Ricemagic

Ao Contrário do que se Diz

2012-02-05T14:42:00.003Z

Ao contrário do que se diz por aí é muito fácil ser de direita em Portugal. A esquerda é tão dominadora que ser de direita é alguém colocar-se num círculo fechado e sujeito a uma constante pressão por todos os lados. É fácil: tal como um círculo, a direita é uma coisa muito bem contornada. É ser definido por uma força circundante e exterior. Essa força poupa energia a quem é de direita: a sua identificação não requer esforço.

O difícil é ser de esquerda: esta é tão abundante que ser da mesma é o mesmo que não ser de nada. É um universo demasiado amplo e que, não recebendo pressões, é rarefeito. Daí que ser de esquerda é pertencer a um muito muito grande, logo, é uma pertença muito pequena. Dizer que se é de esquerda é portanto dizer muito pouco, um quase nada.

Por outro lado, o círculo da direita é muito apertado. As pressões de fora empurram todos os que estão dentro gerando confusão. A direita portuguesa é confusa porque é misturada à força nesse círculo minúsculo. Tão confundida que acredita numa indefinida compatibilidade.

Mas abrindo esse círculo a outros limites, a pressão interna dilui-se e o círculo divide-se em sectores mais pequenos. Com mais ar, os sectores separam-se e as direitas esclarecem-se: identificam-se e, até, opõem-se.

Mais do que a pressão externa que define, o que falta à direita portuguesa é o ar que separa e clarifica. Por enquanto, a direita está ainda muito confundida. Mas também se diga que já foi pior - pelo menos para mim.

Three Parts Phoebe, One Part Lady Gaga

2012-01-30T16:11:00.001Z

The Ting Tings - Hang It Up.

An Epilogue to the Previous Post

2011-11-28T23:07:00.006Z

It is rather strange to fail to acknowledge how multidimensional education is. Perhaps that is a consequence, for some, of living in the "Ivory Tower". For some people, say economics researchers, the real world is so far away that they end up discussing things that are actually so simple (and so right) for the lay person. In one thing I agree, thus, with Bryan Caplan: one can have plenty of education (say economic education) and still fail to see the world as it really is. [Objectivism is a good thing and also much necessary in the "Ivory Tower".]

Would anyone but economists ever feel the need to discuss and have doubts about the multidimensional importance of education? Would anyone but economists ever believe that people study and get education for only one reason, and that would be to signal ability in order to get a job??

Education as Much More than Just a Mechanism to Allocate People into Jobs

2011-11-28T21:49:00.006Z

This is a reaction to Bryan Caplan's "The Magic of Education" posted here.

First, formal studies DO teach things related and about the real world. One learns the real world from studying at school, at least in my country (which is very far from being the best in OECD's PISA). Of course, spending one semester abroad teaches you more than reading about life abroad. Opening a car's hood and playing around with the engine helps you more if you want to be a real-world mechanic than reading a book about cylinders and pistons. Still, "indirect" learning does improve one's knowledge of the real world. Still, reading that book about engines improves, even if only a little, your knowledge of cars.

Second, Bryan Caplan's argument is based on a fundamental premise: people study to find jobs and only for that. Assuming that premise, I agree that people study way too much for the jobs they get, they study things way too unrelated to those jobs. And, keeping that premise, a huge part of studying and doing exams is not but costly signalling. Then, the conclusion of the argument is right: since what matters is the relative ability of potential workers, decreasing the "standard level" of education would save costs while still letting education work as well as a ranking mechanism aimed to allocate people into jobs.

It is easy to accept that those signalling costs are too high for the objective of allocating people to jobs: consider all the time- and money- costs of education incurred by students, parents, governments. But is it that the allocation of people to jobs is the only objective of education? Is it the only reward of education to signal a potential employer that you are a good worker? And, if not, if there are other benefits of education, are still the costs bigger than the benefits?

The fundamental premise in Caplan's text is wrong: people study for much more than finding jobs. Education is much more than that. Keep in mind the word "some" before the word "people" for the rest of this paragraph. Some people study for pure pleasure. People study out of curiosity. People study to be able to more adequately relate with the physical and social worlds. People study to develop and change their own beings. Human beings are much more than just job-seekers and workers: there are uncountable other dimensions more to being human and formal studies answer to those dimensions too: just think about musical education and languages, but, then, why not history? For instance, my nationality is part of who I am. To understand that aspect of my being, it was helpful to read history (both in and out of the classroom). And, no!, just going out and living in the real world was NOT enough to understand my own nationality: I had to read, to study.

Bryan Caplan seems to ignore that people CONSUME education: education is taken for immediate benefits, pleasure, utility, not only as a means (signalling) to an end (to get a job). Education is consumption and its benefits as a consumption good should be assessed when doing cost-benefit analysis. But, then, since education is consumption, does it still make sense to decrease the "standard level" of education??

I don't want to spend much time about the sub-topic of the "education externalities". Even if they are zero, my previous argument holds the same. I will just mention that it is already unpleasant to suffer with the lack of education of others (when one cannot avoid it) and I don't like to think what the real world would be if people were on average even less educated. Can you imagine how worse television would be? I guess Caplan's answer to that is: if you yourself were less educated too, you wouldn't notice any difference! In the limit, if all people were equally and absolutely ignorant (except for the knowledge necessary for working...), we all would be much happier. But... would we??

Finally, knowledge is accumulative: can one really have a "real life" job without any formal theory? Say a lawyer without ever studying a bit of philosophy, a manager without a bit of mathematics? And skills require mind training, which is a function of time and effort.

Post scriptum: accepting that the objective of education is either "for real world jobs only" or "full personal development" must have consequences in terms of the politics of funding education (who pays and why, which social benefits, etc.). But thinking about what education is and is for can be done without (and before) those political concerns. Actually, it SHOULD be done before thinking of those consequences. The discussion of what education is for can also be done prior and without the debate of who the educators should be (teachers only, teachers and parents, etc.).

Forte Apache

2011-09-05T11:12:00.002+01:00

The blog Albergue Espanhol is closed. Now, I write in Forte Apache. All my posts there can be found easily here.

Educação

2011-09-01T16:24:00.003+01:00

Nos países em que a educação é levada a sério e os seus níveis de qualidade são altos, o primeiro de Setembro é dia de festejos e celebração nacional.

Nos países em que a educação é uma bosta (a pública, não a privada), a um de Setembro ninguém faz a menor ideia do dia em que a escola começa, nem se começa.

I'm With You

2011-08-31T13:24:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I enjoyed the concert Red Hot Chili Peppers performed live for an audience worldwide. It was my third RHCP concert. This time, "live concert" meant in real-time but not in real-space: the concert was taking place in Germany while I was in a big cinema room in Tallinn, Estonia.

As usual, the concert was very short. I understand how physical a RHCP concert is for the those who watch it and, even more, for the ones who perform it. But, still, RHCP concerts are always so unsatisfactorily short. Except for the spontaneous jams, they seem so much programmed, following a sort of schedule.

The main news about the Red Hot Chili Peppers is their new guitar player, his articulation with the other band members, and how all that changes their music. So, how are the new Red Hot Chili Peppers?

Both during the concert and in the new cd, the sound of the guitar is much less prominent than in most or all their previous albums. By less prominent I really mean it acoustically: guitar's sound is less powerful relatively to all other musical instruments and voice. Also, there are no guitar solos - or guitar sequences deserving that name. On the other hand, there are now non-guitar solos: trumpet and piano. On top of all these changes, rhythm as been reinforced with a percussionist added to the contribution of drummer Chad Smith.

The result is, thus, a lot more emphasis on rhythm, with melody being provided almost exclusively by Kiedis' voice. The guitar is only there to complete the musical background and deliver some special effects, in a band where real and raw effects has always been the main focus.

In John Frusciante's era, the Red Hot Chili Peppers evolved from funk to funk-rock to "just rock". This brought them an immense popularity. It also brought them excellent music. Meanwhile, John Frusciante had perhaps become too important for the musical taste and feelings of the other bandmates. Frusciante sang, riffed and soloed, he seemed to have the decisive hand in choosing most of the musical landscapes, and the majority of songs were driven by him.

With Frusciante's leaving the quartet, it may be that the older Chili Peppers want back a bigger share of artistic control. That means more rhythm, funk, speed and less indulgence in soloing. It is in this light that one can understand the almost secondary role of the new guitar player and the introduction of a new percussionist.

Actually, during the concert, it seemed there was an excess of percussion. Chad Smith is more than an excellent drummer: why then the need for extra percussion? Maybe turning down the volume of Klinghoffer's guitar was not enough: in order to keep him from being a new Frusciante and move the sound of the Peppers again in the melodic rock direction, it was necessary not only to cut his power and forbid him from doing riffs and solos but also to bury his sound under extra percussion lines.

(This reminds me a little of the first album Metallica recorded with their then-new bass player and how that instrument became almost inaudible in that cd and afterwards).

Further, the few times Josh was freer to do "his thing", he sounded much like Frusciante, entangled in all that magic of pedals and guitar effects. Had been Josh allowed to do a real clean-guitar solo, I am pretty sure he would have sounded exactly like Frusciante. Maybe this is the reason - or the extra reason - for the shift in the Peppers sound: whether they are seeking the old pre-Frusciante funky style or a turn from the melody oriented music, there is no space for much similarity with John and that is why he had to be musically contained.

Klinghoffer was chosen, thus, not because he is alike John but even though that; what really mattered in picking him was his musical talent. I hope he will be given enough freedom to show that talent and let it develop.

Leaving aside internal changes and comparisons with previous albums, "I'm With You" has plenty of powerful rhythm. It delivers a continuous of energy along its fourteen songs, all of which attain the same level of high quality and ability to move one's body and soul. Dancing to it is a reinvigorating experience.

Separação entre Estado e Futebol

2011-08-29T19:26:00.003+01:00

Um dos dogmas do Estado contemporâneo é a separação entre Estado e igrejas. Enquanto que a preocupação com esse dogma é em muitos casos já anacrónica, aceita-se com naturalidade a não separação entre Estado e futebol.

Estoutra separação faz-nos actualmente muita, muita falta. Por exemplo, para evitar que o dinheiro público acabe por servir os interesses privados entre governantes e respectivos amigalhaços.

Eu Encontro Sempre o Dicionário Cúmplice para as Palavras que Desejo

2011-03-24T00:05:00.003Z

Isto é verdade.

Anda Tudo Ligado

2011-03-16T18:04:00.000Z

Comida biológica, comércio justo, luta contra o aquecimento global, anticapitalismo, americanofobia, comunismo disfarçado: estas coisas andam sempre todas ligadas.

"TGV corta ao meio melhor vinho tinto do mundo"

2011-03-16T17:57:00.002Z

O texto seguinte corresponde a uma notícia TSF de 10 de Maio de 2008 mas ainda actual:

O corredor para o comboio de alta velocidade vai passar em Fernando Pó, no concelho de Palmela, onde 18 hectares da casta syrah, da casa Ermelinda Freitas, que recebeu este ano um prémio internacional de melhor vinho tinto, vão ficar em risco.

Entre a linha do sul e a alta velocidade a população de Fernando Pó fica dividia entre duas ferrovias, mas também fica mais pobre, porque perde vários hectares de vinha.

Ainda por cima são jovens videiras com sete anos que respondem à modernização do sector vitivinícola da região. É o caso das vinhas da casa Ermelinda Freitas.

«O TGV será um pólo de desenvolvimento, mas tenho muita pena que a população de Fernando Pó e as vinhas não tenham sido poupadas a um grande impacto.»

Leonor Freitas diz ainda que os impactos deveriam ter sido minimizados, porque apesar da alta velocidade passar em viaduto ao longo de 1200 metros isso é suficiente para reduzir a produção do vinho.

«Mesmo que passe uma parte em viaduto não estraga só aquele espaço, porque as vinhas estão armadas e têm rega, tudo é feito em sistema contínuo», acrescenta.

Estas vinhas estão preparadas para um vindima mecanizada e além da zona em viaduto há videiras que vão ter que ser cortadas ao longo de uma faixa de quase um quilómetro e meio, o que prejudica castas como o arinto, o chardonay, o syrah e o castelão.

