Public Universities Declare 2020: Year For Mental Health - Antarctica Hits 65 Degrees, Its Warmest Temperature Ever Recorded
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
2020 ISSUE #85 FEBRUARY
Public Universities Declare 2020:
Year For Mental Health
Antarctica Hits 65 Degrees, Its Warmest
Temperature Ever Recorded
Aphrodite
INSIDE COVER PAGE
This year we dedicate our cover pages to
2 EDITORIAL
different legends and ancient myths. In
UTN NEWS this issue, we are going to learn about
3 Public Universities Declare 2020: Aphrodite who was associated with
Year For Mental Health love, beauty, and fertility. If you have an
3 UTN And Robotics & CNC Innovation and awesome picture you think could be on
Training Center Join Forces To Meet The the cover of one of The ILE Post editions,
Challenges Of The Industrial Revolution send it to eherrera@utn.ac.cr. So far several
4.0 readers have sent amazing pictures
that we will be sharing with you soon.
4 Conference On Diplomatic, Commercial
If you want to know what is happening
And Cultural Relations Between Costa
in ILE, follow us on FACEBOOK.
Rica And South Korea At UTN
WORLD NEWS https://pixabay.com/photos/sculpture-marble-art-
aphrodite-2228673/
5 Antarctica Hits 65 Degrees, Its Warmest
Temperature Ever Recorded
5 Basketball Great Kobe Bryant Killed In All materials used and produced by The ILE Post are for educational purposes. They can be used
and reproduced for educational purposes as long as you credit you for the original creation.
Helicopter Crash In Calabasas,
California!
6 Misinformation On Coronavirus Might Be
Most Contagious Thing About It
7
THE ILE ETHOS
Duties Of ILE Professors
CONTRIBUTORS
Fabiola Castillo Essay Writer
8 An Amazing Drink
Dayana Cruz Essay Writer
ACADEMICS AND MORE
Jenaro Diaz-Ducca English For You
9 Pursuing Happiness Through Education
12 VOX POPULI Clare Goodman Academic Editor
THE ATTIC Cindy Rodríguez Article Writer
13 How To Overcome Loneliness?
Yamil Segura Essay Writer
14 Advantageous Hobby
Izabela Sepúlveda News Translator
POP WORLD
15 Spaghetti
VISITING LANDMARKS
16 Vancouver
DISCOVERING TECHNOLOGY
17 The Difference Between Free and Open-
Source Software
LANGUAGE CORNER
19 Aphrodite
20 English For You
LOUDER THAN WORDS
21 Mangrove In Isla De Damas
www.facebook.com/TheILEPost?fref=ts
1
EDITORIAL
The Pursuit Of An Academic Degree, Beyond
A Diploma Lies A Professional Profile
by Jose Soto (ILE Director)
The 2020 academic year has suc- or do they actually pursue professional growth and de-
cessfully started building on the velopment?
dreams of students for a better fu- Forging and shaping good quality professionals of ex-
ture. Finding a spot in the registra- cellence is every university’s ultimate goal. Professors
tion lists for a program in the major and Academics work hard to make their students, not
of their choice makes their effort only regurgitate the course contents on a test, but they
worth it, with registration now well would also love to see these students actually compre-
advanced in the first 2020 quarter. hending what they have studied. Technical programs
Students at the UTN begin their ma- make this point clear by focusing mainly on the skills
jors with a Metacognitive and Introductory course of that are necessary for the labor market. The job of the
either English or Math. This academic policy from 2018 UTN is thus clear to make students aware of the fact
aims at reinforcing basic skills for higher education at that quality over assembly line mass production diplo-
the UTN which expects to reap as a capable profes- mas is the goal.
sional, doesn’t it? Note for students that regardless of the major you
To begin with, a good number of students in high-school are enrolled in now, even when it is not engineering,
talk of their dream careers mostly in Health, Engineering computer science or any other STEM based career,
and why not, Education. The current state of affairs of do not reckon a graduation ceremony as the olympic
professions around the world reinforces the fact that final finish line. Your goal is to become professionals
higher demand careers are those in the fields of en- in your fields, and your diploma will certify it—not the
gineering, computing sciences and technology based other way around. Experience in the working field will
disciplines. Aspiring to have a career in these areas is be necessary for a full professional growth, but a basic
certainly a desired goal of high-school students. In Cos- exit profile must be achieved before that. This is how
ta Rica high demand careers are those in the so called a number of courses and credits in a study program
STEM disciplines- science, technology, engineering makes sense here. Once past that important phase of
and mathematics. According to the 2019 official State finishing your major, start working on your professional
of Education, 37% of the educational options in univer- path—your career.
sities offer STEM disciples, yet there is still a higher gap in For language students of EFL major at the UTN (ILE) ei-
terms of access, gender and graduation. (2019) ther in Alajuela, Puntarenas, San Carlos or Guanacaste,
Even though the fact that higher demand careers are this means that learning a language is the building of
pursued by a number of students, many of them find an ability, which is not an amount of memorized chunks
other options along the way that are valid in the labor of empty grammar, phonetics, idioms, and other excit-
market. There are some broken hearts at this point, but ing things. The pursuit of an academic degree in lan-
they are fixable. Finding way through the UCR, TEC or guage, beyond an Inglés como Lengua Extranjera di-
UNA becomes a reward for all the hard work of their all ploma, as it reads on the graduation certificate, lies a
well exerted high-school years. Still others find in tech- professional profile with a B2 or C1 level of language
nical options the answer for a job profile that satisfies skill. This will hopefully lead to fulfilling your dream of be-
needs, talents and dreams. INA and UTN become the coming a professional in English as a Foreign Language.
answer for those who might like to go after good and
quick quality majors and be able to start working soon.
Here lies an important issue, do they go after a diploma
References:
Educación Superior en Costa Rica. (2019). Informe Estado De La Educación, 7, 46–46. Retrieved from
https://estadonacion.or.cr/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Estado-Educación-RESUMEN-2019-WEB.pdf
2
UTN NEWS
Public Universities Declare 2020: Year For Mental Health
Translated By Izabela Sepúlveda (ILE Professor)
January 17th, 2020. The National Council of Chancel-
lors agreed to declare 2020: Year of public universities
for mental health in its understanding the importance
of addressing the issue of mental health as decisive for
Public Universities. All this coming from its Humanist ap-
proach and being agents of social change to recon-
cile efforts that allow proposing integrative proposals
to help and respond to the diverse demands in that
area.
