Changes of season. What to do with plants

by José Luis Coria

Agronomist

joluco_22@hotmail.com

Autumn will very soon embrace, so to speak, the beautiful and varied universe of plants, thus forcing them to go through the silent road to rest, until spring comes.

The first sign of summer falling behind will be foliage colour change. The species of deciduous leaves will start falling, leaving trees naked. These leaves will form ocher-coloured paths that will provide a shelter to tiny animals, like worms and larvas, and will transform into fertile soil thanks to the action of decomposers.

We must leave nature act, and start thinking about what to do with our plants from the first frosts. That will be the moment of pruning – one of the arts of gardening. This task must be done by skilled people to avoid damaging plants. Each of them requires different procedures, according to the species and also to the state they are in. Pruning citrus fruit trees is not the same than pruning stone fruit trees, rose trees or a grapevine.

The gardener will know which branches should be removed, either because they are dry, sick, or because of any of the typical plagues attacking plants. By the same token, a specialized person will also be able to determine what type of shape a tree top requires to favour the intake of sun rays. For cuts larger than 10 cm, the technician will apply cicatrizant products to prevent plagues from setting in the openings. It is absolutely vital that the tools used be completely disinfected.

The pruning season starts on the first days of June, and extends up to the middle of August; doing it otherwise will imply high risks for the plants.

A Regional Ranking Exhibition

by José Roberto Espinosa

Writer-Environmental Specialist

jrobertoespinosa@hotmail.com

INTA Expone, de la Región Pampeana (Pampa Region INTA Exhibition), a regional ranking event, took place in the city of Márcos Juárez, Córdoba, from April 15th to 17th this year.

Technicians, producers, business owners, students and general public from all over the country gathered there to know about and value the important work carried out by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in the field of research and agricultural extension.

The exhibition stands were arranged in a circular way, which allowed the presentation of different topics, as well as their distribution between research and extension, thus emphasizing the added value in all the production processes, which may potentially improve Argentina’s production capacity, and consequently, the quality of life of its inhabitants.

Scientific and technological developments in the field of natural resources and environmental management, forestry, intensive production, family farming, livestock and extension, among others, were shown in each of the stands – multi-shaped tents located in three interconnected concentric rings starting from the outside and converging in the center. Primary production was found in the first ring; handling and processing was the theme of the second ring; finally, the central part showed finished and institutional products.

In this way, all the activities related to agro-food production were represented in INTA Expone 2011.

There are still some unresolved issues which are not the sole responsibility of INTA. Argentina needs a national law on plant protection in order to regulate the use of large quantities of chemicals, like phosphorus fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides (glyphosate and atazine). Soybean production uses about 200 million liters of herbicides. A key aspect is the correct application of these products, because their security is closely linked to how they are used, and when applied incorrectly or carelessly, they become highly dangerous.

It is necessary to systematically collect data so that research centers (including universities) determine the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment. These field works should be promoted by the national government as well as by provincial and municipal authorities to bring people some peace of mind in this aspect.

News from the Sky

by Aldo Hugo Olguin 

Prof. of Mathematics, Physics and Cosmography 

aldohugoolguin@yahoo.com.ar 

Orion constellation during at dawn in May, as seen from Villa de la Quebrada - San Luis, Argentina.

May and June in San Luis offer quiet days, with moderate temperatures which allow us to make the most of pure air in its charming hills, as well as the long and transparent winter nights.

Nights are so long at this time of year that we can see constellations like the one shown in the picture set in the horizon at dusk, and rise again in the East the next day, when the sun comes out. Live this experience!

Sirious is the brightest star in the whole sky. Its bluish-white color will invade the West horizon, and will be the morning star in May.

Planets: Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Mars, a fabulous multicolored combination.

Pilgrims1 will be able to enjoy this beautiful meteors rain coming from the Aquarius constellation.  These are the remains of the Halley’s Comet.  

June gives us a lunar eclipse. The appointment is at dusk, on Wednesday 15th, when the Moon rises in the horizon, partially eclipsed. To see how the Moon emerges from the Earth’s shadow will be an impressive show occuring near the winter solstice in 2011.

Do not forget to dress warmly if you go out to see this show. Thank you for your attention. Until the next issue!

1 N. of T. People travelling on foot to Villa de la Quebrada, a village located at about 38 km from San Luis capital city, where a religious celebration is held every year.