Primeiro Veto de Cavaco a um Decreto-Lei do Governo

2011-02-11T16:44:00.000Z

O veto de Cavaco ao decreto-lei do Governo (sobre prescrição de medicamentos) não tem nada a ver com o conteúdo daquele diploma. Este primeiro veto é um símbolo. E, em política (e não só) os símbolos têm muita importância - basta saber lê-los.

Tunísia, Egipto,... Estamos Entre uma Possível e Inesperada Vaga de Democratizações ou uma Possível Série de Frustações

2011-01-29T22:51:00.001Z

Estamos.

Albergue Espanhol

2011-01-28T17:00:00.002Z

One update about my blogging activity: I have left from the Blogue de Direita da Sábado, and I have joined Albergue Espanhol. Both blogs are written in Portuguese.

É Preciso Ler Locke e Kant

2011-01-28T16:59:00.000Z

É.

[Mas hoje é Sexta-feira, porquê à Sexta-feira?].

Domenica Quase Perfeita

2011-01-16T14:59:00.002Z

Dormir sem limites. Ir almoçar a uma trattoria italiana em Itália - e comer farfalle con fegatini. De sobremesa, um bolinho com creme de ovo e café bom.

Depois de almoço, agora aqui: o sol entra da varanda até à sala, até este cantinho, esta poltrona bonita de ser um pouco gasta; e vou fazendo o meu lavoro intelectual ao som de uma guitarra com cinco cordas de aço (terríveis estes mis que se partem velhos ou virgens!) tocada e improvisada neste momento.

É uma domenica quase perfeita.

Scylla and Charibdys

2011-01-14T16:59:00.002Z

In this inter-cultural relations, artists are, regardless of their own intentions, forced to function as "representatives" of their strange world. When "we" deal with artists from "other" cultures, "we" search for this "other" in their work [...]
[...]
If I return to the above mentioned text by Dyogot, I can, perhaps, say that one of her main points is exactly the problem that a Russian artist cannot avoid being such a representative:

The Russian artist perpetually finds him/herself between the Scylla and Charibdys of two representational mechanisms which are switched on automatically and ruthlessly. In Russia, [...] being "contemporary artist" means to represent Western culture [...]. In the West, on the other hand, a Russian artist must inevitably represent Russia.

Igor Zabel in WE AND THE OTHERS (here).

How Much European is Someone Else's Country?

2011-01-03T22:21:00.000Z

Estonia has joined the Euro zone on the 1st of January of 2011.

"It has finally become a part of Europe as I apparently implicitly conceive it" writes this blogger. Does he think that, when and if Sweden (for instance) joins the euro, he will write the same about Sweden? That Sweden, then and finally deciding to join the Euro, has finally become European? What is it that makes, say, Sweden more European than Estonia, even though the former is not in the Euro area and the latter is? Is it that the communist past has, at least temporarily, washed away the European essence of such countries as Estonia or perhaps Poland?

The perception of "how much European" a country is depends more on "how much ignorant" someone is than on the culture, history and institutions of the country under appreciation. Doubting about the "Europeanness" of any former "Eastern Europe" country says more about the lack of knowledge among "West Europeans" (and that INCLUDES PhD students from any prestigious European university...) than about the essence of those "East European" countries.

A PhD research topic on European issues could very well be how much do mass media in such big powerful "west Europe" countries like UK, France, Germany contribute to misinform, spread and fuel old prejudices about, say, countries from the former communist block.

Prejudice against countries and their people is very similar, almost fully coincidental with any type of discrimination and racism. Just like women, people from ethnic minorities, homossexuals - countries themselves have very often to outperform the dominant countries in order to get the same level of respect.

At present, there are only two European countries that conform with the Stability and Growth Pact criteria for accession to the Euro area. They are Luxembourg and Estonia. Not only in terms of monetary and public finance issues, but on many others, Estonia outperforms countries that, according to prejudices, are supposed to be "more European than Estonia".

Consider the past and present performance of Estonia on the PISA studies (compares 15 year old people in terms of literary, mathematical and scientific abilities). Consider electronic elections. Consider efficiency and organization, simplicity of institutions, low levels of corruption, high level of freedoms (information, entrepreneurial, etc., etc.). Consider low levels of bureaucracy. In all these and many other aspects, Estonia is above the European average - or is even leading Europe (again the example of electronic elections or flat taxation, availability of free internet, etc., etc.).

Still, and due to plain and simple hard discrimination (or maybe it is just pure and simple ignorance and nationalism) the perception from "old Europe"/"west Europe" is that Estonia still has to prove its Europeanness.

Now, it would actually be interesting to "scientifically" compare perceptions, hopes and identities towards Europe in different countries. It might as well be that those countries considered themselves the core of Europe have less attachment to the construction of the European Union than, say, an Estonia or a Poland.

Two notes: this post is not a personal attack on the supra mentioned blogger, who I don't know and never met. Second, the argument in this post could as well apply to, say, Czech Republic, Slovenia or any other of those countries that are as European as any other (and this should be obvious) but that, unfortunately, are quite often deemed as somehow less European in both "west Europe" public and published oppinions.

Rodrigo Leão e JP Simões

2010-11-23T23:03:00.000Z

O primeiro não é talentoso mas tem todos os amigos certos. Teve também as circunstâncias certas: a cidade e a década. O segundo, JP Simões, é o cantor maldito: talento raro e policromado mas não tem amigos importantes.

Como é possível as pessoas falarem mais de Rodrigo Leão do que, por exemplo (entre muitos exemplos!), de Belle Chase Hotel?

To Be or Not To Be Social, A Tale of Privatization and Communism

2010-11-21T17:38:00.000Z

Living with flatmates has this test: having to socialize even when one doesn't feel like to. Now I am not telling about socializing with flatmates themselves. I mean when flatmates bring guests, and I mean it when flatmates keep bringing guests all the time. It is not effortlessly that sometimes one meets other people. And there are times in which it would be a real pain to meet another flatmate's guest.

The intruding party is naturally logistically painful. Now one cannot use the kitchen, now there is a temporary privatization of the common Lebensraum of the Wohnungsgemeinshaft. But now is precisely when I am hungry and want to cook!!!

To avoid this invasive privatization, the solution is to head to the nearest Communist local center, the fabulous Casa del Popolo di Fiesole. There the food is cheap and good and the atmosphere is joyful. And, hopefully, there are no strange flatmate's guests.

Annie Hall, Woody Allen

2010-11-17T21:28:00.004Z

He distilled an algorithm for that piece of art and started repeating it industrially.

Hollywood : repetition, industry = garbage.
Woody Allen : repetition, industry = art.

It is, of course, acknowledged that the borders between garbage and art are not anymore what they once may have been.

Às vezes

2010-11-14T17:59:00.002Z

penso que a única banda de culto que culto justifica é The Doors.

Dormir É Preciso

2010-11-12T16:19:00.001Z

É.

Righteous People

2010-10-28T17:16:00.001+01:00

Righteous people can never be as much righteous with them as they are with others.

So Simple, So True

2010-10-26T12:39:00.004+01:00

This song lasts two minutes and thirty four seconds only. Still, it has a beautiful introduction, it doesn't lack a beautiful solo either, and it has a message. In less than three minutes, these people have something to say and they say it.

Even more fascinating is that they actually need not say anything with words: vocal sounds would suffice because the music itself already conveys so well the "message".

And what exactly were they singing about?

Magnífico III

2010-10-10T00:57:00.001+01:00

Isto:

Magnífico II

2010-10-09T22:02:00.001+01:00

Isto:

Magnífico

2010-10-09T22:01:00.000+01:00

Isto:

Peúgas

2010-09-28T13:55:00.002+01:00

I have left my flip-flops. The time for wearing socks at home, and also snickers, has come.

Just to Remind You

2010-09-16T21:08:00.002+01:00

that if You do not find new posts here You can always find them there.

Circolo La Saletta, Le Cure, Firenze

2010-09-12T15:20:00.004+01:00

In front of the window in the bedroom, there is Circolo La Saletta. I will have to investigate very soon what it is about. Today is Sunday and it is Domenica di Karaoke. I can hear very well from here (sitting at the desk in the bedroom) people singing to all these karaoke classics. Now I can hear a strident You Were Always on My Mind...

There are many of this cultural neighborhood associations all over Italy. Some of them are called ARCI and are of Communist influence. They are specially important here in Tuscany. People go there to meet with other people, play games, watch tv. Many activities and parties are organized too. And there is, of course, food.

La Casa del Popolo di Fiesole is a place we seriously recommend: great food for incredibly low prices (considering the standard Tuscan prices), and the possibility to stay hours just paying for a coffee or a beer. The people are gentle too.

It is a sunny, hot and singing Sunday.

Antiquated Europe

2010-09-11T17:28:00.003+01:00

It is six thirty pm in Firenze, Italy. From this point onward, shops, services, markets, supermarkets, and shopping centers start to become closed. In little more than one hour, it will be impossible to buy anything until it is Monday morning. It is already way too late to go and have my hair cut.

In those European countries, like Italy, where everything is closed at seven and nothing is open on Sunday, people argue that shopping centers and big supermarkets are places with no character, they are "capitalist" (what a big sin here in Europe!), they are excrescences of the horrible globalization. Those neo-liberal (which is worse than "terrible") institutions are also responsible for the death of traditional shops. Finally, those countries where supermarkets are allowed to be open as long as they will are the example of the ways in which progress can be bad.

The truth is (=my opinion) much simple: freedom to buy and sell when one wants should not require much ethical defense. Freedom is good, period. It is only dictators (like the one Portugal had when it was, in fact, antiquated decades and decades ago) and the common people from very rich/very proud/very nationalist countries who can ignore their own ridicule when claiming that "freedom is sometimes too much" and they talk about shop schedules.

Freedom to buy and sell at every time one wants is good, it is useful. Having to wait till Monday morning to cut my hair, buy some technology, and, why not, get some groceries is just irritant and stupid.

I wished Italy was a bit more like truly modern countries like Portugal or Estonia. But I guess I will have to wait till Monday morning... of the next century.

Spies

2010-09-11T14:40:00.002+01:00

I was just spying my flatmate. He put his fingers inside his nose.

I am happy that the conclusion of his act was not to eat anything.

[I adore this thing that from one window, the one in the bedroom, one can see other parts of the house, namely, the veranda].

Sitting Room

2010-09-10T12:41:00.003+01:00

Sitting rooms are extremely important in a shared flat. Kitchens are usually not enough as a common area: they tend to be not comfortable enough and, without comfort, communication cannot develop much.

Sitting rooms can have a problem: when they had not been turned into another bedroom, that's because landlords are still living in the flat or there is a higher chance they will in the close future. For that reason, sitting rooms seem always to be too much associated with the owners, they are way more associated to them than the bedrooms landlords rent. This is what creates the problem: because of that subtle association, flat renters may not feel fully at ease at these still very personal sitting rooms, personal for the landlords.

Our sitting room has tv, a big cabinet (most of my bottles are already there), and three couches, one of which is double. Still, I have become surprised that my two flatmates haven't yet spent any time there. No tv for them: tv channels haven't yet been memorized, and the antena is unplugged: apparently nobody has used the tv for ages. Further, those couches seem to have been untouched for ages as well.

I will be glad should the sitting room become a lively place: that will probably be a sign of interpersonal development at home.

New House

2010-09-09T12:54:00.004+01:00

I woke up at 8:15 this morning and prepared myself breakfast. I made coffee with the moka machine. This "machine" clearly had not been used for centuries. I respected all coffee tips: not put too much coffee inside the machine, not press down the coffee, no water above the little hole, and one or two little grains of salt into the water. Finally, mixing it with a spoon before serving.

The result: an horrible coffee! I guess those centuries of idleness passed into the coffee.

It is kind of weird to adapt to the new house. It is big and has many more objects than most students' houses usually have. Light switches seem to be located too low on the walls.

I enjoy very much the terrace: it is perfect for having breakfasts. Also, it offers space to hang clothes to dry.

From my bedroom I can hear and even see regional trains stopping and passing. I believe even the "David Lynch" train passes there. I enjoy very much that not so much far away train sounds. It reminds me of summers and travelling.

