Travelling: Mexico nuevo Mundo!

So here I am in Mexico, already one week, more or less one year after Argentina and Chile. Quite a difference... if Argentina is like an extension of Europe, Mexico is a total new world. Here it's not nature which is the attraction, but people and what people have created. And wow, what have they created here... This is a rich country, of people, of colours, of contrasts. Mexico DF (or simply DF) is a rich city of diversity, over 20 million souls fighting for survival, for a better life, for fame or simply to have a decent life here in this planet and this life. Teotihuacan is the sumum, the best. A very special place, the city of the Gods with its temples to the Sun and to the Moon.

A city rich of history and a cultural mix between the pre-hispanic local cultures (aztec, mexicos, toltecas, etc), the spanish and all the other emigrants who followed. And the result is amazing. Huge. Huge highways, huge traffic jams, many people everywhere, in the streets, in the subway, etc. Nice people, in general very helpful and quiet. After the 'show' put up by Lopez Obrador (Amlo) and his followers, things have cooled down, Amlo has been somehow discredited by his political ambition and most likely has comitted political harakiri. He is most likely politically dead. Now Felipe Calderon is well in charge from Palacio de Los Pinos, having the situation under control. The situation is normal and Mexico seems to have needed this 'shake up' to wake up from a certain sleep/stagnation. Maybe this was necessary to make things change. Time will tell. In the meantime the economy seems to be growing fast, also supported by again growing oil prices, discoveries of new oil reserves (even though with high ecological exploitation costs). It seems Mexico has a lot to give and wishes to reoccupy its role as leader of the latin-american countries.

Now it's holiday season, Christmas is important even though it seems to me less than in Europe. People get ready for the new year, to the future and it seems the future can only be bright for Mexico, it seems there's so much creativity ready to come out and conquer the world, like mexican cinema and its new 'promises'. Like mexican electronic music. And many other things.

In the meantime, mexicans take their time, even in a city that does not stop, they take time for others. They are quite educated, unlike many europeans, who can be so cold, materialistic and profit-driven. Despite all that I had heard before, this does not seem to me to be a violent place nor a violent society. Of course, a city of 20 million must have it's problems and a counrty like Mexico with its huge disparities (only losing to Brasil in terms of income disparities) certainly has some problems to solve and needs to redistribute better its wealth and grant more equal access to education for all. But all in all there's plenty of food here and people have access to basics.

Well, after DF and the jewels of Guanajuato and Queretaro (colonial style), I now discover the wealth and heritage of the Mayan world, Merida, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, etc... And with a bit of luck I'll have a taste of the warm caribbean waters in the gulf of Mexico... and hopefully my trip back to Europe will still take some time.

Travel: Viva Mexico!

Viva Mexico!

Cinema: Gay and Lesbian Film Festival of Brussels

Check the 21th edition of the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival of Brussels, coming to the Botanique Centre , from January 18 till January 27 2007.

... and again, a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

(click on the picture to enlarge & read... or scroll further down for a better quality one...)

Citoyenneté: Des intellectuels bruxellois lancent un appel

"l'avenir de la région appartient à ses habitants!"
"baas in eigen stad"
"take your place in the future of the city"

Plusieurs centaines d'intellectuels bruxellois lancent un appel aux responsables politiques et à tous leurs concitoyens.

Ils estiment qu'il est temps que les habitants de Bruxelles-Capitale affirment leur identité et spécificité, que la population bruxelloise ne se laisse pas réduire à deux groupes, « Flamands » d ' un côté, « francophones » de l ' autre. "Il est grand temps de laisser pour de bon derrière nous une Belgique où deux Communautés se font face, pour permettre que les trois Régions du pays s ' épanouissent côte à côte, chacune avec une identité propre et des institutions efficaces." Les habitants de Bruxelles ne doivent pas être laissés dehors par les politiciens des partis flamands et francophones. Des négociations se préparent, qui vont engager l ' avenir de la Belgique, et donc aussi l ' avenir de Bruxelles. Elles vont se dérouler entre partis flamands et francophones, mais pas entre les représentants des trois Régions du pays. Ceci n'est pas,bien évidemment acceptable, à la lumière du fédéralisme belge.

Les promoteurs de l'appel disent, "Nous, habitants de Bruxelles-Capitale, sommes nombreux à être nés ailleurs qu'en Belgique. Nous parlons pour la plupart plus d'une langue et, au sein même de nos familles, les langues cohabitent fréquemment. À mesure que l ' Europe s'y installe davantage, Bruxelles devient une ville toujours plus internationale et plus complexe, une ville-Région de plus en plus différente de la Wallonie et de la Flandre. Cette complexité constitue un défi. Mais il serait absurde d'essayer de l'enfermer dans le carcan bicommunautaire. Bien gérée, cette complexité est une richesse dont nous pouvons être fiers et qu'il nous faut mettre au service du dynamisme de Bruxelles et, par là, des régions voisines et de l ' Europe entière."
Ils désirent faire de cette ville un lieu où des personnes aux origines diverses "puissent être heureuses d ' habiter, de travailler et de circuler, de se rencontrer et de se divertir, d ' étudier et de se faire soigner, de grandir et même de vieillir, une ville démocratique, qui associe tolérance et solidarité, efficacité et convivialité". En bref, que nous, habitants de Bruxelles, nous y sentions "chez nous". Et, pour être à la hauteur de cette ambition, il faut non seulement innover, il faut participer, et il faut peut être commencer par signer l'appel!

Signez l'appel! de oproep ondertekenen ! Sign the appeal!
www.bruxsel.org

Vous y pouvez aussi consulter la liste des signataires de l ' Appel bruxellois du 19 décembre.

Citizenship: Muslims in the European Union: Discrimination and Islamophobia

On 18 December 2006, the EUMC launched two new publications on Islamophobia in the EU.
The report “Muslims in the European Union: Discrimination and Islamophobia” published presents available data on discrimination affecting Muslims in employment, education and housing. Manifestations of Islamophobia range from verbal threats through to physical attacks on people and property. The report stresses that the extent and nature of discrimination and Islamophobic incidents against European Muslims remain under-documented and under-reported. The EUMC report recommends therefore that Member States improve the reporting of incidents and implement measures to counter discrimination and racism more effectively. The report also includes initiatives and proposals for policy action by EU Member State governments and the European institutions to combat Islamophobia and to foster integration.

The report shows that a lot remains to be done to ensure that european muslims benefit from the same rights to have equal treatment and the same quality of life as other europeans.

Read further in the EUMC website.

Music: GIRL MONSTER

The triple compilation "GIRL MONSTER" is a guide through the history of cutting edge music made by women from the late 70ies to present day, featuring female heroes of the late 70ies and early 80ies like Ana da Silva, Björk and The Slits, alongside contemporary classics like Björk, Le Tigre, Peaches, Chicks On Speed, Barbara Morgenstern, Le Tigre, Sir Alice or Lesbians on ecstasy, among others. I discovered in at "Colette" in Paris, where else?...

The Triple CD compilation “GIRL MONSTER” comes from the "Chicks On Speed" Record label and celebrates the history and future of women's creative music output, to "further invent and challenge the future of music and push the boundaries of sound and pop around the world"!!! "GIRL MONSTER" is a music manifesto for the feminine cause, combining pleasure and attitude.

"GIRL MONSTER tells a rich historical story, from the original girl monsters of punk and post punk to contemporary tricksters and electro-rock pranksters… (…) But what sets the compilation apart from all the other compilations around the topic of “Women and Music” is that it is not just a collection of what everybody knows already, packaged under the misleading slogan of “Women in Rock”, instead this compilation creates a movement of its own, containing 2/3 of exclusive tracks, showcasing some of the finest (and mostly unreleased) tracks from a worldwide underground network of female musicians, even following in the tracks of some of the classics like Tina Weymouth (Tomtom Club/Talking Heads) , Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle) , Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie and the Banshees), or Ana Da Sliva (The Raincoats) by featuring their latest productions."

