I Love Chile News Edition 11: April/May

The Pulse of Chile in English

Edition 11: May 2011 Price $1.000

Women Who Wine Style Magnate: Dressing for Power The West side of the Andes The Reward of Risk...10,000 hours later El Dorado is not “El Nucleado”

FELIPE CAMIROAGA

It’s more than television, it’s a way of life ,1 $//,$1&( :,7+

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I LOVE CHILE RADIO / MAY 2011

A Virtual Meeting Place for the Global Wanderer ILC Radio has been streaming 24 hour, live webcasts in ENGLISH out of Chile since [2007]. Globally loved as a breeding ground for expat communications and their unique wandering perspectives on Chile, ILC Radio - based in Santiago, orients local and international listeners with eclectic, open format programming on Chilean politics, news, food, music, nightlife, opinions and yes, Sports.

Tune in anytime for the local scoop at: www.ilovechile.cl/radio

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The Pulse of Chile in English

Edition 10: Summer 2011 Price $1.000

Reconstruction: One year On On Shaky Ground Chile a Top Ten Ethical Travel Destination for 2011 Viña del Mar in 36 Hours on a Budget Wind of Change for La Roja

Isabel

Allende

Survival of the Feminine

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and I said I wanted to take a few days to rest because I had been working continuously. She asked me, “why not go to Chile, I’m leaving tomorrow and can meet you there”. So I got on a plane the next day and flew to Chile. About two weeks later I flew back to tie-up some pending business and flew back to Chile three or four times loving it more each time and then decided that I was moving here and would take a chance. And so I did. Actually I fell in love with the country and its people.

Q5: Do you think people are more aware of cultural changes today than they were 10 years ago?

-With all the new communications that are now available to everyone, one example is the Internet, it would be almost impossible for people not to be aware of what the world is about. Ten years ago was just the start of public internet and it has opened so many doors and served so many people who use it to increase their knowledge and awareness of the world in which they live.

Q6: How is working with your co-host Stewart Stewart?

-Stewart brings a great deal of knowledge to the program because of his past work as a P.R. man for people like Johnny Carson and Count Basie. While we don’t always see eye to eye on every subject, we respect the other person’s view. I think our differences provide an additional point of view as well as adding flavor and variety to the program.

Q7: You were on the Miami Vice Set, how was that?

-Miami Vice was probably one of the most professional shows that I have ever worked on. It was a welloiled machine so to speak. Everyone on the show did exactly what they had to do at the time it had to be done.

When your scene was up you were prepared and you did it.

While there were a lot of interesting people the work was pretty much routine and professional.

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DJ Profile John Allen PHOTO: COURTESY JOHN ALLEN

very Friday here at I Love Chile, Join us as we listen to television and radio veteran John Allen as he takes us through a simple and easy approach to life.

We asked John for a minute of his time so we could get a better understanding of the man behind the mic.

Q1: How would you describe your show?

-Trying to describe my program is a little difficult because it is rather complex. I have always tried to help people find solutions that affect their daily lives and keep it as simple as possible. I try to provide guidance to questions that people have but are often afraid to ask. I don’t discuss religion or politics. However, we do discuss entertainment and the environment. Basically, the program is designed to make life easier for people facing everyday decisions.

Q2: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve interviewed?

-I have interviewed actors, politicians, writers, etc, but generally the most interesting have been the common man on the street as he faces life’s challenges.

Q3: Your Catchphrase, “Don’t drink and drive, because the life you save may be mine,” is there a story behind it?

-I heard the phrase “don’t drink and drive, because the life you save may be mine” a long time ago. Driving while under the influence of mind altering substances, drugs, alcohol, or even talking on your cell phone is a really dangerous and irresponsible behavior and can lead to serious accidents. I hope that the phrase makes an impression, and while it sounds a little self-centered, I think that it gets your attention.

Q4: What made you settle down in Chile?

-A friend of mine called and asked what I was doing

Beautiful Teeth For A Lifetime: Clínica Hanke

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any people think they have healthy teeth and do not have to worry about dental problems. Unfortunately, this is sometimes not the case and the dream of reaching the old age with their own teeth will not come true.”

Clínica Hanke, a dental clinic founded in 1995, offers a selection of specialized dentists and professionals who guarantee the most pleasant dental experience in Santiago. The clinic is located in Manquehue Norte 1931, between Vitacura and Luis Pasteur.

Dr. Andreas Hank, the owner of the Clínica Hanke and a professional dentist with more than 30 years of experience was educated at the German Colegio Alemán de Santiago and studied dentistry at Universidad de Chile. Dr. Hanke graduated as a Dental Surgeon with Honors in 1980. From 1981 to 1982 he specialized in rehabilitation and occlusion at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Since 1995, he has owned his own practice in Santiago in a house he had converted into his dream clinic.

This dream made into reality, includes five different rooms that reflect the working spaces of the specialized dentists. Oral rehabilitation, aesthetic and integral odontology and implantology are only some of the specializations you will find in the Clinica Hanke. Moreover, the clinic offers the latest technology on dental whitening, using the Whitening System Zoom 2TM that was developed some years ago in the United States. All dentists speak English and Spanish – perfect communication is thus guaranteed.

Moreover, continuing education is a high priority to ensure each dentist and hygienist is at the top of his or her field.

Clínica Hanke has its own laboratory, which develops all the metal, ceramic, and zirconium technology, through inlays, onlays, crowns, bridges, veneers and implants. Furthermore, it offers a digital radiology that emits 90% less radiation than the traditional

radiology equipments. Additionally, the clinic possesses comfortable, spacious and bright facilities that reveal a wonderful view of a garden with a magnificent tree.

This special tree is the reason why the Clínica Hanke has come to the place it currently is. In the 5th year of his dental school, Dr. Andreas Hanke was asked to design a clinic. He let his imagination free and designed his own beautiful practice. This practice was made up of two main parts: the service section and the clinic. There was big, bright windows that led to a garden with a beautiful tree. However, the teacher did not accept his concept and, consequently, he was quite frustrated and quit believing in his vision. Years later, his wife found such a house in Santiago that had all the attributes that Dr. Hanke had described in his project.

She called her husband and he was astounded. Soon after, the house was purchased, restored and the Clínica Hanke was born.

The tree is in the plain center of the garden and symbolizes a dream come true as well as providing a nice comfortable view that welcomes every patient. The waiting room will impresses you through its pleasant ambience, natural light and as a bonus, offers wireless internet connection.

Dr. Andreas Hanke aims to keep on building his clinic towards excellence where the principles of service and quality will always be in the center of attention. Clínica Hanke is a “service company” and promises that, “if you are looking for something special, you will find it here.”

For further information please visit: www.clinicahanke.com

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Publisher Daniel Brewington Editor Julie Gibson Chief Strategy Officer Pamela Lagos Director, Sales & Marketing Steve Halsey Brand Manager Vanessa Callund Online Editor Jayne Scarman Human Resources Kate Crispy News Desk Bårbara Hermosilla Contributors Julie Gibson Jayne Scarman Andrea Ernst Lebo Sililo Shonika Proctor Barbara Buchanan Harper Bridgers David Ergas Elias Alcantara Pablo Retamal Pepe Rawlinson Pascal Mathieu Gary Mallon Kelly Miner Ian Gilbert Meghan Vooris Marcelle Dubruel Alexis Psarras Sean Black Daniel Greeve Alicia Granse Gonzalo Mena F. Francisca de la Vega Planet Felipe Muùoz Photographers Gardner Hamilton Daniel Brewington Amanda Saviùón Leilani B’Smith Design Alfonso Gålvez Translations Camila Casanova Milena Cid Maria Bello

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Letter From the Editor

T

his past month my husband and I have had to do some serious thinking about our life and where it is going. We were at the proverbial cross roads. One path would lead to more financial security and the other is more personal happiness. It was a very hard choice to make. But in the end we had to choose to invest in our personal happiness.

When most of us think of the word invest, you may think of stocks, bonds or real estate, but want we did was a different kind of investment – we chose to invest in ourselves. Investing in yourself is very different from investing in external assets. It doesn’t follow the same pattern and it surely doesn’t offer you the same compensation. Whenever people are investing money they expect a return in money. Well, it’s completely different when you invest in yourself. You don’t get back money; you get back an improved version of yourself.

As Dolf de Roos said, “The most expensive piece of real estate is the six inches between your right and left ear. It’s what you create in that area that determines your wealth. We are only really limited by our mind.�

Most of us put a lot of time evaluating our finances. Studying the market, the companies, and perhaps the countries we choose to invest our money in. What if there was an investment that gave you a lifetime of returns from the moment you invested your capital? What if the capital was small and didn’t have to be money? And what if these investments had a guaranteed return and that love, joy and fulfillment were the dividends? Would you be interested in that? Would you give the same about of time learning about that investment?

You are your most valuable asset. If you don’t take the time to invest in yourself, you, your most valuable asset will eventually suffer. It could be your health, your relationships, or your happiness. All three of these if not taken care of properly, will drain you of

CONTENTS

STAFF

MAY 2011 / TABLE OF CONTENTS

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04 05 06 07 08 09 10 -11 12 13 14 – 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26-27 28 29 30 – 31

“The most expensive piece of real estate is the six inches between your right and left ear. It’s what you create in that area that determines your wealth. We are only really limited by our mind.� your money. What’s important to you? Take a moment to think about what you really enjoy and what matters most to you. Spending time with friends? Family? Being outdoors? Just reading a good book? Life is too short to be stuck running around constantly trying to meet deadlines, make more money, and constantly put things off until the future. You need to make time for the things you love.

It’s all about balance. Our lives are filled with responsibilities, deadlines, and work to get done, but these things can’t control us. You need to invest in creating some personal time. Even if it is just 30 minutes a day, the more you can introduce the things you love into your life, the happier you’ll be. Your happiness will begin to spill over into the other areas of your life. You’ll perform better at work, have better relationships with your friends and family, and overall become a greater asset to everyone you interact with.

All the time you put in at work and money you save doesn’t mean a whole lot if you aren’t investing in what makes you happy.

Dj Spotlight: John Allen Thank you message Sponsor Profile Letter from the editor Table of Contents Subscribe Now List of Contributors Easter Island: students to be taught in Rapa Nui The Reward of Risk‌ 10,000 hours later Chile and America: Fading Love?

President Obama’s Spirit of Partnership Women Who Wine What’s For Dinner?

El Dorado is not “El Nucleado�

Opportunity or Exploitation Why invest in Chile The West side of the Andes How are you smart?

Chile’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Fighting fit Recognizing and dealing with trauma in children How green are your cosmetics Felipe Camiroaga Sernatur: Foreign investment in tourism Hidro AysÊn Castles of Vina Third World Country; 3rd World Football Team XOXO Behind every good Man Daniel Greeve Style Magnate: Dressing for Power Little Thinkers

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04 By: Andrea Ernst

R

ecently announced by the Minister of Education, Joaquin Lavín, pupils on Easter Island will be taught in their native language Rapa Nui. Lavín visited the Lorenzo Baeza Vega School on Easter Island and signed an agreement which permits students of first to fourth grade to receive all classes in the Rapa Nui language.

This program, called Immersion in the Language Rapa Nui, will begin this year and will use native teachers to hold the lessons. Assignments such as mathematics and language courses will be mixed with the Spanish language to avoid losing important knowledge that is necessary for further school exams. Furthermore, there will be realized crafts workshops, workshops of carving and instrumental musicals that make up a complete program of cultural rescue for the island.

Other students will continue to have their classes in Spanish but will involve the indigenous language Rapa Nui in their class schedule for a total of four hours weekly. Lavín argued: “What we want to achieve with this is the rescue of the language and the habits of the Rapa Nui population. It is very good news for the people of this island.”

The director of the school, Jacqueline Rapo Tuki, appreciated the visit of the government and the fact that it stimulates and spreads the initiative: “It is very important that we rescue the cultural Rapa Nui heritage and we are really thankful that the government is taking care of this and is helping us with this issue”, said Rapo Tuki.

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NEWS / MAY 2011

The director of the National Cooperation of Indigenous Development (ConadI), Jorge Retamal Rubio, who visited the high school on the Easter Island, was completely satisfied seeing how this initiative is being approved by the population of the Easter Island: “I am so happy to see the children talking to each other in their native tongue, recovering their dances and culture. In July, Conadi will send them on a cultural exchange to Tahiti and that is what we should keep on doing, because the language is fundamental for the development of our original villages”, he added.

“What we want to achieve with this is the rescue of the language and the habits of the Rapa Nui population. It is very good news for the people of this island.”

During his visit to Easter Island, Minister Lavín also visited educational facilities on Easter Island where students have the opportunity to become specialized in two very important sectors for the island: tourism and the farming and livestock sector. In addition, the Ministry of Education delivered government grants for the acquisition of fundamental materials that are necessary for the continued development of these two sectors, such as computers, video and photo cameras and farming machines.

Easter Island: students to be taught in Rapa Nui

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MAY 2011 / NEWS

The Reward of Risk‌

10,000 hours later

By Shonika Proctor

R

eflecting back on his childhood, Roberto LeĂłn says that he can recall being in school dreaming about having his own business and leading a very independent lifestyle. Years later, while he was attending school at the Universidad TĂŠcnica Federico Santa MarĂ­a, even though he had not yet done something specifically to advance his goals in starting a business, his dream was still very much alive.

At the university he met Daniel Guajardo who also shared an interest in business and together they began to brainstorm a number of ventures. Alas, it was their final year of school and still they had nothing concrete. It was in this moment they realized that inspiration and motivation is not enough. The talk of saving the world and a brighter future meant little when there was no tangible thing to show from these years of ‘great ideas’. They felt the urge to bring these ideas into the physical world – but how? Between them they could not figure out the answer, so they started looking for someone who had expertise in a different area in hopes that this person could support them with making something real. This was how they eventually connected with their third partner, Guillermo Medel, an expert in IT. Ambitious and determined, yet clueless on what they would make and how they would organize it, they decided to lease an office without knowing what they would specifically do with it. However, they did come to the agreement that a Digital Business had the lowest barriers to entry so they would initially build something online.

The first days in their new office they were unclear about what to do or how to do it, but they figured if they had enough conviction to go all day to the office starting at 8 am everything would eventually be ‘fine’. After a lot of thinking and brainstorming their ideas began to gel and take shape and out of this, Engineering & Enterprise Innovative Solutions (Engenis.cl) was born.

Today Engenis has 4 team-members, which Roberto gives full credit for his individual and their collective success. The team includes their 2 co-founders Daniel and Guillermo, and Felipe RĂ­os, who currently oversees their Digital Strategies. Having created 2 enterprise solutions, Dentalink (dentalink.cl), a web platform for consultation and management of dental clinics; and “Qubity (qubity. com), a web platform for managing tasks and workspaces

Building a successful venture could ultimately be worth millions of dollars, building a team who is driven by success is priceless.

through a social paradigm, the team has gone full circle with the ups and downs of launching a small business endeavor. They are currently supporting clients in countries throughout Latin America and also in Spain.

Given their growing success and seeing the lack of training courses offered in launching a Digital Business, they decided to offer a ‘Digital Ventures’ pilot course at Felipe Rios’ alma mater, the Universidad de Chile (FEN).

The course provides a step-by-step process for launching an online business venture and prior to the end of the semester long course, students will have received enough training and education to launch their own business online. The course has been extremely well received with over 50 students currently enrolled. Thinking about all the challenges and successes they have experienced in their company, Roberto believes there are 5 things that have helped his team to really grow individually and collectively in their entrepreneurial and creative experience: R5 ,- 0 , ( 9 There are many times when you feel you have reached a dead end. When you feel this way, never turn back, instead change direction or take a detour.

R5 ).#0 .#)(95Self-motivation can be very difficult, especially if you work alone when you are starting out. Build a venture that truly inspires you and makes it effortless to go to work. Also, take frequent short breaks during the day so that you can always have fresh ideas.

R5 )(0# .#)(9 Be clear with your intentions and fully align with the meaning of what you are undertaking. Affirm that this is something so connected to you that you will not flinch or second guess your position when a difficult situation arises.

