terça-feira, novembro 30, 2004

Eleições antecipadas

O Senhor Presidente dissolve o Parlamento e vai convocar eleições antecipadas: é o que acabamos de ler no rodapé de umas das TV's, às 19:00 horas.

Trata-se de uma grande notícia que certamente vai enchar de entusiasmo, pelo menos mais de 50 por cento dos Portugueses.

Oxalá que saibamos, desta vez, aproveitar a oportunidade que nos é apresentada!

A Guerra

De Padre António Vieira

"É a guerra aquele monstro que se sustenta das fazendas, do sangue, das vidas, e quanto mais come e consome, tanto menos se farta. É a guerra aquela tempestade terrestre, que leva os campos, as casas, as vilas, os castelos, as cidades e talvez em um momento sorve os reinos e as monarquias inteiras. É a guerra aquela calamidade, composta de todas as calamidades, em que não há mal algum que ou se não padeça, ou se não tema; nem bem que seja próprio e seguro. O pai não tem seguro o filho; o rico não tem segura a fazenda; o pobre não tem seguro o seu suor; o nobre não tem segura a honra; o eclesiástico não tem segura a imunidade; o religioso não tem segura a sua cela, e até Deus nos templos e nos sacrários não está seguro."

Telegrama histórico

Ocorrências de há cinquenta anos...

Este episódio passou-se numa república da América Central, entre um ministro e um governador, que trocaram os seguintes telegramas:

Do ministro para o governador:

-"Anuncia-se um movimento sísmico com epicentro no território sob a sua jurisdição. Tome todas as precauções e, em caso de necessidade, actue rapidamente".

Do governador para o ministro:

-"Movimento sísmico sufocado. Epicedntro e mais três revoltosos fuzilados. Grande manifestação patriótica".

segunda-feira, novembro 29, 2004

Ucrânia



Growing pressure for a fresh vote
(From The Economist Global Agenda)

"As Ukraine's supreme court begins hearing the opposition's accusations of widespread fraud in the presidential election, pressure is growing for a new vote to be held - this time, a clean one."

O artigo completo pode ser visto em Ukraine








Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night (A Noite Estrelada), 1889, Óleo sobre tela - Museum of Modern Art, New York

Constituição Europeia

Certamente que nos tempos presentes um dos temas mais quentes para os cidadãos, deveria ser o referendo para a Constituição Europeia. Claro que existem outros de igual importância, esses que são inerentes ao dia-a-dia da nossa vivência e que para os quais ao longo dos tempos foram sendo encontradas soluções, algumas com sucesso, outras nem tanto.

Já muito tem sido escrito e dito sobre as razões da orientação a tomar sobre este tema que deve ser largamente abordado em todas as suas implicações para que os cidadãos, em consciência, saibam para que lado devem seguir. E gostaria de apontar para o texto do Doutor Vidal Moreira recentemente publicado no 'Público' e que pode ser visto também em Aba da Causa, com o título 'Uma Constituição para os Cidadãos Europeus'

domingo, novembro 28, 2004

Constituição Europeia

Não à Constituição Europeia

Lemos com interesse o artigo 'Não à Constituição Europeia', na página OPINIÃO, do Expresso, de João Ferreira do Amaral, Professor Catedrático do ISEG, apresentando e defendendo as três razões principais para a rejeição, no seu entender, da Constituição Europeia.


George Grosz (1893-1959) - O Agitador 1928

Paises visitados

O mapa indica os paises por nós já visitados ao longo dos anos....



create your own visited countries map

László Moholy-Nagy


László Moholy-Nagy, II, 1924 - Óleo sobre tela - Guggemheim Museum, New York

George Grosz (1893-1959) - Os Pilares da Sociedade (1926)

sábado, novembro 27, 2004

Marc Chagal


Marc Chagal, Green Violinist, 1923-1924, Óleo sobre tela - Guggenheim Museum, New York

Outras frases

Dos candidatos a bastonário da Ordem dos Advogados:

ROGÉRIO ALVES - "A Justiça é lenta, cara e formalista"
ANTÓNIO MARINHO - "Fiz o disgnóstico certo da Justiça"
JOÃO CORREIA - "a lei do apoio judiciário não é justa"

e outras:

"Já faltava o contraditório e agora falta a eleição de comentadores" - Alfredo Barroso, in Expresso

"Ninguém fiscaliza os componentes do tabaco comercializado em Portugal" - em artigo de Margarida Cardoso, in Expresso (27/11/2004)

"Enganei-me. Não só Portas foi irrepreensível na coligação, como os ministros do PP foram os mais estáveis" - Duarte Lima, in Expresso

"Sou a grande cabeça do futebol na Europa" - José Mourinho, treinador do Chelsea

"Dizer bem do actual Governo é praticamente proibido" - in Editorial do Expresso


"Uma Central que se preze não tem lei orgânica nem visa aprovação" - 'Comendador Marques de Correia', in Expresso

"A 'setinha' de Santana continua virada para baixo, porque esta semana o candidato presidencial do PSD passou à oposição" - Vasco Pulido Valente, colunista, in Público

"...batalhas como as de Fallujah relembram que, como em todas as guerras, a vitória absoluta pertence à morte." Hermínio Santos, in Diário Digital, 'Infantaria'

Outras Verdades

Tendo sido visitado por este blog, repoduzo um pqueno post que considero bastante oportuno, independente de qualquer intenção de colagem, e que pode ser visto em Burton Front

"We are living in the knowledge era but knowledge without wisdom is another form of ignorance. This forum will demand wisdom from our political, business and social leaders.

Protestors Use 100,000 Lies to Make Point

If you are one of those persons that relies on the mainstream media for news, you are ill informed. The current leftist propaganda tool is fake statistics and the mainstream media are a willing accomplice to the charade.

Organizers planning the anti-Bush rally in Ottawa and Halifax are doing their best to flood the media with untruths and fake stats about 100,000 Iraqis killed in the war. The most hysterical usage of the 100,000 dead Iraqi stat is from the spokeswoman of the Halifax Peace Coalition. She said that 100,000 Iraqis were slaughtered by US troops. If she was truthful, she would admit that the figure was invented by a fellow leftist working to harm George W. Bush's re-election bid. But, as the old adage goes, tell a lie often enough, people will start to believe it's true.

There is a huge statistic that is ignored by the the 'peace' protesters; hundreds of mass graves filled with at least 400,000 men, women and children murdered by Saddam Hussein's regime. Warning: Graphic pictures!

Truth is not important to those that opposed the war in Iraq, nor is liberty. When is the last time we saw thousands demonstrate against the brutal dictators of the world? Never is the answer.

When the media broadcast the image of 100,000 burning candles in Ottawa, I will know that each candle represents an obsession with lies, damn lies and statistics. I will also remember that I can't trust any of the protesters to protect me or my family from evil.

"Liars ought to have good memories." - Sidney Algernon


Napa Valley - California

Come in and taste
"A family visit to working farms in the emerging Central Coast wine region brings many pleasures of the land.

A reputation as the new Napa Valley is drawing wine drinkers here, but with two boys in tow, my husband and I found other reasons to visit one recent weekend. Reasons like garbage.

A class on holiday table décor I had registered for at Sycamore Farms, the popular herb grower and tasting room, had been canceled, so I shifted to a session on composting. Yes, composting. Funny thing was, the workshop turned out to be interesting, one of several pleasant surprises during our family weekend on the farms of Paso Robles and Templeton.

We crawled north out of Los Angeles through Friday evening rush hour, stopping for dinner in busy downtown Ventura at the Anacapa Brewing Co. My salad — greens with oranges and a spicy dressing topped with grilled salmon — was good, and the boys loved their fish and chips. Most of all we liked the snappy attitude of the place, as in its slogan: "Save the ales, drink more beer."

