It is late to comment on EUROVISION, but these songs were fantastic!

For the first time I see anything of worth in this silly contest.
1. The Russian efforts in putting up the greatest show ever succeeded
2. Estonia, Russia and Sweden had really good songs
3. How being cute (Is he really so cute? His looks seem rather average to me) awarded the Norwegian singer the first place?
4. Why Azerbaijan, Albania and Turkey could collect so many supporters? Their presentations were terrible ad the songs amateurish, boring, the worst of the bunch!
5. Patricia Kass was GOOD! and deserved a better place in the finals
4. Which country other than Norway could afford at this point to host an EUROVISION contest anyway?
I hope the next year the quality of the music will continue improving and the policy of patriotism is replaced by one that can take merits into account!

Please, listen to these nice melodies: The melancholic Estonian character manifest in one and the Intensity of any Slavic nation in the other. The last is the song that represented France by Patricia Kass.

El Retiro, Antioquia, Colombia

This is still a very conservative small town (blue everything, not a touch of red on the houses of this streets). At 20 minutes from Medellin, serving some of the very typical grilled meats of the area, plus strawberries and cream, waffles filled with toffe (better than the dutch toffe waffles sold in Starbucks for 3 EUR for sure!, but at a reasonable cost of 10 cents of EUR with all added) and blackberry jam, and fresh lemonade, mixed with the peels and all, sweet and sour. I love this place!

From Medellin, for a while longer

The yellow dress in the Yellow Patio,
Palm flowers: It's the Season!
At grandfather's pool: the joy of Spring
Juulia and the little flower of flowers
Joonas rests watching Discovery Kids in Spanish: "Mr. Maker"

Mas pulpitos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Los pulpos son menos lindos en realidad de lo que aparecen cuando representados grafica o esculturalmente. Me gustan! Como los que ya publicamos en esta entrada hace muchos meses. O esta otra, hace muchos mas. Las vacas son hermosas SIEMPRE. Azules (como la de Annecy, Francia), o en la Avenida de las Vegas, pleno Valle de Aburra -all the same-.

He pedido permisos para el uso de todas estas imagenes, pero hace tanto que perdi el registro de fuentes. Vale decir que ninguna de las de pulpos es mia? Las vacas si!

There is always WIKIPEDIA

Rhymes with the Orange 08.02.2004

If an entry proposes no reasonable amount of novelty should I still post it? I never know.
The song MY WAY (Frank Sinatra, his staple theme, sung the first time in 1969) has been released at least 85 more times by different other interpreters. It is in your best interest that I recommend you to ignore CALAMARO´S version. He made a mistake on this one that he has to live up to for the rest of his natural life, and beyond. I still fancy his music greaty!
Concerning MY WAY I would stick with Sinatra, and welcome the remake by Robbie Williams. At the touch of admiration, everything this man does seems fine. To me.

Venezuelans might not be realizing that if their president is (or is made) so mighty and powerful to give to "the people" everything they ask and need, he also holds that power to take it all away at will. Arbirariness does not provide other incentive than caution. In time, caution turns into suspicion and fear where the authority acts unpredictably-randomly, based on mood or whim. A society does not develop healthily if what binds it together is so precarious. How can these people be walking the way to misfortune and stagnation that other countries have utterly regretted, and why they do it so cheerfully?

