Dharma

Boas Festas e esta prenda para 2010 - o sonho comanda a vida ;)

2009-12-24T01:39:00.000Z

Never wanted to be food so much in my life

2009-11-04T19:29:00.001Z

Morena Baccarin is soooo hot...

KIVA explicado aos Portugueses? (tirando o vídeo ;)

2009-11-01T16:04:00.002Z

A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

O seu lema diz tudo «Loans that change lives» – traduzido como «Empréstimos que mudam vidas». Com 25 dólares (pouco mais de 17 euros), qualquer um pode ajudar alguém a ter o seu próprio negócio. Mas, mais do que dinheiro, quem empresta está a dar uma oportunidade a quem não teria possibilidade de ter um empréstimo através de instituições bancárias, devido aos elevados juros.
Nenhum deles tem internet, mas foi através de um site que conseguiram o seu próprio negócio. As suas histórias estão em www.kiva.org. Cabeleireiro, mercearia, talhante, criação de animais, padaria ou uma simples banca de venda de comida são exemplos de negócios que conseguiram tirar gente da rua e da mendicidade e deram um melhor nível de vida a famílias inteiras, desde a Bulgária à Serra Leoa, ou do Chile ao Tajiquistão. Daí o nome escolhido para a organização: kiva é uma palavra swahili que significa «unidade» ou «acordo».
Em 2005, Matt Flannery e Jessica Jackley fizeram uma viagem a África que lhes iria mudar a vida. Na altura como um casal, Matt e Jessica testemunharam o poder do microcrédito ao verem que com simples montantes de cem dólares conseguiam mudar a vida de gente empreendedora, que apostava em ter o seu negócio. Em vez de «encontrarmos pobres, encontrámos empreendedores de sucesso, que geravam lucros e aumentavam o seu nível de vida», revelam. Matt e Jessica regressaram da viagem com uma pergunta na cabeça: «Como podíamos emprestar dinheiro a esses empreendedores? Ambos tínhamos crescido a dar donativos a crianças africanas através da igreja e de famílias. Porque não estender a ideia aos negócios?», questionaram Matt e Jessica. «Em vez de donativos, podíamos focar-nos nos empréstimos», pensaram. Depois de um ano de telefonemas com especialistas de microcrédito, internet, advogados e economistas, conseguiram uma resposta. E assim nasceu A Kiva, a forma de emprestar dinheiro através da internet.

Dream Team
Em Março de 2005 deu-se o pontapé de saída. Através de um contacto no Uganda, sete empréstimos foram colocados no site Kiva, por um total de 3500 dólares. Seis meses depois os empréstimos estavam pagos. Estes empreendedores ficaram conhecidos como Dream Team, ao provarem que o sonho era possível.
Em Outubro de 2005, A Kiva mostrou-se ao mundo. Depois de aparecer nos meios de comunicação social, o salto foi enorme. Surgiram apoios pela boca de diversas personalidades públicas internacionais como Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton e, mais recentemente, Brad Pitt, entre outros, que lhe deram uma maior visibilidade. Rapidamente deixou de ser um projecto pessoal para se tornar uma plataforma de microcrédito para o mundo inteiro, com maior incidência nos países em vias de desenvolvimento.
Matt Flannery é co-fundador e director-geral (CEO) da Kiva, desde finais de 2004. Começou por trabalhar em part-time, enquanto ainda tinha o seu emprego como programador de computadores na TiVo, Inc. Em Dezembro de 2005, largou esse emprego e dedicou-se a tempo inteiro à Kiva. «Deixar o meu emprego demonstrou o nível de seriedade do projecto. Quando eu tinha dois empregos, as pessoas podiam perguntar-se se era só um hobby para mim e pensavam “porque é que eu lhe devo confiar o meu dinheiro e reputação se você não o faz?”», confessa. Matt Flannery conseguiu transformar A Kiva num serviço online que desenvolve parcerias em todo o mundo com o objectivo de arranjar empréstimos para empreendedores. «Vi com os meus próprios olhos as decisões penosas, familiares, para quem vive em pobreza. Ter de decidir entre pagar a escola, pôr a comida na mesa ou comprar os medicamentos para uma criança com uma doença curável», diz o co-fundador da Kiva.

«Acredito em ti»
Para além dos empréstimos singulares, foram também criadas equipas de pessoas (as chamadas Lending Teams) que se juntam com o objectivo de angariarem um maior empréstimo ou diminuírem a sobrecarga de cada investidor.
Nuno Almeida mora em Vila Nova de Gaia e é um dos portugueses que fazem parte da família Kiva. Com 42 anos, este empregado bancário inscreveu-se no site em Dezembro de 2007: «Achei a ideia fantástica. A possibilidade de, com um pequeno montante, poder ajudar alguém a levar em frente um projecto profissional, que pode transformar a sua vida e a da sua família. Daí o meu slogan no site: “Acredito em ti”. Na altura, consultei alguma informação sobre a organização, que me pareceu credível, li também sobre o apoio que Oprah e o presidente Clinton deram à iniciativa.» No entanto, não conseguiu ver o mesmo entusiasmo em pessoas que lhe eram próximas: «Curiosamente, ainda está em projecto criar uma conta comum de colegas de trabalho. A minha ideia é que cada um contribua com um valor simbólico, de um euro, e em conjunto fazermos um fundo significativo. Tenho deparado com alguma resistência e dúvida quanto a este tipo de iniciativas», reflecte.
As Lending Teams, onde está um grupo de Portugal, são conjuntos de pessoas, muitas vezes de empresas, que se unem para angariarem mais rapidamente o dinheiro pretendido. Um dos responsáveis pela introdução das Lending Teams foi Jeremy Frazão, um descendente de portugueses a viver nos Estados Unidos. Jeremy é um dos nomes envolvidos no projecto da Kiva: «O meu pai saiu de Portugal, tinha eu 7 anos, e cresci no Connecticut. Ele era natural de São Bento, uma vila perto de Porto de Mós.»
Actualmente com 32 anos, Jeremy foi o primeiro contratado de Kiva, em Janeiro de 2006. É o director de tecnologia, responsável pela manutenção e desenvolvimento do site: «Fiquei a conhecer o projecto quando li um artigo no site da DailyKos. Tornou-se óbvio para mim que era uma ideia muito importante e contactei o Matt Flannery imediatamente. Uns meses mais tarde, eu e a minha mulher estávamos em São Francisco a trabalhar na Kiva», conta Jeremy.
«Entrei neste projecto porque penso que a Kiva é uma das maiores aplicações que foram construídas na internet. Obviamente que há sites maiores, mas a Kiva encontrou um caminho único de ligar pessoas através de empréstimos. A ideia por detrás da Kiva é o que me faz vir trabalhar em cada dia», confessa Jeremy, acrescentando que «na minha profissão é raro ter a oportunidade de trabalhar num projecto com um impacte tão directo e positivo no mundo».
São muitas as histórias que marcaram Jeremy: «Têm sido bastante aventureiros estes três últimos anos. Desde estar no programa da Oprah Winfrey até ir à Tanzânia! Mas tenho de dizer que visitar os nossos parceiros na Tanzânia foi provavelmente a coisa mais excitante que fiz até agora para a Kiva. Depois de trabalhar durante anos para o site, foi fabuloso ter a oportunidade de ver o impacte em campo, pelos meus próprios olhos, e ver em pessoa como funciona o microcrédito», afirma Jeremy, que já emprestou dinheiro a dezenas de empreendedores de todo o mundo.

Euros portugueses para patos vietnamitas
Nuno Almeida recorda qual foi a primeira pessoa a quem decidiu emprestar dinheiro: «Foi a uma camponesa do Vietname, para comprar patos. Um financiamento por um período de 12 meses.» Nuno adianta que não teve nenhum critério especial na escolha: «Não faço as minhas opções pela história das pessoas, porque há muitos pedidos de apoio e não leio todas as histórias. Actualmente estou mais virado para o critério de retorno de pagamento e, sem dúvida, os períodos mais curtos são do Peru e do México. Mas a minha opção vai para o comércio e a produção alimentar.»
Na Kiva qualquer um pode ser investidor, sem estar à espera dos lucros. No fundo, quem empresta só quer que o negócio dê resultado; que os empreendedores consigam pagar a tempo; e que este mesmo dinheiro consiga ajudar em breve outros empreendedores.
Talvez por ser um projecto à escala global, a Kiva conseguiu juntar concorrentes como a Google e a Microsoft e até conseguiu os pagamentos através da PayPal, sem que esta levasse dinheiro por isso. O que se deve ao actual presidente da Kiva, Premal Shah, que trabalhou para a PayPal. Nos seus seis anos de trabalho nesta empresa, Premal conduziu um sem-número de iniciativas que envolviam projectos de apoio aos mais pobres e sempre mostrou grande interesse no microcrédito.
E a verdade é que a Kiva, através dos seus parceiros em campo, já mudou a vida de muita gente e as suas histórias estão à vista no site [ver caixa com «Histórias reais»]. São mais de 170 mil os empreendedores já ajudados e perto de 500 mil os investidores. A cada 31 segundos é feito um empréstimo.

Crise não pára empréstimos
A responsável pelas relações públicas (RP) da Kiva fala-nos do futuro da organização: «Pensamos na continuação da expansão, para que a Kiva possa emprestar cada vez mais a empreendedores em todos os países onde encontre parceiros para trabalhar.» A expansão é tal, que este ano também os Estados Unidos começaram a ter pedidos. «Este é o primeiro país desenvolvido onde a Kiva vai facilitar empréstimos», diz Fiona Ramsey.
A RP da Kiva refere que, apesar da crise mundial, «o número de empréstimos tem vindo a subir. Fevereiro, por exemplo, foi o melhor mês, teve mais de 3,8 milhões de dólares emprestados», indica. «Como se pode ver pelos números», atesta a RP, «verificámos que geralmente empréstimos a mulheres são angariados mais rapidamente do que para homens. E os empréstimos mais pequenos também são angariados mais rapidamente do que os grandes. Pelo que os números indicam, África recebe mais rapidamente fundos do que a Europa de Leste». «Os nossos parceiros em campo e as instituições de microfinanciamento são a nossa ponte com os empreendedores. São eles que avaliam os pedidos e que tratam directamente com quem pede os empréstimos. São esses parceiros em campo que avaliam a necessidade e a honestidade de quem pede o empréstimo», revela Fiona.
Para Matt Flanery, «a transparência nos próximos tempos vai ser a nossa melhor arma contra os desafios de crescimento. Este modelo prospera em informação e não em marketing. Os empreendedores representados no site não são material promocional – são pessoas reais», salienta.

Mudanças sociais
O papel da Kiva ultrapassa os empréstimos. A nível social consegue passar a mensagem de que há pessoas pobres com capacidade de iniciativa e, em certas comunidades, fazer que as mulheres obtenham um papel mais importante.
No site, a Kiva reflecte sobre este assunto: «Os programas de microcrédito são geralmente mais pedidos por mulheres. Dando acesso a serviços financeiros através de mulheres – fazendo-as responsáveis por empréstimos, assegurando o seu pagamento, mantendo contas de poupanças –, os programas de microcrédito estão a enviar uma forte mensagem para as comunidades.»
Muitos estudos documentam como o acesso a serviços financeiros melhora o estatuto de mulheres dentro do seu seio familiar e na comunidade. «As mulheres tornaram-se mais confiantes. Entraram nos circuitos de negociações empresariais e podem possuir bens, tendo um papel mais visível nas decisões. Em alguns programas está até provado o declínio dos níveis de violência contra as mulheres», refere o site, onde Rosa Athieno, do Uganda, diz: «Hoje sou uma mulher muito respeitada na minha comunidade. Devido ao empréstimo que recebi... fizeram-me ser uma campeã, que saiu do nada.»

A minha experiência *
O processo é muito simples. Basta o registo em www.kiva.org e depois escolher quem vai ajudar. Talvez seja essa a parte mais complicada, pois os pedidos de empréstimos são tantos que nos dispersamos. Arranjar um projecto com um valor mais acessível é o que faz a maior parte dos investidores. Ou então formam uma equipa (Lending Teams) com outros investidores, e o total do dinheiro angariado é dirigido a um projecto empreendedor.
No meu caso, decidi investir os 25 dólares (mínimo) num grupo de mulheres do Mali. As quatro mulheres queriam 125 dólares para poderem comprar 250 quilos de papaias, 130 quilos de laranjas e 50 quilos de cenouras para depois as venderem no mercado local. Com isso, elas esperam conseguir um lucro que dê para «melhorar as condições de vida dos seus filhos, nomeadamente em termos de alimentação», dizem na Kiva.
Quando emprestei os meus 25 dólares, já lá estavam cinquenta e, em pouco mais de meia hora o empréstimo estava atribuído, com os nomes de Lena, da Suécia; Kim e Simon, da Austrália; Steven, dos Estados Unidos; e eu própria, de Portugal.
Calcula-se que, em oito meses, este grupo de mulheres do Mali consiga pagar o empréstimo, em prestações de pouco mais de vinte dólares. Durante esses oito meses, a Soro Yiriwaso – parceira da Save The Children e parceira em campo da Kiva – é a instituição responsável pela recolha dos pagamentos destas empreendedoras e vai dando notícias no site da Kiva. São perto de uma centena as instituições de solidariedade com as quais a Kiva coordena os empréstimos em campo. Todas têm competências na gestão de microcrédito.
Quando o empréstimo for pago, o valor pode ser novamente aplicado noutro projecto empreendedor ou resgatado.
Antes de escolher a quem vai emprestar dinheiro, pode também verificar quais as instituições de solidariedade que apresentam maior ou menor risco no seu investimento. A taxa média de incumprimento é, actualmente, de 1,65 por cento.
No momento em que escrevia esta reportagem, recebi a notícia de que o primeiro pagamento já tinha sido concluído. O grupo de mulheres do Mali já conseguiu pagar a primeira parte do seu empréstimo: cerca de 8,33 dólares a cada investidor.