Back to Firenze

2010-09-08T21:31:00.002+01:00

We're back to Firenze, in a new house. This house is meant to be used by the owner and, thus, the sitting room was not turned into another bedroom. Furniture also has its own identity. Common areas are the entrance hall, which is divided in two parts, the sitting room with four couches, the kitchen (small) and a terrace. Plenty of common areas for hopefully nice personal atmosphere.

Florence has become a city of love and hate. Both. Love because it has become so familiar. Hate because after these years ("all these years") one cannot ignore anymore its very bad things.

Locals are not nice. They do not have time, they do not have patience, they don't care. They have absolutely no respect for customers and for immigrants. To be very clear, I am not saying this is a case of xenophobia or racism. Absolutely not. This is a case of zero tolerance for people who have questions and doubts. Florentines don't have patience to answer a question from someone who doesn't fully understand Italian. They don't have the minimal patience to wait while one decides which pizza one wants.

Furthermore and not only specific to Florence, there is this thing of the "pride in the strong culture". Italians are so proud of their great culture, music, traditions, food and everything that they don't care about anything foreign. This is a case of extreme cultural protectionism. It is impossible to hear any foreign language either in radio or tv. There are possibly almost one hundred different tv channels here, from national to city tvs. And it is impossible to listen to some English. Italians are utterly proud of their "Made in Italy" and, because of that, it is extremely difficult to find anything not-Italian.

Living in a 100% Italian place is tiresome. Not because of Italy itself, but because always the same single nationality is boring. Italians loose too, they loose a lot from their being enclosed on themselves. But they don't know it. And even if they thought about it, they would disagree: Italy is so good that there is no need of foreign music, foreign cinema, foreign languages. Overall, this is a pity.

Day in Zagreb

2010-07-04T20:46:00.003+01:00

In Zagreb we had again the same experience with local people: polite and friendly. Youngsters speak English, the older generations not so much but they seem more talkative the less English they speak.

Zagreb turned out to be rather big. It's a long way from the historical center to the shore of the river Sava. Spaces are large in the city: the squares, the avenues and the parks: all very much extensive.

There are dozens of open air cafes. And most of them serve all the typical Italian food.

We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is a huge structure, geometric and open. The permanent exhibition includes many Croatian artists and the collection is extremely interesting.

Back to the youth hostel, the same Jamaican atmosphere.

Ljubljana to Zagreb

2010-07-03T22:15:00.004+01:00

Project Fi Ta Ro 400, day 3: we had a cappuccino by the river Ljubljanica in the morning. All the stylish bars by the river that are open in the evenings and nights become nice outdoor cafes in the mornings and afternoons.

We have to mention the great politeness and friendship of the people of Ljubljana. Ljubljana is a small and perfect city with people that are not only correct and polite but also talkative and friendly.

Next we headed to the caves of Postnoja. There had been two car accidents on the highway, we got slowed down for some minutes.

Postnoja caves are immense, spanning more than 20Km inside a mountain. The journey in the caves start with a train ride. The obvious comparison is with one of the famous scenes of ˝Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom˝: running through stalactites and stalagmites at high speed on a feeble train. The caves are huge, one feels (s)he is in another planet.

Nine kilometers further from the caves there is the awesome Predjama Castle. This castle was itself built partly inside a cave. The whole structure is protected by an immense cavern mouth. It is a castle with its own private caves, or a cave system that includes a castle as a beautiful man-made appendix.

After the castle, there was a storm. Because of the extreme heat of the afternoon, the roads were emanating a dense fog during the storm.

A great part of the highways from somewhere after Ljubljana in the direction of Zagreb was new. And for the first time since Firenze there were no lengthy truck convoys. We crossed Slovenia from West to East and passed forests surrounded by mountains.

We arrived to the hostel in Zagreb at about 9pm. This is the type of place where people prefer to stay meeting other people rather than going to town. While crossing it in the direction of the hostel, the city seemed to be well organized and big. The extremely long avenues with five lanes were impressive.

We had spaghetti we brought from Firenze and also some canned pesto genovese. There is a huge difference between fresh pesto and this canned thing: the fresh version is much better. We also had Chianti Colli, the red wine from Firenze. It is amazing how this wine survived so many extremely hot hours inside the car.

One Day in Ljubljana

2010-07-02T22:56:00.003+01:00

We spent the day in Ljubljana. The historical centre is small and impeccable. People were educated and correct without being strict or cold. People spoke English (also the older generations). People were very much willing to talk, very easy to be approached.

Ljubljana made us think "I also want a city like this, I also want a country like this". Absolutely faultless, absolutely beautiful. And incredibly cheap prices and, at the same time, incredibly high quality of service.

Also, there are free lunches here: we had a free guided tour (tips accepted at the end) and there is a free transport service in little golf cars: one just asks it to stop and tells some place to go within the historical centre.

The castle was great and the nightlife incredible: we had never seen so many bars open with tables on the streets in the center of the historical center of any city. The relaxed/party atmosphere was also wonderful.

Ljubljana is a city with always many activities running in parallel. For instance, these days there is the street theater festival and the jazz festival. Ljubljana is the European city of books for 2010.

The right cafe culture: in Ljubljana one can sit for hours in a cafe and paying just one coffee, no one will complain because that's what caffeterias are for. Living in extremely expensive and extremely fast Italy, today I remembered in my flesh how much I miss that cafe culture that exists here in Ljubljana and also, for instance, in Lisbon (Portugal). Spending time, letting time pass, let the pages of a book flow while people walk in front. One coffee, so many time: ideas, words, contacts flowing unconstrained through time. That's something practised here in Ljubljana.

Project Fi Ta Ro 400

2010-07-02T07:12:00.003+01:00

We are going to travel from Firenze (Italy) to Tallinn (Estonia) in a Rover 414 Sli. We left yesterday at 10:11am and arrived to Ljubljana at 1:00am of today. You see: č, ć, ž, š, đ: we are in Slovenia.

Day 1 was complicated: there was a huge truck accident on the highway to Trieste (Italy). Police sent all vehicles out of the highway in the exit of Portogruaro. At that time I realized brakes were making an horrible noise. We stopped on the first auto-mechanic, a huge Fiat and Volvo service and had them repaired by 5:30pm.

In Portogruaro and around there were huge traffic jams. Then a second incident happened: the key of the car stopped working in the ignition! After some minutes waiting in the traffic jam, we couldn't turn the engine on again! Can one imagine worse and stranger thing to happen?

A tow car came, the car was removed, some guys tried to fix things. As a result, the whole mechanics of the turning-the-engine-on-key were removed and now anyone who happens to break into the car can start it and drive.

Portogruaro turned out to be surprisingly interesting: a city with no ¨Michelin Guide" references had a nice small city centre, a very modern and interesting church and its landmark was a tilting bell tower.

Now we arrived to Ljubljana. Our first impression is that it seems like a Tallinn of the South. The houses seem to have been taken from some fairy tale. In a more residential part, there were buildings seemingly of the good soviet style: kind of big and geometric but not that heavy and very elegant (needless to say that even though once communist, Slovenia was never part of the Soviet Union).

Some parking signshere do not really have symbols but whole paragraphs (but not so bad as in Italy).

Highlights up to now: there were many youngsters on the streets yesterday night. There was a boy going full monty and running on a central street, there were nice girls explaining that the parking paragraph meant that one cannot park during Winter.

Example of "Western Europe" Trying to Teach Lessons to "Eastern Europe"

2010-03-11T16:15:00.001Z

"Eastern Europeans should strive to present a more modern face to visitors" is the subtitle of this The Economist article. Some comments about the subtitle and the article:

1. it is really strange that "Eastern Europe" and "Western Europe" are expressions still in use. Of course, the history of Europe in the XXth century more than justified the emergence of those terms. But now in 2010, is there still such a difference?: whether "western" or "eastern", almost all countries subsumed into those two expressions are democracies, market-oriented economies, have multi-party systems, free elections, free mass media, are industrialized, have a big services sector, ... The XXth century is definitely extremely important today, it is part of the present, but when one considers the "absolute now", the year 2010, and one talks about very recent and very present things like the economic crisis - does that separation into "western" and "eastern" countries make sense, is it necessary, does it add or help anything for the comprehension of, say, the economic crisis, etc.? Or is it just "pure discrimination"?

2. on which grounds do "western Europe" base their superiority vis-a-vis "eastern Europe"? Is it history? Culture? Economy? Or what?

3. why these "international" and "inteligent" publications like "The Economist" believe "western Europe" can teach lessons to "eastern Europe"? Does the author of the above-linked article really believes "eastern Europe" is less modern than, say, England? And is it that England and the other "western Europe" countries, when visited by foreigners, don't put any emphasis on their past?

My oppinions are:

1. nowadays, "eastern Europe" and "western Europe" are expressions mainly meant for some rich and politically powerful countries perpetuate the prejudice that there is good and bad Europe (whether it is economically, politicaly or in terms of culture) and that, surprise, surprise!, "western Europe" is good, "eastern Europe" is bad.

2. whether "eastern" or "western", "central", "southern" or "nordic", relatively richer or relatively poorer, I don't see that there is any European country which could claim any sort of moral, historical or political superiority on any other or others. Even less legitimate would be to claim that a group of countries has some sort of superiority on other group. Refusing to accept this is the result of utter nationalism and extreme ignorance of the histories of European countries.

3. the idea that "being modern" is something important, specially when one country presents itself to others, is itself very much problematic. Here are some problems:

(i) What does it mean to be modern? Is it having "modern" institutions like "republic" instead of "monarchy", and fully-elected parliaments instead of existence of, say, lords? If this is the criterion, then, on average, "eastern Europe" would be more modern than "western Europe". Or is it having WiFi everywhere and many mobiles phones per capita? If WiFi matters, Estonia might be extremely modern, more modern than the "average western Europe country". If "modern" is something social like "female labor market participation", then Portugal is probably as modern as Sweden. Again, trying to find a "modernity' divide in the lines of "west versus east" or "north versus south" might be just a way to foment prejudice and impede knowledge.

(ii) If being modern means neglecting history, say, when a comitive of foreigners visits some country, then would it not be the case that "modern" is just a fancy word for "ignorant"?

(iii) Are perceptions about modernity in other countries realistic or mainly based on prejudice? And if they are mainly prejudice-based, why are those wrong and unfair perceptions always so much spread? Did The Economist ever write an article on, say, the pioneerism of Estonia when it comes to software, of Portugal when it comes to home-banking and, say, mobile telephony? Or is it that the "ranking of modernity" is, rather, something that "inteligent" publications purely assume, in the same lines as they separate good Europe ("western") from bad Europe ("eastern")? For sure, keeping these prejudices are mostly detrimental for "eastern" (or "southern") Europe; and one may not want to wait till The Economist and other "inteligent" publications from "good Europe" decide to treat with realism and fairness the "other Europe".

The final question is, thus, this: what did YOU do today to stop prejudice and nationalism within Europe and spread true knowledge about, say, your country?

European Paternalism

2009-11-04T22:49:00.000Z

The easy thing is to find that the lives of young adults are different between, say, Italy and some Scandinavian country: it is obviously different living with the mamma till one is forty two and getting away from parents’ home at the age of eighteen. It is very easy to realize and state this.

But what is clever, interesting and intelligent is to recognize what the two models of life have in common: paternalism. In Italy, people enjoy the paternalism proper, that is, the paternalism of parents, while in, say, Denmark, young adults leave home at an early age just to start benefiting from the paternalism of the State, of the utterly rich-social democratic-very much paternalistic-Scandinavian welfare State.

Of course, these paternalisms are different and these differences have consequences. But, essentially, how much different are these models of life? In country A, say Denmark, one brags about her/his independence and autonomy – while at the same time owing a huge amount of crowns to the State which lends generously to students. In country B, say Italy, people simply don’t brag about getting her/his studies paid by the parents. In both cases, the young university student from Copenhagen and the one from Milan are financially dependent of some pater (either the parent or the State).

The paternalisms are different, but can one really say that young adults in the “Scandinavian model” are so much more independent than Italians?

Whether getting security from parents or from the State, most European models of life at the young adult ages are characterized by some sort of paternalism. And realizing this paternalism is fundamental to weigh the claims of life autonomy of young Scandinavians and to reject accusations of lack of independence from parents of young Italians.