Los blogeros con identidad

Estos si son devotos de sus ideas, consistentes con la tematica que exponen y coherentes. Por eso los leo. Son pensadores en serie, no toderos complacientes y temperamentales como debe ser mi caso.
Me la paso leyendo-divagando-preparando las clases de derecho comparado. Y lo que leo como me inquieta me saca de contexto -inevitablemente-. Comienzo trabajando un concepto juridico cualquiera y casi siempre termino enterandome de los avances en tecnologia digital o comentando blogs de artistas graficos. Parece que casi todo lo que me interesa me conduce inevitablemente hasta alli. Lo que queria sugerir, sinembargo, es que hay tanto en que pensar y tantas posibilidades de expansion intelectual que elegir un solo tema "tiene que ser" una limitante forzada. A mis casi 40 "de todo un poquito" sigue siendo el penoso lema, pero como se abarca el "todo"? O peor aun, como se elige entre tantas opciones la insignificancia de una sola? Lo cierto es que los web logs de mas popularidad son los mas consistentes los que demuestran la mayor continuidad tematica. Como es que hay gente tan comprometida?
Este me gusta mucho, por que su autor razona escrupulosamente, no hace comentarios falaces. El tema que lo ocupa es el de la informacion, tambien el de la tecnologia que la transmite. Este es uno de los weblogs mas populares en nuestro idioma y lo consulto a menudo por que ademas tiene enlaces pertinentes sobre asuntos que estudio y enseno: propiedad intelectual, la legitimidad politica y juridica, etc. Alude a temas de la actualidad politica Espanola, es un ciudadano conocido y reconocido por sus credenciales profesionales y academicas: Enrique Dans

Completely tired

Another webcomic by xkcd

Of having to register and login everywhere. I ran a check around forums, news and blogs on the absurdity (annoyance, ok) to waste half or more of the time one spends online accessing the privilege of merely accessing. Reaching most times "somewhere" foggy, banal, disorganized and terribly busy with adds and instructions only to realize that you no longer remember what you needed in the first place, but you can still be sure it is not there. It gets even more disturbing when after a while you decide to capitalize the investment (time, energy, information) using the product these cybercommunities offer and you can´t recall the data you used; with the login names or passwords forgotten, you will inadvertedly get engaged in the same obnoxious processes.
I found nothing on the issue. I surely missed to register somewhere...

It should be the turn of an entry in Spanish, BUT,

This is a post on ESTONIA. Yesterday was the 91th anniversary of its independence and the traditional Presidential cellebration took place in Jõvi. An otherwise remote (or rather removed from the public interest, because it is really close, as any Estonian would say: "Our country is so small that everything is nearby") location that draws no attention or interest from the rest of the country in an area that is associated fairly or not, with the times of ocupation and the decadence that followed the events of 1991.
Jõhvi, however was a clever choice from the President. Estonia is every single part of it, and the State, which is all of the population represented by the mandataries in charge, must reach out to maintain the connection with its people. I want to see my own President hosting traditional celebrations like this in different towns every year, moving some of the ministries to cities in need of revitalization and development, recognizing local leaders from every small town of the country.
"Estonia is so small that everything is nearby," becomes an advantage for its government to be effective and respected. The speech delivered by Toomas Hendrik Ilves was convincing, realistic and pedagogical. A presidential speech unique that did not bore anybody! I wish I was the first making a public note on it. It emphasized the need for solidarity, a quality that is rare to find in this part of the word. I liked the assessment, the tone, the emphasis, the place and I am sure it will be the talk of town for long.

Another example to follow from this country is its love and respect for nature; This website provides an insight of the woods and wild animals inhabiting it. What a fantastic idea to provide this window to the world into any country. Once again, I want to see someone coming up with the same initiative in Colombia so the word, and we have finally access to the beauty of our gifted land! The site has links to 4 different cameras with direct stream into the forest, for birth watching and into the nest of an owl, plus a fantastic collection of pictures of landscapes by different contributors. Enjoy Estonia from afar!

This image by Arne Ader is specially nice because even though I am not very fond of birds (I probably have a phobia by association. Sara Farine fears them irrationally and she´s been my very good friend more than 20 years now), this looks like a drawing by my favourite illustrator of all: Lisbeth Zwerger

Source and author: Arne Ader

I am developing a passion for Belgian Orangettes

This picture was taken and belongs to gatogrunch who also has other great photographs in his flickr account.

And growing intolerance for injustice, specially if derived from negligence, because of "not getting it," not bothering to learn and advance, the self imposed incapacity to discern.
An unidentified official of an border control agency from a not so distant country evaluated my application of a transit visa and decided that I was not persuasive enough to convince him/her on my "capacity (financial?) or intentions to leave that country in less than 48 hours." I have -like one million- arguments to prove the person wrong, based on data PROVIDED and readily AVAILABLE. This profusion is what demonstrates his/her inability to think manifest in the reasoning accompanying the refusal notice, or something else: an unjustified dismissal of all the information available about my request. This person's claims are so notoriously faulty that I am compelled to think nationality was the factor that REALLY attracted attention. Being Colombian has obliged me to invest great portion of my vital energy demythifying whatever people think that comes "in package." tiresome.