Since 1999, the group "Chicks On Speed" has had an its agenda to subvert certain conventions of the pop music world, of consumption and of the arts. New York Underground classic „Launderette“ by Vivien Goldman (with John Lydon as co-producer and Robert Wyatt on percussion !) offers one of the best moments, directly out of the 80s, while more recent promises such as "Le Tigre" and "Erase Errata" use woman condition as inspiration for their music, following a more militant approach. "Japanese Intelligence Mind Control" is another good moment and an instrumental break among a lot of shouting and loads of attitude. There are new and exclusive tracks by Chicks on Speed and Angie Reed (produced by Eric D. Clark) as well as more exclusive new tracks by the up-coming Kids on TV and Scream Club vs. Ben Adorable (feat. Peaches) along-side the smashing Client song (that features Pete Doherty).

Here the track listing:

CD1:

1. Girlmonster Intro 2. Scream Club vs. Ben Adorable "Fine As Fuck" (ft. Peaches) 3. Mignon "Demons Of Love" 4. Le Tigre "Hot Topic" 5. Barbara Morgenstern "Mountain Place" 6. Angie Reed "G. G. (Gaudy Good)" 7. Pam Hogg "Honeyland" 8. Rhythm King & Her Friends "Speedometer" 9. Hanin Elias "Get It Back" 10. Kevin Blechdom "Me Saw Me Momma" 11. Ana Da Silva "Full Moon" 12. Anat Ben David "Virtual Leisure" 13. Sir Alice "Super Hero" 14. Chicks On Speed "Plastic Surgery" 15. Vivien Goldman "Laundrette" 16. Tina Weymouth "Incognito" 17. Client "Down To The Underground" 18. Kids On TV "Break Dance Hunx (Market Value Mix)" 19. Boyskout "School Of Etiquette" 20. Erase Errata "Dust" 21. No Bra "No Woman No Crime"

CD2:

1. Pulsallama "Ungawa Part 2 (Remix)" 2. The Slits "Typical Girls (Live)" 3. Delta 5 "Mind Your Own Buisness" 4. Cherry Sunkist "Nameless Dogs" 5. Japanese Intelligence Mind Control "Get the Picture" 6. Autonervous "Anchors Away" 7. Cobra Killer "Mister Chang" 8. Planningtorock "Changes" 9. Hanayo "Pita Pata" 10. Björk "Storm" 11. Tobi Vail "Panic of the Square" 12. Gustav "We Shall Overcome" 13. Bonnie vs. Hunter "Our Inventions" 14. François Cactus "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" 15. LiliPUT "Die Matrosen" 16. Karastrophe "Your Girlfriend" 17. Lesbians on Ecstasy "Sedition" 18. Electric Indigo & Dorit Chrysler "Sheets" 19. Cosey Fanni Tutti "Licking The Juice"

CD3:

1 Hotel Motel "Sucker Man" 2. Gudrun Gut "Girl Boogie" 3. The Creatures "Godzilla (Siouxsie & Budgie's Girl Monster Mix)" 4. Soffy O "Maybe A Dog" 5. Ella Bandita "New Year's Eve" 6. Las Perras Del Infierno "Somos Las Perras" 7. Juliette & The Licks "You're Speaking My Language" 8. Miss Le Bomb "Pinkitan" 9. Cat5 "Sexy" 10. Robots In Disguise "Get RID" 11. People Like Us "Fom Fom" 12. Michaela Melián "Manifesto"» 13. Susanne Brokesch "Heroes (History Mix)" 14. Scream Club vs. Leonard DeLeonard "International" 15. Crystal Cookie "Crystal Cookie (Lesson 1)" 16. Caro Snatch "Say Trees" 17. Malaria! "Your Turn To Run" 18. The Raincoats "Shouting Out Loud" 19. Vivien Goldman with Andy Caine & Manasseh Sound "Seven Days" 20. Ari Up "Baby Mother (Toxicgirl Strip Mix)" 21. Miss Pain "Sell It 2 The Kids (Megaphone Version)".

Lifestyle: Global Orgasm ?

Approaching X-mas and the end of the year, a group of north-american pacifists propose the absolute weapon to stop war in the world: a planetary orgasm, to generate positive energy!

As is written in their website,
"The mission of the Global Orgasm is to effect change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible surge of human energy. (...) The intent is that the participants concentrate any thoughts during and after orgasm on peace. The combination of high- energy orgasmic energy combined with mindful intention may have a much greater effect than previous mass meditations and prayers. The goal is to add so much concentrated and high-energy positive input into the energy field of the Earth that it will reduce the current dangerous levels of aggression and violence throughout the world. (...) This is the First Annual Solstice Synchronized Global Orgasm for Peace, leading up to the December Solstice of 2012, when the Mayan Calendar ends with a new beginning."

The Global Orgasm experiment is open to everybody throughout the world, so on December 22... you know how to contribute to world peace. It may not work, but at least no one can blame you for not trying...

The organisors hope that the results will register on the worldwide monitor system of the Global Consciousness Project. That project, launched by a team of international researchers, wishes to demonstrate that there is a link between human consciousness and the physical world.

As regards the orgasm... it will be hard to achieve the target but the gesture is very positive. So on December 22, you know what to do...

read on Weekend le Vif, by Frédéric Brébant (www.lapremiere.be)

Lifestyle: Stoppons le Nouvel An...

L'organisation Fonacon, "Front d'opposition à la nouvelle année du comité d'organisation national", va organiser le 31 décembre à Nantes une grande "manifestation festive" pour dire "non à 2007"... ça vous dit? Partez sur Nantes et restez en 2006.

The French organization Fonacon will organise a demonstration in Nantes on December 31, to say "No to the year of 2007"... join them in Nantes and say NO!

http://www.fonacon.net/

Cidadania: pelo "SIM" no referendo ao Aborto em Portugal

Primeiro, veja este video em Youtube (cortesia de Hector - muchas gracias!)
e depois continue a leitura...

Estudos já mostraram que o problema do aborto não é uma questão residual ou marginal em Portugal, como alguns pretendem, mesmo que não seja o problema de saúde número um das mulheres portuguesas. Mas é certamente uma questão de dignidade, e de igualdade! É dificil saber exactamente quantos abortos são efectuados cada ano em Portugal e menos ainda clandestinos. Mas 18 mil casos de aborto por ano (segundo estimativa da OMS - Organização Mundial de Saúde) é uma realidade que não pode ser escondida ou ignorada. Mas há estudos que apontam mesmo para os 40 mil abortos ilegais por ano. E quantas mortes? Segundo a organização Women on Waves podem-se dar em todo o mundo cerca de 80.000 mortes por ano devido a complicações com os abortos (outras estimativas apontam para 48.000), para um total estimado de 46 milhões de abortos. Em Portugal estima-se o número de mortes abaixo dos dez casos por ano para o aborto clandestino, mas é extremamente dificil conhecer exactamente os valores para estes casos clandestinos... Nos países onde o aborto é legal a mortalidade por aborto é geralmente baixa (0,2-1,2 mortes por 100 000 abortos). Mas nos países onde o aborto é ilegal ou muito restringido, a mortalidade por aborto é centenas de vezes superior (330 mortes por 100 000 abortos), segundo o The Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Em 11 de Fevereiro de 2007, Portugal organiza um referendo, o segundo, para a despenalização do aborto. No primeiro referendo, o "não" ganhou por pouco mas a percentagem de votantes foi muito baixa, cerca de 30% dos eleitores. A legalização do aborto por escolha da mulher é uma questão de justiça, de respeito e de dignidade. E é imperativo acabar a hipocrisia. Daqueles que pretendem ter uma moral elevada, daqueles e daquelas que em público se manifestam acérrimamente (e às vezes agressivamente) contra o aborto e às escondidas vão às clínicas espanholas abortar em toda a segurança. Enquanto aquelas que não dispõem de suficientes recursos financeiros continuam sujeitas a abortos clandestinos e aos riscos que daí podem decorrer. Chega de hipocrisia, a legalização do aborto não obriga ninguém a abortar e não será certamente utilizado como método de planeamento familiar, aliás estudos noutros países o demonstram. Vivam e deixem viver. E deixem as mulheres decidirem. Eu votarei "sim".