[There is of course other European models: in some countries, young adults leave the protection of parents to join some socio-professional group, which offers continuation to paternalism proper].

Blogue de Direita da Sábado

2009-11-04T22:42:00.002Z

It is true and strange: there were no posts here during October and only two during September. Why is that? The reason might have been competition from another blog: since the begining of September 2009 I have been contributing to the Blogue de Direita of Sábado magazine. Its link is also on the list on the right. I recommend it!

Presseurop as Usual

2009-09-28T14:41:00.000+01:00

http://presseurop.eu/ Yesterday there were legislative elections in Germany and in Portugal. As expected, today the first news in Presseurop's portal is about Germany elections. At the same time, there is not a single news in the portal telling about the outcome of the Portuguese legislatives.

Presseurop reflects the worst of Europe: a bias towards the big and the important and profound despise, a profound social and political racism towards the small and relatively poor.

When will Presseurop be closed down?

How It Was Like To Be a Boy (in the Nineties)

2009-09-01T23:54:00.001+01:00

Há uma dureza qualquer na irrepetibilidade. Deve ser a isso que se chama "saudade".

Equals Sign

2009-08-23T17:15:00.001+01:00

For example, this.

Três

2009-08-23T03:59:00.000+01:00

Constância

2009-08-22T17:48:00.000+01:00

Xutos & Pontapés estão para a Festa do Avante! tal como o E.T. está para o Natal na RTP.

Xutos e Pontapés estão para a Festa do Avante tal como o é tê está para o Natal na érre tê pê.

Queixumes Passados da Direita Bushista Analisados no Presente

2009-08-19T16:49:00.004+01:00

Há mais ou menos dois anos que aquela parte da direita mais ou menos simpática para com o Bush, mais ou menos a favor da guerra contra o Iraque - começou a queixar-se da esquerda porque esta não reconhecia a crescente democratização e estabilização do Iraque. A esquerda não reconhecia que o trabalho de campo dos americanos no Iraque, sobretudo a partir do magnífico alumnus de Princeton super-inteligente General Petraeus ter ido para o terreno - estava a ter efeitos e havia cada vez menos violência etc..

Pois bem, eram tais críticas e queixumes justos? Não temos uma base de dados sobre a violência no Iraque mas se é verdade que já ninguém liga às bombas e dezenas de mortos diários em assaltos e atentados no Iraque é também verdade que estas mortes, assaltos e atentados, com altos e baixos é certo, nunca pararam.

Vejam por exemplo esta notícia de hoje. "Pelo menos 95 mortos e 563 feridos em atentados em Bagdad". E esta é uma entre dezenas e dezenas de notícias parecidas que, desde o fim da guerra contra o Iraque, com mais ou menos Petraeus, nunca deixaram de surgir.

Estava a direita guerrilheira e bushista justificada nos seus queixumes? Parece que não. Era assim tão magnífico este Petraeus? Parece que não. É verdade que as guerras mesmo quando acabam continuam a matar gente? Todas e sempre.

Shame on Presseurop

2009-08-19T11:21:00.014+01:00

In May we wrote a post about European news portal Presseurop. This portal had just started and we were recommended to give it a time before criticizing it. Well, time has been given. So, what do we see in Presseurop?

Essentially the same we saw on the day of that first critique. Let's use as examples the news posted in that portal today.

We basically get very negative news concerning small countries taken from big newspapers of big countries. In Hungary there have been racist attacks... but the one who tells us about that is, imagine!, German FAZ.

And we get very positive news about big countries coming from big country newspapers: there is a United Kingdom village giving a lesson of very-well-behaved ecologism to the world (from a Spanish newspaper); there is another United Kingdom village which is, of course, very nice and interesting. At the same time, the whole of "Central and Eastern" Europe is facing terrible economic problems (and we wonder why so many journalists and newspapers insist in capitalizing those words "central" and "eastern" as if central and eastern Europe were some kind of separate entity from the rest of the European Union, some kind of world apart).

The good news continue for the rich and ignoring the poor: France and Germany are mentioned for their economic growth of 0.3% in the second quarter of the year while Portugal, a country that registered the exact same number in the exact same quarter, is not referred to in this 697-word-long article.

Just like in our first critique of Presseurop back in May, there is also a clear over-representation of Germany in terms of either origin of the news (which newspaper) or subject itself: besides the FAZ article, the other news getting the most visual emphasis in today's Presseurop's entry page is a cartoon about... German elections. But of course everyone in each of the 27 member states of the European Union cares deeply for the German elections and can be heard discussing the very important matter of the decólletés of the German candidates in all those beautiful cafés from Lisbon to Helsinki...

Now, it is interesting that in such a news portal always so fond of giving bad news and with such over-representation of German affairs nothing was said about the shooting of four innocent people that took place in German village Schwalmtal two days ago.

Proceeding with the analysis, Presseurop doesn't always need to go to the German, English or French "serious" newspapers to find bad news about other countries. No, other countries themselves provide ridiculously self-deprecating pieces of, let's call it this way, "information" [caught you! I just saw you making the ridiculous gesture of the two fingers in both hands simulating quotation marks; and isn't this gesture the perfect badge of political-correctness?]. An example ensues.

Today we find a Polish article about the Baltic sea, which is deemed as "shallow, closed, poor, one that divides rather than connects". With such initial summary of the article, we got actually surprised that in the body of the text it is claimed that the levels of two toxic components are not growing anymore. But we got utterly suprised that in a text with ten paragraphs and 1156 words about the Baltic sea, there is only one sentence about the main issue in the Baltic: energy. This is the sentence: "The agenda provides for the creation of a Baltic energy market, which is to be made possible by the development of pipelines and power lines connecting the region’s countries".

Now, as long as one knows Presseurop, what is not really surprising is that in such 1156-word-long text about the Baltic nothing is ever said, there is no mention, not even in that only and lonely energy-related-sentence - about Baltic's main business, main problem and main European affair: the Nord Stream pipeline. A 1156-word-long text about the Baltic that doesn't touch the most important issue concerning the Baltic: is it because Nord Stream pipeline is a very controversial business involving Germany and Russia? No, for sure not... (But we surely should conclude that what truly is "shallow, closed, poor, one that divides rather than connects" is the article itself).

The analsyis could proceed but the conclusions would keep being the same as the ones from May. Actually, in the past months, Presseurop has been totally in accordance with the reality we criticized in May and criticize today. So, after having given it time to "see how things are going to develop" it seems fair to restate that initial critique of ours and to add to it.

The aim of Presseurop is to offer a common newspaper to the citizens of the 27 member countries. We don't believe all these people is really interested in reading news with so much emphasis on German, French and English affairs and find that a news about, say, Slovak Republic is some kind of exotic article.

Further, we don't believe people from 27 member countries want to read a selection of news so much biased in favor of big rich countries and so much denigrating for all the others. A shooting spree in Germany is not mentioned, a racist attack in Hungary gets first title in first page; a sign of economic recovery in Germany and France is mentioned but absolutely ignored when registered (at the same time!) in Portugal; etc., etc., etc..

European Union is not a group of four or five countries that are or believe they still are very important with a bunch of merry little inconsequent sovereign nations around. European Union is neither a place where there is a western Europe and a separate "Central and Eastern Europe", with capitalized letters. No: there is not and there should not be that kind of separation, demarcation. Including central and east Europe countries in their own category is but discrimination. And this discrimination is very much present in Presseurop, as it is present the discrimination against small countries and in favor of the big ones.

All these examples, all of this mentality is actually the opposite of what the European spirit is and should be. Europe is either 27, 27 and more, 27 and counting or it isn't. From its begining, for the last months, and for now, Presseurop isn't. Time has been given to this project and we had put hope the project's seeming mentality would change. It didn't.

True that one shouldn't forget that the European Union took time to create, to develop and to enlarge. But the path to Europe is surely not made out of such sad expressions of anti-European mentality and big country nationalism as present in Presseurop.

Deflação da Natalidade

2009-08-18T20:14:00.002+01:00

"A Rússia é o único país do mundo onde há mais abortos do que nascimentos" lido aqui.

A deflação é um fenómeno mau: na expectativa de que os preços baixarão, as pessoas não compram e as empresas não investem. Em consequência, a economia contrai-se. E, em resultado dessa contracção, é razoável manter a expectativa de que os preços baixarão. Além disso, da própria contracção económica resultará menor poder de compra e, portanto, haverá uma força no sentido da descida generalizada dos preços. Ou seja, a deflação é um ciclo vicioso que contrai a economia.

Na Rússia, a natalidade é baixa, o saldo natural é baixo e o saldo natural incluindo abortos é baixíssimo. Isto será eventualmente mau para a economia, para a segurança social, para a sociedade e denotará porventura uma não-realização de determinados planos de felicidade.

No entanto... que tipo de expectativas estarão por trás desta baixa natalidade? "Se olharmos para os números, vemos que entre 1999 e 2008 a economia russa cresceu a uma média de 7 por cento ao ano" (do mesmo sítio). O que está por trás daqueles números poderá bem ser a confiança no forte crescimento económico russo: para quê ter filhos hoje se daqui por alguns anos o país estará muito melhor? É claro que quem tiver filhos hoje também contará com mais riqueza no futuro próximo mas gente haverá que prefere aguardar e só ter filhos a partir de um certo patamar de riqueza.

Ou seja, assumindo que toda a gente tem uma concepção de um patamar de riqueza mínimo para ter filhos e assumindo que esse patamar será o mesmo para todas as pessoas - é possível ainda assim conceber uma fundamental diferença de preferências entre as pessoas: as que querem que o patamar de riqueza exista ao ano 0 dos filhos e os que não se importam que esse patamar se verifique só quando os filhos chegarem, por exemplo, à idade escolar.

É possível que na Rússia o primeiro tipo de preferências seja maioritário. Nesse caso, a deflação da natalidade na Rússia - para além de ser consentânea com os dados das economias mais desenvolvidas do mundo - poderá ser sinal das expectativas elevadas que os cidadãos daquele país têm em relação à sua economia.

Onde Está a Política?

2009-08-18T15:48:00.000+01:00

Na prática, e só a prática é que interessa porque não é no campo da teoria que as pessoas se movem, comem, bebem e recebem dinheiro - a campanha eleitoral para as legislativas de Setembro e para as autárquicas de Outubro já começou.

E o que é que há a registar dessa campanha a partir dos blogues e dos jornais? Duas coisas: (1a) muito confronto ideológico, muito debate acerca de onde colocar o separador esquerda-direita no meio do elenco dos partidos portugueses e outras questões desse tipo; (2a) muita discussão sobre casos de corrupção e casos de tribunal e questões ligadas à presunção de inocência e o estatuto do arguido.

E onde está a política? Quero dizer, onde está a política entendida não como novela de casos pessoais (quem é arguido e porquê, quem insulta quem) nem como discorrência filosófica sobre as diversas categorias ideológicas possíveis - mas sim política enquanto discurso sobre que objectivos nacionais concretos preferir, quais preterir e como atingi-los em concreto?

Em relação aos partidos políticos que já apresentaram programas eleitorais: porque é que estes programas são tão vagos nos objectivos, porque é que defendem a prossecução de todos os objectivos possíveis e imagináveis (alguém acredita que um governo de humanos consegue, em quatro anos, melhorar simultaneamente todos os sectores da vida de um país?) e porque é que nenhum destes programas explica em concreto o "como" desses objectivos: como é que se chega lá? com que dinheiro? com que alterações em quais parâmetros legislativos? E, já agora, qual o timing? Primeiro mês da legislatura? Segundo mês da terceira sessão legislativa?

Porque é que nenhum partido apresenta, em vez de um programa, uma calendarização dos projectos-lei a apresentar no parlamento, com um parágrafo por projecto-lei onde se diga em linguagem simples o que é que será proposto mudar, para que parâmetro e qual o resultado que se espera atingir?

A campanha eleitoral está cheia de listas de nomes, processos em tribunal, insultos que não levam a lado nenhum e também de questões de teoria política que são irrelevantes para a vida prática dos cidadãos. O pouco que sobra de política são "programas" compostos por colecções infindáveis de objectivos vagos que ninguém explica em concreto como serão atingidos.