CONARE and the state universities will articulate efforts
to promote mental health, prevent psychological or
emotional deterioration, as well as to demystify mental
illness, and to promote activities in the national and in- allow for greater advancements in this area. These Uni-
stitutional university context. versities are more committed to the promotion of men-
In this context, the joint and synergistic action of the tal health in the university and national community as a
Public Universities is very important to generate trans- contribution to social welfare, the promotion of integral
formative and integrative strategies that contribute to health and the defense of human rights.
giving a better response to the various mental health The National Mental Health Policy 2012-2021 defines
demands through the strengthening of research, social mental health, as the “Process of well-being and per-
action and teaching. All this plus recreational, sports, sonal and collective performance characterized by
artistic and health services intervention strategies that self-realization, self-esteem, autonomy, the ability to re-
contribute to the improvement in the welfare of the spond to the demands of life in various contexts: family,
university community. community, academic, work and to enjoy life in har-
Likewise, this declaration constitutes a call to the univer- mony with the environment. ”
sity communities to search for renewed strategies that
To read original news in Spanish, go to https://www.utn.ac.cr/content/universidades-públicas-declaran-año-2020-por-la-salud-mental
UTN And Robotics & CNC Innovation and Training Center Join
Forces To Meet The Challenges Of The Industrial Revolution 4.0
Translated By Izabela Sepúlveda (ILE Professor)
Given the imminent changes required by the Fourth
Industrial Revolution, the one that will interconnect
the physical world with the virtual one and will face
changes at maximum speed, by impacting produc-
tion, management and government systems; the UTN
and Robotics & CNC Innovation and Training Center
signed a framework cooperation agreement that will
allow them to move forward together and face this
new challenge of the so-called Revolution 4.0.
This agreement aims to jointly promote the develop-
ment of this Industrial Revolution in Costa Rica, through
the realization of technical and professional training
programs between Robotics & CNC and the UTN, ac-
credited by FANUC, Robotics America Inc., manufac-
ta Ricans around the development of labor skills to
turer of Industrial Robots and machining centers, CNC.
strengthen the automated manufacturing industry in
In addition, it intends to train specialized technical,
Costa Rica.
operational and administrative personnel, in order to
The agreement was signed on December 6th at the
meet the demand of the national and international
Robotics & CNC Innovation and Training Center facil-
market and to improve the competitiveness and pro-
ities, located in the Cariari Corporate Center, by Mr.
ductivity of its commercial activities.
Werner Ossenbach, President of Robotics & CNC and
With these objectives, the UTN will project itself as an
by Mr. Marcelo Prieto, Chancellor of the UTN.
entity committed to the teaching and training of Cos-
3
To read original news in Spanish, go to: https://www.utn.ac.cr/content/utn-y-robotics-cnc-innovation-and-training-center-unen-esfuerzos-ante-los-retos-de-la
UTN NEWS
Conference On Diplomatic, Commercial And Cultural Relations
Between Costa Rica And South Korea At UTN
Translated By Izabela Sepúlveda (ILE Professor)
The UTN’s Institutional Program of Languages for Work
(PIT) in coordination with the Center for Korean Studies
(CEC) held on Friday, January 31st, the Conference:
Diplomatic, commercial and cultural relations be-
tween Costa Rica and South Korea presented by the
South Korean Ambassador, Yoon Chan-sik.
Marcelo Prieto Jiménez, chancellor of the UTN, wel-
comed the Ambassador of South Korea and empha-
sized the importance of knowing about the relationship
between the two countries.
“The Republic of Korea has been one of the main allies
of Costa Rica in its development, we have many years
of having a great relationship and there is no Costa Ri- For several years The National Technical University has
can development effort, in which the contribution and had a close relationship with the Government of the
significant support of the government has not been Republic of Korea. It is for this reason that, during his
present and of the Korean people, ”said Prieto. speech, the Chancellor of the UTN took the opportu-
The UTN, through this activity, generated a space for nity to mention the important contributions from this
dialogue in order to understand the challenges that country to the University.
Costa Rica related to the Free Trade Agreement. In “UTN is a particularly significant example of the close
addition, it allowed future professionals to understand relationship between the two countries. We have an
the labor and commercial possibilities they will have in Access to Information Center donated by the Govern-
the framework of this treaty. ment of the Republic of Korea, which works successfully
During the presentation, Mr. Yoon spoke about the in our Luis Alberto Monge University Center, located in
close relationship between South Korea and Costa downtown Alajuela. Also, we have a Center for Korean
Rica and the benefits of the Free Trade Agreement be- Studies, we have hosted the King SeJong Institute, the
tween the two countries. Korean Language and Korean Culture Program that
“We have agreements in various fields that favor coop- we teach at the UTN, with the participation of students
eration and commercial relations, an example of this and Costa Ricans in general.
is the Free Trade Agreement between Costa Rica and For his part, the South Korean Ambassador, Yoon Chan-
South Korea, which was signed on November 1st, 2019, sik, in an interview for the Somos UTN Radio Program,
which will allow Costa Rican exports of products into mentioned that he is very happy with the achieve-
the Korean maket such as coffee and medical devic- ments and the proper functioning of the centers that
es, to have no commercial barriers,” Yoon said. are in operation at the University.
According to data provided by the Presidency of the “The experience of cooperation that we have had with
Republic of Costa Rica, through a press release, the the UTN has been very good, and we would like in the
Republic of Korea represents a very attractive market future to strengthen both centers and the Korean study
for Costa Rica as it is a country whose population ex- program, but, in addition, we would like to be able to
ceeds 50 million people, which registers a Gross Do- provide support on issues related to science and tech-
mestic Product ( GDP) greater than the US $ 1.6 billion nology, for which we must talk with the university au-
(millions of millions) and an average purchasing power thorities in order to make the appropriate approach,”
of $ 32,000 per inhabitant per year. said Yoon.
Alliance between the UTN and the Government of the
Republic of Korea
To read original news in Spanish, go to: https://www.utn.ac.cr/content/utn-impartió-conferencia-sobre-relaciones-diplomáticas-comerciales-y-culturales-entre-costa
4
WORLDNEWS
Antarctica Hits 65 Degrees, Its Warmest
Temperature Ever Recorded
A record-breaking temperature of bly not that long at all.”