R5 '5 /&./, 95‘You’ plus 1 person who wants to fully support you in making your idea a reality equals your team. Your team member doesn’t have to be a personal friend or previous acquaintance.

Different ideas lead to different projects and thus different people working at the same time on different things. In a company the most important asset you have are the people who work with you everyday. It is how the ideas are made, how problems are solved and how clients will be acquired and supported.

R5 .1),%-95Your network is your net worth! Just as you can never underestimate the value of your employees and team members, you can never underestimate the value of your social capital and the power of your networks. Very few people start with an established and ‘credible’ network, but the more you do the things you say you will do the more your people will connect with you and support your cause.

The Digital World provides relatively low entries to barrier for anyone who has access to a computer and the internet. You can create any type of business from a software business to a service based business that teaches music lessons through Skype. The possibilities are endless. A digital project can be developed, implemented and sold by the same entrepreneurial team, without major investments! And while building a successful venture could ultimately be worth millions of dollars, building a team who is driven by success is priceless.

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BUSINESS / MAY 2011

Chile and America:

By Barbara Buchanan

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hile’s love affair with all things American should be tempered with a hard look at the country’s biggest export customers, claims Guillermo Morales, president of the British Chamber of Commerce.

He believes Chile should strengthen its UK connections especially when it comes to investments and stock listings.

“The London Stock Exchange, LSE, has a more varied base which would open doors and connections with Asia, the Far East and Middle East. I don’t think New York has the same breadth of networks, connections and possibilities.”

He explained this is because Chile’s largest import and export business is in reality with other continents such as China, Asia and Europe.

“Yet our large corporates are listed in New York. I think they would enhance their business prospects if they listed on the London Stock Exchange which has a more sophisticated metal exchange market and Chile is a mining country.”

He added that with Chile’s strong economy the country has an abundance of money to invest.

“When you need to invest seriously you need the best asset managers and by and large most of them are in London.”

He maintains that the pension fund mangers need to make diverse investments and this is something which fund managers in London can offer in “abundance”.

Morales believes this issue has been insufficiently debated but is pleased finance minister, Felipe Larrain, will be PHOTO: COURTESY BRITCHAM

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visiting the City of London on Chile Day, 28th and 29th of June. There he will meet UK chancellor, George Osborne, along with capital market regulators and Chilean companies with a presence in London.

Morales highlights the fact that a large proportion of global corporates have chosen London as the place for their head office even though they aren’t British enterprises.

For example, more than 50 of India’s largest corporates, such as Tata Steel, are listed on the LSE. He believes this is because UK regulation is “friendly to the market place” and opposed to “intrusive regulation”.

One of the priorities of the British Camber of Commerce is to promote collaboration between academics, government and business over climate change. The chamber has set up a committee of corporate leaders and academics with the aim of providing a positive voice in debates and discussions shaping future legislation on this issue.

He believes that Chile should look to the UK for a lead over how industry complies with international requirements over the environment.

“The British have been the most out spoken on this issue and have debated and contributed to what climate change means to industry,” observes Morales.

Morales believes that the Chilean “fascination” with all things American may be beginning to wane.

“I can sense more commonality with the UK than with America. More young people are interested in taking a masters in law at UK universities, which is just as good an alternative as studying the US. There is a renewed appreciation of European values and styles which were once regarded as old fashioned.

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MAY 2011 / NEWS

President Obama’s Spirit of Partnership By: Elias Alcantara

W

ith just twenty hours on the ground, United States President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters Malia and Sasha were able to capture the Chilean public’s heart. Hundreds of Chileans and U.S. citizens showed up at La Moneda as early as 10am hoping to catch a glimpse of the First Family.

President Obama and the First Lady arrived at La Moneda on Monday March 22 at 1:15pm where they were greeted

by President Sebastian Piñera and First Lady Cecilia Morel. After the official welcoming the two leaders began the formal U.S./Chile bilateral meeting in La Moneda’s Blue Room. According to the U.S. Embassy in Santiago during this meeting “the Presidents exchanged their opinions on the diverse topics of the international agenda, with a special focus on new threats such as terrorism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and nuclear proliferation.”

After the bilateral meeting the Presidents hosted a joint press briefing where President Piñera called for an equal “2.0 relationship with the United States”.

During the briefing President Obama took the opportunity to address the situation in Libya. Two days before arriving to Santiago, the U.S. along with France, Britain, and Canada began air strikes, as outlined by UN Security Council 1973 resolution, to enforce a no fly zone over Libya. Obama stated that Chile supported the UN’s decision while noting, “we believe that the legitimate aspirations of people must be met and that violence against civilians is not the answer”.

The events in Northern Africa were not discussed for long when a Chilean reporter quickly brought the discussion back to Chile. The reporter asked President Obama “if the United States is willing to ask for forgiveness for what it did in those very difficult years in the ‘70s in Chile?” Referring to the United States’ involvement in the military overthrow of President Salvador Allende’s government in 1973. President Obama noted that the U.S. is willing to cooperate with the

investigations, in regard to the deaths of former Presidents Salvador Allende and Eduardo Frei Montalva, but he emphasized, “…It’s important, though, for us, even as we understand our history and gain clarity about our history, that we’re not trapped by our history. “ After the press briefing, 50 years after John F Kennedy delivered his Alliance for Progress speech in Venezuela, President Obama delivered the long awaited speech on Relations with Latin America.

The speech took place in the Centro Cultural. He delivered the speech to a group of Chile’s elite, high-level government officials, and leaders of the Americas. Some of the guests included former Presidents Patricio Alywin, Ricardo Lagos, and Eduardo Frei, Executive Secretary of CEPAL Alicia Bárcena, Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno, among many others.

In the speech President Obama highlighted a “shared responsibility” for issues that the Americas are facing today, such as drugs and violence. In an effort to combat these issues President Obama noted that his administration “increased our support -the equipment, training and technologies- that security forces, border security and police need to keep communities safe” from drug cartels. He also highlighted two new initiatives that his administration will be pursuing. The first initiative is “to harness the power of social media and online networks” to help students, educators, and entrepreneurs from all over the region communicate and share information to make both the U.S. and Latin American countries more competitive. The second initiative is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in Latin America to 100,000 and the number of Latin America students studying in the United States to 100,000.

Overall, President Obama’s speech presented an optimistic outlook for the future of US/Latin American relations. The US committed to building a stronger partnership with the Americas where “senior partners and junior partners” no longer exist. It is only in the spirit of “equal partnership” that the region will progress.

“We are all Americans. Todos somos Americanos.” Noted President Barack Obama during his recent visit to Chile.

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08

By Kelly Miner

I

f you type Chile into a Google search your initial results will discuss the geography of the 2,700 mile long country, the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. You will hear the likes of the wonderful weather, the struggle with smog in Santiago, and the reign of General Pinochet. In addition you will also read about an industry that has started to flourish in the last ten to fifteen years in Chile.

Chilean wineries have grown from12 wineries in the mid 90s to over 70 in 2005. One of the largest exporters of wine in the world, Chile also ranks in the top ten as one of the largest producers.

In fact between 2006 and 2009 Chile steadily increased their production of wine each year resulting in a change of 16.83%, being only one of three countries (the United States at 13.90% and Germany at 3.17%) while other top ten producers France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Australia all decreased their production of wine by double digits.

The word has gotten out that Chilean wine is not just affordably good wine, but rather it can strongly compete against the best of the best from California and France. But it isn’t just the wine in Chile, it’s also the presence of women involved within the industry.

In Chile women hold positions at every level of the winemaking and marketing process, dominating the field and ranking second only to the United States.

They account for 35% of enologists or winemakers, as compared to neighboring Argentina where a mere 5% of the winemakers are women.

These women within the Chilean wine industry have made significant contributions and have broken through existing boundaries; they are innovators in production, quality, and facilities.

Case in point Maria Luz Marin, owner and operator of Casa Marin located within the San Antonio Valley 65 miles west of Santiago. Marin’s gutsiness to introduce white wines (her Sauvignon Blanc initially sold 2x the cost of competitors) into an almost exclusively red wine market singlehandedly changed the face of the Chilean wine industry.

And it’s not just Chilean women who have forged their way into the wine market. Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle dreamed of producing a premium wine, a right she wouldn’t have in her home country of France. Even though Marnier Lapostolle is a member of the renowned French family who produces Grand Marnier liqueur, she would not

www.ilovechile.cl

PEOPLE / MAY 2011

WOMEN WHO

WINE In Chile women hold positions at every level of the winemaking and marketing process, dominating the field have the opportunity to produce ‘her wine’ in France because a woman cannot inherit over a male counterpart.

Relocating to Chile has provided Marnier Lapostolle the ability to create world-class wines utilizing her knowledge of French technique in combination with the excellent soil conditions of Chile. The well balanced hybrid of old world and new world has resulted in a carmenere blend, Clos Apalta, that was named wine spectator’s 2008 wine of the year in its annual top 100.

The success of the carmenere blend has led to the construction of Clos Apalta winery which is dedicated solely to the production of Lapostolle’s flagship wine Clos Apalta. The winery is an innovative state of the art facility that utilizes the granite of the apalta hillside to provide a naturally cool environment for the cellaring and ageing processes. The five-storey tall (the lower three are buried into the granite), 100% gravity-fed facility is an extraordinary vertical design that eliminates the need to pump -the wine naturally flows downward– and therefore producing a higher quality wine.

Santa Rita’s Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon has always been one of Chile’s most favorite wines.

Since 1989 Cecilia Torres has been responsible for its production. But beyond that Torres joins Marin as one of the pioneers for women in the wine industry here in Chile.

“Do I feel like we have made a difference? Have we opened up space for women in a business that was once carried only by men? Yes, I feel like we have opened the door to a broader, younger generation of female winemakers. There are so many opportunities for women in the wine profession that did not exist 10 or 20 years ago, and not just in the making of wine. Marketing, viticulture, quality control, etc,” Torres shared with Wine Enthusiast Magazine last October.

Torres also shared that when it comes to winemaking women have certain skills and abilities that they can bring to the table. We are “patient, dedicated, constant, persevering, and most important of all, we have passion. Though I must point out, these characteristics are not exclusive to women. You also can find them in many men. But where I’m sure we are different is in the holistic vision we have.”

When asked if she still experiences resistance or prejudice within the profession, Torres responded, “Not anymore, although 20 years ago the prejudice was quite strong. Now at this established stage of my career, being a woman winemaker might even be a plus.”

09

MAY 2011 / PLACES

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

By Alicia Granse

Fortunately for all of us living here, Santiago has a lot to offer in terms of tasty grub. This can be rather inconvenient, however, when one wants to find something to eat in a hurry.

As such, I’ve put together a quick summary of some of my favorites all over town. While by no means complete or definitive, I hope this list of restaurants will assist those in need of sustenance.

ES LAS CONDscr hood has a aper land. This neighbor

Welcome to sky er areas re chilly and stiff than oth tendency to feel a bit mo fool you. impersonal appearance of Santiago. Don’t let the you just ty— warm hearts aplen There are good eats and k. have to know where to loo

ÑUÑOA

SANTIAGO CENTRO

Honestly, I think the best food in the city is here. And the variety is amazing. From next-to-nothing to wallet-breaking, from appetizing to zany, it’s got it all.

Restaurant Victoria Santo Domingo 771 2-632-9528 $ This hole in the wall has long been a favorite of those craving Peruvian food. It’s cheap and it’s delicious. One of the best ceviches I’ve had in Santiago, and the sauces they serve with the requisite breadbasket are different than the average bear’s. It’s quite small, so it’s best to go for weekend lunch, when the center isn’t so crowded with businessfolk.

La Bota de Donata Constitución 30 / 2-248-9747 www.labotadedonata.com $$ When I want pasta, this is where I go. Squash ravioli, wild boar lasagna, or gnocchi with pesto. Take your pick, they’re all scrumptious. The desserts are homemade, and they have a decent espresso. Service is a bit slow, so remember to bring your patient shoes. Although it’s located in Patio Bellavista, you can avoid the crowds by using the Constitución entrance.

Patagonia Restobar Lastarria 92 / 2 664 3830 $$$ In an area chock a block full of restaurants, this is a treat. The outdoor patio was what lured me in the first time, and the menu has kept me coming back. I always go for the mussels in broth, but there are other inspired creations ranging from wild boar to sea bass. Typical Chilean food without the typical churrasco obsession.

Although some bemoan the inconvenience of this barrio, the variety and vivacity of this area make the bus ride more than worth it—especially during the summer and fall for patio season.

Clasico El Dante Jorge Washington 10 www.clasicoeldante.cl Like the name says, this one really is a classic. Open since 1949, El Dante has been serving classic Chilean food for more than 50 years. We chanced upon it on an early fall day last year, and had a meat stew served with a side of hashbrowns. Did you read that? Hashbrowns. Golden, fried, delicious hashbrowns with cheese melted on top. I was sold. They have a great view of the square and serve a nice variety of beer.

Wallos Pizza Simón Bolivar 3761 / 2-223-0393 www.wallospizza.cl $$ Leave it to the Brazilians to invent the best thing ever. Cream cheesestuffed pizza crust. How do they remain so fit and sexy over there? I like this place for its creativity with ingredients. They don’t stop at tomato and pepperoni, not these folks, they dream up flavors like pineapplebacon-banana. Don’t worry, for those of more traditional tastes you can still order the tomato and perpperoni. I’ll just mock your cowardice. Keep in mind that this place isn’t for the faint of wallet, either. A family sized pizza will set you back at least 11.000 if you want the cream cheese crust-which you do. But for a treat it’s definitely worth it.

UVA (Unión Vino & Arte) Irarrazaval 3469 / 2-274-3287 www.uva.cl $$ This restaurant does something that I absolutely despise: main dishes and sides are separate in the menu. However, I forgive them because the sides are so fantastic. They aren’t the typical 10 types of potato. Choices range from sautéed sesame-ginger asparagus to a mushroom omelet. I wish I could just order sides. But the main dishes are good too—your standard salmon, sea bass, or steak. And don’t forget to bring in your ticket stub for the Teatro UC for a discount.

PROVIDENCIA

Mostly I like Providencia for drinking and happy hours. That being said, there are some great places off the beaten paths for people looking for something other than a cheese and meat tabla in Manuel Montt.

Kazoku Sushi 4 Latadia 4255 / 2-881-871 www.kazoku.cl $ ese and e with sushi. Cream che I love what Chile has don led my tick Yum. This place shrimp and avocado. Yum h only wit y tin sy groupon. It’s ten fancy after a visit with a rediing the d, goo are the gyozas about 8 tables total, but re the for is cheap. We got out of ents fresh, and the wine e service Th . bottle of wine and tip about 15.000 including a bo, but Jum of is w e, and the vie is typical Chilean snail pac fish raw for s ice cho top one of my overall this little place is in Santiago.

Hey! Pitas Gral Holley 2392 www.heypitas.cl $ I may be biased by it’s close proximity to the office, but Hey! Pitas hits the spot when one is looking for a quick falafel fix. They have a variety of meats, and you can choose your veggies and sauces.

For a cheap lunch on the go, this is the spot.

Salaam Bombay Rancagua 390 / 2-225-9917 $$ Although it’s getting more and more popular, Indian food is still a fledgling here in Santiago. Luckily we’ve got this little jewel on the corner of Rancagua and Condell.

I love the Malay Kofta, vegetable meatballs with an almond cream sauce (they contain no actual meat, but it’s what they look like).

The naan isn’t spectacular, but the rest of the menu more than makes up for it. The décor is pretty rockin’ as well—the walls are covered in Indian fabrics and the place is full of appropriately themed statues. Don’t miss the India Pale Ale from Capital, either.

Pizza Voraz Providencia 1321/Diagonal Rancagua 946 2-235-6477/2-716-4538 www.vorazpizza.cl $$ In a city not especially well-known for good pizza, this place is a surprise. Good ingredients, and a nice variety to choose from. I like the Caramelizada, with salami, caramelized onions, and black olives. The Mediterránea satisfies the crave too, which goes into the oven with mozzarella and tomato sauce, and is then topped with fresh arugola, prosciutto, goat cheese, and capers. They deliver, but only in Providencia, but you can always go pick it up if you’re desperate. Which I usually am.

