Guanes

Guanes were a small group who lived mainly in the area of Santander, Colombia until 1586. They spoke Chibchan languague  and were farmers cultivating cottom, fruits especially pinaple, cassava, corn, coca, tobacco using advanced agricultural techniques.

They were also excellent and skilled artisans, they worked in cotton textiles and made their own weapons, including arrows and spears. The develop of their own textile industry had a great importance because:

• Their need to interchange blankets, textiles and clothing to obtain products that they didn't have in their territory. 
• They used to pay taxes to their political leaders and "Caciques" with textiles.
• They buried their people with luxurious blankets.

They had good trade relations with Chitareros, Musicas and Yariguíes different groups  of nearby regions interchanging food, textiles, pottery, salt  and snails who had an important meaning in their rituals. 

Besides agriculture, The Guanes also cultivated "Hormigas Culonas", a typical variety of ants from the region that are consider as a delicacy for the local people and it is a custom that remains in these days.

It is a shame that we don´t  have a good knowledge of this interesting culture of our region and a few vestiges remain, thanks in part to the extinction of this group by the Spanish conquest. 

Is Email a Good or a Bad Thing?

PROS(+)                

Everyone can use it. 

You can access to it from everywhere. 

You can create your own business without a  lot of money.  

You save paper.      

You can store all kind of information like pictures, videos, documents, etc. 

All distances are reduced to a single click.

Is cheaper and faster than other media.

If you need information about something you don´t have to leave your home.

You can access to databases, libraries and information sources around the world  in real time. 

 

CONS(-)                

You always want more and more space to store your information and they don't offer so much space.

It is not safe for your computer, it could get   infect with all kind of viruses and spams. 

There are a lot of garbage mails that appear every day in your mailbox. 

Maybe you can´t find privacy, if somebody hack your account and see all your information.

You can be swindled and sometimes until having threatened and extorted by virtual criminals.

Email is globalizing the culture, we are losing our identity.

I think the email has more advantages than bad things, I know email is impersonal and avoid face to face communication, it is not the safest and can take over your life, but since it was created, it has made our lives easier, you can meet new people from many countries, send messages to others far away from you, is a fast and an easy way to make some money creating your own virtual business. I think email makes part of our evolution and of course it has to improve many things, but it has changed our lives completely.   

 

Fourteen Year Old Boy Died in a Boot Camp

Martin Lee Anderson on January 5th, 2006 died on the spot, hours after he was admitted to a boot camp in Bay County, Florida for reasons related to thief of his grandmother’s car. Apparently during the physical exam he complained because he couldn't breathe and said he could not continue, after he collapsed during a run, right after that about seven guards including a nurse used pressure-point techniques, punched his arms, kneed him, slammed him to the ground and shoved ammonia capsules in his nose in an apparent attempt to revive him and compel him to join with their others because they assumed Martin was faking .

Martin´s family doesn’t beat about and sued the state’s juvenile justice agency and the sheriff’s office seeking at least $40 million from them. An autopsy by Bay County’s medical examiner determined that Martin died from complications of sickle-cell trait- a blood disorder primarily affecting African descent- and not the beating. A second autopsy, suggested by Gov. Jeb Bush, determinated that Martin wasn’t beaten to death but that he suffocated, due to the ammonia capsules. Family attorney Benjamin Crump said his clients offered to settle out of court for $3.1 million, but the offer was rejected. The Sheriff’s office published a written statement saying settling the case would be “premature because the investigation is incomplete and still pending at this time". Martin’s death became a controversial case and received national attention. On October 12th a jury found all 8 defendants 'not guilty' on all charges. This included simple manslaughter, child abuse, and child neglect. The verdict shocked most people. At the current time, there is a federal investigation underway.

Vocabulary

Shoved: Push somebody
Ammonia capsules: You put them under someone’s nose after they’ve passed out
Sickle-cell Trait: A blood disorder
Attorney: Lawyer
Settle out of court : Pay some money if you don´t want a trial.
Defendants: People who are accused
Manslaughter: An involuntary death
Neglect: When you don´t take care about something

Questions

1. Do you think Martin's death was a racist crime?
2. Do you think that was Martin's fault?
3. What is your opinion about the veredict?
4. Are Martin's parents interested in money or just in justice?
5. Which would be your veredict?