65 degrees was taken at an Argen- Antarctica’s new record comes
tinian research base in Antarctica days after last month was declared
on Thursday, surpassing the conti- the warmest January on record,
nent’s previous record of 63.5 de- which followed NASA declaring
grees set in March 2015. 2010-19 the hottest decade in re-
“[This record] doesn’t come as any corded history. Ocean tempera-
surprise,” Eric Steig, a glaciologist tures recently hit a record high and
studying climate change at the experts say that extreme weather
University of Washington, told the events like the Australia bushfire will
warming has grown to 100%, based
Washington Post, saying the record become more frequent as a result
on a review of 11,602 peer-reviewed
will likely be broken again shortly. of climate change.
articles on ‘climate change’ and
“Although there is decade-to-de- “What’s happening is persistent, not
‘global warming’ published in the
cade variability, the underlying a fluke due to some weather phe-
first 7 months of 2019”, the first time
trend across most of the continent nomenon. We know that the long-
consensus among climate scientists
is warming… we can expect these term trends are being driven by
was found to be 100%.
sorts of records to be set again and the increasing levels of greenhouse
“This is a record from only a single
again, even if they aren’t set every gases in the atmosphere,” Gavin
station, but it is in the context of
single year.” Schmidt, director of NASA’s God-
what’s happening elsewhere and is
James Renwick, a climate scientist dard Institute for Space Studies, told
more evidence that as the planet
at Victoria University of Wellington Al Jazeera last month.
warms we get more warm records
in New Zealand, echoed Steig’s University of Florida researcher
and fewer cold records,” Dr Steve
sentiment in a comment with the James Powell found in a study pub-
Rintoul, a leading oceanographer
Guardian: “To have a new record lished at SAGE in November that
and Antarctic expert at CSIRO, told
set that quickly is surprising, but who “the consensus among research
the Guardian.
knows how long that will last? Possi- scientists on anthropogenic global
Information taken from: https://citizentruth.org/antarctica-hit-65-degrees-its-warmest-temperature-ever/
Image taken from: www.pixabay.com
Basketball Great Kobe Bryant Killed In
Helicopter Crash In Calabasas, California!
Last Jajuary 26th, NBA great Kobe Bry- and flames that spread a quarter
ant died in a helicopter crash in Cal- acre were put out by 10:30. The fire
abasas, California, earlier today. His department reported no survivors.
13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76,
also on board and was killed. Bryant crashed under unknown circum-
was 41. stances according to the Federal
Bryant was a special ballplayer who Aviation Administration. An investiga-
played both offense and defense tion is ongoing. CNN’s transportation
very hard and with great energy. He expert said the flight data shows the
played his entire 20-year career for helicopter tightly circling downtown
the Los Angeles Lakers and won five Los Angeles before heading out to
NBA championships prior to retiring in Calabasas. sador for the game he loved. He will
2016. He was named Finals MVP twice There have been many tributes live forever in the heart of Los Ange-
and league MVP in 2008. Yesterday, for Bryant. Los Angeles Mayor Eric les, and will be remembered through
LeBron James passed Bryant for third Garcetti might have summed up his the ages as one of our greatest he-
place on the all-time NBA scoring list. contributions best. roes. This is a moment that leaves us
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s De- “Kobe Bryant was a giant who in- struggling to find words that express
partment responded to reports of a spired, amazed, and thrilled people the magnitude of shock and sorrow
helicopter that crashed into a hillside everywhere with his incomparable skill we are all feeling right now, and I am
and caught fire, NBC Los Angeles on the court — and awed us with his keeping Kobe’s entire family in my
reported. The crash was called in at intellect and humility as a father, hus- prayers at this time of unimaginable
9:47 a.m. local time, per the report, band, creative genius, and ambas- grief.” — Mayor Eric Garcetti
5 Information taken from: https://apicciano.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2020/01/26/basketball-great-kobe-bryant-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas-california/
Image taken from: www.pixabay.com
WORLDNEWS
Misinformation On Coronavirus Might Be
Most Contagious Thing About It
By Adam Kucharski
cases each infected person creates vent further transmission. However,
on average during each of these this isn’t the only way to stop an out-
steps. We call this the “reproduction break. As well as tracking down peo-
number”, and for coronavirus, we ple who are infectious, it’s possible
estimate it’s about two for a typi- to target broader social interactions
cal infected case in China. What that might amplify transmission. For
about the reproduction number for example, many cities in China have
online content? A couple of years recently closed schools, which can
ago, Facebook researchers looked be hotspots for respiratory infections.
at the most shared content on the Tech companies are now adopting
platform from 2014 to 2016, includ- similar approaches to tackle health
ing viral trends such as the ice-buck- misinformation. Last year, Pinterest
et challenge and putting an equals announced it had rewired its search
When reports of a new coronavirus sign over your profile picture to sup- results to make it harder to find vac-
emerged last month, I speculated port marriage equality. cine misinformation. It had struggled
with fellow epidemiologists about Remarkably, there wasn’t much to remove the content completely
what the media might end up nam- difference in the transmission. Re- — the equivalent of finding all the
ing the infection. None of us would searchers found the reproduction cases during a disease outbreak —
have guessed that within a week number was about two for all of so instead focused on reducing how
or so a theory would be circulating them. Remember, these were the many people might be exposed to
that coronavirus was a new kind of most shared ideas on Facebook; harmful content. During the current
“snake flu” — mostly because it’s un- the vast majority of online content is outbreak, Google is attempting to
likely the virus originated in snakes, lucky to get even a single repost. reduce people’s susceptibility to
and it’s not flu. To fully explain how viral content misinformation by displaying links to
So where did the snakes come — and viruses — spread, we need reputable health sources when users
from? The culprit was a widely to move away from the idea that search for information about the vi-
shared scientific paper, which spec- outbreaks involve simple clockwork rus.
ulated that the new virus had ge- infections, passing along a chain These combined approaches, which
netic characteristics and implicat- from person to person to person until target different aspects of transmis-
ed snakes as the source. Leading large numbers have been exposed. sion, have long been used in disease
geneticists were quick to point out During the 2015 outbreak of the control. By introducing analogous
that the results weren’t convincing, MERS coronavirus in South Korea, 82 strategies online, we should have a
and that bats were still the likely out of 186 infections came from a better chance of effectively curbing
suspects. However, that didn’t stop single “superspreading event” in a harmful viral content.
