The Year of the Mask

When I was a kid, I liked to watch Zorro, the version of the Disney series. Originally, this fictional character was created by the writer Johnston McCulley in 1919. They say that the story of Zorro was inspired in Joaquín Murrieta, a Mexican miner who suffered terrible injustices in his native California, becoming an avenging murderer. Joaquín Murrieta's misfortune occurs after Mexico loses the war against the United States in 1847 and hundreds of thousands of North American gold diggers enter the region and with impunity steal, rape and murder locals, including Murrieta's wife.

It is understandable that McCulley did not want to position his North American countrymen as the bad guys in his own story and thus the story of Zorro, as a work of fiction, takes place in the same place, but in the previous period, where the domination was Spanish. This is an example of how the perception of facts has always been manipulated.

However, Disney's Zorro has several elements that have always attracted my attention: Colonial America; the symbiosis of Hispanic and indigenous cultures; the romantic settings of the haciendas and cities of Spanish influence; the mysterious character and man of action, who intelligently fights against political oppression and injustice; the unbeatable swordsman and skilled fighter; the excellent rider attuned to his black horse named “Tornado”. In addition, Zorro exerted a great attraction on the ladies, whom he treated gallantly and from time to time he stole a kiss from them.

The lyrics of the series' theme song were etched in my mind (in Spanish): 

Out of the night,

When the full moon is bright,

Comes the horseman known as Zorro.

This bold renegade

Carves a "Z" with his blade,

A "Z" that stands for Zorro.

Zorro, Zorro, the fox so cunning and free,

Zorro, Zorro, who makes the sign of the Z.

He is polite,

But the wicked take flight

When they catch the sight of Zorro.

He’s friend of the weak,

And the poor and the meek,

This very unique señor Zorro.

Zorro, Zorro, the fox so cunning and free,

Zorro, Zorro, who makes the sign of the Z.

Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro.

Who would have thought that 63 years later, the use of the mask would once again become a symbol of fight, this time against an invisible enemy called SARS-CoV-2, which for simplicity I will continue to call COVD-19, which is the name of the disease it can cause. The mask, however, now covers the mouth and nose and its meaning is no longer so heroic.

Reflecting on Zorro and the current situation of COVID19, I once again recognize the values that are essential for me:

• Freedom, both of expression and circulation

• Integrity, coherence between ideas, decisions, what is said and done

• Creativity, to develop innovative solutions and inspire criticism and reflection

• Learning as the basis for growth and transformation

• Balance, exercising acceptance, hearing different ideas, points of view and cultures

The series contained all these values and Zorro's mission was to liberate California from the oppression of the Spanish crown. The love for his childhood’s land and people gave Don Diego de la Vega, son of an established Creole family of landowners, the courage to become the legend of “el Zorro”. I emphasize again, that after doing some research on Californian history, I realized that in reality there was little of this liberating romanticism. The population of California went from Spanish oppression to the chaos of Mexican independence. This only lasted 27 years, until North America took control after they won the war. California went from being a rancher and agricultural economy to that of mining exploitation. With the gold rush, there was a massive immigration and conditions for the natives worsened again.

Reflecting on the liberation struggles in different places, I wonder if we citizens of the Western world are really free? Seeing how we live today; I make the hypothesis that we are still subjugated. No longer to the Spanish monarchy, which after centuries has clearly reached the end of its power and moral prestige, just like the British one. But yes, to an interwoven network of beliefs and habits that we have acquired or rather, that we have been inoculated. Like the "bat virus", our oppressive enemy is invisible and works subliminally. Their main weapons are fear, dependence, and distraction.

Fear

The classic dictatorships openly instill fear, cut out the tongues of those who speak out against the regime, torture those who collaborate with the rebels and poison opposition leaders with “Novichok”. In our democratic countries, fear is cultivated opportunistically and indirectly: hurricanes, terrorists, economic crises, the IRS, common criminality, sharks, asteroids, radical political tendencies, chronic diseases, Anthrax, bird flu, swine flu (H1N1) and as the last hit: the "pandemic" of the Coronavirus. Any excuse is good to keep us people scared.

Since the Twin Tower attacks on September 11, 2001, COVID-19 in 2020 has been the biggest cause of terror in the world. In recent history, there hasn’t been a combination of letters and numbers that has paralyzed the entire world with fear simultaneously and for as long as this “China virus”. I will not question its dangerousness. For that, I invite you to come to your own conclusions after reading the opinions of the most critical scientists, analyzing the numbers of deaths by the population universe in each age segment and compare it to the previous year period.

Likewise, it is important not to ignore the percentage of "false positives" in the tests that are being used to measure the "degree of infection". It also doesn't really matter if the virus is natural or was created in a lab, because the effect on generation of fear is the same. What we can see is that, in this situation of collective paranoia, it is very easy for the authorities to implement control measures and restrict citizens' freedom even more. 

