue contributing to the achievement of work life through intellectual, artistic, craft, and agriculture.

To sum up this issue about monasteries, we can say that each population has different beliefs, and if someone wants to serve humanity by being a monk, they are free to do. There are different ways of thinking and religions around the world, but all with the same purpose, which is to follow a supreme being in search of human goodness.

Feng

Feng shui
First of all, it is not an easy task to talk about this topic; I had to find information in magazines and asked some people about this matter. These are the results of what I heard that the arrangement of the furniture, the colors used in each room, as well as the location of the buildings are. Many people state that these elements are essential in Feng Shui. It allows the environment to be in balance and provide us with positive energy. The feng Shui uses colors, numbers, symbols, animals and the five elements (land, water, fire, metal and wood) to produce balance and harmony in our environment.
Currently, this technique has spread worldwide and there are decorators specialized in the art of Feng Shui. Feng shui's symbols will help you to harmonize and balance the elements in your house and improve your life quality. Feng shui symbols are an important feng shui tool which you should have into account when balancing and harmonizing your house. The treasury feng shui secrets are the success and riches.
I would like to mention a few examples: here are some tips to prevent flowing out energy and prosperity from your house: bathrooms should be hidden as much as possible. Place a full-length mirror on the bathroom door to give the illusion that the bathroom is not there; bathroom doors should be closed as much as possible and the toilet seats down because that minimizes the energy loss; tie a red ribbon or use red tape around outgoing pipes. This will help keep the energy from flowing out. Everything should be in good working order and clean to promote good feng shui. Broken items in the bathroom will accentuate negative energy, it is very important that your bathroom is not located right above the main house door. It is also important that the toilet and the bathtub have some space between them or that would not allow the flow of energy as it should.
Another example is about the children’s rooms. Children are very sensitive to their environment: to sounds, colors, and materials. To use feng shui to create a healthy and happy atmosphere for your children, and you will have healthier kids. A room with a poor energy flow will contribute to a child who can't sleep well.
Fresh air and clearness is always the main thing in children's rooms. You should pay special attention to the colors you choose for this space, not only for the walls but for the decoration in general. Also, we can mention that as with all bedrooms, the bed position is very important. First of all, your child's bed should not be right across the door. Besides, it should ideally have a wall at one side and be in such a position that allows seeing the door easily. If possible, the bed should be in a corner, it would make the child feel secure and sleep better.
Another example is that if you have a desk, it should be placed so that the window is to the left of the seating position and the door can be seen from the desk. The person's back should not be to the door. To choose a room with the biggest window in a house will be a good option. To summarize the subject of Feng Shui, we must be aware that it is a broad topic and it is based in what people believe. Many humans think that it is a superstition; but it is a decision that is taken for each person and it is linked to religious beliefs and families’ customs.

sábado, 3 de julio de 2010

Self

Self-esteem
While I was doing a research in the dictionary about the meaning of self-esteem, I realized that it is stated that self-esteem is what I think about myself, it is the love that I have for myself as a person and that it tends to be confused with narcissism, it is what I think, it is my value as a human being, it is to accept who we are to emerge and succeed. Self-esteem defines us as complete human beings.
Most of the time, the parents are the ones who define self-esteem because they are the first individuals with whom we share. When children are on average between two and three years old they go through a period in which they ask everything, for instance, the usefulness of each object. During this period parents must be vigilant and respond to children to develop trust. Parents should see them directly in the eyes and answer their questions, this is a fundamental process.
One way to visualize people with high self-esteem is when we find optimistic people, with positive way of thinking, and self-determination. They are also competent, this kind of people knows how to react to what happens and they do not get depressed by events. Usually, someone with high self-esteem use to be "the life of the party", like a social butterfly.
No matter what social class you come from, we have to grow strong. In the future children will be self-confident humans and they will make a better world. I read about successful people, because of this, I can state that all of them have had ups and downs in their lives, but the reason why they succeeded in life was that they thought about themselves positively. An example is Jack Canfield, a man who belonged to low social classes, he lost his job but he trusted on himself and decided to publish a book called "Chicken soup for the soul". Today he is a billionaire man. On the other hand, someone who I admire and I will say that he is my inspiration is Chris Gardner. When he was 28 years old, he did not have a home and he had to take care of his son. Gardner believed that there is nothing impossible and we must fight in order to achieve whatever we want. As a result of this man‘s story, the movie "In the Pursuit of Happiness" was produced. Chris Gardner is also the current owner of a financial institution in Chicago, that is called Gardner Rich. He is a motivational lecturer. I invite you to read his new book called “Start Where You Are”.
My personal advise is "avoid being shy or introverted" because that can affect you if you want to get a job in the future. A pessimistic person does not achieve anything. We need to trust in ourselves, learn to live the life which is very short, and in that way we should be able to dream. Sometimes it is good enough to be selfish.