snake flu from going viral. Other mis- hospital where an infected person Ensuring the public has the best pos-
information about coronavirus has was being treated. It’s not yet clear sible health information is crucial
rippled across the Internet in recent how common such superspreading during an outbreak. At best, misin-
weeks. From claims the virus is part- is in the current outbreak, but we do formation can distract from import-
HIV to conspiracy theories about know that these kinds of events are ant messages. At worst, it can lead
bioweapons and reports suggesting how information goes viral online; to behavior that amplifies disease
the virus was linked to people eating most outbreaks on Twitter are dom- transmission. The novelty of coro-
bat soup, stories sparking fear seem inated by a handful of individuals navirus makes the challenge even
to have overtaken the outbreak in or media outlets, which are respon- greater, because viral speculation
real life. Is misinformation really more sible for a large proportion of trans- can easily overwhelm the limited
contagious than the virus itself? mission. If you heard about snake information we do have. The scien-
We typically think of viral content as flu, you might have told a couple tific community is already making
a chain reaction: You share some- of friends; meanwhile, newspaper huge progress in understanding the
thing with friends, they share it with headlines were telling millions. infection, but we’ve had to start at
their friends, and so on. In disease When tackling disease outbreaks, the bottom, without stacks of earlier
outbreak analysis, we can mea- health agencies often work to iden- research to stand on. When it comes
sure the transmission of an infection tify potential superspreading events, to stopping the outbreak, we’ll need
by looking at how many additional isolating infected individuals to pre- ladders, not snakes.
information and images taken from: http://www.iran-daily.com/News/265363.html?catid=3&title=Misinformation-on-coronavirus-might-be-most-contagious-thing-about-it
6
Image taken from: https://pixabay.com
THE ILE ETHOS
Duties Of ILE Professors
Written By Cindy Rodríguez (ILE Professor)
You have some afternoons off? Real- 11. To collaborate on every committee assigned by
ly?” This is a question I get a lot when the ILE Director or any other institutional depart
people ask me about my work sched- ment that needs help.
ule. I am a university professor at UTN; I
teach English as a Foreign Language. 12. To collaborate with the major in things that go from
Most people think that what I do is planning extracurricular activities to writing for the
merely to prepare simple conversa- ILE post.
tional “games” for my classes, check
quizzes, and go to occasional meet- 13. To plan extra activities to help build a sense of com
ings. However, my duties go far be- munity and provide students with more opportuni
yond that. Therefore, I want to let people know what ties to improve.
some of the professors’ work duties are.
14. To request and organize the plastic cap cam
1. To organize learning objectives during the entire paigns which includes a lot of logistics and working
quarter in a way that matches international stan extra hours.
dards, student’s needs, world reality, institutional de
mands, the curriculum, the time frame, and the 15. To read in orderto research not only for
available materials. the course but also for academic life.
2. To plan my classes, which actually takes the most 16. To study! I am currently working on my doctoral
of a teacher’s week. A three-hour class takes dissertation, which is going to take me years.
approximately between one and two hours of plan Luckily enough, I am quite passionate about this!
ning. This includes researching for fresh authentic
and meaningful materials, activities and visuals, rele 17. To attend teaching congresses.
vant information, and even doing booklets.
18. To write proposals to be a presenter in
3. To design relevant, customized quizzes and exams, congresses.
making sure they match exactly to the topics cov
ered in class, and in a that fits the pedagogical 19. To write papers for congresses.
mediation used.
20. To teach the number of courses I am assigned.
4. To support students during office hours, which some
times means extra planning. This includes respond All of that plus a lot of designing, editing, proofread-
ing to students’ questions sent via email. ing, and more work, work, work. I should add to my
schedule at the UTN my work as a pedagogic assessor
5. To think and research constantly about new ideas at UCR, where I also teach!
and techniques to improve the major, and collabo
rate with student’s learning. To top this all off with the fact that I am a full-time mom,
wife, daughter (citizen, friend, aunt); moreover, I also
6. To prepare useful, meaningful and attractive mate need to exercise, cook and eat healthily, do all sorts
rial that can engage students, and therefore, pro of chores, and, of course, find time for myself (and find
mote learning. some time to sleep).
7. To attend staff meetings. Do not misunderstand me, I am not complaining at
all, this is my job and I truly LOVE it, and I want to do it
8. To attend Consejo Asesor de Carrera’s meetings. as professional and as well as possible. I feel grateful
and lucky. I thank God every day for every opportu-
9. To support the committee for the Accreditation nity. I do believe, as the proverb says, that once you
process. find what you love to do the most, you will not have to
work one more day in your life. That is my life. I highly
10. To attend trainings at the university has for profes encourage you to find something you feel passionate
sors, which means weekly classes or assignments. about.
7
THE ILE ETHOS
An Amazing Drink
Written by Yamil Segura (ILE Professor)
When I was a kid, I hated coffee of recent studies have found a plethora of health
and the taste and smell of this benefits a cup has to offer. Moderate intake of
drink made me feel nauseous. I coffee has been linked to protection against Par-
didn´t understand why people like kinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and even liv-
it so much and the reasons why it er disease, incluing liver cancer. Moreover, it has
was their favorite beverage at al- been found to prove cognitive function and de-
most any time of the day. I always crease the risk of depression”. (Borreli, 2015).
chose orange juice or any other As you can see, certain myths and misinformation
drink instead of coffee, but my can lead people to believe coffee is a bad drink;
parents, grandparents and most people I knew however, coffee is the number one beverage
really enjoyed a cup of coffee. worldwide and that is not going to change any
Coffee was like a ritual to them and they could time soon.
not conceive of having breakfast without a cup
of this popular drink or an afternoon deprived Important Facts about Coffee
from the pleasure of smelling and tasting such a According to Live Science magazine, the follow-
drink. ing are some important facts people need to
Things started to change little by little and the know about coffee.
fact that I was so familiarized with the coffee 1. Coffee was discovered by goats. A millennium
routine made me accept the reality. There was ago on a mountainside in Africa, a herd of goats
no other drink capable of replacing coffee. kept a shepherd up at night after feasting on red
It was when I started the University that I began to coffee berries. The shepherd took his animals’ dis-
drink coffee. It was inevitable. During the morning covery to some monks, and very long prayer ses-
coffee break and afternoon coffee break, guess sions ensued coffee.
