Our current heroes. 'Old time was better' is a common phrase used for a lot of old people when they talk about things that have changed. I am not an old person but I can say that I've lived the birth of 'Millennials' -young people who have lived connected to technology. When I was a young -and for older generations-, it was very common to have a hero or an exemplary person. He or she could be our father, mother, a close relative or a public person. Parent or family were the main source of inspiration for us but sometimes public people could be, as well. When I am talking about 'public person' in old times I mean to police men, professors, firefighters, doctors, and so on, someone who made good actions toward the society. Many things have changed and nowadays, parents and close relatives need to work all day. Exemplary people have a bad salary, their job are boring or they have a bad reputation -this happens in Mexico. Even today, Millennials need to have a hero but who can be a good exemplary? Internet and Media have the solution: artists and singers. Currently, the majority of 'Millennials' dream of being as their favorite artists, people who have a life with excesses such as alcohol, drugs, and media scandals. I think that kings of people are not the best example for young people. In this situation, I say the same phrase said for old people 'Old time was better.' Saludos desde México.

More follower, more credible. Nowadays, there is a lot of information and we can select one or more options to be informed. News can be related with leisure, sports, politics, artists, music, religion, and so on. Well, it is difficult to have time for everything because we can have a personal life with other interests more important. Religion, economy and politics are topic very complicated and it is difficult to be well-informed regarding those topics -it can happen with other ones. Because of that, it's very common to follow an expert or a specialist, someone who can help us with the most important information and personal comment about the topic. This is a good strategy but the main problem is, who can be the correct person? Some people search information and follow an expert but a lot of people decide to believe in famous people as artists or singers. They have a lot of followers in social networks and it is easy to believe that they are credible. Personally, I think that it is a shame when famous people made an opinion about economy and politics, they thing that to talk about those topics is like to talk about music and showbiz. Most unfortunate is when common people believe that their opinions are credible, if we read more, we could discern about correct and wrong opinions. Saludos desde México.

The Climate Change. Nowadays, we are more than 7 billions of people around the world and the number is growing. Everyday there is less food and more problems to cultivate it, also we have less clean water and breathable air. Our planet has a real problem. The climate change is a reality and is affecting our world. First countries on feeling it have been poor ones, more floods and droughts have occurred every year. Too late, society has started to do things to limit the climate change but there are many economic interests and social disinterest for remedying. In economy, there is a concept called Laffer curve where the curve shows the relationship between tax revenues and tax rates. For simplifying, as more tax rates there are, there will be more tax revenues. However, there will be a point where the curve will fall because the people won't be willing to pay more and more taxes. I think that something similar will happen with the society if we don't do anything about the climate change. The question is and using the Laffer curve as parameter, have we reached the point or we are close to do it? Saludos desde México.

Dying Asleep She cried when she felt my hand over her bag, what have I done? I thought. I started to run across the cars and after that over a dark sidewalk, I reached to see two or maybe three people running toward me. Where am I? I thought, five hours before I was drinking with my best friend and other people. I drank too much and I don't remember anything, I need to search them and ask them, what did we drink? Maybe someone put a drug into our drinking. I felt a hand over my shoulder and I started to run faster. I opened a door and I entered to a bakery, I hid behind a table and someone looked at me. Who are you? I thought. She was an old woman without any fear about me. She told me 'I won't cry but you need to go out now,' you can do it through the back door. After that, she showed me with her hand the door and I started to run. Where is my cell phone? I thought. In that moment, I heard a men calling me 'Wait, we will shoot you if you don't stop.' I looked at a men with a uniform, a police man. I was afraid when I felt another hand and a voice how told me 'what happens? What happens?' Suddenly, I woke up and my wife was looking at me and crying me 'what happens? What happens?' I was sweating and I said her 'Nothing, I'm OK and alive.' Saludos desde México.