Food is also part of Politics

by Lorena Avila Cantisani 

Correspondent in Spain 

soydeargentinacom@hotmail.com 

I want to share with our readers the experience of Biocultura (Ecological Products and Responsible Consumption Fair), an event which took place last March in Valencia (Spain).

During the fifties, the “green revolution” came together with fertilizers and man-made insecticides, and we were told hunger would soon come to an end; nowadays, the same argument is used to introduce transgenic foods. A transgenic or genetically modified (GM) food is a living organism which has been artificially created by manipulating its genes. For example, are we told how wine from a foreign country is produced? Are we told about people’s working conditions? Do we ever ask ourselves why products from far-away countries are cheaper than those produced locally? Today, at the beginning of the 21st Century, our products are not as competitive as those produced abroad, where producers may not have decent conditions which allow them to live on their work, and do not owe the land – which are property of multinational companies, like Monsanto and Novartis, among others. 

If money rules the world, why not using it as a tool for social transformation instead of using it as an end in itself? Responsible consumption, also called sustainable, conscious or critical consumption, encourages us to think about various issues when it comes to spending our money.  The responsible consumer chooses the option which less affects the environment in a negative way, and the one with the most positive effect on society. 

Pablo Chamorro, Education Chief for Greenpeace Spain, states that: “those minimal choices, together with the choices made by millions of people will influence the way of making business, producing foods, and respecting human rights”. Another face of responsible consumption is the one involving a consumption reduction, and just buying what is necessary, not being influenced by advertising and superfluous needs (i.e. asking ourselves if we really need to buy what we buy). Toni Lodeiro, author of the book “Consumir menos, vivir mejor”(Buying less, Living better) says: “Buying is a way of participating and stating our opinion. When we buy, we choose the values behind a company, and support their activity through our purchase.

Each purchase is a vote. What would happen if we all chose to consume ecological products? What would happen if we all stopped buying products made by contaminating companies or companies exploiting children? As consumers and customers, we all have a relation with money and are responsible for the type of society we are shaping through our economic choices. The documentary called “Comprar, tirar, comprar” (To buy, to throw away, to buy), by Cosima Dannoritzer, has aroused criticisms to the consumer society. The film deals with the secret story of Programmed Obsolence. “Obsolence works with the creation of artificial needs thanks to which an object of consumption starts to be seen as old or outdated by buyers”.  

Each time we buy or consume a product or a service, we are influencing the market. In many cases, the difference between two options is just lack of information. We must gather data and arguments in order to save on our consumption or to make sensible buying choices. Act through the way you buy!

“Nothing about us without us”

by Gabriela Rosell 

BA in Special Education - Early Stimulation Specialist 

grosell@unsl.edu.ar 

Many times, people find it difficult to speak about disabled persons because they are afraid of being offensive, or hurting their or their families’ feelings. Thus, they search for thousands of ways to “soften” some terms by means of euphemisms (little special people, people with different capacities, among others). The easy or convenient answer people tend to give when faced to this situation is “no matter which name comes into fashion; we always do the same thing”. Even when this is a much more complex issue, I will try to shed some light on it.

We all know that the names which have historically been used to refer to disability have eventually ended up being used as insults. Terms like idiot, imbecile, mentally handicapped, invalid (among others) were scientific names used in the past, which were created in a particular historical and functional context, typical of a historical period. However, they started being used for mockery or insult as time went by.

According to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), we all have the right to a name. This name should not be replaced by any name referring to the person’s condition. This means that Cristina is not a CP (Cerebral Palsy); she is Cristina; Carlos is not a fragile X; he is Carlos; Esteban is not a GDD (General Develepment Disorder); he is Esteban; Anibal is not a Down (Down Syndrome); he is Anibal. In order to back this up, it is good to know that “Person with Disabilities” is the term used in national and international laws, scientific developments, and formal or academic settings. But what has really been decisive in the choice of this term is the fact that PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE CHOSEN TO BE NAMED LIKE THIS. When? During the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Enforcing Protocol, at the UN General Assembly, on December 13th 2006. It was at that Convention, and considering the full participation principle that scholars, politicians, families, ONGs and governmental organisms discussed topics related to disability. “Nothing about us without us”, the slogan of the Convention, was acknowledged in Argentina by National Act No. 26.378- 2008. Then, if we speak about respect, we must learn to listen to what persons with disabilities have to tell us. We must respect, among other things, the way persons with disabilities want us to call them.