* Baseado na experiência da própria jornalista

HISTÓRIAS REAIS
A fábrica de Orifova
Para ajudar o marido a suportar a família, Orifova Kumri, de 45 anos, com quatro filhos, lançou-se como empreendedora há sete anos. Mora no Tajiquistão e tem o seu próprio negócio, fazendo roupa para mulheres e uniformes. Orifova tem um curso universitário, e antes da independência do país trabalhou como contabilista numa fábrica. Mas quando chegou o desemprego, o marido teve de ir para a Rússia e Orifova viu-se obrigada a conseguir um sustento. No Tajiquistão as mulheres dizem «nós não temos maridos, só os nomes deles», já que estes saem do país, por tempo indeterminado, à procura de emprego. Orifova decidiu começar o seu próprio negócio e convenceu as duas irmãs a juntarem-se-lhe. Primeiro pediram dinheiro a amigos para alugar um espaço e algumas máquinas. Com os lucros compravam novas máquinas e conseguiram trabalho para contratar quatro costureiras. O negócio teve sucesso e há quatro anos decidiu expandir-se e juntou-se a outros investidores para comprar uma fábrica de tecelagem, para ter matéria-prima mais barata, sem tantos intermediários.
Há seis meses, Kumri e as suas irmãs receberam os seus primeiros empréstimos da IMON International, uma parceira da Kiva. Com o empréstimo de seiscentos dólares comprou três novas máquinas e ao facturarem conseguiram contratar mais costureiras. Em cada mês, Kumri e as irmãs põem de parte cinco a dez por cento do seu salário, para contratarem mais costureiras e expandirem o negócio. «Ainda há cinco anos só estavam a tentar arranjar empregos para si próprias e agora há a possibilidade de criarem mais empregos no Tajiquistão. Orifova vê também o seu trabalho como uma maneira de melhorar a vida no seu país», reflectem no site da Kiva.

Glory e as suas cabras
Com seis filhos, a nigeriana Glory Gbeaye está no negócio de vender cabras desde 1988. Glory, de 43 anos, precisa de um empréstimo de 875 dólares para comprar mais animais. Começou por vender peixe e dez anos depois, quando tinha 28, tinha um negócio que consistia em comprar sessenta a oitenta cabras, transportá-las para o Benim, durante três dias, e depois vender a carne no mercado. Em cada viagem o seu lucro aumentava e conseguia suportar a sua grande família.
Mas nem só de sucesso é feito o esforço desta comerciante. Algumas agruras surgiram no seu caminho. Em 2006, quando foi comprar cabras, encontrou uma estrada barricada e os ladrões roubaram todo o dinheiro de quem seguia viagem. Como não tinha acesso a uma conta bancária, Glory levava consigo a maior parte do capital da empresa (cerca de 8500 dólares). Devastada, voltou ao Benim, sem dinheiro e sem cabras. Glory fechou o negócio por dois meses e foi forçada a tirar os filhos mais novos da escola. Entretanto, uma amiga falou-lhe da Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), uma instituição de microcrédito. A LAPO ajudou Glory com um empréstimo de 130 dólares, para relançar o negócio. Nos dois anos seguintes, conseguiu aumentar o negócio e diminuir o empréstimo. Em Março de 2008 pediu novo empréstimo de 875 dólares. E com a ajuda de Kiva agora compra cerca de vinte a trinta cabras em cada viagem. Como diz no site, o seu sonho está a ser cumprido: «Assegurar o renascimento do seu negócio de forma a assegurar uma boa vida à sua família e que os seus netos tenham todos educação.»

A sobrevivência de Yenku
A história de vida de Yenku Sesay é, no mínimo, arrepiante. Yenku é amputado, perdeu ambas as mãos na guerra civil da Serra Leoa. Em 1998, o exército rebelde atacou a sua aldeia e cortou as mãos dos aldeões, como castigo por terem votado no líder da oposição.
Yenku quase não sobreviveu. As poupanças da família foram usadas para o levarem a um hospital, mas passaram três dias até que conseguissem lá chegar. Nesses três dias Yenku ficou sem tratamento médico e foi um milagre ter sobrevivido. Sem mãos e sem conseguir tratar de si próprio, aos 21 anos viu a sua vida destruída e foi pedir para as ruas.
Muito provavelmente ainda estaria a viver da mendicidade caso não tivesse sido abordado pela Salone Microfinance Trust (SMT), em 2006. Esta instituição conseguiu o que Yenku jamais iria conseguir com o seu estado de amputado. A SMT viu em Yenku uma pessoa com capacidades de negócio e cederam-lhe um empréstimo de cerca de cem dólares.
Yenku começou com um modesto negócio, vendendo nas ruas pacotes de bolachas, sopas e outras comidas. Dois anos depois, reinvestindo os lucros, o negócio cresceu e tornou-se uma pequena loja, perto de Kabala, onde vende roupas, calçado, bebidas e produtos alimentares.
Actualmente, Yenku tem 30 anos e é pai de três crianças. Recentemente expandiu o negócio para o gado e a agricultura. Yenku suporta a sua família, conseguindo ter os filhos na escola, e ainda paga a educação do seu irmão mais novo.

NÚMEROS KIVA (Setembro 2009)
Média de tempo de cada empréstimo em 2008: 29 segundos.
Idade do mais novo investidor: Aden, 1 ano.
Idade do mais velho investidor: Liane, 101 anos.
Número de voluntários que traduzem os textos no site Kiva: 337.
Valor total dos empréstimos através de Kiva: 91 004 360 dólares.
Número de investidores: 557 036.
Número de países que representam os investidores Kiva: 181.
Número de empreendedores que receberam empréstimos através de Kiva: 225 012.
Número de empréstimos: 129 911.
Percentagem de empréstimos para mulheres empreendedoras: 82,86 por cento.
Número de parceiros em campo (instituições de microcrédito parceiras de Kiva): 103.
Número de países onde os parceiros de Kiva estão situados: 49.
Actual percentagem de pagamentos: 98,35 por cento.
Actual taxa de incumprimento: 1,65 por cento.
Média do valor dos empréstimos (média do montante emprestado a um empreendedor individual): 408,69 dólares.
Média do empréstimo por investidor Kiva: 163,71 dólares.
Taxa de empréstimos por cada investidor: 4,66 por cento.

O que é o microcrédito?
O microcrédito nasceu em meados dos anos 1970, no Bangladesh, através do trabalho do professor e economista Mohammad Yunus.
O microcrédito é tido como um instrumento do empreendedorismo de pessoas que não teriam acesso a crédito no sistema financeiro, para pequenos empréstimos. Mas ao demonstrarem iniciativa e capacidade pode ser-lhes dada a possibilidade de terem o seu próprio negócio. Para tornar o seu sonho realidade, Yunus criou o Grameen Bank, a primeira instituição financeira do mundo especializada em microcrédito.
Porque está provado que ao promover emprego se eleva a auto-estima dos indivíduos excluídos e se consegue afastá-los da pobreza, o microcrédito é uma ferramenta muito importante para uma sociedade mais participativa e promove a paz social. E foram estas razões que, em 2006, deram ao professor Mohammad Yunus o Prémio Nobel da Paz, partilhado com o próprio Grameen Bank.
Em Portugal o microcrédito chegou pela mão da Associação Nacional de Direito ao Crédito (ANDC).

Para Ti

2009-10-23T23:10:00.002+01:00

Limpar Portugal?

2009-10-13T23:12:00.002+01:00

Finalmente, num país que se pretende desenvolvido

2009-10-12T23:06:00.002+01:00

Lisboa, 12 Out (Lusa) - A exibição de animais nos circos tem os dias contados com a publicação de uma lei que proíbe a compra de novos macacos, elefantes, leões ou tigres e que impede a reprodução dos animais já detidos pelos circos.

A portaria 1226/2009, publicada hoje e que entra em vigor na terça-feira, divulga uma lista de espécies consideradas perigosas, pelo seu porte ou por serem venenosas, que só podem ser detidas por parques zoológicos, empresas de produção animal autorizadas e centros de recuperação de espécies apreendidas.

Os circos não fazem parte da lista de excepções, assim como as lojas de animais, que também ficam proibidas de vender cobras de grande porte ou venenosas, algumas aranhas ou lagartos.
RTP

Esculturas na Areia

2009-10-12T23:01:00.003+01:00

Tudo na galeria do Telegraph

Another "releasing" one

2009-09-30T12:04:00.002+01:00

"Given To Fly"

He could've tuned in, tuned in
But he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee

A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, "Hey, look at me now"
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, oh

He's.. flying
Whole
High.. wide, oh

He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckers
He still stands

And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly

High.. flying
Oh, oh
High.. flying
Oh, oh
He's flying
Oh, oh

Pearl Jam

This one usually does the trick

2009-09-15T10:21:00.001+01:00

On learning... about yourself

2009-09-15T09:11:00.003+01:00

"Descobri que minha obsessão por cada coisa em seu lugar, cada assunto em seu tempo, cada palavra em seu estilo, não era o prêmio merecido de uma mente em ordem, mas, pelo contrário, todo um sistema de simulação inventado por mim para ocultar a desordem da minha natureza."

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Memória de Minhas Putas Tristes

On learning

2009-09-10T18:00:00.003+01:00

"Everythig happens for a reason, that is to learn something"
Maya Angelou (I think)

Tudo acontece por uma razão e, para mim, essa razão é aprender algo, sobre nós, sobre os outros, sobre a vida. Chamo a isso crescer.
Mesmo que não gostemos de inicio tenho a certeza é para nosso bem.
E todos ensinamos, mesmo sem o saber. Mas só podemos aprender se quisermos.

Be free. Live life.

Going back in time :D (the good fun way, not the nostalgic way)

2009-09-10T17:25:00.001+01:00

Face time

2009-08-19T16:09:00.005+01:00

A friend posted this on her Facebook page.

Great ad!

But there are more here.

Like the song says: "Tired of using technology"...

Quotes

2009-08-10T10:49:00.003+01:00

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss

Favourite Things 3

2009-08-10T10:32:00.002+01:00

Feeling the wind blowing through the trees on a hot summer day... :)

2009-07-13T17:52:00.002+01:00

The Ugly Truth... about Gerard Butler? ;)

2009-07-12T16:01:00.001+01:00

Your Thought for Today

2009-06-24T13:46:00.000+01:00

When you’re feeling small and alone, and the world doesn’t make any sense, all you need is a really good friend with a really good grip.

Cute Overload

Hello ;)

2009-06-11T00:32:00.002+01:00

Gerard is all over the place ;)

2009-05-12T17:59:00.001+01:00

Freedom

2009-04-23T00:18:00.003+01:00

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Freedom

2009-04-23T00:06:00.002+01:00

On bended knee is no way to be free
Lifting up an empty cup, I ask silently
All my destinations will accept the one that's me
So I can breathe...

Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
Half their lives they say goodnight to wives they'll never know
A mind full of questions, and a teacher in my soul
And so it goes...

Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Holding me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you...

Everyone I come across, in cages they bought
They think of me and my wandering, but I'm never what they thought
I've got my indignation, but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive...

Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere
Underneath my being is a road that disappeared
Late at night I hear the trees, they're singing with the dead
Overhead...

Leave it to me as I find a way to be
Consider me a satellite, forever orbiting
I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me
Guaranteed.

Whoopi Goldberg in full flight

2009-04-20T21:32:00.001+01:00

You wouldn't find Julia Roberts sucking a furtive fag in an alleyway round the back of the London Palladium, but that's where Whoopi Goldberg is. Standing by the wheeliebins, dragging on a Marlboro, flirting with stagehands and musing on why her film Sister Act was so successful. "I was funny," she says in that familiar two-packs-a-day voice, "and the music was great."

Quite right. Nuns singing Motown proved hugely popular, and Goldberg was fizzy and fun as a club singer on the run, hiding out in a convent. It was the third of three fine performances - including a debut in The Color Purple and an Oscar-winning turn as a psychic in Ghost - that made her the highest-paid female actor in Hollywood in the early 1990s.