Obviously, all these emergency actions and regulations are "in favor of public health and the safety of the most vulnerable." This makes them functionally and ethically legitimate and thus only few dare to question them. The virus is highly contagious, much more dangerous for those over 65, but not deadly enough to have to completely isolate ourselves. In addition, it is said that it comes from China and supposedly there is still no vaccine. These characteristics make it the perfect enemy. The same as the 9/11 terrorists and the Latin drug lords, with whom we have been in war on terror and drugs for decades but have not been able yet to eliminate them. It is no accident that our "enemies" are always "immortal." This way, they can make the most out of them in cultivating the terror.

Another dimension of this first weapon is the fear of rejection. This is the most subtle and powerful, since it is infused to the one who does not conform to the collective agreement, to the supposed common reality, to the opinion and beliefs of the majority. People who do not faithfully follow the general trend, are disqualified, categorized and canceled. The simple fact of not wearing a mask can already be reason enough to marginalize, insult and even attack a person who is still a citizen, with its rights to free expression and movement. The mass media does its part by acting as a catalyst and amplifying feelings of fear.

The consequences of this fear of COVID-19 is that people turn to the authorities to find a guide on how to act. The politicians, opportunistic by nature, take advantage of the situation, increase and consolidate their power and take money from where there never was to “protect and help” the submissive masses. If you add up the money spend on the war on drugs, war on terror, the bail out after the financial crisis and now the COVID-19 stimulus, you reach the sum of the current US national debt of roughly 20 trillion $.

Dependence

After fear, dependency is the second weapon that mows down our freedom. We went from dependence on our parents, to dependence on society, companies and the state. We are dependent on norms, what people think, and our own limiting beliefs. In addition to the psychological dependencies, there are those of a physiological nature. A hungry person does not think. It is a saying that explains the essence of this principle. If people are barely covering their basic needs, they have no ability to focus on other things than working to bring bread to the table.

Over the last 70 years, the purchasing power of most people in the US has dropped dramatically. At the same time, the needs have been inflated by the advertising machinery inciting to overconsumption. Even the way we eat has been changed. The "food" industry has filled us with sugars and refined flours, making us dependent on them and causing us to consume more and more calories. On the other hand, there is a never-ending stream of new diets and the growing obsession with work-outs in order to lose weight again. It's a vicious cycle of dependencies - crazy!

For those of us who have a life of comfort and security, it is more difficult to get rid of attachments and dependencies. Although we can see the opportunity, we do not want to take the step for fear of losing what we have achieved. We depend on our comfort and the tiny security, which is totally relative and therefore fictitious. The book ‘La Vaca” by Dr. Camilo Cruz describes this concept with an excellent analogy. We have to kill the cow to free ourselves from the "security" it provides and go out and seek new opportunities for growth. The book “Who Moved my Cheese” uses a different analogy for the same idea.

Distraction

To forget that we are not free, to satisfy our desire for adventure or to escape the cruel and fearful reality, distraction comes into play, the third freedom-crushing weapon. The entertainment industry offers countless safe possibilities to fill our free time with banalities and prevent us from fighting for our freedom and development. I only name the top 5 of this decade:

1. Sports competitions

2. TV series

3. Video games

4. Social media

5. The insignificant news

In the past, you went to the movie theater once a month, because there weren't as many new movies to see. Nowadays, the production of series and movies is of such magnitude that one could spend a lifetime glued to a screen immersed in other people's stories. It is the same with the younger generations who seek to satisfy their needs for action and adventure through video games. These completely kill the imagination and creativity of our children.

Much more efficient than television, the algorithms of Facebook and Google / Youtube mouth-feed us one piece after the other of what we like the most so that we do not stop consuming the content in hours and hours of sedentary lifestyle. It is no longer necessary to interact in person with family or friends, because recognition and social interaction can be obtained with the 'likes' and comments on Instagram. Although these new media can be of great informational value, they are also used to transmit content sequences that program and influence us in a subliminal way and continue to develop our consumption habits.

Furthermore, they represent a control platform that influences our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. I recommend that you watch the documentary: "The Social Dilemma".

The three weapons or factors: fear, dependence and entertainment work together. A person with fear, hunger and distraction does not think clearly and only reacts instinctively to the impulses it receives. Even if we manage to defeat one of the factors, there will be two more to subjugate us. With COVID-19, the three weapons have been combined in an overwhelming way. Fear of such magnitude has been generated that borders, companies, restaurants, bars have been closed worldwide and we have been isolated at home for more than half a year, with very little or no resistance.

This situation has become moderately bearable, because the entertainment machinery was already prepared and loaded with enough ammunition to face the global paralysis (The Matrix style). In addition, the media has taken advantage and continues bombarding us with manipulated news and statistics (fake news) on the increasing number of infections and deaths to keep us confined.