Num país em que os problemas são muito práticos e a maioria das pessoas não beneficia minimamente das conclusões a que se possa chegar em termos da honestidade daquele ou da verdade do outro ou da probidade de um terceiro - o que é necessário é política concreta: que se resolva problemas em vez de discuti-los. Ou em vez de se discutir relatórios internacionais argumentando que estes suportam a conclusão de que os resultados são excelentes ou são péssimos.

O que é necessário é que se apresentem objectivos concretos e se explique como é que, muito concretamente, se pretende atingir esses objectivos.

A política em Portugal tem de passar menos por discussões filosóficas e questões de honra e tribunais e mais por uma acção com vista a resolver problemas. Chega de conversa inútil seja sobre arguidos seja sobre qual é a ideologia do partido x ou y: o que interessa é como resolver problemas. Isto é que é a política de que Portugal precisa.

100Mbps are still not enough

2009-08-17T23:42:00.001+01:00

for him.

Alentejo

2009-08-10T15:24:00.001+01:00

Alentejo, Alentejo, Alentejo. E mais: Alentejo. Vila Nova de Milfontes. Baixo, Alto, distrito de Setúbal. Litoral.

Alentejo.

"Distritos" do not matter!

2009-08-05T16:01:00.001+01:00

Do you want a rule of thumb to classify an encyclopedia either as good and accurate or bad and inaccurate? Read the article concerning Portuguese districts and the politico-administrative divisions of Portugal: if it says Portuguese "distritos" are very important, the encyclopedia might be deemed inaccurate and bad.

In Portugal, there are two main politico-administrative levels: central government and municipalities. With the exceptions of the autonomous regions of Açores and Madeira, there DO NOT exist any intermediate politico-administrative level in Portugal. I.e., except for the Atlantic Ocean archipelagos, Portugal administration goes directly from central power to local power.

But then... what are "distritos"? Each district has a "Governador Civil" ("civil governor") who is NOT elected but simply nominated by the central government; his/her functions are nothing much more than some responsibilities over civil protection (coordination of resources and efforts in the case and prevention of floods, fires, etc.) and to "determine" the day of local power elections (actually, local power election date is decided among political parties, central government and the President of the Republic, the "Governador Civil" plays only a formal and almost irrelevant role here).

Since the competences of the civil governor are only a few, they are not political in content at all, and since the civil governor is not elected - one can accurately say that "distritos" are the less important politico-administrative division in Portugal. Actually, it is weird to call it a "political" division. And even though a district encompasses many municipalities, the civil governor has no power whatsoever over local power (i.e., municipalities and "freguesias").

It is "municípios" (and to a much, much lesser extent "freguesias") the politico-administrative divisions that do matter in Portugal: they are directly elected and have many responsiblities with direct influence on the daily life of citizens; some of those responsibilities are pretty much political in content; they have their own budgets and power.

In conclusion: all Wikipedia articles thay claim "distritos" are very important politico-administrative divisions of Portugal are wrong and should be changed; also, the articles about Portuguese cities: for instance, the article about Lisbon tells this city is the seat of the district with the same name even before stating Lisbon is the biggest Portuguese municipality. It would be just better not to make any reference to the fact that Lisbon is also the name of a district.

A final note: all the problems and strange statements about Portuguese districts one finds in encyclopedias, including Wikipedia, might have two reasons:

1. historically, the Portuguese concept of "distrito" was imported from the French concept of "district" and since in France "districts" are, I believe, important, so people who write encyclopedia articles believe "districts" are important in Portugal too;

2. since most European countries have intermediate politico-administrative level or levels (German Länder, Spanish autonomous regions, Italian regions and provinces, Belgian federal divisions, United Kingdom's countries, etc., etc.), people might just assume that the same is true in the case of Portugal. But the truth is other: according to the "Constituição da República Portuguesa", Portugal is an unitary state, PARTLY and PERIPHERICALLY regionalized: this means that only a part of Portugal has its own intermediate politico-administrative level. Except Açores and Madeira, there is no intermediate politico-administrative level in Portugal. And, to avoid any confusions, "mainland Portugal" or "continental Portugal" is not an autonomous region of Portugal and has no regional government of its own.

Maturidade Política e Quase Maturidade Política

2009-07-20T22:08:00.000+01:00

A quase maturidade política é atingida quando se descobriu num modo tão definitivo quanto possível qual é a ideologia preferida (ou nenhuma).

A maturidade política é atingida quando se descobriu e se consegue defender as excepções e as falhas na ideologia (ou nenhuma) que se tem por preferida.

O Meu Sonho

2009-07-10T16:42:00.002+01:00

O meu sonho é ficar a escrever fechado num restaurante do qual nunca me mandem embora.

O meu sonho é ficar a escrever aberto num restaurante [à beira-mar] do qual nunca me me mandem embora.

O meu sonho é ficar aberto a escrever num restaurante à tarde até tarde no qual permaneça silenciosamente convidado.

O meu sonho aberto é ficar a escrever num restaurante junto ao mar pela tarde no qual permaneça recebido silenciosamente.

O meu aberto sonho é ficar a escrever num restaurante de mar tarde no qual seja recebido serenamente.

O meu aberto sonho é ficar a escrever num restaurante ao mar pela tarde no qual seja acolhido sentidamente.

O meu sonho é ser a escrever num restaurante pelo mar de tarde no qual seja acolhido sentidamente sempre.

O meu...

First Pictures of Two Thousand Nine

2009-06-25T18:46:00.008+01:00

Firenze 01.01.2009

Lucca 02.01.2009

Lucca 02.01.2009

Arezzo 04.01.2009

Lago Trasimeno 04.01.2009

Assisi 04.01.2009

Assisi 04.01.2009

Perugia 04.01.2009

Firenze: Piazza S. Lorenzo 06.01.2009

Orvieto 11.01.2009

Orvieto 11.01.2009

View from Monte Senario 14.02.2009

Pictures of Estonia (viii) and Interesting Cities, Interesting People: Estonia (xx) February 2009

Firenze: Scoppio del Carro 12.04.2009

San Gimignano 14.04.2009

Firenze: Santa Croce 16.04.2009

Firenze: View from Giardini Bardini 16.04.2009

Monte Senario 24.04.2009

Livorno 26.04.2009

Perugia 03.05.2009

Assisi 03.05.2009

Rimini 10.05.2009

San Marino 10.05.2009

San Marino 10.05.2009

Rimini 10.05.2009

Cinque Terre 17.05.2009

Cinque Terre 17.05.2009

Cinque Terre 17.05.2009

Cinque Terre 17.05.2009

Galleria Ferrari (Maranello) 31.05.2009

Parma 31.05.2009

Parma 31.05.2009

Interesting Cities, Interesting People at Home: Lisboa (xxi) June 2009

Rimini 14.06.2009

(I have realized this blog has become a diary).

As Três Divisões da Sociedade Portuguesa ou a Inexistência de um "Centro"

2009-06-22T18:30:00.011+01:00

O problema do PS e do PSD - os partidos do "centro" - é que a sociedade portuguesa tem uma divisão profunda e irreconciliável. E quanto mais dividida está menos sentido faz falar e pensar no "centro" e, portanto, menos sentido estratégico fará tentar seduzir esse "centro".

Portugal tem cada vez menos "centro" porque são cada vez mais notórias as diferenças de estatuto (direitos e deveres) e de estatuto social (a importância dos professores doutores vs. a falta de importância das auxiliares da acção educativa por exemplo) entre as duas principais componentes da classe média: os funcionários públicos e os outros.

A maior divisão social e política em Portugal não é entre "capitalistas e proletários", esquerda e direita e nem sequer (ainda) é entre católicos e esquerdistas: a maior divisão social e política é encontrada entre trabalhadores da função pública e trabalhadores do sector privado. E o contexto de crise económica internacional (uma conjuntura, isto é, uma coisa temporária) aliado ao contexto de crise das finanças públicas nacionais (uma "estrutura", ou seja, uma coisa que se tem mantido e arrastado há já cerca de 10 anos) - torna cada vez mais impossível fazer políticas que não afectem o estatuto (superior) dos funcionarios públicos ao mesmo tempo que se mantém o estatuto (inferior) dos trabalhadores do sector privado (que é só por si cada vez mais insustentável).

Ou seja, é impossível assegurar o apoio eleitoral de todo o centro porque já é financeiramente impossivel garantir os privilégios (salariais, de reformas, de estatuto profissional) dos funcionários públicos ao mesmo tempo que se conserva o já de si muito reduzido nível de vida dos trabalhadores do sector privado.

O tempo de Cavaco foi de expansão económica inflacionada pelos fundos estruturais europeus. O tempo de Guterres foi de expansão económica inflacionada por políticas pro-cíclicas. Foi possível satisfazer eleitoralmente as duas metades do centro e conseguir que o PSD obtivesse duas maiorias absolutas (1987 e 1991) e que o PS tivesse uma forte subida eleitoral de maioria relativa (1995) para uma quase-maioria absoluta (115 deputados em 230 em 1999). Mas há muito que esse tempo acabou e que a situação económica e financeira se agravou e muito.

Nas eleições legislativas de 2009, nem PS nem PSD conseguirão agradar a todo o centro. Aliás, a queda do "bloco central" nas eleições europeias (PS + PSD, ainda que tenha ocorrido uma subida do PSD) poderá já ser sintoma disso mesmo (com o cuidado de que numas eleições com uma abstenção muito elevada, qualquer interpretação vale sempre muito pouco).

Esta inexistência social e política de um centro uno é ainda mais relevante se à separação entre trabalhadores da administração pública vs. funcionários privados juntarmos a oposição entre gerações mais velhas que pagam rendas baixíssimas (muitas vezes nas zonas mais centrais das cidades) versus gerações mais novas que pagam prestações bancárias altíssimas para viver em subúrbios. Ainda se pode juntar a estas divisões aquela que separa pessoas com direito a reformas de 100% ou de 80% e aquelas cujo direito à reforma (e a uma idade da reforma) ainda nem sequer está fixado.

A grande dificuldade das estratégias eleitorais apostadas em conquistar o centro é tanto maior quanto mais coincidentes forem aquelas três grandes divisões: quanto mais típico for que o funcionário do Estado é também quem paga uma renda baixíssima para viver numa casa bem localizada e tem direito a uma reforma elevada, garantida e que chegará cedo ao mesmo tempo que o trabalhador do sector privado (com menos direitos) é também aquele que tem de pagar uma prestação bancária elevada para morar num subúrbio e isto sem ter a certeza de vir a usufruir de alguma reforma que lhe permita minimamente sobreviver - quantos mais coincidentes forem estas divisões sociais, mais impossível se torna conquistar todo o centro, isto é, as suas metades.

Mas isto não é só uma questão da dificuldade dos grandes partidos em obter votos. Isto também é uma questão da própria estabilidade social. Quanto mais a metade não privilegiada do centro tomar consciência da sua situação e, sobretudo, do facto que a sua pobreza relativa é a consequência do mais alto nível de vida da outra metade do centro - maior é a probabilidade de distúrbios sociais.

Portugal ainda é um país de paz e de segurança social (o mesmo não se pode dizer de França e da Grécia, por exemplo) porque os agentes agitadores recusam reconhecer estas divisões: a estratégia tanto de comunistas estalinistas como de comunistas trotskistas nunca foi a de dizer que os salários da função pública são injustos por serem mais elevados que os do sector privado sendo que é este sector que suporta financeiramente a administração pública. A estratégia de estalinistas e de trotskistas é de dizer que a condição social dos funcionários públicos é justa e até deveria ser melhor, o que não é justo é que os funcionários privados não gozem da mesma condição social.