Defying the rule that says stars need to stay anodyne, she used her fame as a platform for her outspoken views on issues from abortion to taxation. Bill Clinton benefited greatly, and provided her with a police escort to his inauguration. John Kerry ran a mile from a rude joke she made about George Bush (it wasn't subtle - just think about the name) but the Obamas know the value of her backing: during the election, Michelle used the informality of Goldberg's TV chatshow to fight off rightwing claims that she was a black separatist.

Goldberg has a political clout in the US that we don't see over here. She's instantly recognisable, obviously cares deeply about stuff - not many stars who back charities fighting homelessness and drug abuse have experienced both in real life - and is unfailingly frank, even about her friends: "It's great to see Barack as president, but there's a lot to get done and he really is in the stuff. There's no money and everybody's out of their minds and pissed at America."

So let's be equally frank about the stage version of Sister Act, which is the reason she's in London. It opens at the Palladium next month, but don't buy tickets expecting to see Ms Goldberg - "Hey man, just Whoopi" - recreate the role of Deloris, 17 years on. "I'm not in it," she growls, staring over purple oval granny glasses that never get pushed up from the bridge of her nose. "I am 112, so I was too old." She's 53, actually, but there are little twists of silver in her dreadlocks these days and Deloris is a young woman. "I also don't sing."

Watch the film again for overdubs and you'll see that's true. But here's an even bigger bombshell about the live version: "The music is not the Motown music that you know." What? No My Guy sung as My God? "We were not allowed to have it." Instead a new score sets gospel songs down on the disco dancefloor. "You recognise all the disco licks, so you're OK with it," she says, loyally. "And the girl we've got instead is great."

Her input seems to amount to watching rehearsals in London for a few days - but even that is a bit of a miracle, because fear of flying kept her off planes for 13 years, until now. "I saw something that built in my mind," Goldberg says, "until it became such a big thing for me that it was just impossible to fly." What she saw was a mid-air collision. Her way of coping was to travel in a personalised tour bus, or on the QE2. So why confront those fears now? "They dangled a cheque in front of me," she says, cackling. "But I got really nervous and started sweating a few days before."

How was the flight then? "Hmm. Was it still tough, uncomfortable? Yes. But not 'undoable', and that was the difference. I didn't look around a lot." Were the crew helpful? "Well," she admits, reluctantly, "the man that I'm working for sent his plane." Private jet? "Uh-huh. The thinking was, 'If I do freak out, nobody knows. No one writes about it.'"

If she had, she would be more likely to draw sympathy than ridicule. She doesn't dress like a star, in her jeans, a black T-shirt and a baggy white smock, but when a couple of young women run up from the street, begging for a photograph, she gives them a full-beam, professional smile. Strangers warm to the look of her, but then even the name turns up the corners of your mouth.

Caryn Elaine Johnson got her nickname from a whoopee cushion, because she farted so much. Not that her childhood was bursting with laughs. Born in New York in 1955, Goldberg was dyslexic, she dropped out of school, left home, slept rough for a while and became addicted to heroin. A drugs counsellor helped her get clean, but by the age of 20 she had married him, given birth to his child and got a divorce. She worked as a bricklayer and a makeup artist in a morgue, while trying to make it as an actor and stand-up comedian (having taken Goldberg as a stage name in honour of Jewish forebears). Then Steven Spielberg saw her one-woman routine about ET and cast her in The Color Purple. "I turned it down at first," she has said, "because nobody wants to suck." But she was mesmerising as Celie, the lead in a film that changed the way black actors were perceived.

Oprah Winfrey was the other woman who transformed a part in that film into a prominent role in American society. But while Winfrey is orthodox, Goldberg is still wild. Three times she has been married, and three times divorced. Having been a teenage mother, and the daughter of one too, she couldn't exactly stamp her feet when her child became pregnant. Even if Alexandrea was only 14. "That was kind of startling," she once said, but she was supportive. "I said, 'OK, we'll all band together and help you do this.'"

That meant enlisting her own mother, Emma, to hold the baby while Goldberg and Alex made movies. They were in Sister Act 2 together, although the mother-daughter act didn't last long. "Oh, she's a terrible actress," Goldberg says, laughing. "Terrible." Has she said this to her daughter? "Yeah," she says, drawing the word out to suggest it was tricky. "I've said, 'It might not be for you.'" Alex, now in her 30s and a chef, lives in California with her three children.

Goldberg has not retired from acting herself, despite saying she would. "I have slowed it down to almost a crawl, but not stopped. What would I have done?" She has revived her one-woman show to great acclaim, and is the moderator on ABC's The View, which is like Loose Women only with stratospherically more important guests. Condoleezza Rice, for example, talked with remarkable candour about being single. "People say you've dedicated so much to your career that you're really shorting your personal life, but the truth is that I've never found anyone I wanted to marry," she said on the show.

Goldberg sympathised, so is she single now too? "I don't know," she says, smiling and looking over her glasses again. "I don't think I'm single, but I'm not totally committed. I'm not very good at relationships. I wish I was, but I'm not. I gave my child all the time and money that I had, now I want it for me.

"It's hard to make the space [for a relationship] when there are so many other people in the room." Not literally: she lives in a Manhattan loft in SoHo with a cat named Oliver. "I am selfish. I like being able to get up when I want, go where I want. It's hard. Unless you meet somebody that really knocks your socks off, I think it's not prudent to spend a lot of time you don't ... mean." Her socks are still on then? "Well. They're stockings now."

The homebird even stayed in on inauguration day, after panicking about the crowds. Having "screamed out of my window" when Obama won, she saw his swearing in as "the end of something, as much as a beginning. As little kids, we were taught that anybody could become president ... but anybody never was. That's a hurdle we have now dealt with."

There are now higher hurdles. "It is an almost impossible job, not least because of the damage done by George Bush. Never before has America been so alienated. For a little while there we were like, 'Fuck the rest of the world, we don't need you.' But we do. They tried to dismantle the UN and get rid of Nato. I mean, who did we think we were?"

Not that her anger is confined to the former US administration. "I saw the leaders of Germany and France saying the crisis was a defeat of America. You gotta go, 'Whoa dude, what are you talking about? Your bankers saw the problem and went, 'Hey, stop that you'? No. They all deregulated and got as much money as they could, then said, 'It's not working, see you, bye.' As usual, the people on the lower half of the ladder get fucked. It's always been that way, but it has never been so ... despicable."

No wonder windows get smashed, but mention of that makes her fret. "Yell and scream all you want, but to destroy stuff? It's not one bank, or the people; it's a system of banking that's the problem. Also, if you start to break the windows, that means its OK for the other guys to come and break down your door."

She has thought about running for office, but says there are "still skeletons in the closet" and fears attacks of the kind the Obamas faced. "Everybody was freaking out about his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, saying, 'God damn America.' They were saying he's a racist. I said, 'Yeah, he's a fucking racist. He went and fought in world war two, came back and had to ride in the back of the bus. He's pissed. If you know your history you know there is a certain generation of black folks who are not happy. If you pretend that that is a shock then you're full of shit too.'"

Last year Danny Glover, a co-star in The Color Purple, told me he was worried Obama would turn out to be just like any other career politician. "I don't think he's right," says Goldberg. "Will Barack Obama turn out to be what everybody wants him to be, this messiah walking on water? That, I don't think will happen. Is he going to try to get some shit done? Yeah. Is he gonna work his ass off? Yeah. I just want to see somebody try. After the last eight years, that's all the fuck I really want."

In her own words

On The Color Purple "I told her [author Alice Walker] her I would play a Venetian blind, dirt on the floor, anything."

On looks "I don't look like Halle Berry. But chances are, she's going to end up looking like me."

On acting "An actress can only play a woman. I'm an actor, I can play anything."

On the war on terror "If you're anti-war and you tried to explain your stance, it didn't matter - particularly in the entertainment industry. You were labelled unpatriotic, which is kind of dopey, because if you're anti-war it means you don't want anybody to die."

On politics "I don't really view communism as a bad thing."

On the election of George Bush " The country got a new president who has kindly given me a lot of material, and I got the menopause - so I guess we're all going through shocking changes."

On driving "I don't like driving very much. That makes me very unhappy, because I scream a lot in the car, but other than that, life is actually pretty good."

On life "Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine."

Guardian

Freedom

2009-03-30T12:32:00.002+01:00

Habitat Network

2009-03-24T12:17:00.001Z

Swahili!!

2009-03-24T12:02:00.001Z

Leituritas rápidas

2009-03-24T11:53:00.003Z

Pirate Laws

2009-03-24T11:50:00.001Z

1. A pirate does not ask for directions. He relies only on his gut feeling, a compass, or a treasure map.

2. Parrots are the preferred pirate companion. Monkeys are an acceptable substitute, unless they fling their feces at people. Then they are an awesome substitute.

3. When fishing, a pirate uses either a sword, a knife, or his bare hands. Use of a hook is only acceptable in the event the pirate is missing a hand.

4. Pirates shall always wear boots, except in the case of a peg leg. Then one boot is acceptable. Flip-flops are right out.

5. Pirates do not cry, except in the case of the loss of a shipload of rum.

6. When describing the size of a treasure, a pirate is required to exaggerate by at least 130%. Flowers are not treasure under any circumstances, unless said flowers are made out of gold.

7. A pirate shall never wear lipstick, nail polish, or capri pants. Actually, that kinda goes without saying.

8. No pirate shall discuss his feelings, unless his feelings include gutting a man from stem to stern and spilling his entrails.

9. A pirate should always remove his hat in the presence of a bartender.

10. During a swordfight, swordfighting insults are required. In the event both participants are still alive at the end of the fight, the participant with the superior insults shall be declared the victor.

11. No pirate shall ever wear a "fanny pack".

12. All foods prepared by a pirate must include rum, grog, or beer. Boone's and other "Wench Punch" is prohibited.

13. A pirate may never compliment another pirate on the softness of his hands.

14. No pirate shall wear a bracelet or a necklace, unless it is the tooth or tusk of an animal he killed. If in the presence of cannibals, a necklace is acceptable camouflage, but only if said necklace is made of human toes.

15. Pirate Law: Dousing oneself in beer is a perfectly acceptable replacement for a shower.

16. No pirate shall drink Grog out of a glass. Grog is only to be consumed either straight from the barrel, or from a mug heavy enough to to kill a man.

17. Three-cornered hats, headbands and bandanas are the only acceptable headwear for pirates. Fedoras, bowler derbies, baseball caps, mickey ears, top hats, sombreros, or anything with lace and flowers will be removed from the vessel-- head included. A grace period of one minute is allowed for hats looted from a tailory.

18. A pirate shall never wrap presents. The only thing a pirate gives is a bludgerin'.

19. Pirate Law: A pirate does not use the word "Fabulous". Ever.

20. No pirate shall attend a movie with less than an Arrrr rating.

21. Only a pirate is capable of killing another pirate. If you are not a pirate (let's say a ninja) and wish to challenge a pirate, they have a word for that. Corpse.

22. Pirate Law: "ARRRRRRRRRRR..." is a perfectly acceptable answer to any question.

23. A pirate does not "go shopping". Unless by "shopping", you mean "killing".

24. Peglegs must be made of timber or some other suitable wood. Plastic, ceramic, porcelain, or metal peglegs are utterly unnacceptable, simply because it complicates the use of the phrase "shiver me timbers".

25. Real pirates have chest hair. If you cannot grow chest hair, you may be a cabin boy.

26. Under no circumstances is a comb-over an acceptable pirate hairdo.

27. No pirate may ever change his shirt because it is "wrinkled". A pirate may only change his shirt if it is completely soaked in blood.

28. When drinking, Pirates may sing. "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" is preferred. Kelly Clarkson songs are not allowed.

29. No pirate shall ever drive a minivan, unless he drives the minivan into a tavern, for the purposes of looting barrels of rum from said tavern. Upon completion of this task, the minivan is to be burned. No exceptions.

30. No matter how hard it is raining, two pirates may never share an umbrella. Pirates do not fear rain.

31. If circumstances demand a career change, a move into real estate brokerage or tax collection shall be considered a lateral move and said individual may keep their pirate status.

32. A pirate does not snuggle with an animal, unless he is trying to snap its neck. But I guess that wouldn't really be "snuggling".

33. A pirate may never wear another man's clothing, unless he first kills that man.

34. Two pirates must never share a bed or a hammock. It is perfectly acceptable for one pirate to sleep on the floor, or on a pile of treasure.

35. Pirates do not wear eyeglasses or bifocals unless they are looking at a treasure map, and even then they are allowed only a monacle. Any comments about "Mr. Peanut" while wearing the monacle are prohibited.

36. When setting out on a voyage, a pirate does not pack a suitcase. He is only to bring what he can carry under his arms, or what his wench can carry on her back.

37. A pirate does not mow the lawn. Lawns are for landlubbers.

38. Lifting or removing one's eyepatch is extremely impolite but is not considered an insult. It's just kinda gross. Likewise, one should never remove another pirate's eyepatch, except with a sword to the face.

