contents

4
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Opera
floor Hotel
If you like arts, history,
architecture and good
restaurants this is the best
place for you in the heart of
the heart of Bogota.

StreeAt rt
t?
What do you think about ar
out Art?
Do you know something ab
everywhere ,
Many people put their art
you know how? Where?

latin-american
2
tastes
The food isn´t only an element necessary
to survive, food is a pleasure, it ´s a magic
world with which we should live together.
 Personality and
epigenetic
Personality does not only influence the
possible success of life, it determines it .
Helth problems
caused by some bad life styles

The idea of this article is to pay

attention to the relationship
that there is between some
health problems and some bad
habits of people.

Editor in Chief Editors Design Project

Alonso Morris William Bello Yudezly Peña William Bello Skills 3
Sandra Rodríguez Natalia Celis Centro Colombo Americano
Laura Fajardo Lisbeth Dottor June 2009
Andres Cortés Ricardo Aguirre
4
 tourism

OperaHotel If you like arts, history, architecture and

good restaurants this is the best place for
you in the heart of the heart of Bogota.
By William Bello Medina

L
ess than five blocks around it
are the principal attractions of
Bogotá like The Bolivar Square,
The Presidential Palace (Casa de Na-
riño), The Prime Cathedral, The Bo-
tero Museum, The Golden Museum,
The Religious Art Museum and many
other interesting places to visit.

In front of the San Carlos Palace (For-

mer Presidential Palace) and next to
The Colon Theatre is this spectacular
hotel, its facade is a combination of
colonial and neoclassic styles becau-
se it was originally two houses, The
principal door is exactly in front to
the famous window through which
Bolivar jumped out the september
night when his enemies killed the
guards and Manuelita Saenz helped 5
him to escape through the window.
Its front has an intense terracota co-
lor with beautiful balconies that invite
to imagine what happens inside.
proyecto
Room Prices
Colonia Room (1st floor) US$ 178
Republican Room (2nd floor) US$ 191
Imperial Suite US$ 258
Restaurant Prices
La Scada Restaurant
average price per person US$ 20
La Terrace Restaurant
6 average price per person US$ 15
The hotel has two fantastic restaurants, The Scala
Restaurant specialized in Italian food, has natural
light and a romantic atmosphere, and the Terrace
with typical Colombian food, it has a beautiful view
from which you can see Bogota´s downtown.  The-
re you can try Ajiaco, Bandeja Paisa or maybe
Tamal with chocolate.
If you want to relax and renew energy you can
visit the luxurious spa pool or maybe enjoy a full
body massage of 30 minutes with aroma therapy,
choco therapy or hydro masaje. Later you can take
a delicious cocktail in the bar before going to the
bedroom in Italian style and historical atmosphere.
 tourism

The best hour to visit the

hotel is the evening before
sunset, on the terrace you
can drink a beer while
enjoing the spectacular
view of Bogotá´s
downtown.

The best hour to visit the hotel is

the evening before sunset, on the
terrace you can drink a beer while
enjoing the spectacular view of the
sky and ceilings of La Candelaria
neighbourhood its church domes
like San Ignacio, Nuestra Señora del
Carmen and the Cathedral, maybe
you can also remember, imagine or
hear the sound of horses and carria- 7
ges and see the shadow of Simon
and Manuelita under the light of an
old lamp. 4
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 Personality and
epigenetic
Personality development according to scientists and
psychologists depends on environmental and genetic
8
factors, the role played by both depending on the
combination of these two, but the diversity of thoughts,
feelings and decisions is still a topic of study.
By Sandra Rodriguez and Lisbeth Dottor
 psicology

You may be shy, outgoing, and so-

ciable. Also, you may be methodical
or disorganized. Qualities or defects
with varied combinations. But these
are the characteristics that define you
as a person and they are more impor-
tant than the physical appearance.