Ou seja, a extrema-esquerda, que tipicamente dispõe dos mecanismos e técnicas de perturbação da paz e segurança (carros incendiados, violência, etc.) - no caso português até acaba por contribuir para a pacificação social: a extrema-esquerda nega a existência daquelas divisões (toda a gente deveria ter o estatuto de funcionário público - até porque toda a economia deveria ser nacionalizada... -, toda a gente deveria pagar uma renda baixa - até porque a habitação é um direito de todos, logo o Estado deveria dar casa a toda a gente -, toda a gente deveria ter uma reforma de 100% que chegasse bem cedo - porque, enfim, a riqueza cai das árvores...) ao mesmo tempo que perpetua as velhíssimas distinções teóricas e "académicas" da "luta de classe" (capitalistas contra operários) ou inventa novos conflitos pós-modernos (a guerra cultural contra o heterossexismo, o machismo, o europacentrismo, o ocidentalismo, os EUA e Israel e a favor do socialismos sul-americano e islâmico, etc.).

O aprofundamento de divisões leva portanto a uma perda da importância dos maiores partidos (do "centro") em favor dos pequenos partidos, por um lado. Por outro lado, os dois principais pequenos partidos portugueses (extrema-esquerda) recusam a existência de divisões. O resultado de todo este quadro acaba por ser tipicamente português: nenhuma grande alteração nas políticas concretas (nenhuma reforma do arrendamento urbano com efeitos práticos, por exemplo; nenhuma alteração profunda na prática no mercado laboral, outro exemplo) ao mesmo tempo que se regista a inércia, a passagem do tempo, a procrastinação das mudanças necessárias (por exemplo, as sempre-adiadas e frouxas "reformas estruturais").

Mas tipicamente português é também a revolução: às soluções que sistematicamente são adiadas (a solução para a guerra colonial, por exemplo) vai se contrapondo um acumular de insatisfação que acaba, normalmente mais tarde do que mais cedo, por explodir: rebenta uma revolução. No caso das três divisões do "centro" português, o relógio que define o tempo de explosão da bomba é a demografia. Na medida em que os partidos políticos quer os do centro (PS, PSD) quer os da extrema-esquerda (PCP, BE) não respondem a estas divisões, será a demografia a decidir se a explosão ocorrerá e, se ocorrer, quando.

A maioria dos partidos portugueses recusa-se, portanto, a fazer política, isto é, a optar: os partidos grandes (PSD e PS) continuam desesperadamente a tentar agradar às duas contrapostas metades do centro, enquanto que os partidos pequenos (PCP, BE) insistem em clivagens que não existem nem relevantes são. O que é muito triste, mau e inseguro para Portugal é que a consequência desta ausência de política é deixar a paz e a segurança sociais nas mãos da incerta e incontrolável demografia.

Princípio do Conhecimento

2009-05-27T16:42:00.000+01:00

Tudo aquilo que a maioria das pessoas diz está errado e mal observado e tanto mais assim é quanto essa maioria das pessoas está firmemente convicta da sua sabedoria e experiência. E quanto mais essa maioria se crê elitista e iluminada, privilegiada e multiciente - mais o seu saber é dispensável.

Conhecer é ser rebelde.

European News

2009-05-26T15:06:00.003+01:00

There is a new portal of news: Presseurop. It is a portal of European news and its objective is to inform about what is happening on the 27 member countries of the European Union. On their first page, there are 14 news. Of these 14 news, 4 come from German press and/or are about German affairs.

We know Germany has 82 million inhabitants and, thus, it is the most representative country of the European Union. We know that, at least as first language, German is the most important language of the Union. But if one is really concerned about what is happening in 27 different countries, it doesn't make any sense to dedicate 4 news out of 14 to a single country. Even if we accept that, in a newspaper, the focus each country is given should depend on its representativeness - and this is a very debatable criterion! - still 4 out of 14 in an universe of 27 countries is clearly overrepresentation. It is too much.

Now, of the 4 news that have more emphasis - the first 4 titles, with bigger letters - one is from Le Monde and the other is from The Guardian. Well, these newspapers are alredy read not only at their countries of origin but also internationally. People that care for foreign media most probably already read these titles (in the case of Portugal, Portuguese newspapers are basically made of copy-translate-and-pasted articles from those newspapers). Then, why give them prominence also in Presseurop? If Presseurop is about the 27 European Union countries and not only about Germany, France and United Kingdom, how come there is no news about Slovenia, no emphasis put in Hungary, nothing is said about Denmark, no line written about Bulgaria? How come there is something about Sarkozy, as if that politician didn't get already too much attention, something about German SPD and nothing is said, for instance, about the recently elected new President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė? We strongly believe the shoes of the husband of Carla Bruni are not more important nor more interesting than, say, the black belt in karate of Dalia Grybauskaitė.

We have checked Politics, Society, Economy, Science & The Environment, Culture & Ideas, Europe & The World sections and what did we find in these sections? We didn't find any news about Portugal, any news about Sweden, any news about Latvia...

The aim of Presseurop is to offer a common newspaper to the citizens of the 27 member countries. We don't believe all these people is really interested in reading almost exclusively news from and about Germany, France and England and find that a news about, say, Slovak Republic is some kind of exotic article. European Union is not a group of four or five countries that are or believe they still are very important with a bunch of merry little inconsequent sovereign nations around. This mentality is actually the opposite of what the European spirit is and should be.

Europe is either 27 and more, 27 and counting or it isn't. For now, Presseurop isn't. But let's give it time and let's hope it changes. One shouldn't forget that the European Union took also time to create, to develop and to enlarge. And, happily, it has been in the right track thus far!

Microsoft's Live Search Maps vs. Google Maps

2009-05-25T18:10:00.003+01:00

Microsoft's Live Search Maps are definitely better than Google Maps: it includes all the microscopic streets while Google, in some cases, fails even to report the names of some not-so-small streets.

Now, Google is better in something that makes Google as good as it is and makes Microsoft as bad as it normally is: while Microsoft is based on extremely heavy applications that must be installed on the hard-drive and occupy mega-bytes of storage memory and of our patience (and sometimes it is not even possible to uninstall them!), Google is the opposite: it is based on online applications: there is no need for installation and they are light enough to be fast. You have just to consider, for instance, Gchat: it is almost as good as ICQ and requires no installation at all!

Thus, it is of no surprise that Google Maps's Street View works online with no need for their installable application (Google Earth), while the corresponding Microsoft's 3D view is not available online and requires the installation of Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D.

But Microsoft still offers online something that is really beautiful and has no correspondence in Google Maps: Microsoft offers "Bird's eyes":

Lisboa

Beautiful!

At the end, the best maps provider online is Microsoft's.

Previsão Económica e Política

2009-05-21T16:57:00.001+01:00

Se a fábrica Autoeuropa sai de Portugal, o actual Governo cai. Cai mesmo: mesmo que faltem uns poucos meses para eleições. Mesmo que a legislatura já esteja mais do que no fim (já passaram mais do que quatro anos desde as últimas eleições legislativas) - se a Autoeuropa sai, o Governo sai.

Smashing Pumpkins and The Cure

2009-05-20T21:18:00.000+01:00

We love both bands.

Why have Smashing Pumpkins not survived even though Billy Corgan has been and still is trying to keep it alive?

Why have The Cure survived for so long and are still absolutely alive, absolutely gorgeous and beautiful, unique and always special?

Google Chrome Advertises in New York Times

2009-05-19T16:59:00.004+01:00

I have just seen an advertisement of Google Chrome in New York Times. Ferrari doesn't advertise itself. And Google, as far as I know, have never advertised anything.

Thus, this advertisement of Google's Chrome is a good sign that this specific product might not be a Ferrari.

And that is precisely true: Google has been THE Ferrari in many things, starting with its Search Engine and Gmail, which were at the time of their creation and still are the best search engine and free email service available, being the best in each and every aspect one can think of (and, in the case of GMail, even much better than any of the typical paid email services). Starting with Google Search Engine and Gmail, continuing to its integrated chat service: it totally knocks out any Messenger type of thing and, I have "sadly" to admit (for I have always been a fan of ICQ), it totally knocks-out the Mercedes-Benz of chatting: ICQ.

From Gmail, to Gchat, to Google Earth, to the acquisition of Blogger and Youtube, everything that was created by Google or has been acquired by it is just a Ferrari: the best and the best in each and every possible aspect.

So, no need for advertisement.

But, except for Google Maps, which is the second best but still an excellent Porsche (many small cities in Florence, Italy and Lisbon, Portugal can be found in Microsoft Maps but not on Google Maps), - there is a Google product that not only is not the best but it is actually of low quality: and that is Google Chrome.

To start with, and considering only Mozilla Firefox as benchmark (a Ferrari in the championship of internet browsers), it happens that Chrome is better in some aspects while Firefox is better in other aspects.

Now the big problem with Chrome is that it can... destroy computers!

Its usage of RAM, or its usage of temporary memory based on the hard drive (or something else, remember that we are far from being technicians here, this is just the oppinion of a educated user) - is so intense that it has a much bigger impact in the temperature of the computer than Firefox. And that impact is really important when you use a laptop equipped with a Pentium IV of exactly the same type that was being installed in desktops around 2005: such processors have not much concern for temperature, as their main objective was to be installed in desktops big enough to include a highly effective system of ventilation.

This temperature problem is serious to the point of the laptop turning off spontaneously. I believe this was the reason why my hard drive got destroyed.

After buying a new hardrive, I tryed again Chrome and the same happened: for the same ammount of tabs opened, when compared to Firefox, the computer got much slower, much warmer and the probability of absolute processor stop and/or spontaneous turning off went from 0 with Firefox to almost 1 with Chrome.

And that's why it has to be advertised.

So, Chrome is dangerous. And, besides that, it is not superior in each and every aspect to Firefox as most of other Google services are with respect to the second best product in the respective market.

Hoje é Dia da Europa

2009-05-09T23:35:00.001+01:00

Viva!!!!!

And what an excellent idea here!!!!!

Jornalismo em Portugal (iv)

2009-05-07T13:25:00.001+01:00

Arranca hoje um novo jornal diário em Portugal: "i" de seu nome. Pode ser lido aqui. O seu slogan é "i num instante tudo muda". Será que sim? Esperemos que sim.

O jornal tem como objectivo ser diferente, novo e melhor em tudo. Ser moderno no sentido de levar em conta as grandes transformações na comunicação social: o nível de importância grande e já conquistado pelos jornais online e pelos portais da internet e ainda a crescente importância dos blogues e, mais recentemente, do Twitter.

Ou seja, o objectivo do jornal é dar informação tendo em conta que a informação já pode ser obtida de graça e de muitas outras forma para além do papel.

Hoje será dia não de ler "os jornais" mas de ler "o jornal": virá este jornal a ser tão interessante e tão estimulante como o Público ou o Independente foram? Falo de interesse e estímulo não meramente do ponto de vista formal mas mesmo do conteúdo: virá aí, por exemplo, um jornal que seja de não-esquerda (seja lá o que isso for)?

Há uns anos atrás tinha surgido um novo semanário, o Sol. Comprei os primeiros números. Foi uma desilusão: mais do mesmo, a começar pelo título (sempre esse horror de os jornais portugueses não terem nomes próprios mas nomes surripiados aos jornais estrangeiros). Passados alguns anos, dois no máximo, creio, esse jornal não é uma referência nem acrescenta nada (e a sua versão online é muito má).

Esperemos que este "i" mude de facto muita coisa e para melhor!

A Fraca Originalidade do Jornalismo em Portugal (iii)

2009-05-06T13:15:00.001+01:00

Em Portugal, escrever um artigo de jornal é qualquer coisa como isto: um auto-intitulado "jornalista", sem sair da redacção do jornal, sem pôr os pés na rua e sem levar a sua cabeça, olhos e ouvidos até à realidade - lê jornais estrangeiros - e faz um resumo. E os jornais são sempre os mesmos: The Guardian e El Mundo.

Mais um exemplo aqui.

O "jornalista", depois de ler os jornais estrangeiros, isto é, depois de se inteirar do trabalho dos verdadeiros jornalistas - aqueles que escrevem sobre aquilo que testemunharam na primeira pessoa, sobre as respostas às pessoas que eles próprios entrevistaram, sobre os livros, exposições, filmes que eles próprios leram ou viram - o "jornalista" poderia, ao menos, pegar no trabalho do jornalista e tentar reproduzi-lo ou, ainda ao menos, o "jornalista" poderia entrevistar o jornalista sobre o trabalho deste.

