been away too mutch time…

Well blogging is like life, it is not everyday we want to do it, or we need to do it. If you don’t want to, there is not reason to blog, it’s going to be bad blogging.

Now, I want it again. I want it bad! Blogging is back on this small corner. Let’s restart this plot!

Placing Value on people

This is the beginning of a trully remarkable story. In Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, this is happening. People, even if their in the bottom part of the hospital structure are valued has indispensable. The whole staff responded.

 

Placing the value on People. Maybe that’s is the right path.

The world keeps spinning

Long weekend, lot’s of news, important ones.

Let’s start with probably the most important one: stem cells – in here – this will open a huge door to research and to development. There are dangers of course, but the only way we can solve some disseases like cancer is by researching, a lot. Obama overturns Bush narrow sight, and move foward , it’s just anotehr step… Foward!

China is moving forward as one of the worlds top countries in the next few years, and violence seem to be back again in the Northern Ireland – The future has a lot of question marks on it. The way the world we live is changing, our chalanges are new every second. Here is a great presentation to make you think about that. It’s a must see!

Woman

Next Sunday we will be celebrating the Woman’s international day. It was a very important landmark a few years ago, now I guess society is a lot more equal and opportunities are given in almost a even way between man and woman.  Of course there are some exceptions, and there still is a long way to make, but i rather remind us all about the important role woman have to assume and are assuming everyday more in our world.

Two woman take an important part in USA politics nowadays, Hillary Clinton, of course, after last year amazing presidential run, is now USA Secretary of State, and even yesterday performed an important role in bringing the USA and Russia together, after many years apart. Sure a man could do it also, I  just have think it couldn’t have done it better.

 

Another example came to us yesterday directly from the white house. Michelle Obama left the president’s house and spent lunch helping to feed homeless in Washington. Miriam’s Kitchen is one of the organizations providing meals to homeless in the capital’s area. In this economic downturn, nothing like an example of service to the community to point the way. Sure it’s no huge deal, but the question is, has any other first lady done it before? Don’t think so.

More relevant then being the Woman’s day, is to make each day an opportunity to have great woman taking their place in our society, and there are a few. These are just two of them.

Cherry trees.

Everybody uses this line today, in social networks, in sentences that almost nobody realizes. There even are people who used it, and don’t even know the meaning of it: ” I want to do with you, what spring does with the cherry trees.“

First it Was Pablo Neruda who wrote a magnificent poem that ended with this sentence, then it was Roberto Begnini using it in a amazing movie ” The tiger and the snow” – many other used it, and gave it an aura that we cannot realize by a simple poem.

But the poem helps, besides that, is a beautiful love poem from Neruda. Here it is:

“Every Day You Play

Every day you play with the light of the universe.
Subtle visitor, you arrive in the flower and the water.
You are more than this white head that I hold tightly
as a cluster of fruit, every day, between my hands.

You are like nobody since I love you.
Let me spread you out among yellow garlands.
Who writes your name in letters of smoke among the stars of the south?
Oh let me remember you as you were before you existed.

Suddenly the wind howls and bangs at my shut window.
The sky is a net crammed with shadowy fish.
Here all the winds let go sooner or later, all of them.
The rain takes off her clothes.

The birds go by, fleeing.
The wind. The wind.
I can contend only against the power of men.
The storm whirls dark leaves
and turns loose all the boats that were moored last night to the sky.

You are here. Oh, you do not run away.
You will answer me to the last cry.
Cling to me as though you were frightened.
Even so, at one time a strange shadow ran through your eyes.

Now, now too, little one, you bring me honeysuckle,
and even your breasts smell of it.
While the sad wind goes slaughtering butterflies
I love you, and my happiness bites the plum of your mouth.

How you must have suffered getting accustomed to me,
my savage, solitary soul, my name that sends them all running.
So many times we have seen the morning star burn, kissing our eyes,
and over our heads the gray light unwind in turning fans.

My words rained over you, stroking you.
A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body.
I go so far as to think that you own the universe.
I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells,
dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.
I want
to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees. “

The flower of a cherry tree is considered holy in Japan, because it is very rare, it only blossoms once in each year, the uniqueness of it’s forms, and her sensivity are uncomun – at the least touch it loses it’s petals – so what spring makes to the cherry trees is striping them down with a single blow. The sence of the poem’s end comes from there.