Mr Jack e Norte 0145 Tabancura 1108/El Bosqu 2-326-3098/2-982-0533 www.mrjack.cl $$ BurgI love me some burgers.

Like all good little gringas, mush with ketchup, burgers wit ers with cheese, burgers rgbu d goo be s. But they have to at tard, burgers with pickle me the ke ma to s bread crumb ers. None of this ‘let’s add ck, thi , Big . ng thi l rea the provides go further.’ And Mr Jack Mr Camings. I recommend the trim the all h wit and juicy toand to, pes d mozzarella, basil h prese, with lots of melte wit r rge bu ese che classic bacon matoes. There’s also a t. join r you is s thi r, rge g for a bu bbq sauce. When lookin

VITACURA

If you’re looking for good qua lity and white tablecloths, this is the area for you . If you’re looking for something cheap, go to the cor ner market and get an empanada.

Basilico Bistró Nueva Costanera 3832 / 2-2289084 www.basilicobistro.cl $$$ Beautiful. I wish there were a mo re creative word, but that’s the best I can do without resorting to devious online thesaurus means. The pati o is crisp and quiet.

The interior polished and warm.

The menu changes frequently, but we had a lovely sub tle ceviche to start, followed by squid-ink angel hair with shrimp that made me smile, and grilled con grio with lentils (that tasted like a cheddar cheesebur ger somehow, magically) and sesame-seared veg etables. You can even ask their sommelier for wine adv ice. Nueva Costanera is the new restaurant row in Vitacura, but make sure to give this one a try.

Zanzibar Borderio San Jose Mars Escriva de Balaguer 6400 www.zanzibar.cl $$$$ So often we complain that San tiago lacks international influences. In Zanzibar we are proven wrong.

There are appetizers and main dishes from Europe, Asia, and Africa, in homage to the mystical-sounding port so famous for its heterogene ity. Sweet and sour chicken, pad thai, and curry are served in gorgeous dishes, which make them more exotic than they usually would be to jaded gringos for whom they are standard fare at home. Here in Chi le we wait with bated breath for the splendors that rest aurants like Zanzibar preceed.

www.ilovechile.cl

10

El Dorado

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY / MAY 2011

is not “El Nucleado�

By Pablo Retamal

W

hen looking closely at foreign investment in Chile we soon realize that there is an array of big and small companies recently moving here. What is so attractive about such a potentially small market? They are surely considering the relative financial stability and its 17 million voracious triggerhappy-credit-spending inhabitants amongst some of the pluses. In general, foreign companies have been well received by consumers in most sectors of this economy.

Not so apparent to the average consumer are the lobbies and efforts particular governments, European, Asian or American, have made to promote their companies.

However, international energy reps trying to infiltrate the Chilean market as of late are coming under much criticism.

We kicked-off the year with a coal-fired plant needing high level intervention in order to be detained only days before approval of the project. More recently the nuclear lobby has been hard hit by what is going on in Japan.  We all have our own ideas about right or wrong and what company profiles should (or not) be encouraged to move into the land of “sea, mountains and six month summers�. What is clear, however, is that there is a growing number of Chilean consumers disgusted with big, arrogant, sloppy and out of touch institutions. It’s a global trend – and there is a whole generation brought up by the ideals of corporate greed to go with it. So accustomed to the tricks of good traditional marketing, these guys have developed an uncanny sense to smell true generosity a mile away. “Generation G� is made up of those consumers around the world who are just fedup of being taken for a ride that they increasingly expect businesses to be socially, ethically and environmentally responsible: R5 R5

R5

mgz5) 5* )*& 5^' % 5#.5 5*)#(.5.)5 /35 , ( -5 ,)'5 companies whose values are similar to my own.�

(Source: Young & Rubicam, August 2010.)

(5hffl65\-.,)(!5Ĺ€( ( # &5* , ),' ( ]51 -5." 5 third most important factor for US consumers in determining corporate reputation. By 2010, financial returns had fallen to the bottom of Edelman’s rankings, while ‘transparent and honest practices’ and ‘company I can trust’ were the two most important. (Source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2010.) nmz5) 5 5 )(-/' ,-5 2* .5 )'* (# -5.)5 )(sider societal interests equal to business interests, while 78% of Indian, 77% of Chinese and 80% of Brazilian consumers prefer brands that support good causes. (Source: Edelman, November 2010.)

Are Chilean Generation G consumers any different? Probably not! However, lets narrow the debate to the energy sector. This hot topic is currently ongoing in Chile and was highlighted by the Obama visit with regards to Chilean ambitions to go nuclear. The latter visit was meant to bring with it a Nuclear Memorandum of Understanding between Chile and the US. Finally, the MOU was signed, but not by the two respective Presidents as initially intended. In all fairness, not much was said a few months back when President Piùera signed a nuclear MOU with the French in Paris. But we all know what happened as of late in Japan. The argument that nuclear was now safe - even in earthquake prone countries like Japan – just crumbled to the ground‌ quite literally.

Nuclear energy is currently playing a big role in many countries as a low carbon option. It does not directly emit the CO2 that coal or other fossil fuel power

www.ilovechile.cl

This is not another “go hug a tree� appeal; it’s a “save the economy and the planet with one stone� kind of a deal.

does. Considering the climatic emergency our world is in, can we afford discarding the nuclear option? In countries like France where this kind of energy constitutes over 80% of the matrix the answer is simple, no!

But hold on, not done yet. That’s France, lets come back to Chile; Japan’s tragic disaster brought some lessons. The biggest one is that no nuclear power plants should be built in fault zones, on tsunami-prone coasts, on eroding seashores or those likely to be inundated before the plant has been decommissioned, or any other place that is geologically unsafe. Chile ticks every box!

Not only that, Chile has a big need for more energy.

If a nuclear plant were approved tomorrow we would need 20 more years to see it generate some much needed megawatts. Also consider that a nuclear reactor is a thirsty old beast. It requires lots of fresh water. The latter is a resource Chile will be getting less of in years to come. The Economics of Climate Change Report, financed by the British Government, executed by Universidad Catolica, ECLAC and Ministry of Environment (back then CONAMA) states that in Region V and Metropolitana, up to 30% less water will be available due to climate change effects. So environmental risk aside, nuclear power seems to have everything going against it in this country.

But the nuclear agenda is still alive and kicking.

Why? Foreign investment of this kind of energy is attractive to many. Without wanting to point fingers, just consider all those nuclear engineers, scientists and tech developers – do they not need new markets and places to develop? This also presents the possibility to find “El Nucleado� for many venture capitalists that have the money to invest.

The big risk in not bringing the nuclear option remains the substitute. Fossil fuels are currently the defining energy trend for the past 100 years. But the party is coming to an end. Resources are scarcer and climate change is costing the global economy catastrophic figures due to rising man-made green house gas emissions.

If we renounce the nuclear option it’s true we risk promoting 50-year-old energy solutions – which at their best would delay Chile’s economy and lead to a carbon plagued development pathway.

Yes, yes, yes‌ you know where this is going: renewable energy. I know you heard it all before and you might have also heard that the technology is too ripe, not cost efficient and not enough to secure our consumer needs.

All true, if you are thinking like a last century economist! Welcome to the 21st century (drum roll) and put your hands together for the G Generation! Think that renewable energy is developing at a huge pace and is still largely unsubsidized in comparison to petrol and

11

MAY 2011 / SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

other fossil fuels. Heck, even nuclear! Did you know the British Government spends almost half of its annual energy budget cleaning up nuclear and fossil fuel waste?

Take Germany for example. In 2007 they produced 7,000 MW of solar energy. That’s about half of Chile’s entire energy matrix today … and no Atacama Desert there! Although that 7,000 MW is insignificant to the German grid, were it to be done in Chile we may very well have the bases to conceive of a country that produces lots of competitive energy based on just one low carbon solution. Chile is the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy potential. Integrating its, marine, solar, wind, mini-hydro and geothermal potential should certainly lead to a big bite in promoting sustainable energy.

A trend leader needs to move first in order to seek advantages. Chile has the need for more juice and the renewable industry is more then ready to invest in this market. So clearly we have to think that viable foreign investment must come now in the form of renewable energy. Instead of spending our energy (excuse the pun) on unsustainable and import-intense-needing resources, why not concentrate on innovation based on what is plentiful and at hand. No – this is not another “go hug a tree” appeal; it’s a “save the economy and the planet with one stone” kind of a deal. If during the process we are not able to solve the problems of today, we’ll definitely have made an effort to ease those of tomorrow.

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12

Opportunity or Exploitation

By Harper Bridgers

“T

he image of sleepy, tropical places being penetrated by global capital in the guise of a powerful overlord or a foreign company is almost synonymous with Latin America,” Oscar Guardiola-Rivera says in his recent book, What If Latin America Ruled the World? But times have changed since European and North American fat cats exploited cheap labor and bountiful natural resources for oligarchical gains. ‘Banana republic’ no longer describes the political and socio-economic systems proliferating south of the Rio Grande, because globalization has offered refreshingly more balanced ties with the North, Europe and now Asia, yet not to say they are on even ground.

“Most of the countries in the region over the past 25 years have embarked on investment liberalization getting rid of performance requirements, privatizing many state-owned enterprises, delinking many conditionalities on foreign firms when they come to your country,” Kevin Gallagher says in the 2008 conference co-sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Heinrich Boll Foundation “They’ve done this unilaterally. They’ve done this through BITS, or bi-lateral investment treaties, through free-trade agreements and of course through the trade-related investment measures treaty with the [World Trade Organization].”

The prominent theory surrounding Latin American investment policies, better known as the Washington consensus, encourages the liberalization of regulation through trade agreements, privatizing national firms and investment treaties, which “will attract new foreign investment and that new [foreign direct investment] will lead to increases in overall investment rates and translate into economic growth,” says Manuel Agosin, professor in the department of economics at the University of Chile, in a report published by the Working Group on Development and the Environment in the Americas.

So far, widespread foreign investment liberalization and other economic reforms, with some exceptions, have “fallen far short of stimulating broad-based economic growth and environmental protection in the region,” according to the report.

Based on a series of studies by various development and environmental economists from all over the Americas, the report found that only a handful of countries in the region received over 80 percent of the total foreign direct investment, namely Chile,

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“You need a strong [non-­ governmental organization] sector and a strong academic sector to confront these large-­scale operations that have no precedents in our country” Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, the latter three carrying the heavy weight.

In Brazil, after an 80s debt crisis, widespread liberalization and privatization prompted multinational corporations to continue what they had started in the mid 20th century. By the middle of the decade, foreign investment boomed and has remained at high levels. Policymakers anticipated that multinational affiliates would spark economic modernization, but by the mid-2000s the results were mixed.

“The indirect positive impacts were seized by a group of less productive companies that compete less directly with foreign companies, probably in market niches,” the report says. “For high-productivity companies that compete directly with foreign firms in the domestic market, the evidence points to a negative impact, due to a shift to lower-productivity activities and a decline in scale.”

Due to a lack of regulatory components for direct incoming investments, the positive effects were limited.

Multinational corporations imported too much and exported too little, while only innovating enough to adapt to the local markets.

After recent support “for industrial upgrading and innovation... by promoting partnerships among companies, universities and research institutes,” along with redesigning their foreign investment policies, Brazil was able to direct new domestic and foreign in-

FEATURE / MAY 2011

vestment into strategic sectors, according to the report.

Since its implementation, exports have boomed and the nation’s economy seems to be on a fast track skyward.

However, the transnational economic and political agreement that Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay compose, called Mercosur, has been losing its overall global foreign investment share to Asian countries, according to Andrés López, the director of Argentina’s Centro de Investigaciones para la Transformación. In Argentina and Brazil after massive economic reformation and privatization in the 1990s followed by an early 2000s economic crisis, foreign investment inflows plummeted. Although Brazil has since recovered, Argentina’s stake has remained at low levels. On one hand, Argentina has seen productivity increases and technological advancements on account of transnational corporations.

But on the other hand, they have failed to reap all the potential benefits, like improvements in exporting and gaining access to markets in developed countries.

With a significantly higher percentage of foreign investment and GDP relationship, reaching about 6 percent, Chile relies heavily on outside collaboration, namely form the U.S., in comparison to its neighbors. The mining industry has been receiving almost a third of such investment, although in general it has been moving away from the exploitation of natural resources in the region, according to Nicola Borregaard, the former director of the National Energy Efficiency Program for the Chilean government. An important contrast is the increase in the use of domestic financial sources by foreign firms, “given the low interest rates in Chile, and given the very fluid financial market in Chile in recent years.” An indication of real domestic growth, mergers and acquisitions have also gone both ways, in that Chilean companies are buying foreign companies and vice versa.

However, with respect to specific environmental impact “large-scale operations really impose specific requirements on the country with regard to policy making and the social actors involved.” Evidence of this can be seen in the case of “two very large-scale operations, [foreign direct investments] that have finally failed to be materialized,” Borregaard says, referring to North American companies Trillium and Boise Cascade. “Finally neither of these two investments came about.”

The proposal sparked crucial public concern of the possible environmental impacts, the lack of regulatory enforcement and a lack of planning for sustainable development. Recent debates surrounding the thermoelectric dam project in Punta de Choros eventually caused President Piñera to change the location, and precisely this type of dialogue is what Borregaard urges.

“You need a strong [non-governmental organization] sector and a strong academic sector to confront these large-scale operations that have no precedents in our countries, because they really imply different types of requirements,” Borregaard says.

“I think they have tied the hands of government officials [and] taken away a lot of tools that could help ensure that foreign direct investment does support social and environmental goals,” says Sarah Anderson, director of global economy at the Institute of Policy Studies, “only by offering these sweeping powers to investors would developing countries be able to attract the foreign investment they need for growth.” The most controversial power, she says, is that foreign investors can sue governments in international tribunals over public interest regulations that may weaken the value of their investment.

“Putting blind faith in foreign investors and allowing them to do as they well, and even allowing them to sue governments when they try to control their behavior in the interest of the public is not the path to sustainable development.”

MAY 2011 / FEATURE

By Andrea Ernst

D

uring President Obama’s recent visit to Chile, he stated “Chile is a country that is getting more connected worldwide, consolidating itself as an ally capable of facing the challenges that affect the lives of people in all Latin America and the world” and thus praised Chile as a “role-model to the world”.

But why is Chile seen worldwide a successful nation for investing? Why are more and more people, nations and companies investing in Chile, which investment opportunities are there and what are the reasons for a successful investment in this South American country?

Indeed, there are several reasons. First, Chile has a high dynamic economy possessing an average annual economical growth rate of 5,5% and therefore having the highest average growth rate in Latin America as a whole.

Second, Chile is globally integrated having more than twenty trade agreements with 57 countries in the world. Additionally, Chile maintains the lowest country risk in Latin America as a result of economical stability, monetary discipline and a balanced political and fiscal environment. Furthermore, Chile has a corporate income tax rate of 17%, which is one of the lowest income tax rates worldwide and bilateral agreements to avoid double taxation with currently 22 countries.

Moreover, Chile is in the 21st place among 178 countries worldwide and the number one in Latin America, according to the Corruption Perception Index. Regarding the Quality of Life Index 2010, Chile is on the 71st position out of 194 countries.

Last not least, Chile is globally integrated possessing a transportation infrastructure and modern connectivity, for instance 18 international airlines with 80.000 annual operations, 37 airports and ports that move 90% of the commercial exchange of the country.

What are the opportunities to invest in Chile?

There are four main sectors and industries. Firstly, Chile ranks among the world’s leading mining nations, producing over a third of the global copper plus a large number of other minerals. Chile is regarded as the min-

Why invest

13

in Chile?

“A vibrant democracy, an open economy and an active civil society.”

ing capital due to a progressive legislation and a healthy investment environment.

Secondly, Chile has taken significant steps to incorporate biotechnology into its economy. Chile seeks to develop a world-class biotechnology sector through a powerful series of initiatives, including a new regulatory framework and economic incentives.

Thirdly, Chile is positioned as an excellent location for manufacturers that wish to assemble products in Chile from imported components, and then re-export the finished products with a Chilean certificate of origin to third markets.

