"La Ultima y Nos Vamos"

It's that time of the semester when the holidays start and we all prepare for finals and then vacationing! Come out to the last junta next Tuesday November 27th for some free food, prizes, and MORE FOOD.

We also have your shirts. Come and get them! 

We will be in the SAC room 1.118 from 6-8pm.

We would definitely like to see you again before the end of the semester.  Have a good Thanksgiving break and see you next week!

T-Shirts!

It's official!

Practica Plática's 2012-2013 T-shirt design will be

Order your shirt now! We take checks, cash, and now credit/debit card!

If paying by cash or check: 
Members: $7
Non-members: $12
Checks should be written out to Practica Platica with 'tshirt' on the memo line.
If paying by credit or debit card: 
Members: $7.25
Non-members: $12.25

Remember Tuesday November the 13th is the ABSOLUTE last day to order! We will be putting in the orders the very next day so pay for your shirt NOW!

T-shirts and voting!

Hi everyone!! Hope you had an amazing halloween weekend ;)

Here are some updates about what's going on in Pepe:

First of all, TSHIRTS!! We will bw voting on the final design this coming tuesday [October 30th] so you don't want to miss this meeting. Here are the two designs we have for this year:

Come to the meeting and help us choose the one you like the most! The last day to order is on November 6th, and prices are $7 for members and $12 for nonmembers. 

Hope to see you there!

TechComunidad 2012

This weekend, Practica Platica will be participating in River City Youth Foundation's community event TechComunidad. TechComunidad seeks student clubs, churches, industry associations, tech professionals, and anyone passionate about putting the power of technology into the hands of low-income youth and families that need it the most.

When is TechComunidad™ Dove Springs? 
Saturday, October 27, 2012 at River City Youth Foundation,
5209 S. Pleasant Valley in Dove Springs
Families attend 8am-5 p.m.
Volunteer times vary. www.TechComunidad.com

What Happens?
Hundreds of pre-selected families begin a new way of life by participating in a daylong bilingual digital technology event where parents learn computer basics and hundreds of youth learn hands-on technology skills and the path to getting good jobs. Featured activities include:

* Spanish language and bilingual topics ranging from social media and video production to wi-fi apps and video gaming.
* Culturally relevant life sessions on STEM careers, college readiness, and scholarships.
* Hands-on, interactive demonstrations on how technology integrates with daily life around education, health, and government
* Parents that complete TechComunidad receive a FREE laptop or tablet and
continue several months of follow up technology training.

Why?
TechComunidad aims to give parents the tools and confidence to successfully guide their children’s education from pre-K to college and career. Southeast Austin’s Dove Springs is Austin’s largest populated youth community where one of every two households does not have technology access.

How Can You Help?
* Be a Volunteer (there are lots of ways to help, everything from set up, serving an instructor assistant, being a family guide, helping the IT team, and more). We also have a great need for Spanish speakers.
* Attend TechComunidad as a Service Project for Your Organization
* Sponsor a Family’s Computer Start-Up Package
* Distribute this message to your friends, colleagues, and email lists
* Help Spread the Word on Twitter (@techcomunidad) and Facebook (TechComunidad).

Want to get involved? Click here to sign up!

Noche De Cultura Esta Semana!

Guess Who's Back, Back Again!?

Ok folks it is time again for our quarterly-annual NOCHE DE CULTURA. This week we will be celebrating the largest country in South America.....

BRAZIL!

That's right, we will be bringing the wonderful culture and delicious food of Brazil to this weeks platica. Make sure to show up this Tuesday October 23rd and be prepared for some delicious Brazilian nom noms provided by Rio's Brazilian Cafe.

Until we meet amigos!

ULI's Deferred Action Clinic

Pepe will be participating in University Leadership Initiative's Deferred Action Clinic this Saturday October 13th. The event will be at Travis Heights Elementary School from 11-4pm.

About Deferred Action:
On June 15^th, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings.

With this relief, the young person would be eligible to apply for a work permit lasting up to 2 years.
To find out more information about the requirements to apply or to find out more click here. 

Want to get involved? It's not too late. You can sign up to volunteer at the event or even show up the day of. Volunteers are needed as:

Runners (BL/NBL) – will be performing errands for the other volunteers, lawyers, etc.