39. Pirates never use the words "fresh" or "feelings," and certainly not together (as in "I have that not-so-fresh feeling").

40. A pirate must never visit a tanning salon. If he is not already tan enough from searching for treasure, he hasn't been searching hard enough.

41. While creativity is encouraged during any barfight or battle at sea, pirates may only use the following types of sword; falchions, scimitars, rapiers, and particularly long knives. Katanas or any other Ninja sword are strictly forbidden, unless the Pirate rips off a Ninja's arm and hurls the arm, and attached Katana, as a projectile.

42. No pirate shall ever sit on a toilet seat, for any reason.

43. Kidnapping is an acceptable substitute for killing, but only if it is for the purpose of plank walking at a later time.

44. When swimming, pirates do not dive. They cannonball.

45. Cannoneers aboard a pirate vessel are not allowed to use hearing protection of any sort. No matter what the OSHA regulations say, if ye can't stand bleedin' from the ears, you have no business being a Pirate.

46. A pirate will never wear a patch that is any other color than black; unless it's halloween. then they can wear a patch with an eyeball painted on the outside. Polka dots are not permitted under any circumstances.

47. Female pirates are allowed some exception to rules concerning hygiene and garmentry, but must make up for it by using twice as much profanity.

48. Hooks are the only acceptable hand substitute. However, they may not have secondary attachments such as screwdrivers, bottle openers, corkscrews, or nail files. These are Pirates we're talking about, not Inspector Gadget.

49. A pirate's diet consists mainly of meat. If at sea, and meat is not available, shoe leather is an acceptable replacement.

50. Pirate Law: You can't spell pirate, without "irate". There's a reason for that, so don't even try.

51. No pirate will ever, ever raise his pinky when drinking any sort of beverage.

52. Pirate Law: When choosing clothing, even if it looks dirty, or smells dirty, it is clean.

53. A pirate may ride in a rowboat, if traveling to or from his ship. Use of a Kayak is only permitted if used for cannon target practice.

54. When drinking rum, the only thing a pirate adds to the rum is more rum.

55. The official Pirate religion is Pastafarianism.

56. No pirate shall ever play wiffle ball.

57. Under no circumstances does a pirate speak with a Ninja, unless he first decapitates that Ninja and uses his head like a sock puppet.

58. When at the office, answering the telephone with "Arrrrrrr" is perfectly acceptable for pirates. Other acceptable choices are "Avast!", and "Ahoy Matey!"

59. A Pirate does not read poetry, unless said poetry is scrawled on the wall of a bathroom.

60. All women are to be referred to as wenches, with the exception of female Pirates, who can be referred to as "lass".

61. Pirates do not clean up, except when gold falls out of a treasure chest.

62. Spilling rum is not acceptable, except in the act of "pouring some out for dead mateys".

63. A pirate may tell any tale of swashbuckling without being called on the details, as long as at least 51% of the story is true.

64. A pirate may never shave below the neck. Shaving above the neck is allowed, but only if the pirate shaves his entire head. In the presence of cannibals, a mohawk is acceptable.

65. No pirate may do the arm movements for "YMCA", or engage in country-western line-dancing.

66. Pirates do not say "please" or "thank you". The phrase "Arrr, I'll probably kill you tomorrow" is an acceptable alternative for "Thank you".

67. Should the ship's bow have a carving of a naked wench, mermaid, or something of the like, crew members should not touch it. Feeling up a wooden statue is unbecoming of a pirate.

68. Pirates do not "IM". The only instant message allowed is a sword through the chest.

69. Dental Hygiene for Pirates is not a priority. Should there be occasion, however, strong rum or salt water can be used as mouthwash. Anything "minty fresh" is strictly forbidden.

70. Pirates never, ever obey laws. Period. Ironic, I realize.

How to write a paper in college/university:

2009-03-24T11:28:00.000Z

1. Sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a well lit place in front of your computer.

2. Log onto MSN and ICQ (be sure to go on away!). Check your email.

3. Read over the assignment carefully, to make certain you understand it.

4. Walk down to the vending machines and buy some chocolate to help you concentrate.

5. Check your email.

6. Call up a friend and ask if he/she wants to go to grab a coffee. Just to get settled down and ready to work.

7. When you get back to your room, sit in a straight, comfortable chair in a clean, well lit place.

8. Read over the assignment again to make absolutely certain you understand it.

9. Check your email.

10. You know, you haven't written to that kid you met at camp since fourth grade. You'd better write that letter now and get it out of the way so you can concentrate.

11. Look at your teeth in the bathroom mirror.

12. Grab some mp3z off of kazaa.

13. Check your email. ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR YET?!

14. MSN chat with one of your friends about the future. (ie summer plans).

15. Check your email.

16. Listen to your new mp3z and download some more.

17. Phone your friend on the other floor and ask if she's started writing yet. Exchange derogatory emarks about your prof, the
course, the college, the world at large.

18. Walk to the store and buy a pack of gum. You've probably run out.

19. While you've got the gum you may as well buy a magazine and read it.

20. Check your email.

21. Check the newspaper listings to make sure you aren't missing something truly worthwhile on TV.

22. Play some solitare (or age of legends!).

23. Check out bored.com.

24. Wash your hands.

25. Call up a friend to see how much they have done, probably haven't started either.

26. Look through your housemate's book of pictures from home. Ask who everyone is.

27. Sit down and do some serious thinking about your plans for the future.

28. Check to see if bored.com has been updated yet.

29. Check your email and listen to your new mp3z.

30. You should be rebooting by now, assuming that windows is crashing on schedule.

31. Read over the assignment one more time, just for heck of it.

32. Scoot your chair across the room to the window and watch the sunrise.

33. Lie face down on the floor and moan.

34. Punch the wall and break something.

35. Check your email.

36. Mumble obscenities.

37. 5am - start hacking on the paper without stopping. 6am -paper is finished.

38. Complain to everyone that you didn't get any sleep because you had to write that stupid paper.

39. Go to class, hand in paper, and leave right away so you can take a nap.

Procrastinators Unite!!

Calvin & Hobbes Best Of

2009-03-24T11:25:00.004Z

Unusual (and fun!) Date Ideas

2009-03-13T23:59:00.000Z

Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence
Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books
Have her dress up as a ghost and you dress uup us Pacman. Walk around downtown holding hands, and whenever anyone sees you two, pretend to be embarrassed, and run off screaming “wocka wocka wocka.”
Create photo evidence suggesting that you went on an adventure that didn’t really happen
Dress up as superherous and stop at least one petty crime “ie. jaywalking, littering….”
Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
Try and visit as many people as you can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as you can, without them noticing.
Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when you show up, and stay there for a weekend.
Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
Dress to the nines, pretend to be married, and test drive very expensive vehicles at an auto dealership.
Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!
In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city you’ve never been to. With fake names.
Go to a minor league baseball game under the stars. Tell each other stories about how bad you are at athletics. Randomly cheer for both teams. Eat lots of Cracker Jacks.
Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things
Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras
With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.
Walk around the city all night and find a place to eat breakfast at dawn
Go to a restraunt and convince the cook to create something completely new for you.
Rent a movie you’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.

Found in Once Always

Joey Koala

2009-03-09T21:21:00.002Z

Baby koala, by Lisa Maree Williams, Australia - professional, natural history
A joey koala clutches a fake substitute mother at the Australian Wildlife hospital, the largest wildlife hospital in the world, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia

The Guardian

Fuck you Penguin (Koala)

2009-02-23T21:29:00.001Z

tinha de estragar :-Þ

>>ANIMALS IN THE NEWS WEEK<<

We have all experienced the ups and downs of life, but every once in a while, something so shocking happens that it makes everyone stop and reevaluate what they had perceived as a decent and functional society. Today, we deconstruct one such instance, when faith, justice, and everything good in the world must be called into question.
Okay, this is pretty bad right off the bat. First of all, the perp is a fucking koala, which already makes him suspect. I don't always speciesally profile (which is a term, look it up (don't)), but koalas, I mean, come on. He's not coming inside to crap on your face (at least not literally).

Then you've got an arm in the picture, which puts this koala in perspective. THAT IS A BABY KOALA, PEOPLE, AND HE IS PUTTING HIS PAW IN THE WATER TO TEST IT OUT.

At this point, this koala already knows it's in the bag: he's going to get all the eucalyptus leaves he wants for the rest of his godforsaken life. HOW DARE HE USE THAT TONGUE IN FRONT OF A CHILD, SHE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.

I don't even know what to say here. Are you happy for yourself, Koala? Why isn't the last picture good enough? You were using your tongue. Is being famous in Australia not good enough for you? IT'S A GIANT FUCKING COUNTRY, KOALA. Were you planning on going abroad for your second year of school? You're a koala, you're not from anywhere else. But you have to be world fucking famous. You want it all, Koala, and apparently you don't care who gets hurt.

But see, this is what happens when you let cute animals do things like get wet, cool off like they are humans, and demonstrate how small they are and what their koala paws look like. Of course, this has caused a series of copycat crimes throughout Australia as koalas grow egos and become convinced that no one can stop them.

And do you know what the worst part of all of this was? It happened on MY BIRTHDAY. When even penguins had the decency to take the day off! Fuck you, Koala, you heartless criminal. I hope you can sleep at night, knowing how your newfound fame has wreaked havoc throughout the world.

Os Koalas e o Calor

2009-02-14T19:24:00.003Z

Seja nos fogos da Austrália... devastadores

Seja na brincadeira... presumimos

Hot damn.

It is HOT.

Hot enough to sneak into this cinderblock haven and look for relief! [Koala makes 'ehn!' sounds]

WAIT A MIN! [sploosh sploosh] WHAT'S THEES!?

[Test Slurpitty test slurpitty]

Yes.

Yes, this will do.

[Sizzling Koala sounds]

É tudo Cute Overload

All creatures [great and small] (nunca é de mais)

2009-01-19T14:23:00.001Z

All creatures [great and small]

2009-01-19T14:09:00.001Z

All creatures [great and small]

2009-01-11T18:24:00.002Z

Puzzling ;)

2008-12-23T00:17:00.000Z

Jigsaws are a joy at Christmas, the ideal gift, the perfect employment. They provide hours of painless social intercourse or moments of peaceful, solitary retreat. They come in all sizes, all degrees of difficulty, for all ages, at all prices. They can be educational, artistic, kitsch, challenging, competitive, communal and comforting. You can do them in silence, or you can talk round the table. They give you an illusion of order and progress when all around is chaos. They draw out the venom of the year's barbs of neglect and anger. They keep you sane. They are very low-tech. All you need is a big table and a good light.

Some people do jigsaws only at Christmas, when they provide easy bonding with rarely seen family members. The Christmas jigsaw is usually a sociable jigsaw. It makes the ideally harmless opening conversational gambit, as safe as, but more interesting than, the weather. I've been collecting jigsaw testimony for the past few years, from fellow novelists, actors, children and scholars, and I'm hoping to catch a member of the royal family soon. There is a long tradition of regal engagement with the pursuit, from Queen Victoria to our present monarch, who is to be seen near one in her drawing room at Balmoral in the recent film where she is so well impersonated by Helen Mirren.

One witness tells me that in the festive season his family always embarks on an elaborate puzzle of many thousands of pieces. This keeps his mother-in-law happy and busy for hours, but alas, her eyesight is failing and she tends to misplace pieces with rash confidence, so he has to get up in the middle of the night, sneak down and undo the work she has done.

I know how he feels, and how his mother-in-law feels. My sharp-eyed daughter often ticks me off for stupid mistakes, but only a month ago I had to undo a house guest's work on Jacques-Louis David's 1806 painting, The Coronation Of The Emperor Napoleon. He had got the pillars all mixed up, and a piece of the edge was floating ominously free. We started this masterpiece in the summer, and I hope to finish it early in the New Year. The painting is puzzling in more ways than one: it seems to me that it isn't the emperor who is being crowned, but his empress. Jigsaws can teach you a lot about art history. They make you look very carefully at the image, and imprint it for ever in your memory.

The jigsaw puzzle started life in the 18th century as an educational aid to the teaching of geography. The first models were dissected maps - one of the earliest references is in Mansfield Park, where Fanny Price's cousins tease her for not being familiar with these expensive new schoolroom toys. They were beyond the reach of her Portsmouth parents. A century or so later, the variety of images had diversified amazingly, and the prices were within the range of more modest families. By the 30s the cottage garden began to dominate, and is still the favoured style of traditional puzzles sold in village shops. Roses and hollyhocks, thatched roofs and bird tables remain as popular as they were during the Depression. Ask a non-puzzler to describe a jigsaw, and this is the picture they come up with. Cheap to manufacture, bright and cheering to behold, they offer a pleasing escape - although, of course, you can also find snow scenes, Christmas trees, robins. A picture of Santa in a red aeroplane, delivering gifts to a snowbound farm surrounded by pine trees, is one of America's all-time favourites, and, at an estimated $85, one of the most collectible and valuable of vintage items.