Now, for certain, my capacity -the financial one- is disturbed by the wasted air plane tickets (from Tallinn to Miami, a gross amount of money has been thrown to the bin). The Border control agency of that country advises in its Website not to make definitive arrangements for the trip before having the visa but this is another disconcerting line among the many others:

1. If you cannot demonstrate you will leave the country within 48 hours you shall be presumed to intend to stay +
2. Therefore, it is your burden to show convincing proof of your intention to leave within 48 hours after arrival. The standard document (papers. print outs without any juridical value) are itineraries or any sort of booking arrangements +
3. Between the booking of tickets and the submission of the application to the Embassy can and will pass weeks +
4. Any experienced traveller knows that booking tickets can be done in 5 minutes over the Internet, but keeping the booking requires very fast if not immediate payment +
5. Either you pay so your booking is convincing, serious, real or you do not and it would be cancelled, which in turn will make your application false, because the "proof" of intention will not be valid.

Phoney recommendation. Is there any real guideline applicable or followed by border control agents other than the legitimized gut feeling?

Stereotypes strip people off their uniqueness. How can ANY one characteristic, say nationality in this case, could comprehensively define a person or determine someone's life? I find this thought unappealing and uncomfortable.
My children, however, are being taught to bond closely with the ethereal thought of being and behaving nationals of their homeland. It poses to me a difficult dilemma to resolve: should I counterbalance the teachings of standardization or let their individuality dilute on behalf of appreciation for their cultural heritage?
The rising wave of nationalism is puzzling to me. How this notion could possibly contribute to a better world? In very practical terms, I have more pressing and interesting things to do than trying to match my attitude with the definition of being Colombian or anything else so far removed from what matters to my daily life. I prefer to go to cinema (watched Vicky-Cristina-Barcelona, another fantastic film by Woody Allen), eat cinnamon rolls or anything else, really...ANYTHING else.

Even sheep are all different, please take a look at this illustrative project:

I am watching/liking this

Bill Maher on DVD. He is hilarious to say the least. I am buying his stuff, did I tell already that I am about to embark in a real-life adventure? I will travel from Estonia to Colombia in about 6 weeks, it will take me about 40 hours and 4 different planes to reach the final destination, not to focus on the real sad issue: cost.
The prices to go from anywhere in the world to Colombia and from there continue being outrageous. It seems cheaper to go from Patagonia into deep Russia/the Siberian steppes. No reasoning can justify this foolishness. I can imagine profits. Colombians travel a lot! Specially those that live abroad and regularly visit! To revitalize the economy facilitating travelling could be a good social policy, starting from opening a ferry line between South America and Central America, FINALLY connecting Colombia and Panama. Commerce and tourism would flourish, no need to resort to extremes to earn a living in the border towns. Think Tallinn and Helsinki linked with several boat lines per day, 7 days a week for VERY inexpensive fares. Can it be possible that I am the only one sensing that with a bit of diligence few towns could come up with plenty of legitimate options for development and we, the Colombian abroad -ex pats-, could maintain a closer relationship with our country?

I also found this illustrative example of illiteracy. I wonder if he is proud to be a concious activist? No original source available, just a random picture from an unrelated website...

Retrospectiva. Cumpleaños de Emil.

Torta de chocolate, por solicitud expresa, la sobrecargada de chocolate negro, con cubierta de cacao y naranja Lindt derretida en crema de leche (40%). Extremadamente calórica pero de sabor tan intenso que un trocito basta ( para quedarse enganchado!).

Marilis, Liisi, Arianna, JuuliaA., Linda y el festejado. A los 13 y ya rodeado...

El jardín, al día siguiente, cuando después de meses al fín disfrutamos de unas horas de sol.