Translators (BL) – will be working closely with applicants in order to get important documents and applications translated

For more information on this event, or questions regarding the trainings, please contact Juana Guzman at uli.dreamvoter@gmail.com 

(BL: Bilingual/NBL: Non-bilingual)

Who: University Leadership Initiative
What: Deferred Action Clinic
When: Saturday October 13, 2012 11-4pm
Where: 2010 Alameda Dr. Austin, TX 78704

Contemporary Mexico Lecture

The Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and the Mexican Center of LLILAS present

The Austin Lecture on Contemporary Mexico

The PRI is Back Where Is Mexico Going?

Sergio Aguayo Professor of International Studies, El Colegio de México Thu, October 11, 2012 • 4:00 PM • Santa Rita Suite, UNB 3.502 Reception will follow

This lecture places the recent electoral victory of the PRI in the broader context of Mexican politics over the past 50 years.  The central argument focuses on the emergence of two political cultures—one authoritarian and the other democratic—exemplified in 2012 by the striking contrast between the state of Mexico and the Federal District (DF).  These competing political cultures have deep implications for many key issues and concerns, from patterns of political participation, to policies toward endemic violence, to relations between Mexico and the United States.  Ultimately, this analysis provides a frame for looking toward the future, to understand the character and chart the course of Mexican democracy in the 21st century.  Sergio Aguayo is Professor of International Studies at El Colegio de México. His research focuses on the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, human rights, and Mexican democracy. He served as president of the Mexican Academy of Human Rights from 1990 to 1996. For a complete bio, visit sergioaguayo.org. Event will take place in the Texas Union (UNB) located in the corner of 24th and Guadalupe St. Validating Parking in the San Antonio Garage  (25thSt & San Antonio Garage) Map here Learn about upcoming events To see who else is going or to comment visit this link For more information, please contact Paloma Diaz (p.diaz@austin.utexas.edu; 512-232-2415)

Room Change!

Don't forget this Tuesday will be the first day in our new room! We will finally be able to stretch our legs on the ground floor of the Union's Eastwoods room (2.102)!

ALSO, don't forget that this Tuesday is the deadline to pay Practica Plática's membership dues of $5.00!

The money collected will be used to buy supplies and goodies for all Pepe events and fundraisers.

HELP US HELP YOU! Pay your dues!

Pepe Social!!

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed our very first Noche de Cultura! We are open to ideas and suggestions for countries, events, activities, and definitely topics for conversation you are interested in, just let us know what you would like to see Pepe become ;)

Also, we want to invite you to our very first Pepe Social! We are getting together on Sunday, October 7th at Juicy Tart [awesome froyo and very nice excuse for taking a break]. We're getting there at 6pm so come over and hang out for a little while, get to know your fellow platicadores and bring your friends! This is not a meeting, so we are leaving it up to you guys to decide if you want to practice your spanish here as well ;)

For those who don't know where this awesome place is, it is on 24th street behind Starbucks on the second floor, hope to see you all there!

Noche de Culture - Featuring México

The day has finally arrived!

Tomorrow we will be having our very first Noche de Cultura special plática session where we will be honoring a piece of Mexican culture.

Come out for a special treat, as we present one of Mexico's most well-known delicacies.

After NDC, we will resume our normal pláticas as planned.

Hope to see you there!

SEC Film Committee Presents: 'Pan's Labyrinth' (El laberinto del fauno)

On Wednesday October 3rd, the SEC film committee will be showing 'Pan's Labyrinth' (El laberinto del fauno) in the Texas Union Theatre (UNB 2.228) free for all UT students, faculty and staff.

This three-time academy award-winning movie, written and directed by Guillermo del Torro, is an excellent work that demonstrates the beauty of Spanish cinema.

"In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again." -IMDB

The officers of Pepe would like to invite you to attend this event!  It starts at 9pm Weds Oct. 3, but we suggest to get there 30 mins early to get a seat!

So mark your calendars because you're not going to want to miss this!

You can find more information about this event here.

¡Hola a todos!

We want to thank you all for coming to our very first meeting! We are very excited to work with you guys! We also want to let you know that we are working in ways to make the plática more interesting so that we can all get the most out of this group.