E como escreveu Pacheco Pereira no seu blog "Abrupto":

"Votarei sim no referendo sobre o aborto, sem grandes parangonas morais, sem grandes proclamações sociais, sem certezas absolutas sobre nada, nem sobre a moralidade, nem sobre a liberdade do acto de interromper uma gravidez. Respeito os dilemas dos que votam não, respeito os dilemas dos que votam sim, porque em ambos os lados há a consciência de que o que defrontam é um mal social, uma perturbação a evitar, um momento sempre de uma certa crueldade interior, a da vida aliás. Mas como não acredito em grandes proclamações morais, nem pelo sim nem pelo não, voto sim por um conjunto de razões dispersas, sociais, culturais e filosóficas, que admito que se diga serem de mal menor. Será de mal menor, mas quantas vezes muitas coisas que fazemos são de mal menor? Até no Catecismo da Igreja Católica há várias escolhas de mal menor.E porque, tudo ponderado, as vítimas da situação que hoje existe são as mulheres, sobretudo as mulheres, quase que só as mulheres. Merecem (ou exigem) que os homens que fizeram quase todo o mundo à sua volta, à sua dimensão e ao seu modo, e que entre outras coisas tem esta diferença fundamental que é não engravidarem, lhes dêem uma liberdade que elas sentirão sempre como sendo, no limite, trágica, mas como sendo uma liberdade. No dia do referendo votarei pela segunda vez na vida por género, como homem mais de que como cidadão." In Abrupto

Site do Movimento de cidadania pelo sim!

Lifestyle: ... and some CHAMPAGNE for the new year!

Here some famous (and maybe less famous) words about champagne (courtesy of my friend Tomas):

There comes a time in every woman's life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne. ~ Bette Davis (in Old Acquaintance)

Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it.~ Madame de Pompadour

Gentlemen, in the little moment that remains to us between the crisis and the catastrophe, we may as well drink a glass of champagne. ~ Paul Claudel

Like the maturing of romance into a deeper human attachment, the making of Champagne is an art that becomes engrained in the lives of all who commit themselves. It must be conceived and created from raw materials with imagination, hard work and persistence. It doesn’t just happen. It is a lifetime work. It is a magnum opus. ~ William Kaufman, Author

Burgundy makes you think of silly things; Bordeaux makes you talk about them, and Champagne makes you do them. ~ Brillat-Savarin

If you like Champagne, you’re full of fun and love the festive. If you don’t like Champagne, you don’t know what you’re missing. ~ Parade Magazine

Whenever I drink Champagne, I either laugh or cry...I get so emotional! I love Champagne. ~ Tina Turner, American Singer

I drink champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty. ~ Madame Lilly Bollinger

Champagne has the taste of an apple peeled with a steel knife. ~ Aldous Huxley

Come quickly, I am tasting the stars! ~ Dom Perignon, at the moment he discovered champagne
Champagne and orange juice is a great drink. The orange improves the champagne. The champagne definitely improves the orange. ~ Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Some people wanted champagne and caviar when they should have had beer and hot dogs. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

A single glass of champagne imparts a feeling of exhilaration. The nerves are braced, the imagination is agreeably stirred; the wits become more nimble. A bottle produces the contrary effect. Excess causes a comatose insensibility. So it is with war: and the quality of both is best discovered by sipping. ~ Winston Churchill , who also during WW I told his soldiers that "Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!" and paraphrased Napoleon, stating that "In success you deserve it, and in defeat you need it", and later in his life concluded that "Champagne should have three qualities: brut, cold and free!"

I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate . . . and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

The effervescence of this fresh wine reveals the true brilliance of the French people. ~ VoltaireThere are only two occasions when I drink champagne, and these are: when I have game for dinner and when I haven’t. ~ S.D. Churchill, 19th century British wine merchant
No government could survive without champagne. Champagne in the throats of our diplomatic people is like oil in the wheels of an engine. ~ Joseph Dargent

In a perfect world, everyone would have a glass of Champagne every evening. ~ Willie Gluckstern

You couldn't smoke grass on the set of Dallas, I didn't want to do that, I was perfectly satisfied with my champagne. ~ Larry Hagman

Do not forget what the famous British economist George Maynard Keynes said on his death bed:
My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne.

As Tomas said, to sum it up: La vie est nulle sans les bulles!

HAPPY NEW 2*007

(click on the picture bellow to enlarge & read the text!)

WISHING YOU A GREAT TWO-007 !

Music: TRACKLIST November/ December 2006

Albums of the months:
MSTRKRFT – The looks
directly from Canada, a frenetic mix of funk, electro, post something and very... new!
check myspace too.

click here for the video of "Work on you"

click here for the video of "Easy Love"

+
DELOREAN – "Into the plateau" - directly from Euskadi / País Vasco!

Videoclip of “As time Break”
+
Videoclip no official de DeLorean

Other albums:

SQUAREPUSHER – Hello everything
DJ MEHDI – Saharian break
KITSUNE MAISON 3 – compilation
LOUIE AUSTEN – Iguana
MAXIMILIAN HECKER - I'll Be A Virgin, I'll Be A Mountain
MICHAEL MAYER – Immer 2 (Kompakt)
ÂME… mixing (mix cd)
POKER FLAT vol. 5 (compilation)
SYSTEMATIC COLOURS vol. 1 (mixed by Stephan Bodzin)
POST INDUSTRIAL BOYS – Trauma
ELASTE – Elaste (cosmic disco)
GINO SOCCIO – Outline (1979)
PLAGUE SONGS - compilation

Tracks of the months:
DJUMA SOUNDSYSTEM "Les Djinns (Trentemoller Rmx)"
ANTE PERRY - Beach Power
UFFIE - Hot Chick

Other tracks of the months:

YOSHIMOTO - Du What U Du (Trentemoller Remix)
AGORIA - Baboul Hair Cuttin [Feat. Scalde]
AKABU - Phuture Bound (Ame Remix)
AUTOTUNE - Dirty (Woody Mix)
BECK - Cellphone's Dead
CITIZEN KAIN - Station
COMPUPHONIC - 80's cops
DASO - Daybreak (Jona Remix)
DEETRON - Twisted Memories
JAY HAZE FEAT. BIG BULLY AND SVEN VT - Soul in a bottle
JENNIFER CARDINI & SHONKY – August in Paris
LOCO DICE - El gallo negro (Original mix)
MARTIN BUTTRICH – Cloudy Bay + Snapshots
MINILOGUE - Little Sisters (D-Nox & Beckers Remix)
MSTRKRFT – Work on you & Easy Love
MUMMER - Hey, You Did
NICK CHACONA - Leo (Sasse Discotronix Remix)
PHONIQUE - River (Robert Babicz Remix)
RADIO SLAVE - My Bleep (Roman Flugel Remix)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Rudebox (chicken lips dub malfunction)
RODAMAAL feat. CLAUDIA FRANCO – Insomnia (Ame remix)
SEBASTIEN LEGER - Hypnotized (feat Gia Mellish - Chris Lake remix)
SEBO K – Horizons
STEPHAN BODZIN - Midnight Express
STEVE BUG - Drives Me Up the Wall (Les Rythmes Digitales Remix)
STEFAN GOLDMANN - Sleepy Hollow
THE WHIP – Trash

