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

©

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
>
“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

©

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...)

*

[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.(...)"

don't miss it... read further!

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/

>

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

Citizenship: 7 USA states go step backwards as regards Human rights

Gay marriage is one of the most polarising issues in the United States. Actually there is notonly a division between the democrats and the republicans, also between the consevative and the more modern/ democratic states. On tuesday, while the north-american people massively voted for the democrats for the Congress, allowing them to win the House of Representatives and the Senate, several referendums were held in 8 states to ban gay marriage! (yes, you read well, those votes were not meant to give more civil rights, but instead to take them!). The map above outlines the state of the law across the USA. Intense debates have surrounded the issue in the different states.

On 7 November, Arizona voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have banned domestic partnership laws as well as gay marriage. It became the first state to reject such an amendment. But Arizona already had an ordinary law banning gay marriage, which remains in force. On the same day that the Congress changed hands, seven other states approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage - Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina (by 78%!), South Dakota, Tennessee (81%!) Virginia and Wisconsin.

Yes, while some countries move forward towards democracy and improved human rights, like Mexico, some USA states move backwards... They call it "development", I call it social lagging behind, mental "underdevelopment".

Development: The 2006 Human Development Report is out

The 2006 Human Development Report was made public yesterday in Cape Town. As regards the HDI (human development index), the situation hasn't changed much in relation to previous years, with Norway presenting the highest HDI, the "usual suspects" in the first places (Scandinavian countries, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Ireland), Belgium comes 13 (hard to believe…), before Denmark, in 15 (life expectancy is to blame). France comes 16, Italy 17, UK 18, Spain 19, Germany 21, Portugal 28. In Latin-America Argentina comes unsurprisingly first in 36, followed by Chile in 38, Uruguay 43, Costa Rica 48 and Mexico 53. Brasil only comes 69. In the European Union (EU) the last are Bulgaria and Romania (in 54 and 60th place respectively), also without surprise...

The theme for this year's report is the World water and sanitation crisis, which, according to the UN, urgently need a Global Action Plan. The 2006 Report calls for 20 litres of clean water a day for all as a human right. It calls for a Global Action Plan (under G8 leadership – but I ask why not under UN leadership???, which legitimacy does the G8 have?…), which is urgently needed to resolve a growing water and sanitation crisis that causes nearly two million child deaths every year. According to this year's report, entitled Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis, across much of the developing world, unclean water is an immeasurably greater threat to human security than violent conflict.

More than 2.6 billion people still lack access to proper sanitation, and 1.1 billion people have no regular access to clean water. As a result, 1.8 million children die from diarrhoea each year, making the disease the second-largest cause of global child mortality. Almost 50 percent of all people in developing countries are also suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by a lack of water and sanitation. To add to these human costs, the crisis in water and sanitation holds back economic growth, with sub-Saharan Africa losing five percent of GDP annually—far more than the region receives in aid.

Yet unlike wars and natural disasters, this global crisis does not galvanise concerted international action, says the 2006 Human Development Report (HDR). “Like hunger, it is a silent emergency experienced by the poor and tolerated by those with the resources, the technology and the political power to end it,” says the Report. With less than a decade left to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, this needs to change, stress the authors.

The report also says that world sanitation crisis causes millions of avoidable deaths and contamination from human waste is largely to blame. Simply installing a flush toilet in the home increases by almost 60 percent a Peruvian child’s chances of surviving to her first birthday, according to data in the 2006 Human Development Report documenting the often-fatal consequences of inadequate sanitation in developing countries. The Report shows that the efficacy of human-waste disposal is one of the strongest determinants of child survival around the world.

The cruel irony is that across the world, the poor are forced to pay much more for clean water than their affluent neighbours. The report notes that in the slums of Nairobi the poor pay five to 10 times more per litre of water than wealthy people living in the same city. The poorest households of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Jamaica spend on average over 10 percent of their income on water; in the United Kingdom, by contrast, spending more than three percent of family income on water is considered an economic hardship. And the longstanding public-versus-private debate on water will not bring prices down, stresses the 2006 HDR. In recent years, public debate on water-delivery policy in developing countries has been dominated by a polarizing discussion on privatization versus public ownership. But the authors argue that this is a false choice, diverting attention from the ultimate goal of finding viable ways of getting potable water to those who can least afford to pay.

Fianlly, also poor farmers face double water crisis: climate change and competition. The report claims that stronger rights, better irrigation and adaptation to global warming can avert catastrophe - if they arrive in time.

Read further: http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/

Cinema: Babel, the film

I've just seen the film "Babel". Liked it and hated it, for its actors, for the length, for its unlikely intertwined story(ies) and its "alternative pacifist message"... however it is worthwhile seing, I guess. Review will follow soon.