We arrived late Friday night at Carriage Vineyards Bed & Breakfast in Templeton and found a two-story mushroom-colored house with two guest rooms and two suites. A note taped to the door offered us tea and snacks in the kitchen. Our hosts were very thoughtful, also providing books and games, a list of places to eat and visit and, best of all, the run of their 100-acre ranch. There was even a warning card about poison oak.

Though I shushed our boys as they climbed into a high double bed, I didn't need to. We had the whole place to ourselves.

Our suite had two bedrooms with a bathroom in between. Mitchell and I had a king-size bed, and both rooms had rockers. The décor fit the name: prints and models of carriages everywhere.

Bed-and-breakfasts can be annoying if you're looking for solitude but find yourself forced into friendly chatter in a stranger's home. Co-owner Larry Smyth struck just the right note on Saturday morning. After serving breakfast, he left us in peace after showing off his horse carriage collection in an adjacent building.

In one of those now-or-never moments, Larry and his wife, Diane, moved to Central California from Orange County in 2000 and opened their bed-and-breakfast two years later. Their horse carriage collection here totals 12, including two on loan. Most are about 100 years old. Galen, 9, and Sam, 11, were enchanted and began making up stories involving robbers, the living dead and other exciting characters. We had to drag them away.

Driving among vineyards full of red autumn leaves, with hawks soaring overhead, the boys volunteered from the back seat: "I'm so happy," and, "Me too."

Me too. It was a glorious fall morning, and we meandered through Templeton. We found centerpieces for our Thanksgiving table — beautiful and exotic pumpkins — and a few snacks at the Templeton Farmers Market, held Saturday mornings at a park in the middle of a town holding fast to its cowboy heritage.

Our sons made a beeline for the playground. I had the Sycamore Farms' seminar on biodynamic composting, the organic system the farm uses in its herb gardens and vineyards. A big appeal of this compost: no turning required.

"Boring," Galen declared. "Why do you want to go to a class to learn about decomposing food?"

Why not? Whether you have a tiny city garden (like me) or 6 acres (like one of my classmates), everyone has garbage that can be turned into rich soil. Biodynamic farming is based on a philosophy some might consider New Age and involves moon cycles and such, but our instructor, Bruce Shomler, said, "It really works."

While my husband and our boys went to the free Pioneer Museum in Paso Robles, a place full of frontier artifacts, including hundreds of types of barbed wire, I got my hands dirty with the composting class.

Sycamore's year-round classes cover other gardening topics, plus cooking, soap making and other crafts. I was amused by my session, able to ask lots of questions, even sample arugula and lemongrass growing nearby. By the end of the two-hour class, armed with Shomler's tips and his offer to field questions by phone, my classmates seemed ready to go forth and compost too.

The countryside of the Central Coast is thick with wineries — nearly three dozen in one Paso Robles tourist guide, most of them with signs out front practically begging passersby to come in and taste. Visitors easily could spend days doing nothing else. When I reminded my husband that this was not a wine-tasting trip, he looked so crestfallen that we made two quick stops: Bonny Doon's tasting counter at Sycamore Farms and Turley in Templeton, where Mitchell tasted a sublime Petite Syrah.

We also wandered around Paso Robles, a town of 28,000 where damage from a deadly earthquake last year remains evident in the scaffolding and empty spaces downtown.

Paso Robles is not just growing, it's growing hipper, with chic restaurants and shops. But its small-town, turn-of-the-century charm remains: When we showed up at Dan's Economy Tire two hours past closing time, owner Dan Ozar replaced our two bad tires and even insisted on checking the spare.

Dinner at the 10th Street Vineyard Café in San Miguel made us feel as though we had been invited to a terrific party. Three nights a week, Caren and Dallas Holt turn their 46-seat cafe into a Basque and French feast, served family-style at long tables. There is just one seating, 7 p.m., and reservations are strongly recommended.

Wearing red berets and banging a wooden spoon on a pot lid for attention, the Holts gave a preview of our dishes.

First course was tapas: pickled vegetables, stuffed mushrooms, chicken and olives. A creamy pumpkin soup followed. Then migas ("crumbs" in Spanish), a down-home dish of bread, ham, saffron and garlic made from a Holt family recipe. While we were eating, Dallas introduced everyone to the bota bag, a suede wine bag that was tipped so a stream of wine hit the back of the mouth without dripping onto clothing.

There was more: salad, roast chicken and carrots, a wonderful lamb in a Merlot sauce with potatoes, sherbet with champagne. And everyone shared a birthday cake for one of the guests. Our party lasted nearly three hours.

We moved slowly on Sunday morning, starting with a breakfast of ham and egg crepes, yogurt and granola, and apple muffins. Then we wandered the Smyths' property, through olive groves and vineyards, accompanied by their loping, friendly dogs, Sutton and Soda. It's a working farm, and our urban boys were charmed by the barns, the horses and bulls, and trees with olive-laden branches.

We periodically worried about rain, but for no good reason. It didn't start until we were headed home, south on the 101, passing Pismo Beach. Even the close of our weekend was a reward: Double rainbows appeared in front of us". - By Mary MacVean, Times Staff Writer








Frases políticas

"Por interesse próprio e por dever patriótico cabe às elites profissionais contribuirem para que na vida partidária portuguesa os políticos competentes possam afastar os incompetentes." - A Cavaco Silva , professor, ex-primeiro-mistro, in Expresso

"Eu não invento números. A Comissão da UE publicou provisões até 2006 e está lá escrito que Portugal continuará a empobrecer até esse ano." - Idem, Lusa

"Carmona Rodrigues é uma excelente pessoa, mas não ganha nem a sua Junta de Freguesia" - Luís Filipe Menezes, Presidente CMVNG, in Expresso

sexta-feira, novembro 26, 2004


Constantin Brancusi, Torso de Jovem II, 1923 - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Vasily Kandinsky, Compisição 8, Julho 1923 - Óleo sobre tela - Guggenheim Museum, New York

Vasily Kandinsky, Compisição 8, Julho 1923 - Óleo sobre tela - Guggenheim Museum, New York

Pablo Picasso, Mandolin and Guitar, 1924, Guggenheim Museum, New York

Paul Klee, Red Balloon, Gauggenheim Museum, New York

Andy Warhol, Mercedes-Benz W 196 Grand Prix Car

quinta-feira, novembro 25, 2004

Prémio na Blogosfera

Ao comemorar o 136º aniversário, o jornal "O Primeiro de Janeiro" distinguiu o autor do blogue "Abrupto", o Doutor José Pacheco Pereira, com o Prémio Inovação.

Além dos conteúdos riquissimos que são sempre estimulantes, variados e valiosos, independentemente de correntes ideológicas, temos através dele aprendido e apreendido bastante, incluindo aspectos da tecnologia da informação, em que temos sido motivado a perceber soluções.

Ficamos também a saber pela notícia lida no "Público" que este Blogue já teve como pico máximo 13 mil visitas diárias. É extraordinário!

Ao autor do "Abrupto", os nossos sinceros parabéns e que continue a brindar-nos com os seus oportunos e muitas vezes incisivos 'Posts'.



Henri Matisse - A Alegria de Viver, 1905-1906, Óleo sobre tela

Duchamp - Sonata, 1911 - Óleo sobre tela

A Verdade II

Estão estabelecidas três grandes distinções.

Verdades analíticas e sintéticas, verdades necessarias e contingentes e ainda verdades a priori e a posteriori

analítica – somente verdade em virtude do seu significado
sintética – somente no cado de não ser analítica
necessáraia – não pode ter sido falsa
a priori – aquela que é conhecida independentemente da experiência, ou sem empírica evidência
a posteriori – conhecida na base da experiência.

Ver resumo das publicações
Necessary Truths, de Alex Byrne e Ned Hall, da Princeton University Press



segunda-feira, novembro 22, 2004

A Verdade

Nos últimos tempos muita gente tem dedicado a sua atenção à Verdade e na ânsia de encontrar o seu verdadeiro significado, ficámos verdadeiramente surpreendidos com o vasto leque de interpretações que essa palavra encerra consoante a sua origem.