* * *

Politique: Le Chili en quête d'un avenir, par Rodrigo Contreras Osorio

Le Chili en quête d'un avenir, par Rodrigo Contreras Osorio
LE MONDE | 13.12.06

©

Politique: l'EURO, la BCE, Ségolène et Delors

Cette semaine la Banque centrale européenne (BCE) a encore augmenté le taux d’intérêt de l’Euro pour la zone Euro de 0,25%. Trichet, le président de la BCE justifie cette hausse par le besoin de contrôler l’inflation… Ségolène Royal, candidate du PS à l’élection présidentielle française, a sévèrement critiqué jeudi 7 décembre, lors de la séance d'ouverture du congrès du Parti socialiste européen à Porto (Portugal), la BCE et son président. Elle a estimé que "Ce n'est plus à M. Trichet de décider de l'avenir de nos économies, c'est aux dirigeants démocratiquement élus le droit de décider de l'avenir". Pour Ségolène Royal, remettre l'Europe sur les rails "suppose que la Banque centrale européenne soit soumise à des décisions politiques, bien sûr celles de l'Eurogroupe" – qui réunit les ministres des finances de la zone euro – "mais aussi celles du Conseil européen" des chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement. Elle ne fait que exprimer ce que beaucoup pensent. Mais, a-t-elle raison?

Delors lui ne prétend pas forcément changer les traités, mais lors du même congrès, toujours en forme, il a critiqué le pacte de stabilité et de croissance. Selon lui, le pacte aurait seulement réglé une partie des problèmes, mais n’a pas contribué à définir l’orientation des politiques macroéconomiques. Il estime que "L"euro protège mais l'euro ne dynamise pas", parce que "d'un point de vue technique, on demande trop à la monnaie et pas assez à l'économie".
En complément du pacte de stabilité et de croissance, qui encadre les politiques budgétaires des pays membres de la zone euro, "il aurait fallu un pacte de coordination des politiques macro-économiques", a-t-il ajouté. Mais pour cela, les états membres auraient dû reconnaître une capacité de jugement et d'orientation à la Commission européenne, ce qu'ils n'ont jamais voulu, a-t-il précisé. Trouver une solution, selon Jacques Delors, "implique, non pas le changement des statuts de la BCE" mais faire de l'UEM (Union économique et monétaire) "une véritable coopération renforcée, avec un budget propre permettant d'accompagner les efforts des états". Elio Di Rupo, président du parti socialiste belge a même lancé "Reviens Delors".

Mais quoi qu’il en soit la BCE et M. Trichet auront des explications à faire… parce que l’inflation en zone Euro a été très stable depuis 2000, entre 2,1 et 2,2%... et même s’il y avait eu des tendances à la hausse fin 2005 début 2006, elle s’est réduite à 1,8% dans les derniers mois (malgré la situation dans quelques pays comme l’Espagne ou la Grèce). En même temps, et après la bonne croissance de l’économie européenne en 2006, il est prévu un ralentissement de la croissance pour 2007, donc le contexte actuel ne présente aucuns signes d’échauffement de l’économie ni de tendances inflationnistes. Alors pourquoi la hausse du taux d’intérêts ? Pour garantir un Euro fort, dans les marchés mondiaux ? Pour quoi ? Sui en bénéficie? Pour contribuer à l’endettement croissant des familles ? pour diminuer les exportations européennes ? Je ne suis pas un expert dans la matière, mais… something is wrong, and something should be explained...

Lifestyle: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - better undertsanding the personality

Personality Type or Psychological Type are terms most commonly associated with the model of personality development created by Isabel Briggs Myers (aka Briggs Meyer, Meyer Briggs, Briggs & Myers ) the author of the world's most widely used personality inventory, the MBTI or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. ® Myers' and her mother, Katharine Briggs, developed their model and inventory around the ideas and theories of psychologist Carl Jung, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud and a leading exponent of Gestalt personality theory. 2 Kinds of Mental Processes In her studies of people and extensive reading of Jung's theories, Myers concluded there were four primary ways people differed from one another. She labelled these differences "preferences" - drawing a similarity to "hand preferences" to illustrate that although we all use both of our hands, most of us have a preference for one over the other and "it" takes the lead in many of the activities in which we use our hands.

The first set of mental preferences relates to how people "Perceive" or take in information, with those who prefer Sensing Perception and those who prefer intuition perception. The second set of mental preferences identifies how people form "Judgments" or make decisions, with those who prefer Thinking Judgment and those whose preference is for Feeling Judgment. There are two other mental preferences that are part of the Myers-Briggs model: Energy Orientation and Outer World Orientation. The first one is the dimension of personality discovered by Carl Jung that became widely adopted by general psychology: Extraversion-Introversion. The second is the dimension of personality that is Myers' unique contribution to Jung's theory, an element she inferred from Jung's work but was not clearly addressed as an essential component of his theory of types. This is the style or orientation one uses in dealing with the external world: Judging or Perceiving.

The permutations of these four preference dichotomies (or tendencies I would add), result in the 16 personality types that form the basis of Myers' model and the MBTI inventory. The problem is that it is not always easy to understand which your determining or leading preferences really are. So what is your type? which “pattern” do you follow? Introverted Intuition with Feeling (infj), Introverted Feeling with Intuition (infp), Extraverted Thinking with Sensing (estj) or something else? Find out more in the MBTI site. And find out more about the 16 types here.

Music: anniversary of Mozart's death today

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria and died on December 5, 1791, in Vienna. He was a prolific and highly influential composer of Classical music. His more than six hundred compositions include symphonies, concerts, chamber pieces, piano pieces, sonatas, operas, and choral music.

On the anniversary of his death, listen to some of his Sonatas...

Politics: G. W. Bush, "worst president" of the USA history?

We might still be voting to elect the worst Portuguese person ever (see post bellow) but George W. Bush will have it difficult in his coming last two years in power to escape the title of one of the worst North-American presidents...

Since the Democrats won the recent elections for the Congress, President Bush has had to step back and withdraw in mant respects. Now John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN has resigned and next Bush will have to accept the start of the withdrawal of the american troops from Iraq, which the Commission will likely propose.

These days it is practically an impossible mission to find an article favourable to George W. Bush's policy in the American press. The website of Fox News, usually an ally of the Bush administration, asks “Where have all the conservatives gone?”, noting that there is no credible republican candidate to take on the present head of the state. An editorialist of USA Today confesses to being surprised by a leaked Rumsfeld report (ex defence secretary) that calls for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. He writes that “Donald Rumsfeld has long personified the administration's misguided approach to Iraq. He insisted on trying to occupy the country with too few forces”. The now leaked memo acknowledges that the strategy in Iraq is not working and lays out options from a troop withdrawal to lowering Americans' expectations. He concludes that “The unavoidable truth is that the Iraq debacle has made Americans and U.S. interests more vulnerable. A Rumsfeld suggestion to lower expectations barely begins to tackle those coming aftershocks.” And one comment to that editorial adds on “I would love to see Bob Woodward or another reporter of similar credentials explore whether the current Iraq misadventure really is "Cheney's War". I don't think any organization has profited more than Halliburton from the hostilities”…

But things are not better regarding the usual Mr Bush’s opponents… The New York Times believes that a no return point has been crossed: the American strategy in Iraq cannot develop further. It writes that “one of the (Iraq) commission’s core conclusions is that the White House should announce a plan for American forces to begin pulling back, whether the Iraqis are ready or not.” Also in a NYT article (reserved for subscribers), columnist FRANK RICH asks whether Bush “Has He Started Talking to the Walls?”, claiming that “the more President Bush loses his hold on reality, the more language is severed from its meaning altogether”. He goes further to compare the present situation regarding Mr Bush with the days which preceded Richard Nixon's resignation.