Never the less the poem is amazing – Pablo Neruda is another great reference in our world. It would be very different if he didn’t left us his poems.

Gracias Pablo.

Some death are worth it…

What do we do when a dictator dies ?!?  Should we cry? Be sorry for the loss of a life?  The truth is that Nino Vieira and João Baptista Tagme Na Waie (they both died violently in the last days, and are both pictured below) are the main responsible for the situation in Guine Bissau.

 

Guine Bissau is one of the 5 poorest countries in the world, they are independent for almost 40 years and since there, it’s been civil war, military coup, poverty, corruption and drugs business. These two men were killed by each other military. But the way things were going, these deaths are provably a good reason for a ordinary person to smile. What comes next? The next few days will be remarkably decisive. This small, 1.5 million population, placed between Senegal and Guinea, never had a chance since their independence in 1974. Maybe this will be it.

Nothing to be sorry for in these two deaths, their lifes caused many more death, poverty and dispair then one can imagine. Maybe this will be a new dawn for Guinea Bissau.

I hope so.

80’s Weekend…

It’s true, i also have weekends… and this one I went crazy, besides moving apartment (crazy – it always seem to be another book, another briefcase, another piece of cloth – they seem to appear from no where..) , I went dancing.

Here in Coimbra we have 80’s night at the last Saturday of each month… Crazy people all night long. I missed coming home in time to get breakfast… Still recovering, politics will fallow.

war ends 2010

I’m sure for some republicans the title of these kind of news will be “Obama Keeps war until end of 2011!” but the times schedule is quite feasable and even Mccain agree on it.

Not a victory, it’s only a start, b ut never the less, another firm step towards a honeste and firm answer to the world we live in today. From now on , the war has a end date. Iraq will be at last is own ruler.  In the first 100 days Obama is facing most of the problems witout fear, or lobbys, or economic interests.  The world is greatful.

I know this seems like an empowerment of Obama, almost to positive. I’m sure we will, on the way, make mistakes. But this start of term is really thrilling for me.

My main curiosity now is to see who republicans will send in on TV, after that Jindal joke, maybe it’s time Rush Limbaugh to step in. Where are you Rush?

Change

Tonight a different direction in American politics: Bush asked America’s youth to fight for the Country, Obama asked them to learn for the country.  Huge contrast.

Change means three vectors: Education, Health care and economy. Wonderful speech, great strenght and another step ahead in this new direction.

Poverty.

You can say Slumdog Millionaire’s win yesterday had nothing to do with politics, but i sure disagree. I’m not saying they won because of backstage, well all movies have a strong backstage aproach, but the truth is that what Slumdog Millionaire pictures is the crude reality politics should be fighting.

Everybody seems to have wake up to the world needs in the face of the economic turmoil, but the dificulties were there from decades ago. Slumdog Millionaire is a shocking, disturbing movie.  The caracterization of Mumbai’s slum is made is a brutal, hard, down to earth way. Maybe they couldn’t have done otherway.

The dispair, the deep poverty, the lack of basic conditions to dignified life, makes this slum a horrid place, maybe we could talk about the brazillian “favelas” or the african populations escaping from war or hunger, displaced from their origins.. but basicly we are talking the same: poverty. The society as we know it is not sustainable while we don’t take care of this problem – poverty cannot be a frequent picture in a developed world!

Sure you can go arround, and say economy is hard right now, but while you continue to tolerate fiscal paradises, and off-shores, you are being a part of it. Globalization doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but globalization without a social conscienceness is a ver hard picture to look at.

That is is waht Slumdog Millionaire brought to us on film. It’s not just india, Mumbai, or Brazil.. it’s in the street right next to you – while we don’t take the job of facing this issue honestly.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE!

This is truly a remarkable movie – life itself, love and hope.

The big winner of tonight, without a question, a deserved one. The academy made justice. Haven’t seen it?  You must.

The Boy in the striped pijamas

This is Oscar night so why not recommend a movie? A pretty god one indeed. Not a nominee, not a movie that would appear in the comercial stands with a big neon over their oppening night, but surely a movie worth seing.

