El testimonio centroamericano contemporáneo entre la epopeya y la parodia

En Centroamérica –al igual que en América Latina, en general– ha sido especialmente una práctica cultural-escritural la que desde los años sesenta ha ocupado un lugar privilegiado en el campo literario y político: el testimonio en sus más diversas formas. Al mismo tiempo, las narrativas testimoniales han resultado, o más bien han estado acompañadas, intervenidas y sobrepuestas, en y por múltiples discursos (teóricos) que han llevado a su canonización como una parte integral de las luchas y movimientos de liberación, una especie de práctica cultural-escrituraria que no solamente narra estrategias de resistencia sino que es una de esas estrategias. Esta canonización de ningún modo le hace justicia a la diversidad y a las contradicciones de la literatura testimonial centroamericana y ha resultado en una «memoria» excluyente que ha marginalizado la producción testimonial que no correspondía a las premisas dogmáticas del discurso sobre el testimonio. Palabras clave: Centroamérica, Testimonio.In Central America, and Latin America generally, one particular cultural-scriptural practice has occupied, since the 1960s, an especially privileged place in the field of literature and politics: testimony, in its various forms. At the same time, testimonial narratives have resulted, or rather have been accompanied, overlapped and intervened by multiple (theoretical) discourses leading to their canonization as an integral part of the liberation struggle and movements, a sort of cultural-scriptural practice that not only narrates strategies of resistance but is one of those strategies. This canonization does not do justice to the diversity and contradictions of Central American testimonial literature, resulting in an exclusive «memory» that marginalized the testimonial production that did not correspond to the dogmatic premises of the testimony debate. Key words: Central America, Testimony.

Living healthier for longer: comparative effects of three heart-healthy behaviors on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease

Background: Non-smoking, having a normal weight and increased levels of physical activity are perhaps the three key factors for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the relative effects of these factors on healthy longevity have not been well described. We aimed to calculate and compare the effects of non-smoking, normal weight and physical activity in middle-aged populations on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease. Methods: Using multi-state life tables and data from the Framingham Heart Study (n = 4634) we calculated the effects of three heart healthy behaviours among populations aged 50 years and over on life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease. For the life table calculations, we used hazard ratios for 3 transitions (No CVD to CVD, no CVD to death, and CVD to death) by health behaviour category, and adjusted for age, sex, and potential confounders. Results: High levels of physical activity, never smoking (men), and normal weight were each associated with 20-40% lower risks of developing CVD as compared to low physical activity, current smoking and obesity, respectively. Never smoking and high levels of physical activity reduced the risks of dying in those with and without a history of CVD, but normal weight did not. Never-smoking was associated with the largest gains in total life expectancy (4.3 years, men, 4.1 years, women) and CVD-free life expectancy (3.8 and 3.4 years, respectively). High levels of physical activity and normal weight were associated with lesser gains in total life expectancy (3.5 years, men and 3.4 years, women, and 1.3 years, men and 1.0 year women, respectively), and slightly lesser gains in CVD-free life expectancy (3.0 years, men and 3.1 years, women, and 3.1 years men and 2.9 years women, respectively). Normal weight was the only behaviour associated with a reduction in the number of years lived with CVD (1.8 years, men and 1.9 years, women). Conclusions: Achieving high levels of physical activity, normal weight, and never smoking, are effective ways to prevent cardiovascular disease and to extend total life expectancy and the number of years lived free of CVD. Increasing the prevalence of normal weight could further reduce the time spent with CVD in the population

Green Infrastructure Successes In US Benefit China

Green Infrastructure Successes in the US Benefit China—China has a new initiative called Sponge Cities. The Chinese government has pledged to provide billions of dollars in financial assistance in an effort to help numerous cities morph into “urban sponges.” Besides the selected pilots, other cities in China have also carried out their own experiment. MS Consultants has been asked to provide guidance to several cities on how the implementation of green infrastructure can reduce localized flooding and promote infiltration through their watersheds. There is a direct benefit for those cities considering green infrastructure solutions to learn from US cities that have already implemented large-scale projects and have lessons learned to share—which will be presented here