Finally, the Washington Post analyses in detail that historical issue, of knowing whether George W. Bush is the worst of the North-American Presidents. History will tell that, yet to escape that title, something very good will better happen… “What if there is a news flash that U.S. Special Forces have killed Osama bin Laden or that North Korea has renounced its nuclear program? What if a decade from now Iraq is a democracy and a statue of Bush is erected on Firdaus Square where that famously toppled one of Saddam Hussein once stood?”, asks the paper. However, Douglas Brinkley argues, “the truth is, after six years in power and barring a couple of miracles, it's safe to bet that Bush will be forever handcuffed to the bottom rungs of the presidential ladder. The reason: Iraq.” I would say, the main reason, but, whatelse is there? Read further, the article is very interesting.

Politique: Les boli-bourgeois du Venezuela

Les "boli-bourgeois", nouvelles élites de la révolution bolivarienne
LE MONDE | 04.12.06

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Politique: Fidel Castro et Hugo Chavez

Relèves de Castro
LE MONDE | 04.12.06

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Cidadania: Vote no "pior português de sempre"

Criaram este site para escolher o "pior" português de sempre. Emprincípio a coisa não seria dificil,mas neste momento, Mário Soares lidera confortavelmente, seguido de Salazar, Guterres e Durão Barroso... mas vote, contribua! Eu estou contente, pelo menos o meu nome não figura na lista de voto....

http://piorportugues.blogs.sapo.pt/

Cinema: "MALA NOCHE" de Gus Van Sant

"Mala Noche" est le premier film de Gus Van Sant, réalisateur entre autres de "My Own Private Idaho", "Elephant" et "Last Days", tourné en noir et blanc 16 mm en 1985. Film longtemps inédit en salles, sort finalement à Bruxelles et sera l'objet de deux séances exceptionnelles au cinéma Arenberg.

Le film est l'adaptation du journal intime de Walter Curtis, à Portland, Oregon, Etats Unis d'Amérique du Nord. "Mala Noche" conte la folle passion de Curtis pour Johnny, un jeune immigré mexicain clandestin qui vit avec d’autres garçons dans une chambre d’hôtel, entre histoires de coups merdeux, tapin et partie de cache-cache avec les flics de l’immigration. "Filmé dans un noir et blanc lyrique, cette balade de sans espoirs et de garçons sauvages dans les rues mal famées de Portland est la quête d’un objet de désir intouchable".

Citizenship: Arundhati Roy in conversation about India

Arundhati Roy, 'In India we are at the moment witnessing a sort of fusion between corporate capitalism and feudalism — it’s a deadly cocktail'

Citizenship: Against violence against women

Spanish video on violence against women (video contra la violencia doméstica):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcRY4YQNvQg

Citizenship: video from myspace

Check here:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1328658961

Music: watch Darko on TV Brussel

check it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsfZnubi_LU&eurl=

Music: Statik Dancin': Is the revolution useless?

Today Statik dancin' celebrates 3 years of... Statik Dancin': with Sun Electric (from Germany) + Thomas Fehlmann (also from germany) and of course... Darko (from Brussels).

Statik Dancin' is a Minimal House and Techno party project of Brussels' DJ Darko. He is also the founder of Lucy Lee Quality Record label (www.lucylee.net). Statik Dancin' is organised bi-monthly at Recyclart, a former railway station and home to one of the most dynamic cultural projects in Belgium.

"Since 2003, Statik Dancin' has been busy celebrating all shades of minimal sound and injecting quality into the Belgian club scene. Conceived with sophistication and an attention to detail that is currently unmatched, Statik Dancin provides a unique showcase for some of the most creative artists around. A rich cabaret exposing the polychrome micro-fibre of life in all its splendor (...)".

Check also "Recyclart": www.recyclart.be

After "Borat"... "BRUNO"

Check Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW8_cz-6qro

Citizenship: ... Meanwhile in Portugal...

AIDS in Portugal

Entretanto em Portugal, a maioria das metas dos planos de luta contra a sida não foram atingidas. Passaram 29 anos desde a detecção do primeiro caso de HIV/sida em Portugal e o país continua a ter dos piores indicadores sobre a infecção na Europa. Responsabilidade? Ninguém tem, como sempre em Portugal, é “a vida”…

De acordo com o Centro de Vigilância Epidemiológica das Doenças Transmissíveis, registaram-se em Portugal 29.461 casos de infecção pelo VIH entre 1983 e Junho 2006, mas segundo o Programa das Nações Unidas para a Sida (ONUSida), o número de portugueses infectados pelo VIH pode ser superior, estimando esta entidade que se situe nos 32 mil. Segundo indica o jornal Publico, e como revela o último relatório (2005) do Centro Europeu para a Monitorização Epidemiológica da Sida, Portugal ocupa o segundo pior lugar num grupo de 52 países europeus (junto com os menos desenvolvidos) apenas pior do que a Estónia, em número de novos casos de infecção diagnosticados por milhão de habitantes: 251 por ano, logo seguidos dos 247 da Federação Russa e 241 da Ucrânia.

Um novo Programa de Prevenção oficial para a Infecção HIV/sida entre 2007 e 2010 foi ontem, 1 de Dezembro, apresentado em Lisboa. O objectivo é reduzir, até 2010, em 25%, a mortalidade causada pela doença, diminuir o número de novas infecções e aumentar o diagnóstico voluntário, segundo os objectivos anunciados. Mas em 2010 veremos os resultados... E ninguém será responsável se os resultados forem maus. Muito dos projectos, como os centros de terapêutica combinada, ficaram pelo caminho (quem sabe se por cortes orçamentais…). O actual coordenador nacional de luta contra a sida (desde há mais de um ano no cargo!!!), Henrique Barros, admite que a maioria das metas ficou por atingir e que, nalguns casos, nem seria desejável que fossem concretizadas (comentários para quê?). O novo programa nacional de combate à sida determina intervenções na prevenção da doença junto de grupos mais vulneráveis, como os toxicodependentes e os migrantes (alguns dos mais afectados).

Citizenship: Stop AIDS, keep the promises!

Today, December 1, 2006, Kofi Annan passed the following message: "In the 25 years since the first case was reported, AIDS has changed the world. It has killed 25 million people, and infected 40 million more. It has become the world’s leading cause of death among both women and men aged 15 to 59. It has inflicted the single greatest reversal in the history of human development. In other words, it has become the greatest challenge of our generation."

In 2000, the World's leaders made a promise, as part of the Millennium Development Goals, to halt and begin to reverse the spread of AIDS by 2015. That has been followed by many other targets and commitments over the past six years, among which that of providing cheap treatment to people throughout the world. Many of those promises fell short of expectations. Big pharmaceutical companies still keep unacceptable rights over treatments which are not being made available at accessible prices.

Meanwhile, new reports by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that the epidemic continues to spread in every region of the world. By now over 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981, 2.9 million in 2006 alone. At this rate, the WHO predicts that in the next 25 years another 117 million people might die, making AIDS the third leading cause of death worldwide.