Last, Chile is about to improve the competiveness of the food industry adding value and consolidating Chile as one of the main countries that produce quality food products. Among these industries are the fruit agricultural industry, the wine industry and the salmon industry.

For these reasons and many more it is worth investing in Chile, a nation that according to Obama, has “a vibrant democracy, an open economy and an active civil society.”

Hotel Termas Puyehue With many years of experience in Spain, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Kees Aerts, a professional hotelier from Holland, became general manager of Termas Puyehue in February 2007. Kees Aerts graduated from the Universidad de Hoteleria in Maastricht, Holland and gained valuable experience working in hotels around the world, most being the all-inclusive type. I Love Chile sat down with Mr. Aerts for a brief moment to learn a bit more about Hotel Termas Puyehue.

• Mr. Aerts, what were the relevant natural attributes of the area that brought this 5 star hotel to the zone?

- It is far from the traditional places like San Pedro de Atacama, Puerto Varas, Patagonia, Pucon and Easter Island.

Termas Puyehue is in the National Park Puyehue, a 107,000 hectares (264.400 acres) of beautiful forests, rivers and lakes. This is one of the most visited National Parks in the X region. It has diversified national faun and flora.

• Hotel Termas de Puyehue, attracts families. What facilities and activities make this hotel ideal for families?

- Termas Puyehue Wellness & Spa Resort is a place where families can enjoy the “all Inclusive” concept.

This includes a relaxing atmosphere, entertainment and excellent gastronomy. The beautiful surroundings and picturesque views allow a variety of outdoor activities such as trekking and horseback riding among others. There is a luxury SPA with over 40 different treatments and a new Hair Salon.

Our hotel is ideal for the family that needs a “break”.

The all inclusive in this 5 star hotel includes room and board, 3 restaurants, buffet a la carte with unlimited food and drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. In addition, there are bars and snack bars as well as 3 thermal pools. There is a complete program for children, a modern gym, mini golf, karaoke and 6 indoor bowling alleys - all ideal for families to enjoy and relax.

To please the most demanding palates our hotel offers three interesting options of restaurants. “Los Troncos” has theme nights, “Oliva Nova” has fresh pastas and a new menu, and “Lake Puyuehue” is where one can enjoy international gastronomy, a grand variety of meats and seafoods, and a select list of wines.

• What other surrounding places would you recommend to foreign tourists visiting your hotel?

- If they spend the weekend at the hotel I would recommend they make a stop at the restaurant El Fogon, which has a variety of southern Chilean dishes with a warm interior space and an international flavor.

Also there is Termas Agues Calientes, a thermal spring

complex just minutes away from the hotel and nestled inside the Parque Nacional Puyehue. In this 170,000 hectare park one can relax, fish, walk through the forest, and breath the fresh magical air.

• Hotel Termas de Puyehue hosts a calendar of high quality events. What are the most relevant events for 2011?

- Our calendar year will begin with a new championship Bowling match between businesses. This will occur in Parque Arauco. Also there will be new tournament versions of Polo, Golf, Equestrian jumping and a second edition of the International Championship of Bowling Cono-Sur Puyehue-Brunswick.

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14

FEATURE / MAY 2011

The West side of the Andes Foreign investment in Chile

By Alexis Psarras

N

ext time you are shopping for food in a Chilean supermarket, stop and think about where exactly your money is going. There is a good chance it will go into the coffers of the world’s largest retail company, Walmart. Or next time you turn on the tap, perhaps the water disappearing down the drain could be that of Spanish majority-owned company Agbar. The point is, these acts all form part of a phenomenon increasingly common across Chile; namely, Foreign Direct Investment (or FDI).

FDI is the measure of foreign ownership of productive assets, such as factories, mines, land or indeed supermarkets and water, owned by a foreign direct investor. In Chile FDI has played a significant role in economic growth and development throughout the modern era, and thanks to its steadily growing economy and business-friendly policies the country’s investment potential continues to be lauded.

So while the business world raves about the latest investment opportunity in here, I Love Chile has set about investigating the phenomenon in closer detail.

A QUICK OVERVIEW Since 1974 FDI in Chile has totalled approximately US$77 billion, with 2010 a truly bumper year. According to the United Nations, FDI in Chile jumped by 43% between 2009 and 2010 (the figure for the Latin American region as a whole was 21%) and some experts, including banking group BBVA expect another increase of 15% by the end of this year.

Last year, US$15 billion was invested in Chile from abroad, with over half corresponding to the reinvestment

Foreign investment in Chile is not just an intangible concept confined to the deserts of the north or the timber forests of the south. It’s there in front of you every day, right under your nose.

of profits. This shows that a significant proportion of foreign investors found reason to continue to invest in Chile, rather than to repatriate their earnings.

Chile is now widely considered a serious world economic player, with statistics to back it up. Relative to GDP Chile was the region’s largest FDI recipient last year and, in terms of net amounts took second place only to Brazil.

Mining remains the number one area of investment, followed closely by the Services industry and the Transport and Communications sector. Mergers and Acquisitions remain the main type of investment, although FDI in new technologies such as renewable energy and e-technology are on the rise.

So why exactly is the world so keen to invest in Chile, a geographically isolated country with a relatively small population of 17 million?

5 5 5 > Ever since the British ‘Nitrate King’ Lord John North began investing in Chile’s mineral rich northern deserts in the 1880s, foreign entrepreneurs and businessmen have sought to make the most of Chile’s moneymaking potential.

Lord North was seen by his contemporaries as somewhat of an oddball for investing in a country seen by many in Europe as an ex-colonial backwater, a land on the ‘wrong side’ of the Andes, too remote to really concern oneself with.

However, as Chile’s mineral rich lands were uncovered this attitude began to change, and today Chile is widely re-

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TOP 5 INVESTMENTS MATERIALIZED THROUGH DL 600, 2010 (US$ THOUSAND) (FOREIGN INVESTMENT COMMITTEE) INVESTOR(S)

COUNTRY

RECIPIENT COMPANY

Controladora Casa Saba, S.A. de C.V. Goldcorp Tesoro Inc. InterconexiĂłn ElĂŠctrica S.A. E.S.P.

Mexico Canada Colombia

Farmacias Ahumada S.A. Minera Goldcorp Chile SpA ISA Inversiones Chile Limitada

AMOUNT MATERIALIZED 478,658 476,800 275,994

Mitsui Bussan Copper Investment & Co., Ltd. y Pan Pacific Copper Co. Ltd. NII Mercosur Telecom, Sociedad Limitada

Japan

SCM Minera Lumina Copper Chile

245,600

ECONOMIC SECTOR Retail Mining Transport and warehousing Mining

108,301

Communications

United States Nextel Chile S.A.

garded by foreign governments and the private sector alike as one of the most secure and reliable developing countries in which to invest.

The reasons for this are, of course, diverse, but can largely be attributed to the following: R5 )(.#(/ 5 )()'# 5!,)1."5 )/*& 51#."5*)&#.# &5 stability R5 ' ,% .5 )'* .# #&#.35 ( 5*,)7!,)1."5!)0 ,(' (. &5 policies R5 &)15*/ &# 5 .

R5 (5 /( ( 5) 5( ./, &5, -)/, R5 "#!"5- ),#(!5#(5. ,'-5) 5*)&#.# &65, !/& .),365. 265& bour and macroeconomic stability indicators R5 , #.51),."#( -R5 -) # &5*,)!, --5 ( 5"/' (5 *#. &5 Just as Lord North did 130 years ago, more and more foreign investors are now turning their sights towards this side of the Andes (ver cuadro).

Chile’s integration into the global economy, including 20 trade agreements with 56 countries, is of particular note, consolidating its position as an active international player and potential partner. Its Free Trade Agreements with China and the US, and its ascension to the OECD in early 2010 (the first country to join the Organisation for ten years) are extremely attractive to potential investors.  5 5 5 5 5 5 Once decided upon investing in Chile, foreign investors can choose to enter the Chilean market through two mechanisms. The most common one is the Decree Law (DL) 600, which, while optional, enables foreign investors to sign a contract with the State. Two thirds of foreign investors have chosen to use this mechanism since it came in force in 1974, set up by General Pinochet as part of his economic liberalisation platform.

Under the DL 600 statute foreign investors are guaranteed a number of rights, including access to the formal exchange market, capital and profit remittance, equal standing as local investors, plus a choice between Chile’s Common Tax and the Special Tax regimes.

While the pros and cons of incentivising foreign companies to the detriment of domestic ones is beyond the scope of this article, the subject is worth commenting on briefly, using an example from the Mining industry.

All foreign mining companies in Chile pay cånones, payments on income from the extraction of natural resources, as well as royalties and income tax (like all companies). Due to DL 600 tax benefits for foreign investors, while between 1990 and 2001 CODELCO, the world’s single largest copper producer, paid US$10.6 billion of taxes to the state, private mining companies contributed $1.6 billion, even though the latter produced 25% more metals than the former. A Central Bank of Chile Working Paper from 2003 argues that Chile should go no further in incentivising FDI, and having now established a solid and fair investment reputation there is little reason to discriminate between local and foreign investors.

Whatever the arguments for and against, according to a 2002 World Bank survey of 191 of the world’s leading multinational corporations, foreign investors themselves disclosed that of far more importance than the special incentives often associated with FDI in the developing world (lower taxes, for example) is strength of the host country’s institutions: While access to customers is naturally the most important factor, the stability of the social and political environment and ease of doing business follow close behind.

Regardless, the Chilean Government does regulate FDI to some degree in order to protect the domestic market. Chilean labour law, for example, stipulates that, subject to certain conditions such as local availability of technical know-how, the workforce of an international company with more than 25 employees must be at least 85% Chilean. Companies with fewer than 25 employees are exempt from this ruling. Similarly, all foreign companies must also abide by the minimum monthly wage and holiday entitlement regulations.

5 5 5 5 Since the DL 600 incentive mechanism came into effect in 1974 the USA has been the greatest single source

15

MAY 2011 / FEATURE

FOREIGN INVESTMENT STATUTE (DL 600) BREAKDOWN OF NET INFLOWS BY SECTOR, 1974 - 2009

WHAT THE EXPERTS THINK ABOUT CHILE • • • • • • • • •

FOREIGN INVESTMENT STATUTE (DL 600) BREAKDOWN OF GROSS INFLOWS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, 1974 - 2009

of investment in Chile, accounting for approximately 26% of all FDI. Second comes Spain, closely followed in third

by Canada.

More recently, since 2001 investors from the USA, Canada and Spain alone have accounted for nearly 60% of FDI, which totalled approximately US$19 billion during this period.

Noticeably, given that China is now the leading singlecountry importer of Chilean goods, FDI from Chinese investors accounts for just 0.1% of all investment in Chile.

In 2010 Canadian investors, accounting for US$586 million, equivalent to 25% of the total, led FDI. In second was Mexico (US$479 million, 21%) and then the USA (US$325 million, 14%).

Interestingly, a breakdown of sector-by-sector FDI since 1974 (using only FDI materialised through the DL 600 statute) shows that Mining comes second to the Services industry overall.

However, according to the Foreign Investment Committee, the State agency overseeing and promoting foreign investment, when all investment is taken into account, Mining is the number one investment sector, totalling 33% of all FDI since 1974.

Likewise in 2010, Mining was the most investedin sector through the DL 600 statute (38% of the total US$2.3 billion) followed by Services (32%) and Transport and Communications sectors (18%).

One of lowest-risk countries in which to invest (Economist Intelligence Unit’s Risk Ratings, 2010) 15th most attractive country in the world in which to do business, 2010 – 2014 (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010) 25th least corrupt country in the world, joint best in Latin America with Uruguay (Transparency International, 2009) Human capital; three of Top Ten best Latin American Business Schools are Chilean (AmÊrica Economía magazine, 2010) 28th most competitive economy, including most competitive in Latin America (Institute for Management Development, 2010) 30th most e-ready nation in the world (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009) Santiago 11th most cost effective global city in which to do business (UBS Investment Bank, 2009) 11th on list of Global Economic Freedom, out of 179 countries (Heritage Foundation, 2011) Santiago the 2nd best city in Latin America for quality of life (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010)

Mining, along with the Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) market have been the driving force of FDI in recent years. The 2008 Walmart buyout of DyS and its subsequent accumulation of approximately 25,000 new Chilean employees is a recent example of FDI in action.

5 5 5 5 > Again, the largest single investors since 1974 have come from the Mining and Energy sectors. The largest of all, Spanish electric, gas and water company Endesa Latinoamerica had invested a total of US$4.1 billion in Chile up to 2008. Second and third on the list are both Mining companies, Canadian Zaldivar Chile, investing US$2.1 billion dollars in the same time frame, and the international conglomerate BHP Escondida/Rio Tinto Escondida, investing US$1.8 billion.

Nowadays, Latin American countries are also beginning to turn their eyes towards Chile. Peruvian entrepreneurs, for example, are beginning to invest at a greater rate than ever before, particularly in Mining (GraĂąa y Montero Group and Brescia Group), as well as in the less profitable gastronomy sector; there are now estimated to be 120 Peruvian restaurants in Santiago alone.

Similarly, investors from Mexico and Colombia invested heavily in 2010, while US investment dropped.

Matias Mori, the Executive Vice President of the Foreign Investment Committee has said that such variations are a positive indication of “a more uniform distribution of sources of investment�.

The government is also seeking to move the economy away from its long held dependency on a largely commodity-based export sector, as well as its reliance upon single countries or regions, by attracting alternative sources of FDI. A look at the five largest foreign investments of 2010 may show this is beginning to be realised (ver recuadro).

Among the non-mining sector in Chile it is not just the Energy and Services industries that are booming. Innovation is coming from the Technology sector as well, and the Vice-President of Ericsson Latin America, Sergio Quiroga, has argued that one reason Chile is able to attract so much FDI is because the country is continental leader in the field.

With more than 40% of global cellular phone network traffic, the Swedish multinational Ericsson is one of the most influential players in the telecommunications

world. “Ericsson has been in Chile since 1946 and in the last five years we have doubled the amount of employees�, Quiroga says.

It is to encourage innovation like this that the Chilean Economic Development Agency, CORFO, created the InvestChile programme in 2000. McAfee, Oracle, Yahoo!, Worley Parsons and Jazzplat are now among just some of the large global companies to established in Chile.

5 5 5 > In terms of geographic distribution within Chile, 47% of investments materialized through DL 600 in 2010 corresponded to multi-region projects, totalling US$1.1 billion. The individual region receiving the most FDI last year was the Atacama Region with US$794 million, equivalent to 34% of the total. No surprise there, given the mining industry is based largely in the north. The Metropolitan region accounted for just 6%.

As well as the more traditional mining, energy provision, timber, and fisheries sectors, Chile is also attracting FDI nationwide from leading companies from the food, biotechnology, manufacturing and assembly, aquaculture and ornamental rock (marble and granite) industries, and tourism levels are up following the 27th February 2010 earthquake. ] 5 5 > Given Chile’s past and present foreign investment climate, the outlook for further FDI beyond 2011 is positive. Indeed, applications from hopeful companies looking to invest through the DL 600 statute have already been received by the Chilean government. The five largest applications thus far all hail from the mining sector; somewhat dampening the Government’s quest to diversify investment sources. The largest bid on the table at present is that of Canadian mining group Goldcorp Tesoro Inc., amounting to just over US$300 million.

So as FDI in Chile grows, remember to keep a lookout while going about your daily business. Next time you pick up a loaf of bread or a carton of milk in the supermarket, or even brush your teeth, have a think about how foreign investment in Chile is not just an intangible concept confined to the deserts of the north or the timber forests of the south. It’s there in front of you every day, right under your nose.

www.ilovechile.cl

16

EDUCATION / MAY 2011

HOW ARE YOU SMART?

By Ian Gilbert

I

n the late 1800s, the Parisian school authorities asked self-taught psychologist Alfred Binet to undertake a special project with street children in the French capital. His task? ‘To be able to measure the intellectual capacity of a child who is brought to us in order to know whether he is normal or retarded.’ The Binet-Simon test supposed that children would need remedial help if they differed in intellectual ability by more than two years from their peers.

