POBRES ESPANOLES

From capitanalatriste.com

Pobre Zapatero. Que cambia para quien si deciden llamar a elecciones anticipadas? Mas de mapas:

The reality has nothing to do with our interpretation even if common signs are used to identify it. It happens all the time. I like these guys of XKCD very much. Why I did not study mathematics?

It is our second trip to Stockholm already

Experiencing:

-That teaching and learning nowadays can be as fun as one wants

-That one can be extremely lucky even in the most difficult situations
-That integrity has to be the guiding principle of all relationships or they are simply not worth maintaining
-That one of the busiest metro stations in the world is Stockholm central at any time in the day
-That many Muslim women who cover dutifully their heads have no trouble wearing shorts+unflattering leggings that expose every inch of their "textured" legs, sending confusing messages about their interest in keeping such customs
-That more than 50% of the people that I have met in the streets of this city seem to have come from places of the world other than Europe
-That trust is more important and effective in dealing with others than fear and suspicion. People usually respond to trust by caring to preserve it
-That I have very little time left to read all there is to be read and do all that I have wanted to do and procrastinated about

-That mass consumption of information and mainstream thinking turn into the mass-murdering of independent ideas and creative living

-That children must be let to "live" their ways so we can also live ours, in peace, when they reach an age when we can no longer control them
-That delegation is fine -LIBERATING-, even if results are far from perfect
-That gardening is rewarding and addictive
-That flowers adorn better than jewellery
-That the smell of the most expensive perfumes stink if to compare it with the natural aroma of fresh flowers and/or clean, sun bathed laundry
-That beauty is ruined with the mask of make up
-That when one learns how to enjoy the small gifts of life half of it is already gone.

Moved to tears

A woodsign by scaredycatprimitives

I was very wrong and I just understood it. I am very grateful for this. Some hope returns and along some energy.

Tao?

Image found in the blog of brazillagorilla

Satisfaction is so seldom found in activities other than giving, helping or contributing. So clear for me, why such an alien notions for most?

LOVE. The universal love is generosity, the oneness with others. I have loved.

Doris Kareva writes nice things

Have never been fan of any poetry, but now I am kind of connecting with my adolescent son´s despair and some expressions seem so nice...

Kõik, mida vajad, tuleb su juurde (Everything you need will come to you)
ühel või teisel varjatud kujul. (In one way or concealed in other)

Kui tunned ta ära, (if you recognize it)
saab ta su omaks. (It turns yours)

Kõik, mida tahad, tuleb su juurde, (Everything you want will come to you)
tunneb su ära ja saab sinu osaks. (It recognizes you and remains part of you)

Hinga, loe kümneni. (Breath, count to ten)

Hind selgub hiljem. (Its value (price?) will become clear later)

Doris Kareva

(Illustration by Oliver Jeffers, removed probably in a paranoid  raid of absurd copyright complacency . Would not be illustrating children books a fantastic occupation, anyway?)

And here one more, one of many more simple pretty thoughts:

Sa ei ole kellestki parem. (You are better than no one)
Sa ei ole kellestki halvem. (You are not worst than anyone)
Sulle on antud maailm. (The world has been given out to you)
Näe, mis seal näha. (See what is there to see)
Hoia seda, mis on (Care for what is)
su ümber, hoia, kes kõrval. (around you, who is next to you)
Kõik olendid omamoodi (All beings in their own way)
on naljakad. (are funny)

Kõik on õrnad. (All are fragile)

Doris Kareva

Apariciones

Juro que casi me choco hoy llegando al trabajo cuando vi a la senora de esta foto esperando el tranvia afuera de la universidad. Que si la viiiiiiiiiii!

Datos de copyright obvios: como no le pude tomar una foto, pues la busque en el internet.