With “accountability” as the theme of this World AIDS Day on 1 December, campaigners across the globe are calling leaders to account not just for good intentions, but for action to make those promises a reality.

Meanwhile, apart from making treatments available worldwide, the only thing we can all do is to respect the people who have HIV or AIDS, to prevent the virus from spreading by USING CONDOMS and have safe se reports and test when required.

Lifestyle: détendez vous, c'est weekend!

Riez vous un peu, avez Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MdHnonHhI0&eurl=

Politics: Rumsfeld gets cute at he podium...

>>> click here & watch the Youtube video. Hilarious!

Politics: 30 years of "war on terror"?

30 ans...
That is how long the "war on terror" could last, accordingto a report pubblished monday by the Oxford Research Group: "Into the Long War: Oxford Research Group International Security Report 2006". The research group is an independent non-governmental organisation, a think-tank specialised in global security issues. The report calls for a "complete reassessment of current policies". Nothing new, though, I'd say... and I thiink 30 years might be too optimistic. Its author, Paul Rogers, also Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, takes a step back from the heat of the moment to provide a concise overview of the international security situation, focussing on the 'war on terror', the related conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the implications of US and UK foreign policy for the majority world.

Citoyenneté: USA: un Blanc américain gagne autant qu'un Noir et un Hispanique réunis

Selon l’agence (Belga) le revenu annuel médian par habitant aux Etats-Unis s'est élevé en 2005 à 29.025 dollars pour les Blancs. Il n’était que de 14.461 dollars pour les Hispaniques (originaires de l’Amérique du Sud et centrale) et 16.675 dollars pour les Noirs, selon des estimations publiées mardi dernier par le Bureau du recensement nord-américain. Cet écart ne concerne pas toutes les minorités: les Asiatiques enregistrent un revenu annuel par habitant de 27.201 dollars. Parallèlement, en ce qui concerne la pauvreté, si 13,3 % des Américains vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté, la proportion monte à 25,6 % chez les Noirs et à 22,4 % chez les Hispaniques, contre 11,5 % pour les Asiatiques et 9 % pour les Blancs. Les deux communautés les plus en difficulté partagent aussi la jeunesse - l'âge médian des USA est de 36,4 ans, mais 31,3 ans pour les Noirs et 27,2 ans pour les Hispaniques. Ils ont aussi un moindre accès à l'éducation, plus bas chez les Noirs et les Hispaniques. Bien sur, ces disparités ne sont pas un problème de race mais de classe sociale… ce que beaucoup de nord-américains ne comprennent pas…

Citizenship: South Africa approves same-sex unions

(picture from BBC news online)

Yes, while some US states move backwards, South Africa's parliament has voted this week to legalise same-sex weddings! It was the first African country to approve such unions and the fifth in the world, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada. The Civil Union bill was passed by 230 votes to 41. It provides for the "voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnised and registered by either a marriage or civil union". This new legislation was introduced after the Constitutional Court ruled last year that the existing laws discriminated against homosexuals. The ruling was based on the constitution, which was the first in the world specifically to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC), who has a majority in the parliament had asked all the members of parliament to vote for the law, despite the opposition of church and traditional leaders (big surprise, no?). African Christian Democratic Party leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe has even told the parliament that those who voted for same-sex marriages would face divine wrath…

However some gay rights activists have criticised the bill, because it gives officials the right not to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies if this would conflict with their "conscience, religion and belief"… (reminds me of abortion in Portugal…).

Read further:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6147010.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6147384.stm

Music: iPod ou Zune?

Music: Microsoft versus Apple, zune vs iPod

La musique en ligne, nouveau terrain d'affrontement entre Microsoft et Apple
LE MONDE | 14.11.06

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Development: Internet use in Europe

Nearly half of the people in the 25 countries of the European Union (EU25) used the internet at least once a week in 2006
>
Northern European countries (and scandinavian ones in particular) are still the most internet-friendly, more than southern european ones. Of course, the climate gives a little hand...
>
A third of households and 3/4 of enterprises had broadband internet access. Internet access increased from 48% of households in early 2005 to 52% in 2006. 32% had a broadband connection, compared to 23% in 2005. At the beginning of this year, 94% of enterprises had access to the internet (91% in 2005), and 75% had a broadband connection (63% in 2005). In 2006, 47% of the people use the internet regularly, at least once a week, whether at home or at any other location. This is the result of surveys carried out by Eurostat (the european statistical office) on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The survey includes Norway and Iceland. The surveys also covers broadband connections, e-commerce, e-government and e-skills.

Internet access in European homes ranged from 23% in Greece to 80% in the Netherlands
The Netherlands had the highest proportion of households with internet access (80%), Denmark (79%), Sweden (77%). The lowest levels were registered in Greece (23%), Slovakia (27%) and Hungary (32%). The highest part of enterprises with internet access was in Finland (99%), Denmark and Austria (both 98%) and the Netherlands (97%). Only in Latvia (80%), Cyprus (86%), Lithuania (88%) and Poland (89%) were fewer than 90% of enterprises connected to the internet. Broadband offers a much faster connection to the internet. The Netherlands had again the highest share of broadband connection (66%), followed by the "usual suspects" Denmark (63%), Finland (53%) and Sweden (51%), and lowest in Greece (4%), Slovakia (11%), Cyprus (12%) and Ireland (13%). Amongst enterprises the highest levels of broadband connections were recorded in Sweden and Finland (both 89%), Spain (87%) and France (86%), and the lowest in Poland (46%), Cyprus (55%), Lithuania (57%) and Latvia (59%).

The internet is very popular among young people, nearly 3/4 of young people use the internet at least once a week. The highest share of individuals regularly using the internet were recorded in Sweden (80%), Denmark (78%), the Netherlands (76%) and Finland (71%), and the lowest in Greece (23%), Cyprus (29%), Italy and Portugal (both 31%). Interesting is also the fact that more men use the internet regularly than women (51% to 43%) and this disparity increases with age.

Get the results here.

Cinema: the Mexican trio

Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo Del Toro are all three Mexican directors from the same generation - 61-64. They represent a new generation of Mexican directors and some of the best that Mexican cinema has offered the world in recent years. They are now centerstage of present day global cinema. Their most recent films are becoming global success stories, north-american, british or spanish expensive productions staging la creme de la creme of fashionable actors. Yet they became noticed and known with Mexican homemade productions, like "Amores Perros", "Y tu maman también" and others, having launched some nowadays famous actors like Gael Garcial Bernal. They have "left" Mexico and became global diectors. Yet I miss their Mexican films and hope they film again soon in their native country...

Alfonso Cuaron [Children of Men (2006), Paris, je t'aime (2006), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Y tu mamá también (2001)…]
check:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0190859/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/p/alfonso_cuaron/

Alejandro González Iñárritu [Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003), Amores perros (2000), …]
check:
http://cinemexicano.mty.itesm.mx/directores/alejandro_inarritu.html
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327944/

Guillermo Del Toro [El Laberinto del Fauno (2006), aka Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy (2004), Blade II (2002)]
check:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/p/guillermo_del_toro/

Cinema: my tips / mes suggestions

Here a list of the films that I have seen most recently and that I would recommend you, and other films that will soon come out...