To break the news, or not

My child hopes and believes in anything he is told. He even trusts that there is no relevant unknown, for if there was his parents must have already mentioned it. He is capable of a confusing naivety so burdening that forces me to choose between letting him keep the wisdom of the heart or training him a more informed judge of events...a suspecting mind!
How could I explain that some things exist only in as much as he believes but most are just the way they are? That among many other sad stories his friends from Spain may no longer feel the loss he still does, and his trip to visit them might be cancelled for that very reason at the core of tens of obstacles and excuses?
I am unable so far to find the way.

The easiest cake I´ve prepared, and liked.

http://www.scig.uniovi.es/dilbert.html

This is a recipe even I can remember! My friend suggested me to mix:

1. 18-25 finely chopped dates (I made it with 30, all the package. What is anybody supposed to do with 5 left over pieces?)
2. 1 cup of flour (I only had spelt and used it in the same quantity)
3. 3/4 cup of sugar (No need for that much -Reduced to 1/2, replaced it with brown sugar-)
4. Vanilla extract (a bit)
5. A cup of milk (soaked the dates on a cup of half and half for a couple of hours)
6. 3/4 cup of vegetable oil (for softness I added only half a cup plus 100 g. of melted butter)
7. 1 tsp of baking soda (Baking powder would work just fine, but the cake might harden faster. I knew it was not going to last so long as to even cool down),

Pour the mixture into a buttered pan or a silicon cake mould and bake it in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 40 minutes.

You will be bound to make it again and again (My friend did not warn me on that!).
Chopped walnuts can be also added, and for serving it whipped cream or any custard sauce would turn this simple cake into a luscious dessert.

Hoy es un dia cualquiera.

" A ti, que desearias morirte en este instante, una cancion de amor..." Me gusto esa frase y la copie aqui para la concurrencia. La oi en MIA SARAH, pelicula espanola de Gustavo Ron, 2006. Siempre me han encantado las dedicatorias por que son muy dificiles de hacer y por lo mismo adquieren un contenido muy preciso-precioso. Las despedidas exigen la misma sinceridad pero en la dedicatoria esta el "dar" y en la despedida el "quitar" o retroceder, no se en que terminos explicarlo. Una despedida puede tener el significado definitivo del desapego...siempre me ha pasado que soy incapaz de comprometerme asi, definitivamente. He sentido que lo mejor es no decir nada. Irse y ya esta, sin que sea para tanto, sin aspavientos, para que encontrarse de nuevo no requiera protocolos aunque el rito de lo dramatico emocione tanto...
Anoche vimos Kill Bill 2 otra vez. Tarantino en puro, sin la originalidad de Pulp Fiction, ni tan buena musica. Por ver "Love, Honour and Obey" con Jude Law, "When will I be loved," con Neve Campbell "After Sex," y "Tape" con Uma Thurman entre muchas otras, menos conocidas/comerciales.

Lo que me espera desde el proximo lunes, por increible que parezca, en la universidad. Una clase llena de indolentes, mas que irreverentes, estudiantes. Irremediable.
La caricatura es reconocible, o no? Es una foto de una copia de Groening.

Why so few people want to travel to Colombia?

We watched a documentary by the NZ TV on The Travel Channel; Intrepid Journeys, where a woman (I wont sponsor her struggle for popularity outside NZ)was reporting on her unusual and "unsettling" trip to Colombia. Much to my surprise, the camera showed very little more than her complaining self (too tired, too sleepy, too cold, too hot, too scared, too hungry, rather unaccustomed, etc.) and few mountains and water ways that could have been filmed in Borneo, Papua, Congo or Brazil just as well. Not a single time she showed a positive attitude about any of her experiences (Unlike most reporting travellers who politely refer to any of their destinations as a wonderful place regardless of any objective consideration), naturally forgetting to mention that those couple of weeks in that tropical context did not show more than 1% if too much, of what a country consists of in terms of geography, demographics, or culture -what really matters for viewers of channels of this sort. This woman had nothing to say about our unbelievably optimistic people, Colombian first class food, the country fabulous architectural worth, its music, biodiversity or else. She was barely impressed by the tallest palm trees in the world at the Cocora Valle. In short, we could simply not believe what we were listening to, her lack of insight, the misinformation that derived from her account of events. I can imagine though that people got to know her very well, she made sure of it. This is as much as the world knows of my country. No wonder why tourism is so rare.
Colombia has the marvels that every other country claims as their own, and it is so far unspoiled by massive tourist herds. Maybe that is why it is worth exploring.