Periscope, the New Mexican Big Brother. Nowadays, social networks are a tool very used for everyone. In essence, they are a way to maintain us in communication with our family or friends and to be well-informed of a lot of things that happen day to day. Facebook and Twitter are the main social networks but bit by bit there are more, a good example could be Periscope. Periscope is a live video streaming and it can be used for everyone, we just need to have a cellphone, the app installed, and internet access. Periscope is very used for famous people to show their daily life and to have a closer interaction with their fans. In Mexico, Periscope also has been used by citizens, journalists, and recently by politicians. Some months ago, a civil servant (that in Mexico it's the same that a political) started to use Periscope to record his work when he was monitoring main streets under his jurisdiction. He is a person who watches over that citizens don't infringe civil laws such as littering, bad parking the car, disturb other citizens, and so on. However, two weeks ago happened something interesting. He was beaten by bodyguard of a businessman because they were parked in a wrong place. Some days before, he exhibited some citizens when they were infringing civil laws and after that, they presented a complaint in human right. This started a discussion about the use of this app, When is it correct to use Periscope to exhibit bad citizens? He was doing a mistake when he decided to record their job? Personally, I think that record bad citizens is the unique way to be better ones. We can't understand without being exhibited. Saludos desde México.

Tamiflu, Help us. In April 2009, Mexico suffered a complicated situation, we were the first country with a confirmed case of 2009-H1N1 flu virus infection -after we knew that first cases happened in March-. At the beginning, everyone knew of some cases through the country but bit by bit, confirmed cases were more and soon, it was an epidemic. The 2009-H1N1 outbreak took to everyone unprepared. Anyone had information about the real risk, government didn't know that they needed to do and they took a complicated decision. They limited public events and restricted the opening of some public places, everything searching to avoid the spread of the virus. The spread was limited but it had collateral damages, Mexican economy and international reputation were lost. For example, many countries limited their trips to Mexico and avoid purchasing some supplies as pork. Some months later, we knew that 2009-H1N1 outbreak was a new virus without high risk for human health. Nevertheless, the effect was done, in Mexico we changed many bad habits, we were more conscious respect to airways diseases and other ones. We clean our hands more consistently and when someone has the flu, they had more care with their contact with others. Unfortunately, our care about the flu has overcome a limit and now it has a political use. This year, the cold season has delayed and we have a seasonal Influenza outbreak. When 2009-H1N1 outbreak happened, the main drug used was Tamiflu and now, everyone is searching this drug to treat the seasonal Influenza outbreak but there is a lack of Tamiflu in private pharmacies. People against the local and federal government are searching to decree an outbreak emergency and they say because this is uncontrollable. I need to mention that public hospitals have a reserve of Tamiflu and they don’t have big problem with that drug. Tamiflu is a drug to treat the flu but I think that a test needs to be done before to prescribe it, doctors are omitting that actions and they are prescribing Tamiflu for everyone, this is a reason of its lack. Also, for private pharmacies aren't a business to have a big stock of a Tamiflu because we don’t suffer of flu outbreak all year, that is another reason that explain the current situation. That kind of things are things that people don’t know and politicians don’t say when they talk against the current government. Saludos desde México.

Practica 9. Nowadays, we live in a society very complex and everyone has many responsibilities to pay attention in our familiar topics. In this sense, there is who believes that parents need to have the responsibility of teach to their children to be good citizens but by otherwise, others think that it needs to be taught at school. Personally, I think that this is a responsibility of parents and school must be only a complement. For a long time, parents had been the unique source of actions that children could learn to be a good members of society. With those actions, parents -or tutors- and older brothers/sisters taught to them what kind of thing they could do without have any problem. In Mexico, religion had been another source of good actions but bit by bit, it has lost influence into the Mexican society, as well. Today, our rhythm of life has changed and something both parents need to work to have a good quality of life. In this sense, they have neglected some familiar responsibilities and currently, a lot of parent think that school must teach to their children about social good behavior. On one hand, they are right but first steps/teaching must be done at home, teacher should be a helper to countersign future good actions made for their kids. In summary, our rhythm of life has changed but there are some familiar actions that need to be taught and learned at home, school and other social activities should be a way to countersign those actions. It's impossible to delegate everything in our personal life, and must when are who decide to be father/mother. Saludos desde México.