As for dependency, we are only looking at the beginning, the tip of the iceberg. Behind the curtain of fear and distraction, the true purpose is being worked on, the economy as we know it, is being dismembered and its “reset” being prepared. It is almost too late to react, and it is not a topic that I am going to further develop in this post. In any case, we must bear in mind that, in the new scheme, they will try to have us even more dependent and controlled. I do not know if they will continue to use the same tools, through money or rather the debt and / or handouts of the state as to date. For sure they will soon try to force us to get vaccinated and only then allow us to leave our homes again. This way our well-being will depend on the "health" system, and, returning to my analogy, we will have been marked as with the "Z" of the Zorro.

It is a fact that the masks we are using do not provide absolute protection against any virus, although it probably reduces the speed of infection. That is what is intended, because the undeniable nature of a virus is that it tends to rapidly spread until it reaches the whole population. The crisis must last long enough, so that the behind-the-scenes moves can be executed without us noticing.

On the other hand, its use also confirms obedience, and not using it, points to those who do not follow the official guidelines, in other words, it serves as a patch, like the star that Jews had to wear in Nazi Germany. Anyone who does not wear the mask is inconsiderate, irresponsible and a hazard to public health. In some cases, the mask-less witch-hunt has escalated to such an extent that even groups have been arrested and fines issued. In short, we now also depend on a mask, possibly made-in-China, to be able to move freely. What a coincidence, it seems that the Chinese communist party is the winner so far. They are back to school, reopened their economy and at the same time extended and perfected their people-monitoring and control systems of  facial recognition.

Let's go back to the Zorro story that puts me in a better mood. While he is a rebel with a mask, now the rebel is the one who does not put it on. The government wants to unmask him and sentence him for rebellion and crimes against the crown. But the Zorro does not give up, because his principles of freedom and integrity are solid, and he has absolute certainty that he will achieve his purpose of freeing his people from tyrants. Like Zorro, it is important that we be clear about our values and base our decisions and actions on them.

We are inside a grinding machine that squeezes us little by little, taking the juice out of life. We can only get out of its funnel if we make a conscious effort. The effort has to be twofold: On the one hand, elimination, in which we have to get rid of fear, the desire for immediate gratification that the entertainment and certain dependencies and habits give us. On the other hand, make the effort to continue growing daily, looking for our life purpose and independence.

As well as Zorro, who, at the time of seeing so much injustice in his native California, decided to stop being the noble and wealthy Don Diego de la Vega and at night to become the swordsman with the black cape and mask. Exiting the comfort zone requires great courage and can make your life an authentic adventure. It will connect you spiritually with the community in a common mission of creation and freedom.

I identify with the mission of helping people to free themselves from what is holding them back, to be successful in the earthly world and at the same time live a spiritual life. I want to contribute to finding points of view that balance ideas and open people's eyes in the sense that there are several realities and despite this, we can all live and be happy together. One of my tools is this Blog through which in almost all my writings I provoke and invite to reflect, question and at the same time keep an open mind and seek balance.

Depending on the way we use it, the mask can be a symbol of different meanings: of hiding the true identity, of covert struggle, of a mysterious being, as in the case of Zorro. Or used as a cover for the mouth and nose, a symbol of protection, prevention, but also of obedience, silence, retraction, subjugation like the muzzle of a dog.

In my opinion, it is definitely an interesting phenomenon to see to what extent authorities can keep us conditioned and controlled without the use of force. This is how 2020 will remain as the year of the pandemic, of the Coronavirus, of COVID-19. Unfortunately for hundreds of thousands, the year of tragedy in which they lost a family member without being able to accompany them on their deathbed, or for millions who lost their source of income, the year of seeking a new professional opportunity. For the majority and the most fortunate, it will remain as the year of the mask, the confinement, the quarantine, the restriction and the obligation to follow sanitary instructions. 

Hopefully we get something good out of this crisis. In the best of cases, it could generate a prolonged effect of raising consciousness, questioning, fighting for freedom and simultaneously solidarity, consideration for others, protection of the environment, to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind, of order and cleanliness and why not, of voluntary use of the mask as it has always has been in Japan, to reduce the possibility of infecting others when one is really sick.

Gun Massacre Nation

I express my deep condolences to the families and friends that lost their loved ones at the horrific shooting on February 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where the 19-year-old teenager Nikolas Cruz shot 17 people with a semiautomatic rifle.

This tragic event affected many people, and raises a lot of questions, about Cruz as an individual (how does a person arrive at the point of committing such an act of destruction?), but also about wider societal issues: How can a young boy have the opportunity to pack an AR15 assault rifle, load several magazines filled with full metal jacket bullets and enter without obstacle a 2,972 student school? On the latter question, I feel the need to take position as a parent, as a citizen of the United States, as a gun owner, former NRA (National Rifle Association) member and practicing marksman. 

