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

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.