MY FAREWELL TO TWITTER

To my friends: those who follow me here, on Facebook and until now on Twitter, I inform you that I have taken an important resolution: to leave Twitter.

A few years ago, for me, Twitter was full of meaning, it was a useful way to communicate, to meet friends, to raise issues, ideas, share feelings, etc.

This is how two types of Twitter of my authorship emerged. A personal one on the topics, under @fullenigma. The other, expressly dedicated to health, with special reference to the Americas, which I titled @LATAMMED.

I got into health issues after joining the Voice of America. There was already a program entitled "Advances in Medicine", and I was asked to take care of it.

That enabled a beautiful experience, in almost permanent contact with doctors and specialists. Frequent visits to the Pan American Health Organization, attendance at its annual meetings. Visits to the National Institutes of Health of the United States. And in both cases, make contact and make me known of a series of leading health professionals.

It also involved my participation in three International Congresses on HIV-AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

From all this treatment of the subject, and already retired

from the VOA, I was requested by the prestigious International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) of Washington D.C. to coordinate a seminar for Mexican journalists on health issues. It was carried out in July 2008, in Ixtapan de la Sal.

It was a success, and then I was faced with the biggest

challenge of coordinating a seminar at the Latin American level, which took place in November 2008 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

It was also a successful and especially valuable activity for participating journalists.

Since then, I wanted to carry out another seminar specifically addressing the issue of Forgotten Diseases, which are the most linked to poverty and destitution. Most of them curable and preventable, which are mainly due to parasites and transmitting insects. Unfortunately for this seminar that I consider so necessary, there was no interest and funds to realize it. Personally, I continue to be ready.
But once this is explained, I have also rejected Twitter as the ideal and best way to address any issue. First because of the limited space. Then by an absurd policy that not only allows the blocking of people but also (and this is ridiculous) prevents being able to see what someone tweets.

The Twitter company is totally wrong to allow and carry out such a policy, which in itself, denies the quality of a social network.

For these reasons, I have decided not to participate more on Twitter.

I thank those who followed me there. I hope they do it here and on Facebook.

I also take the opportunity to communicate that - due to being very busy in personal matters - I am absent from Facebook momentarily, until mid-December. There, - if the Being in Himself so disposes of - I will return. 

Milton W. Hourcade