Growing up with guns

Similar to any other child in rural America, I grew up around guns, with the difference that I lived in Venezuela and not in Kentucky. During my childhood it was absolutely normal that when arriving at our farm on the weekends, we would fire some shots into a safe direction to make sure potential robbers knew we were there and armed. When laborers came onto our property asking for work, carrying their basic tools, which were long and sharp machetes, more than once I saw my mother place the Colt 38 special revolver on the table just to show that she was not defenseless. 

I found my first gun at 11 in an old monastery's general store and my father bought it for me thinking it was an airgun. Later I realized that from my bullet collection, the 22 caliber rimfire fitted perfectly into the barrel. When I told my father, he immediately took the pistol from my hands and we went out to the garden to test-fire it. We both were shocked when becoming aware of the danger that I had been in. From that moment on, I could only use the pistol under my father's supervision and he taught me how to handle it with extreme precaution. My uncle on the other hand, did just trigger my fascination for guns and at the same time my sense of self preservation. When I was about 14 he once asked me to get the Colt Python 357 Magnum from under the seat of his Lincoln Continental saying: “take out the bullets and bring them to me”. After, he let me have the revolver to handle it all by myself. So as you can see, I am not a “anti-gun liberal pacifist” and I understand them as an effective defense tool for certain situations.

In my house I exercise strict gun control

I have three boys (14, 25 and 28), and I keep my weapons locked up in a safe of which only I know the combination. Every now and then I take my sons and nephews to the shooting range to have some fun and at the same time teach them how to shoot and handle guns safely. Even if you have your firearms locked up, other households might not. Kids could get them into their hands anywhere. Therefore it is important they learn to handle and respect them as they learn to handle a knife, a kitchen stove or a car, that can be deadly too. 

Of course my bigger sons could legally purchase their own weapons, but as long as they live in my house I would not allow them to keep them. You might think that applying this double standard is not right, but I would like to explain my reasoning to you: I do not see that they have the level of maturity and control to possess a gun yet. And probably they recognize it too and have therefore never even asked me if they could.

It is our collective and individual responsibility

Maybe the issue with Nikolas was precisely the missing father figure, or the sudden loss of the last remaining parent, his mother, or being a foster child or everything combined. When events with this level of impact happen, mostly it is not the fault of a single person, but a failure of the whole society. A society that did not detect on time what was building up inside this human being, a society that allows military firepower in hands of disturbed individuals, a society that is mainly focused on business, culturally attached to their instruments of war and sufficiently corrupt to put the economic interests before the wellbeing of its citizens.  

This massacre problem cannot be left to the politicians to be solved alone; each citizen has to become active and it has to be tackled from deep within our society.  We will need a lot of conversations, common sense and emotional intelligence to be able to agree on a new base. Because when we are not able to protect our young ones, all parties, all groups, all of us parents, all teachers, all neighbors, all law enforcement, all mayors, all pediatricians, all governors, all senators, all presidents (past & present) have dramatically failed. Events like this put our society to a tough test and we basically have two choices: We can enter into the usual actionism, trying to cure the symptoms, or we could (and in my view should) dig deeper and start by diagnosing the route cause to then initiate a transformation developing ourselves to a new level.

There is urgent need for change

The consequence of not having tackled the issue so far: 14 kids and 3 staff members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. This happened only 26 miles away from where we live and has therefore touched us significantly. The killer is a young man that had been expelled from that same high school last year. My son will start high school this year and I find myself asking:“Is this really the society I want my boy to continue growing up in?” Well, the answer is that it is in my hands, in our hands and only in our hands to change it. I am a world citizen and I could live wherever I wanted, but 14 years ago I chose the US and it would be really great if I could be part of a transformation here.

Rigid positions lead us nowhere

When everything is categorized in black and white or in this case "for" or "against" guns, there is no constructive discussion possible. As the author and research professor Brene Bruce very well puts in her article https://brenebrown.com/blog/, we have to stop this "bull shit" of knocking down the arguments by disqualifying the other positions and ignoring the valid demands (like the example of the picture). Instead, we have to work together all sides to define and implement the requirements and conditions that a civilian should comply with to be allowed to posses or carry a gun? Not the other way round: everybody can have guns and there are some exceptions, like in the case of convicted felons. But criminals will get them illegally anyway. 

In my opinion, it is absolutely outdated to continue granting this freedom and right to everybody through the 2nd constitutional amendment. It is not logical that you can buy a semiautomatic high caliber rifle at the age of 18 and for entering a bar and purchasing alcohol you have to wait until 21. Even car insurance companies categorize men under 25 as higher risk categories and they know what they are talking about, because they analyze this with accident statistics.