Those not seriously interested in the pursuit are probably unaware of developments in style and technology. Manufacturers have created ever more sophisticated artefacts, some three-dimensional, some hand-cut, some strangely shaped, some double-sided, some consisting of one uniform colour. Connoisseurs have strong opinions about the superiority of wood to cardboard, and commission their own personalised designs, as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor used to do. This couple first met over a jigsaw, and they remained loyal to the pastime: they liked to incorporate shaped pieces, called "whimsies", in the form of Scottie dogs, of which they were also very fond. Some puzzles have readymade whimsies. I have a very pretty and rather expensive wooden one based on a marble micromosaic scene of Rome showing the Ponte Rotto and Tiber Island. Its whimsies are nautical, and include an anchor, a capstan, a dolphin, a lobster and a yacht.

Jigsaws provide a harmonious, constructive, cooperative activity, free of the rivalry that makes so many games contentious and so many children so cross. The educational aspect is a bonus, and I cannot believe, as one historian says, that in Victorian times they were received with "gloom and depression in the nursery". But I know that home puzzlers may be highly competitive and set themselves time limits: they even race each other, with specialised techniques and prizes for the fastest. That's not the right spirit at all. In the US some have the average time for completion on the box. For me, that would ruin the whole enterprise. I don't want to be good at jigsaws. I don't want to beat the clock. I am happy to work at the same picture for months on end. Napoleon and Josephine will wait.

Review by The Guardian

Ideias para as revistas portuguesas

2008-12-23T00:14:00.001Z

Entrevistar as pessoas que moram nas moradas do Monopólio.
Eis a versão britânica,

From Old Kent Road to Mayfair

Whoopi's works... seriously ;)

2008-12-17T18:44:00.003Z

More from ACME Whoopi

And Bedding for QVC

Pensamento do Dia

2008-11-13T12:16:00.000Z

As Calorias
são pequenos animais
que vivem nos roupeiros
e que
durante a noite
apertam a roupa das pessoas.

Postalinho de Bremen, Alemanha

2008-11-01T10:54:00.001Z

Dankeschön, Pearline ;)

Meu Deus

2008-10-21T21:46:00.003+01:00

When hurricane Hannah separated two ultra-prosh white tigers from their mother, Anjana came to the ResQte. Anjana, a chimp at TIGERS in South Carolina, became surrogate mom and playmate to the cubs, even helping with bottle feeding, according to The Sun (and don't miss the slideshow). But here's the truly amazing part: Anjana does this all the time, having raised leopard and lion cubs.

Cute Overload

On Procrastination...

2008-10-08T11:38:00.003+01:00

Nevermind the previous post, this one's a lot better. At least this one makes you happy!

Procrastination is not the problem. It is the solution. It is the universe's way of saying stop, slow down, you move too fast. Listen to the music. Whoa whoa, listen to the music. Because music makes the people come together, it makes the bourgeois and the rebel. So come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody try to love one another. Because what the world needs now is love, sweet love. And I know that love is a battlefield, but boogie on reggae woman because you're gonna make it after all. So celebrate good times, come on. I've gotta stop I've gotta come to my senses, I've been out riding fences for so long... oops I did it again... um... What I'm trying to say is, if you leave tonight and you don't remember anything else that I've said, leave here and remember this: Procrastinate now, don't put it off.
By Ellen Degeneres, on "Here and Now"

Overcoming Procrastination Instantly with Directed Self Talk

2008-10-08T11:35:00.002+01:00

Changing how we talk to ourselves is the easiest and most powerful way to overcome procrastination. No other method that I know of disarms procrastination so rapidly and at such a fundamental level: that of our own thoughts.

The Voices In Our Heads

We’re talking to ourselves all the time inside our minds. Even when you’re not paying attention, these relentless mental debates deeply influence our feelings and, ultimately, our behavior.

The good news is that just becoming aware of such mental dialogues — noticing patterns and turning them into productive statements — is usually all you need to overcome many unwelcome feelings and behaviors.

Let’s see how this can help us when it comes to procrastination.

The Procrastinator’s Motto

Consider the following thought, which for sure has crossed our minds many times in the past:

“I have to finish this long, important project. It should already be done by now and I need to plow through it.”

Now, tell me you don’t have this thought sometimes. For me, no other passage embodies our procrastinator’s mind so well: as we’ll see, this small, seemingly innocent thought contains almost every mental block that encourages procrastination. That’s why I like to call it the Procrastinator’s Motto.

We all use the Procrastinator’s Motto (or variations of it) every once in a while. If you’re a chronic procrastinator, chances are you repeat it to yourself very frequently — daily, perhaps.

But what’s so wrong about the Procrastinator’s Motto? In what ways do these words encourage procrastination so much — and what can we do about it?

From Procrastinator to Producer: A Step-by-Step Self Talk Guide

To understand what’s wrong with the Procrastinator’s Motto, let’s break it down in parts:

“(1) I have to (2) finish this (3) long, (4) important project. (5) It should already be done by now and (6) I need to plow through it.”

Now let’s consider each of these six parts in turn, replacing each of them with an empowering alternative. In doing that, we’ll turn the original motto on its head and create a productive call to action: a “Producer’s Motto”, if you like.

1. I Have To → I Choose To

‘I have to’ is every procrastinator’s favorite expression. It’s also the most disempowering.

Every time you say to yourself that you have to do something, you imply that you don’t have any choice. This choice of words implies that you feel forced or coerced to do the task — that you don’t really want to do it. That perception, of course, elicits a strong feeling of victimhood and resistance towards doing the task.

The solution to this problem is to replace ‘I have to’ with the immensely more empowering alternative ‘I choose to’.

Everything you do is ultimately a choice (yes, even completing tax forms). Using language that expresses choice reminds you of that and brings the feeling of power back.

For an in-depth exploration about the ‘I have to’ expression, check this early article dedicated entirely to this matter.

2. Finish → Start

When you focus on finishing something, you direct your attention to a vague, highly idealized future. Visualizing a finished project is motivating for many people, but from the point of view of who’s having a hard time starting a task, visualizing a hard-to-grasp future can be overwhelming — even depressing at times.

The solution in this case, then, is not to focus on finishing, but on starting.

Forget for a minute about the finish line, just concentrate on taking the first step. Bring your focus from the future to what can be done right now. We all know that if you start something a large enough number of times, you’ll eventually finish any task.

Starting — all by itself — is usually sufficient to build enough momentum to keep the ball rolling from then on. This is what Mark Forster calls the “I’ll just get the file out” technique, and it definitely works.

3. Long Project → Short Task

Constantly reminding yourself how long and challenging the upcoming undertaking is only adds to the feeling of being overwhelmed, and thus of procrastination.

Any undertaking, no matter how daunting, can be broken down into small steps. The trick is to, on each step along the way, focus solely on the very next smallest, doable chunk of work. Ignore the big picture for a while and just tackle that next short task.

Make it in a way you can easily visualize the outcome coming about very soon. Don’t write a book; write a page. If it still looks intimidating, you may try committing to a time box instead.

Of course, keep the big picture in mind, but use it for motivation and direction as needed, and not to frighten yourself before action.

4. Important Project → Imperfect Step

“This project has to impress everyone; I really can’t blow this opportunity.”

Placing such high hopes on a project only adds to anxiety and fear of failure. Perfectionism arises and only fuels procrastination even more.

The way to overcome this mental block is to simply give yourself permission to be human. Allow yourself to be imperfect just in this next small task.

Focus on giving an imperfect step; remember that you can always refine your work later. Better yet, make it in a way that you can’t possibly fail.

If you’re a serial perfectionist, go one step further and commit yourself to make a sloppy job on purpose, at least at first.

5. It Should Already Be Done by Now → I’ll Feel Terrific

The expression ‘should‘ is usually associated with blame and guilt. When you say you should be doing something (instead of what you’re actually doing), you focus on comparing an ideal reality with your current, “bad” reality. You focus not on what is, but on what could have been. Misused ‘shoulds‘ can elicit a strong message of failure, depression and regret.

The solution is to focus not on how bad you feel now, but on how good you’ll feel after you take action. Yes, directed action — even the tiniest of it — towards a goal is the best motivator I know of. The trick is to bring that expected feeling of accomplishment into the present — and know that the real joy of it is only a small task away.

6. Need to Plow Through → Have Plenty of Time for Play

“I’ve got to work all weekend”. “I am trapped in this laborious project”.

Long periods of isolation can bring an enormous feeling of resentment. This feeling generates a strong sense of deprivation and resistance towards the task.

The way to overcome this mental block is to not allow long stretches of work to creep in your activities. Schedule frequent breaks. Plan small rewards along the way. Have something to look forward to — not far away at the end of a long stretch — but in the very near feature. When rewards are small, frequent — and deserved — they work wonders.

Truly commit to leisure time. In fact, go ahead and make it mandatory. This “reverse-psychology” can by itself bring you to a whole different mindset, both more productive and enjoyable.

How Far Have We Come?

Time to check what we’ve accomplished with all the word substitutions. We started with:

“I have to finish this long, important project. It should already be done by now and I need to plow through it.”

And ended up with:

“I choose to start this task with a small, imperfect step. I’ll feel terrific and have plenty of time for play!”

Quite a change, eh?

Every time you catch yourself repeating the Procrastinator’s Motto or any of its parts to yourself, stop and rephrase it. Then check how you feel.

While it may seem just a matter of word choices at first, when you try this simple way to reframe your thoughts, you’ll see how instantly it changes your attitude towards working on your tasks. Moreover, if you turn it into a habit, you’ll be slowly reprogramming your thoughts, leading to a positive, permanent change in your mindset.

Ode to the Nice Guys

2008-10-07T14:42:00.001+01:00

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003

The Size of Our World

2008-10-06T11:32:00.002+01:00

Low Impact Woodland Home

2008-10-06T11:30:00.003+01:00

What the West makes of Chinese science

2008-10-03T01:05:00.001+01:00

Until fifty years ago, it was widely assumed that China had no tradition of scientific thought and innovation. Meticulous observation and reasoned deduction were taken to be European traits, as was the application of scientific principles to industrial production. The Chinese were supposed to be good at imitating, not originating; and the notion that the West’s scientific and industrial revolutions owed anything to the East’s inventiveness seemed laughable. We now know better. Ancient China’s precocity in almost every field of scientific achievement has since been acknowledged – in medicine, metallurgy, ceramics, mechanics, chemistry, physics, mathematics. Ridicule has turned to awe, tinged with trepidation.

This dramatic reversal is credited to one man, the redoubtable Dr Joseph Needham, plus a small team of devoted disciples and a monumental work of scholarship. All three provide rich matter for Simon Winchester’s Bomb, Book and Compass, while the stature of Needham’s great work may be judged by the appearance of a new volume on ferrous metallurgy, the twenty-fourth in his Science and Civilisation in China series. Fifty years since the first volume appeared, and thirteen since Needham died, the work of assessing pre-Qing China’s scientific achievement goes on. “Sci[ence] in general in China – why [did it] not develop?”, wondered Needham in an aide-memoire jotted down in 1942. Later touted as “the Needham question”, this conundrum about why so promising a tradition failed to generate its own industrial revolution has never been satisfactorily answered – by Needham or anyone else. But the idea behind it – that China did indeed once excel in science – has generated an industry of its own. Mining the world’s most richly documented culture for references to scientific and technological practice now provides employment for a host of scholars; many of them enjoy the resources on offer at Cambridge University’s specially built Needham Research Institute; and seldom has there not been a volume of Science and Civilisation in China making its stately progress across the print floor of the University Press.

For revealing how, in almost every conceivable field of scientific endeavour, the Chinese had preceded other nations, Needham was hailed as “the Erasmus of the twentieth century”, fawned on by the Left and feted by international academe. The Fellows of Caius College, Cambridge, made him their Master; Beijing, no less than Taipei, showered him with honours. Yet, boisterous and headstrong, Needham was not without his critics. Cambridge had cause to resent his long absences and reluctance to teach. Washington steadfastly refused him entry following his endorsement of Communist claims that US aircraft had dropped cholera-infected rats on North Korea. Forums designed to further the cause of international understanding were something of a deathtrap for Needham. He was hoodwinked by his Maoist friends – and by a Soviet-laid germ-trail in respect of the rats. It was not until the Cultural Revolution that his faith in Communist China began to waver. His flaws and foibles were legion, and it is these that seem to have recommended him to that connoisseur of bookish eccentricity, Simon Winchester.

Bomb, Book and Compass (these being some of the undisputed products of Chinese invention) is no more a standard biography than was The Surgeon of Crowthorne (Winchester’s book about William Minor and the OED). Instead, Winchester delivers a masterly narrative, rich in description and quirky asides, and as undemanding as it is compelling. Needham, we learn, though a distinguished embryologist, self-taught sinologist and general polymath, was susceptible to distractions. He was keen on steam engines, morris dancing, singing and swimming in the nude. A Communist in all but party membership, he yet remained a devout Anglo-Catholic; and a dedicated husband in so far as his compulsive womanizing permitted.

