Romulo Lopez Cordero

Aniversario #3

Bueno el 29 de diciembre del 2004 cumplimos 3 años de casados. Tomamos unas fotos y la camara que era desechable se confundió entre algunas cosas y no la volvimos a ver hasta despues de unos meses. Luego por una u otra cosa no se reveló la camara y casi 6 meses mas tarde las mandé a revelar. Fue una noche muy feliz, y aunque hubo poca celebración debido a nuestras escuálidas finanzas, si hubo mucho cariño. Aquí las fotos de aquella ocasión. Olguita hizo una torta de chocolate, Pio Joaquín para variar no se dejaba tomar una foto de los tres juntos y luego Carol que bajo a lavar su ropa nos tomó unas fotitos juntos. Aunque no es el aniversario #3 o el #4, aprovecho para desearle un feliz aniversario a la gordita que en estos días está por el Guayas. :-( A ella dedico este poemita que he descubierto leyendo el poemario de Silva:

AMADA
Por Medardo Angel Silva

El duro son de hierro tornaré melodía
para cantar tus ojos - violetas luminosas -
la noche de tu negra cabellera y el día
de tu sonrisa, pura mas que las puras rosas.

Tu vienes con el alba y con la primavera
espiritual, con toda la belleza que existe,
con el olor del lirio azul de la pradera
y con la alondra alegre y con la estrella triste.

La historia de mi alba es la del peregrino
que, extraviado una noche en un largo camino,
pidio al cielo una luz..., y apareció la Luna;

pues estaba de un viejo dolor convaleciente,
y llegaste lo mismo que una aurora naciente,
en el momento amargo y en la hora oportuna.

Se va con algo mio

Estoy contento pues hoy despues de muchos años recordé un poema muy querido. Nunca me he considerado muy dotado en la sensibilidad poética, pero cuando tenía 7 años (78-79 que lejos suena), tenía que llevar a clases una demostración de mis talentos. Nervioso no sabía que hacer y mi papá me hizo memorizar un poema. Como no me lo aprendía me acosté frustrado. A las 5 de la mañana me levantó y me lo aprendí. Desde ese día aprendí 2 cosas. La primera que podía hablar en público, aunque tardaría algunos años mas en darme cuenta que lo podía hacer bien y la segunda a estudiar a esa hora. Durante mucho tiempo en la universidad cuando ya no podía mas prefería acostarme temprano y levantarme a las 5 a estudiar. El poema es del afamado Medardo Angel Silva y lo reproduzco a continuación:

Se van con algo mio

Se va con algo mio la tarde que se aleja...
Mi dolor de vivir es un dolor de amar
y, al son de la garúa, en la antigua calleja
me invade un infinito deseo de llorar.

¿Que son cosas de niño, me dices?... ¡Quién me diera
tener una perenne inconcienscia infantil,
ser del reino del día y de la primavera,
del ruiseñor que canta y del alba de abril!

¡Ah, ser pueril, ser puro, ser canoro, ser suave
---trino, perfume o canto, crepúsculo o aurora---,
como la flor que aroma la vida... y no lo sabe,
como el astro que alumbra las noches... y lo ignora!

Lo mas increible es que recordé las dos primeras líneas y como hace unos meses mi papá me regaló un libro con toda la poesía de Silva lo pude buscar a partir de lo que me acordaba. Mas extraño aún es que resulta muy apropiado para los tiempos que vivo. Y que alegría me acordarme de estas memorias de mi infancia.

Life as a Hermit

I thought hermits were early Christian phenomena. It seems that there is a revival movement from what I read in this Newsweek article. Although as a catholic I respect the church different approaches to faith, and that I enjoy being alone, I think this is a little bit extreme. You can find everything in the lord's vineyard.

Milton Friedman did it again

Two in a row. This is another article this time an op-ed by Milton Friedman at the WSJ about the idea of Vouchers. Another practical idea in order to have less government in the education area. Once again according to Friedman an old proposal dating back to an article in 1955 on "The Role of Government in Education". Another good idea that has taken root in countries far down south like Chile.

Please give a visa to this guys

This is not the first time that I have seen this, but this is the first time that I am going to propose this. Regardless of where cubans are found at the sea or on the Florida beaches, the BCIS should give permanent residency to this guys that are entepreneurial and creative in their ways to modify things to be able to escape the socialist "paradise" Cuba. Can you imagine how much the USA benefits by accepting this guys into this country, a society that is perfectly characterized by its enteprenurial drive and rewards to creative people?

Milton Friedman recollections on Social Security Reform

This is an interesting piece published on the SFGate regarding Milton Friedman's recollections about the begginning of a movement for Social security reform. He talked about the proposition to abolish Social Security first in 1962, with the publication of "Capitalism and Freedom", not because it was not efficient but because it was inmoral, a huge Ponzi scheeme run by the government. What I found fascinating and is not mentioned on the interview was that I always wondered how the chileans (Piñera among others) came up with the idea of changing their Social security system and to turn it into a privately funded one. Tweenty years later it has been so succesful that it has become the example for reform in the developed world. In spanish we say nobody is a prophet in their own land and I think this perfectly applies to Milton Friedman. Only if he had been heard in the USA 20 years ago like the Chileans did, how different things would be. (thanks to Marginal Revolution)

Another fallen government in Bolivia?

I think is a matter of time before Bolivia breaks up or becomes another story of a failed democracy. Spanish newspaper el Mundo is telling that Mesa has abandoned the presidential palace. Lets see what happens next. At least in my native country Ecuador means a new government. The problems that Bolivia faces are not easy to resolve. Bolivia has reached a tipping point and anything can happen. Also check this link from an Op-ed of Oscar Ortiz of Compromiso Ciudadano.

Update:The President of Bolivia has returned to the palace, unfortunately El Mundo instead of adding a new link rewrites the whole story. So the previous link has the news.

El Salvador in the Road to prosperity

Juan José Daboub former economics minister of El Salvador in this interview by Libertad y Desarrollo offers his opinion on how El Salvador in the last 15 years has positioned itself on the Index of Economic Freedom position #24. Among the sucesses achieved Daboub claims that poverty has been reduced 20%, mortality rates have gone from 47 per thousand to 25 per thousand and iliteracy have fallen from 33% in 1992 to 13% in 2004. He also outlines the work of America Libre Institute, directed by former Salvadorean President Francisco Flores.

Where would you live

Living in the Washington area I am always worried about being able to buy a home in this are. With soaring prices and yearly increases in the prices of 50 and 60% I have been looking for places outside the beltway. This WSJ graphics shows a spillover effect, sleepy cities increasingly becoming the alternative option for people that cannot afford the hefty prices. In my case I don't know if I am willing to move to Baltimore (I work in Arlington). On the TV I have seen this days ads promoting Stafford and Fredericksburg counties as good places to live south of the Capital Beltway. In any case if I decide to do something like this I will have to live close to a train and work in DC to consider it. In the meantime I will have to continue living and overpaying here.

VR Pacman

Check this out. The link is an interesting one, Pac Man as virtual reality game. Seems an interesting concept. I wonder how long before you start seeing people on the streets running or chasing somebody with goggles on they head.

Update: This seems to be another interesting game, although this one to watch.