Violence should be shown as crude as it is

Instead of declaring thoughts and prayers again and again after every massacre, maybe we should as a society, consider what it will take to change the mindset.  In example, the media could start showing the real graphic pictures of the wounded bodies and corpses so people understand the effect of destruction that these war artifacts infer. 

We have no problem in doing so in movies and TV series, where guns and violence are glorified.  When it comes to real happenings, we prefer to look away and hold up the “in America everything is great” flag. Nobody likes to see his weak or dark side and it requires even more greatness to be self critical.

There is not only one cause, it is a combination

Our type of gun freedom is really unique in the world, and combined with the high degree of mental health issues and drug usage in this country, it adds another ingredient to an already deadly cocktail.

I remember several crazy characters when I was a student at the German school in Caracas. Some of my schoolmates were angry and mentally unbalanced enough to maybe have done something bad. Of course we did not have the violence abstracting video games and internet access to all kind of distorted and sick content from all around the world.  But most important, we did not have access to the means of power to massively harm anybody. Therefore the maximum expression of craziness was a chair flying through a window, a fist fight or a teacher or fellow student being yelled at. I have to say, that things were not so anonymous and individualistic as they are today. We knew the crazy guys out there and were always alert and trying to anticipate what idiotic thing they could be doing next. In some cases we would even talk or scare them out of it.

The illusion of defending ourselves against a tyranny or "whatever"

I fully understand the argument, that being able to form an armed force, theoretically gives us civilians the possibility of protecting ourselves against potential tyrannies. 

Nothing would I enjoy more, than watching the Venezuelans blow Maduro and his gang of criminals out of the country. But this thought is total utopia, because even if all civilians had guns, in the extreme scenario of a civil war, the government would be able to use warplanes, tanks, bombs, chemical and biological weapons and exercise control over the infrastructure. There is very little chance that the people can defend themselves against a military supported dictatorship (just look at Syria).

The craziest thing of all is how our society has even created a fictitious threat of a post-apocalyptic zombie invasion to sell more weapons. You can buy zombie targets to practice shooting on them and even specific weapons are sold for chopping zombies apart. We have to put a stop to this collective delirium or we will end up living that world as our reality.

Nowadays, the tyrannical governments have other more subtle methods of keeping us under control. They use a spider web with a façade of a democracy and its composed of manipulated elections, taxes, debt, laws & regulations fabricated by congress for the lobbying interest groups, consumerism, “health care” and media. To fight this excessive government control, the best weapon is education and not guns and schools definitely must stay gun-free zones.

Too many weapons in unqualified hands

It is simply to easy to get firearms in America. I have bought a gun on a show and high caliber bullets at Walmart without any background check nor restriction other than showing my ID. In fact, anybody can posses unlimited number of bullets, guns and assault weapons and potentially go crazy with them. This gives individuals too much power and therefore limits our own freedom, safety and peace of mind. This overpopulation of guns also leads to an escalation of fire power on the law enforcement side, a group that is also not exempt of mental issues or abuse. The only ones benefiting from massive arming is the $ 50 billion firearm and ammunition industry (0.27% of the national GDP). It is incredible that this minority group with selfish economic interests keeps the whole nation hostage. 

All the talking and calling for more intelligence and empowerment to detain mentally unstable, increasing police force, arming teachers inside the schools does only make it worse and distracts from the main cause of the problem, which is that roughly 310 million weapons are still out there and increasing in numbers every day. As long as we allow this level of fire power in hands of the unqualified public, these shootings will continue. You can only hope that next time it will not hit you or your loved ones. 

Gun rights should become gun privilege

As a gun owner in Florida, I have to be conscious that the Constitution / State is giving me a "license to kill" in an event where I could "prevent imminent death or great bodily harm" for myself or another person (Stand Your Ground law). This is a huge responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. This empowerment has to be made conditional to certain restrictions and control mechanisms. 

That is why I would accept a strict retroactive gun control legislation that would allow only men of 25 and women of 21 years and older to possess firearms. All gun owners should be required to obtain a  concealed weapons permit. Further, they would need to be member of a training facility / gun club, practise regularly and undergo bi-yearly psychological tests (as hopefully does law enforcement too). The city police would have the right to control availability and storage of the guns at any moment without announcement. Military weapons should be banned completely. This is not rocket science and there are many examples from other countries on how to do this. I would still be able to go to the range for fun and be better prepared to protect my home, myself and my family.

The greatest act of American heroism will be the partial sacrifice of our current gun liberties for the full safety of our children. If we don’t do it, they will.

Pedro Cabrera Scheider

South Florida

The Big Fat Democracy Show

Today Nov 8, 2016 is Election Day and soon our nation of 320 million inhabitants will have a new president. Thereafter, we probably will fall into a vacuum, thinking, what show are we going to watch next!? Thanks to Donald Trump and the media (I'd like to especially mention CNN and FOX News), this election has been one of the best reality shows ever! Unfortunately this is not a joke! From start to finish, this election has had no real content, substance, deepening on the debate issues, but on the other hand, lots of gossip, insults, intrigue, threats, trash talking, sexting, dancing, singing, etc., etc....exactly the material of a reality show. And all fired up by a huge fat spending of over 1.2 billion US$.