what? My teachers and classmates drank coffee 2. Decaf coffee has caffeine. If you drink five to
and so did I. I could not resist the temptation and 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, you could get
drinking coffee became part of my daily ritual, as much caffeine as from one or two cups of caf-
a ritual that in the beginning I believed to be a feinated coffee, a study found.
negative one, but now it is part of my everyday 3. Caffeine can indeed keep you up at night.
routine and social life. Experts advise avoiding coffee for 6 hours before
Who was going to believe that a drink I disliked bedtime, since the effects of caffeine can last
a lot was going to become a source of endless hours. Caffeine can confuse your body’s internal
chats with acquaintances, friends, and an ex- clock, confusing the signals that tell you when to
cuse to socialize and relax after very hard ses- sleep.
sions of studying or working. I believe that in the 4 Caffeine is not the bitter culprit. Caffeine is not
beginning I did not like coffee because of the the main bitter compound in coffee. Rather, the
negative information I had heard about it and pungent perpetrators are antioxidants.
the myths surrounding its consumption. 5. Caffeine might boost female sex drive. It
worked on rats anyway. But researchers say in
Myths Related to the Consumption of Coffee humans, coffee might enhance the sexual expe-
We have been told many negative things about rience only among people who are not habitual
coffee and caffeine and its addictive properties. users.
It has been said that drinking coffee causes in- 6. Caffeine can kill you. Despite its known plusses,
somnia, increases the risk of heart disease and coffee can be deadly. But you would have to
osteoporosis, but these claims are not validated; drink 80 to 100 cups in a hurry, health experts say.
on the contrary, as Lissette Borreli states, “a surge Coffee, with all its beneficial properties and its
References:
Borreli, L. (2015). The Effects Of Caffeine On Your Health: 10 Common Myths About Drinking Coffee. Medcal Daily. Retrieved from
www.medicaldaily.com/pulse/effects-caffeine-your-health-10-commonmyths-about-drinking-coffee-332192 8
Things You Need to Know About Coffee. Retrieved from www.livescience.com/27726-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-coffee.html
ACADEMICS AND MORE
Pursuing Happiness Through Education
By Pearce Durst (31/10/2019)
The hyper-commodification of the college degree has tors fall into this trap directly, we need to shift our class-
led to a cheapening of many classroom experiences. room paradigm from one that is tempted by the allure
This is the product of the American and global market- of amusement and pandering for relevancy to one
place with all its nefarious influences and ever-shifting which makes fueling students’ search for happiness its
trends. What is being lost in the constant appeal to primary goal.
progress and relevancy is that colleges and universi- The Purpose of Education
ties undertake innovations that don’t equate to mak- If we were to follow the demarca tion set by the major-
ing better education experiences, nor do they make ity of students, the university would more often than not
better teachers sharpened by their pedagogical craft. become merely a means to get a good job. Education
Instead, as several commentators have rightfully iden- would not, in the very least, be an integral part of the
tified, educators fall prey to the campus innovation process of learning to live the good life. The pursuit of
myth. The desire to respond to the deepening sense better jobs and more money has long been the trend,
that many colleges have lost their relevance is not the and educators necessarily play an instrumental role in
issue; rather, it’s that innovation does not equate to prolonging (or reversing) how students view the gen-
making students trendsetters and changemakers. In- uine value of their education. With the increasing de-
novation does not fulfill the primary purpose of edu- mand for applicants in various vocations to obtain a
cation: to improve the quality of each student’s life. In Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, many practically-mind-
many ways, appeals to innovation can get in the way ed students allow their diploma to serve as a symbol
of the purpose of education. of what they perceive as a token equaling higher sal-
Many students view human flourishing through the ary or privileged social standing. For better or worse, a
lens of entertainment culture rather than seeking the college degree has become a required ticket before
wellspring of ancient meditations on the source of one can enter certain sectors of the job market.
happiness. It’s not that the ancients hold the secret This awareness is even more true for first-generation
to greater wisdom but that the perennial search for students. Their degrees may be the only coin in the
the meaning of life increasingly falls beyond the shores realm for many students. There may be no other re-
of the modern classroom. More and more, the mere course for their social mobility. For this reason, we must
concept of happiness is clouded by the consumption not downplay the importance of the degree, but rath-
of television, movies, social media, games, or various er acknowledge that while a salary guarantees equal
forms of contemporary art. These may indeed offer opportunity in the pursuit of happiness it is not equal to
greater currency for students, but at the same time or greater than happiness.
the reason remains a concern if we concur with new If life inherently involves the pursuit of happiness, ed-
media prophet Neil Postman, who in Amusing Our- ucation should prepare students to face that overall
selves to Death (1985) addresses educators in a way challenge. This may mean simply sparking a genuine
that profoundly forecasts current conditions: “Happi- search for happiness, or its ancillary concerns related
ness does not lie in amusement; it would be strange if to purpose, meaning, and truth in one’s life. Helping
one were to take trouble and suffer hardship all one’s students get their dream job can contribute to this
life in order to amuse oneself” (89). Nor should we try improvement, and making the material entertaining
to simply amuse our students for the sake of wooing along the way certainly can help facilitate learning,
them into learning. While, admittedly, not all educa- but these things should never be the ultimate goal of
9ACADEMICS AND MORE
the classroom. For instance, I have taught several film living? These questions pertaining to the realization of
courses. However, the films that I have shown are nev- happiness are vital for their own sake, and yet they
er selected merely to entertain, and the movies are often remain outside the classroom. What if these
not simply shown because they are relevant. It’s not probing questions are the antidote to so many divided
even technique that we study most in films. Rather, we views of education? If happiness is not to be consid-
study films in order to gather larger truths about the ered the complete and perfect good, what is the telos
art form that comment in some fashion on the nature of your classroom? What is the telos of education?