Procurámos esclarecimentos e encontrámos algo como: - "Em grego, verdade diz-se aletheia, significando: não-oculto, não-escondido, não-dissimulado. O verdadeiro é o que se manifesta aos olhos do corpo e do espírito; a verdade é a manifestação daquilo que é ou existe tal como é. O verdadeiro se opõe ao falso, pseudos, que é o encoberto, o escondido, o dissimulado, o que parece ser e não é como parece. O verdadeiro é o evidente ou o plenamente visível para a razão."

Mas o desenvolvimento extenso da palavra com todas as suas explicações filosóficas encontramos também no site que conseguimos pelo Link, que, com calma e paciência merece ser consultado pelos não especialistas na matéria.

De facto a simples palavra 'Verdade' é muito complicada de compreender ou fazer compreendê-la...

Links

É sempre muito agradável quando encontramos noutros blogues links para o nosso espaço. O mundo português da blogosfera é vastissimo e dai existir como que um certo orgulho quando isso acontece, nesse imenso mundo em que alguém deu por nós.

Não posso pois deixar de agradecer a atenção dispensada também pelos seguintes blogues: Blog de Stand-Up Comedy, O Jumento, Erotismo na Cidade e Algarve Global.



domingo, novembro 21, 2004

Henri Matisse


Henri Matisse - A Dança (2) cerca de 1910

Henri Matisse - A Dança, 1909

Frases da semana

"Quem fala verdade nunca precisa de dizer "eu falo verdade" - José Pacheco Pereira , Professor

"A oposição a Pedro Santana Lopes e ao seu grupo não esteve fora do Congresso, mas sentada em frente dele a bater-lhe palmas" - Idem

"Os ministros falam duas vezes. A segunda é para explicarem o que queriam dizer na primeira. - Joaquim Letria, colunista

"Noventa por cento dos políticos dão má fama aos outros dez por cento" - Henry Kissinger, Conferencista, in Sábado

"'A Europa' não existe, é um ente fictício, que se convencionou tratar como realidade" - Vasco Pulido Valente, Colonista, in Diário de Notícias

"Santana Lopes é apreciado por muita gente. É o político português que mais votos tem dos cidadãos. O segundo, por acaso, sou eu..." - Luís Filipe Meneses, presidente da Câmara de Vila Nova de Gaia, in Diário de Notícias

"Portugal ficou uma república de financeiros e jornalistas" - Medeiros Ferreira, Professor universitário

"Vale a pena conhecer-me" - Paulo Portas, Presidente do CDS-PP

"Joguei futebol com Santana e Sampaio antes de entrar na política. Jogava à baliza e à frente. Íamos rodando" - Idem

"Este partido está comigo seja qual for o caminho que eu tenha que decidir" - Pedro Santana Lopes, Presidente do PSD

R Mutt



Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) - Urinol de porcelana

sábado, novembro 20, 2004

MoMA



Pablo Picasso - As Meninas de Avignon - 1907, Óleo sobre tela.

No dia da reabertura do MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, Nova Iorque, seleccionámos o quadro As Meninas de Avignon por ser considerada uma das obras mais importantes dos primórdios da arte moderna.

Central de Comunicação

Jorge Sampaio chumba Central de Comunicação

"A Central de Comunicação que o Governo queria criar foi vetada pelo Presidente. De acordo com o jornal Expresso, Jorge Sampaio não vê vantagem na criação de um organismo "de publicitação da actividade do Governo".

A Central de Comunicação, aprovada pelo Governo no final de Setembro, ficaria na dependência de Morais Sarmento.

Os dois milhões de euros que iria custar deveriam sair do orçamento do Ministério do Estado e da Presidência.

Às críticas da oposição de que se trataria de um órgão de propaganda governamental, pago com o dinheiro dos contribuintes, o ministro apressou-se a explicar que o objectivo era apenas tornar perceptível a mensagem, a acção e as decisões do Governo.

Mais, disse Morais Sarmento, enquanto noutros países estruturas semelhantes chegam a ser formadas por 200 funcionários, a central portuguesa iria ter apenas cerca de 30.

Argumentos que não convenceram a oposição e, sabe-se agora, nem o Presidente.

Depois da polémica em torno das pressões governamentais sobre a comunicação social, o chefe de Estado deixa um sinal claro.

A participação dos cidadãos na vida política, diz Sampaio, deve ser obtida através da preservação e incentivo do pluralismo e não da criação de um novo serviço administrativo de publicitação da actividade do Governo.

E além de chumbar o diploma, Sampaio remata dizendo que não há défice, antes excesso de presença estatal e governamental nos meios de comunicação em Portugal." - in SIC Online


sexta-feira, novembro 19, 2004

Constituição Europeia

"Concorda com a Carta de Direitos Fundamentais, a regra das votações por maioria qualificada e o novo quadro institucional da União Europeia, nos termos constantes da Constituição para a Europa?"

Em face da pergunta acima acordada, ficamos na dúvida se vamos votar a Carta de Direitos Fundamentais ou se é no seu conjunto a Constituição Europeia.

Sendo um cidadão comum, de cultura 'talvez' mediana, ficamos sem saber para que lado nos devemos virar, e certamente outros cidadãos encontar-se-ão no mesmo dilema neste importante assunto que a todos devia interessar.

Seria no mínimo necessário e inteligente que aquela pergunta tivesse sido sujeita a uma simulação para se saber o grau de compreensão da mesma pelas várias camadas do Povo Português.

Qualquer estudo de mercado qualitativo utiliza o método da simulação para obter os índices de compreensão que, aos entendidos é claro como a água, mas não àqueles que não abarcam horizontes tão largos.

Certamente que será feita uma divulgação alargada dos objectivos e conteúdo da frase, em tempo, para que tudo resulte da melhor forma e todos nós possamos votar em consciência.

quinta-feira, novembro 18, 2004

Frases políticas

"A um Orçamento de rigor e sacrifício sucede um Orçamento de rigor e esperança" - Pedro Santana Lopes, P-M

"...este Orçamento prevê o aumento das pensões, prevê a subida dos salários da função pública, prevê a descida dos impostos para a maioria das famílias portuguesas sem afectar a receita fiscal, num quadro de inflação controlada." - Idem

"É totalmente irresponsável, é demagógico e é uma aventura perigosa querer baixar os impostos sobre os rendimentos." - José Sócrates , Secretário-Geral do P. Socialista

"O Governo abandona a obsessão do défice para abraçar uma nova obsessão: a obsessão eleitoral." - Idem

"O país não é uma quinta de celebridades, quer ela se realize na tal quinta, quer se realize no barco da Marinha com as celebridades do Governo." - Carlos Carvalhas, Secretário-Geral do PCP

"O PSD quer salvar uma hipótese de futuro para além de Santana e o PP quer simplesmente salvar a vida." - Vasco Polido Valente, in Público

Paul Gauguin




Mulheres de Tahiti (Duas Mulheres na Praia) - Paul Gauguin (1891)

Vieira da Silva




Os Jogadores de Cartas, 1947-1948, Óleo sobre tela, 81 x 100 cm, França

terça-feira, novembro 16, 2004


Condolleeza Rice


___ Biography ___

Date of Birth: November 14, 1954
Career Highlights: National security adviser (under President George W. Bush); Stanford University's provost; teacher of political science at Stanford University; director/senior director, Soviet and East European Affairs, National Security Council (under former president George H.W. Bush); special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; fellow of the Hoover Institution; member of the Center for International Security and Arms Control; senior fellow of the Institute for International Studies
Education: University of Denver, Bachelor of Arts in political science; University of Notre Dame, Master of Arts; University of Denver, Ph.D.
Family: Single

Bush to Name Rice Secretary of State

Condoleeza Rice will be named secretary of state By Mike Allen - Washington Post

"National security adviser Condoleeza Rice will be named secretary of state as early as today, according to administration officials.

