My latest publication

This a link to my latest publication, it's in Spanish so, enjoy!

http://elpostantillano.com/component/content/article/318-cartas-de-una-antillanoa/2821-yalitza-santos.html

Chain Reaction

Puerto Rico has turned in a place of violence. This weekend alone (from Friday to Sunday) there have been 10 cases of murder reported. The once “Island of Enchantment” has turned into a place where people are afraid to come out of their houses because they know that now more than ever it is more of a possibility to die waiting for a traffic light to change, picking up an order in a fast food restaurant of jumping back into your car after a day of shopping. What ever happened to sense of community that moved people to take care of each other of the codes of the streets where no innocents, women or children were to be hurt in the process of “taking care of a situation”?

 While the public slowly marinates in the panic, government official and political parties focus on smear campaigns and playing a “tag blame game” amongst themselves. Red senators blame blue ones and those blame red district representatives and those blame blue mayors and those blame red senators and those then go back to blaming blue Governors and so on so forth they continue to play tag while women are being battered to death by their abusive partners, children are being physically, sexually abused and murdered, senior citizens rights are violated by badly trained and psychologically unstable police officers and citizens are being murdered and robbed in their own homes.

 Meanwhile, in the United States political parties and government officials are focused on denying people the right to public health insurance and women the right to choose whether they want to have children or not. Instead of focusing in the education and economy problems of the country they just “want to show those second class citizens who’s boss.”

 As we can appreciate here our socio-economic situation is not only our own, but it is a chain reaction. The worst part of it is that it will continue to get worse if we don’t pay attention to the social components of the problem. People need help. Not only in the economic sector, but also access to objective information, quality education, to know that they have a choice and that they will treated with respect and dignity. Otherwise these situations will only get worse; which is a shame because it is those who are innocent the ones who end up paying for the sins of the guilty.

Puerto Rico = Gangster's Paradise ( a review of sources)

Funny, I posted about this same topic yesternight and here today THE local newspaper published this article:

La Isla del Chanchullo Gubernamental

It roughly translates to "the island of government deception"  and it states that Puerto Rico has turned into one of the most corrupt destinations in the Caribbean. No more questions your honor.

Puerto Rico = Gangster's Paradise

As I eat a plain hot dogs with ketchup I think about my island’s economy. Yesterday as I talking to a friend I realized how closed are the economic circles of my island. Funding rarely reaches its destination and proposal money stays in the hands and projects of a few that don’t share the information so others don’t get the opportunity to be granted money. It’s really frustrating to see how the rich keep getting richer at the expense of the working class while the poor keep growing poorer and ignorant by the millisecond. There is no money to fix the economy, no money to fix the school system, no money to fix the public health insurance system and yet there is money for political campaigns and televised advertisements that are meant to encourage us to work for a system that does not work for us.  Puerto Rico used to be a paradise, now, all that remains is the nostalgia of better days. Today it is just a sick commonwealth that is becoming sicker and sicker by the minute. The cancer of poverty continues to spread, the social abyss keeps getting wider and wider and the people keeps getting more violent and hopeless. We need a glimmer of light, but it is going to be a monumental quest to find it within all this dirt and corruption that lies beneath the surface. Tourists, don’t let yourselves be fooled, the island is not safe, even police officers are abusing tourists and locals, it’s not paradise, (slaughter of animals and dirty beaches) and it is not a happy place to be right now, (if you don't believe me, ask the mother of the 18 year old boy who was killed in a car jacking a few days ago or the family members of the fast food manager who got shot in the head in an armed robbery on Thursday[I think]).

About family

I love couple night with my parents (just so you can have an idea of what couple night is, my husband and I go out bar hoping with my parents and end up in a nice restaurant having a late supper). They like to travel around the island, eat in good restaurants, drink the good stuff and share a good time without being judgmental. And that takes me to today's topic; family. As anyone could tell you, there is nothing more important in life than family. When you cultivate good family relations, you can always count on having a majestic support group, to help you and comfort you but also to have fun with. To have a supportive and trustworthy relationship with your family can mean the difference between feeling happy and fulfilled versus feeling lonely and depressed. People should always try to be close to at least their immediate family, you know, mom, dad, brothers and sisters, after all they are the people who saw you and supported you while you soared towards the success lined skies, and that should count for something, I know that in my book it does.