Binet was at pains to point out, though, that you can’t measure intelligence ‘as linear surfaces are measured’, rather you could only use a comparative scale. In other words, ‘it wasn’t a label, it was just a comparison.’ In 1910, Binet’s powerful work was translated into English by Henry Goddard, an American eugenicist who believed humanity could be improved by selective breeding (Apart from making sure that only the right sort of people were to mate, he also advocated putting the wrong sort of people in colonies, in the light of the fact that both ‘the lethal chamber’ and forced sterilization were going a bit too far in enlightened turn of the century America).

The Eugenics Education Society had already been founded in the UK by now, a select group whose membership reads like a list of the rich and educated of the British Empire and which still exists under the name The Galton Society. In 1938, through the influence of their chief ‘psychological witness’, an English educational psychologist named Cyril Burt in conjunction with the British government drew up 11 separate intelligence examinations. This followed eugenicist ‘logic’ that a) people are as good as the genes they are

‘The kind of child you have depends almost entirely on how you bring him or her up. Genes and inherited dispositions are pieces of trivia really’.

born with, b) this disparity makes itself known by the age of eleven and c) at this age you can separate out the children who are good with their heads from those who are good with their hands.

Interesting to note that a more up-to-date British professor and medical pioneer, Lord Winston, recently declared that: ‘the kind of child you have depends almost entirely on how you bring him or her up. Genes and inherited dispositions are pieces of trivia really’.

Anyway, back to the turn of the century America where another eugenicist, Lewis Terman was also adapting Binet’s work. The Stanford-Binet test is the forerunner of the IQ test we know today and Terman used it to try and identify young people with outstanding intellectual potential. The fact that in one class he failed to identify not just one but two future Nobel prize-winning scientists speak volumes for the limitations inherent in taking a snapshot of someone at a young age and using it to predict anything other than the fact that in twelve months they’ll be a year older.

With all this dubious history, in which IQ has been used to isolate, stigmatize, label and exclude, it came as a welcome relief when a new model of intelligence was put forward, one that embraced all that humanity has to offer, one that didn’t boil down to what school you went to or how wealthy your parents were. Enter Harvard’s Professor Howard Gardner.

In his seminal book Frames of Mind (1983), Gardner argued that our intelligence is not simply a single concept but rather something that should be looked at in a number of ways - eight at the last count.

By looking at the neuroscience of intelligence and also reflecting on the role certain cognitive attributes have had in our survival as a species, Gardner identified eight physical and mental areas of human potential: R5 R5 R5 R5 R5 R5 R5 R5

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)!# &7 ." ' .# & /-# & * .# & ) #&37 #( -." .# (. ,* ,-)( & (., * ,-)( & ./, &#-.#

#(!/#-.#

In other words, don’t ask, ‘how smart are you’, rather, ‘how are you smart’? If you’re in a math lesson you might want Einstein by your side but when you are playing football he might not be the first one you’d pick.

Look again at the list and think about what goes on in schools across the world, let alone here in Chile.

To what extent do those with high levels of the first and the last on the list dominate school excellence?

To be clever with numbers and logic and be able to communicate it clearly means you will be top of the class but what of the Villas Lobos, PelĂŠs and Frida Kahlos of the world?

Instead, an enlightened 21st century classroom will allow for all members of its class to play to their strengths, not necessarily all the time but at least some of the time. During history you may get to think about feelings, during science you get to be outside in a park, during math you get to explore the musical side of the subject. Teachers work to bring out your strengths and help you build on your weaknesses.

Apart from reviewing classroom practice and introducing new ideas for learning (such as 8WayThinking – see the latest Little Thinkers column on page 30-31) we must also look more deeply at the way we assess intelligence.

Think about the infamous PSU or the ‘Prueba de Calidad de Aprendizaje’ tests administered in Chilean schools in recent weeks, while this claims to measure ‘learning’, multiple choice questions like ‘Which country had the most colonies in the 19the century‌? a) US, b) France, c) Russia or d) England’, simply assess what a child remembers. Fine if for an IQ model of understanding human potential (there is a link, after all, between IQ and memory but not between IQ and success in life as the Terman tests show). Its limitations become far more apparent when you think of the world-changing, life-enhancing geniuses discarded by the education system because their strengths lie not in memorizing facts but in creating, in leading, in dancing, in composing, in cultivating or any other of the wonderful range of human capabilities.

The big challenge for governments who want a population of truly smart people, then, is not so much to value what is being measured but to find out how to measure what is truly valuable.

Ian Gilbert is an educational innovator, awardwinning author and founder of Independent Thinking. Watch this space next month for important news about his work in Latin America. You can contact him at ian@independentthinking.co.uk

17

MAY 2011 / PEPE’S CHILE

By Pepe Rawlinson

C

hile has an amazing and growing spirit of entrepreneurship. Everywhere you look in the country there are small business owners and entrepreneurs making a living with their own creative efforts.

Chileans have a special magic to take create opportunity out of nothing and turn it into a success.

Take a minute to think about the Chileans you know and the things you see every day. There are entrepreneurs around every corner. Let’s look at some examples that are right under your nose.

Think about the last time you tried to park your car.

Was there a parking attendant standing by, helping you find a place to park? He was there and gladly watched over your car and helped you back out when you returned. He may have even washed your windows or the whole car. This Chilean is an entrepreneur.

How many times have you seen musicians playing on a busy street or jumping onto your micro? These talented individuals are applying their trade by getting their show in front of potential customers. These musical Chileans are entrepreneurs.

Remember a recent hot summer day and riding on a packed micro slowly making its way across Santiago.

Almost every time the bus stopped, a vendor of some kind jumped on, trying to sell you something. Chirimoya Alegre ice cream anyone?

Watch your step as you walk out into the street in your neighborhood. The old man on the oversized tricycle that comes around selling vegetables, propane gas, or firewood may be out today. He brings the products you need with the convenience of delivery to your door. This tricycle-riding vendor is a classic Chilean entrepreneur.

Look at that house on the corner with the little store attached. The family that lives there has built on to their

Chile’s

Entrepreneurial Spirit house and converted the space into a source of income.

You stop there to buy bread or a bottle of Coca-Cola.

That family lives the entrepreneurial spirit of Chile.

You bought the fresh fruits and vegetables you ate yesterday from a vendor at the feria street market that visits your neighborhood every Tuesday. The feria overflows with family-run booths, tables, or blankets covered in products for sale. This market is full of Chilean entrepreneurs.

Your next-door neighbor always seems to be home, even during the day. Why? He makes leather briefcases by hand and then resells them for a profit. All work is done from the comfort of his home. No long commute on Transantiago for him. His title? Entrepreneur.

Down the street from you a family owns a van. They painted it a bright yellow-orange color and now carry kids to and from colegio. They can use the van for their family, but it also brings in extra income. That family has the entrepreneurial spirit.

On your last summer vacation to beautiful Valdivia in Southern Chile, you rented a room. That room was really part of a family’s house and they were just renting it out as an additional source of income. Let’s call that the home of an entrepreneur.

Every school day you see dozens of escolares walking down the street. They each dutifully wear their uniforms that were made by a seamstress who makes her living selling school uniforms. She saw an opportunity and applied her skill. She is an entrepreneur.

At least once a week you stop by a food cart on your way to work that sells the most delicious empanadas you’ve ever tasted. The friendly vendor took his entrepreneurial promptings and bought the cart, made the food, and turns a profit.

Signs of Chileans creating jobs and businesses out of

This spirit of small business innovation is one of the things that make Chile an amazing place.

thin air are everywhere. This spirit of small business innovation is one of the things that make Chile an amazing place.

Recently, the Chilean government has been trying to foster a broader culture of entrepreneurship with a program aimed at making Chile the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of Latin America. The Start-Up Chile program, run by the Ministry of Economy, is designed to recruit foreign entrepreneurs to come to Chile to start their businesses.

This program is a small start-up’s dream come true and has created quite a positive buzz in the international community of budding entrepreneurs. The program has even inspired other countries to create similar programs like the United States’ “Startup America”, all with the aim of fostering innovation and economic growth.

With the Start-Up Chile program, the Chilean government gives the invited companies a $40,000 USD grant to come and live in Chile for 6 months. The entrepreneurs benefit from instant networking in Chile’s

business and financial circles. Additionally, the bureaucracy of visas, banking, finances, and the other persistent problems many expats face in Chile are smoothed over with the magic hand of the Chilean government. In total, this is a very attractive deal for young companies and thus competition is high with many trying to earn admission to the program.

The visiting companies have to give back to Chile by participating in local events and teaching others. The hope is that Chileans will get involved in these companies or be inspired to start their own businesses. Chile hopes to bring over 1,000 start-ups to the country by 2014.

The Start-Up Chile program encourages foreigners to invest in Chile with their time, efforts, employees, and entrepreneurial spirit. When these companies arrive on Chilean soil they immediately combine their efforts with the natural entrepreneurial mindset and spirit of the Chilean people. The continued innovation and growth of both small businesses and entrepreneurs in Chile, all the way up to large foreign investment in Chile, will continue to make Chile a great place to live and work.

Joe “Pepe” Rawlinson is the author of “The Gringo’s Culture Guide to Chile” and shares regular insights into Chilean culture and travel on his blog: pepeschile.com

www.ilovechile.cl

18

Fighting fit

By Marcelle Dubruel

T

he changing weather, cooler days, and the higher number of sniffles and coughs, is a reminder that now is a good time to start eating more of the foods that will support and strengthen our Immune system. We need to build our defenses against the virus onslaught that the winter months bring. Our complex Immune System protects the body against infection however if you are suffering from frequent colds that is a sign that your immune system is weakened.

Constant threat of infection puts the immune system under tremendous pressure. We need to ensure that we supply it with all the nutrients necessary for peak fighting performance. Our defense strategy has three parts. At the same time as we are feeding the troops with the top immune enhancing nutrients, we need to reduce the key trouble makers which weaken and hinder performance.

Top nutrients to eat, as they strengthen and help the immune system include: Vitamin C; Vitamin A; Vitamin E; B-complex vitamins; Beta-carotene; Magnesium; Calcium; Selenium; Zinc; Manganese and Iron. Eating a varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables, whole-grains and good quality protein will ensure ongoing intake of the key nutrients. Aim to eat a minimum of 5 daily servings of fruit and vegetables and regularly eat: asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, red onions, garlic, squash, all of the berry family, cherries, avocados, lemons, limes, spinach, beetroot, celery, kale, and tomatoes. What you want is a variety of color and plenty of fruit and vegetables in every meal and snack.

At the same time as you are increasing your fruit and vegetables you want to be decreasing your intake of sugar. Sugar in all forms inhibits the activity of the white blood cells, which destroy foreign invaders. Trade sugary cereals for wholegrain oat porridge. You can enjoy oats topped with chopped up strawberries / banana / apple with crushed cashews (non salty) with a tea-

HEALTH / MAY 2011

Have a warm and healthy fall and winter!

spoon of honey. Boiled egg with a slice of wholegrain toast is another quick favorite. When you find yourself reaching for yet another cookie, consider a piece of fresh / dried fruit. Remember alcohol as a simple sugar has the same inhibiting effect on the activity of the immune cells.

Reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine inhibits the absorption of vital nutrients. Swop your morning Starbucks coffee and muffin for green tea and a fruit salad.

Green tea stimulates the immune function and is an

ideal substitute for coffee and black tea. Hot water with fresh ginger and lemon or herbal/fruit teas are also good alternatives. As the colder weather arrives, turn away from caffeine and warm up with a hot drink that will give a boast to your immune system.

Finally, be aware of and manage your stress levels.

Stress suppresses the production of white blood cells and can lead to inhibiting immune function so destress and have fun. Â Have a warm and healthy fall and winter!

Recognizing and dealing with trauma in children

By Meghan L. Vooris, LMSW

fighting and bullying others, acting out, trouble sleeping, normal routines such as eating changed, quiet or withdrawn, marked changed in behavior

C

hildren react differently to traumatic events and their reaction is in relation to their age.

Children depend on daily routines, when disasters interrupt a normal routine, they may often become anxious. Many adults who experienced the same trauma react naturally with fear, when children view fear in adults, they interpret this as proof the danger is real. Your words and actions can provide reassurance or cause more fear. When talking with your child, be sure to present a realistic picture that is both honest and manageable, but most importantly – comforting.

Signs your child may be experiencing traumatic stress: R5 )' 5 , /&65 &#(!35 ( 5 (2#)/-5 )/.5 #(!5 separated from their caretakers R5 -. ,.5 51 ..#(!5),5."/' 7-/ %#(!5 ! #(: R5 )' 5*, ) /*# 51#."5.")/!".-5 ( 5 memories of the event; R5 5#,,#. & 5 ( 5 #-) # (.: R5 )'*& #(-5) 5*"3-# &5-3'*.)'-5-/ "5 -5 headaches and stomachaches.

All these are normal reactions to an extremely frightening event, children begin to get over the shock in a few days, and recover after a few weeks.

However, some of these symptoms may not be seen until weeks of months after the event.

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Your words and actions can provide reassurance or cause more fear.

When has the situation become serious?

R5 ." 5 "#& ]-5/*- .5 &#(!-5 ( 5 " 0#),5- '5.)5 be getting worse R5 ." 5-#!(-5) 5 2., ' 5-., --5& -.5 ),5&)(! ,5." (5 about one month R5 1),,# -5*, 0 (.53)/5),5." 5 "#& 5.)5! .5)(51#."5 normal, everyday life R5 ." 5 "#& 5" -5-3'*.)'-5) 5 5." .5!)5)(5 ),5 longer than a month R5 )( 5')(."5 )&&)1#(!5." 5 0 (.65." 5 "#& 5#-5 continuing to have signs of distress - such as: Not concentrating in school,

-# 5-. *-5.)5" &*53)/5 &5 .. ,5# 5 experiencing emotional distress: R5 ,35.)5, ./,(5.)5 -5' (35) 53)/,5* ,-)( &5 routines as possible R5 .5, -.5 ( 5 ,#(%5*& (.35) 51 . , R5 #'#.53)/,5 2*)-/, 5.)5." 5-#!".-5 ( 5 sounds of disaster (television, newspapers) R5 ) /-5)(5." 5*)-#.#0 R5 "5)/.5 ( 5 *.5" &*5 ,)'5)." ,R5 &#4 5." .5, )0 ,35 (5. % 5.#' 85 5 5 5 5 > If your child or someone you know is having obvious signs of distress, it is best to contact a professional to speak with the person and assess the situation. Many times, parents can speak with their school psychologist or social worker regarding the child’s behavior. If you believe that your child needs immediate attention, contact your local red cross, police station, or in Santiago, UNICEF, for a list of professionals or where to seek help in your area. Remember, when it comes to children, it is often better to over react than to under react. The same can be said for yourself in terms of traumatic experiences.

19

MAY 2011 / HEALTH

Cosmetics How Green are your

By Julie Gibson

I

must admit I loved my cosmetics. My daily regimen included an array of personal care products, including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, and a variety of makeup; about a dozen products a day, which is exactly the average for women. During this grooming process, women like me are exposed to more than 160 chemicals (men about half that), most of which are wrongly considered “safe,� and many others chemicals are known toxins, carcinogens and pollutants.

Most consumers, like myself, who buy these products assume that if the product is for sale, it must be safe. That’s not necessarily the case. Most government regulatory agencies, such as the FDA in the United States, cannot regulate personal care products and cosmetics until the product has reached the store shelves. And even then, the agency lacks the ability and the desire to do much “protecting�.

We as consumers have to be skeptical about what we are putting on our bodies. We can no longer be naive; we must take charge of our own health!

Scientists are now linking toxic chemical exposure to the skyrocketing disease rates. Only 1 in 10 cases of breast cancer are linked to family history and with so many more women being diagnosed today than even 20 years ago, we can no longer assume that what we put on our in our bodies is safe. We also cannot be foolish enough to think that our government will protect us. We have to be our own watchdog and ask the question about what toxic chemicals we’re exposed to on a daily basis and what is it doing to us. Here is a sort list, and I want to stress that it is just a sort one because I couldn’t list the thousands of chemicals in use in any one personal care product.

R5

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.,)& ./'9 a derivative of petroleum used in lip products and lotions. It can be contaminated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are both endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. ,# &)- (9 commonly used in anti-microbial soaps.