Two of my top 3  World War II movies were filmed from a child’s point of view – probably there is a reason for that, they can so clearly place a border between good and evil even before the adult can. “Life is beautifull” is the film of my life, and Roberto Begnini turns the Nazi camp into a game for the main caracter eyes, a child. Then comes   Schindler’s List, and “The Boy in the striped pijamas” comes third – another child’s point of view about one of the horrors of the World War II.

A magnificent movie, with a amazing screenplay (you know how much i value the screenplay), were a friendship between a nazi general’s son and a child in a concentration camp makes any war seem plain stupid. Again, in the child’s eye , wrong and right are presented clearly, when two young boys begin a friendship, just with a fence between them.

Not in the oscar’s? so what!? worth every penny. It’s a must see.

Latin dances

Finally a decision, the next months i will be dancing. Yes i missed it a lot, and it’s a great way to know lot’s of people.

Latin dances… here i go!

The writting…

The curious thing about this is that I’ve been talking few times about myself, maybe I’m shy… I will disclosure here one of my hobbies – from the links on the right you probably discovered it by now, but ok.. I love writing!

 

Whenever I’m blue, I write, whenever I’m happy I write, whenever I’m down, I write… writing is almost like being alive. And although I write poorly, it still gives me a lot of pleasure doing it.

Next April month another web contest is opening, another 30 days adventure in writing a scrip in a month – it’s called Scrip Frenzy, and I’m taking part. I don’t have much time, so it’s going to be my sleep hours who are going to lose in April.

I recommend it – it’s a great way to start enjoying writing.

Slumdog Millionaire

This movie is a great pleasant surprise. Excelent argument, wonderfull directing.

This is a must see piece of art. A wonderfull story that makes you believe in love and life again. Also the Bombai life is placed upon a spotlight and places the dificulties of this world right in front of our eyes.

Amazing.

St. Valentines day…

I can’t really stand this day. It’s awfull, even if i had a girlfriend , i still would hate it. It’s not only all the red hearts flowing arround everywhere you look, it’s making love a business, one of the worst ways to look at it.

Let’s shot the damm bastard.

This is hope…

nothing more to say, just a lot to hope for.

The path

Most didn’t believe possible when Obama took office, but now it seems the words had a meaning… Obama want’s America talking with Iran, with mutual respect, trying to easy away, most of the tension between the two.

Don’t ilude yourself, we will not live to see a time where the two countries can be considered allies, it will not happen. But the world doesn’t have another chance – we simply could not tolerate this conflict to be solved with another invasion. These steps are lot more braver then seem in fist hand.

It’s finally an assurance to have a US president who doesn’t have problem saying he did a mistake (in the last 8 years how many times did Bush say he was wrong?) , and with the courage to talk to their enemies and try to build bridges that makes this world a lot safer.

If there is a path to peace, this is as close as it gets… wonderfull perspectives but a lot of work ahead. Keep going Barack Obama.

Flop…

I’m almost compelled not to write anything about this movie, but ok… I will do it. Nice cast yes, blockbuster? must be a joke!

If you ever saw a good second world war documentary , don’t bother to go see this one. You should ask me, but a movie is a lot different from a documentary, yeah that’s what i think, but Bryan Singer (the director), doesn’t know the difference. It’s sort of a documentary, the story is only the valkyrie operation story, without any suspence without any surprise or emotion.

One of the worst movies i saw in months, and believe me, I usually enjoy Tom Cruise performances very much – he does a good job, but with such a lousy argument, any movie whatever the conditions would be bad. I left the theatre not only disappointed but with a feeling i didn’t have in a long time – it was not worth the money.

Clearly a flop, a huge one.

Vatican Radio f*cks Novartis without any condom…

Yes, its truly amazing, i’m cracking myself up… Well the story is quite simple, vatican radio asked Daniel vasella the president of Novartis to have a program every week on their radio. Everything great until these guys found out Novartis produced condoms… It must be quite dificult to see that one of the major farmaceuticals are producing condoms…  A truly magnificent find from these idiots.

After knowing that huge sinn from Novartis, vatican radio canceled the invitation… The reason? well it’s obvious – they cannot let anyone who produces condoms talk on their radio… It’s against their religion…

What is their religion, hard thing to tell… by the looks on this radio, their religion is based on censurship of anyone producing anything that saves lifes! Go figure 😦