Latest
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“Babel” by Alejandro González Iñárritu with Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal, among other excellent actors including some non professional (****)
“The black Dahlia”, by Brian De Palma with Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckart and Hilary Swank [not excellent but great decors and performances, and still a De Palma…] (**)
"Children of Men"by Alfonso Cuaron with Julianne Moore and Clive Owen, (***)
"Scoop" continuation of the London season by Woody Allen this time with Woody himself, Scarlett Johansson (again) and the glamourous Hugh Jackman (I am an unconditional fan of Woody Allen and this one was very good), (***)
“Shortbus” by John Cameron Mitchell with some cute but unknown actors… (excellent, fresh and not pornographic), (****) – as Michel Rebichon wrote in STUDIO magazine, “dans ce New York de carton-pâte post -11 Septembre, métaphoriquement plongé dans les ténèbres à la suite d’une panne d’électricité, le sexe et les corps ne sont que des véhicules pour atteindre – attention, gros mots! – l’amour et la vérité des émotions. Shortbus est un film (dé)culotté, une expérience de vie, un happening artistique, une tragi-comédie de la vie dans laquelle on vous propose chaudement de… grimper".
"Miss Little Sunshine" by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris with Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette among others – great fresh road comedy! (****)
"The Last Kiss" by Tony Goldwyn with Zach Braff (from the cult film “Garden State”) – I haven’t seen yet but seems interesting…

And still
>
"Bubble" by Steven Soderbergh, (***)
“Elementarteilchen” (Partcules Elementaires) by Oskar Röhler, (**)
“L’homme de sa vie” by Zabou Breitman - not seen yet but will...
"Paris je t’aime" – various (see previous post), (***)
"Thank you for smoking" by Jason Reitman with Aaron Eckart in excellent form, (***)
“The devil wears Prada” by David Frankel, only for the excellent Meryl Streep! (**)
“The science of sleep” by Michel Gondry, with Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg – not as good and special as the previous “Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind” but quite something as well… (****)
“Voyage en Armenie” by Robert Guediguian, (***)

Last disappointment:
“Dans Paris” by Christophe Honoré with Romain Duris, reminescent of the french nouvelle vague yet not quite réussi...

Coming soon:
>
"El Laberinto del Fauno" (Le labyrinthe de Pan) by Guillermo Del Toro with Sergi López, the great Maribel Verdú (from "Y tu mama también") and Ariadna Gil among others,
“Angel” by François Ozon (one of my favourite directors!) with Romola Garai (we saw her in Scoop), Sam Neill and Charlotte Rampling – first Ozon film made in England, am very curious...
"Lady Chatterly" by Pascal Ferran.

Arts/architecture: "Skywalk" over the Grand Canyon West

A glass "skywalk" will be suspended some 1 220 m above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon and should be finished by the end of 2006. It was an initiative from the Hualapai tribe, who owns and administrates their lands west of the Grand Canyon.

The project was designed to allow people to "connect with nature while protecting the Hualapai nation, their culture and values which are deeply engraved in the the canyon walls ". The vision of the Skywalk was to enable visitors to walk beyond the canyon walls, being surrounded by the Grand Canyon while standing at the edge of the Glass Bridge. The project aimed to find a balance between form, function and nature. The Skywalk will include highlights such as a high-end café and restaurant with outdoor patio and rooftop seating on the edge of the canyon.

Check the video!

Citoyenneté: le programme ERASMUS fête 20 ans!

Etudier en Europe : la dynamique Erasmus
LE MONDE | 14.11.06

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Poema: O mar de Sophia

O mar...

Quando eu morrer voltarei para buscar

Os instantes que não vivi junto do mar.
(in "Livro Sexto")

*

Liberdade:
Aqui nesta praia onde

Não há nenhum vestígio de impureza,

Aqui onde há somente

Ondas tombando ininterruptamente,

Puro espaço e lúcida unidade,

Aqui o tempo apaixonadamente

Encontra a própria liberdade.

* *
Há muito que deixei aquela praia

De grandes areais e grandes vagas

Mas sou eu ainda quem na brisa respira

E é por mim que espera cintilando a maré vasa

* * *

... de poesias de Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

*

(translation in english & french will follow...)

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[foto tirada em Peniche, Portugal, 1/11/06]

Politics: WHO STOPS ISRAEL?

The US [John Bolton again...] has vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution condemning an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that killed 18 civilians, most of them women and children.

The draft, which also condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza, followed last Wednesday's attack in Beit Hanoun. Unsurprisingly, the US ambassador at the UN, John Bolton, described the text as unbalanced and politically motivated. Ten of 15 Security Council members backed the resolution. Four abstained - Denmark, Japan, Slovakia and the UK (certainly the closest US allies...). This was the second time this year that the US used its veto on a draft resolution on Israeli military operations in Gaza. But the US has a long history of vetoing resolutions condemning Israel at the UN... so it is not only Bolton's fault. The excuse is often that such resolutions "are biased against the country". However, in the meantime, Gaza has turned into a concentration camp (see previous post) and Israel keeps on doing whatever it wants there, killing people and destroying infrastructure mostly paid by Europe's taxpayer money.

The problem is that no one seems to care. Europe never dares say a word against Israel, certainly for historic reasons. It prefers to pay and shut up. And in the US it's governments are often prisoners of the powerful jewish lobby. Yet all this is unacceptable, to my understanding. It's about time that Europe (and Germany) dare to speak out against Israel's actions. But, until Europe and the US do not put serious pressure (economic) on the Israel government, nothing will happen. And the Palestinian case will not be solved. History will judge all the western leaders (or their lack of leadership) that have failed to achieve a peaceful solution to the Middel east and keep Israel within its borders, in respect of international law.

In the meantime, John Bolton's days as US ambassador to the UN seem over. Not enough US senators seems ready to keep him there, according to the Washington Post. Already last year George Bush had a hard time gathering enough support for appointing Bolton within his ranks. He had to impose him by decree, something he will not be able to repeat...

Politics: "That way son" - G. W. Bush goes back to daddy for help

In an interesting article in England's "The Sunday Times", of November 12, 2006, Andrew Sullivan writes about George W.'s Bush humiliation in the Congress elections and how he has slunk back to Dad for help. It's "Shakespeare meets Freud", he says ...

"The events of last week in America have an almost Shakespearean quality to them. It’s like some ghastly conflation of Richard II’s doom-laden “Down, down, I come” and Richard III’s “winter of our discontent”. Richard II is how Bush would like the world to see him — a king of noble motives brought low by injustice and fate. Richard III is . . . well, ask Karl Rove, the hunch in W’s back. At the centre of this epic psycho-political drama is a royal family of sorts in a war for survival: the Bush dynasty, a story of a father and his son, their tortured relationship and what they have had to do to survive.

Last week George W Bush was forced back — once again — to the protective arms of his father. They call the first President Bush “Poppy” in the family (...). His first son always lived in his shadow — both deeply admiring him and deeply resenting him, the way dauphins often do their monarchs. (...) Last week the dream [G. W. Bush's] collapsed in the sands of Anbar and the voting booths of the Midwest. The first son, who always wanted to make a name for himself, to escape the suffocating legacy of a presidential father, was forced by the American people to go back to Poppy. (…)

In his latest book, State of Denial, Bob Woodward is clear about the long-held animosity between Poppy and Rummy [Rumsfeld]. They couldn’t stand each other. “Bush senior thought Rumsfeld was arrogant, self-important, too sure of himself and Machiavellian. (...) If you want to know why Bush Jr held onto Rumsfeld longer than any sane person should have, one clue lies in the paternal relationship. Surrendering Rumsfeld means that Poppy was right. (…)

George W was the first son, but never the favoured one, of the Bush dynasty. Jeb, his younger brother, was always going to be president. W was the loser, the joker, the wastrel. But W was also, in his heart, desperate to emulate his father, while too driven by his own ego to listen to him. He desperately both wanted approval and just as desperately wanted to be free and independent.(...)"