Emil loves Colombian music...the modern approach:

La coleccion ideal

Trajes tradicionales del mundo.

Ojala pudiera tener uno de cada uno y tambien donde exponerlo. La herencia cultural de cada pais tiene un valor permanente y una razon de ser cuando se aplica a lo que parece simplemente folclorico como un vestido de chapolera (Colombia). Alrededor del mundo estas manifestaciones son motivo de orgullo, los trajes tipicos son aceptados en el protocolo diplomatico para las recepciones de mas alto nivel, por ejemplo para las que tienen lugar en casas reales.
Por que entonces tan poco aprecio por lo tradicional y tal obsesion por lo que este de moda? Por que se discute-critica la eleccion de disenador que hizo Mrs. Obama, globalmente?
Asi comienza lo que algunos consideran noticia: "Michelle Obama, la ya Primera Dama de Estados Unidos de América, satisfizo las expectativas creadas en torno a la vestimenta que luciría en la primera jornada de los actos..." Y se extiende sin contenido intelectual alguno en lo que constituye un tratado complejo sobre un vestido que podria ser descrito en dos palabras: notablemente elegante. La publicacion, procedente de Republica Dominicana, segun "confiesan" sus editores, contiene pura filosofia de etiqueta de acondicionador para cabellos resecos y sin brillo: como quien dice, basura. Yo quise comentar (es una publicacion digital), pero el URL especificamente me reprime con el siguiente aviso: "debe estar LOGUEADO para poder escribir comentarios" y como no tengo idea de como adquirir el susodicho estado de logueamiento, signifique lo que signfique, no voy a poder opinar en ese medio.
Michelle es muy elegante, y en todo caso que se vista como quiera, en los tiempos de reestructuracion economica globar y crisis financiera este tipo de temas no tienen ninguna importancia.

Aqui en orden:
Estonia (Muhu), Corea, Japon, Samis, Bolivia, Colombia/Panama, Tuaregs (Mali), Tuaregs (Marruecos), Argentina (Gauchos).

A thought spilled out of my mind. Because I am nobody I can say. The irony of not holding political power is that actually, I might.