Japon

Respuesta practicamente al instante: signalhouse; The art of James White

El mundo espera una recuperacion rapida, por que este pais es importante, valioso, comprometido, hermoso, honorable y da ejemplo de coraje y cooperacion. No hay saqueos ni fatalismo como si paso en Haiti. La disciplina de los habitantes, hasta la de los mas afectados es ejemplar. Mientras tanto a pensar en lo que hay que hacer para que los hijos puedan disfrutar del mundo como nosotros lo hemos hecho. En pocos anos las fantasticas carreteras de Europa no van a ser transitadas por las exigencias que se van a imponer respecto a los vehiculos aceptables, el consumo de energia y el costo de los combustibles. O se comienzan a usar las energias renovables o paramos de invertir en infraestructura que no se va a necesitar!

Por que sube el precio del petroleo? No es por las revueltas del mediterraneo o los conflictos del medio oriente. Todo comenzo en Tunez, que no comercializa crudo; el precio sube por que ha sido, es y seguira siendo la tendencia. El alza es una complicacion avisada. Por que hemos basado el desarrollo de nuestra civilizacion apoyandonos en energias que se agotan. Quienes tienen que ahorrar combustibles? Todos. El precio quien lo paga? Nosotros.

Developing

MAKE MISTAKES and move forward!

Lessig es un tipo razonable y con integridad intelectual

Casi todo lo que dice vale la pena escucharlo

Akne(15) AKA Emil(15)

Life with a 15 year old. To be translated, soon...

Image procured from Postimees, by his observing father.

Geddafi/Kadafi is at home

Or so it appeared in my window to the world: NHK World, with an umbrella. Was it really rainy in Tripoli or was it another sign of Geddafi/Kadafi disctinctive style? Just the same we experienced in Lombardy, rain and much rain!
Above, the mini-mini Fiat 500 o new version of the former Topolino that we could rent to go to the lakes, A view from Bergamo and a flower I am determined to plant in my garden as soon as I can figure what it is, and irressistible olives at a huge market in Brescia on Sta.Lucia´s day.

A real update, a matter of fact or the import of yet more problems into Latin America?

Illustrating the similarities. Just to clarify: they are of different age and born in distant continents.

Can Latin America swallow Venezuela identifying, protecting and patronizing a Lybian dictator with a poker face? What a mishap for the neighboring countries, I really thought Hugo could no no worse to his country and the continent. Will we see his fall also some years from now?

Y va Libia!

Cambios de regimen o de personajes, la cuestion es que la ola de oposicion productiva sigue. Ojala que Yemen no se quede atras. Todos los regimenes desesperan, y que tomen nota los que aunque alejados podrian terminar igual: Rusia, Venezuela, Corea del Norte y demas. El momento de la caida llega para todos y esos lideres intocables terminan huyendo. Por que la gente no perdona el autoritarismo nisiquiera el que conduce al progreso: Iran, Egipto, CHILE??? Que humanidad la nuestra. No se entiende. Y el multiculturalismo que no funciona, y tanto expansionismo comercial que trivializa el sufrimiento de la gran mayoria, y las cosas de todos los dias...las que parecen irrelevantes.
Y que el calentamiento global me lo explique alguien por que lo que esta pasando y siendo presentado como la via a una era glacial en Estonia es que nos despertamos a -30 grados centigrados. Las tuberias estan congeladas, hasta dejamos a Kyoko entrar en la casa...QUE LLEGUE LA PRIMAVERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
De Italia, buenos recuerdos y algunas fotos de los dias lluviosos que nos tocaron. Pronto. Mucho trabajo. Ya casi. A Estocolmo. En unos dias.

Wise steps to take ahead

HEYYYY, just a minute!

What regime now will be really democratic? Egypt without Mubarak needs too many changes so this unprecedented step would not be a waste (possible only in there, what would happen if anything like that would have taken place in Libya, Jordan, Morocco or Saudi Arabia instead? Do not they want, need or deserve the so call democracy that Egyptians claim to request?). What Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, Nicaraguans and Bolivians think about this?

Has democracy been achieved? This massive hysteria seems very scary to me, specially if after few years something like the rise of fundamentalism also takes place in that country. What will happen with the peace processes advanced with Israel?