Even for a person like me, not affiliated to any party, this whole show does not help to make an informed decision. The contrary happens, all the noise, the manipulation and the contradicting negative messages just generate confusion...and probably that is the intention of the campaign strategists. They have drawn a sad, black and white sketch that is too much of a simplification. I hope that most of my fellow citizens realize that the panorama resembles more a diverse combination of bright colors and shades. It is also important to understand that today's world is more connected than ever and that people think and feel more and more similar around the world. Also, most of the key economic, environmental and human challenges need to be tackled beyond national borders. I have lived and worked in three continents and experienced how different countries, political systems and large private corporations govern and develop themselves. The ones most successful in solving problems, are the ones that foster a collaborative, constructive and consensus orientated culture and dialogue, even when there are opposing views of individuals and groups within. 

Unfortunately this is not what I have experienced during the 2016 US election process. Here one tribe claims "everything is a disaster and wants to make America great again" and the other party states "everything is awesome". They have not even been able to agree on the diagnosis of the key issues and therefore the "debate" has escalated into a contest of pissing, trash digging and repetitive slogan and name calling. Especially by Trump, who has chosen the well-known campaign strategy of a demagogue. Definitely a smart move for him, as it was his only chance to stand out in the pack and quickly smash his initially sixteen co-candidates within the Republican Party (a big failure of the party). Hillary had to fight starting five, and later, only one real "opponent", Bernie. And although he surprisingly managed to kick off a social-democratic ”Political Revolution” (political system that I well know and have learned to appreciate in Germany) many of his young supporters were victims of the restrictive party affiliation rules, which did not allow them to select their candidate if not registered already as democratic voters. This is important to remember, as a big number of people did not want any of the present candidates to represent them. 

So basically Trump advanced because of his smart and assertive tactics and Hillary because the system was "rigged" for her. As a media and marketing veteran, Trump based his campaign strategy on "fear" and a "KISS" message. Kiss not as the affectionate gesture, but meaning: "Keep it Simple Stupid ". I am hopeful that the majority of voters are still conscious enough to see through all this foggy campaign and media storm. After balancing the little valuable information of what I could use from the campaign and taking a closer look at the personalities of the two choices, I did vote, and early. 

Stepping aside from all the questionable statements and noise generated in this election circus, I feel the need to look for a more universal explanation of this insane situation, and I found it: According to the Chinese calendar, we are in the year of the "Fire Monkey", who is "ambitious and adventurous, but irritable"! I do not guide my life based on astrology of any kind, but this collective state of mind is really present right now and considering it, we must stay calm and civil by all means and not be provoked by any extremist reactions that might follow after this emotional rollercoaster and in some segments of the population anger-loaded process. Whoever wins, we have to respect each other and be peaceful.

Democracy means that even if our candidate does not win, we accept the result. We definitely maintain a position of strength, consciousness and willingness to continue working together on improving quality of live on this earth, regardless of who is momentarily in office. Each one of us has more power than we imagine. In our daily role as a consumer, as a colleague, as a family member, as a neighbor, as part of a community and as a voice in social media, we can influence.

In order to better exercise this power, we must team up and work together on specific topics, speaking up and fighting for what matters to you...let it be protection of your private data, improving schools and teaching methods, conserving traditions, historical buildings, the natural environment, expanding the network of safe bicycle lanes, eliminating GMO and chemicals from our foods, getting rid of outdated laws and regulations and many more.

I do not see that our current democracy really wants us that involved. Do you think that politicians and special interests would want us active questioning what they do all the time? No, they want us entertained following the Kardashians or any other mindless TV show and sport event and just have us vote "yes" on any name or amendment they strategically position on the ballot? Why do you think the media and show industry have gotten so big!? Is it all part of a system that wants us uneducated, fat and passive...consuming everything that is thrown at us? If you are also unsatisfied with the current political process and status quo, if you have voted or not, if you are addicted to sugar, fast food or other comfort drugs, there is one thing you can do, kick yourself in the butt and right now, write down the topics that you care for most, go online and look for groups that are active in those areas. Join the one with whom you identify most and start getting into action as a citizen creating your own new reality! Happy Election Day!

Honda CB500X, La Moto perfecta para las Islas

Cuando terminé mi bachillerato tuve la oportunidad de vivir en Tenerife por unos 6 meses y desde entonces uno de mis sueños era darle la vuelta a la isla en moto. Ya en aquella época, la máquina que tenía en la mira para realizar este paseo, era una Honda, específicamente, la VFR750 que a mediados de los ochenta fue introducida al mercado mundial como una innovación tecnológica. Con 195 kilos, la actual CB500X, gentilmente cedida por Aucasa (importador de Honda para las Islas Canarias), pesa 5 kilos menos y me pareció una alternativa interesante para realizar mi sueño.