More research is needed to understand how triclosan relates to breast cancer, but evidence suggests it affects male and female hormones as well as thyroid hormone, which effects weight and metabolism.

Scientists are now linking toxic chemical exposure to the skyrocketing disease rates.

R5

R5

R5

R5 R5

R5

, (-95 preservatives used in lotions, shampoo and other cosmetics. Some parabens are classified as endocrine disruptors because they mimic estrogen in the body. Higher estrogen exposures are linked to higher risk of breast cancer. "." & . -9 plasticizers found in nail polish, synthetic fragrance and plastic packaging. These hormone-disrupting chemicals have been linked to early puberty in girls, a risk factor for later-life breast cancer. Some phthalates also act as weak estrogens in cell culture systems. , !, ( 9 secret mixtures of chemicals used in both perfumes and scented cosmetics. “Fragrance� may include phthalates, synthetic musks (which may disrupt hormones) and ethylene oxide (a mammary carcinogen). The companies are not required to list these chemicals on product labels. /(- , (5 " '# &-9 some behave like estrogens and have been shown to make some breast cancer cells proliferate.

-) /. ( 95a propellant used in spray-on hair spray, gel, mousse, shaving cream and anti-fungal treatment. It can be contaminated with 1,3-butadiene, a probable human carcinogen and a mammary carcinogen. .")23& . 5 )'*)/( -95 dimethicone, PEG-40, ceteareth-12 and other compounds with the syllables “eth� or “PEG� in them are used in a wide variety of cosmetics. These compounds are formed by processing with ethylene oxide, a mammary carcinogen, and can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, also a mammary carcinogen.

The cosmetics industry argues that these toxic substances are used in trace amounts, usually as preservatives or antifungal agents, such small doses and they don’t think these chemicals cause us harm. Although they aren’t legally required by the Food and Drug Administration to test their products, every year the cosmetics industry kills millions of animals in the process of testing their products for skin irritancy, eye tissue damage and general toxicity. It seems that once they get the parts per billion of the poisons just right and the animals aren’t dying from its application, they figure that product is now safe for humans to use.

But here’s the catch: even if you buy that disturbing logic, the cosmetics cartel is talking about toxic levels in just one product. In any one morning beauty regimen, we don’t just use or wear only one thing; most of us include at least dozens of products giving us multiple repeat doses of these toxic substances every day.

Multiply that times 365 days, then again by 10 years, and the chronic and cumulative exposure to our bodies is clearly troubling.

So what can we do? Start by replacing just one of your personal care products with a nontoxic or even less toxic counterpart each month and you will have made a huge difference in your level of exposure.

Check out the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database, Skin Deep, at www.cosmeticsdatabase. com to find out what is in your favorite product and to help you choose a safer one.

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20

By Francisca de la Vega Planet

A

ccording to his fans, Felipe Camiroaga is one of the most illustrious hosts in Chile. This selfdeclared nature-lover has been entertaining the Chilean public for more than 20 years. Felipe started his career as a quiet cameraman’s assistant at a TV station, but he had his sights set higher. He was looking for an opportunity when suddenly, completely out of the blue, he got his lucky break: the producers of a famous TV show for young people believed Camiroaga the perfect entertainer to host the show.

The talent of Camiroaga to communicate and entertain the audience was recognized by others in Chile.

Not long after, the offer of his life was made. Executives from the most popular morning show in Chile considered Camiroaga the only one capable of commanding a ship that was about to weigh anchor: the morning show, “Buenos Dias a Todos” (good morning everybody).

Felipe Camiroaga made his first humble steps to launch his career as co-host of the popular, “Buenos Días a Todos.” “This hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure.”

Commented Camiroaga. The well-known “Falcon of Chicureo” has faced challenges, success and defeats, but according to him the key is that he always tries “to keep a low profile.”

He is actually very shy, even though we see him hosting a four-hour show making the audience laugh and cry, in real life he tries to keep it cool and enjoy the simple life as much as possible. However, to have a normal life can be very difficult for a celebrity like Camiroaga. For example, a simple trip to a supermarket can be challenging because fans surround him for a photo or an autograph. This is something Felipe has to deal with on a daily basis, but what can you expect as host of the most important television show in Chile.

For 20 years “Buenos Dias a Todos” has been the

INTERVIEW / MAY 2011

Felipe Camiroaga:

It’s more than television,

it’s a way of life

He is a very generous man, grateful for what he has and willing to reward the people around him for all their hard work. most popular morning show and Felipe has been the star entertainer. Since 2005, Felipe has had the show as his first priority. “It’s more than a TV show, it’s a life style,” he says. Felipe knows the effect the morning show has on the audience, despite many negative media campaigns and other shows to undermine his work, “Buenos Días a Todos” has a strong crew that works with him everyday to give a quality program to its loyal audience. He says, “TVN represents an impassioned concept of making quality programing that I share, it really feels like home.”

The fame of Felipe Camiroaga is known overseas, he even had an offer from Univision to work on its morning show in Miami, but he rejected it. He felt that it wasn’t the right time to leave TVN or his country. Instead he decided to renew his contract with the station.

Anybody could question why a Chilean host doesn’t accept an offer to work overseas, maybe it’s hard to understand, but knowing Felipe Camiroaga it was the most logical answer. It’s related to his personality; he was raised in a family very close to nature. The country way of life, he says, “was the most wonderful gift from my dad. He would take us to the museum of natural science or to the country for a ride.” From his father, Felipe developed his love of animals and of nature.

Camiroaga built a house in the countryside outside of Santiago 15 years ago and used it not only as a refuge for himself, but for the animals he takes care of. He has horses, dogs, a donkey and even a rare type of monkey: a papio. Nevertheless the most important animals for Felipe are his falcons, “Once I get home my 8 dogs greet me and then I always go to check on my falcons.” That’s why Felipe is known as “The Falcon of Chicureo” and he makes fun of himself calling his shelter Falconland.

He loves to be by himself there, enjoying the peace, his animals, and quiet rides through his land. But sometimes he opens his door to invite the people he really loves to share a good time. According to his co-

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workers he is a very generous man, grateful for what he has and willing to reward the people around him for all their hard work.

So, why is this handsome man still single? Being in a relationship is not a priority for him at the moment.

Even though he is a famous Chilean Casanova, he is focused on his work and rebuilding his life with his family and animals. He doesn’t consider himself as the most wanted single Chilean man, but Chilean women would say the opposite. Although Felipe is not interested in marriage at the moment, being in his fourties has made him think about parenthood. He has seriously considered adopting a child by his own.

Unfortunately, last February a fire destroyed his dream home taking away many precious memories, most of them of his family. He was devastated and according to Felipe, “to lose this place, to see my house

burn down, was a real nightmare”.

Felipe has another passion: to travel. He loves to explore new places around the world, and everytime he can, he goes to Spain to visit his family and to enjoy the country. But where he likes the most to go is around Chile; he loves his country. He enjoys to go places where nobody else goes, to be as far as possible of the civilization and to be 100% in contact with the environment. “My favorite place is the Chilean south, I just love the colors of nature there. I totally recommend it,” he says.

This is Felipe Camiroaga, an average man with a great talent to communicate and a big sense of humor.

Currently he’s taking things easy as he tries to recover his beloved refuge. But he wakes up very early every day just to say to his loyal Chilean audience, “Buenos Días a Todos.”

MAY 2011 / TRAVEL

Sernatur: Foreign investment in tourism

By Jane Scarman

H

ave you ever visited Chile and fallen so in love with the landscape that you wanted to buy a slice of it? Well thanks to the country’s foreign investment policy, you can do just that!

Being a little less flippant, foreign investment in tourism is seen as a key area for development and economic growth for the country.

In the literature from the Foreign Investment Committee - the government body that helps gringos commit their cash to this part of the world - Chile is described as having “extraordinary potential as a destination for foreign investment in tourism�. As we all know and love, this land’s astonishing beauty - from the lunar expanses of the Atacama to the crystalline wildernesses of Patagonia - make it a sought after travel destination, with countless numbers of treasures that appear on “things to do before you die� lists.

So with its prime asset being locked in the landscape, Chile has recognised the potential for foreign investment in its natural resources in a way that encourages the rest of the world to enjoy them. Furthermore, it has identified five areas ripe for development: special interest; business; heritage; spa; and nautical tourism.

5 Special interest tourism is a generic term for what in essence is a collection of niche ventures. Many of these we are already accustomed to; wine tours, fishing, mountaineering, skiing and a whole host of adventure sports, trails through German villages and sailing trips to see ocean wildlife. All are types of special interest tourism that form the de facto standard for the average Rough Guide to Chile reader. However, this category also extends to more surprising, off-the-beaten-track experiences, such as volcanology, astronomy and palaeontology tours, as well as astrology retreats under the stars.

Santiago, by and large, is the centre for business tourism, with an ever increasing number of international meetings being held in the city. Future opportunities lie in continuing to meet the demand for conference venues and services as

well as developing similar infrastructure elsewhere in the country, for example around industrial areas in the north.

Chile has five UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Easter Island, ChiloĂŠ churches, ValparaĂ­so, the Sewell mining camp and the Humberstone and Santa Laura nitrate towns.

Valparaíso in particular has been viewed as a hotspot for development, with a long-term regeneration plan underway and a vision to turn it into a creative centre. Renovation of Valparaíso’s historic buildings into trendy boutique hotels has been widely encouraged.

The thermal waters in different parts of Chile make spas a popular choice for attracting visitors keen to relax, refresh and revitalise themselves in the serene surroundings of mother nature resplendent. Just under 300 sources of thermal water have been found in Chile, with around 30% lying in AraucanĂ­a region, which also enjoys proximity to a number of national parks.

With other 5,000 miles of coastline, as well as fjords, glaciers, rivers and lakes, there are many opportunities for guided tours by boat, as well as fishing, kayaking and other water-based sports. Waterfront developments in places like Valdivia have been mooted, as well as proposals for fishing lodges and marinas.

With the exception of business tourism, all of the above investment spheres are an attempt to protect and preserve Chile’s natural assets. In fact, right now, on www.foreigninvestment.cl there is a total of around 250,000 hectares of land in “protected areasâ€? available for tender for conservation, research and tourism projects. By “protected areasâ€?, it is meant those which have important ecosystems, biodiversity and species of flora and fauna, such as the Humbolt penguin, the puma and the rare gaicurĂş tree.

This sentiment is echoed by a series of environmental entrepreneurs who have taken the decision to buy huge

Emerging from this picture is a trend for foreign investors to put their money where their heart is and pay to protect their beloved landscapes for the enjoyment of others for generations to come.

21

swathes of land, particularly in Patagonia, in order to conserve it.

One such example is Patagonia Sur, a joint US-Chile for-profit company using a business model that “merges conservation and capitalism seamlessly and symbiotically�.

It’s an interesting prospect; so far it has acquired around 25,000 hectares and used it to create three income streams, including eco-tourism. The company has developed holiday lodges in stunning locations throughout its nature reserve, as well as those niche activities and excursions that single out Chile as a destination of choice. Meanwhile, hardnosed shareholders expect a return on their investment, generated through the sustainable projects that sensitively promote social and economic development “in harmony with the region’s majestic natural environment�.

Then of course, there is Douglas Tompkins - the American businessman who founded the North Face and ESPRIT clothing companies and now owns over 2 million hectares of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia. Tompkins’ business model is to buy up land and convert it into national parks with full public access. So far the Pumalín Park and Corcovado National Park are completed projects of the environmentalist’s. While Tompkins’ methods for acquiring the land have not been without controversy in Chile, his conservation work has been widely recognised and celebrated around the world.

Lastly, there is Punta de Lobos in Pichilemu, regarded as the best place for surfing in Chile. It was bought by French surfing and windsurfing champion Jean Robert Pistone. Pistone has turned it into what he regards as a nature reserve, with cottages for surfers, a panquequería (serving the best French crepes) and the surfer’s paradise - the waves.

Emerging from this picture is a trend for foreign investors to put their money where their heart is and pay to protect their beloved landscapes for the enjoyment of others for generations to come. The question remains whether that enjoyment is free for all to access however, as some of the more exclusive resorts springing up pull out all the stops to attract the lucrative foreign tourist market while pricing out the 70% of domestic tourists. But for now, beauty spots in Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, AysĂŠn and Magallanes region are available to the next generation of environmentally-conscious entrepreneurs.

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TRAVEL / MAY 2011

Hidro Aysén

By David Ergas

C

hile, having enjoyed a healthy economical growth rate in the past few years is facing a problem that needs to be dealt with if it is to avoid a serious crisis: how to deal with its rising energy demand.

Patagonia, and more specifically Aysén, is home to the country’s biggest fresh water reserves and has many powerful pristine rivers flowing down its valleys into the Pacific. This is a sparsely populated region of tremendous natural beauty, but of late it’s also been the stage of heated controversy because of a project of enormous proportions: Hidro Aysén.

The plan is to build five mega-dams on the regions biggest rivers, namely the Baker River (the biggest in the country) and the Pascua. Two companies, Endesa and Colbún, who currently control 74% of the energy market in Chile are behind this project. If they were to succeed in going ahead with this they would then control over 90% of the market, thus creating a quasi monopoly.

These dams would take between 12 to 15 years to complete and the energy produced would be sent to the central regions (most of it to Santiago) via the longest power line on Earth (2300 km!) held up by 6000 steel towers each 70 meters high (about 3 times higher than your average tower). A third company, Transelec, would be in charge of setting up this infrastructure. The power line would have to pass through one of the world’s most active seismic and volcanic regions, thus making it extremely vulnerable. Had the line been in place during the eruption of the Chaiten volcano, it would have been out of service for nearly a year.

Last year’s earthquake would also have knocked it out for some time. Each time that would cause a blackout of massive proportions. The towers would also ruin Chile’s landscape and undoubtedly be a blow to its tourism industry.

The dams would flood 5900 hectares of extremely fertile land and displace locals who’ve been living there for generations, mostly from agriculture. Many endangered species inhabit these areas and would see their habitats go underwater.

Hidro Aysén argues that they would produce clean energy, no greenhouse gases. But if you look at the proposal more closely they’re omitting a very important fact: A river like the Baker transports in its rapids oxygen-rich water as well minerals, organic substances, and sediments to the ocean. All these elements are used by plants in the sea (seaweed and the likes) for photosynthesis and in doing so capture great amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and then produce oxygen. In effect, these rivers are key players in the fight against global warming, reducing the amount

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of greenhouse gases and a huge player in the production of oxygen.

What Hidro Aysén doesn’t tell you is that when you dam a river, all of these elements are no longer transported downstream, instead, they sink to the bottom of the reservoir and the plants in the ocean that depended on them for photosynthesis die off and the river no longer contributes to reduction of greenhouse gases. The amount of carbon dioxide that would cease to be captured if these dams were erected is actually much bigger than that which is produced by traditional thermal coal energy power plants. So, in reality, mega-dams are not at all sources of clean energy.

Far from it.

Another serious problem that has not been taken

Why are we looking to old solutions for our current energy problem, lets be innovators not followers.

into account is ever-more frequent GLOF phenomenon (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) which occurs when water dammed by a glacier is released when the glacier melts.

In Aysén it’s a common occurrence. The last time it happened in Lago Cachet 2 it sent 200 million cubic of water in a matter of hours into the Baker River doubling its volume. The water level rose dramatically although without creating significant damage. Had the river been dammed the water drained form the lake would have blocked upstream, wiping towns such as Caleta Tortel off the map. The whole region is full of glacial lakes, and due to global warming, GLOFs are going to be commonplace. Depending on where the dams are placed the sudden increase in volume of water could also make the dams burst.

In a country that boasts the driest desert in the world (huge solar power potential), over 4000 km of coastline (tidal power stations) and regions perfect for harnessing wind power, Hidro Aysén is not only undesirable and harmful, but also unnecessary. Why are we looking to old solutions for our current energy problem, lets be innovators not followers.

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MAY 2011 / EYE ON VIÑA

Castles of Viña

By Gonzalo Mena F.

V

iña del Mar is not an old city like you find in Europe or some parts of the United States.