If you couldn't make it this week for whatever reason, don't panic! You are very welcome to come to our next meeting next week at the same time [6:30] at the Union 4.110, and bring friends!! See you next week!

¿Y el lugar?

It's official!

Our permanent location for the semester will be the African American Culture Room which is room 4.110 in the Union from 6:30 - 7:30pm every Tuesday night.

Our first meeting will be TUESDAY September 4th.

We are looking forward to getting to know all of you, and helping you grow in your Spanish education!

Just a little gossip: we are in the process of getting some volunteer opportunities lined up for the club so if you are interested in that keep an eye out!

Hope to see you there next Tuesday!

Hello, Pepe people! Looking for a research position? Read the following below:

"Dr. Sue Yeong Kim, a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, is looking for students who would like to gain research experience and who are also strong Spanish speakers. Students can receive course credit through HDF 355, a research practicum course, for their work on the project. Non-HDF majors can use the course as an elective course for their degree. Interviewers are sought for Fall 2012 and beyond. Students with strong Spanish language skills can e-mail Dr. Kim at sykim@prc.utexas.edu for more information."

They are looking for students who can take the class. However, the class is all research (no exams!). In addition, they prefer that students do roughly 10 hours of research a week.

If this tickles your fancy, go ahead and apply now!

Reportan que Calderón busca puesto en universidades de EU

El diario texano The Dallas Morning News dice que el Presidente de México podría estar en negociaciones con la Universidad de Texas, Harvard, Georgetown o Stanford.

El presidente Felipe Calderón estaría en pláticas con diferentes universidades para dar una cátedra después de dejar el Ejecutivo Federal de México, según revelaron fuentes cercanas a las negociaciones al diario texano The Dallas Morning News.

Entre las universidades que estarían en pláticas con Calderón, se encuentran la Universidad de Texas en Austin, Harvard, Georgetown y Stanford, sin embargo, la que se encuentra con más posibilidades de ingresar al presidente en su planta de profesores es la Universidad de Texas.

“El Presidente no hará comentarios”, afirmó un vocero de Presidencia al diario texano. La Universidad de Texas tampoco respondió oficialmente.

En un año, Calderón se ha reunido al menos dos veces con el presidente de la Universidad de Texas, William Powers Jr. Una de estas reuniones fue el 26 de abril en Houston, según las fuentes del diario texano.

La oficina de Calderón conduce el trabajo preliminar de conseguir casa para él y su esposa, Margarita Zavala, así como escuelas para los tres hijos de la pareja, según el periódico.

The Dallas Morning News afirmó que esta salida del país de Calderón podría ser un indicador de lo frágil de la situación de la nación en materia de seguridad y del trabajo que aún queda por hacer.

De elegir la academia, Calderón seguiría los pasos del ex presidente Ernesto Zedillo, el último priista en el poder, quien terminó su sexenio en 2000 y regresó a su alma mater, la Universidad de Yale, donde es profesor y director del Centro de Estudios sobre la Globalización.

Calderón ha expresado su deseo de trabajar en temas de comercio regional, educación, problemas ambientales, y hacer del tema climático su mayor prioridad.

Calderón no tiene raíces en Texas y consiguió sus títulos en Economía y Derecho antes de asistir a Harvard, donde fue becario del programa Edward S. Mason y recibió ahí su título de maestría en Administración Pública. Sin embargo, el prestigio de la Universidad de Texas, en políticas públicas y su proximidad con México, serían un plus para el presidente saliente, según el diario texano.

Por meses hubo una polémica sobre lo que haría Calderón después del fin de su sexenio. Algunos sugerían que regresaría al frente del PAN o que sería el próximo titular de la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) si resultaba victoriosa su correligionaria Josefina Vázquez Mota.

Entre las especulaciones, una pregunta era la más frecuente: ¿Calderón seguiría residiendo en México? Algo que se consideraba como exponer a su familia y a él mismo ante un ajuste de cuentas de los cárteles, pues desde el primer mes de gobierno sacó a los militares del cuartel para llevarlos a pelear contra ellos en una guerra donde se manejan cifras de entre 60 y 80 mil muertos, siendo ésta una de las principales críticas al Presidente.

UT Party on the Plaza 2012

Hola friends!