of happiness. For instance, a class I taught on David There are perhaps many equally noble aims. I do not
Lynch as film auteur introduced students to both the mean to discredit them here. If nothing else, I would like
masterpieces and the total failures of Lynch. We ex- to see these considerations tethered to the purpose of
plored the nature of how an auteur’s happiness is in- education. Happiness remains crucial for teachers as
timately connected with their art form. Biographical much as students — many who rightfully may wonder
and autobiographical texts on Lynch were put in con- what reading literature or studying chemistry has to do
versation with his films. This provided a revealing look with the nature of human happiness. These are good
into how a lack of happiness tends to leave its signa- questions to ask students. If we are not considering
ture on the artistic product. Auteur theory led the class these kinds of questions as educators, then students
to an awareness that a person’s happiness, or lack definitely are not. Maybe we should examine and
of happiness, has a direct impact on their work. Stu- articulate what is more important than encouraging
dents were encouraged to make similar connections; genuine human flourishing, lest hard questions and
their own personal happiness, or lack thereof, affects open-ended inquiries fall by the wayside.
their own productions in the classroom and in life more If the pursuit of happiness resides at the heart of edu-
generally. cation — remaining at the beginning, middle, and end
We as educators need to ask ourselves how our class- of the pursuit — then more students might be invested
es make a larger contribution to the genuine person- in the experience itself rather than the end result (i.e.
al happiness of each individual student — not just the getting a good job). What does this practically look
daily amusement of the student or fulfilling the require- like in the classroom? How can educators foster ear-
ments needed for a future job. Appeals to our collec- nest joy? Here’s a general framework that I developed
tive democracy, civic participation, or any number of in a way that might resonate with multiple disciplinary
the benefits that a more educated cadre of citizens outlooks:
might create should be recast in light of the principle In the Arts, the keyword is creativity. As previously men-
philosophic quest: the search for greater happiness. tioned, entertainment does not lead to happiness, but
What if our classrooms took a cue from our own con- the fact is that many students tend to conflate these
stitutional right to search for happiness, or even the two experiences. The arts can be used to reveal how
Constitution of Bhutan (enacted in July of 2008) that craft and process open students to an experience
aims to measure the success of their nation not by of happiness. This includes the craft of giving a good
“Gross Domestic Product” (GDP), but “Gross Domestic speech or writing brilliant plays. Merely exposing the
Happiness” (GDH)? Their happiness “index” presents a state of flow that often accompanies the creative act
means to rethink existence in terms of happiness and can potentially change a student’s direction in life.
not mere economic wealth. I am proposing a similar Flow can shift a student’s perspective beyond the dis-
iteration for the college classroom where the central traction of grades; it can allow learning to be a pro-
philosophical question concerning happiness sits at cess that is experienced and enjoyed rather than a
the center — not dissimilar from the classical liberal arts means to an end.
tradition. In the Humanities, the keyword is conversation. Wheth-
Telos is a concept that refers to a purpose, goal, or er students are assigned philosophical or historical or
final end. Aristotle suggested that “If we want to un- literary texts directly addressing the human condition
derstand what something is, it must be understood in various definitions of happiness can be established.
terms of that end,” and this includes our life. Just as Through the rhetorical art of defining happiness, a
a knife is made to cut, a nail to strike, and a book to conversation is sought in the classroom. An organic
read, human beings have a telos that Aristotle identi- conversation can expose various stripes of happiness,
fies as happiness. While not all agree with his premise, including variances between teacher and student, or
Aristotle’s claim did succeed in becoming one of the student and student. Without having these kinds of vul-
primary inquiries informing ancient philosophy, leading nerable conversations, where presuppositions are laid
frequently to fundamental questions such as: What is bare, it’s difficult if not impossible to imagine educa-
happiness? What is the full extent of true human suc- tors truly promoting human flourishing.
cess? What is the goal of life? What makes a life worth
10ACADEMICS AND MORE
In Social Sciences, the keyword is community. By en- his skepticism of the secular emphasis of education,
gaging the community through projects that explore Machen concludes, “The dominant tendency, even
various experiences of happiness in such places as pris- in a country like America, which formerly prided itself
ons, retirement homes, or homeless shelters, students on its freedom from bureaucratic regulation of the de-
intrinsically throw into relief their own happiness-skills. tails of life, is toward a drab utilitarianism in which all
Such community engaged research and learning gets higher aspirations are to be lost” (10). All this is to say
us beyond the traditional classroom. Projects that de- that many educators have internalized an unques-
sign any form of community-engaged learning allow tioned commitment to the needs of the majority, even
the experience of education to itself embody the col- when this appeal to democracy produces results to
lective pursuit of happiness. the alternative (i.e. where students are actually alien-
In the Sciences, the keyword is collection. When we ated from decision-making, stripped of their humanity
sort and analyze, we learn to see how our percep- and pushed through the system). A radical alternative
tion of our environment contributes to our well-being. might be to genuinely shine a light on happiness. More
Whether investigating environmentalism or neuro- than a symbolic evocation, if genuinely pursued in the
scientific data, students are given the opportunity to classroom happiness can reshape the relationship be-
speak into facts in a way that keeps them critically en- tween student and teacher. Happiness can bring light
gaged with the world around them. Such awareness to previously dark classroom spaces.
cannot be divorced from the greater good. While the general approach I am advocating for can
The pursuit of happiness should not be absent from the be vocalized through various disciplinary and inter-
classroom lest liberty, creative control, and trust erode; disciplinary forms of inquisition and reasoning, Parker
as John Dewey remarked, the classroom is the space Palmer wonderfully compliments this understanding in
where such desires are ignited: “To find out what one his urge to get us thinking about how “good teach-
is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is ing cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching
the key to happiness.” comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher”
More than an individualistic desire, the utilitarian nature (88). Starting from who we are as teachers and who
of this pursuit is perhaps best expressed by J. Gresh- students are as human beings should take prece-
am Machen in Christianity and Liberalism, “The object dence over encouraging conformable and isolated
of education, it is now assumed, is the production of skills, traits, or cultivable strengths. It should take pre-
the greatest happiness for the greatest number. But cedence over trends, fads, and waves of entertaining
the greatest happiness for the greatest number, it is impulses. One way to retain such an understanding
assumed further, can be defined only by the will of the is shifting our focus to questions of how the pursuit of
majority.” Today, that will is often located in the prom- happiness can enrich the educational encounter.
ulgation of entertainment culture. While expressing
11 Article taken from: https://hybridpedagogy.org/pursuing-happiness/
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.comVOX POPULI
The UTN community includes professors, administrative staff and students. Each
individual has something to say about everything. In this section, we give the
university community the opportunity to express what they feel about different
school, country and world issues that in one or another way affect or impact our
lives, feelings and opinions. This month we asked students:
What has been an enjoyable activity you have
been part of in the ILE classes?