She will replace Colin L. Powell, who announced his resignation yesterday, ending four years of battles with Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld over the course of U.S. foreign policy.

Rice will be replaced by her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley, administration officials said.

Powell's deputy and close friend, Richard L. Armitage, also is leaving the State Department.

Republican officials said the selection of Rice reflects Bush's determination to take personal control of the government in a second term, especially departments and agencies that he felt had undermined him in the first four years.

Powell's departure is also a victory for conservatives, removing the administration's most forceful advocate for negotiations and multilateral engagement on such issues as Middle East peace and curbing nuclear activities in Iran and North Korea.

A White House official said Powell, who helped persuade Bush to seek approval from the United Nations before invading Iraq, indicated to the president weeks or months before Nov. 2 that he planned to leave soon after the election.

But one government official with personal knowledge of the situation said Powell had second thoughts and had prepared a list of conditions under which he would be willing to stay. They included greater engagement with Iran and a harder line with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon."

Europa chega à Lua

Sonda SMART 1 faz cartografia do satélite

"A primeira sonda lunar europeia, SMART-1, colocou-se na noite passada, como previsto, numa órbita em torno da Lua, anunciou hoje fonte da Agência Espacial Europeia (ESA).

A sonda SMART-1, cuja missão é cartografar a topografia e a composição mineralógica do satélite natural da Terra, foi lançada há 13 meses por um foguetão Ariane 5.

A órbita da SMART-1, que se encontra a uma distância de entre cinco mil e seis mil quilómetros da Lua, será modificada nos próximos quatro dias. Após uma série de manobras, a sonda europeia descerá progressivamente até à sua órbita de trabalho a 13 de Janeiro de 2005.

A SMART 1, que não pousará na Lua, ficará a operar numa órbita que distará 300 quilómetros do pólo Sul e três mil quilómetros do pólo Norte.

A entrada em órbita lunar da SMART 1 assinala o fim e o êxito da missão tecnológica da sonda, que permitiu à Europa testar um sistema de propulsão baseado num motor iónico.

Esse motor funcionou durante mais de 3.300 horas e permitiu cobrir uma distância de cerca de 78 milhões de quilómetros com apenas 52 quilogramas de combustível.

A SMART 1 abre caminho a futuras missões de longa duração no interior do sistema solar que precisam de muita energia, sublinham os responsáveis da missão." - in SIC Online


segunda-feira, novembro 15, 2004

Good Jokes

Com a ajuda de Vikramhd.blogspot, aqui ficam as anedotas ali encontradas....
"Good Jokes ......

Customer : Waiter, do you serve crabs?
Waiter : Please sit down sir, we serve everyone.


Customer : Waiter, is this a lamb chop or pork chop?
Waiter : Can't you tell the difference by taste?
Customer : No, I can't.
Waiter : Then does it really matter?


Customer : Waiter, there's a dead beetle in my soup.
Waiter : Yes sir, they are not very good swimmers.


Customer : Waiter, there's a fly in my soup.
Waiter : That's all right sir, he won't drink much.


Customer : Waiter, there's a fly swimming in my soup.
Waiter : So what do you expect me to do, call a lifeguard?


Customer : Waiter, this soup tastes funny.
Waiter : Funny? But then why aren't you laughing?


Lady : Is this my train?
Station Master : No, it belongs to the Railway Company.
Lady : Don't try to be funny. I mean to ask if I can
take this train to New Delhi.
Station Master : No Madam, I'm afraid it's too heavy.


Teacher : Peter, why are you late for school again?
Peter : Well, Miss, I dreamed that I was playing football
and the game went into extra time.


Wife : Do you want dinner?
Husband : Sure, what are my choices?
Wife : Yes and no.


Customer : If I post this letter tonight, will it get to Delhi in two days time?
Post Master : Yes sir, it definitely will.
Customer : I bet you, it won't.
Post Master : Why not?
Customer : It's addressed to Mumbai.


An absent-minded man went to see a psychiatrist.
'My trouble is,' he said, 'that I keep forgetting things.'
'How long has this been going on?' asked the psychiatrist.
'How long has what been going on?' said the man.


Girl : Do you love me?
Boy : Yes Dear.
Girl : Would you die for me?
Boy : No, mine is undying love.


1st thief : Oh ! The police is here. Quick! Jump out of the window!
2nd thief : But this is the 13th floor.
1st thief : Hurry! this is no time for superstitions.


Man : How old is your father?
Boy : As old as me.
Man : How can that be?
Boy : He became a father only when I was born.


Teacher : Correct the sentence, "A bull and a cow is grazing in the field"
Student : A cow and a bull is grazing in the field
Teacher : How?
Student : Ladies first.


Waiter : I've stewed liver, boiled tongue and frog's leg.
Customer : Don't tell me your problems. Give the menu card.


Little Susie came running into the house after school one day, shouting, "Daddy! Daddy! I got a 100 in school today!"
"That's great, Sweetheart," said her daddy.
"Come in to the living room and tell me about it."
"Well," began the confession, "I got 50 in spelling, 30 in math's and 20 in science."


MoMA




Le bâtiment, dessiné par l'architecte japonais Yoshio Taniguchi, est le plus grand jamais réalisé dans l'histoire du MoMA. Il s'ouvre sur un jardin restauré et agrandi. Son architecture intérieure privilégie la lumière naturelle.

Le MoMA, musée du futur - Le Musée d'art moderne et contemporain rouvre ses portes samedi prochain après une métamorphose

de notre envoyée spéciale Valérie Duponchelle - Le Figaro

"Le bâtiment, dessiné par l'architecte japonais Yoshio Taniguchi, est le plus grand jamais réalisé dans l'histoire du MoMA. Il s'ouvre sur un jardin restauré et agrandi. Son architecture intérieure privilégie la lumière naturelle comme dans l'atrium, ci-dessous. F-111, énorme Rosenquist de 1964-1965 en 23 panneaux. (DR)
Le nouveau MoMA est arrivé. Et, avec ce géant de New York qui prétend tout simplement «avoir la plus importante collection d'art moderne et contemporain au niveau mondial», l'heure est venue de voir comment l'Amérique de l'après-11 septembre relève ce pari. Fidèle à son dynamisme de légende, comme Hollywood sûre de son effet Matrix, la voilà à pied d'oeuvre pour réinventer le musée, pour bousculer les idées reçues sur la chronologie établie des collections et rajeunir radicalement l'histoire de l'art.

Le nouveau MoMA commence le XXIe siècle avec l'art le plus contemporain, celui-là même que portent aux nues les enchères enfiévrées de New York. Il expose fièrement ses nouvelles acquisitions,les dernières pièces datent de 2003 avec le Sud-Africain William Kentridge ou l'Américaine d'origine éthiopienne Julie Mehretu, et remonte paisiblement le cours de ses chefs-d'oeuvre pour culminer au 5e étage avec Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, peintes par Picasso en 1907, achetées dès 1939 par un tout jeune MoMA, à peine âgé de dix ans. Une révolution pour l'oeil et pour l'esprit."

Para visitas virtuais www.moma.org

domingo, novembro 14, 2004


POLLOCK - A Caminho do Oeste - 1934/35 - Óleo sobre placa de vidro - Washington, DC - National Museum - Smithsonian Institution

sexta-feira, novembro 12, 2004

After Yasser Arafat

What Next?
in The Wall Street Journal - by KHALIL SHIKAKI
November 12, 2004; Page A12

"RAMALLAH, West Bank -- As Palestinians and others contemplate life after Yasser Arafat, focus is likely to be placed on short-term consequences. There is a good reason for this: The Palestinians have known no other leader for three decades. Fears of anarchy and infighting, a collapse of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and an escalation in Palestinian-Israeli violence are likely to color people's assessment of the day after. But there is reason to believe the succession process could be non-violent. Indeed, it is not the next few weeks that one should worry about, but rather what happens six months down the road. With help from Israel, the U.S. and the international community, and -- first and foremost -- with national elections, Palestinians can make the post Arafat-era one of viable peace-making and state-building.

