Hector A. Ruiz

MBA, Project Manager, Tennis Player, Musician, and Author of "How to Destroy a Country"

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Star Wars: The Indoctrinating Cult

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On February 21, 2020

In General

This last weekend, I re-watched Star Wars (the original 1977 film) for the 4395th time, and what a wonderful movie it is. Is it a masterpiece comparable to Godfather, Citizen Kane or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest in terms of script, acting, and directing? No, and not by a long shot. But it’s an extremely competent movie that has been able to stand the test of time thanks to the fantasy world it created and its memorable characters. After watching it, I was so in awe that I decided to watch the entire original trilogy and came up with the same conclusion. Then, I decided to re-watch the prequel trilogy, you know… to give them sort of like a second chance, and oh my…

I remember that back in 1997 when word was out that George Lucas was doing a prequel trilogy, the first thought that came up in my mind was: “This sounds like a great idea… financially speaking. Now from an artistic point of view… I’m
not quite sure.” I never wasted any money watching Episode I or II on theaters, because I pretty much realized that by me spending any money on them would be complying and condoning the production of these terrible movies, a logic that was confirmed after I would eventually see them. I’ve never really cared for George Lucas as a filmmaker and I never really understood the need of playing with the Star Wars universe other than to milk the franchise for everything that is worth it and more, and of course, dividing the Star Wars fan base even further. You see, before the prequels, there were two types of people: 1) people who liked Star Wars, and 2) people who didn’t care about Star Wars. Now there are four types of people: 1) people who like the original Star Wars and dislike the prequels, 2) people who still don’t care about Star Wars, 3) people who don’t care about Star Wars but still go see it in theaters because they didn’t have anything else to do or because their sons made them go see it, and… 4) people who blindly follow Star Wars and believe everything produced about Star Wars is the best thing ever since the invention of the printed press.
What caused this? Sadly, mediocrity.

People who criticize the prequels (and now the sequel trilogy) argue that money destroyed the magic of Star Wars, because of the millions of Dollars these movies make. Their logic is that Star Wars went from being a product that came out from a group of rogue rebels in the 70s who were against the system, to becoming this new product from those same people who became part of the system. I disagree with this logic, because there are several
examples of blockbusters that have made millions, while still being great movies, including the original Star Wars. A poor choice for the director’s seat, a sloppy script and terrible casting and acting performances are to blame for
Star Wars falling from grace in terms of quality, not of revenue. An extremely efficient marketing plan that realized loyalty plus consumerism equals hundreds of millions in profits are to point for Star Wars’ unbelievable success at the box office. Why? Because as long as people keep paying money for movie tickets and toys, this movies will keep on going. It’s simple math: Star Wars’ success comes from the regular movie goers + the faithful cult-loving Star Wars hardcore fans. Simply add the numbers of people who go see Black Panther with the number people who are loyal to Star Wars. Financially, it’s a no-brainer recipe for success.

Artistically, the result is a considerable percentage of the population receiving constant political and social indoctrination from a universe that isn’t even close to our reality. Nowadays Star Wars has become an outlet to voice political problems, social injustices and dozens of topics that shouldn’t be part of a fantasy science fiction film. People are taught to repeat and follow, rather than being taught to think and create, period.

That’s is why I now refer to Star Wars as The Indoctrinating Cult.

HR

Covid-19

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On February 11, 2020

In General

I’ve been reading the recent news about this virus that is currently spreading fairly quickly across a few provinces in China, the Corona Virus 19. One of my co-workers has family in one of the cities that is under a lock down policy and from what he mentioned, the restrictions regarding travelling and even commuting in the city are pretty tight.

I’ve always talked with my friends who work in the healthcare industry about how humanity has gone to great lengths to evolve industries and technology, still has been lagging -if I may- in healthcare development. It kind of reminds me of how much money and resources were invested into the fraudulent company Theranos, and their useless technology. I wonder how much advancement could physicians and biologists make in their field, had that money absorbed by Theranos, been invested into true scientific research laboratories in order to develop vaccines and treatments for aggressive viruses such as this Covid-19 one.

Instead, what I’m wondering is what will happen to us living in the United States if a pandemic of similar proportions to the one currently spreading in China, would hit us, especially in such a highly-populated area as New York. Would be face similar lock downs and quarantine procedures as they do? Who knows.

Prepare for the worst and expect the best…

HR

Chernobyl

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On February 1, 2020

In General

I came across this wonderful series on a recent flight I took and since the seat’s TV screen is not quite the most comfortable way to watch audiovisual material, I decided to re-watch it at home to have a better appreciation of the series.