I liked when in idioms
I really liked when we played a class we had to write There was an ac-
I like an assignment in tivity in integrated
game in the idioms class using a script using as many creative writing where where we had to
Kahoot. This tool makes stu- idiomatic expressions we had to create differ- go to Downtown
dents learn, compete and have as we could and per- ent pieces of writing to Alajuela and talk
fun. form it in front of the prepare a digital port- about cultural and
class. folio.
Judith Corella historical places like
the museum, the
Christian Moya Jeffry Campos park, the church,
etc. It was like a
real life (work like)
experience.
Laura Vargas
I really liked an
I enjoyed the integrated course in which the I love courses in which
activity organized by
teacher asked us to talk about art, and the there are debates because
the major when we
teacher organized a culture tour to a mu- arguing and trying to
went to San Carlos to
seum. We learned about art, history and convince others about
share with ILE stu-
culture. your point of view is very
dents from the differ-
exciting.
ent UTN campuses.
Mónica Rodríguez
Josué Romero
Wingston González
I really enjoyed when in an integrado class they asked us to
research about different traditions from Costa Rica, and then
we had to prepare a stand to share the information with the
rest of the class.
Rachel Sojo
12THE ATTIC
How To Overcome Loneliness?
By Dayana Cruz (ILE Student)
A twenty-two year old woman gets home after an exhausting day at the University. Her mother quietly
watches her enter the house, but doesn’t greet her. The woman enters her room, closes the door, and
doesn’t leave until the next day. Even though she lives with her parents and sees them every day, she
always cries before going to sleep because she feels lonely. Overcoming loneliness can be easily
achieved by young adults when they understand their feelings of loneliness, become a more sociable
person, and find a hobby to entertain themselves as a solution to this problem.
To start with, young adults need to understand and accept loneliness as a real problem in their lives.
Loneliness is a feeling that spreads all over their bodies as a result of the processes performed by the
brain. An adequate way to react to emotions can be solved if young adults stop overthinking about
their conflicts and look for solutions before stressing out. Avoid overthinking will help them to boost
their self-esteem, be less worried about small situations and also will help others to do the same. Don’t
compare yourself to others and don’t feel inferior because everybody is special in their own way. You
will eventually gain a lot of confidence just by being more aware of their own response to different sit-
uations. With patience and time, everybody can easily go through any bad memory or moment that
affects their lives in a more independent way.
To continue, if you are a person that has problems making new friends, becoming more sociable will
help you to improve your social life. Chatting with strangers is the best way to get better at making
friends for an asocial person. Say “Hi” or “Good Morning” to someone on the street or make small talk
to people on the bus. Don’t be afraid of expanding your comfort zone. Even if you are scared of being
ignored, remember that they are strangers and you will hardly bump into them in the future. Going to
parties full of unknown people or going to a park far away from your neighborhood is one of the most
effective ways to lose your fears. Try to do your everyday things differently, so you don’t fall into a rou-
tine.
Finally, try to look for hobbies that catch your attention and make you feel better about yourself. Start
doing some exercises in your bedroom, living room, or even in your backyard. Drive a bike around
your neighborhood and run at least twice a week as a way to free your mind. Jogging and cycling
will improve your health and also make you feel better because of the dopamine segregated by your
brain. To add, practice new recreational activities to learn how to enjoy life by yourself so you don’t
feel alone and everybody is busy. Paint in your backyard or learn how to play an instrument for exam-
ple: piano, violin and so on. Studies have shown that playing instruments and painting can help you to
overcome depression, anxiety, stress and of course loneliness.
To conclude, these steps and tips will help you find inner peace for your mind. Even if they are hard to
follow in the beginning, you will feel better about yourself when you achieve them. Don’t give up and
feel unworthy because you cannot put them into practice, remember that everything takes time. Your
effort will be rewarded in the future. Overcoming loneliness can be seen as a very hard and difficult
obstacle to defeat, but with a little bit of patience and perseverance, people can live comfortably and
healthy for the rest of their lives.
13THE ATTIC
Advantageous Hobby
By Fabiola Castillo (ILE Student)
Reading used to be one of my nightmares as a teen in high school. The topics assigned were extremely
boring and books seemed to be encyclopedias. Now as a young adult, I consider reading my favorite
hobby, as it does not feel forced and helps me in different areas of my life. Nevertheless, being an adult
means having responsibilities that do not leave me a lot of time to read, but I find that reading once in a
blue moon is better than not reading at all. Reading even just one book a week is a beneficial activity
that will not only help us to stay mentally healthy, but also boost creativity and learn a new language.
I have always believed reading helps me to stay mentally healthy, as the brain is a muscle and needs
to be exercised. I have read that this activity reduces the risk of mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
As those who read are less prone to a mental decline as they get older. Reading is proven to reduce
stress and increase relaxation. After I read, I notice that I actually sleep better, and I do not wake up
as much throughout the night. Therefore, I feel more energized in the morning and during the day. In
addition, I realized that it has helped my memory greatly different from when I was in high school, I can
now memorize information faster and retain data longer.
Reading takes your creativity to a completely new level. Unlike movies, where you really see every-
thing that is happening, when you read you just have descriptions and your mind has to imagine what
is being narrated. While reading I am transported to the location where all the events are taking place,
even if I have never been there. Therefore, I have to imagine what the scenery and characters are
like, just based on what is being described. I also add my own details even if they are not written in the
book. Then at the end, I have invented my own world that is not real, but it can have similarities to what
I like. I just have to find I book that I enjoy and let my creativity flow.
Another awesome advantage to reading is that it is a fantastic tool to learn a language. Whilst reading I
discover words that I have never heard of. Then I look them up ,and try to learn and use them on a daily
bases. This helps me to improve my spelling as well, as I am a visual learner and I pay attention to how
the words are spelled while I read. Also, it gives me a better understanding of punctuation because as
I read I notice where the commas, periods, semicolons, ect. should go. Punctuation shows how the
sentence should be read and makes the meaning clear, so I do not get confused.
