Voices: The Pope's powerful message to Cubans

Rick Jervis, September 24, 2015

SANTIAGO DE CUBA – I’ve always been fairly skeptical about how much power one man can exercise, even if that man commands the attention of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.

I understand that Pope John Paul II visited Poland in the 1970s and ‘80s and gave speeches so stirring that they helped launch the Solidarity opposition movement and lead to the collapse of communism in the country. And I know that popes throughout history have had influential moments.

But, really, how much can one man and one microphone do? How literally do people take his message? These were the questions that kept my mind busy when I left for Cuba last week to cover Pope Francis’ four-day trip. I was curious to see how much impact the words of this 78-year-old man can have on a population of 11 million. I’m becoming fairly familiar with Cuba. I’ve been to the island three times this year, five times overall, and grew up in southern Florida. My parents are Cubans who left the country in 1962. Cuba today continues to fascinate and dismay. It’s a place of beauty and jolting contradictions. The re-establishment of relations between the U.S. and Cuban governments, begun last December, continue to stir excitement and hope in Cubans, and changes are trickling in.

I followed Pope Francis from Havana to Santiago and heard him talk of reconciliation, love for mankind and the importance of family. I interviewed Cubans who glowed with the fervor of the faithful as they pledged their love for the Pope and promised to follow his message. But my question remained: What does all of this mean? How does it translate to actual change on the island?

To help me sort through this, I visited Father Jorge Catasus, a popular parish priest here who helped welcome the Pope to the city. We sat in the cool, cavernous back room of his 18th-century church, safe from the 37-degree heat outside. Catasus said “don't focus on any grand political or social changes stemming from the papal visit”. The most important changes, he said, come from within. That’s what Pope Francis offered as a first step, and that’s what Cubans across the island, in chants, cheers and tearful acceptance, agreed to abide by.

“The lives of men are decided in their hearts”, Catasus told me. “That’s where we’ll see the change”. This may not be 1980s Poland, and Solidarity may still not be anywhere in sight. But first things first. A change of heart can often lead to a world of good.

TEXTO:

The latest innovation that’s changing the way
you break a sweat is likely to have even the most
internet-savvy millennials starry-eyed with workout
wonder.Today marks the release of the interactive
[5] gym, Mirror ($1,495, plus a $39 monthly subscription).
    At first glance, the device looks like a sleek, no
frills reflective surface you might hang up to checkout
your leggings-sports bra combo before heading off to
spin class. Switch the device on however, and you’ll
[10] come face-to-face with a trainer who can lead you
through a full class of cardio, strength, yoga, Pilates,
barre, boxing, and stretch—all of which you can tailor
by time and skill-level to your personal fitness goals.
Visual feedback is at the center of the smart decor’s
[15] design. Not only can you see yourself and the trainer
as you perform each move in front of the device, but in
the live classes, the trainer can see you and offer you
feedback, like “Make sure you can see your toes in
chair pose!”
[20]    If you can’t catch one of the 50 or more real-time
sweat sessions offered per week, each category of
class is also available on-demand for midnight HIIT
(High Intensity Interval Training) sessions or spur of
the moment afternoon pick-me-ups.

Disponível em: https://www.wellandgood.com/good-sweat/mirror-athome-workout-equipment/. Acesso em: 05 mar. 2008. Adaptado.

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In Search of the Next Boom, Developers Cram Their Apps into Smart Watches
Clever apps might persuade people that they need a wrist-worn computer.

  The age of wearable computing is upon us. Forget the debate over how
capable or fashionable the first devices are, how popular they may eventually
[5] become, or even whether we fully understand what we’re getting into with these
devices. The big question is simply: what will they do? And the answer will have
much to do with the apps that emerge.
  Both hardware makers and software developers hope that wearables, like
the smartphone, tablet, and television, will become a new platform for application
[10] development. The two most promising platforms are the headset and the smart
watch. But while the only viable headset is Google’s still-in-beta Glass, smart
watches and smart watch apps have arrived. These early smart watches may
also help clarify what does and doesn’t work for software development in the broader emerging category of
wearable technology.
[15]   Samsung is launching the Galaxy Gear, which runs a modified version of the Android smartphone
operating system, with a small group of third-party application developers, both to work out the kinks in its
software application programming interface, and to establish best practices for app development. One of
Samsung’s launch partners for Galaxy Gear is Runkeeper, which has already developed a popular fitness
application for smartphones and for the Pebble smart watch.
[20]   Nine months ago, Runkeeper began working with Samsung on apps for other devices. Runkeeper’s
CEO, Jason Jacobs, compares this generation of smart watches to the first tablet computers. “As with any
new category that emerges, it’s a question getting to know the category and figuring out what the use cases
are,” he says. For the Galaxy Gear, Runkeeper is following Samsung’s and Pebble’s approach of using the
smart watch as a companion for the smartphone. This approach will affect the way apps are designed.
[25]   “It’s not a replacement for the app on the phone,” says Jacobs of the Runkeeper app for the Galaxy
Gear. “It’s a remote control so you can keep your phone in your pocket, can start and stop without pulling
your phone out. It’s the same data, the same application, but changes the experience to make it less intrusive.”
  Jacobs believes some unexpected ways of using smart watches will emerge as apps appear. “No one
really imagined that doctors would use tablets as they made their rounds,” says Jacobs. “The skeptics who
[30] say ‘no one would ever use that’ [about smart watches] are some of the same people who said they would
never use a laptop without a keyboard.”
  Pocket’s founder and CEO Nate Weiner acknowledges that a smart-watch screen is limited. “This
device is not for long periods in which a person is looking at their watch to consume content,” he says. “We
weren’t going to just drop a Pocket list on there and assume people would want to read or watch a video on
[35] their watch for a long period of time.”
  This may be a veiled jab at Google Glass, but it’s also part of our expectations for a wristwatch:
besides being relatively hands-free, the appeal of checking time, weather, or notifications on a smart watch
is that it’s quick, natural, and discreet. Ideally, third-party applications will follow the same approach.

By Tim Carmody, Technology Review published by MIT, 25/09/2013

Adapted from http://www.technologyreview.com/news/519541/in-search-of-the-next-boom-developers-cram-their-appsinto-smart-watches/

    Newspapers, radio, television, and the internet — including e-mail and blogs — are usually less influential than the social environment, but they are still significant, especially in reassuring attitudes and opinions that are already established. The news media focus the public’s attention on certain personalities and issues, leading many people to form opinions about them. Government officials accordingly have noted that communications to them from the public tend to “follow the headlines.”

  The mass media can also reinforce latent attitudes and “activate” them, prompting people to take action. Just before an election, for example, voters who earlier had only a mild preference for one party or candidate may be inspired by media coverage not only to take the trouble to vote but perhaps also to contribute money or to help a party organization in some other way.

    The mass media play another important role by letting individuals know what other people think and by giving political leaders large audiences. In this way the media make it possible for public opinion to encompass large numbers of individuals and wide geographic areas.

Internet: <http://global.britannica.com> (adapted).

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