After reading an article from the International Affairs Journal of this month by Zbigniew Brzezinski, that Jaan sugested (probably to prepare me for the upcomming evening chat, a typical topic to talk about after long protests from my part on the decadent role of unavoidable dialogs involving ONLY grocery shopping, school and training rides, snow shoveling, pros and contras of being a cat owner, considerations upon procuring instead a turtle or low mainteinance fish, taking the garbage out, preparing Joonas for bed and the such), I came up with an opinion. It is not wrapped up and will remain incomplete for a while, but I though to share it before I forget the importance of it in the midst of other pressing matters (today is Emil´s 13th birthday!). The weekend will arrive and the house will be full. Here we are. I am happy to realize that I can take very well power inequality. In international relations that is!
Who Am I to evaluate this article? A reader. Entitled enough.
Dear Jaan:
It was not bad nor impressive or progressive. It seems rather shallow but persuasive to the uninitiated. Thank you kllk for sharing it. I hope you continue sending me good readings. Sometimes for the lectures they can be good material. The recovery of the legitimacy of the American leadership will be extremely difficult and in my opinion would only result from a long withdrawing attitude. They should cut drastically the interventionism and concentrate in their own internal affairs, an inwards turn which is much needed, meanwhile preparing a comeback with austerity and serious commitment to participate exclusively in international arrangements where every party involved would also act and take responsibility. The world must feel their absence and claim for it. They will surely be missed. A very assertive "mission" by a very assertive foreign minister can be counterproductive to their needs at the moment. The author mentions that USA is used to take decisions unilaterally suggesting on top that it imposes the consequences onto the European countries. I disagree with the underlying-subliminal maybe condescending premise. USA, just like any other country decides unilaterally on the basis of its own interests, whatever they might be, but certainly very few can carry them out financially and politically. It is because Europe does not want to take any responsibility that USA has been able to impose its policies and actions as well as its influence (desired, respected, wished, frowned upon or else) around the world. As a consequence, only the US has paid a price for it leaving European countries unsoiled. I wonder... France, Germany, Spain and even the UK have deceptively clean their hands on any matter that could concern failed international policy. Europe is helplessly ungrateful to the country that has hosted all its refuges, fueled its economy, purchased its touristic products and maintained the world economy running much longer than the duration of this crisis. Not ever Europe after decolonizing has even pretended it cares to disrupt international events does not matter how close or how appalling they might be (wars, human right abuses). Europe is preoccupied with petty matters such as imposing fines to bikers without helmet, unfastened drivers and possibly devising more regulations to prevent workers from actually working so they do not suffer work related injuries. European design is fashionable and still booming. Europeans pay six times the reasonable price for a banana and still miss to understand why Africans or Latinos cannot catch up with "THE" standards of civilized nations. Europeans are no longer more educated and knowledgeable than Americans are. See the result of my modest evaluation in Estonia. People are deprived from the joy of being responsible, everybody can get higher education regardless of their merits. In fact it is such a right that it has derogated the right to self improvement. Any bad performance is awarded a passing grade. The purpose of educational institutions is to issue diplomas, and provide work to the staff no learning, teaching or knowledge transmission involved. Europeans now hypocritically patronize third world radicals, autocrats and totalitarian governments all the same while overlooking all sorts of nonsense. No explanation to this state of affairs is eloquent to me and I am puzzled about the massive protests not against the EU but against the US. To keep complaining about the damage that the US has inflicted to the world seems simpleminded and yet easier than to engage in projects that would actually mean anything to the human kind. I think of it in a reductionist way, I admit it. I try to imagine states as people where the USA is the mighty leader and the other players have their own role. If you think from that perspective, it is pathetic to understand the attitude of Europe. Just a shame. USA deserves less resistance and merits more support. Supporting that country we help our selves. Help the helper. We want no different rules in the international game of power. USA should retreat, contract, rebuilt its power and have the dignity restored to return in a better moral standing after a while. What would happen to the rest of us? Dunnotknow! Why should I know? Probably antiamericans can propose a good formula where "Transparent" Russia or "generous" China would take a join lead with "altruistic" Iran or better yet with "detached" venezuela?" to bring economy and power sharing back on track. If there is a world surviving that revolting notion, though.

I have been thinking this for years and years! With or without Bush this would have been the case. Where does he reside now by the way?

Disengaged

But again, not on purpose. I lack the time. We also lived the Christmas events and survived. JF and C have not seen beyond our back yard. Today is the first sunny day in 2 weeks that we experience, but this is a matter of fact statement, not a complaint. Illustrative images of the season:

Too much information is too much. Just a thematic cartoon.

Forgot about VELITAS day but looking forward to the next weekend. Friends are visiting, Cazuela mexicana (By Carolina) will be served, Christmas decorations can be displayed, the academic semester will end...

We are in the mood to celebrate.

Pirates and snow

Can´t avoid thinking about Somalia. This country must, by popular request, turn its resources toward the fight against piracy. There is no point for them in even going assertive and expressing their interest in their own affairs first...it is Saudi Arabia, the EU politicians and international trade agents who make their demands heard while squeezing the vitality of African countries in their fists. The world seems to be a very unfair place for the less favored. The worst they are doing, the more requirements they need to fulfill to fit the standard of civilized nation. Ecuatorian bananas are the very best in the world but in the EU there is a quota for canary plantains. Mali could develop a bit by processing its cotton or at least exporting it freely, but who would care about that country while it does not have the possibility to raise pirates and unsettle the peaceful highseas? Must be because they have no access to it. A landlocked state that is, like Bolivia. Shame on this world!

In the meantime Estonia looks fantastic (in the outside). It has been snowing for four consecutive days (and nights). Snow is fun for vacationing, but it requires plenty of shoveling. Driving is very difficult too.

Friday morning, preparing to go to work, and Saturday afternoon in the middle of the storm:

Driving in town on Sunday and back to home. These are the streets as they were then:

Under the snow and on top of it already on Monday: