Mankind to Search for Life in Other Planets from Mountaintop in Chile

By Nono Barahona. June 13, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Last May 26, a symbolic ceremony was held to kick off the construction of the world’s largest optical/near-infrared telescope, which will stand on the top of Armazones Hill, a mountain in northern Chile.

Dubbed the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT, for short) by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the organization that will build and run it, the telescope’s goal will be to search for life in other planets, according to the Chilean press.

With a price tag of 1.5 billion US dollar, it is by far the most expensive scientific endeavor ever undertaken in Chile.

The ceremony was attended by the Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet. However, strong winds prevented the ceremony from being held at the actual Armazones Hill, which, at 3,000 meters above sea level, will be home to the Extremely Large Telescope.

President Bachelet was quoted as saying that “here were are building more than a telescope, it is one of the greatest expressions of scientific and technological capacity, with an extraordinary potential for international cooperation”.

The Atacama desert, the driest place on earth, where the telescope will be located, is blessed with transparent skies that make it ideal for gazing at the heavens.

The ESO already operates other three telescopes in Chile.

This writer vividly remembers his visit to the Mamalluca observatory, in northern Chile, in the vicinity of the city of Vicuña. On an ordinary summer night, the sky was teeming with celestial objects ---a stark contrast to the murky sky over Santiago and other Chilean cities.

If a small tourist attraction such as Mamalluca can boast such a splendid view of the heavens, then one can only imagine how amazing the sky over Armazones Hill is.

According to the ESO website and the Chilean press, the ELT will have a 39-meter wide main mirror housed in a gigantic 85-meter dome, and is expected to be operational in 2024.

In the Chilean press, Tim De Zeeuw, the ESO’s Director General, was quoted as saying that “it is possible that the ELT may find evidence of life in some other world”. Let’s just hope that the ELT can deliver on that promise.

A Powerful Earthquake Has Just Hit Chile

By Nono Barahona. April 24, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Just a few minutes ago, a strong earthquake has shaken central Chile. Preliminary reports indicate that the epicenter was located west of Valparaiso.

In Santiago, the earthquake was stronger than the quake that shook the city last Saturday. And it lasted longer.

TV stations say that authorities, as a preventive measure, are calling people to evacuate coastal areas in the regions of Valparaiso and O'Higgins.

And according to TV stations, the earthquake went up to 6.7 on the Richter scale in Santiago, and up to 6.9 in Valparaiso. However, this information has yet to be confirmed.

No Tsunami Alert, say Chilean Authorities

By Nono Barahona. April 23, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. After an earthquake shook Chile at 23:36 hours local time, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, Chilean authorities say that there is no risk of a tsunami.

The earthquake reached 6.0 on the Richter scale.

The Chilean National Seismologic Center said the epicenter was located 48 kilometers west of the port of Valparaiso.

More importantly, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy said that the earthquake's magnitude was not enough to cause a tsunami.

After the 23:36 hour earthquake, there have been five aftershocks in the city of Valparaiso, all of them above 4.6 on the Richter scale.

At 6.0 on the Richter scale, the 23:36 hour earthquake was strong enough to cause concern in the population, especially because it took place at night and also because there were aftershocks, which, some people fear, might be a buildup to another, stronger, earthquake.

Country-Wide Census Brings Chile to Standstill

By Nono Barahona. April 19, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. A country-wide census is taking place right at this moment, turning Santiago and other cities in the country into ghost towns.

Authorities decided to declare this day a national holiday, and banned everyone from working, to ensure the success of the census.

As a result, movie multiplexes, malls, supermarkets, bakeries are all closed. Only some pharmacies are open to the public.

State employees have taken to the streets, visiting houses to count their occupants.

Even President Michelle Bachelet was shown on television on her way to visit houses as a census field interviewer.

Authorities regard the census as critical to gather information that can be a tool to develop public policies.

A cloudy and mostly cold day has been the backdrop to the census, inviting everyone to stay indoors, contributing to the feeling of ghost town in Santiago.

In the case of this writer, his house was visited at about 9:30 a.m.. The census field interviewer, a woman, asked a series of question, while filling in a form.

What kind of material was used for roofing in the house? What kind of flooring does the house have? How many people live in the house? How many bedrooms does the house or department have? How old are they? Their level of education?

Foreigners are also included in the census.

According to the head of the National Statistics Institute, the preliminary results of the census will be released in August this year, and in December this year we will know how many people are living in Chile, by region and by district.

The idea is not to repeat the embarrassing census of 2012, during the administration of former president Sebastian Piñera, when a census turned into a big fiasco for the administration, forcing the then President Piñera to publicly apologize for the errors.

Almost 25,000 People Died in 2016 in Chile While Waiting for Medical Treatment in the Public Health Care System

By Nono Barahona. April 15, 2017

Waiting room in Salvador hospital in Santiago.
Photo taken by author last year while waiting with
his mom for a blood test on her.