T
his article aims at clarifying in scientific But what is it that makes you have
terms the relationship between the these characteristics? This is a ques-
genetic and environmental factors. tion for philosophers and scientists.
In fact, personality does not only
What makes you be you? The way to act, influence the possible success of life,
it determines it (Paul Costa). 9
think and feel of each one is called perso-
nality. It defines us more than our physical
appearance or body. But when and how it
comes to structure the personality of so-
meone?
 The characteristics of personality
thera are more important than the
physical appearance.
For many years psychologists have been trying
to answer the question where does personality
come from? This question has been used to
create systems to measure and describe diffe-
rent personalities but it is not useful to know
where it comes from it or why your ideas or
actions differ from other people’s
Before people used to talk about personalities
types: melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic or san-
guineous, now the problem is raised in another
way, like, does the genetic and environmental
10 factors shape or structure personality? Neu-
roscience believes that biological differences
may explain the different brain characteristics
of people and justify why you are you.
When we talk about genetic infor-
mation, we can include another
term or concept, that’s “epigenetic”,
which is used to explain ‘the inte-
ractions of genes with their envi-
ronment. Today, the term is used
to describe the study of heritable
changes in the genome function that
occurs without a change in the DNA
sequence.
According to this topic, this is an
invitation to watch a program that
explains the epigenetic in the most
extraordinary reproductive anomaly
of nature, when the blastocyst (em-
bryonic stage) is split into two, spon-
taneously resulting in two babies
with the same genetic information
but totally different personalities.
 psicology

This difference is because there is an Epigenetic theory

epigenetic phenomenon which activates
or not some genes. These Changes can
explain the differences between twins, for
example, why one gets sick and another
doesn’t. Nature versus nurture.
This program can be watched on the Na-
tional Geography channel, it’s called “in
the womb: twins”, it`s very interesting to
see this program and try to understand the
debate of nature versus nurture, even the
origin of homosexuality too.
Is an emergent theory of deve-
lopment that includes both the
genetic origins of behavior and the
direct systematic influence that en-
vironmental forces have, over time,
on the expression of those genes.
The theory focuses on the dyna-
mic interaction between these two
influences during development.

The mysterious world of the fetal develo- Personality does not

pment of twins has been explored in this only influence the
channel, showing that identical twins are
more different from what we thought. If
possible success of life, it
you want to watch it, you’ll be surprised determines it (Paul Costa).
with that information. It`s very interesting
and easy to get the idea. 4
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11
12
you th in k a bo u t a rt ? Do you know
What do M a n y peo ple put their
somethin g a bou t a rt ?
w h er e , you k n ow h ow ? W here?
art every
 culture

et
Stre Art By Laura Fajardo and Andres

The artist is in
fluenced by a
hu - technique
is the way by and an artisti
hat’s art? Art

W
c intellec tual
c d e velop-
using aestheti ment. Using
mans beings, te or
techniques a
n d charac-
beauty, imita teristics of it,
patterns and visible, with shows his cre
the artist cre
ates and
m e th in g material or in ations, gives
express so ents. his persona-
co lo rs , so u nds or movem lity and self in
terest about
words, forms, eir feelings a
nd their evil or nasty g oo d a n d
tr a n sm it th and beauty.
In order to them.
th e w o rl d th at surrounds
vision of It can be ana
lyzed with th
rding to the ychology to st e artistic ps-
u se it s m eanings acco udy the creati
Peo p le uni- o n p h e no -
rt h a s b e e n used as comm meni and the
artistic know
epoch, so a lizations ledge, this
o, cu ltu re , re ligion and civi is called notio
n, and then th
cation to ist
e d th ro u g h time. The art shows his visi
on and the id
e artist
arn
have been le transmit some
thing other people e ologies to
o n o t o n ly who can und
is the one wh s to take into a
ccount erstand.
, h e /s h e h a
through art art.
e r a sp e c ts in order to use
many oth

13
 In Bogotá yo
u can go to S
re, in thea- eventh Avenu
h e re a re a rtists every whe on Friday nig
ht, or on Sun e,
T es
u se u m s, in galleries, stag Right there, yo
u will see ma
day morning.
ters, in m listen ny artists,
yo u ca n se e images and sellers, a mob
ile circus, and
where om e n capoeira too,
u n d s m a d e by men and w all art express
ions, walk alo
to so eas. n e Seventh
g ive e n te rt ainment or id Avenue whic
h is Bogotá’s
to artists there mobile theate
are really quit r,
artis- e good.
n d m a n y a rt ists and their
You fi ulptures,
fo rm s, si g n s, dancers, sc ,
Art is sensitive
, it is better th
tic , in the streets things, becau an other
o to g ra p h e rs se it is the be
ac tors, ph n-
b u se s, b lo ck s, shopping ce spend your fr
ee time and k
st kind to
parks, ncings, now who you
a n d m o re . Paintings, da are, art gives
you a happy
ters visual m om e n t a nd
si c, st o ri e s, poetry, audio we can do it
any where, h
m u gs are the ouse, work, yo
tures, drawin just need to w u
images, sculp a nd ant to.
iv e rs it y to te ll who you are
art’s d Are you artis
k.
what you thin need to show
t? To be an a
rtist you don
your creation ’t
people just u to other
se any art too
free time, you l to spend yo
14 can sing in th ur
Walk alone Seventh Avenue dance while cl
eaning the ho
e bathroom,
use, draw
which is Bogotá’s mobile something on
a paper, or w
rite a letter o
tell someone r
theater, artists there are what you thin
k.
really quite good.
 culture