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Lifestyle: Bolo Rei e consumo natalício à porta

Em Portugal o Natal chega cedo. Não falo do típico "Bolo Rei", que hoje já se encontra durante todo o ano. Felizmente para quem, como eu, gosta. Mas no final de Outubro, já as iluminações estão praticamente prontas, as decorações das montras em bom ritmo e as promoções e a publicidade natalícias invadiram o quotidiano dos portugueses. Não há fuga possível a essa "febre" do Natal. Puro comercio e estratégia dos comerciantes, provavelmente numa tentativa de aumentar as vendas, em época difícil. Mas os portugueses deixam-se ir nesse consumismo e em finais de Outubro, já muitos portugueses têm as compras de Natal feitas. Estranho, pois nem na Bélgica, um país potencialmente bastante mais materialista, se vê este consumismo de Natal. Em Bruxelas as decorações começam mais tarde, assim como tudo o resto. Quem sabe, talvez seja justamente pelo espírito mais materialista e hábitos menos gastadores (para não chamar-lhe outra coisa) que aqui o comércio e as prendas de Natal têm menor expressão, parece-me. Os comerciantes e as cidades também não investem muito em grandes decorações (embora na Grand Place tenha havido decorações originais nos ultimos anos). Devo dizer que algumas decorações em certas ruas e galerias comerciais são mesmo muito pobrezinhas e tristes, quando comparadas com outros locais. A grande árvore de Natal do Terreiro do Passo? Impensável. Pobre estratégia dos comerciantes? Talvez, mas Bruxelas ainda está longe de ser uma meca de consumo como Londres ou Paris, onde as pessoas vão fazer compras de Natal. Mas a mim nada disso, nada desse desperdício de recursos me faz falta. Apenas um bom bolo rei, claro!

[english summary]

In Portugal Christmas comes early. As early as late October the streets start to get their X-mas lights, shops get their X-mas decorations and publicity and special promotions get on their way. The portuguese get in full X-mas craze. Of course there is the typical X-mas cake "Bolo Rei" (King cake), but nowadays, fortunately, one can find it all year long.

What is a bit strange is that in Brussels this seems to be much less important, with poorer decorations. Shoppers and local authorities do not seem to invest much in that and some decorations are even quite poor, for what would be expected in a city like Brussels. In recent years though, some original decorations have been installed in the Grand Place. Maybe it is all because belgians (not know for a generous spirit, like the dutch), in general, spend a lot less in X-mas presents. Anyway, personally I do not miss all that X-mas fuss, at all. But I certainly miss the "Bolo rei".

Arts: elect the New 7 Wonders of the World !

The ancient 7 wonders of the world (as chosen by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C.) were: the Temple of Artemis (also known as the Temple to Diana, was located in Ephsesus in modernday Turkey), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (in the middle of the Mesopotamian desert, in present day Iraq), the Colossus of Rhodes (built in the island of Rhodes to revere the sun god Helios), the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (monumental tomb dedicated to King Mausolus in Persia), the Lighthouse at Alexandria (Egypt), the Pyramids at Giza (also in Egypt) and the Statue of Zeus (built inside the Parthenon in Greek Olympia). Of course they were all located in and around the Mediterranean and Greece.

But planet Earth kept on evolving and the world has changed since then. They are now proposing to elect the new seven wonders of the World, among 21 finalists. The candidates are: the Acropolis (Greece), Alhambra (Granada, Spain), Angkor (Myanmar, former Burma), Chichen Itzá (Mexico), Christ Redeemer (Rio), The Colosseum (Rome), Easter Island or Rapa Nui (Chile), Eiffel Tower (Paris), Great Wall of China, Hagia Sophia (Istanbul), Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto, Japan), Kremlin (Moscow, Russia), Machu Picchu (Peru), Neuschwanstein Castle (Baviera, Germany), Petra (Jordan), Pyramids of Giza (still in Egypt), Statue of Liberty (NY), Stonehenge (England), Sydney Opera House (Australia), Taj Mahal (India) and Timbuktu (Mali).

Of course this is rather a politically correct attempt to cover the whole planet, yet I have some doubts… there might be some things missing. For instance in NY I would have preferred the Empire State Building instead, I would also have added the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, the Øresund bridge & tunnel link between Denmark and Sweden, Venice in Italy, Shibam in Yemen, something in Central Asia like Samarkand (Uzbekistan), the temple of Borobudur in Java in Indonesia, Sintra or the Monastry of Batalha in Portugal and of course the Atomium in Brussels to name but a few! But well… I didn’t vote for the finalists selected...

You have to go to the site, register… and vote! You still have around 238 days to vote. Personally I think I’ll vote for: Chichen Itzá, the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu, Pyramids of Giza, Sydney Opera House and the Alhambra.

The New 7 Wonders of the World will be announced during the Official Declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07.

Vote here:

http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=315

list of places:

http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=427

Citizenship: Viva Mexico!

Look here MORE pictures / mire aqui la secuencia de fotos de ayer:

http://www.reforma.com/galeria_de_fotos/042956/

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After six years of discussions, the local Congress of the City of Mexico, Distrito Federal (the "Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal, ALDF, Congreso local") voted a law allowing homosexual partnerships, on Thursday 9 November. This was possible despite the opposition of the Church and of the conservative parties. Although it seems that Mr Lopez Obrador (who lost the recent presidential elections) had previously vetoed this law (which proves that he is rather conservative after all). This is an important date, in a country where abortion is not yet legal. The "ombudsman" of the City of Mexico, Emilio Alvarez Icaza, assured that this new law was "a big step towards more democracy and an advance in the defence of human rights". The leader of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD, leftwing) in the Federal District, Martí Batres, qualified as very positive the approval of the law, which had an historical importance, because "it could now be a reference for a national debate".

The text, baptised as "ley de sociedades de convivencia" (something like law of coexistence partnerships) does not yet allow to adopt a child and concerns only Mexico City. It got 43 votes (5 abstentions and 17 votes against). Only the members of the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN, catholic rightwing) of President Vicente Fox and of elected President Felipe Calderon opposed the draft law. The ruling stops short of enabling gay couples to get married and will only apply to the estimated nine million inhabitants of Mexico City. Now it will have to be promulgated by the Mayor of Mexico City, Alejandro Encinas, who has already declared to be in favour. Under the law, Mexico City's gay couples who register their union with civil authorities will gain access to inheritance and pension rights. Unmarried heterosexual couples can also register under the same law. A similar bill is being debated by lawmakers in Mexico's northern state of Coahuila, bordering Texas. The text resembles the French PACS (civil solidarity pact) or the Civil Union Contract existing in Portugal.

While the elected representatives of the City of Mexico examined the text of the law and discussed modifications to be made to the text, the partisans and opponents to the law expressed noisily in front of the city's assembly. The police established a security corridor to separate both groups. On one side, young people and catholic mothers held up small posters saying "No to the homosexual law". "You are afraid to assume your homosexuality", replied those in favour of the law, on the other side, waving the rainbow flags.

Mexico City becomes the second place in Latin-America where gay partnerships become legal (after the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina). But while Mexico takes a step forward towards improved human rights and democracy, the US takes a step backwards… On the same day that the democrats had a smashing victory over the republican party in last Tuesday's US mid-term elections for the Congress, seven US states were voting laws banning gay marriage! Arizona voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have banned domestic partnership laws as well as gay marriage (Arizona already had an ordinary law banning gay marriage, which remains in force). It became the first state to reject such an amendment. Seven other states approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage on the same day. Read further in the previous post.

Look here the sequence of pictures/ mire aqui las fotos de ayer:

http://www.reforma.com/galeria_de_fotos/042956/

read further:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3516551.stm
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/11/10/index.php?section=capital&article=049n1cap