Founded in 1878, Viña started as a magnificent hacienda of Jose Francisco Vergara, where he allowed the construction of the railroad that united Santiago and the port of Valparaíso, bringing business and industries to what used to be only vineyards and plantations next to the sea. Since this growth

Viña del Mar’s architecture has a lot to offer and because of the influence of foreign designers and personalities you’ll be surprised by not only the castles but the palaces and houses as well.

was led by industrial development, most of the houses around Viña del Mar were workers’ households.

When wealth started to arrive to the city, so did beautiful designs from renowned architects. Among this new wave of breathtaking constructions came the castles. There are now three remaining castles which have become a permanent part of Viña del Mar’s heritage.

CASTLE WULFF

It was built for Gustavo Wulff, a German who arrived to Chile in 1881. In 1906 he ordered the construction of a German – French style chalet, which later added a tower and an English like wing.

In 1946, after the death of Wulff, the castle was modified and transformed into the place we know today. After the Municipality of Viña del Mar bought it, it became home to the office of Patrimonial and currently holds monthly expositions of art, photography and sculpture.

It is located in Av. Marina, and is opened every day with free admission.

CASTILLO ROSS

Another building located along the seashore, Castle Ross was designed by architect Alberto Cruz Montt in 1912. Montt designed the castle on the request of Gustavo Ross Santamaria, a successful businessman and minister in the government of President Arturo Alessandri.

It was built following the Tudor style, mixed with medieval influences and some touches of Arabic architecture. Experts praise the stonework of this building, which is said to be an exact replica of a castle-like house built in Scotland, property of the Ross Family.

Although the splendor from older days, when the Prince of Wales visited this amazing castle, have passed almost completely, some luxurious furniture and garnishments can still be found by those who visit the restaurant located in the Castle. Today the Arab League owns it.

CASTILLO BRUNET

This palace, with a spectacular view of Viña del Mar, was built in 1923 by the Brunet brothers, along with the help of French architect Alfredo Azcanot. Azcanot built many palaces in Viña del Mar, including Cerro Castillo, where this castle is located.

A later owner, Juan Yarur, introduced some modifications to the building, adding Arab influences, creating a unique mix of French, medieval and Arab design.

In 1974, this building was donated to the Carabineros de Chile (the national police), and is today used to host important visitors, both national and international.

As you can see, just because you are not on the Old Continent doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to take pictures in front of a castle, or marvel at towers that overlook the ocean. Viña del Mar’s architecture has a lot to offer and because of the influence of foreign designers and personalities you’ll be surprised by not only the castles but the palaces and houses as well.

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24

SPORTS / MAY 2011

Third World Country; 3rd World Football Team

By Pascal Mathieu

W

hen analyzing Chilean League teams or the Chilean National Team we do it as fans and as such our conclusions depend on the results obtained at that moment. However, if we rationally analyze the results of the Chilean National Team we can observe a positive development as it is currently ranked 14th while in January 2007 it was ranked 34th.

Anyway, beyond its current sports performance status, do we really believe that the performance of the Chilean National Team or of our Chilean League teams abroad differs much from our economy? Or is it just another example of what our country is?

In order to answer this concern, we will briefly discuss the evolution of our economy and compare it to the management of our national league and our players abroad.

First, let’s look back to the 80’s when our economy was closed to international markets and virtually its relationship to these was limited to the export of copper and other basic raw materials such as wood and fish stock. Also in that period, our national league was barely visible in the international context with the only exception of the participation of Cobreloa in Copa Libertadores in 1980 and 1981, as well as the impoverished participation of the Chilean National Team in 1982 World Cup Championship. Moreover, if we make the count of Chilean players sold abroad, only 2 names come out; Caszely and Yáñez. In total, both passes did not exceed US$ 500,000. Similarly, per-capita (GDP) in the 80’s did not exceed US$ 3,000, far from the current US$ 15,000 which positions Chile in the first place of South America, conversely to its seventh place in the 80’s.

If we move forward in time, having Chile positioned globally, and review the export figures of the 90’s (US $123,146,000) compared with the same indicators of the next decade (US $400,000,000), we can see a significant growth of 325%. On the other hand, sales of foreign players in the same period is very limited and the most important cases do not exceed 5 players being Ivan Zamorano to Switzerland (US $350,000) and Marcelo Salas to Argentina (US $3,500,000) passes the most remarkable ones.

By contrast, in the last decade we have a group of players performing abroad with a very high performance level which allows the Chilean National Team to have a 100% of starting players participating in the most important international leagues; complementing this, in only 2 years (2007 and 2008) the sales of players topped 38 million dollars. Finally, it is noteworthy the evolution of the economic value of the Chilean National Team. In 1998 it did not exceed 25 million of Euros compared with the current 85 millions having a 340% growth rate, very similar to the evolution of exports of the same period (325%).

In conclusion, without considering our fan’s point of view, the analysis says that the performance of the Chilean soccer teams and Chilean players is not so different from the Chilean economy; placing us as a small country both economically and in regards of soccer football performance. Therefore, in the long run, we can neither expect to be the Latin American Jaguar in the economic field or even think about winning a Football World Championship.

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The performance of the Chilean soccer teams and Chilean players is not so different from the Chilean economy.

MAY 2011 / THE OPINIONATOR

By Felipe MuĂąoz

W

hen my editor asked me to write an article on kissing, I have to admit I was initially reluctant. At first I thought she was after iques on all of my amazing and secret, forbidden techn c poseroti the how to maximize tongue torque and out, turns it as sibilities of the roof of the mouth, but of act the to it was a historical and cultural approach soand res cultu kissing and what it means to different less fun. cieties. That was far more acceptable, however, le with artic this I could be the boring guy and start s enigiou prest some kind of definition by some really what on ever cyclopedia or academy or wiki or what guy, g borin a me “Kissing� means; but that would make to want you guy and I’d much rather come off as the wait least At on. exchange saliva with. Not yet! Come until I tell you about it.

XOXO

KISSING IS AWESOME. fact It is. And apparently, it has always been. In come to yet have it’s so awesome that anthropologists ctual to a conclusion on whether it’s learned or instin makbusy too behavior. Most likely because they ’re tioned ing out. Historically, kissing is sometimes men bithe in even in Greek literature (albeit rarely) and us, Exod in bly ble, as early as Genesis, but most nota law. r-infathe his where Moses is mentioned kissing place.

Arguably the reason he’s in the bible in the first jog hy healt a like Crossing the desert probably seemed after that.

EmOf course, it was only during the Roman ice pract ard stand pire’s time that it apparently became the after only amongst family members, and it was in EuMiddle Ages that it became a generalized thing ened happ only rope; before that, the kiss as a greeting sugthat nce between nobles and royalty. There’s evide a kiss the made gests that it was indeed Europeans that ted isola ’s there worldwide phenomenon, as even today some populations, like some Australian tribes and form a as g kissin Chinese communities, that don’t use is jerk some time of affection. Remember that, next g uerin conq the all giving you gringos a hard time for you now ries; and colonialism of the 16th-19th centu ed for can always retort with “Sure, we raped and pillag d. settle t men Argu centuries, but we gave you the kiss!� flu up bring to not You’re welcome, by the way. Just try or smallpox after that and you’ll be fine.

FEELINGS ARE BORING. gical As it turns out, kissing also has a strong biolo

Remember that, next time some jerk is giving you gringos a hard time for all the conquering and colonialism of the 16th-­19th centuries; now you can always retort with “Sure, we raped and pillaged for centuries, but we gave you the kiss!� Argument settled.

basis that could explain its origin. MHC, or major histocompatibility complex, is a cluster of chromosomes that controls your ability to fight infection, and if you breed with someone with too similar an MHC the pregnancy is less likely to take, so finding someone with a sufficiently different MHC is very important. So important, in fact, that some studies suggest that it may be the second most important factor when determining attraction (The first being, obviously, wit; and the ability to write little articles). The thing is, kissing pays a very important role in determining exactly how compatible said MHC is, as MHC is present in both saliva and pheromones. Which means kissing is was mostly just a taste test. It’s suddenly very chilly in here.

5 5 5 5 8 So where does that leave us? Was it the Europeans or was it Mother Nature that gave us the kiss? I posit it was both. Why not? I’m an adventurous fellow, it sounds like something I would go for.

After all, cultural differences are relevant enough to warrant our attention, so even if it is a natural phenomenon it has taken its own set of rules around the world, and thus, became a cultural phenomenon. With the current state of the world, however, the lines are becoming a bit blurred as time goes by and we absorb and meet other cultures and their habits. In Chile, for instance, we have historically greeted girls with a kiss on the cheek and boys with a firm and manly handshake.

At some point in our history, however, the brommunity grew worried when they noticed the lack of homoeroticism in our culture, so they all gathered and one summer, decided to all go on a trip to Argentina. From there, they came back invigorated

25

and renewed, but also and more importantly, with a new custom: kissing their bros in the cheek, like their Argentinians bros with their strong Italian herita ge did. This was a custom long held by our loud and lovable neighbors, but it had never taken here in Chile , where we are less touchy-feely. For whatever reason , this time it did. That day, we let The Jersey Shore win.

We still see the repercussions today, as more and more Chileans greet their close friends with a handshake followed by a kiss on the cheek. It’s not big on older people though, and as long as we don’t suddenly start patting each other’s privates like it’s a rugby locke r room in spring, I think I’m okay with it.

Of course, girls still greet themselves the way they always have, and not all the guys do the hug-kiss thing .

Also, some people have no problem kissing family on the mouth, but some others see that as incredibly inappropriate. I suppose that’s part of the reasons why it can be confusing being a gringo here in Chile. We’re not really all that clear on the rules ourselves. If you google the topic on the Weird Wired World, we kiss on the cheek for girls, no kiss for guys and kisses everywhere for the family, but what does the web know , right? Half of it is in, like, South Korea or something .

And in South Korea, any sort of kissing is rarely done in public, and reserved for family. Not like here in Chile, where you can’t enter a Starbucks witho ut someone making out in a corner. Right on. Let’s hear it for sudakas, people.

Some of my gringo friends do get uncomfortable though, so maybe you should check around for blond es or something before getting on that next time (Albe it checking for blondes while trying to make out with a girl may not be the best idea I’ve given out). Some of my UK friends get uncomfortable even with a very proper and harmless kiss on the cheek. That make s me think UK chicks aren’t relaxing enough around us Chileans. I mean, I know I’m gauging her MHC for future copulation, but she has no reason to feel threat ened. A kiss on the cheek is about as harmless as it gets, down here. A friend of mine even kisses twice .

He says it’s because he’s part French and that’s how it’s done over there, but I say it’s because he’s a letch.

French do kiss more than once, but I guess it’s okay for them because they gave us the French kiss. That’s a proper gift, rest of Europe, not the friggin’ measles.

So if you’re in Chile, and feeling confused on the matter, just remember to bear gifts, like the Frenc h, and that a kiss on the cheek will get you through most situations. Just let the locals lead the way and you will make it out in one piece.

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26

Low Rent:

LOW RENT / MAY 2011

Behind Every Good Woman, There’s a Loco

By Sean Black

I

n the summer of 1994, for reasons too depressing to mention, I woke up on a piss-stained, cushionless sofa covered in cat hair in an anarchist squat house on Broadway Street in Vancouver. I’d spent previous days playing my guitar on the corner of Granville and Robinson. On this very same corner was a particularly rabid evangelist street preacher who lashed out at the public with serious Old Testament Breath – his ramblings heavy on the Isaac and Zachariah, arms flailing in the air, gripping a beaten black bible in one hand and stabbing a hard, righteous finger at the sky.

I found that people were willing do drop me some coins if I played bluesy slide guitar at a distance, accentuating his aggressive and dramatic antics. It was a down-home counterpoint to the ruminations of the nutso preacher, sweat streaking his hair and heavy brown mustache. The metal slide on my finger moving over the steel strings made the preacher sound more ‘southern.’ I suspected that he liked it and at times he got closer to me; I, then, had to move further away.

Flat-ass broke and new to the city, I resorted to sleeping on Jericho Beach at night after several failed attempts at sleeping in the stairwell of a nearby traveler’s hostel. I offered to clean up or make beds in return for use of the sofa but the heavily pierced and anti-establishment staff threatened to call the police on me if I came wandering in there again. On the beach, I spread my sleeping bag on the sand beside an old log. I fell asleep better with my head covered and inside the bag. On those nights I dreamed of being pursued by great hurricanes, moving inland towards the shore – brutal storms that lingered in my consciousness long after I awoke to the cold, grey, overcast mornings.

I was making about three bucks a day in quarters and dimes playing on the corner with the preacher. A young guy with a nearby hot dog stand started offering me his leftovers from the grill at the end of the day. I was eating a charred weenie in a napkin when a kid with a black coned mohawk and ravaged, eighteen-holed Doc Martens dropped some change in my guitar case.

“Good playin’,” he said.

“Thanks.”

The next day he appeared again, panhandling across the street with another heavy skinhead in overalls. It seemed like they managed to get more change than I did. After two hours, they came by my guitar case and dropped some coins.

“You should come by the Broadway squat,” he said.

“Tonight there is a party – you can get something to eat there too if you want,” he said, smirking at the burnt weenie husks in my hand. I took down the address on a napkin. “Just ask for me – Steve,” he said before disappearing down Granville street.

It was dark when I made it to the gateway of the Broadway squat. Two butch, heavily inked women – one in suspenders and the other with a pack of smokes rolled up in her sleeve – stood at the entrance.

“We don’t know no Steve,” spat the suspendered one, drinking from a Miller King Can. I insisted, I described Steve; his Mohawk and his skinhead buddy on Granville.

“He said I could come,” I pleaded, showing her the map I had made on the weenie cart napkin. But my words just fell from my mouth and flopped on the sidewalk like

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“I got one, what do you call a musician without a girlfriend?” There was a short silence and the quick inhale of breath sucking in smoke, then the punch line. “Homeless, dude, homeless.”

27

MAY 2011 / LOW RENT

Info for Loco can be found at… www.myspace.com/locoonline

helpless, gulping fish. “Please…” I had resorted to please.

“It’s important!” I didn’t know how I could get back to Jericho that night without bus service and I didn’t know where else to go. “We don’t know no Steve!” repeated one of them, more aggressive this time.

A young Asian woman with a bulimic gait wafted through the entrance and took me by the arm with her long, bony fingers. She led me past groups of smoking, murmuring shadows in the dark yard as I explained that I just needed to sleep and nothing else, that “Steve said it was ok,” and other pathetic nonsense. At my back, I heard someone say, “he must be cool, he’s got a guitar.”

She led me up the porch steps and into the large, dark Victorian house. We came into a large empty room with a sofa against one wall with the word “Resist” painted above it. “You can stay here,” she said, addressing me for the first time, “if you like.” I thanked her over and over again, feeling my eyes moisten. A sofa! Inside a house!

I knew I was going to sleep well that night. I told her to tell Steve I said thanks and that I was real grateful.

She smiled and looked at me with her head crooked for a second, then took her leave, muttering, “I don’t know no Steve.”

Hitting the couch, I stared incessantly at the scrawling on the wall opposite me until I sank into a dark and profound sleep.

“Everything that lives does so under the categorical condition of decisively interfering in the life of someone else.” – Bakunin I woke to the sounds of several footsteps passing though the hallway, beside where I was lying on the anarchist chesterfield. There were two or three people, it sounded like. They exchanged words, then I heard someone say, quite clearly, a joke that I would never forget.

“I got one, what do you call a musician without a girl-

friend?” There was a short silence and the quick inhale of breath sucking in smoke, then the punch line. “Homeless, dude, homeless.” Homeless, indeed.

John had Yoko, Sid had Nancy, Elton John had David Furnish, the Stones had Maryanne Faithful, and Jesus had Magdalene. Here in Chile, Loco has Carolina.