The different
stories of stre
transport us et artists
to a different
cal, where im p lace, magi-
agination is o
money is nee n ly worth, no
ded to soak in
our city, just th e art of
take a little ti
hec tic everyd m e fro m the
ay life and ch
closely at wh a nge, to look
at is sometim
ciated. These e s not appre-
separate pre
entertain, are sentations to
an important
to culture and contribution
education as
all you need citizens, so
is some time
have fun, Fun a n d want to
Street. “

Where street
art is a transf
our culture, a ormation of
mirror for each
one interprets of us, each
it, without ru
Now you kno les or laws.
w where to p
u t your art
any where.
4
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15
 latin-american

tastes
By Natalia Celis and Yudezly Peña

The food isn´t only an

element necessary to
survive, food is a pleasure,
it ’s an entertainment, it ´s
a magic world with which
we should live together.

C
ulinary is a science, an art, it uses
all kinds of ingredients to provoke
an infinity of sensations. A kitchen
is other dimension where you are free
to create, to invent, to do whatever you
want. But, like another science, culinary
has important elements that a cook
has to involve, some elements get the
attention of people: flavors, colors and
textures are really outstanding. Howe-
ver, the importance of each one depends
on consumer. So a perfect mix of these
elements, ingredients and love produce a
magic dish.
16 We´ll start with colors and their role in
different dishes. The presentation of a
dish affects the acceptance and percep-
tion of consumers, the game of colors
and the organization determine directly
the quality of food. People are used to
associating live colors with fresh food, so
cooked fruits and vegetables don´t exhibit
as many live colors as raw food, for this
reason, salads usually seem to be live.
Besides, brighter dishes are more nutri-
tious; because each tone is associated
with a group of compounds, so, berries
and red food contain antocianinas, which
are antioxidants and help to protect the
body against cardiovascular diseases. In
the same way, yellow and orange foods
are rich in carotenoids. Some nutritionists

say that it´s a good custom to eat minimum
five portions of food of different colors per
day. So, colors aren´t only a esthetic sub-
ject, but without doubt, all food comes in
through our eyes.
Even more, the smell of food affects too,
since a cook begins to cook, all kinds of
smells are produced, and they provoke
different sensations in each consumer;
however, the smell depends on the tempe-
rature and technique of cooking, each form
produces different smells, for example, the
ideal temperature for preparing coffee is
100°C, at this temperature the mix of smell
produced is perfect, if it´s cooked over
105°C, it produces burned compounds, and
they´ll affect the quality of coffee.
So, the mix of those elements produces
effects in consumers, the game of colors,
smells and tastes determines the final qua-
lity of a product, and those are determined
by the ingredients, techniques and cooking.
gourmet
Ingredients play the principal role in a
dish, so it´s important to find the best
mix of elements to create a good dish;
however, Latin-American countries
don´t have problems with that, our
countries are rich in all kinds of agri-
cultural and natural products. So, you
can find all kinds of dishes along the
continent, exotic, strange, funny and
typical foods, they´re based on re-
gional products, and created around
their customs and traditions; typical
dishes represent part of the identity
of a community, their customs, their
wealth, their culture, so, it´s possible
to transform the proverb “Tell me that
you eat, and I´ll tell you who you are”.
Many people in the world recognize
food like a cultural patrimony, becau-
se it reflects the evolution of a town
and the influence of technologies and
other cultures. Santi Santamaría, a
recognized chef has made a manifest
through which he defends culinary
like a cultural patrimony of humanity,
he relates it with economic, social and
technology changes, and tells how the
globalization is affecting that cultural
identity and contributing to homoge-
nize nutritious customs.
17
So, we have wanted to show you some
popular and famous dishes of Latin-
American countries and some about
their history and evolution.