As is indicated in wikipedia and according to the bible, the Tower of Babel was being built by Humanity to reach heaven. Because mankind was said to be inherently evil and disobedient, instead of worshipping the God who created them, God would have stopped their efforts by creating different languages so that the builders could not understand each other. As a result of the communication problem, it would be impossible to continue and the Babel Tower would never be finished. This story is used to explain the existence of the different languages.

The film "Babel" is also about communication... or rather, the lack of it or the difficulty to communicate between people and cultures.

Politics: The George W. Bush & co. era comes to an end

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is to resign as the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives, and Senate power hangs on a tight race in the state of Virginia (where it seems they are also likely to lose). On tuesday, the Democrats have not only won the House of Representatives but may also have achieved what was nearly unthinkable... win the Senate. On tuesday President Bush's Republican Party paid the price at the polls for the desastrous policies of the Bush administration in Iraq and at home. Yet, it will have taken some six years to defeat them, and in the meantime the Bush administration will be in power for 8 year. How was this possible?

The resignation of the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shows how much the Bush administration is in disarray about Iraq. As Stephen D. Julias and Max Fraad Wolff wrote in an article published in the Asia Times, the US should be ready now "to face the world anew". I say the Bush adminisytration is forced to change attitude in order to survive and so that the Republican party might have any chance in the coming presidential elections.

Julias and Wolff wrote in the Asia Times, "The George W Bush era began with withdrawal from multilateral agreements and lively pronouncement of Pax Americana's historical mission and might. Allies were icing on a global cake of the United States' baking and for the United States' eating. This was to be showcased to a timid world by ending "rabid" Middle Eastern regimes bent on the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and blessing minions with the virtues of democracy. This vision, mission and method have now failed so dramatically as to be unsustainable for the US president and his remaining allies." (...) "Once it hurts the US domestic base and, thus, re-election prospects, it's time for a change. Sacrifice remains the duty of others." (...)

And they continue "The Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by Baker and Lee H Hamilton, will conclude that the US needs to make deals with Syria, Iran and the rest of a timid world to assure that the US can escape Iraq without a total loss of its long-term interest. Gone will be the stated policy of liberty and democratic revolution in the Middle East. The continued economic costs in lives, prestige and perceived omnipotence are simply unacceptable. A new, cost-controlled cooperative agenda will be announced as allowing the US to meet its real central objectives and move on to victory in the "war on terror". "

"Why the change?", they ask. Simply because "The war in Iraq and its subsequent nation-building exercise have created a direct cost to the American taxpayer of about US$340 billion to date. Not only has this large investment not yielded the promised returns, the costs sunk in this situation are climbing with every continued minute of the United States' involvement." And it goes on: "The human costs are staggering. This is true for US forces, contractors and families and for Iraqis in general. Economist Brad DeLong estimates that for every month the war in Iraq is extended, the human bill is about 100 American soldiers killed, 500 American soldiers maimed and perhaps 4,000 Iraqis dead. ". Yet these are low estimates (see previous post on estimates for the number of deaths in Iraq made by Lancet magazine).

"In short, the US federal government has overspent and over-borrowed like there was no tomorrow." (...) "Although the details of the war's costs or the nation's overall financial position may not be general knowledge, every American senses that something is profoundly wrong. This unease takes palpable form in nightly pictures broadcast from Iraq and stagnating middle-class paychecks in the face of skyrocketing bills. Voter concern is clearly demonstrated in state reporting of record voter registrations for the traditionally low-turnout mid-term elections."

"The United States today is perceived as a superpower in decline having failed in Iraq, abandoned allies and forsaken its democratic principals. This demands and will get a radical strategic change no matter which party emerges dominant from the mid-term elections. The war in Iraq has become a focal point of anger for the average American voter and throughout the world. Anger over income, opportunity and wage inequality in the United States and US economic and political decision-making around the world are now focused on Bush and US action in Iraq. This has finally become clear to business and political leadership."

On tuesday the feelings of the North-american voters becamle clear and the departure of Rumsfeld is also a sign that finally things are getting clear to the political leadership, i.e. the Republicans. Bush will be forced to change policies and maybe focus more on internal politics. The task in the coming years up to the presidential elections will be hard though... But what can change? The Iraq Study Group will probably take over Iraq planning and advising. New policy options will certainly have to contradict the rhetoric of establishing democracy in Iraq. The US will get back to multilateral diplomacy and will propbably have to engage in talkings with countries like Syria and even Iran. Things will change, they have to change, yet it will take time to make up for the time lost.

Julias and Wolff conclude: "The US will attempt to refocus global and domestic attention and rebuild. (...) Given the sensitive state of the US macroeconomy, looming government budget issues and America's diminished power position in the Middle East, there is no real other choice. Thus we conclude that a dramatic policy shift is certain and the most important outcome of the mid-term elections."

Read further:
"Shift coming in US policy on Iraq", Christian Science Monitor article.

Politique: Rumsfeld OUT !!! (at last!)