Después de sacar estos 47 caballos de fuerza de su establo en la Calle Ramón y Cajal, mi primera impresión fue, que la CB500X avanza con suavidad y ligereza por el tráfico de la ciudad. Su sistema de escape produce un susurro agradable y obviamente fue diseñado pensando en reducir al máximo la contaminación acústica. A mí me gusta sentir más el motor y por ende uno de los primeros accesorios que le colocaría a esta moto, sería un buen escape Yoshimura o Akrapovic, lo que definitivamente le destaparía el carácter deportivo. De todas maneras el andar de la CB500X enseguida transmite la sensación de confianza, calidad y control que son características del DNA de las motocicletas Honda.
 

Con mi esposa, a quien le encantan las islas, salí a dar un paseo de reconocimiento por Santa Cruz y sus alrededores. Fuimos hasta las Teresitas, la playa de arena sahariana que sirve de balneario a los locales. El motor bicilíndrico en paralelo de 471cc con doble árbol de levas (DOHC) nos propulsó con ligereza a lo largo del puerto y luego por las estrechas curvas subiendo la cuesta hasta el mirador de San Andrés. Reaccionando frente a un cambio de carril indebido por un conductor distraído, probé los frenos ABS (sistema de antibloqueo electrónico) que ya vienen de serie en todos los modelos Honda a partir de la CB500X. Felicitaciones al fabricante por esta decisión en pro de la seguridad! Esta tecnología es vital para el manejo en situaciones de frenado brusco frente a una situación imprevista, especialmente para los motociclistas. Dos amigos míos han sufrido graves accidentes con meses de estadía en el hospital por haber bloqueado los frenos en una frenada de emergencia y perder el control de sus motocicletas.

 

El gran día de mi gira a la isla comenzó saliendo de Santa Cruz rumbo al Teide vía La Esperanza. Aunque la lluvia del día anterior había eliminado la Calima (nube de polvo sahariano que había cubierto las Canarias por dos días como efecto del Siroco), las calles todavía estaban un poco resbaladizas por la mezcla del agua de la primera lluvia y la arenilla berebere. Así mismo, la sombreada entrada al Pinar de La Esperanza, cuyas verdes torres forman un contrastante túnel vegetal manteniendo la humedad sobre el asfalto, me recordaron que adaptar la velocidad a las condiciones es la clave para el manejo seguro.

 

Revolucionando el motor solo en la medida necesaria para navegar suavemente las curvas subiendo por el pinar, llegue algo frio, pero relajado al mirador del Monte de Joco donde ese día tuve por primera vez una vista despejada del volcán del Teide. Para los que todavía no le saben, con 3718 metros sobre el nivel del mar, el Teide es la montaña más alta de España y muy impresionante cuando se le conoce en persona. 

El día estaba espectacular y la CB500x prometía ser una excelente compañera para darle la vuelta a la isla. Así seguí con un ritmo más dinámico rumbo al Teide entrando en territorio de la lava, que durante la historia geológica de la isla ha formado unos paisajes increíbles y donde te sientes transportado a la luna u otro planeta desértico. Pensé que si algún día fuese a realizar un viaje de aventura en un planeta distante, definitivamente lo haría con un vehículo robusto y fiable como la Honda. La CB500x inspira esta sensación de movilidad segura en el tiempo.

Esta vez con mi hijo de "parrillero", bordee todo el Valle Ucanca para luego cruzar rumbo a Chío. El asfalto en esta sección de la carretera estaba bastante arrugado. La horquilla telescópica delantera de 41mm y el conocido sistema monoshock Pro-Link regulable atrás, me conectó fielmente con la carretera y sus imperfecciones. Definitivamente la suspensión de la CB500x está diseñada para andar en asfalto en buen estado permitiendo así un manejo muy dinámico en las curvas y al mismo tiempo ofreciendo excelente maniobrabilidad.

La TF-38, bajando desde las Cañadas del Teide, es uno de los tramos más atractivos, donde a mano izquierda se puede apreciar una hermosa vista panorámica de la Gomera. Este monolito estrujado de piedra volcánica que sale del mar es el lugar donde nació mi padre. Ese día sus cimas estaban totalmente cubiertas por una sola gran nube que permanecía estacionada sobre la isla. Me dieron ganas de extender mi viaje para tomar el ferry y conocerla más a fondo, pero decidí dejarlo para mi próxima visita a Canarias.