Mas não. Nem isso: o que o "jornalista" faz é um resumo do trabalho dos jornalistas. Os jornalistas, do Guardian e do El Mundo certamente, trabalham. Os "jornalistas" do DN, do Expresso, etc. resumem.

Para Sempre Muito Obrigado

2009-05-04T21:29:00.000+01:00

Vasco Granja

(Fotografia de Bruno Barbosa, retirada daqui).

Essa é que é Essa

2009-04-30T00:30:00.003+01:00

That one is the one that is the one.

That is that is that.

Eça é que é Eça.

Book Critique (ii): Pedro Paixão

2009-04-28T16:07:00.000+01:00

A única coisa inferior aos livros de Pedro Paixão em termos de conteúdo são aqueles powerpoints brasileiros que dizem que a felicidade é boa e que a tristeza é má.

Pedro Paixão em termos de conteúdo não chega a ser mais que uma súmula de todas as declarações das misses universo e outras misses sobre a paz no mundo e o fim da fome - sendo que todas as declarações de todas as misses valem tanto juntas como uma delas tirada ao acaso ou como nenhuma.

A única diferença é que o assunto é diferente: enquanto que as misses falam sobre o mundo, Pedro Paixão fala sobre as misses.

[Há talvez dez anos que ando para escrever isto].

VIVA A LIBERDADE!!!!!

2009-04-25T16:13:00.000+01:00

Hoje é 25 de Abril!

VIVA A LIBERDADE!!!!!

Today we are...

2009-04-23T13:14:00.000+01:00

...

Sinceridade é Imprescindível

2009-04-18T22:29:00.000+01:00

É.

Viajar em Portugal

2009-04-08T10:06:00.001+01:00

http://www.diariodelviajero.com/categoria/portugal

It is But Time to Throw Politically Correct Thinking and Mentality to the Garbage Bin of History!

2009-04-07T14:03:00.007+01:00

Are We Gonna Wait To Take That Action as Much as We Waited to Throw Communism Down the Toilete?

The cancer, aids, lepra of the politically correct thinking is the belief, that terrible prejudice and belief, that it is possible and imediate to know the intentions of others just from some exterior signs and symbols.

A politician addresses a crowd saying, for instance, "caros portugueses". "Caros portugueses" means "dear portuguese" and the word "portugueses" is plural male. Male plural forms, for some history of the language reasons, mean groups of both male and female individuals. In its extreme application, a male plural form means a group of one and only one male individual and an infinity of female individuals. We can of course ask history what has lead language to be like that and we are very much sure such inquiry will be extremely interessant...

...BUT...

...the use per se of that language rule, of that sign, is far from being sufficient to elicit an intention from the speaker: how can one be sure that the speaker had used that language rule not because that is the rule, period, but because he wanted intentionally to convey something like "only males count, not females"?

Politically correct thinking is utterly unfair, dishonest and imoral because of that: it immediately assumes an intention, a bad intention. It assumes an intention instead of asking what the intention might have been. And it does it immediately: politically correct thinking is too sure of its own righteousness to waste time before condemnation.

It is unfair: it condemns people whithout ever paying attention to their intentions, whithout ever asking people what they meant with their sayings, etc.. It condemns people without ever giving them a chance of defense. It condemns people by going directly and with no appeal from "evidence" to mens rea.

It is dishonest: while being used to, supposedly, protect any discriminated minority from the, supposedly, oppressing majorities, it is itself a form of (unfair and oppressive) discrimination: it discriminates people based on the principle of disregarding intentions and solely on some exterior sign, for instance language. Its objective is to create itself a form of majority and oppressive thinking. Politically correct thinking, while supposedly trying to save people from oppression, is itself a form of oppression.

It is immoral: good and bad are based on intentions. Earthquakes and monkeys are neither good nor bad because their actions are not the result of intentions (not to say, on free, conscient and rational intentions). A way of thinking that judges the good and the evil without consideration to intentions is absolutely immoral (or it is a sad playing with morality). Cfr. Aristotle, etc..

Finally, politically correct thinking is hypocritical: at the same time it is aimed at finger-pointing, denouncing and "correcting" people who have so many prejudices, oh! lots of them!, it is by nature a system of prejudice: someone is assumed a priori to have a bad intention just because a word is spoken, a sign is made, etc..

Politically correct mentality is already very much oppressive. Let's act so that it, at least, doesn't get majoritarian too!

(Could you imagine I wrote all of this because I've seen the shoes of the president of France and the shoes of his wife?).

Os Super-Heróis Estão de Volta

2009-04-06T14:30:00.000+01:00

Xutos & Pontapés

Ensinar as crianças a blogar, a twitar, a mircar, a youtubar

2009-03-30T16:53:00.004+01:00

é o mesmo, e tão útil é, que ensinar-lhes palavrões: nada do que elas não saibam já. A internet, tal como os palavrões, há muito que fazem parte da pré-escola: são conhecimentos pré-escolásticos.

De facto, as crianças terão mais a ensinar em matéria de internet, software e hardware e em matéria de vernáculo depreciativo aos respectivos professores do que estes terão a ensinar àquelas.

De resto, internet e palavrões andarão de mãos-dadas: a aprendizagem de uma destas categorias correlaciona-se com a aprendizagem da outra. De certa forma, a aprendizagem de qualquer categoria mais ou menos tabu correlaciona-se com a aprendizagem dos outros tabus todos. E pois evidentemente: já não há internet sem sexo e, talvez, sexo sem internet (será?).

É claro, a internet, o sexo e, naturalmente, os palavrões têm esta coisa em comum: são muito bons quando bem usados.

Agora, as questões fundamentais são estas:

- em relação à internet, o problema não é a aprendizagem nem o conhecimento (só se for o problema da aprendizagem de professores arcaicos e desinteressados que não sabem para eles quanto mais para os alunos). O problema é Portugal ser um país em que classe média baixa significa um poder de compra muito baixo mesmo, em que os computadores, por incrivelmente baratos que se estejam sempre a tornar, ainda são um luxo para milhares e milhares de famílias. O problema é Portugal ser um país em que os mercados não são competitivos, as cartelizações serem a norma, as autoridades de concorrência serem fracas, lentas e desautorizadas pelo ministro da economia e, em resultado de tudo isto, o acesso à internet ser extremamente caro e de péssima qualidade. Distribuir "Magalhães" e introduzir aulas sobre computadores melhora só muito pouco a vida das pessoas e não resolve problema nenhum e até pode ser bem frustrante: é só pensar no aluno que aprende a usar o computador na escola só para chegar a casa e saber que os pais se têm dinheiro para o computador não têm dinheiro para a mensalidade da ligação, cara e má, à internet, e se têm dinheiro para esta, não têm dinheiro para aquele (isto para não falar naqueles que nem dinheiro para uma coisa nem para a outra têm...).

O que pode melhorar, e muito, a vida das pessoas é descartelizar o acesso à internet para que haja concorrência neste mercado e, daí, os preços baixem e a qualidade suba. E bem melhor faria o governo se desse apoio directo - sim, em dinheiro - às pessoas que mais precisam dele.

- em relação ao sexo, o problema não está no debate sobre se a educação sexual nas escolas é necessária ou não. O problema está no facto de que sendo a esmagadora maioria das escolas propriedade do Estado e tendo, portanto, um programa comum, as famílias não terem liberdade de escolha em relação à natureza ética (e não só!) do currículo de Educação Sexual, tal como não têm, por exemplo, em relação à natureza técnica do currículo de Matemática. Como as escolas são todas iguais, não há liberdade de educação e todos os currículos são únicos para todo o país, qualquer alteração a um parâmetro que seja no currículo de Educação Sexual torna-se num problema nacional - e numa imposição do Estado, ou melhor, do bando de "pedagogos", "psicólogos" e ideólogos do momento, a toda a nação.

Aqui, o que pode melhorar a vida das pessoas é definir medidas que levem à liberalização do ensino e à liberdade de escolha da educação das crianças. E, já agora, o apoio - directo! - às famílias mais necessitadas para que lhes sobre um pouco mais de tempo - dinheiro é tempo: dar dinheiro é dar tempo - para não precisarem tanto de fazer também este outsourcing dos deveres parentais, isto é, para que tenham algum tempo para transmitir algum conhecimento de educação sexual às suas crianças.

Angola, Jerusalem

2009-03-30T15:30:00.002+01:00

As time passes, history keeps rolling, I keep learning and thinking, life experience keeps flowing - there is one thing that gets as clear as thin glass: the impossibility to take sides in the (past) conflict in Angola (UNITA vs MPLA) and in the eternal conflict around Jerusalem (Israel vs Palestina). I have known this impossibility since I remember these conflicts. That impossibility is still the same, history hasn't change the balance of dignity to neither side, but time, not history, as made it definitively clear. The time for a resolution, or for no resolution at all, and the time for a bloody and unsettled end of war - has contributed not only to the impossibility to take sides but to the impossibility to expect real peace.

"condenados a [x] anos de cadeia com pena suspensa por igual período"

2009-03-25T19:12:00.001Z

Condenados a [x] anos de cadeia com pena suspensa por igual período. Condenados a tantos anos com pena suspensa por igual período. Condenados com pena suspensa por igual período. Pena suspensa por igual período. Pena suspensa. Sempre pena suspensa.

Em Portugal há esta lei terrível e recente que proíbe o Ministério Público de pedir pena de prisão efectiva sempre que o crime em questão seja punível no máximo com y anos de prisão. E creio haver também uma norma, também recente e terrível, que obriga os juízes a suspender quaisquer penas de prisão desde que a duração vá até z anos.

Crimes financeiros, crimes de sangue, crimes do pior, quaisquer crimes: já não se trata apenas de uma probabilidade baixa, por vários motivos, de um criminoso ser preso: trata-se de uma probabilidade nula.

Os números da impunidade no sistema penal português são estes: a probabilidade de um criminoso ser identificado e "apanhado" é baixa VEZES a probabilidade de se tornar acusado é baixa VEZES a probabilidade de alguma coisa ficar provada é baixíssima VEZES a probabilidade de ser condenado é baixíssima VEZES a probabilidade de, todos os recursos passados, a pena ser reduzida é alta VEZES a probabilidade de, transitada em julgado, a punição ser a prisão é baixíssima VEZES a probabilidade de a pena de prisão não ser "suspensa por igual período" é praticamente nula.

Número final, o número da impunidade penal portuguesa: a priori, antes do acto, no momento de decidir mato/não mato, violo/não violo, espanco/não espanco, torturo/não torturo - nesse momento, aquele que tem intenção de praticar um crime, sabe que a probabilidade de um dia vir a ser preso, preso efectivo, é aproximadamente zero.

O que ainda vai garantindo alguma paz social em Portugal é a falta de "consciência de classe" em relação à impunidade: a maior parte das pessoas talvez só vagamente se tenha apercebido da impunidade geral, por um lado, e, por outro e mais importante lado, a maior parte das pessoas, mesmo que se tenham apercebido disso, não têm conhecimento de que outras pessoas estão igualmente idignadas.

O que separa a indignação geral da revolta geral é só isto: uma assimetria de informação. Quando toda a gente souber que toda a gente sabe, pensa e sente o mesmo, então o resultado necessário será o fim da paz social.

Ouvir Pela Terceira Vez

2009-03-15T20:33:00.000Z

Não deveria haver a primeira vez que se ouve um cd. Nem a segunda. Devia-se começar logo pela terceira vez.

Book Critique (i): My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

2009-03-15T16:36:00.001Z

Oscar Wilde said art critique was the best of arts. Art was nothing but an excuse to produce art critique. And it is very true that, often, art critique is so much torn off from its subject, or object, that one can't recognize the object in the art critic's text.

It is like those professional comments on wine: it has a fruity flavor, a taste of honey and chestnuts, the aroma of antique oak from the cask gently caresses the palate and... and all those wine-critique clichés that no one ever really finds a justification for while drinking "the nectar of gods".

In the case of "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk, some of the book-critic clichés are marvelously justified as one keeps on reading it, without a stop. And isn't "reading without stopping, from page one to end" the biggest cliché in book-critique?