Without jumping in the political discussion of left vs. right, democrats vs. republicans, Team Jen vs. Team Angelina, this is a series that everyone should see in order to understand how poor leadership and how unqualified people in high positions can cause major disasters in society. This is something that has happened throughout the entire history of the human race and sadly I must say, that most likely it will keep happening for quite some time. I hope that one day, someone will finally realize the tremendous negative consequences that having a bad leader, a bad CEO, a bad General Manager, a bad Governor or a bad President, has to a company or a country. I really hope that playing politics as a professional skill one day finally ends, and connections and butt-kissing will finally come to an end, and that mediocre leaders managing capable smart employees realize they should step down and let somebody else who actually is qualified, run the business or the country.

I have been lucky that during my professional career I haven’t really ran into these type of corporate profiles. It has only happened twice when I was working in Venezuela. Fortunately, it has never happened to me in the US, Spain, Mexico, Czech Republic or Colombia, though I’m quite sure there
may be a lot of people who have had this issue. Anyway, what I always wondered when I saw those people was the fact that they really, truly believed they were good managers. I remember thinking: “Geez, this guy really thinks he’s good at what he does. How disconnected is he from reality?” Something similar must have gone through the minds of the workers at Chernobyl during the failed safety procedure test they were running that led to the explosion, and through the mind of Professor Legasov, when he met the Soviet Cabinet in Moscow. The series also shows the deep corruption of the communist system
in the USSR, as well as the unbelievable brainwash that took place in the soviet society.

There is a bit of fiction in the series as it’s pretty much the norm in most productions, but they don’t take anything away from the reality of the situation, the management of the crisis, and the factors that took place during the accident and in the days that followed.

Highly recommended.

HR

Another quick update on my book…

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On January 22, 2020

In Book

Seeing that I still don’t have a book cover yet, I’ve decided to look at the silver lining within this whole delayed book publishing situation, and I’ve decided to give the manuscript another proofread. Maybe I missed something, maybe there’s a better way to bring up a point… I think this is a golden opportunity to once again revise my material and make sure that I’m happy with the final product that soon you will be able to have in your hands.

The way I’ll go is that I’m going to conduct research on some of the topics I analyze throughout the book, in order to make sure the perspective of the author (that’s me) is as objective as possible. I want my book to be a very well-thought analysis where critical thinking is the main driver throughout each chapter. This means I have to look at each problem from different perspectives and develop it so that whoever reads it, may understand the point that is brought upon.

I will also update my research on countries that underwent revolutions similar to those that happened in Venezuela, in order to understand the before-and-after of their situations. After all, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the
question of fighting injustice… or is there?

Stay tuned!

HR

A status on my book

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On January 11, 2020

In Book

As I mentioned in my Happy New Year Post that one of my goals for 2020 is to publish my book, I wanted to provide an update on what’s the story with my book.

Currently the manuscript is pretty much finished, both in English and in Spanish. That’s the good news. The Spanish version is also finished and completely edited. That’s even better news. What I’m currently missing and what’s holding the publishing altogether is that I’m missing a cover. I found a designer last year and long story short, she didn’t deliver the product what I wanted. I know I’m very picky and sort of a perfectionist, but hey… since this is my first time publishing one of my books, I believe the least that I can do is do it the right way and the best as I can.

The positive is that I know exactly what I want as a cover. What’s holding me back is that I haven’t really found a designer whose work fascinates me to the point of engaging with him or her and work on my cover. As of today, I have seen thousands of portfolios and resources and I’m pretty close to making a decision, so hopefully this should get things going for my little baby.

Who knows… maybe in the upcoming months you may see my first cover reveal.

Stay tuned!

HR

Happy New Year Everyone!

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On January 1, 2020

In General

Just wanted to share my Happy New Year Wishes to everyone.

Hopefully and after several years of hard work, this year I should publish my book.

Stay tuned!

HR

Merry Christmas!

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On December 25, 2019

In General

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

May Santa Claus bring you all your gifts and wishes.

…and Happy Birthday to Isaac Newton!

Causes of Venezuela’s Independence (6 of 6)

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On December 18, 2019

In History

Several factors took place for the American to be able to withstand the British Army, including the support of a nation that wanted somewhat of a payback from Great Britain: the Kingdom of France. Despite being on the verge of bankruptcy before the Seven Years’ War and deeply falling into a severe deficit after losing the major conflict, King Louis XVI spent a considerable amount of french resources to provide aid and assistance to the American Colonies.

