Beyond Chile's Single Story

Larry Summers is Wrong: Why Learning Multiple Languages is So Valuable

Today’s New York Times features a Room for Debate section about the need to learn multiple languages. Six panelists, including author Stacie Berdan, agree that it is crucial to learn more than one language to operate in the new, globalized world.

They all refute an assertion by Lawrence Summers, former president of Harvard University [...]

Oversupply of Chilean Cherries in China Causes 50% Drop in Prices

Here’s the latest update on last week´s cheery, bilingual posts on Chile-China cherry trade. It reads like a textbook case study in supply and demand, as well as a cautionary tale about the risks inherent in agriculture, exports, perishables, and trends in general.

From today’s El Mercurio: (translation and emphasis mine)

Oversupply of [...]

Bus ConCiencia: A Brilliant Way to Share Science Education in Chile

Do you remember doing hands-on science experiments?

When I was a sophomore in high school, for a chemistry project, I studied baking. I decided to research the chemical properties of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder vs. baking soda, etc. I then ignored printed recipes and attempted to create tasty treats. The first few were [...]

Anatomy of a Much-Retweeted Tweet: audience, keywords, immediate benefit

Yesterday I tweeted:

So far this link has been shared, retweeted, and favorite’d 15 times, which is a lot more than most of the links, pictures, and observations I share on Twitter.

Why this tweet? I have some ideas.

1) Clear Audience. I addressed this tweet towards China-philes. This is a [...]

¿Por qué emprender? (Is there a good English translation of “emprender”?)

With several Start-Up Chile entrepreneurs, I am leading a five-day seminar at Casa de la Mujer Huamachuco, a community center in one of the poorest areas of Santiago, in the comuna of Renca. Soon I will write more about this experience.

For now, here is a translation of the list scribbled above:

Motivations for Entrepreneurial [...]

Cerezas chilenas: Un sabor dulce para el año nuevo Chino

To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, I am trying something new: posting about trade with China in both English and Spanish. The English version of this article is here.

Esta semana es el año nuevo chino. Feliz año del dragón!

Nos ofrece la oportunidad de destacar un ejemplo exitoso del comercio chino-chileno: la [...]

Chilean Cherries: A Sweet Treat for the Year of the Dragon

This week is Chinese New Year. Happy Year of the Dragon!

In honor of this holiday, I would like to spotlight a successful example of Chile-China trade: Chilean cherries for Chinese New Year.

Red, sweet, and packed in gift boxes, Chilean cherries are a special treat. The holiday is centerpiece of Chile’s exports of high-end [...]

Domos: a social enterprise preventing domestic violence in Chile

One of my goals for this blog this year is to provide a spotlight for Chilean entrepreneurs, in English, to share their stories with people outside this country.

Back in 2008, when I was working for a software social enterprise in San Francisco, I collaborated closely with a organization called NESsT. NESsT’s main office [...]

Self-Defense for the Slasher Lifestyle

This article originally appeared on Brazen Careerist. Thanks Brazen for depicting me (or at least my message) as strong and savvy!

Do you ever find yourself on a client call, while simultaneously organizing basketball practice, brainstorming a blog post and daydreaming about lunch? You might be a slasher in need of some serious self-defense.

The [...]

Madam Tusan: Chinese Cuisine with Peruvian & Chilean Characteristics

I wrote this a few months back, right when the restaurant opened. A delicious side of modern China-Chile relations!

Madam Tusan, a Chinese-Peruvian restaurant, opened a few months ago at Parque Arauco, an upscale mall that looks like it could be in Southern California.

We visited the restaurant after reading this [...]