Information about the vibration platform

by Mabel Dominguez

dominguez_mabel@hotmail.com

The vibration platform is a vibrating device which has emerged as a new physical exercise system and concept. It is intended for people of any age, lifestyle, and physical capacity. Most of these equipments have different preset levels of training, which are handled through a digital control, and work for different periods of time, with different frequency variation and vibration intensity levels, as well as different articulation angles. Platforms have a base and a vertical column. The base or platform produces vibrations in different directions and with various frequencies. You can work out on this platform, which will allow you to tone up your muscles and lose weight at the same time in short sessions of 10-20 minutes. The platform basically produces the natural stimulation of the whole body as a response to vibration. Vibrations generated by the platform causes energy waves to go throughout the whole body; this activates muscle contractions, and improves the physical performance with just 3 weekly sessions of 15 minutes each.

Benfits of the vibration platform

•          It improves the physical performance

•          It improves muscle tone

•          It improves bone density, thus avoiding ostheoporosis

•          It improves flexibility

•          It activates blood circulation and lymphatic drainage

•          It prevents and improves cellulitis

•          It increases the metabollic rhythm

•          It reduces stress levels

•          It is good for massages

•          It is good for relaxation exercises

•          It helps to soothe the pain

•          It activates skin regeneration and the conjunctive tissue

•          It takes little time

Music Therapy

by Delia Fernández

Reiki Master

Humans have always been fascinated by music. It is made up of rhythms, melodies, and polyphonies: our life is music! It moves between periods of rest and activity, day and night, sleep and wakefulness. Each of our cells vibrates. Thus, music is art made by time, which fills in the air with its invisible presence.

A holistic view of health implies seeing the body as an instrument which we must take care of and “tune” to make it work properly.

By using a combination of sounds, music and movement, music therapy produces beneficial effects on the body, it opens communication channels, it helps the participant improve his/her health, or to keep him/her healthy, and it promotes a harmonious relationship between our body and its environment.

Music is a link, a means of communication with other people. For this reason, music is an act of love, and singing is its best expression. TODAY IS THE DAY!

Alexandra Rubiño, a style

by Joseph Pomelapocha

Cuban artist and writer

pomelapocha1@gmail.com 

Mainly equipped with concrete, Alexandra Rubiño also incorporates canvas, plaster cast, iron, paint, and recycled material to create her own sculptural world, which makes us go deep into a game of colors. She promotes nostalgia for cave paintings. Her discourse is convincing, original, imaginative, so much so that it forces the viewer to stop; it forces the viewer to imagine a bold and pretentious world. This is what certainly happens when, for example, we surrender to observing her work “Salida” (Exit) (1.20 x 0.60 cm.): far from leaving, as its name suggests, one goes deeper into it, wishing to grasp all the hope described in it. The work entitled “Sol” (Sun), on its part, illuminates the fantasy world we all carry inside us, -but which many a times we ignore how to let out. Alexandra tells us how to do this through the everlasting little girl dwelling inside her, producing a tangle of colors and youth that lets us look back with a smile, though aiming the future. Talent seems to have been born with her: she has continually been fond of artistically creating with different materials; after she finished her studies on Visual Arts and majoring in sculpture, she devoted equal efforts to designing concrete walls, and illustrating books. Following my analysis of Rubiño’s picturesque mission, I think viewers really like and enjoy the strong smell emanating from her work entitled “Perfume”, where a musical verb flourishes, so to speak, and one can feel the need to go hunting for this huge animal called communication.

In 60 x 40 cm, the artist defeats differences, and gives pleasure to the soul. She extracts the materials she habitually uses from the area where she lives, like clay from Chorrillo river. Her murals, ideal for decorating gardens, are a proof of her pride to be an artist from San Luis, and the expression of her sense of belonging to Juana Koslay. This all is highlighted by her work entitled “Argentina”, a 30 x 20 cm canvas, which offers a sample of Argentinean folklore and national colors. Since I mention Argentina’s national symbols, I would like to raise my glass in a toast for Argentina’s Flag Creation Day, and this country’s Independence Day from Havana Congratulations! And being in love with Alexandra Rubiño’s creative beauty, I would like to tell you what I could perceive at the Independent Art Show - CulTurAr Habana 2010 - , which took place in Habana Libre Hotel. “Escarabajo Azul” (Blue Beetle) reveals Alexandra’s look to the past world, the heart beat of which she revives today in her sculpture. With a look both steady and optimistic, this work hides Alexandra’s smile with the intention of giving Chorrillo’s waters as a gift to the viewer, so that the thirst of a world menaced by wars and epidemics can be quenched. Thank you, Alexandra Rubiño, for your love of colors!