Arafat's passing due to illness, rather than violence, facilitates matters for those who have to share power after him. The Palestine Liberation Organization's legitimacy, its norms and rules, as well as the PA's Basic Law, are all likely to determine Palestinian choices in the short run. This means the consolidation of the set-up that emerged in the aftermath of Arafat's illness, with Mahmoud Abbas, former prime minister and No. 2 in the PLO hierarchy, taking control of the PLO and Fatah institutions, and Ahmed Qureia, the current PM, gaining greater control over the PA's finances, bureaucracy and security services. Rauhi Fattouh, the speaker, became interim president of the PA yesterday in accordance with the Basic Law, but he is too weak to play any role other than a ceremonial one. In the short run, however, it is doubtful that the whole transitional leadership will be able to translate its formal authority into real power.

Indeed, little policy change is likely in the near future; for now, no one will dare alter Arafat's path. But things could change if and when those replacing him gain confidence in a few months. This would be particularly true if the Israelis do not make things more difficult by continuing their assassination policy and incursions.

A transition phase is now underway. Those in charge are the old guard of nationalists, but the future will be shaped more by the nationalist young guard, and by Islamists who will begin to assert themselves. This could happen peacefully, as the old guard will be much weaker without Arafat. But transition could turn violent if the old guard insists on retaining power for long and if no progress is seen in the peace process. The Islamists will become bolder -- taking advantage of Arafat's absence, and thinking that a nationalist split will provide a chance to become the mainstream among the Palestinians. Yet if the old guard manages to move the peace process forward and hold national elections, say within six months, it may have a very good chance of forging a coalition with the next generation of nationalists and to weaken the Islamists. But without national elections soon, Palestinian domestic conditions could be bleak.

U.S. and Israeli opposition to elections centered in the past on concerns about Arafat's re-election. But now, with Arafat gone, it is conceivable that those who opposed elections in the past may become even more determined to oppose them. The succession process has brought to transitional power two moderate and pragmatic old-guard members. Many in Israel and abroad may argue that since we now have viable negotiating partners in place, why rock the boat by conducting elections which could weaken the old guard and Fatah, replace moderates with militant nationalists, and bring Islamists into parliament? Those thinking along these lines would be making a big mistake.

In the next few months, the transitional leadership will confront major challenges. The most difficult and immediate is to maintain law and order, and to prevent the collapse of PA institutions, particularly in Gaza. It will also have to put together an internal cease-fire package, reorganize the security services, and show willingness to implement some of the Palestinian roadmap security commitments. Parallel to this, the new leadership needs to develop a Palestinian negotiating strategy that addresses Israel's disengagement plan and the Quartet roadmap, and to present the Palestinians as viable negotiating partners. The transitional leadership has no chance of dealing effectively with any of these challenges without putting in motion a credible election process.

But to be able to hold these elections, and -- importantly for the future of the peace process -- to affect their outcome positively, Israel, the U.S., and the rest of the international community need to extend a helping hand to the transitional leadership as it confronts potential rivals. With Arafat gone, two developments will be set in motion. The young guard nationalists will rush to displace the old guard, leading to further political fragmentation within the nationalist camp and perhaps to violent infighting. In Gaza, they will probably seek to physically eliminate those senior old-guard members who challenge them. Even among the young guard, those who view Mr. Abbas as unfaithful to Arafat's legacy will see his leadership as a threat to their interests and will seek to challenge his legitimacy. More serious will be the transformation of the Islamists -- from a long-term threat to the hegemony of the nationalists to a potential medium-term, or even short-term, threat. The Islamists will quickly pose a true strategic threat not only to the dominance of the nationalists but also to the future of the peace process. Both young guard nationalists and Islamists will seek to destabilize the post-Arafat political and security environment. Such a threat is sufficient to deter the old guard from taking any initiative leading to deeper political stagnation in Palestinian politics and in Palestinian-Israeli relations.

To remain in power, Mr. Abbas must immediately forge a coalition with the young guard by setting a date for elections, and by allowing immediate internal Fatah elections. He will also need Israeli help -- the release of Marwan Barghouti, which would allow the consolidation of the Palestinian nationalist camp, facilitate a cease-fire deal, and enable Fatah to deal with Hamas and other Islamists.

To be able to deal effectively with the Islamists, the combined nationalists will need to present the Palestinians with a credible peace and state-building program. Here, the Bush administration needs to affirm its commitment to a viable Palestinian state and a fairly detailed permanent status package. It needs to outline a more engaged policy, one that pays attention to Palestinian, and not only Israeli, concerns. Israel can make things much easier for Mr. Abbas and Mr. Qureia if it were to start immediate negotiations with them, instead of waiting for them to demonstrate a break with Arafat's legacy. In this case, Palestinian policy change would be quick to come.

When elections take place, and if they occur within the more positive context outlined above, Mahmoud Abbas would have a good chance of being elected president of the PA -- despite his current lack of popularity. The young guards are likely to form the government, perhaps with Mr. Barghouti leading a coalition with moderate independents. The Islamists are likely to seek an effective opposition role. In the post-Arafat era, the Palestinians may finally get the democracy and accountable governance they deserve.

Mr. Shikaki is director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah."

quinta-feira, novembro 11, 2004

Yasser Arafat est mort

Do Le Monde On-line

"L'Autorité palestinienne a décrété un deuil de quarante jours dans l'ensemble des territoires palestiniens. Les commerces seront fermés pour trois jours et les administrations pour sept jours, mais le deuil se prolongera pendant quarante jours, durant lesquels les drapeaux seront en berne et toutes les manifestations de joie annulées.

Yasser Arafat, figure emblématique de la cause palestinienne, est décédé jeudi 11 novembre, a annoncé, à Ramallah, en Cisjordanie, le secrétaire de la présidence palestinienne, Tayeb Abdelrahim.

A l'hôpital militaire Percy de Clamart, dans les Hauts-de-Seine, où était hospitalisé le président de l'Autorité palestinienne depuis le 29 octobre, le médecin général Christian Estripeau, chargé de la communication au service de santé des armées, a confirmé que Yasser Arafat était décédé jeudi à 3 h 30.

"La direction palestinienne annonce avec regret au peuple palestinien, à la nation arabe, à toute l'humanité, le décès du guide, du leader, du fils de la Palestine, de son symbole", a déclaré M. Abdelrahim lors d'une conférence de presse à la Mouqata'a, à Ramallah, en Cisjordanie.

"Celui qui a bâti son nationalisme et le héros de sa bataille pour la liberté et l'indépendance, notre président, notre leader, le porte-drapeau de notre nouvel avenir, notre frère Yasser Arafat" est mort "ce matin à 4 h 30 (3 h 30 à Paris)", a-t-il ajouté, des larmes dans les yeux.

M. Abdelrahim a précisé que les funérailles de Yasser Arafat auront lieu vendredi au Caire et qu'il sera inhumé le même jour à Ramallah."


Uma completa biografia de Yasser Arafat pode ser vista aqui

quarta-feira, novembro 10, 2004


Azulejo do século XVII. Museu Nacional do Azulejo - LISBOA Foto:Carlos Monteiro

terça-feira, novembro 09, 2004

Yasser Arafat

O Le Monde descreveu assim o estado de Yasser Aratat ao longo do dia

Heure par heure de l'état de Yasser Arafat
"Mardi 9 novembre

20 h 41 : Accord de principe entre Israël et les Palestiniens en cas de funérailles

Israéliens et Palestiniens ont finalisé un accord de principe sur les dispositions à prendre après le décès de Yasser Arafat, a indiqué un responsable palestinien qui a requis l'anonymat.