The immediately catchy feature of the book is its narrating strategy (let´s call it this way). Each chapter, the narrator voice, perspective and being is changed from one character of the story to the other, from protagonist to co-adjuvant character, from man to woman, master to apprentice. And no one has godly-knowledge of the story, not even about its main stream of events. And all those characters invoke our attention and talk directly to us ("us" means the reader, I didn't mean "me", eventhough those heroes and culprits of course specially enjoy addressing myself).

Now, the book offers many layers or planes (what is exactly that word book-critics are so fond of?) to the reader (and if the book offered something to someone else but the reader, who would that be?). First, there is a crime, a murderer, and we are urged by the victim himself to find who the assassin is. Second, there is the love story. Then, there are many aesthetic, philosophical and even religious questions that keep on being raised as characters dialogue and reflect. For instance, what is the importance of an artist's personal style in rendering his art? Is art important in itself or only as a means for some religious objective?

Also, some east-west antagonism is addressed. And the customs and traditions of a part of the Islamic world - Istanbul, XVI century - are shown in detail. Indeed, the scenario making ability - the interiors, landscapes, the objects, the social panorama - of Orhan Pamuk is extremely caring and (here comes another cliché) rich.

Thus, it is the descriptions, it is the multiple languages from the many narrating characters, it is the different ways they narrate the portions and perspectives of the story they have witnessed, it is the story itself, it is all the philosophical inquiries that are kept alive, it is the mystery, it is even the eroticism - each of these, all of these aspects are enlivened at a level of a genius and the result is a magnificent (the book-critic can neither run nor hide from this one word, can he?) masterpiece (no comment about the use of this term).

Each and every element in "My Name is Red" is sublime. Among all those jewels, let me select my favorite: Shekure. I get wonderfully fascinated and wittily delighted while reading the chapters told by the main female protagonist of the story. Telling of love and houselife, conjecturing about crime and about men - all of these directly from the mouth and soul of an Islamic Instabulite woman, and not just an "ordinary woman", but a fascinating one - is absolutely marvelous.

But it is not only Shekure who strongly seduces us: it is the whole of the masterpiece and it is each of its elements, just like a beautiful picture (in a XVI century illuminated book?) which first completely captures our attention because of its unique hues and, then, drives it to ever finer and graceful details.

Oh! And what art does to us! I've even forgotten I have some rice to get made and eaten!

Apetecia-me tanto ir agora até ao Guincho!...

2009-03-14T13:17:00.001Z

Apetecia-me, apetecia-me, apetecia-me.

Like a long forgotten...

2009-03-07T20:44:00.002Z

... and rediscovered secret ritual,

I am listening to the gentle music of

Antony and the Johnsons.

Questo Pomeriggio Mi Sento Così (xx)

2009-03-07T18:01:00.000Z

Ben Harper, Ben Harper and Ben Harper
and the Innocent Criminals.

A Fraca Originalidade do Jornalismo em Portugal (ii)

2009-02-17T23:49:00.000Z

A 14 de Novembro de 2008, escrevi este post com o mesmo título. Agora, encontrei um exemplo perfeito do que escrevi.

Este artigo de jornal, de um suposto jornal de referência, aqui.

A autora deste artigo, que, suponho, se considerará "jornalista" e terá a sua carteira profissional de jornalista, mais não faz do que resumir uma notícia que leu no New York Times e outra que leu em The Independent.

Ou seja, nem esta jornalista se deslocou aos lugares a que se reportam as notícias lidas e sumariadas por si, nem entrevistou qualquer pessoa envolvida com essas notícias, nem o suposto jornal de referência português utilizou um qualquer repórter, enviado ou correspondente que pudesse, ele próprio, averiguar das notícias lançadas originalmente pelo New York Times e pelo Independent.

O jornalismo português é, em grande parte, e sobretudo em relação às notícias estrangeiras, e mesmo em relação a muitas notícias nacionais, isto: há uns supostos jornalistas que lêem jornais e depois descrevem o que leram: muitas vezes copiando e plagiando, outras vezes descrevendo e sumariando com as suas próprias palavras.

É isto o jornalismo português: um trabalho de copy-paste e/ou de plágio (trabalho?) e/ou de resumo.

E, como não poderia deixar de ser, as "fontes" são sempre as mesmas: o New York Times, o Guardian, o Independent e até muitas vezes o Sun. Jornais de qualidade e mérito muito variáveis: todos a matéria-prima para os "jornais de referência" portugueses. E todos, sem excepção, jornais que "look down on" Portugal. Todos sem excepção.

O jornal de escândalos e estupidez The Sun atira para o ar um rumor de uma espécie de meia-suspeita sobre uma eventual investigação sobre um português e os jornais portugueses auto-intitulados de referência fazem-se logo mensageiros de The Sun.

O intelegentíssimo New York Times sugere que o governo português é nacionalista só por querer conservar em território português uma componente do espólio de Fernando Pessoa e, ainda assim, os jornalistas portugueses não se cansam de o copiar.

The Economist, esse símbolo da intelectualidade yuppie, compara Portugal à América Latina, e os jornais portugueses, todos e em bando, publicam um ranking de ministros das finanças completamente ridículo e idiota.

É assim o jornalismo português.

Täna on Sõbrapäev

2009-02-14T20:58:00.001Z

On jah!!!!!!!!

Täna Õhtust Meeleolu Kujundab (xix)

2009-02-13T22:58:00.001Z

Väga kaunis!

The Paradox of World Democracy

2009-02-10T15:36:00.000Z

If we give one vote to each sovereign country, strictly observing a democratic procedural rule, the world will end up being democratically ruled by tyrants: there are more tyranic sovereign countries than democratic ones.

Thus, in what grounds is it justified or not an oligarchy of democracies?

These are the questions that really matter for a reform of the United Nations Organization! These are the questions that matter for designing the institutions for world governance!

But... are tyranies non-democratic in each and every matter? Do they also have "tyranic" positions when it comes, say, to ecology? And the reverse: how benevolent are the stances of democracies in international matters like arms trade?

Still, the questions in the first and second paragraphs apply. But it might be that democracy and tyrany should be seen from the external point of view: say, how respectful of human rights is this and that demand?

In any case, always (the same) eternal problem: who is going to be above to decide what is a democratic claim in international politics and what is not?

At the end, always the same conclusion (or just a conjecture?): democracy turns out to be the best, eventhough most probably not that satisfactory.

Still From 2008

2009-02-05T01:55:00.002Z

Picture of Estonia (vi) and Interesting Cities, Interesting People: Estonia (xiv)

Summer

Interesting Cities, Interesting People at Home (xv)

Lisboa, Summer

Palmela, Summer

Setúbal, Summer

Coimbra, Summer

Interesting City, Interesting People at Home (xvi)

Lisboa, October

Pictures of Estonia (vii) and Interesting City, Interesting People: Tallinn in October or November (xvii)

Lucca

December 7th, 2008

Interesting City, Interesting People Abroad (xviii): Wien, Austria December 2008

Interesting River at Home (xix): Douro

December 23rd, 2008

Roma December 30th 2008

Who is Woody Allen?

2009-02-04T14:16:00.002Z

The other day I saw a trailer of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" which showed under the name of its director, and in small letters within parenthesis, "Scoop".

"Scoop" is one of the most unnecessary movies by Woody Allen. If this was the only one movie directed by him or by anyone else, such director could be considered absolutely irrelevant. If one really needs to give examples of what Woody Allen is and has done, one could write (maybe within parethesis but not in small letters) "Annie Hall", "The Purple Rose of Cairo", "Mighty Afrodite" or something as excellent as that. Not "Scoop".

But maybe it makes sense that "Scoop" is mentioned: the trailer of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", or the movie itself, might be meant for the kind of audience who had enjoyed "Scoop" and wants to see something along the same vein. Then, the trailer reveals the type of public the movie is directed at. (And maybe the movie was, from the beginning of its creation, targeted to that public, or maybe only after it was done someone realized who the target was).

Now, the thing is: who is Woody Allen? Is he the director of movies like "Scoop", or is he the director of movies like "Deconstructing Harry"? Or: who Woody Allen wants to be? The thing is, and above all, Woody Allen is the excellent artist of "Manhattan" and "Bullets over Broadway" BUT he is also the responsible for such things as "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" and, well, "Scoop". We and Woody all have to live with this: it is the same director who has done the excellent and the unnecessary and, true, he has done too many movies, movies that are drowned by their own quantity, movies that are diluted by the great quality of other ones. And who does he want to be? Well, he already is, and he is what he has allways been.

But it is precisely that he is such a persona, an artistic one, that there is not or there shouldn't be any need to make a reference to some of his titles: Woody Allen period should be enough. Just like Almodóvar: the title of his new film is stated and, underneath it, "Almodóvar": no need for further explanation, no need for a past (or the last) title, not even the need for "Pedro". "Almodóvar" and "Almodóvar" only, just like Machiavel (who remembers his name?), just like Michelangelo.

Woody Allen. Period.

Stasera Mi Sento Così (xviii)

2009-02-01T19:05:00.000Z

Laura Pausini and James Blunt singing "Primavera in Anticipo (It Is My Song)".

Twin Peaks

2009-01-31T23:11:00.000Z

It jokes and plays with many things, it is a critique of all soap operas and many other genres and, at the same time, it is extremely fun in the fundamental way soap operas are: we want to see the next episode because this one ended in the middle of something, in the middle of the best part!

"at the end of the series there was concerns the plot was getting out of control"

Of course!

With so many characters, so many connections among characters, it is almost impossible! There is no control! It is a narrative snowball!

I Don't Take Pictures of the City Anymore

2009-01-30T16:17:00.000Z

I don't take pictures of the city anymore. I belong to the city.

I Don't Take Pictures of the City Anymore

2009-01-30T16:16:00.000Z

I don't take pictures of the city anymore. The citys belongs to me.

Feliz Natal e Excelente 2009

2008-12-22T01:36:00.000Z

Merry Christmas and an excellent 2009!

Para todos.

To all.

Ei-lo!

2008-12-21T01:17:00.000Z

Aqui está ele:

Bom!

(E as azeitonas tinham caroço!).

Noite do Bacalhau

2008-12-20T21:05:00.000Z

A um dia do dia primeiro de Inverno, cozinha-se nesta casa bacalhau. De barco da Noruega para Portugal, de avião de Portugal para a Áustria e de combóio da Áustria para a Itália, o magnífico e muito internacional peixe salgado está neste momento a cozer na panela.

Há azeitonas pretas, esperemos que com caroço, e as batatas também já estão ao lume.

E está o azeite e o vinagre na mesa.

Missing Lisboa and Finding Edison Bookstore in Piazza della Repubblica

2008-11-27T15:17:00.003Z

Yesterday I was missing so much Lisboa. It was after 9pm. I felt like buying one or two cds, date a little bit those dvd boxes with tv series, past and present series. Going around the sections of "alternative music" and reggae and Brazilian music. Buying clothing. But... this is not Lisboa: in Firenze, excepting for restaurants, bars and "cultural associations" (the only way to have something opened after midnight is to create a "cultural association"), the only thing open till 9:30pm is Esselunga, the supermarket. Smaller supermarkets - "Coop" - close at 8:30pm.

The culture of shopping centres, big, extra big and gigantic might have some drawbacks... or not. Lisbon is the Europan capital city with the best weather during Summer and even better than the best during Winter. So I always got astonished at the crowds spending or wasting a beautifully and precious sunny Saturday buried inside Centro Comercial Colombo. And it was always strange that the most beautiful open air places in Lisbon were most of the times empty of Portuguese people.

But, still, there is something very good about shopping centres: freedom to buy literally everything after work or after study: from 9pm till midnight, the possibility to buy anything!

Or just to go around looking at books and music and movies and all of that.

So, yesterday, I was really happy to find a bookstore in Firenze that is open till midnight from Monday to Sunday! What a bliss! What a joy. It is the Edison bookstore in Piazza della Repubblica. It comprises many floors, people can bring their own books, sit and read. There is a caffeteria open also till midnight. It is a pity that they don't have music and dvds, only books. It is also a pity there are so few places to sit and definitely too few tables. Still, this was a great surprise!

Täna Õhtust Meeleolu Kujundab (xvii)

2008-11-22T21:13:00.000Z

Juulikuu Lumi (2007) by Terminaator