Pepe will be participating in UT's Party on the Plaza 2012, one of the largest student organization fairs on campus! There will be over 200 student organizations and the event features games, food, fun, and many activities to welcome incoming freshmen! All returning students are welcomed as well.

Party on the Plaza will take place Wednesday September 5th, from 10:00am - 5:00pm in front of Gregory Gym.

Come out and support Pepe in our first year at Party on the Plaza!

Anuncio:

Are you one of those students that does so well in class but can't figure it out at home? 

Do you have an extremely creative mind, but can't get it out on paper? 

Do you struggle with Noticias y Sociedad? 

Are you exceedingly book smart but can't speak a word? 

Do you toss and turn thinking about the lab that is coming up?  

Then Practica Plática wants to help you! 

We would like to announce that Pepe will be offering FREE tutoring services to all its members! Of course all the material would have to be Spanish related. Help in the following areas will be available:

• Grammar 
• Creative Writing 
• Speech 
• Verbs
• Proofreading
• Projects
• Reading
• Study techniques 

Just so you know, all tutors will work on a VOLUNTEER basis. We like to consider Pepe as a community within a community trying to help one another succeed. 

Interested? 

Feel free to send us an email. Remember that we will only be available to help in SPANISH related courses. 

Are you inclined in any of the above areas? Are you interested in helping out a fellow platicador? Let us know by email or FB! 

Free Salsa Lessons!

In the Austin area for the summer? Love to dance? Then why not stop by Ruta Maya on Sunday evenings for a free salsa lesson with Cubana Instructor Esther Weekes!

Salsa Lessons at Ruta Maya

Esther teaches salsa at Ruta Maya every Wednesday and Sunday at 8pm except the third Sunday of the month.  purchase required

Cuban Salsa "Casino"

The appropriate name for Cuban Salsa is Casino as it is known throughout Latin America. Historically, Casino traces its origin to the dance halls of Cuba from the Cuban Son dancing and its rhythmic body motions from Afro-Cuban Rumba.

Casino is danced in a circular motion as opposed to the linear or slot movement more common to North American Salsa Styles. Culturally, Casino is danced in male and female couples (with emphasis on sexual interplay, teasing, and everyday experience) but is also danced solo (Suelta) and in groups (Rueda de Casino) in which pairs of dancers make a circle (or “wheel”) and execute dance moves when called out by one “Caller” (or Cantante).

The Instructor

The Instructor is Esther M. Weekes, Ed.D., a native of England. She began learning Casino in 2005 and was hooked from the start! She initially studied with Sandra Moro-Sleeper (www.streetsalsa.com), a second-generation Cuban, in her current home town of Austin, TX. She has attended workshops in Casino, Rueda de Casino and Rumba in the US and Mexico and most recently in Havana, Cuba. Her regular teaching schedule includes group classes at Ruta Maya International Headquarters (www.rutamaya.net), group and private instruction at her home studio in South Austin and private events.

Classes and Events

For information on classes and events please check out www.austincasinosalsa.com or e-mail Esther atesther@austincasinosalsa.com.

If you are interested in events and updates like this, be sure to like Pepe on Facebook! This fall with be full of fun and interesting events like this and many others throughout the semester!

Leadership Needed!

Calling all leaders! There are a few spots available for 2012-2013 Líderes de Pepe. 

Se solicitan estudiantes que:

• Have an intense passion for the Spanish language
• Pay great attention to detail
• Are imaginative and crafty 
• Dedicated and witty
• Open, warm, and brotherly/sisterly to all peers
• Sensitive to the thoughts of others
• Accountable
• Must be available for the meetings!

We could use a variety of different leaders. A leader is not necessarily someone who makes all the group's decisions, or tells others what to do. Instead, it is a person that can guide others by example, and is a genuine friend to all those around him. 

Do you feel the need to lead? Let us know by email or facebook message! 

¡Ten cuidado cuando usas el Facebook!

Spam ataca a usuarios de Facebook

México, 11 Jul. (Notimex).- La popularidad de Facebook está siendo aprovechada por los cibercriminales para propagar virus en Internet, a través de enlaces que dirigen al usuario a páginas maliciosas, invitaciones a eventos o videos que contienen algún código malicioso.

Y es que esta semana comenzó a circular en la red social un spam que invita a las personas una reunión llamada “eleventodelsiglo”, reenviada desde la cuenta de un amigo que ya ha sido infectado.