 

En Santiago del Teide me paré en un café donde descansaba un grupo local de moteros con sus pesadas Touring alemanas. Pensé que para la isla este era un despilfarro de cilindrada, potencia y dinero, ya que en las cortas y estrechas vías con sus curvas cerradas, estas naves no tienen ninguna ventaja frente a la ágil y divertida CB500X. Aproveché la parada para comerme un jugoso bocadillo de solomillo y conversar con un turista alemán, quien se quejaba de lo congestionado que estaba la zona turística del Sur.

De aquí quería cruzar por la TF-346 de Masca a Buenavista del Norte y luego seguir a la punta. Cuando comencé a subir la montaña y reconocí que esta ruta era un largo "espagueti Vermicelli", tan estrecho que en la entrada de cada curva había que turnarse con los coches o buses que venían en sentido contrario para pasarla. Como iba a tardar demasiado en recorrer esos 22 km de estas infinitas curvas, opté por regresar a Santiago para tomar la ruta rumbo a el Tanque. Para la CB500X el recorrido de curvas del “Vermicelli” no hubiese sido ningún problema, pero yo no quería que me cogiera la noche en el Norte de la isla y todavía me faltaba un buen trecho por recorrer.

 
Del pueblo El Tanque bajé por una pequeña calle de curvas cerradas y llegue a Garachico (ver foto abajo con el Roque), un pueblo muy pintoresco y de significado histórico, que representaba el principal puerto de la Isla antes de la conquista. Su plaza y el malecón sobre la lava, desde el cual se puede apreciar la bravura de su costa son sitios icónicos que hay que vivirlos. De Garachico me di un breve salto hasta Buenavista, esta vez por la costa.

Saqué unas fotos de los lindos paisajes costeros y me encaminé rumbo a Icod de los Vinos y luego a Pinelere, la Orotava donde me reuní con mi familia en el Guachinche de Lele y Lulu (ver foto abajo), quienes nos habían preparado una típica comida canaria con calderos llenos de exquisitas piñas, costillas, gofio escaldado, papas y vino de producción propia. La única manera de llegar a este Guachinche es ir con alguien que ya haya estado ahí y con un vehículo que pueda ascender la cuesta de casi 40 grados, lo que no fue problema para la CB500X.

Finalizado el banquete, regrese a la capital en línea casi recta por la iluminada Tenerife-5 (Autopista del Norte). A 120 km/h, que es la velocidad máxima legalmente permitida, la moto se siente extremadamente estable y así me llevo sin demora hasta la entrada de las Ramblas donde culminó mi gira a la isla. Cabe destacar el buen rendimiento de la CB500X que, pese al almuerzo canario, realizó la vuelta completa a la isla con menos de un tanque de combustible de 95 octavos.

Después de mi gira, me puse a ver las imágenes de la moto sobre los diferentes paisajes pintorescos que pude captar durante el viaje. El diseño de su parte superior y delantera me recordaba a una moderna embarcación marítima con líneas horizontales aerodinámicas y las partes bajas en tonos negros que se funden con el color de la vía. La parte alta del carenado en blanco y negro y el tanque en blanco mate, contrastan con el azul del mar y los cielos. Este diseño representa una fusión del estilo “adventure” y “sport” brindando una estética que cautiva y que seguro perdurará en el tiempo. Muchos de los llamados vehículos “crossover” tienden a perder la esencia del diseño original de cada tipo, pero en el caso de la CB500X, me parece que Honda logró un concepto muy limpio y balanceado.

Tomando en cuenta lo descrito sobre las características de excelente maniobrabilidad en las curvas y la buena propulsión que brinda el sólido motor bicilíndrico en paralelo en todas las situaciones, definitivamente puedo constatar que la Honda CB500x es el vehículo perfecto para las Islas. Se desenvuelve de manera profesional en todas las vías, sea en el agitado tráfico diario de la ciudad, las curvas de las carreteras de montaña o las rectas rápidas de las autopistas.

En una nota mas personal también les comento que en el mundo somos muchos los entusiastas moteros que en su territorio de residencia sea por mal clima, falta de curvas o tráfico excesivo, no tenemos las condiciones ni cercanas a lo que ofrecen las Canarias. Yo mismo, que vivo en Miami, básicamente recorro largas rectas planas con mucho calor y humedad. Para un motociclista acostumbrado al "cruising" en estas condiciones, Tenerife representa un paraíso de curvas, rutas moderadas de montaña, vistas espectaculares y la posibilidad de andar en moto durante todo el año con excelente clima (quitando la calima). Otros factores muy importantes son la cantidad de rincones y exquisiteces gastronómicas por descubrir, la buena condición de las carreteras, la hospitalidad de mi gente y la fantástica cultura motera que ya existe en España y que hace que los automovilistas tengan cierto entendimiento y respeto por sus compañeros de vía en dos ruedas. Compañeros moteros canarios, podemos estar orgullosos de nuestras 7 Islas y espero que sigamos fomentando la cultura de andar en dos ruedas. Ride on safely!