Il s'est toutefois refusé à donner d'autres détails sur cet accord et en particulier à préciser si Israël a accepté que le raïs soit enterré dans l'enceinte de son quartier général de Ramallah, en Cisjordanie.

19 h 18 : La délégation palestinienne repart à Ramallah

Les responsables palestiniens venus à Paris s'assurer de l'état de santé de Yasser Arafat ont annoncé mardi qu'ils quittaient immédiatement la France pour rentrer dans les territoires palestiniens. "Nous partons immédiatement pour Ramallah via Amman", a indiqué le ministre des affaires étrangères palestinien, Nabil Chaath. "Nous quittons Paris le cœur triste parce que notre président est malade", a-t-il ajouté.

19 h 06 : Funérailles d'Arafat, premiers contacts avec Israël

Israël et des responsables palestiniens vont entamer dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi des discussions sur l'organisation des funérailles de Yasser Arafat, agonisant, a indiqué un responsable israélien qui a requis l'anonymat.

18 h 16 : L'euthanasie est écartée, selon Nabil Chaath

Toute mesure d'euthanasie concernant le président Yasser Arafat, 75 ans, "est écartée", a déclaré mardi à Paris le ministre des affaires étrangères palestinien, Nabil Chaath. Il est toujours en vie mais il "est très mal", a-t-il déclaré. Son cœur, ses poumons et son cerveau "fonctionnent encore", a-t-il poursuivi.

17 h 32 : Mahmoud Abbas : Yasser Arafat est dans un "état très difficile"

"Le président Arafat est dans une situation très difficile. Nous lui souhaitons un rétablissement rapide", a déclaré l'ancien premier ministre palestinien dans la cour de l'Elysée après avoir été reçu par Jacques Chirac.

17 h 30 : Les médecins d'Arafat luttent contre une hémorragie cérébrale

Les médecins français du leader palestinien tentent d'arrêter une hémorragie cérébrale, a indiqué le secrétaire à la présidence de l'Autorité palestinienne, Tayeb Abdelrahim, en annonçant que, le moment venu, le leader palestinien sera enterré à Ramallah.

17 h 11 : Préparatifs pour un enterrement d'Arafat à la Mouqata'a à Ramallah

Des préparatifs sont en cours pour que Yasser Arafat soit enterré à la Mouqata'a s'il meurt, dans son quartier général de Ramallah où il était confiné depuis trois ans, a indiqué le secrétaire palestinien à la présidence, Tayeb Abdelrahim, avec des larmes aux yeux lors d'une conférence.

16 h 56 : Le président Chirac accueille à l'Elysée les dirigeants palestiniens

Le président Jacques Chirac a accueilli après-midi à l'Elysée la délégation de dirigeants palestiniens composée du premier ministre, Ahmad Qoreï, du "numéro deux" de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP), Mahmoud Abbas, du ministre des affaires étrangères, Nabil Chaath et du président du Conseil législatif (Parlement) Raouhi Fattouh.

16 h 48 : Arafat "n'est pas décédé", selon le service de santé français des armées

Le porte-parole du service de santé des armées, le médecin-général Christian Estripeau, a indiqué, peu après 16 heures, que Yasser Arafat n'était "pas décédé", démentant ainsi l'annonce à Ramallah (Cisjordanie) du décès du président de l'Autorité palestinienne.

16 h 35 : Bush s'enquiert de la santé d'Arafat

Le président George W. Bush s'est enquis mardi lors d'un entretien téléphonique avec Jacques Chirac de la santé de Yasser
Arafat. Le président de la République a parlé pendant une vingtaine de minutes à son homologue américain à la mi-journée, a dit le porte-parole de l'Elysée, Jérôme Bonnafont. "Le président Bush s'est enquis de la santé du président de l'Autorité
palestinienne", a déclaré M. Bonnafont qui n'a pas rendu compte de la réponse du président français.

15 h 54 : Arafat est en vie, dans un état critique

C'est ce qu'a annoncé Nabil Chaath, ministre des affaires étrangères de l'Autorité palestinienne. Il a ajouté qu'aucune décision n'avait été prise pour débrancher les appareils maintenant en vie le président palestinien. "Son état a empiré la nuit dernière mais il n'y a aucun signe de (...) l'arrêt de ses fonctions vitales", a déclaré M. Chaath à CNN. "Nous ne sommes pas particulièrement partisans de l'euthanasie (...). Il est hors de question que quiconque prenne une décision en ce qui concerne les appareils qui le maintiennent en vie."

15 h 43 : Arafat "toujours en vie"

La déléguée générale de Palestine en France, Leïla Shahid, a "catégoriquement" démenti mardi à Paris les informations sur la mort du président palestinien Yasser Arafat, affirmant qu'il "est toujours en vie".

15 h 41 : Arafat n'est "pas décédé"

Le service de santé des armées françaises a déclaré mardi que Yasser Arafat n'était "pas décédé", assurant que "les termes du communiqué rendu public ce jour par le général Christian Estripeau (porte-parole du service de santé) sont toujours valides à 15 h 30".

15 h 34 : Arafat serait mort

Le président de l'Autorité palestinienne Yasser Arafat est mort mardi à Paris, a annoncé un ministre palestinien à l'AFP. "La question est de savoir comment et quand nous allons l'annoncer. Mais il est mort, c'est sûr", a affirmé ce ministre qui a refusé de s'exprimer autrement que sous le couvert de l'anonymat.

15 h 30 : "Arafat n'est pas mort" selon son neveu

Un neveu de M. Arafat, Nasser Al Qidwa, représentant de la Palestine à l'ONU, qui a rendu visite au chef palestinien à l'hôpital près de Paris, a assuré que M. Arafat n'était pas mort.

15 h 18 : Arafat "dans un état critique mais encore vivant"

Yasser Arafat est dans un "état critique mais encore vivant", a affirmé mardi le ministre palestinien chargé des négociations, Saëb Erakat. "Arafat est dans un état critique mais il est encore en vie", a déclaré M. Erakat, démentant des informations selon lesquelles il était mort.

15 h 03 : Mahmoud Abbas juge l'état d'Arafat "très grave"

Le "numéro deux" de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP) Mahmoud Abbas a vu mardi Yasser Arafat à l'hôpital Percy (banlieue parisienne) et a qualifié son état de "très grave".

14 h 47 : Départ de la délégation palestinienne de l'hôpital Percy

Les quatre dirigeants palestiniens arrivés mardi à l'hôpital Percy de Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine) pour voir le président palestinien Yasser Arafat sont repartis en début d'après-midi sans faire de déclaration, a constaté l'AFP.

Ils devaient être reçus vers 16 h 30 à l'Elysée par le président Jacques Chirac, puis tenir en fin d'après-midi une conférence de presse à leur hôtel.

13 h 13 : Paris salue "l'unité" et la "responsabilité" des dirigeants palestiniens

Le ministre des affaires étrangères, Michel Barnier, a rendu hommage, mardi, en recevant les quatre dirigeants palestiniens en visite en France. Michel Barnier "a rendu hommage aux responsables palestiniens pour l'activité qu'ils accomplissent dans les territoires palestiniens, l'unité qu'ils projettent et l'esprit de responsabilité dont ils font preuve", a déclaré le porte-parole du Quai d'Orsay, Hervé Ladsous, lors d'un point de presse. Ils ont été reçus pendant une heure au Quai d'Orsay avant de se rendre à l'hôpital Percy, près de Paris, pour voir Arafat.

12 h 26 : Arrivée à l'hôpital Percy de la délégation palestinienne pour voir Yasser Arafat

Quatre dirigeants palestiniens sont arrivés mardi peu après midi à l'hôpital Percy de Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine) pour voir le président palestinien Yasser Arafat.