Bush annonce la démission de Rumsfeld et assume sa part de "responsabilité" dans la défaite
LEMONDE.FR | 08.11.06

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Politique: GRANDE DEFAITE POUR BUSH AU CONGRES (ET AU SENAT)!

Bush félicite les démocrates pour leur victoire, la couleur du Sénat reste incertaine
LEMONDE.FR | 08.11.06

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Politique: 170 Etats se réunissent au Kenya pour la conférence de l'ONU sur le climat

Une conférence internationale pour imaginer l'après-Kyoto
LE MONDE | 06.11.06

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Politique: L'Agence internationale de l'énergie appelle le monde à miser sur le nucléaire

L'Agence internationale de l'énergie appelle le monde à miser sur le nucléaire
LEMONDE.FR | 07.11.06

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Development: 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

The 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), launched today by Transparency International (TI), points to a strong correlation between corruption and poverty, with a concentration of impoverished states at the bottom of the ranking. The CPI reinforces the link between poverty and corruption. It shows the machinery of corruption remains well-oiled, despite improved legislation. “Corruption traps millions in poverty,” said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. “Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, today’s results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens.”

The 2006 CPI is a composite index that draws on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in 163 countries around the world, the greatest scope of any CPI to date. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption. Almost three-quarters of the countries in the CPI score below five (including all low-income countries and all but two African states) indicating that most countries in the world face serious perceived levels of domestic corruption. Seventy-one countries - nearly half - score below three, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant. Haiti (the lowest score at 1.8), Guinea, Iraq and Myanmar share the last slots. Finland, Iceland and New Zealand share the top score of 9.6. The usual suspects share the top ten positions (i.e. the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Switzerland...). The UK comes in number 11, France in 18th place together with Ireland, Belgium comes 20 together with Chile and the USA (down from 17 in 2005). Spain 23rd, Portugal 26th, Italy 45th and Greece 54th. The worst European Union country is Romania in 84th place (!) but closely followed by Poland in 61st place (while Cuba comes 66th, China 70th and Russia 121st). All in all, no big surprises...

Check the whole list bellow:
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/cpi_2006/cpi_table

Cinéma: Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen à Bruxelles

Le 9ème Festival du Cinéma Méditerranéen à Bruxelles ouvrira ses portes du 23 novembre au 2 décembre 2006. Le festival a eu lieu pour la première fois en 1989 et depuis n'a plus cessé d'attirer du public. Il propose cette année 70 films en 10 jours, évoquant plus de 20 pays du bassin méditerranéen. Selon les organisateurs "le festival Cinéma Méditerranéen à Bruxelles diffère des autres festivals dans la mesure où , par le biais de son ambiance, il favorise le dialogue multiculturel, il rapproche les professionnels d'horizons complètement différents tout en privilégiant les rencontres entre ceux-ci et un public chaleureux et enthousiaste, dans un esprit de fête et de convivialité."

Ils prétendent "sortir de l'ombre le cinéma du soleil". Le festival "se veut un lieu où règnent la passion des découvertes, le désir de rencontre et une sérénité bien nécessaire alors qu'un vent de folie souffle sur certaines rives de la Méditerranée."

Allez-y!

Arts: Festival des libertés

"Résister à la panique sociale"

"Les peurs envahissent de plus en plus notre quotidien. Elles conditionnent et déterminent chaque jour davantage certaines opinions et certains comportements dans notre société. Ici, comme ailleurs, dans un monde dont on ne songe plus qu’à se protéger, rester chez soi est devenu une règle. Fuir les rassemblements, un réflexe. Respecter les consignes sécuritaires, un code de conduite. Cette mentalité relayée par les médias et la presse populaire, renforcée par le discours politico-alarmiste, construit progressivement dans les opinions l’acceptation tacite d’un nouvel ordre public, dont l’esprit peut faire craindre pour le devenir des libertés et des valeurs collectives. Une situation qui, si rien n’y fait, pourrait conduire à terme à l’ébranlement de la base sociale et du fondement démocratique de notre société. Soucieuse d’alerter de ce danger, l’édition 2006 du Festival des Libertés invite à l’engagement dans une résistance à la panique sociale, par l’information, le débat, le cinéma, le théâtre et la musique. Le tout dans un cadre redéfini pour favoriser le questionnement et la déconstruction. Par le jeu, la rencontre ou la découverte. Le programme du Festival des Libertés est la traduction artistique, philosophique, sociale et culturelle de son message politique. Diversité des expressions et des formes, mélange des genres, des styles et des tons. Mariage des harmonies et des paradoxes. Fusion des climats, rencontre du familier avec l’insolite dans une même convergence de sens à illustrer et à faire partager."

Du 9 au 18 novembre au Pathé Palace, à Bruxelles.

Citoyenneté: "étranger" pas égal à "étrange"

Nous sommes tous des étrangers quelque part, nous appartenons tous à une ou autre minorité à un moment ou autre... / we are all a foreigner somewhere in this world and we all belong to one or more minority...