En mensaje de Facebook dice: “Como sé que te va a gustar la idea de vivir un viaje al pasado te lo comento. Entra en google y busca con el texto: eleventodelsiglo…Pero el texto asi todo junto. El primer resultado es para apuntarse. Yo me acabo de apuntar!!! La decada de los 20, gansters”.

Al momento que el usuario realiza la búsqueda y entra a la pagina, el perfil es infectado con un malware que distribuye el spam automáticamente a todos sus contactos con el mismo mensaje, sin que se dé cuenta.

De acuerdo con un reporte de la empresa de seguridad en internet ESET, Facebook es vulnerable al spam por su diseño, ya que los usuarios suele confiar en los mensajes que ven en los muros de sus amigos y no tienen miedo a hacer clic en ellos.

La compañía precisó que debido a los millones de usuarios que tiene la red social en el mundo, se ha convertido en un negocio multimillonario para los cibercriminales, ante la facilidad de propagar virus.

Sobre todo, debido a que los softwares antivirus sólo protegen de la descarga de malware, pero no puede resguardar el contenido de los muros de Facebook, por lo que si se hace clic en un mensaje de spam, la persona podría infectar su equipo y sus amigos.

El usuario por lo general tiene que gustarle el mensaje de spam, responde preguntas o instala una aplicación falsa que requiere el acceso a su información, el cual contiene un código malicioso enmascarado como un códec de vídeo o un mensaje.

“Al confirmar estas acciones, los usuarios de manera voluntaria pueden infectar sus computadoras con malware, por encima de su software de seguridad. Al final de esta prueba, el usuario puede o no puede ser puesto de manifiesto la “impactante video”, que es generalmente falso”, afirmo la compañía.

Del sitio Yahoo! News México 

Mexico elects a new President

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Monday to focus on energy, labor and tax reforms and said he hopes to strike deals with opponents to help shepherd changes through Congress before he takes office in December.

Pena Nieto won Sunday's election with about 38 percent of the vote, good for a lead of about 6 percentage points over his nearest rival, returning his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) to power after 12 years in opposition.

But the victory margin was smaller than expected and results suggested the PRI and its Green allies would struggle to win a majority, officials at the electoral authorities told Reuters.

That would leave Pena Nieto reliant on other parties to back his plans to reinvigorate Latin America's No. 2 economy.

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, the 45-year-old said he was ready to consult with outgoing President Felipe Calderon and bring in policy experts to get work done on the economic reforms and help ease their path through Congress.

His main reform proposals include allowing more private investment in Mexico's state-run oil industry, overhauling the tax system to improve government revenues and liberalizing the country's labor laws to encourage job creation.

Calderon's conservative National Action Party (PAN) had already tried to get similar reforms through Congress over the past six years but the efforts were thwarted by opposition from the PRI, which spent the last 12 years in opposition.

Long regarded as corrupt and authoritarian, the PRI has bounced back under the youthful Pena Nieto, who has vowed to break with the party's checkered past.

He has sought to bring in new blood to the party, and Pena Nieto said his campaign chief, Luis Videgaray, 43, would form part of his government team. Videgaray is well regarded by investors and seen as a possible choice for finance minister.

Pena Nieto has promised to lift economic growth to about 6 percent a year, create jobs and draw the heat out of a war with drug gangs that bogged down Calderon's administration. The conflict has killed more than 55,000 people since late 2006.

Opinion polls in the last days before the election had shown Pena Nieto winning by between 10 and 15 percentage points, but with 95 percent of returns in, the gap with his leftist rival, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, was about 6.3 points.

PAN candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota came in a distant third.

Lopez Obrador said on Sunday night it was too early to concede defeat, but Calderon and U.S. President Barack Obama have already congratulated Pena Nieto on his triumph.

The U.S. State Department said it expected close cooperation against organized crime to continue under Pena Nieto.

The PAN suffered a crushing defeat, hurt by Calderon's failure to ramp up growth and curb the drug war violence.

Pena Nieto will take over at a time when Mexico's finances are in good order and the economy is improving, although it still cannot generate enough jobs for the growing population.

His message that the PRI best knows how to govern Mexico proved a compelling argument for many voters.

"The PRI have learned to listen to the people, they have learned they are not kings ... to engage with people, understand them, and rule in a coalition with the people," said 20-year-old student Hector Perez.

The election result helped bolster Mexico's main share index early on Monday before weak global manufacturing data hit stocks and the peso currency.

LEFTIST RIVAL

Lopez Obrador could still choose to challenge the election, as he did six years ago when he narrowly lost to Calderon and launched months of protests, alleging fraud.

He has said in recent weeks that this election campaign was also plagued with irregularities, raising concerns that he might again call his supporters onto the streets. On Sunday night, he said only that he would wait until all the results are in.

The PAN raised high hopes when it was elected in 2000, but the economy underperformed its peers in Latin America for most of the 12-year rule by the party, which never had a majority in Congress and was unable to push through reforms.

"Nothing has improved since the PAN got in," said Mexico City plumber Raimundo Salazar, 44. "The PRI understands how things work here. And it knows how to manage the drug gangs."

Pena Nieto said he will focus on reducing violent crime rather than targeting drug barons. But after declaring victory he dismissed accusations by opponents that the PRI might try to negotiate with the cartels. "Let it be very clear: There will be no deal, no truce with organized crime," he said.

De Yahoo! News

Una Fiesta de Verdad!

Unos locos posaron desnudos para tomar una foto en Múnich, Alemania

Celebran Festival de Ópera de Múnich desnudos y cubiertos de pintura roja y dorada

Miles de personas voluntarias posaron desnudas para el fotógrafo estadounidense Spencer Tunick con motivo de la inauguración del Festival de Ópera de Múnich.

La idea del artista, conocido por sus sesiones en lugares públicos con modelos desnudos, es reproducir con los voluntarios, pintados de dorado o de rojo, motivos de "El anillo del Nibelungo", de la tetralogía de Wagner.

Como serán las platicas

In case many of you were wondering how a 'Practica Platica' session will work, we decided to lay down a few of the guidelines:

We wanted the group to have an open and comfortable feel to it, so we decided to create more of a 'get-together' environment where the members could just come and chat.

Of course there will be some information given out in the beginning and the end of the meetings, but there will be no set topic that will be discussed. So in other words, anything goes.

Each session will be an hour long, and we will reserve the first ten minutes and the last ten minutes for English discussion.  In this part we will be giving club updates, news, and briefly discuss upcoming events and ideas.

In the 40 minutes in between, we will be speaking COMPLETELY in Spanish. This is the only 'rule' that Pepe has. All members are encouraged to use all of the Spanish that they have learned in order to communicate with the group, a partner, or whomever they chose. We want everyone to know that nobody will be judged, picked on, or criticized for their level of Spanish. 

Just so you know, the club is open to ALL Spanish speakers, whether they be first year 601ers, or native speakers. All we ask is that you come willing to share what you've learned!

Also, when we break down the club time limits, you most definitely do NOT have to be there the whole time. You can come when you like, and leave when you like, but we strongly encourage attending the entire session or at least one of the English parts so you don't miss important news. Even though we will be updating the blog frequently, it's just good to get the information straight from the source. 

Remember that since Pepe is not your 'traditional' type club, we are certainly open to any ideas for events! So we want to hear from you--let us know if you have any ideas for fun, spanish related meets during the semester. 

Also, there will be occasional snacks and tasty treats brought to the meetings.  Just a little sweet incentive to practice.

¿Qué pasa con el nombre del grupo?

For those of you who are new to the Spanish language, we thought we would share a little bit about our organization's name "Practica Plática" just incase you had some questions about the name's origin.

Why Practica Platica? 

In spanish, the verb 'to practice' is practicar, while the verb 'to chat' is platicar.  If someone wanted to say the noun form of the verb platicar, it would be plática. 

Since the entire purpose and reason for our club's existence is based upon practicing conversation, it just seemed so fitting to put the two together!

Not to mention they just so happen to rhyme. 

What the heck is PePe? (better not be what I think it is.)

'PePe', pronounced peh-peh, not pee-pee, is the Spanish pronunciation of the group's initials PP. 

Peh-peh is more fun anyway. 

Los smartphones ¿son un riesgo para la salud?

Según la Sociedad Colegiada de Fisioterapia del Reino Unido, la gente se ha convertido en "esclavos de la pantalla" y a menudo están trabajando cuando viajan hacia o desde la oficina y al llegar a su casa. Este ambiente que propicia una mala postura corporal puede provocar dolor de espalda y cuello, dice el organismo. Según los expertos, es necesario que la gente "aprenda a apagar" sus dispositivos móviles.

La Sociedad llevó a cabo una encuesta con más de 2,000 oficinistas. Los resultados mostraron que más de 64% de los encuestados dijo que seguía trabajando en sus teléfonos inteligentes y otros dispositivos después de salir de la oficina. Y pasaban en promedio dos horas en ello.

Esto además de las 6 horas 22 minutos que en promedio pasan frente a una pantalla en la oficina durante su día regular de trabajo. Las principales razones que citaron los encuestados por las que seguían trabajando eran que con esto "liberaban la presión en trabajo diario" (35%) o que "tenían demasiado trabajo" (33%). Otro 29% de los encuestados señaló que el trabajo extra en la casa les ayudaba a reducir sus niveles generales de estrés. Y "un preocupante 24%" -dice el estudio- quería que sus jefes les brindara un servicio de asesoría contra el estrés.

Un 53% pensaba que su trabajo en casa fuera de las horas de oficina se había incrementado en los últimos dos años, y de éstos, sólo 8% expresaron que su jefe estaba tratando de hacer algo al respecto.

• Muy preocupante

Tal como señala la Sociedad "los fisioterapeutas están preocupados porque este trabajo excesivo está almacenando problemas de salud mental y física para el futuro. En particular porque 66% de los encuestados informaron que sufrían alguna enfermedad vinculada al trabajo, como dolores de cabeza o de espalda".

La Sociedad agrega que "la mala postura al usar teléfonos inteligentes y otros dispositivos móviles puede conducir a dolor de espalda y cuello". Las largas horas de trabajo también pueden incrementar las enfermedades vinculadas al estrés, señalan los expertos.

La doctora Helena Johnson, presidenta de la Sociedad, expresa que estos hallazgos son "muy preocupantes". "Aunque hacer un poco de trabajo extra en casa puede parecer una buena solución a corto plazo, si se vuelve una parte regular de nuestras rutinas nocturnas esto puede conducir a problemas de espalda o cuello, además de las enfermedades vinculadas al estrés".

"Esto se aplica principalmente cuando la persona utiliza dispositivos móviles y no piensa en su postura corporal. Hable con su empleador si se siente bajo presión" agrega la experta.

Por su parte, el secretario general de la Federación de Sindicatos de Trabajadores del Reino Unido, Brendan Barber, expresa que "los niveles excesivos de trabajo no son buenos para nadie. Los empleados con exceso de trabajo no sólo tienen más probabilidades de rendir menos en el trabajo, también es probable que el estrés que causa una carga de trabajo que no puede manejarse les provoque enfermedades".

"Las personas que sientan que no son capaces de dejar el trabajo en la oficina deben hablar con sus jefes y aprender a apagar sus teléfonos inteligentes" agrega el funcionario.

Del sitio Yahoo! Noticias México 

Ideas para el ontoño

¡Hola amigos!

Espero que ustedes estén disfrutando sus vacaciones. Tenemos muchos planes para este semestre que viene. Vamos a ofrecer servicios de tutoría, sesiones de cultura hispana, y por supuesto, hora de conversación.

Estamos MUY entusiasmados con la comienza del semestre.

No se olviden de decirles a tus amigos de lo que va a pasar aquí en el campus! Más gente = más diversión!

Bienvenidos!

Hola Todos -

Welcome to our blog! We are a new student organization on campus that seeks to assist all students that are interested in the Spanish language with speaking, homework help, and even food tasting. We will accomplish this by holding weekly meetings that will allow all the members to get familiar with one another and, of course, practice some Spanish.

In our eyes the best way to learn a language is to, well, practice it, and that is the goal that we have in Practica Plática.

We will be updating the blog weekly--probably a little bit more frequently during the semester when we have club updates. Even if there aren't any club updates, we will still be providing some delectably juicy and interesting articles, videos, and celebrity gossip (in Spanish) for your enjoyment.

We are very excited to get started this fall and we hope that you are too!

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