On pets and stray bullets

Es alarmante ver como en este país, el abandono/ maltrato de mascotas y la insensibilidad humana se han convertido en una plaga. En tan solo una semana, vi 5 perros asesinados por conductores negligentes en la carretera # 2  en el tramo de Añasco a Isabela, a dos amistades cercanas un conductor negligente les asesino a sus mascotas y recibí 4 notificaciones de Facebook de amistades que estaban buscando hogares para perritos que habían encontrado abandonados en zafacones de basura. Esto es algo serio. Si no tenemos la responsabilidad ni la sensibilidad de tomar responsabilidad de nuestras acciones para con los animales indefensos, como esperamos que los números de asesinatos y actos criminales bajen? Como pretendemos que los actos atroces contra nuestros hermanos y hermanas humanos cesen? Cuál es el futuro de las generaciones venideras si lo que les estamos dejando es un legado de egocentrismo, egoísmo e insensibilidad?

Cuando abandonas y/o maltratas una mascota, es como abandonar y/o maltratar a un bebe indefenso. Ese animalito, igual que un bebe recién nacido esta confiando en ti para que lo protejas y lo ames y al ser maltratante es como si le dijeras a ese recién nacido: “Sabes qué? Yo ya no quiero ser responsable por ti, muérete o que se encargue otro”. Si queremos  en realidad que se acaben los incidentes como el que asesino a Karla Michelle (15), Francisco J. Cancel (14), y muchos otros inocentes, empecemos por concientizar y educar en sensibilidad humana y en respeto a la vida ajena y en trato digno a todos los seres vivientes. Por que pasarlo en los medios de comunicación por tres o cuatro días corridos mientras la noticia esta caliente y dar condolencias a la familia no resuelve el problema.  Al contrario, lo glamoriza de una manera morbosa y nauseabunda.  Enseñemos que toda vida, por simple que sea es valiosa y no tenemos derecho a destruirla. Ensenemos responsabilidad, que todo acto tiene consecuencias, que no se adopta una mascota por qué se ve linda mientras es pequeña y luego cuando crece la amarro en el patio a agua sol y sereno hasta que alguien más quiera tomar la responsabilidad o hasta que se muera. Que no se dispara al aire sin pensar que un acto irresponsable le costara la vida a un inocente que podría ser mi hijo(a), sobrino(a), hermano(a), etc. Si nos acostumbramos a aceptar las causas negligentes de sufrimiento y muerte como algo de nuestro diario vivir, entonces tendremos que dejar de llamarnos humanos, pues la cualidad que se atribuye al nombre ya no estará presente para guiar nuestras acciones, habremos dejado perder nuestra humanidad. Démonos cuenta que el cambio empieza dentro de nosotros, con acciones tan sencillas como darle los buenos días a la persona que pasa por tu lado mientras caminas o conduces hacia el trabajo o la escuela, con respetar que la persona delante de ti estaba allí primero y esperar tu turno, con darle la otra mejilla al que pierde la paciencia y se comporta de manera inadecuada al demostrarle con acciones positivas y no con insultos que sus acciones no serán toleradas, con dejar de ignorar los actos de maltrato que cometen las personas a nuestro alrededor e intentar compartir información educativa con ellos y si no, reportar su negligencia a las agencias pertinentes para que tomen cartas en el asunto. Por último pero no menos importante, una mascota es una fuente de amor incondicional mientras dure su vida pero al mismo tiempo es una responsabilidad que requiere dedicación y compromiso, por favor, si está consciente que ni usted ni sus seres queridos pueden comprometerse a proveerle calidad de vida a una mascota NO ADOPTE NI REGALE MASCOTAS, no son juguetes;  son seres vivientes que sufrirán las consecuencias de su negligencia de la misma manera que un niño sufre la negligencia de padres irresponsables. Tengamos corazón y sentido común.