I spend my spare time reading, and I find it very entertaining. It has become a relaxing time where I
enjoy being alone. Books have become my escape from anxiety, and have helped me to keep my
head above water when I feel overwhelmed. However, this activity can be boring for some people but
actually helps us to improve our quality of life even if we read just once a month or a week. You just
have to find a type of book you like, and then you will not be able to put it down.
14POP WORLD
Spaghetti
diameter (smaller spaghettini,
or larger spaghettoni), passing
to angel hair and bucatini. But
types of pasta have embraced
new raw ingredients in a depar-
ture from historic standards with
a strong emphasis on health.
Among these types of spaghet-
ti there are: gluten-free, distin-
guished for ease in digestion
and made with rice or corn flour;
fashionable kamut, rich in nu-
tritional properties and slightly
sweeter to the palate; and final-
ly farro, loaded with antioxidants
Spaghetti is the most archetyp- and iron. Whole wheat spaghet-
pes is unending, but here are
al of types of pasta. It perme- ti can also be added to the list,
the must tries: Aglio olio e pep-
ates diverse cultures in the East which stands out thanks to the
eroncino with garlic, oil and red
in West and is found in many significant levels of fiber and
pepper flakes, alla Carbonara
international cuisines. However, lower glycemic index, prevent-
with bacon and egg, alle von-
nowhere has it achieved more ing adipose tissue, cholesterol
gole with clams, allo scoglio with
than in Italy, where spaghetti and lingering hunger. This is tru-
shellfish and shrimp, and then of
recipes top the list of Italian first ly a food for the recipes of our
course the timeless pomodoro e
courses, or primi piatti. It is in- times!
basilico with tomato and basil.
credibly versatile, lending itself
to time-honored gastronomic Types of Spaghetti
traditions, while keeping a flare for Specific Recipes
for innovative cooking styles, Different types of spaghetti are
from Mediterranean fusion to famous throughout the world for
entirely new ingredients. their flavor, quality and versatil-
Italian spaghetti, like all pasta, ity. Types of pasta are the pro-
is made using just Durum wheat tagonist for every sauce and
flour and water. It couldn’t seem condiment to exalt the sympho-
simpler, but there are a number ny of taste. Spaghetti recipes
of variables to consider: diame- are incredibly varied in number,
ter, followed by surface texture a combination of longstanding
(cut with bronze makes them traditions and contemporary in-
porous for absorbing sauces), novation to make the best with
then different spaghetti types, clams, alla carbonara, or vermi-
such as Linguine, Bucatini and celli al cacio e pepe.
Vermicelli. New trends have Broader pasta consumption in
pushed for the health conscious recent years has increased the
whole grain spaghetti, as well as various types of spaghetti avail-
Kamut and gluten free. able to consumers. Traditional-
The volume of spaghetti reci ly, differences were primarily in
Information taken from: https://in5d.com/what-is-deja-vu/
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com
15VISITING LANDMARKS
Vancouver
If you’re looking to learn a little sights in Kitsilano, including the Van-
about the people of the Northwest couver Maritime Museum, Museum
Coast and some of its history, one of Vancouver, and H.R. Macmillan
good spot is the impressive Museum Space Centre.
of Anthropology at the University of The city has a wealth of parks and
British Columbia, which houses sev- gardens scattered throughout. The
eral thousand objects from BC’s First most famous is Stanley Park at the
Nations. The museum is also home tip of the downtown peninsula. Its
to significant collections of archae- miles of trails for walking and cy-
ological objects and ethnograph- cling, beaches, magnificent views
ic materials from other parts of the and the attractions (including to-
world. The Vancouver Art Gallery,
Vancouver is the largest metropol- located downtown combines local
itan area in Western Canada, and with international through a variety
third largest in Canada, with a pop- of exhibitions and a permanent col-
ulation of 2.6 million. Located at the lection that focuses on renowned
southwestern corner of the coast- British Columbia artist, Emily Carr.
al province of British Columbia, it is The Vancouver Public Library, locat-
well known for its majestic natural ed downtown at Homer and Rob-
beauty, as it is nestled between the son Sts, is modelled after the Roman
Coast Mountains and the Pacific Colosseum, and houses the city’s
Ocean. It is frequently ranked as largest library. Another downtown
one of the “best cities to live in” and sight is the small Contemporary Art
is certainly a beautiful destination to Gallery on Nelson Street, which fea-
visit. tures modern art. Also located near-
See by, on the east side of False Creek tem poles) within the park gives it
While Vancouver is still a young city, is the shiny geodesic dome of the something for everyone. The most
it has a variety of attractions and Telus World of Science (common- popular trail is the Seawall, a paved
points of interest for the visitor. Many ly known as Science World), which trail that runs around the perimeter
of the city’s landmarks and historical has a number of exhibits, shows of Stanley Park and now joins with
buildings can be found downtown. and galleries aimed at making sci- the seawalls in Coal Harbour and
Canada Place, with its distinctive ence fun for kids. Another great Kitsilano, totaling 22 km in length.
sails, the Vancouver Convention spot to check out is the BC Sports The Vancouver Aquarium is locat-
Centre located just beside it, the Hall of Fame and Museum located ed within Stanley Park. Other nota-
intricate Art Deco styling of the Ma- at Gate A of BC Place Stadium. The ble parks and gardens include Van-
rine Building and the old luxury rail- BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Dusen Botanical Garden in South
way hotel of the Hotel Vancouver preserves and honours BC’s Sport Vancouver and Queen Elizabeth
are in the central business district. heritage by recognizing extraordi- Park near South Main. Admission
Stanley Park (the city’s most popu- nary achievement in sport through to Vancouver’s various attractions
lar attraction), along with its neigh- using their collection and stories can range from $10 to up to $30 per
bouring Coal Harbour walkway and to inspire all people to pursue their person.
the Vancouver Aquarium are in the dreams. There are also some smaller
West End and Gastown, the orig-
inal town site of Vancouver, has a
number of restored buildings and its
steam clock is a popular spot to visit.
Modern architecture worth visiting
also includes Shangri-La, currently
the tallest building in the city, and
the Sheraton Wall Centre. Another
popular city landmark, the bustling
markets and shops of Granville Is-
land, is just to the south of down-
town in South Granville.
Information taken from: https://wikitravel.org/en/Vancouver Photo credit: https://pixabay.com
16You can also read