Similarly to the blunder King George II had made a few years earlier, King Louis XVI also thought it was a good idea to impose taxes to solve his mishaps. In his case, he placed a heavy burden on the Third Estate of the country, which represented 98% of the population.

The French Revolution.

Fed up with centuries of humiliation, starvation, cruelty, oppression and inequality, the angry people of Paris charged against the Monarchy, the Nobility and the Clergy. Long story short, they dethroned the Monarchy and imposed a new government, hundreds of thousands -including King Louis XVI- were decapitated, a new measurement system was created, and a new leader in the form of a General with hunger of conquering Europe crowned himself as Emperor of France in 1804.

Napoleon Bonaparte rose through the ranks during the French Revolution to become the sole ruler of France. By 1804 he had probably decided to set on his way to conquer all of Europe. Among his first conquests, was the ill-prepared Kingdom of Spain, who fell to Napoleon’s more powerful army. After the victory, Napoleon placed his brother Joseph as King, which led to a series of internal revolts in Spain.

New of Spain’s internal troubles, reached Venezuela, and… backed with:

  1. The quick distribution of mass communication thanks to the Invention of the Printed Press
  2. The Age of Enlightenment
  3. The worldwide turn oil left after the Seven Years’ War
  4. Unfair heavily taxes and policies on Venezuela’s colonists
  5. The inspiration of the United States’ independence, defeating the mighty British Empire
  6. The inspiration of the people overthrowing the monarchy in the French Revolution

…resulted in the beginning of the War of the Independence of Venezuela.

Causes of Venezuela’s Independence (5 of 6)

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On December 8, 2019

In History

It’s 1776 and we have a broke Great Britain Kingdom after winning the Seven Years’ War imposing heavy taxes and policies on their Thirteen American Colonies. The Colonists don’t like this one bit and being fed up with the whole situation, start throwing out the I-word: Independence.

Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, George Washington and many others among the most educated, well-positioned and respected men in the colonies then decided to reunite and put together what would be the Declaration of Independence. On July 4 it took effect and there was no looking back. It was war against the most powerful nation on Earth: Great Britain.

Most scholars agree on the American Revolutionary Wars taking place from 1775 until 1783, and while the Americans scored less victories than the British, it was the magnitude of their victories and the weight that the Americans were willing to stand for themselves and face death rather than to be surmised to keep living under the rule of the British Empire, what gave them the leverage to emerge victorious. After the decisive American victory in the Battle of York, the British lost interest in winning the war, and signed a peace treaty that would recognize the United States of America as an independent and sovereign nation.

When news of the American Independence reached Venezuela, their population began to wonder: “Hey, if the American Colonies could defeat the British, maybe we could defeat the Spaniards?” Hence, the American Revolutionary Wars and the Independence of the United States is largely recognized as the second direct cause of Venezuela’s Independence.

The third and final cause will be the final consequence of the Domino Effect that occurred in Europe and that had began with the Invention of the Printed Press. Tune in for my next entry to find out what it is…

Causes of Venezuela’s Independence (4 of 6)

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On November 29, 2019

In History

Up until this point we have a chain of events that indirectly led to Venezuela’s War of Independence: The Invention of the Printed Press led to the Age of Enlightenment, which led to the Seven Years’ War, which resulted in Great Britain emerging as winner and sole power of Europe over France, the sore loser. But where does the Kingdom of Spain -Colonizer of Venezuela- fit into all of that?

Taxes.

The glorious achievement of Great Britain winning the war came with a small side consequence: the country was broke. King George II then thought of no better idea than to impose Taxes to its new colonies in America, to help pay for the war effort put into arguably defending the colonies themselves against the French.

I guess the Taxes would have gone unnoticed, had they not been part of a series of absurd policies that left the American Colonies quite uncomfortable, such as the ban on foreign trade and no right for seats in the British Parliament.

While Spain wasn’t directly involved in the Seven Years’ War, they suffered indirect consequences of the turnaround that occurred in Europe. Therefore, Spain had their fair amount of economic struggles and emulating King George’s policies, they too decided to impose heavy taxes in their American Colonies.

At this point in time (the years 1760-1770) the American British Colonies were a bit more structured than its Spaniard counterparts. Therefore the American Colonists were pondering whether how worth was it to pay for taxes and obey a monarch that didn’t give you any say on the laws that governed your own land.

In consequence, the “Shot that was heard around the world” happened, and so the American Revolutionary War began…

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