I advise you to take a picture and every time you feel bad observe that photograph of yourself, you should say : I love with my soul who is reflected in that picture and I will fight and do whatever it is necessary for whom is there, we must begin with ourselves.
Keylin Oviedo Murillo.

Honesty

Honesty

Honesty is a human quality that is to live, to behave and express ourselves coherently and honestly according to the values of truth and justice. To practice honesty is when you tell the truth, and you do what you promised, when we used our own items or items that are not ours, when we return what we have borrow, honesty is not to exaggerate things.

Honesty is very important because not only is openness, but people should get a good salary, we must recognize honesty as a fundamental condition for human relationships, for friendship, for the authentic life. We should also be aware that there are obstacles to the honesty or dishonesty when applied and is not a trivial matter.

In life we cannot rely on people tattling on Each Other and Sometimes Mislead the public without taking care of private information because the information that is not true you can have many problems at work, or the area in which people are developed. Today I realize that honest people have advantages in the works, and that the leaders take them in account of honesty.

On the other side in a global market in which there are so much competition, now professionals are taken psychological tests are being conducted to verify whether individuals are equipped with certain qualities and skills and a really important factor is honesty especially in a serious work as a bank or those where are making transactions or movements of money.

Obviously a serious company is not going to hire intrusive people because it could affect the privacy of others. An example of the value of honesty is the human resources department of the Central Bank of Costa Rica that has an inflated opinion of its value.

Lastly, I remind you that if we make use of important values such as honesty we will achieve success in different facets of life, my advice is that if someone wants to prosper and succeed must be a responsible and honest person.

Letter

San Jose, June 1th, 2010
ULACIT
Innovation week
Dear Sirs,

First I want to give you the congratulations for the opportunity that you provide to the students and teachers in the ULACIT to acquire more knowledge about technology.
It was very interesting to have the presence of valuable companies like DysCreSa, Hewlett Packard, 3M, EF, AC, PANDA and many others.
Honestly the contribution that these companies have made were excellent by the fact that they generated more knowledge such as how to recycle the oil, the computer and their competitive price in the market, use of the blackberry, how to save electricity and others.
I invite you to visit the university each year to let us learn about innovations.
Everyday life is easier with the use of technology, so we need the tools for future emerge as professionals and citizens of Costa Rica
Thanks again for your assistance during the innovation week; I wish that you bring new ideas for next year.

Sincerely,

Adictions

Addictions

Currently there are many addictions that are negative for the lives of people between them we can mention drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sex, coffee, casinos, gambling, fondness for the lottery, all these addictions work as an escape mechanism to the problems human face, and it is sometimes easier to take drugs rather than having the courage and face the reality we live in a world where people want to sell the services for stability, it is wrong to think that those moments of ecstasy will generate an infinite tranquility.

One of the greatest addictions and that has been developed is the use of technology like the Internet and it is a fatal addiction that may start at work where you need for daily work, but then the internet becomes a faithful friend, and is harmful to those who are introverted because they socialize less, one example I can give is to my personal case in which I work every day with two computers on the premises of the work, but then to come home I feel that I need to check my email, and also I study with two computers.

Those in these conditions of addiction think they are without problems, although they should seek a specialist, it is necessary to pause in life and take care of our lives, sometimes starts out because of curiosity, to maintain a social guild, for sharing with friends from work or college.
When people are in states of addiction they have different behaviors such as anxiety or very compulsive symptoms, to combat this crisis of addictions, it is necessary to go to a support group.