Mexico
In Mexico, the art of cooking has so-
cial and ceremonial connotations, it´s
included around the celebration of the
dead, this day, people create altars for
the dead, and put food, typical dishes,
alcoholic beverages, juices of fruits and
breads for the dead.
During the pre-Hispanic period, people
used to eat beans, corn and chile,
they were the base of their feeding,
and they keep them today, due to
poor consumption of protein, Mexi-
can people have found other sources
of protein, so they are used to eating
insects like “chapulines”, a typical food
of Mexican culture. This last food has
been kept until today, they´re fried
grasshoppers, and
they´re eaten
with salt and
lemon.
Chile is the most representative ele-
ment of Mexico, it´s spicy fruit, which
come from Mexico, there are more than
30 species of chile and they vary in
color from green, yellow and orange to
red, and spicy, it´s measured in Scovilles
(100-300000). So, in general, Mexican
food is characterized by spicy tastes
produced by chile, and the most fa-
mous food are burritos and tacos, they
use a tortilla of corn, and inside or over
it, people put some meat or another
thing with spicy taste.
Peru
The Peruvian gastronomy is one of
the widest of the world; it presents a
large variety of typical dishes, that have
been produced by cultural interchange
and a diversity of geographic features
and weathers, besides, Peru has highly
productive oceanic water. So, Lima is
since 2006, the gastronomy capital of
America.
During the pre-columbian period, Incas
used to eat many spices, and enormous
quantities of fish.
One of the most recognized dishes is
the Peruvian seviche, besides, it´s the
cultural patrimony of the nation. The se-
viche recipe is similar to other seviches,
but this has vegetables, seaweeds,
seafish and riverfish, onions and red
pepper.
 gourmet

Peru has a recognized Puerto Rico

beverage too, Pisco
sour, it´s a cocktail, it
was created
about 1920 in
Lima, its recipe
includes pis-
co, lemon juice,
eggs, ice, some drops of amar-
go de Angostura and syrup of gum.
Each culture has their own typical dishes,
but the majority of countries present
different dishes and customs around the
food depending on the weather, agro-
nomy, seasons and cultures.
Chile
In Chile, where corn is the typical product
and hence its representative dish whose
The Puerto Rican Sofrito is a dish that
delishts and surprises because it is pre-
pared with spices such as garlic, pepper,
onion and leaves, but in the end it re-
sults an emblematic dish in Puerto Rico.
Dominican Repulic
The Dominican Flag is a typical dish of
the Caribbean island. It is the combina-
tion of rice and beans with stewed meat.
This rich dish, pride of the Dominican
cuisine surprised surprises becauses of
easy it is to make and how tasty it is.
Since there are so many dishes to enjoy
in our country and in Latin America and
the world, the best way to know them is
by testing each and every one of them
so as to experience the different flavors,
aromas and textures offered.4
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main ingredient is the product of corn

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cake, which has a smooth texture and it
tastes delicious.

Colombia
As Colombians, we might think that “Ajia-
co” is a common dish, wish, is delicious
and requested by our visitors and famous
people around the world.

Cuba
We may think that “Rice with chicken”
and “Sweet milk” or “Purk roast” is
Colombian food, but it is not, these are
typical Cuban dishes whose tastes and 19
smells are very provocative and the pork
has a particular hard and crunchy texture.
Helth problems
caused by some bad life styles
Now the world knows that a lot of health
problems can be caused by some bad
lifestyles. Also, some of those problems
can be caused by genetic causes too.
Well, the idea of this article is to pay
attention to the relationship that there is
between some health problems and some
bad habits of people.
By Ricardo Aguirre
 helth

A lot of people in all the world are dying because

they have not been careful with their health. These
people have problems of obesity, overweight, high
cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

Some of these illnesses are related to each other, and

maybe one can be a consequence of another. For
example high blood pressure of obesity, overweight
or maybe diabetes; heart attacks can be a conse- 21
quence of hypertension.
 In general, these problems are more common in old people
than young people; however, this is changing, so young
people should take care of their health when they are young,
because when they get old, it can be late.

Frequently, people who suffer obesity, overweight, high cho-

lesterol, and other metabolic problems, were probably seden-
tary when they were young, them probably spent a lot of time
in front of the TV, or maybe sleeping. These people probably
didn´t do exercise in all their lives.

Another important cause for these problems is that these

people aren´t careful or eat too much fast foods and don´t
avoid fatty foods.
22

The usual excuse for these bad habits of life, is that people
never have time to do exercise; they are tired and prefer to
watch TV, go to bed or do things of more importance.
 helth

The usual excuse for these bad habits of life, is that people
never have time to do exercise; they are tired and prefer to
watch TV, go to bed or do things of more importance; they
don´t have time to cook and prefer to eat fast food without
caring for the implications.

It’s a reality that people that do exercise or practice any

kind of sport and avoid eating fatty foods are more healthy
than people than don´t do exercise and prefer fast foods.

In many books and articles written by doctors with empha-

sis in the practice of physical activity tell us that physical
activity should be carried out or realized by each sedentary
person in a daily walk of 40 minutes at a good intensity and
it is recommended that it be continuous.4
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