SANTIAGO, Chile.  A report submitted to the Chilean Congress by the "Subsecretaría de Redes Asistenciales", a Chilean government agency that monitors the operation of the public health system, says that 24,817 people died in 2016 while on the waiting lists of the 29 health care services existing in the country.

"El Mercurio", an influential Chilean newspaper, says that out of the total number of patients who died, 22,459 died while waiting for a first visit to a specialist physician, and that 2,358 died while waiting for surgery.

The report states that 74.4% of those who died were more than 65 years of age and that, considering the total number of the dead patients, 52.6% were male.

The government agency claimed that there is no direct relationship between the cause of death of the 24,817 patients and the fact that they were on waiting lists.

However, almost any Chilean reading an article like this makes a direct immediate connection between the fact that the patients were on waiting lists and the fact that they are dead, with the implication that they died for not receiving medical care on time.

Waiting lists are a feature of the Chilean public health care system, which is dominated by hospitals.

The Chilean public health care system is plagued by a shortage of specialized doctors and of doctors in general, resulting in that patients are placed on “waiting lists” on which they wait for their turn to get treatment for their ailments from a hospital doctor.

Since there is no limit on how long a public health patient has to wait for treatment, due to the shortage of doctors and staff, and sometimes due to the shortage of beds to accommodate patients in hospitals, a waiting list patient may have to spend months waiting for their turn to get medical treatment, giving the Chilean public health care system a very bad reputation.

In this regard, an article published by "La Tercera", a major Santiago newspaper, updated as of June 7, 2015, said in its headline that people on waiting lists had to wait even up to 6 years in some cases, with country-wide averages of 273 days for an oncologist and 727 days for a specialist in abdominal surgery.

On the other hand, middle class and upper class Chileans typically have health care insurance and get medical treatment in private clinics, where there are no waiting lists.

Therefore, waiting lists are for those Chileans who can not afford the private health care system.

A Revamped Chilean "Marraqueta" Is Accepted By Consumers, A Study Says

Two crisp marraquetas at lunch time.
The marraqueta is considered to be the quintessential
Chilean bread (photo by author)

By CTN. April 15, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. A study found that Chilean consumers would accept and would buy a less salty marraqueta.

The study was conducted jointly by Universidad Católica and Univesidad de Chile, Chile's two most prestigious and traditional universities.

Singled out for its high content of salt, which exceeds the 400 milligrams (mg) of sodium per 100 grams of bread recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the marraqueta is considered to be the favorite type of bread among the Chilean population, achieving the status of a cultural item that is inseparable from Chilean daily life and tradition.

The Chilean Health Ministry had proposed a limit of 400 mg of salt per 100 grams of marraqueta, in accordance with the WHO recommendation.  However, last year, the President of the Santiago association of bakers said that taking the salt away from the marraqueta would spell the demise of Chile's most beloved bread, because a less salty marraqueta would lose its crunchiness, its crispiness, its taste, becoming an altogether different kind of bread.

In the study, samples with 400 mg, 200 mg and 0 mg of salt per 100 grams of marraqueta were offered to 30 selected consumers. 

The consumers in the study were asked to rate the samples on a 1-7 scale, with 1 meaning "I hate it" and 7 "I like it a lot". 

In Chile, the 1-7 scale is used for grades from elementary to university education and therefore is very easy to understand for a Chilean national.

The consumers in the study rated with 5.5 the marraquetas with 400 mg of salt and with 5.3 the marraquetas with 200 mg.

After trying these revamped marraquetas, the consumers were asked whether they would buy them. On a scale of 1-5, the answers were 4.0 for the 400 mg marraqueta and 3.6 for the 200 mg variety, suggesting that marraquetas, even if baked with a lot less salt, will still be present on the tables of Chilean households for many, many years to come. (Data for this article were taken from El Mercurio newspapers and the Chilean press).

60 Syrian Refugees To Re-settle To Chile

By Nono Barahona. April 12, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. The Chilean finance ministry has green-lit the money needed to re-settle 60 Syrian refugees in the country.

Eligible candidates must not have been involved in military organizations and must not be linked to human rights violations. Also, preference will be given to parents where at least one of them can support the family.

The money devoted to re-settling the Syrian refugees amounts to CLP 1,612 million, which at today's exchange rate is equal to US$ 2.47 million.

Of that amount, CLP 1,084 million are contributed by Chile and CLP 528 million are contributed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The money will be allocated to providing housing, education and health care to the refugees. Spanish lessons are also included.

The program is to last from 2017 to 2019.

Between June and July this year a delegation will be sent to Syria to look for eligible families. Approximately 15 Syrian families are expected to re-settle to Chile.

Chile deserves credit for taking these steps. This money could well have been used to help the poorest of the poor in Chile, as there is plenty of them (source: Chilean press).