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Friday, November 29, 2013

Ohh Controversy!

This post is going to be controversial. If you are not ok with that please stop reading now. That being said, I am about to speak my mind like it or not. Here goes....

In 2009, breast cancer research received $872 million worth of federal funding, while prostate cancer received $390 million. It is estimated that fiscal year 2010 will end similarly, with breast cancer research getting $891 million and prostate cancer research receiving $399 million. October is breast cancer month in the USA (and I believe world wide) Pink ribbons everywhere,donation boxes, fun runs,businesses donating money. Awareness is everywhere. You know what that is great! I am not some woman hating breast cancer loving monster. But what frustrates me is, there is no equality! How many of you knew that According to estimates from the National Institutes of Health, in the United States in 2010, 207,090 women and 1,970 men will get new cases of breast cancer, while 39,840 women and 390 men will likely die from the disease. The estimated new cases of prostate cancer this year — all affecting men — is 217,730, while it is predicted 32,050 will die from the disease. How many of you knew that September is Prostate Cancer Month and their slogan color is blue? Look at the numbers. A very similar number of women get diagnosed with breast cancer as do men with prostate cancer.

Movember (a global movement started in 2003 to raise money for prostate cancer and other male related cancers)has raised the awareness of cancers affecting men. Also the now disgraced Lance Armstrong still has a few worthy foundation, Live Strong. These are a good start but only within the past few years have men's health issues even been talked about. Do you know why? Politicians. Politicians realize that women are a big majority of their voters and if they want to win votes then they have to overly finance breast cancer research while leaving men's health issues in the dust. I participate in Movember every year so that I can have an excuse to grow a mustache and raise awareness at the same time. It is a great conversation starter.

I realize that in many parts of the world even in 2013 women are marginalized. They get beat,raped,persecuted,forbidden to go to school or drive. The list goes on. But in the developed world women are NOT marginalized they have the exact same rights that I do. Here in Bogota the other day I was on the bus and I saw a bus wrap poster on the inside of the bus teaching women how to do a breast self exam. It was paid for and sponsored by Glaxo Smith Kline (a huge pharmaceutical company). That is great that they want to teach more women how to check themselves for breast cancer but do you know why they did it? Profit. The old saying is "You have to spend money to make money" they spent money on this campaign so that everyone would think they are such a loving and caring company and request their flavor of medicine.

Where is the bus wraps telling men to go get checked for prostate or testicular cancer? Where are our fun runs? donation boxes? Companies donating money? You don't see these things because now it is male health issues that are marginalized. In many ways men are still "top of the ladder" but in health issues we are at the bottom. It shouldn't be like this. We men deserve and have the right to at least equal and fair representation for health issues and we are not getting it. It makes me very sad.

Agree or disagree with me I want to hear your thoughts. Click Here to see where I got my facts and figures from. -Tyler

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Exciting stuff

Well I do actually have some exciting news to tell you. In addition to my teaching (I just recently got offered online teaching work which is great!) as an add on to my in person teaching. I have also been doing some acting! Just as an extra but still I get to be a famous gringo haha. I have been filming two telenovela's, one set in the 70's in NYC and the other is mob like drama. It is easy work and I don't even have to say anything! We get fed and I get to meet a lot of new people. But, the days are long. The least amount of hours I have worked is 10 and the most is 15. There is no overtime pay :( But mostly it is a lot of standing around doing nothing. Then when we actually get to do something it is wild and crazy activity. Usually many takes of the same scene over and over (I have done 20+ before) and then back to doing nothing again. As extras without speaking parts we are like the bottom of the food chain and no one really cares about us but we do get paid for very little actual work. As soon as I know when the actual episodes are going to air I will let yall know.

Also very soon I will be back in Texas for a visit! I am excited to see my friends and family again. It will be nice to be home for the holidays for the first time in a while. Until then I guess it is business as normal here. Well I just wanted to give yall a little update. Take care,Ty

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Wow its been a long time!

Wow it has been a long time since I have blogged for yall! it really has been a combo of not having a computer/internet access and not having much to blog about. But I am back! Well lets see.... what has happened to me in the past two months? I went rock climbing in a Colombian town called Suesca. it was my first time to do that and it was really fun! I am hoping to go again. Now that the weather is getting bad again (this time of year the weather is always bad) I wasn´t sure how I would do with the rock climbing and at first it was slow going but once I got the hang of it I really liked it.

It is now November and we just had a "puente" last weekend which in Spanish literally means "bridge" but in this context it is more like a four day weekend. Luckily we also get another one coming up this weekend! Colombia actually has the second most holiday days off out of any country in the world. Argentina is first I do believe. Last weekend I just did a lot of relaxing but this weekend for the holiday time I am going to try and actually do something fun. I am just not sure what or where yet.

Work is work. It has been going slowly since they changed our contract and gave us all less hours but I am still limping along and just waiting for December to get here because I am going back to Texas to visit my family. Starting again mid January Colombia will start to function again and hopefully work should pick up. I will be looking for more work again in January but things are ok. Could be much worse than they are now. I am happy with my apartment and I have a good job even if I am not working as much as I would like. I have a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Even at this reduced rate I actually make much more than your average Colombian does, so I consider myself lucky. Health wise I am doing fine so no big complaints here.

For Halloween I got to go to the Halloween party of the company that we are subcontracted too. We just provide them with English teaching services but they were nice enough to let us go. I had a good time and it was free food and free booze so you can´t complain about that.

I really don´t know what else to tell yall. Colombia has calmed down now and things are back to normal. Of course there is still protests and things (currently it is the healthcare workers that are protesting) but nothing near as bad as it was a few months ago when they blocked the roads and all that stuff. Honestly I am doing basically the same thing that all of yall are doing, I am just doing it in another country and in another language. I wish I had more to tell you.

I remember back when I was living in Australia and NZ and doing all my traveling I always had something amazing and exciting to tell yall. Now my life has become routine and boring but I guess it can´t always be exciting. I am thankful for what I have and I am still working on my goal of becoming a Spanish Translator. There is things that I miss about The States but I also really enjoy living here. I have written many blog posts about how Colombia is pretty messed up sometimes but, no country is perfect. I am overall pretty happy here and I invite any of yall to come down here and visit me!

Well I don´t have anything else for yall so I am gonna end this one. I know this was a boring update but that is basically all I have down for the past two months. Yall take care,Ty