Loco Paez, or “Cristian” as he is known in the Square World, is the singer/songwriter/guitarist behind a hardrock project called Loco. One of the first questions I ask Cristian is why he was known as “Loco” as a child, but the conversation is diverted to his wife. Cristian doesn’t hide the fact that he owes much of what he has produced musically, specifically Loco’s disc Delirious y Algo Mas to the efforts and patience of his wife, Carolina Lopez. “I worked in anything,” he recounts at an interview for the Low Rent radio program. “I quit during my third year of advertising school, I sold cars… I was really going nowhere. My wife said, ‘Look – you have to play music, and to play music you need equipment, and for that you need to have a job.’ Carolina helped finance Loco Paez and his

return to his studies in Marketing, where he now holds steady work. “She helped me a lot – I don’t know what would have happened without her.”

In the late nineties, Cristian met up with New Age guitarist David Young, who was touring through South America at the time. Young later contacted Paez to ask if he could travel to Los Angeles and work for his independent record label, Universe Music, and do some touring.

“I was supposed to be there for one month,” he remembers. “Then we were off to Atlanta, then somewhere else.

One month turned into six months. Every Thursday, I was in a plane heading off somewhere else. It was a great experience for me.”

Cristian took this experience, and the money earned from it, and poured it into the labor of love that became Delirious y Algo Mas. “I wanted to make this record sound good,” he says as we play the slickly produced tracks. “We had a lot of conversations [with producer Sergio Sanchez] and we listened to a lot, I mean a lot of music, like Lenny Kravitz and others, and discovered the tone we were looking for.”

To get the sound they were after, Loco decided to use more unconventional means. “We moved all the equipment into my old high school at Liceo Alexander Flemming,” says Paez, adding with a laugh, “the teachers still remember me.” “In one room we had all the amplifiers, and in another we installed the console and recording equipment.” The recording took two days. “We played the tracks over and over; six or seven times for each tune to nail it right.”

Delirious y Algo Mas has the warm and woody studio feel of 1990’s-era rock. Of the 11 tracks on the disc, six of them are slower ballads or acoustic and guitar-based. “I’m a rock and roll guy,” Paez explains, laughing. “But I’m a romantic too. I got a heart – and I got a wife!” The ballads on Delirious that really shine (a lingering influence from New Age mentor David Young?). Track three, an airy track called “La Magia de tu Ser” sounds beautiful in its simplicity and spare guitar work. You can really hear Paez’s fondness for those timeless, slow tracks from early Pearl Jam and Black Crowes, or the crying guitars of John Sykes and Gary Moore from the Thin Lizzy era.

Paez explains that by the time the disc was released, the music retail industry and the labels were sinking like an old Brontosaurus in a hot tar pit. “When I was in LA in ’99,” he says, “there were 10,000 record stores – when I went back last year there were 4,000.” He adds, “it was my dream to make a professional product and bring it to the people through traditional means, like we used to sell records. I wanted to see Delirious in the stores, but in 2005 it was impossible.” Paez admits that the industry changes were hard for him. “I was depressed for a long time and it took me awhile to get out of it.”

Interview over, Loco Paez doesn’t linger. I shake his hand outside the front door of Santiago Radio on a Friday night, as the club kids and the flaites – who will assault these same club kids later in the night – flock into barrio Suecia. Loco Paez disappears up the dark street, on his way to his nice, normal, non-vagabond home, where his wife Carolina waits for him. He never did tell me why they used to call him Loco.

Feeling Culture Shocked?

Learn the secrets of Chilean culture that every gringo needs to know with The Gringo’s Culture Guide to Chile.

Available in paperback and instant ebook download.

Get your copy at GringosCultureGuide.com

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28

GOURMET / MAY 2011

The Creative Palate with Daniel Greve

Daniel Greve is a journalist; a gastronomy and wines columnist. He has worked for El Mercurio, El Mostrador, Vinos & Más and Planetavino.com. Moreover, he is member of the directors board of Círculo de Cronistas Gastronómicos de Chile and to Federation Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivans des Vins (FIJEV.) Greve is currently in charge of the Gourmet section of Que Pasa magazine and director of Mostro® editorial. A creative emporium that develops de Mostro program of Play FM radio, conducts www.mostro.cl and many other editorial projects specialized in food, wines and travels.

SPICE UP YOUR SPICES

The extraordinary Argentinean chief Narda Lepes has burned her hands, eyelashes, along with her pans all in search for the perfect mix of flavors to create an unforgettable dish. She has been featured on TV programs such as Elgourmet.com and Fox Life and has served as editor for magazines, books and guides. Narda Lepes is at it again as she tempts us with an explosive collection of spices and herbs. With a simple design, organic and collectible, comes a mix of spices such N1 –soft-, a mixture of parsley, thyme, mustard seeds, pepper and sage, ideal for fish and grilled vegetables; the N2 –hot-, for meats and stews, which carries chili, pepper, cayenne, cumin, basil, black pepper and dried garlic; and N3 –French-, with mustard seeds, tarragon, parsley, thyme, dehydrated garlic and black pepper, a good idea to marinate baked recipes like poultry and vegetables. Any of these can be used to crust, add to sauces, stews or as seasoning in a mixture of spices and olive oil. Is your mouth watering yet?

On sale at Jumbo for $2.999

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WINNING PAIR

Limarí valley, on the one hand, and the winemaker Philip Müller, on the other. Two names that have been getting a lot of attention over the last year. Now, with this new line Talinay of Tabalí Viña, both seem to amalgamate even more. This new series includes two types of wine –white and red- which are, so far, the ones the area produces under its name and label. The first of these, Chardonnay 2009-which comes from the vineyard Camanchaca-is a singular target. Some may find in this wine French nuances –of the Burgundy- just like the Quebrada Seca Maycas reminded us of a Chablis.

But this wine, beyond parallel tastes and smells like Limarí.

It has an unusual scent for a chardonnay - fresh and fruityand a chalky taste, saline – does baking soda ring any bells?

That for many is not a very sexy wine description, it becomes one when it’s in your mouth. On the palate, the rich acidity expands and encourages every inch. The pinot noir 2009, from-Salala Vineyard, meanwhile, delivers like no other.

Fresh, delicious, full of red fruit, turgid, electric for being so young and expressive. Plums, p epper, with a little touch of graphite and moist earth. Your mouth? Fresh, light, mineral and with juicy and crisp bright red fruit, as if you were furiously chewing a plum, freshly cut -like it should be.

On sale at La Vinoteca and Wain to $ 12,500 (chardonnay) and $ 15,900 (pinot noir).

29

MAY 2011 / WHAT’S ON - LITERALLY

Style Magnate: Dressing for Power

So, you can officially consider yourself in the know

By Traje a la Medida

D

ressing for power has always been a problem of pomp versus accessibility. The Egyptians looked frankly absurd with those wigs and carnival hats.

The Romans got it a bit better with golden laurel wreaths and an imperial purple dye made from sea snails; It was a colour that never faded, and in fact, grew brighter with sunlight, therefore being not just a toga but also a parable.

One only has to look at some of today’s less salubrious world leaders (Colonel Gaddafi springs to mind for some reason) -many of whom are packing away their uniforms and self-gifted medals in preparation for imminent exile in some suburban city that few can pinpoint on a map- to see how many of them are utterly clueless when it comes to platinum-card leadership dressing.

Perhaps the most successful megalomaniac power dresser was a Chinese man who came up with a suit that was like Jil Sander crossed with the Artful Dodger, with its distinctive practical touch of military and a bit of agriculture. Chairman Mao’s suit is arguably one of the greatest designs of the 20th century. The abiding problem with a dictator is: do you look like the people you rule or do you look imposing and different? Instead of dressing like everyone else, Chairman Mao brilliantly dressed differently, and then had everyone dress like him. Every time they looked in the mirror they saw the Mao Tse-tung brand.

So how do three of today’s leading Heads of State shape up in the fashion stakes?

5 5 Barack Obama. The Obama campaign won two

grand’s prix at the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, primarily for the way every aspect of his image was cohesive, including what he said, what he wore, hell, even the fonts he chose. Stylistically, Barack Obama always follows the same rule: straightforward simplicity. His campaign relied on un-fancy design and a plainspoken American font on every sign, all to reinforce the “normal, comfortable and inevitable� image.

When Nicolas Sarkozy was named one of Vanity Fair’s best-dressed men a few years ago, Parisians cited Sarko’s classic, traditional fashion sense as the reason for his inclusion. The French president wore a Prada suit to his inauguration, and since then he’s largely followed the accepted “dark suit� rule of men’s formalwear.

Sarkozy’s familiar with his designers, too; he’s not just going dark-suit/dark-tie as a fluke. At times he can be ostentatious, but the conservative suit means he can get away with it. Sarkozy has been married to not one but two models, after all, so he’s clearly doing something right.

Meanwhile Sebastià n Piùera, the Harvard-educated professor in economy; he of broad smile; year-round tan; silver grey hair and robust body frame has high standards to aspire to when it comes to competing with Messrs Obama and Sarkozy. Piùera has so far aired on the side of caution, sporting a range of two buttons, non-risquÊ formal suits, which are increasingly evolving from oversize to fitted. Interestingly enough he has also adopted the `sleeves rolled up’ approach favored by Obama in informal circumstances. Staged, it may be, but in contrast to the ultra formal approaches of his predecessors Lagos, Frei and Bachelet, the President

is cleverly using a tried and tested formula designed to facilitate his public image and garner support of the masses.

5

ȇ Try to imagine SebastÏan Piùera, Nicolas Sarkozy, or Barack Obama with unruly stubble or shaggy hair -- it’s an incongruous image, isn’t it? There’s a reason for that: When you’re trying to present the most professional image possible to endear yourself to the largest possible number of people, looking unkempt and lazy about your appearance is not the way to do it. Looking disheveled can diminish the personality you project, which is why virtually every charismatic politician relies on a clean-cut appearance. The last major presidential contender with visible stubble was Nixon, and his five o’clock shadow was part of what lost him the 1960 televised debate to Kennedy’s beaming, youthful charm.

5 So, you can officially consider yourself in the know: There is a lot more to being a charismatic leader than shaking hands, winking at crowds and giving the occasional speech. Make sure you follow in the footsteps of the men listed above and you’ll find yourself on the fast track to being well-known, well-liked and respected in no time; well, most of the time!

Traje a la Medida is a British company in Chile on a mission to dress men to look good, feel great and stamp their personality on their sleeve. Follow Traje a la Medida’s fashion tips and observations on men’s style in Tailor Made only on I Love Chile. For more information visitwww.trajealamedida.clÂ

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30

KIDS / MAY 2011

Ian  Gilbert and  Independent Thinking

The  man  behind  Little  Thinkers  and  Independent  Thinking  is  Ian  Gilbert,  an  educational  innovator,  entrepreneur  and  award-­ winning  author  who  has  worked  for  two  decades  helping  schools  bring  the  best  out  of  young  people  through  improved  thinking,  learning,  motivation,  creativity.  He  has  recently  moved  to  Chile  to  introduce  his  work  across  South  America.  For  more  information  please  visit  www.independentthinking.com  or  e-­mail  us  on  learn@ independenentthinking.co.uk

Overview  paragraph

been  democratised   as h e  dg le w no K s.  ay d h  these  not  just  t  to  think  is  not  enoug The  next  great  step  is  t.  i t  an w  Teaching  children  wha lly ea r y  he t f  i  are  all  s  to  it  all  of  the  time   Little  Thinkers  pages se he t t  ha w and  everyone  has  acces s  i s  hi T .  nk hi Â?‘™ t  to  think  but  how  to  t ‘ ϔ‹Â?† ‘—– ™Šƒ– –Š‡› Â? – – Â?‘ Â? ”‡ ‹Ž† teaching  children  wha …Š —” ›‘ ™‹–Š ‡ ‘’’‘”–—Â?‹–› –‘ ™‘”Â? s. ÂƒÂ„Â‘Â—Â–ÇĄ ƒŽŽ‘™‹Â?‰ ›‘— –Š are  very  different  thing o  w t  he t  nd A .  nk hi t y  but  what  the

l a i c e p S  g n i k n i h T  y 8Wa ach  day,  Einstein’s  It  has  been  said  that,  after  school  e s  he  had  asked  mother  would  ask  him  what  question how  curious  was  at  school  that  day.  In  other  words,  ried  that  with  my  he  being  about  the  world?  I  have  t  now  at  school  in  children,  growing  up  in  the  UK  (and ith  a  blank  look.  Chile)  and  am  met  each  evening  w Ď?‹Â?† •‡– ƒÂ?•™‡”• –‘ …Š‘‘Ž •‡‡Â?• –‘ „‡ ƒ„‘—– ‰‘‹Â?‰ –‘ t  tapping  into  -­â€?  and  other  people’s  questions,  not  abou then  satisfying  -­â€?  their  own  curiosity. ng  questions  from  Yet  young  children  are  always  aski the  sky  blue?  Where  the  moment  they  can  talk  –  why  is  pposite  of  ‘horse’?   do  babies  come  from?  What’s  the  o ress  through  a  They  seem  to  lose  this  as  they  prog ‘ Ď?‹ŽŽ –Š‡‹” Š‡ƒ†• •…Š‘‘Ž •›•–‡Â? –Šƒ– •‘ ‘ˆ–‡Â? •‡‡Â?• –  can  be  tested  on  with  other  people’s  answers  (so  they them). ral  propensity  for  Reawakening  a  young  person’s  natu is  the  most  important  asking  questions  about  the  world  lop  great  little  part  of  the  process  by  which  we  deve thinkers.   asking  questions  Which  is  why,  this  month,  rather  than I  am  asking  for  questions. le  on  the  nature  of  Picking  up  the  ideas  from  my  artic share  with  you  a  intelligences  on  page  16,  I  want  to  le  -­â€?  technique  I  have  wonderful  -­â€?  and  wonderfully  simp le  to  ask  questions  come  up  with  for  getting  young  peop gs.  in  order  to  think  deeply  about  thin

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g  down  very  well  It  is  called  8Way  Thinking  and  is  goin †Ǥ ‹Â? •…Š‘‘Ž• ‹Â? –Š‡ ƒÂ?† ˆ—”–Š‡” ƒĎ?‹‡Ž essor  Howard  The  starting  point  is  Harvard  prof lligences: Gardner’s  list  of  eight  different  inte Logical-­â€?Mathematical    Musical    Spatial  Bodily-­â€?Kinesthetic    Interpersonal    Intrapersonal    Naturalistic   Linguistic

Â

 into  a  far  more  Then  all  I  have  done  is  turned  them : simple,  child-­�friendly  list  as  follows Numbers Sounds Sights Actions People Feelings Nature Words

31

MAY 2011 / KIDS

All you then have to do is to take whatever it is you want to think deeply about and start to ask questions based around each of the eight areas in turn (something you can do using the 8Way Thinking wheel opposite if you want to).

That way you have a structured yet simple way of starting to be curious about the world all over again.

For example, put ‘Chile’ in the centre of the wheel and the following questions crop up: Numbers – what is the population of Chile and why is it different from 100 years ago?

Sounds – what is Chile’s national anthem, who wrote it and how was it chosen?

Sights – what does a map of Chile look like now and how has it changed since the country began?

Actions – what are the main sports played in Chile and what are Chileans best at?

People – what famous Chileans are there and why are they famous?

Feelings – which have been the happiest and saddest days in Chile’s history? Ȃ ϔ only in Chile?

Words – what words are unique to Chilean Spanish and where did they come from? ϐ children’s questions as a starting point is that they set their own intellectual level. A young child doing an 8Way Think on ‘Pablo Neruda’, for example, may ask a ‘Numbers’ question such as ‘How many poems did Neruda write?’.

An older child might ask a question like, ‘How many copies of Neruda’s works were sold last year and which country bought the most?’. Both are equally valid questions.

And don’t worry about the answers, not at this point. Just coming up with the questions is enough to change your thinking and make even the most boring of topic interesting. (I once did an 8Way

Think one rainy Sunday on Ǯ ϐ ʹǯǤ

ϐ port in the UK. A bit like San Antonio. But without the glamour.)

So, go on, have a go. We have put together some 8Way Thinking planning wheels for you already but feel free to use the template and do some 8Way Thinking of your own. Let us know how you get on…

8Way Thinking examples – Colo Colo, Santiago, Justin Bieber, chocolate, cellular phones, dogs, Coca Cola, Martin Rivas, ǡ ǡ ʹǡ Valparaiso, earthquakes, the Santiago Metro…

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Celebrating New Year’s

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