11 h 28 : Début de la rencontre entre la délégation palestinienne et M. Barnier

La rencontre entre une délégation de dirigeants palestiniens et le ministre des affaires étrangères français, Michel Barnier, a commencé mardi matin à Paris, a constaté l'AFP.

Peu après 11 heures, le "numéro deux" de l'Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP) Mahmoud Abbas, le premier ministre, Ahmed Qoreï, le ministre des affaires étrangères, Nabil Chaath, et le président du Conseil législatif palestinien (Parlement), Raouhi Fattouh ont été reçus au Quai d'Orsay par le chef de la diplomatie française.

10 h 56 : "L'état de santé du président Arafat s'est aggravé dans la nuit du 8 au 9 novembre"

"L'état de santé du président Arafat s'est aggravé dans la nuit du 8 au 9 novembre" et son coma est devenu "plus profond", a déclaré mardi le porte-parole du Service de santé des armées, le médecin-général Christian Estripeau. "L'état comateux qui avait motivé son admission en service de réanimation est ce matin devenu plus profond", a-t-il ajouté lors d'un point de presse aux abords de l'hôpital Percy de Clamart (banlieue parisienne) où le dirigeant palestinien est soigné depuis le 29 octobre. "Ceci marque un palier significatif vers une évolution dont le pronostic est réservé", a poursuivi le porte-parole.

9 h 59 : Les dirigeants palestiniens vont se rendre à Clamart (Leïla Shahid)

Les dirigeants palestiniens arrivés lundi soir à Paris vont se rendre à l'hôpital de Clamart (banlieue parisienne) pour y voir Yasser Arafat, a indiqué mardi matin la déléguée générale de la Palestine en France, Leïla Shahid.

8 h 05 : Situation d'Arafat très complexe, très sérieuse et stable

La situation de Yasser Arafat est "très complexe, très sérieuse et elle est en même temps stable", a déclaré mardi à France 2 le ministre français des affaires étrangères, Michel Barnier."



Muro de Berlim

Quinze anos depois

"Hoje, faz 15 anos que começou o derrube do Muro de Berlim, dando assim fim à chamada guerra fria. Então foi um dia de radiosas esperanças e largas expectativas para os povos, especialmente da Alemanha de Este.

Do diário EL Pais, destacamos o seguinte texto:

"El muro de Berlín cayó, la brecha sigue en pie

Quince años después de la caída del telón, la desigualdad y los recelos aún separan a los ciudadanos del este y el oeste de Alemania."

Suez Canal



Traffic on the waterway had ground to a halt

Suez Canal to reopen for traffic

"Egypt's Suez Canal is expected to reopen for shipping traffic, three days after it closed because of a broken-down oil tanker.
The stranded Liberian-registered vessel is being shifted by tugs, the Suez Canal Authority says.

The tanker refloated after some of its load was transferred to a smaller ship.
About 104 vessels were waiting to use the strategic link between the Red Sea and Mediterranean, which is one of Egypt's most important revenue sources.
The canal last closed after the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973, and did not reopen until January 1975.

However, traffic has previously been suspended due to bad weather.
The Tropic Brilliance broke down late on Saturday near Ismailiya, 140 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Cairo.

The canal earned Egypt £256m (£138m) in September with revenues expected to hit a record $3bn in 2004, according to figures from the Suez Canal Authority.
About 12,400 ships passed through the canal between January and September, with 2,300 of these being oil tankers." - in BBC News

segunda-feira, novembro 08, 2004

Guerra no Iraque

Assalto final - EUA começam bombardeamento intensivo sobre Falluja

"As forças norte-americanas começaram um bombardeamento intensivo contra a cidade de Falluja, no Iraque. Será o início da ofensiva final ao reduto rebelde, autorizada pelo primeiro-ministro iraquiano.

De acordo com jornalistas da France Press em Falluja, a artilharia e a aviação entraram em acção ao cair da noite, cerca das 18h30 locais (15h30 em Lisboa). Os bombardeamentos concentram-se sobretudo sobre os bairros de al Askay e Jughaitha, na zona norte da cidade, a 50 quilómetros de Bagdade.

Os combatentes da guerrilha estão na rua, dos altifalantes das mesquitas ouvem-se partes do Corão e palavras de incentivo ao combate, segundo os correspondentes franceses.

Também a Reuters noticia o início de um ataque de larga escala. Momentos antes, os marines norte-americanos tinham retirado uma barreira de tanques junto a uma estação de caminhos-de-ferro, limpando caminho para um assalto terrestre.

O primeiro-ministro do Iraque, Iyad Allawi, deu hoje autorização às forças norte-americanas para lançarem a ofensiva final a Falluja. Em conferência de imprensa, Allawi anunciou também o recolher obrigatório naquela cidade e em Ramadi a partir das 18h00, a manter ”até que não haja mais terroristas na cidade”.

Iyad Allawi acrescentou que todas as estradas serão fechadas à circulação, com excepção para veículos de emergência. Também o aeroporto internacional de Bagdade foi fechado por 24 horas." - in SIC Online





domingo, novembro 07, 2004

United States

The great Democratic crack-up
Nov 4th 2004
From The Economist print edition

Hillary may not be the best person to put her party together again. But she is better than the rabid left

"NOVEMBER 2nd, which will be remembered as the blackest of days for the Democratic Party, did not dawn that way. Democrats had thought that the stars were aligned in their favour—a problem-ridden war in Iraq; a president with iffy job-approval ratings; a sputtering economy; and, on the day, a huge voter turn-out together with exit polls that showed John Kerry with a clean sweep of the battleground states. By early next morning elation had turned to despair. The battle for the future of the Democratic Party had begun in earnest.

How is this battle likely to shape up, and who will be the warriors? Mr Kerry and his running-mate, John Edwards, are destined for the terrible limbo that the People's Party reserves for its failed champions. Mr Kerry's fate will be a little easier to bear than Al Gore's: he has a fabulously rich wife, a brace of mansions and a seat in the Senate. But he will draw bitter criticism for running an ill-conceived campaign.

Mr Edwards is well on the way to becoming a man with a brilliant future behind him. What did he add to the Democratic ticket other than a boyish smile and a well-honed stump speech? He failed to deliver either of the Carolinas to the party (even though he was born in the southern one and represented the northern one in the Senate). He has no clear ideological constituency.

US Election 2004

Hillary Clinton is the big Democratic winner from Tuesday night's debacle. Mrs Clinton is very much the front-runner for the presidential nomination in 2008. By then the country may be desperate for respite from Republican rule and the Iraq war may at last be over. She has plenty of credibility with the left because of her record (particularly on health-care reform) and her sex (remember that the majority of voters in the Democratic primaries are women).

But she has moved to the centre since becoming a senator for New York: she has been careful to support the Iraq war and has found herself a seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Clintonistas control most of the party machinery, from think-tanks such as the Centre for American Progress to get-out-the-vote organisations such as The Media Fund. And her husband is one of the best political operators on the Democratic side.

Yet Mrs Clinton can expect no coronation. The left of the Democratic Party is spoiling for a fight over what it sees as the party establishment's instinctive centrism. The left is convinced that the problem with Howard Dean was not the message but the great screamer himself. And they are equally convinced that the best way to beat George Bush is to fight as hard for the left of the political spectrum as Mr Bush has fought for the right.

They believe that Mr Kerry's campaign caught fire only when he decided to confront the administration over Iraq. And they argue that the left needs to build a network of supporting institutions—from think-tanks to pressure groups—that will be able to drag their party (and the nation) in their direction. For them, the internet-based campaigns of groups such as MoveOn.org are harbingers of a rebirth of left-wing politics that will return the Democratic Party to its radical populist roots."


Pluralismo

O que é o Pluralismo?

Com o título acima, vem publicado no Público, de hoje, um artigo muito interessante, de Sebastião Lima Rego, sobre a oferta de opiniões nos 'media', particularmente nas Televisões.