Nearly half of Winchester’s book is devoted to the years (1943–6) that Needham spent in China as the head of a wartime agency called the Sino-British Scientific Co-operation Office. Winchester insists it had nothing to do with intelligence gathering and was solely concerned with offering encouragement and materials to scientific institutions uprooted by the Japanese invasion. But it does seem to have involved more adventurous travel than the distribution of books and laboratory equipment strictly required. Though based in Chongqing, the capital of unoccupied China, Needham was seldom there. It was his first visit to China and would be his only extended residence in the country; he was determined to make the most of it. His three major journeys, one by truck to Gansu in the north-western desert, another by road to Yunnan in the south-west, and a third mainly by rail to Fuzhou in the south-east, were as notable for what he learned about Chinese science as for what he imparted to it. Indeed, the immense collection of books and artefacts that he brought back probably outweighed the largesse he distributed. Shipped to Cambridge, they would provide the raw material for Science and Civilisation in China and the core of the Needham Research Institute’s extensive library.

Winchester has retraced these expeditions exhaustively. He makes good use of the reports submitted at the time, and writes of China with real affection. The Man Who Loved China, which is the title of his book in the US, could as well apply to the author as the subject. But all this leaves little room for the rest of Needham’s career, which is sketched in the broadest of strokes, and none at all for the ongoing debate over the methodology of Science and Civilisation in China.

Needham’s purpose was to demonstrate not just the scale of early China’s scientific achievement, but its importance in the development of world science. Even his disciples have had difficulty with this. In his handsome contribution on ferrous technology – Part Eleven of the fifth volume, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, in Science and Civilisation in China – Donald B. Wagner dissociates himself from Needham’s faith in both “the essential virtue of Progress” and “modern natural science as a measure of historical value”. Like others, he is also unhappy with Needham’s extraction of Chinese science from its geographical, cultural and social context and his categorization of it into essentially Western disciplines – chemistry, physics, biology, etc – that were unfamiliar to the Chinese. And finally, though he wrestles with the Needham dictum that the West owed its eventual technological superiority to the East, Wagner concludes that in respect of iron, “the results are not by any means conclusive”.

Unfazed by such apostasy, Needham stuck to his task well into his nineties (he died in 1995). He devoured every available text and interrogated every known authority for the earliest Chinese references to any relevant technology. Finding that these generally predated anything in other cultural traditions, he then awarded to China a precedence based on priority and offered conjectures as to how this technology might subsequently have spread to other receptive societies. He was, in short, a committed diffusionist; he made no allowance for the possibility of independent invention and parallel development elsewhere. He also made no allowance for the profusion and antiquity of Chinese textual sources compared with those of other cultures. The doubtful nature of references to ferrous technology in, for instance, India’s historiography does not prove that this material was unknown there; witness the famous iron pillar at the Qutb in Delhi. It merely affirms the comparative paucity of the textual resources available for pre-Islamic India.

Notching up these Chinese “inventions and discoveries” and awarding to each a date based on the earliest known reference became something of an obsession for Needham. Several such listings appear in his published works and have since been adapted by admirers; Winchester reproduces a representative example. But while one can hardly quarrel with “Blast furnace – 3rd century b.c.”, “Book, printed, first to be dated – a.d. 868”, or “Crank handle – 1st century b.c.”, the whole exercise invites ridicule with the inclusion of items such as “Wheelbarrow, sail-assisted – 6th century a.d.”, “Great Wall of China – 3rd century b.c.”, or “Bookworm repellent – no date”. For reducing the painstakingly researched and elegantly written tomes of Science and Civilisation in China to the level of general knowledge trivia, Needham himself must bear much blame. But what Donald Wagner’s new volume well demonstrates is the extent to which recent archaeology, while modifying some of Needham’s conclusions, generally supports the veracity of the textual testimony and so the value of his life’s great work.

Simon Winchester
BOMB, BOOK AND COMPASS
Joseph Needham and the great secrets of China

Donald B. Wagner
SCIENCE AND CIVILISATION IN CHINA
Volume Five: Chemistry and Chemical Technology Part Eleven: Ferrous Metallurgy

Kiva - loans that change lives

2008-09-29T11:13:00.004+01:00

We Let You Loan to the Working Poor

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

Kiva partners with existing expert microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and are waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money.

As maravilhas do Stumble!

2008-08-06T11:27:00.003+01:00

De Nick Brandt

Estas podiam bem estar na minha wishlist (se eu tivesse uma!)

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" IV

2008-05-14T11:59:00.001+01:00

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" III

2008-05-14T11:57:00.002+01:00

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" II

2008-05-14T11:55:00.001+01:00

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload"

2008-05-14T11:53:00.002+01:00

A Lei da Rolha :)

2008-04-16T11:44:00.001+01:00

Comece já hoje a juntar as suas rolhas de cortiça!

A partir de dia 22 de Abril (Dia da Terra) será iniciada a recolha nos restaurantes.

No Dia 5 de Junho (Dia Mundial do Ambiente) já poderá colocar as suas rolhas nos "Rolhinhas" dos Hipermercados Continente

Posteriormente iremos alargar a outros locais.

A Nova Língua Portuguesa

2008-04-14T14:14:00.001+01:00

Desde que os americanos se lembraram de começar a chamar aos pretos 'afro-americanos', com vista a acabar com as raças por via gramatical - isto tem sido um fartote pegado!

As criadas dos anos 70 passaram a 'empregadas domésticas' e preparam-se agora para receber menção de 'auxiliares de apoio doméstico' .

De igual modo, extinguiram-se nas escolas os 'contínuos 'passaram todos a 'auxiliares da acção educativa'.

Os vendedores de medicamentos, com alguma prosápia, tratam-se por 'delegados de informação médica'.

E pelo mesmo processo transmudaram-se os caixeiros-viajantes em 'técnicos de vendas'.

O aborto eufem en izou-se em 'interrupção voluntária da gravidez';

Os gangs étnicos são 'grupos de jovens'

Os operários fizeram-se de repente 'colaboradores';

As fábricas, essas, vistas de dentro são 'unidades produtivas'e vistas da estranja são 'centros de decisão nacionais'.

O analfabetismo desapareceu da crosta portuguesa, cedendo o passo à 'iliteracia' galopante.

Desapareceram dos comboios as 1.ª e 2.ª classes, para não ferir a susceptibilidade social das massas hierarquizadas, mas por imperscrutáveis necessidades de tesouraria continuam a cobrar-se preços distintos nas classes 'Conforto' e 'Turística'.

A Ágata, rainha do pimba, cantava chorosa: «Sou mãe solteira...» ; agora, se quiser acompanhar os novos tempos, deve alterar a letra da pungente melodia: «Tenho uma família monoparental...» - eis o novo verso da cançoneta, se quiser fazer jus à modernidade impante.

Aquietadas pela televisão, já se não vêem por aí aos pinotes crianças irrequietas e «terroristas»; diz-se modernamente que têm um 'comportamento disfuncional hiperactivo'

Do mesmo modo, e para felicidade dos 'encarregados de educação' , os brilhantes programas escolares extinguiram os alunos cábulas; tais estudantes serão, quando muito, 'crianças de desenvolvimento instável'.

Ainda há cegos, infelizmente. Mas como a palavra fosse considerada desagradável e até aviltante, quem não vê é considerado 'invisual'. (O termo é gramaticalmente impróprio, como impróprio seria chamar inauditivos aos surdos - mas o 'politicamente correcto' marimba-se para as regras gramaticais...)

As putas passaram a ser 'senhoras de alterne'.

Para compor o ramalhete e se darem ares, as gentes cultas da praça desbocam-se em 'implementações', 'posturas pró-activas', 'políticas fracturantes' e outros barbarismos da linguagem.

E assim linguajamos o Português, vagueando perdidos entre a «correcção política» e o novo-riquismo linguístico.

Estamos lixados com este 'novo português'; não admira que o pessoal tenha cada vez mais esgotamentos e stress. Já não se diz o que se pensa, tem de se pensar o que se diz de forma 'politicamente correcta'.

E na linha do modernismo linguístico, como se chama uma mulher que tenta destruir a educação em Portugal?

Ministra !

(Não sei quem é o(a) autor(a), mas merece estar aqui!)

Postalinho da China, o primeiro

2008-04-04T18:19:00.002+01:00

Into the wild

2008-04-03T17:07:00.003+01:00

The right thing

2008-03-26T09:16:00.001Z

Why does doing the right thing feels so wrong?

I am powerfull

2008-01-09T11:25:00.000Z

Ahhhhh, chinesices

2007-07-15T15:13:00.000+01:00

bla bla la - méxico - bla bla bla

2007-05-30T15:34:00.001+01:00

Habituem-se às macros de flores, folhas, insectos, pormenores e tudo mais q me possa lembrar!

mais méxico

2007-05-30T15:30:00.001+01:00

Xcaret
Achei o miudo simpático.
Tenho outra foto mais fixe, mas está em casa :D

Fotos minhas :D

2007-05-30T15:28:00.001+01:00

Caranguejo Eremita "too friendly" ;)

Riviera Maya, Mexico 2006

2007-05-30T15:25:00.001+01:00

As Esculturas de Papel de Richard Sweeney

2007-05-16T18:09:00.000+01:00

Desabafos

2007-04-27T11:32:00.000+01:00

Um dos propósitos deste blog era o dos desabafos.
Pois aqui vai um..

Começar é o mais difícil, não sabes como não sabes por onde, tanta coisa te atravessa a cabeça. Tantos pensamentos que não consegues pegar em apenas um para tentar “desmontá-lo”. Sim desmontá-lo, veres todas as suas pequenas falhas e racionalmente dar cabo dele para que não te incomode mais, para se saia duma vez da tua cabeça e não volte nunca mais.
Todos dias (ou quase) recebemos mails com mensagens positivas e lições de vida. Quase sempre as ignoramos ou nem sequer abrimos. Com o passar do tempo quem nos envia esse tipo de mails vê-os automaticamente ignorados. Quem nunca fez isto que atire a primeira pedra. ;)
Algumas dessas mensagens dizem-nos que os nossos problemas por muito maus que nos pareçam são afinal muito pequenos, porque há alguém com um doença degenerativa qualquer, daquelas mesmo cruéis, que está a morrer e mantém uma atitude positiva e tal.
É claro que é mau, eu própria tento relativizar os meus problemas e às vezes os dos outros dizendo-lhes e lembrando-me que há gente que morre de fome neste preciso momento.
Mas isto nem sempre pega. Há dias de egoísmo extremo e extremista.
Ouves estas histórias, tentas até obrigar-te a lembrar delas, mas o que ouves é blá-blá-blá.
Tás lixada com F grande, a vida não te corre bem, não como tu querias. Disseram-te que quando as coisas não te correm como queres tudo descamba e que te vais abaixo. Mas bolas, que há de errado nisto? Não é normal ficar frustrada quando aquilo que queres e para o qual trabalhas não resulta? Quando tentas manter uma atitude positiva e fazes os possíveis para andares bem disposta e do outro lado vês que há alguém que não quer nem saber, mas que te cobra se andares mal disposta.
Afinal quem é egoísta nesta história?
Quem tenta estar lá, é egoísta porque o que faz só o faz para se sentir bem?
É esta a forma como os cínicos vêm os outros?
Quando estão em baixo são egoístas porque querem atenção e apoio e sabe-se lá mais o quê.
Quando estão a tentar manter uma boa atitude só o fazem para se sentirem bem?
É triste ser cínico então. Nunca nada estará bem, nunca se vai acreditar em nada e nunca se vai dar valor ao que se tem e a quem está connosco.
Claro que, por vezes, lá muito de vez em quando se apercebem e por breves momentos valorizam o que os rodeia. Mas é Sol de pouca dura, depressa a agressividade passiva de quem não acredita em nada volta.
Agressividade passiva de quem não acredita em nada, nada valoriza e que, ao mesmo tempo procura sistematicamente provas, exige-as até, sempre passivamente, com a máscara do “não quero saber” mas que tudo analisa e procura os mais pequenos sinais de que o seu cinismo tem razão de ser. Com o punho do silêncio levantado e os olhos a brilhar de ódio e frustração. Mas sempre em silêncio.
Um silêncio doentio destrutivo e auto-destrutivo. Uma espiral descendente auto-alimentada.
Não se aprende com vida? Não se aprende que colhemos os que semeamos? Não se vê isso todos os dias? Podemos não o ver de forma imediata naquele estafermo que no trabalho depois de tantas ter feito, já nos incomoda só por existir. Mas o castigo está lá, pode estar guardado, mas um dia chega. Voltando aos ditados populares, antigos e quase sempre com a sabedoria de quem viveu muito mais que nós, “cá se fazem, cá se pagam”.
Assim tentei desmontar um pensamento. Espero que não volte mais. Lembra demasiado o cinismo e atrai mais ideias negativas. E ninguém precisa dessas a assombrar.
O difícil agora é saber o que fazer a seguir, como vais viver o resto do teu dia? Ainda encontras em ti alguma esperança?
Desmontar um pensamento cansa. Vais ver que depois de descansar encontras.

Desencontros

2007-04-27T10:21:00.000+01:00

Uma bela junção de gente que gosta de escrever e escreve muito bem.
http://maiscidadequesexo.blogspot.com/

Pensamento do Dia

2007-04-12T18:05:00.000+01:00

O sexo é como uma estação de serviço: às vezes recebe-se um serviço completo, outras vezes tem que se pedir para se ser atendido, e há vezes em que temos que nos contentar com o self-service!

recebido por email ;)

Paper Cuts, ooohhhhhh ;)

2007-03-30T02:32:00.000+01:00

300

2007-03-30T01:09:00.000+01:00

Desabafo

2007-03-07T23:13:00.001Z

Pelo meu filho que muitas vezes não limpa o quarto e está a ver televisão, porque significa que está em casa.
Pela desordem que tenho que limpar depois de uma festa, porque significa que estivemos rodeados de familiares e amigos.
Pelas roupas que me estão apertadas, porque significa que tenho mais do que o suficiente para comer.
Pelo trabalho que tenho a limpar a casa, porque significa que a tenho.
Pelas queixas que escuto acerca do governo, porque significa que tenho
liberdade de expressão.
Porque não encontro estacionamento, porque significa que tenho carro.
Pelos gritos das crianças, porque significa que posso ouvir.
Pelo cansaço no final do dia, porque significa que posso trabalhar.
Pelo despertador que me acorda todas as manhãs, o que significa que
estou vivo.
Finalmente pela quantidade de mensagens que recebo, porque significa
que tenho amigos a pensar em mim.

Isto não é da minha autoria,

veio por email,

mas não podia bater mais certo...

Make your own Dharma Initiative labels, by golly

2007-02-26T05:05:00.001Z

O Barco do Amor?

2007-02-20T01:47:00.000Z

Best Hotel Swimming-Pools

2007-01-15T01:22:00.000Z

How to make a quilted sofa ;)

2007-01-15T01:13:00.000Z

Pauzinhos ;)

2006-12-17T23:27:00.000Z

One of better pieces of advice I was given before heading off to travel China was to bring my own chopsticks. This is not because China has a shortage of them, by any means. No, I was told to bring chopsticks because the majority of restaurants provide their guests with wooden chopsticks which are not thrown away after being used, but are washed and given to the next person who sits down to eat.

The problem is that the nooks and crannies of cheaply made, wooden chopsticks are great places for germs to hide. Unless those chopsticks are thoroughly sanitized with copious amounts of steam or hot water, the last stranger to have inserted them into his mouth has probably left a few little surprises for you. Yum!

Of course, you can buy your own set of chopsticks at practically any street stall in China, but why not bring your own? Especially if they are as cool as the Flip Stick made by Brunton. As you can see by the above photo, the bamboo shaft folds nicely into a stainless steel handle for easy transport.

Of course, for the $20 they cost, you can hire your own Chinese peasant to personally hand feed you throughout your entire stay in China.

Ora toma!!!

2006-12-01T23:32:00.000Z

Oh Deus...

2006-11-23T00:23:00.000Z

Moonspell's Luna: A Masterpiece

2006-11-22T05:39:00.000Z

Maravilhas...

2006-11-16T03:17:00.001Z

Anda no Hollywood... :)

Swan in Love

2006-11-15T02:57:00.000Z

A black swan that has fallen in love with a swan-shaped pedal boat on a German lake has been reunited with the object of its affections in a zoo for the winter.

The affair began in the spring when Petra the swan flew in and started following the boat around the lake in the western German city of Münster. With winter approaching, the boat had to be removed from the lake but the owner didn't have the heart to separate the two.

So both the boat and Petra were taken to a pond in Münster zoo for the winter. The project was financed by local residents for whom Petra has become a celebrity. She has seemed unperturbed by the journalists and TV crews who have been crowding into other less attractive boats and pedalling after the odd couple.

During the relocation, Petra followed her swan boat along a canal linking the lake with the zoo's pond. If the relationship survives the winter, both will be taken back to the lake. "What the swan wants, she gets," said the boat's owner Peter Overschmidt.

Wildlife experts hope she will lose interest in the boat when she gets to know the other black swans living in the pond. "There are four singles among them. So there's hope," said zookeeper Monika Ewering.

Tool

2006-11-06T15:09:00.000Z

Para ver mais fotos do concerto,
ide ao Samádhi

Contra Testes em Animais

2006-11-03T00:49:00.000Z

[found in Mawalien Invasion]

You are my pumpkin :)

2006-10-29T01:29:00.000Z

Instead of just wrapping up chocolates in orange and black wrappers in a weak attempt at seasonality, the chocolatier goes all-out by creating a uniquely fall-flavored confection. The truffles have a pumpkin-spiced ganache center and are coated in a velvety milk chocolate. As a final touch, the truffles are lightly dusted with cinnamon before being wrapped up link miniature pumpkins - complete with tiny leaves.

Ai que calor!

2006-10-29T01:13:00.000Z

Do maroto do meu Jorge :)

Os Cães

2006-10-26T20:54:00.000+01:00

"As pessoas nascem para aprenderem a ter uma vida boa,
a gostarem das outras pessoas e a serem bem comportadas, certo?"

...e o rapazinho de quatro anos continuou...

"Bem, os cães já nascem a saber fazer isso,
portanto não precisam de ficar cá tanto tempo como nós."

Tartaruga de Couro salva em Aveiro :)

2006-10-26T20:22:00.000+01:00

Cliquem para ver tudo :)

Via Blog dos Bichos, sempre extraordinário :)

Sand Festival

2006-10-23T02:28:00.000+01:00

Women have adopted some extreme fashions to signal their wealth and status - everything from deadly nightshade eyedrops to steel corsets

2006-10-23T02:17:00.000+01:00

Ambling around the V&A's new exhibition, At Home in Renaissance Italy, I was brought to a standstill this week by what I assumed must be an instrument of torture. A constrictive steel cage, hinged at the front and fastened with a hook, the contraption was clearly meant to fit bone-tight around a woman's torso, sharpening to a terrifying point at the pudenda. A casual glance suggested that it had been worn as a criminal punishment (or, at the very least, for some sado-masochistic sex game).

I was wrong though. The contraption - a 16th-century steel corset - was actually highly fashionable in its day, a serious status symbol for Europe's wealthiest women. Flora Dennis, Renaissance expert and co-curator of the exhibition, says, "Catherine de' Medici brought corsets like this in her trousseau when she came to France to marry Henry II in 1533, and we know that Eleanora di Toledo, who married Cosimo I de' Medici in 1539, ordered two or three of them ... Her wardrobe was cutting edge and we think her steel corsets were made by Cosimo's armourer."

The corsets were highly prized then, despite the fact that they severely constricted breathing and were widely thought to cause miscarriages (so much so that the Republic of Venice passed legislation in 1547 to stop Venetian women from wearing them).

The history of torturous women's fashion is as long as it is varied. In 8BC, Homer referred to the goddess Aphrodite as wearing her magic girdle to make the most of her "personal attractions". And, bringing us right up to the present day, this autumn's shoe of the season - with versions by everyone from Kurt Geiger to YSL - has a nine-inch heel and a three-inch platform sole, which forces its wearer into the toe-pummelling posture of a ballet dancer on points.

With the majority of women denied access to serious political power, extreme fashion has always been a way for wealthy women to signal their place in the pecking order, and, through the centuries, they have donned ever more punishing, controversial or impractical styles to emphasise their supremacy. In the 14th century, for instance, Queen Isabella of Bavaria inspired a fashion in which necklines plunged lower and lower, until eventually the breasts were exposed. The "little apples of paradise", as she liked to call her nipples, were rouged, pierced with jewels and linked with strands of pearls or gold chains.

The queen of impractical fashions was, notoriously, Marie Antoinette. She encouraged the female courtiers at Versailles to copy her "high roll" hairstyle (which sometimes towered up to 2ft high), and, as depicted in Sofia Coppola's new biopic of the French queen, this could certainly look very glamorous. The construction, however, was far less so. Long hair was cemented over a frame, then powdered, coated in beef fat, and decorated with anything from live birds in cages to topical naval battles complete with ships and smoke effects. The price for proving your social status was not just severe backache. To justify the style's expense, the hair generally stayed unwashed for weeks, the beef fat turning rancid, and live bird displays being replaced with infestations of mice and insects.

The extent to which women have tortured or hurt themselves through fashion over the years inspired Dr Alison Matthews David, professor of design history at Ryerson University in Toronto, to write the upcoming book, Fashion Victims: Death by Clothing.

"Many women have died over the centuries as a result of their clothes," points out Matthews David. Of course, Marie Antoinette and her noblewomen famously wore panniers that exaggerated their hips to preposterous pro-portions - fine unless they came into contact with a naked flame. And the desire to wear opulent, layered clothes has brought harm to countless women since. "If you had wide sleeves or crinolines and wore tulle or gauze, but went anywhere near a candle or a fire, your dress would catch alight. Emma Livry was a prima ballerina in the 1850s at the Paris Opéra and one night her tutu - plumped up by layers of petticoats - caught fire from one of the gas-lamps that lit the theatre. She later died from her burns. Interestingly, both of Oscar Wilde's half-sisters died like this too: one tried to save the other but was burnt to death herself." (Writing for the Woman's Journal, Wilde would later espouse more rational dress for women.)

Why did women continue to wear such dangerous garments? "If something was considered high fashion, a woman would be ridiculed for going against its dictates for the sake of comfort or practicality," says Matthews David. "Until the dress reform movements of the late 19th century the social facade that you presented through your dress and choice of fabrics was all-important."

So, along with the steel corset, the wealthy women of 16th-century Venice could sometimes be seen wearing another extraordinary item: the chopine. The first versions of these were originally designed for practical purposes - a slipper was mounted on to a moderately high, round, leather platform, which meant that the displacement of weight made it easier to walk across the wet and irregular stones of Venetian pavements. Some surviving pairs show that they eventually climbed as high as 30 inches.

Dennis says: "There are prints that show prostitutes wearing breeches and chopines, but wealthy women would also go out in the street supported by servants on either side." Whether it was because the height enabled the prostitute to be seen, and helped to emphasise the noble status of the Venetian women is unclear. Either way, a 30-inch heel makes today's fetish- inspired shoes look positively cosy.

When it comes to torture, makeup has also played its part. Italian women used extract of deadly nightshade as eyedrops, hence the plant's other name belladonna, meaning beautiful lady. The toxins in the drops dilated the pupil, increasing the heart rate and blurring the vision. This made women look and feel highly aroused, inevitably flattering the gentleman with whom they were flirting. Subsequent blindness from overusage was probably not quite so alluring.

Overuse of lead white as a type of foundation could lead to an agonising death from kidney collapse caused by "plumbism" or lead-poisoning. In her book Colour, Victoria Finlay says: "Lead white had been used unsparingly in face cream and makeup since Egyptian times: the Roman ladies swore by it; Japanese geishas used it - it contrasted beautifully with their teeth, which they had fashionably blackened with oak galls and vinegar. But even in the 19th century, when the dangers must have been better known, it was common on the dressing tables of women of all complexions."

While it is easy to look back on these historical trends and feel shocked at the lengths women have gone to, things are hardly less extreme nowadays. Aside from items such as the fetish shoe, our sartorial fashions tend to be a little more forgiving than the steel corset, but our attitude to our bodies is, let's face it, often far more interventionist.

It is now possible to have ribs removed, to have our legs broken and then lengthened, and to have our little toes removed to make pointy shoes more comfortable. And the latest trend, if its creators have any say, is to have jewels - in the shape of a heart, star or, weirdly, a euro-sign - embedded in our eyeballs.

Whether this proves safe in the long-term, or reversible, we will have to wait and see. Fashion may go in cycles but one thing is a constant - the suffering that goes with it.

· At Home in Renaissance Italy runs at the V&A until January 7 2007; vam.ac.uk

Então 'tá bem!! :)

2006-10-18T01:50:00.000+01:00

Eu conheço um país que tem uma das mais baixas taxas de mortalidade de
recém-nascidos do mundo, melhor que a média da União Europeia.


Eu conheço um país onde tem sede uma empresa que é líder mundial de
tecnologia de transformadores.
Mas onde outra é líder mundial na produção de feltros para chapéus.

Eu conheço um país que tem uma empresa que inventa jogos para telemóveis
e os vende para mais de meia centena de mercados.

E que tem também outra empresa que concebeu um sistema
através do qual você pode escolher, pelo seu telemóvel,
a sala de cinema onde quer ir,
o filme que quer ver e a cadeira onde se quer sentar.

Eu conheço um país que inventou um sistema biométrico de pagamentos nas
bombas de gasolina e uma bilha de gás muito leve que já ganhou vários
prémios internacionais.

E que tem um dos melhores sistemas de Multibanco a nível mundial,
onde se fazem operações que não é possível fazer
na Alemanha, Inglaterra ou Estados Unidos.

Que fez mesmo uma revolução no sistema financeiro
e tem as melhores agências bancárias da Europa
(três bancos nos cinco primeiros).

Eu conheço um país que está avançadíssimo
na investigação da produção de energia através das ondas do mar.

E que tem uma empresa que analisa o ADN de plantas e animais
e envia os resultados para os clientes de toda a Europa
por via informática.

Eu conheço um país que tem um conjunto de empresas que desenvolveram
sistemas de gestão inovadores de clientes e de stocks,
dirigidos a pequenas e médias empresas.

Eu conheço um país que conta com várias empresas a trabalhar
para a NASA ou para outros clientes internacionais
com o mesmo grau de exigência.

Ou que desenvolveu um sistema muito cómodo
de passar nas portagens das auto-estradas.
Ou que vai lançar um medicamento anti-epiléptico no mercado mundial.
Ou que é líder mundial na produção de rolhas de cortiça.
Ou que produz um vinho que "bateu" em duas provas
vários dos melhores vinhos espanhóis.

E que conta já com um núcleo de várias empresas
a trabalhar para a Agência Espacial Europeia.

Ou que inventou e desenvolveu o melhor sistema mundial de pagamentos
de cartões pré-pagos para telemóveis.

E que está a construir ou já construiu um conjunto de projectos hoteleiros
de excelente qualidade um pouco por todo o mundo.

O leitor, possivelmente, não reconhece neste País aquele em que vive
- Portugal.

Mas é verdade.
Tudo o que leu acima foi feito por empresas fundadas por portugueses,
desenvolvidas por portugueses, dirigidas por portugueses,
com sede em Portugal, que funcionam com técnicos e trabalhadores portugueses.

Chamam-se, por ordem, Efacec, Fepsa, Ydreams, Mobycomp, GALP, SIBS, BPI, BCP,
Totta, BES, CGD, Stab Vida, Altitude Software, Primavera Software, Critical Software,
Out Systems, WeDo, Brisa, Bial, Grupo Amorim, Quinta do Monte d'Oiro,
Activespace Technologies, Deimos Engenharia, Lusospace,
Skysoft,
Space Services. E, obviamente, Portugal Telecom Inovação.

Mas também dos grupos Pestana, Vila Galé, Porto Bay, BES Turismo e Amorim Turismo.

E depois há ainda grandes empresas multinacionais instaladas no País,
mas dirigidas por portugueses, trabalhando com técnicos portugueses,
que há anos e anos obtêm grande sucesso junto das casas mãe,
como a Siemens Portugal, Bosch, Vulcano, Alcatel, BP Portugal, McDonalds
(que desenvolveu em Portugal um sistema em tempo real que permite saber
quantas refeições e de que tipo são vendidas em cada estabelecimento da cadeia norte-americana).

É este o País em que também vivemos.

É este o País de sucesso que convive com o País estatisticamente sempre na cauda da Europa,
sempre com péssimos índices na educação, e com problemas na saúde, no ambiente, etc.

Mas nós só falamos do País que está mal.
Daquele que não acompanhou o progresso.
Do que se atrasou em relação à média europeia.

Está na altura de olharmos para o que de muito bom temos feito.
De nos orgulharmos disso.
De mostrarmos ao mundo os nossos sucessos -
e não invariavelmente o que não corre bem,
acompanhado por uma fotografia de uma velhinha vestida de preto,
puxando pela arreata um burro que, por sua vez, puxa uma carroça cheia de palha.

E ao mostrarmos ao mundo os nossos sucessos, não só futebolísticos,
colocamo-nos também na situação de levar muitos outros portugueses
a tentarem replicar o que de bom se tem feito.

Porque, na verdade, se os maus exemplos são imitados,
porque não hão-de os bons serem também seguidos?

Portugal vale a pena
Nicolau Santos,
Director adjunto do Jornal Expresso
In Revista Exportar

[Obrigada, Miguel :]

Presumíveis defensores dos direitos dos animais...

2006-10-18T01:44:00.000+01:00

Diário de Notícias, 16 de Outubro de 2006, via Blog dos Bichos

Pequenas maravilhas às 2h30 da madrugada

2006-10-17T02:42:00.000+01:00

Estava eu às 2h30 da matina a aperfeiçoar tradução já feita, no sofá, de televisão ligada, com algum zapping à mistura (para a tradução não me dar sono!) eis senão quando deparo com esta pequena maravilha:

Das Floss - The Raft - Os Náufragos

que, sendo uma curta-metragem de animação alemã, tem a simpatia de mostrar um site em inglês, um verdadeiro site de apoio que dá vontade de ver mais.
O filmezinho tem mar e céu de um azul impossível, que em minha opinião contrasta quase dolorosamente com a situação dos protagonistas. Lindo!

«Before starting principal photography, the whole film was shot on MiniDV with real actors. The result of this pre-shoot were valuable experiences for the actual filming concerning editing, camera-angles, length, rhythm, mood.»

If only the movie animals would shut up

2006-10-14T04:12:00.000+01:00

John Patterson knows what our furry friends would really say if they could talk:

James Herriot had it all wrong. If Only They Could Talk, indeed. If the animals the vet-turned-writer once tended in the Yorkshire Dales could have talked, they might have asked him some real posers, like, "Excuse me, why is your arm shoulder-deep in my arse?" Or more plaintively, from the traumatised males, "What have you done with my testicles, and when can I have them back?" And let's not dwell on the thorniest, most poignant question of all: "Why did you eat my mum and dad?"

Dr Dolittle, be he played by Rex Harrison or Eddie Murphy, may well have wished to "grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals," but sooner or later, he was bound to be seriously disappointed by the angry and accusatory qualities of the dialogue he'd initiated with our furred, finned and feathered friends. He'd be singing a different song soon enough, likely called If Only They Could Shut Up And Stop Reminding Me Where My Dinner Comes From.

And anyway, when they do talk, it seems to be in the familiar tones of overpaid movie stars. The big beasts of the Tinseltown Jungle all show up sooner or later, no matter how elevated their pedigree: Woody Allen and J-Lo were Antz; De Niro and Scorsese turned up as sub-aquatic wiseguys in A Shark's Tale; Bruce Willis was chief raccoon in Over The Hedge, facing off against Nick Nolte's ragin' grizzly, and this week we're exposed to the dangerously unfunny combination of Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher in Open Season. All of them doing animals the very small favour of making them seem hip and approachable to credulous, overurbanised children who will one day attempt to pet and cuddle real tigers and rhinos because Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks told them it was OK to do so.

And next comes Barnyard, starring Kevin James, late of the unlamented TV comedy The King Of Queens. The sexual confusion in that title might help to explain why all Barnyard's male cows - no, stick with me here - should have udders. James is a pretty chubby fella, so I'm prepared for inventive excuses in his case, udder-wise. But what about his bovine pal, played by Sam Elliott who, among certain female and/or southern acquaintances of mine, represents some mythical acme of imperishable, oak-hard, all-American masculinity? With udders? That really is an offence against nature. If only Sam Elliott could moo, scrape his hoof angrily on the ground, and charge the writers of Barnyard, horns down.

Given the recent overload of tiresomely verbose beasties, I think an instant moratorium on all animal speechifying would constitute a gigantic favour to moviegoers everywhere. And in the meantime, certain films that dwell on the ugly origins of our food, like Georges Franju's slaughterhouse tone-poem Le Sang Des Bêtes or Richard Linklater's stomach-churning Fast Food Nation, ought to make us forever grateful that animals can't utter a single syllable.

Cinefilia :)

2006-10-11T05:30:00.000+01:00

Medicina Alternativa, really :)

2006-10-11T04:26:00.000+01:00

Rhymes with Orange

Ora isto interessa-me =)

2006-10-11T00:12:00.000+01:00

IT seems illogical, but the same compound that addles the brains of marijuana users may help treat the symptoms and slow the onset of Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia among elderly people.

In laboratory experiments, the compound, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), preserved levels of a brain chemical that declines in Alzheimer's, permitting the build-up of brain-gumming "amyloid plaques".

The plaques are the hallmark of Alzheimer's and its dementia-inducing damage.

"Our results provide a mechanism whereby the THC molecule can directly impact Alzheimer's disease pathology," researchers reported in the US journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

The team - led by organic chemist Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California - claimed that THC holds real promise as a "drug lead", a model for developing new and more effective treatments for Alzheimer's.

Existing drugs such as donepezil, sold as Aricept in Australia, inhibited an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase which broke down acetylcholine, the brain chemical that prevents formation of amyloid plaques.

But THC not only acted against the enzyme, it also targeted plaque formation.

According to pathologist and Alzheimer's expert Colin Masters, the findings were novel and unsuspected.

"It might be possible to reformulate or rebuild the THC molecule so it has the anti-Alzheimer's effects without causing disturbances of cognition - getting high or stoned," said Professor Masters, from the University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute.

That's so because THC acts on one group of brain molecules when it triggers a buzz and another when it fights brain-clogging plaques.

As Termópilas, mais conhecidas como pilas

2006-10-10T14:28:00.000+01:00

Pois se têm o Gerard Butler, camandro!

[thanx, fofo =]

Herushingu na Sic Radical

2006-10-08T00:27:00.000+01:00

Hellzing, «Herushingu» no original!
Quartas-Feiras - 02.30h e 19.00h
Sábados - 09.30h (compacto anime)

São 13 episódios de meia-hora com vampiros e fantasmas à caça dos mortais comuns. Só mesmo a Fundação Hellsing é capaz de suster o mal protegendo assim a humanidade. Contudo circula por aí uma formula mágiga, vendida como a droga mais fabulosa de todas, um chip capaz de dar aos humanos as qualidades dos vampiros.

Com a multiplicação de sorvedores de sangue, novos e velhos, a fundação Hellsing não tem mãos a medir e tem que se valer da experiência de Alucard e da energia de Celes Victoria. Estacas de madeira, balas de prata e crucifixos em bonecada falada em japonês. Do melhor!

[dizem eles =]

Dharma

Boas Festas e esta prenda para 2010 - o sonho comanda a vida ;)

Never wanted to be food so much in my life

KIVA explicado aos Portugueses? (tirando o vídeo ;)

Para Ti

Limpar Portugal?

Finalmente, num país que se pretende desenvolvido

Lisboa, 12 Out (Lusa) - A exibição de animais nos circos tem os dias contados com a publicação de uma lei que proíbe a compra de novos macacos, elefantes, leões ou tigres e que impede a reprodução dos animais já detidos pelos circos.

Os circos não fazem parte da lista de excepções, assim como as lojas de animais, que também ficam proibidas de vender cobras de grande porte ou venenosas, algumas aranhas ou lagartos.RTP

Esculturas na Areia

Another "releasing" one

This one usually does the trick

On learning... about yourself

On learning

Going back in time :D (the good fun way, not the nostalgic way)

Face time

Quotes

Favourite Things 3

The Ugly Truth... about Gerard Butler? ;)

Your Thought for Today

Hello ;)

Gerard is all over the place ;)

Freedom

Freedom

Whoopi Goldberg in full flight

In her own words

Freedom

Habitat Network

Swahili!!

Leituritas rápidas

Pirate Laws

How to write a paper in college/university:

Calvin & Hobbes Best Of

Unusual (and fun!) Date Ideas

Joey Koala

Fuck you Penguin (Koala)

Os Koalas e o Calor

All creatures [great and small] (nunca é de mais)

All creatures [great and small]

All creatures [great and small]

Puzzling ;)

Ideias para as revistas portuguesas

From Old Kent Road to Mayfair

Whoopi's works... seriously ;)

Pensamento do Dia

Postalinho de Bremen, Alemanha

Meu Deus

On Procrastination...

Overcoming Procrastination Instantly with Directed Self Talk

The Voices In Our Heads

The Procrastinator’s Motto

From Procrastinator to Producer: A Step-by-Step Self Talk Guide

1. I Have To → I Choose To

2. Finish → Start

3. Long Project → Short Task

4. Important Project → Imperfect Step

5. It Should Already Be Done by Now → I’ll Feel Terrific

6. Need to Plow Through → Have Plenty of Time for Play

How Far Have We Come?

Ode to the Nice Guys

The Size of Our World

Low Impact Woodland Home

What the West makes of Chinese science

Kiva - loans that change lives

We Let You Loan to the Working Poor

As maravilhas do Stumble!

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" IV

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" III

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload" II

Miminhos ao estilo "Cuteoverload"

A Lei da Rolha :)

A Nova Língua Portuguesa

Postalinho da China, o primeiro

Into the wild

The right thing

I am powerfull

Ahhhhh, chinesices

bla bla la - méxico - bla bla bla

mais méxico

Fotos minhas :D

Os circos não fazem parte da lista de excepções, assim como as lojas de animais, que também ficam proibidas de vender cobras de grande porte ou venenosas, algumas aranhas ou lagartos.
RTP