Y para que vean lo cerca que esto nos toca a todos comparto un ejemplo de la comunidad en la que vivo. A principios de año todos los residentes del área en donde vivo nos quedamos sin servicio de internet al mismo tiempo. Al llamar al proveedor del servicio, ellos no podían explicar que era lo que sucedía ya que sus sistemas no habían reportado averías en el área. Cuando el técnico de la compañía que provee el servicio se subió al poste a verificar la conexión se encontró con una interesante sorpresa. El servicio se había visto interrumpido por que una bala había impactado la caja de servicio que hay en el poste. Alrededor de ese poste, a menos de 15 pies de distancia hay 6 casas, la mía incluida y en 4 de ellas hay niños. Es una pena que tengamos que confiar nuestras vidas a la suerte y no podamos contar con que vivimos alrededor de personas responsables y conscientes del valor de la vida ajena.

Justice

A 30 year old male teacher rapes a 15 year old girl and he is immediately perceived as a monster, a perverted human being and a lot of other categories that involve unpleasant and heavy words. However when the situation is the other way around, when a 30 year old female teacher rapes a 15 year old boy, it is not a felony but a fantasy. The dynamics of gender that our society deems as correct don't seem to be based in morality or in right and wrong for that matter, but on power relations. When the authority figure that abuses his power is a male, whether the abuse is directed towards a female or a weaker male we consider it abnormal and abusive; on the other hand but when the weaker male conquers the female figure of authority it is considered an accomplishment to the conquering male. Double standards anyone?

Why can't we be objective when it comes to justice? I believe people have come to forget that justice being blind does mean that it will be played with at will and it will not notice but that it will treat everyone objectively, no special considerations will be taken because you are rich, white, male, powerful among lots of others that I will not mention here. Why is it so hard for people to understand that actions have consequences and that punishments should be applied according to the consequence not the level of education, money or power that the culprit might have. Maybe if we could convince people that consequences will be upheld no matter who you are the world would not be as it is, maybe we would have more equality, respect and better social interactions with those around us, we would have less hate crimes, robberies, murders, rapes, civil rights violations, etc, etc,etc.

Nonetheless I do not want you to see me as an idealist that is proposing an immediate solution to obtain world peace, that would be unreal and idealistic. However it would be a nice first step.

Parent does not equal Good Teacher

A couple of days ago I was watching a TV show in which a man was demanding from his wife for her to take charge of their 12 year old daughter's education. The father wanted to remove the girl from the public school system and force his wife to home school the girl because he felt it was safer and it was the wife's duty to educate the girl at home. These statements done by the father other than being exaggeratedly chauvinistic and unreal left me thinking about home schooling and the level of involvement parents should have in their kids education. How far should a parent go, how much should a teacher tolerate? Where are lines crossed? Today while I was roaming the children books section at Borders I involuntarily witnessed a situation that chilled my bones but provided me with some answers to my own questions. I saw a mother trying to teach her daughter how to recognize verb tenses in Spanish. What's wrong with that? Is what you might be thinking, well, the part that chilled my bones and made me want to bitch slap the woman was that the girl was probably around eight years of age and the mother was talking to her as a drill sergeant would talk to a private during the first week of basic training. As could be expected the child was scared, about to cry and could not concentrate so every time mom would ask a question the little one would get it wrong and the whole children section plus the corridors of the store would know she got it wrong for to add insult to injury, she wasn't using her indoor voice when she corrected the child. The point this example proved to me is that being a parent does mean you are a good teacher. Not all parents have the disposition, patience and training that being a good teacher requires. There is no hormone released during pregnancy that readies you to be the appropriate teacher for your child, or somebody else's child for that matter. Being a good teacher just like every other good professional is a matter of loving what you do and those that you do it for. So if you can't take the heat, get out of the classroom before you damage your child's education in ways you would never wish to. Because as I have witnessed a vast amount of times during my years teaching, good parents are not always good teachers. Something that the aspiring teacher should always have in mind is that teaching is a calling, not just another 9 to 5 with a set of paid vacations twice a year.