Opiniões

A civilização ocidental está a acabar

"O Iluminismo é um projecto acabado. Está nas suas últimas fases e as pessoas estão a voltar-se para o irracional. Para a religião, como nos E.U.A. ou na Arábia Saudita, ou para o irracionalismo político, como os grandes projectos utópicos do século XX, o comunismo e o fascismo, que originaram dois gigantescos pesadelos..." - J.G.Ballard, Escritor, in Pública,nº 441

Música Catalana



A maravilhosa sala de concertos do Palácio da Música Catalana, Barcelona.

sábado, novembro 06, 2004


Park Güell - Antoni Gaudí - Banco de 152 metros, considerado o mais comprido do mundo. De referir ainda a Sala das Cem colunas.

Timor-Leste

Conteúdo multimédia

A SIC online apresenta hoje um extenso trabalho de Multimédia com relatos dos acontecimentos ocorridos em Timor-Leste nos últimos trinta anos.

Pode ser visto em SIC.SAPO.PT

quinta-feira, novembro 04, 2004

CENSURA DA INTERNET

CENSURA DA INTERNET NA RÚSSIA?



"É aceite pela maioria das pessoas que a propagação de fascismo e terrorismo na Internet tem de ser impedido. Quanto ao resto, há várias opiniões: os que advogam um controlo forte exercido pelo governo argumentam que o licenciamento é a melhor maneira de acabar com actividade criminosa e hooliganismo na Internet.
No entanto, os peritos na área das Tecnologias de Informação temem que um controlo demasiado forte irá afogar o desenvolvimento da perspectiva económica nesta área.

A nova lei sobre a média foi discutida pela Comissão para a Política de Informação do Conselho Federal em 6 de Outubro, em que foi sugerido introduzir a censura normativa para “resolver assuntos que é proibido publicar, fazendo do tribunal o censor”. Também foi sugerido que cada sítio na Internet deve ter um supervisor e o Ministério para Cultura e Comunicações da federação Russa quer que seja introduzida a política de licenciar os recursos da Internet para impedir a criação de sítios criminosos.

Contudo, o Presidente do Conselho federal, Sergei Mironov, acha que não há necessidade de tomar estas medidas sobre os média e sobre a Internet porque de qualquer modo não há possibilidade técnica a impor as restrições, enquanto Dmitry Mezentsev, Presidente da Comissão do Conselho Federal para a Política de Informação, também tem a certeza que não existe censura sobre a Internet e que nunca existirá.

Dmitry Milovantsev, Ministro adjunto para as TI e Comunicações, opina que se houver uma imposição de censura contra a Internet, os utentes vão fugir em massa da zona RU e entrarão nos dot com dos EUA. De qualquer modo, a Internet não é licenciado em qualquer outra parte do mundo.

O Director do Departamento Legal do Ministério de Comunicações, Mikhail Yakushev, falou dum novo documento que vai ser apresentado ao governo. Ele quer que a lei que governa a Internet seja a mesma que governa a imprensa e quer que seja proibida a divulgação de segredos de estado, comerciais ou familiares.

Esta legislação provavelmente será adoptada no início do ano novo.

Mikhail SERGEYEV
PRAVDA.Ru" - in PRAVDA, 20004-10-15

SHOULD COLIN POWELL HAVE A BLOG?....

Why is Foreign Policy magazine running an article about blogs? Because Dan Drezner and Henry Farrell argue that blogs are influencing more than just U.S. politics these days:

"Political scandals are one thing, but can the blogosphere influence global politics as well?

....Faced with various domestic obstacles, bloggers inside [regimes where there is no thriving independent media sector] (or expatriates) can try to influence foreign blogs and the media through indirect effects at home. Political scientists Margaret Keck of Johns Hopkins University and Kathryn Sikkink of the University of Minnesota note that activists who are unable to change conditions in their own countries can leverage their power by taking their case to transnational networks of advocates, who in turn publicize abuses and lobby their governments. Keck and Sikkink call this a “boomerang effect,” because repression at home can lead to international pressure against the regime from abroad. Blogs can potentially play a role in the formation of such transnational networks.

Iran is a good example. The Iranian blogosphere has exploded. According to the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education’s Blog Census, Farsi is the fourth most widely used language among blogs worldwide. One service provider alone (“Persian Blog”) hosts some 60,000 active blogs.

The weblogs allow young secular and religious Iranians to interact, partially taking the place of reformist newspapers that have been censored or shut down. Government efforts to impose filters on the Internet have been sporadic and only partially successful. Some reformist politicians have embraced blogs, including the president, who celebrated the number of Iranian bloggers at the World Summit on the Information Society, and Vice President Muhammad Ali Abtahi, who is a blogger himself.

Elite Iranian blogs such as “Editor: Myself” have established links with the English-speaking blogosphere. When Sina Motallebi, a prominent Iranian blogger, was imprisoned for “undermining national security through ‘cultural activity,’” prominent Iranian bloggers were able to join forces with well-known English-language bloggers including Jeff Jarvis (“BuzzMachine”), Dan Gillmor (“Silicon Valley”), and Patrick Belton (“OxBlog”) to create an online coalition that attracted media coverage, leading to Motallebi’s release." - in Washington Monthly

O Rescaldo

Opinião
Wednesday, 03 November 2004

"Thank you for voting. I am very pleased that so many people voted in this election, although I am very disappointed in the results. I did not think I was in the minority, though this 'minority' comprises nearly half of the voters in the country. [more...]

It would seem, from the analysis I saw last night, that, more than the economy or terror or the war in Iraq, "moral issues" were the big motivator for the people who voted for the incumbent. I believe that must be code for gay marriage.

And, I think lots of people just like George W Bush. When you like someone, you tend to trust them. I think the press has enabled this to a large extent, with its unwillingness to clearly indicate when the President and his surrogates have misled or even lied to the American people, but maybe that wouldn't have made as much of a difference as I think.

In a way, this is fitting: Bush will have to deal with all of it himself now. I can guarantee you that if Kerry had won, this morning the right would have awakened with strong concerns about the deficit, the fact that we haven't yet captured Osama bin Laden, and the quagmire in Iraq. On the other hand, without re-election looming in four years-- and with a Republican congress--I fear that George W. Bush's agenda will become more radical than it has been, and his actions even more irresponsible.

Buckle up. It's going to be a bumpy four years.", in Rebecca's Pocket blog

"Em busca do essencial"


Col. Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva
Retrato de Vieira da Silva, initulado "Marie Heléne", pintado pelo seu marido, Arpad Szenes, em 1942

Exposição retrospectiva da pintora Vieira da Silva

"A Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva comemora, hoje, o seu 10º aniversário com a inauguração da exposição "Em busca do essencial", que inclui algumas obras da pintora que serão apresentadas pela primeira vez em Portugal." - in SIC Online

'A Duty to Serve All Americans'




President Bush delivered his victory speech Wednesday in Washington, in The New York Times

quarta-feira, novembro 03, 2004


Paisagem 1974 - Joan Miró

Detalhe do Paraíso no Jardim das Delícias - Salvador Dali

Happy Famous Artists





Fomos visitados pelo blogue Happy Famous Artists, de que deixamos aqui o link, onde encontramos um grande leque de trabalhos de vários artistas, que merecem ser vistos, como a Tenda acima.

terça-feira, novembro 02, 2004

Barcelona




Ter a oportunidade de visitar Barcelona é algo de extraordinário pelo que nos é dado observar a todos os momentos e em qualquere parte da cidade. Trata-se de um museu também a céu aberto que se torna num constante regalo para os olhos.

A arquitectura urbana impressiona pelas linhas sóbrias ou arrojadas, e ao virar de cada esquina encontramos edifícos de sólido traçado.

Capital da Catalunha, Barcelona é a capital de uma das quatro provincias, com o mesmo nome, contando a cidade e arredores com uma população de cerca de quatro milhões de habitantes.