Hopefully the very best for that country, region and people' s will follow. This is REALLY a renewal year, the one of the rabbit/cat.

Estonica

This is a good source of information about Estonia, an On-line Encyclopedia.

This is a Web-comic that I could identify with today. Oatmeal is the name of the site. Title on the post: "If you do this in an Email I will hate you:"

Agotador

Y sectario como a los que mas critica. El fundamentalista mayor, con el discurso mas poco creible de toda Espana simplemente por lo emocional y poco objetivo. No verifica ni evoluciona, no balancea su repertorio de datos, insulta, pero triztemente se siente el vengador de las causas -todas-, e injustamente descalificado. Calma! Ojala no le dieran tal relevancia, para que la polarizacion se redujera. Por que hay que ser una cosa o la otra? Es que el que no es derechista es izquierdista y por ende cabalga en las filas del comunismo y es aliado intelectual de Kim-JongII? Es Rodriguez Z. realmente el mas anomalo e incapaz de los lideres politicos que ha pasado por el gobierno espanol? A casi todos los observadores nos parece un normalisimo y predecible socialista. Liquidarlo politicamente es una tarea imposible! Este es Hermann Tertsch, a secas. Su linaje a estas alturas no importa. Describe a su pais como se imagina uno la tribu ultima neardental y todo el merito de su posicion se empobrece con esta propuesta de terminologia extremista. Como todo!

Seguimoscoleccionandoimagenesdeabsolut

Stretching the joy

Juulia made a felt brooch for me today. I wish I had the time to make beautiful things hand made jewelry like that or objects that are simply beautiful, like the pin cushions above by piece of cake felting projects. But what to do with them next? Where to keep them? How long this indie fashion of DIY and handmade artsy stuff will last?

Image by Pille from her fantastic blog nami nami. Find her recipes on the link to your right!

Mango lassi cheesecake by Heidi Park, from morning to evening. Recommended. It may be the best cheese cake I have tried so far, and the baker also prepares AREQUIPE (with all the letters) cheesecakes. Shaking off the Colombian experience is difficult! She visited and brought a bit of its flavor back with her all the way into ESTONIA! I also had luck this evening with an avocado. Very seldom I cut open one so ripe and mellow, evenly ready, delicious, we combined it daringly with rattatuille a la Jaan. the combination was really a match!

I knew it, anything with a good avocado becomes heavenly, does not it?

News. Egyptian democracy?

From the same website

The Super Bowl in USA: Distracting for fewer than suspected. The spectacle of the year, a great revenue for TV producers...Nothing else matters there. THERE. Here, plenty more is taking place.

The newly discovered relevance of an otherwise confused constituency in Egypt? People need to have a say, but democracy is NOT THE RULE OF THE MOB. It is also fallacious to think that the popular will struggles for the general welfare. Mobs are emotional and polluted by distress and desperation. Objectivity is absent from their claims. Democracy in this country will not be created with an act or two. The process that this requires must follow the established rules, the procedural justice, what the emotional discourse of socialists from far Europe do not consider, the rule of law, the basic doctrine of their staple/favorite system: democracy. However none thinks about alternatives, and much less about the consequences of the Egyptian irrational -even if justified- widespread hysteria. Looking a step or two ahead would be much more responsible that claiming an abstract and detached support for this uprising.

Why no journalist asks one of the demonstrators -or several of them- what do they want? What are their expectations? Beyond the stereotypical and thoughtless chant-like answer: "Mubarak out and fuck America," they have NOTHING to say. They do not know.

And who says that every country would be better off becoming democratic? Is not this something that the same constituency must figure on its own?

Distraida/Too distracted to be able to work

What is in a Greek yogurt that the others cannot match? Unavailable in Estonia...

Hoy sigo en las nubes ahora pensando en un yogurt griego con higos y melocotones, ademas de miel y exracto de vainilla....

Can't concentrate in anything else but rich creamy, fatty Greek yogurt (like creme fraiche) with caramelized figs (self made), peaches or apricots and honey. Vanilla extract would also help adding flavor to this craving.