quinta-feira, 29 de outubro de 2009
The swine flu hoax
Conspiracy theory for the swine flu!
Let the discussion begin!
Produced by Dr. Ron Paul, an American physician and a Republican Congressman for the state of Texas.
You can watch one more interesting video by clicking here
Dr. Rauni_Lenna Luukanen-Kilde is the former chief of medical officer of the Lappland province in Finland and she is known by trying to take a deeper look in some questions by exposing her conspiracy theories.
sexta-feira, 23 de outubro de 2009
Two Strikes
Freedom of the press
"Reporters Without Borders" is a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. Recently a new list of the countries where the freedom of the press is respected came out. Portugal fell 14 positions to the 30th place being now at the same level as Mali and Costa Rica! Last year Portugal occupied the 16th place together with Holland, Lithuania and Czech Republic. European countries are falling on the list as the governments are controlling more and more the Media. Other more dramatic examples are Italy and Spain, which occupy the 44th position together. This ranking is made every year. In the first position, with the biggest freedom of the press we have Denmark and as the last ones we have Cuba, Iran and Eritrea.
Countries with the biggest gaps between rich and poor
It is well known that developed countries have an increased tendency to have bigger gaps between richer and poorer people. The UN Development Program came out with a world list of the countries in which this difference is noted the most. In the first place we have Hong Kong, the most vertical city in the world! While rich people show themselves through the streets on big expensive Ferraris, about half the population lives in government-supported or -subsidized housing estates. Singapore, another fast-growing city occupies the 2nd position. Already in the 3rd, surprise or not, we have USA. Then we have Israel and, in the 5th position we have Portugal! A tiny country, considered stable, not involved in wars, member of the EU, country of the sun and the beach! Basically a country that could be on the last places of this list but, by unexplained reasons appears already in the 5th position worldwide! "While Portugal emerged from recession in the second quarter, the unemployment rate tops 9%. The ruling Socialists retained power in elections last month but lost seats to parties on the far left". The next countries appearing on the list are New Zealand, Italy and Britain (together in the 7th position), Australia, Ireland and Greece. On the other side of this ranking, we have more surprises! The countries where the rich-poor gap is less noted are Scandinavian countries, Japan and Czech Republic!
The twists this world gives, are sometimes not understandable...
"Reporters Without Borders" is a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. Recently a new list of the countries where the freedom of the press is respected came out. Portugal fell 14 positions to the 30th place being now at the same level as Mali and Costa Rica! Last year Portugal occupied the 16th place together with Holland, Lithuania and Czech Republic. European countries are falling on the list as the governments are controlling more and more the Media. Other more dramatic examples are Italy and Spain, which occupy the 44th position together. This ranking is made every year. In the first position, with the biggest freedom of the press we have Denmark and as the last ones we have Cuba, Iran and Eritrea.
Countries with the biggest gaps between rich and poor
It is well known that developed countries have an increased tendency to have bigger gaps between richer and poorer people. The UN Development Program came out with a world list of the countries in which this difference is noted the most. In the first place we have Hong Kong, the most vertical city in the world! While rich people show themselves through the streets on big expensive Ferraris, about half the population lives in government-supported or -subsidized housing estates. Singapore, another fast-growing city occupies the 2nd position. Already in the 3rd, surprise or not, we have USA. Then we have Israel and, in the 5th position we have Portugal! A tiny country, considered stable, not involved in wars, member of the EU, country of the sun and the beach! Basically a country that could be on the last places of this list but, by unexplained reasons appears already in the 5th position worldwide! "While Portugal emerged from recession in the second quarter, the unemployment rate tops 9%. The ruling Socialists retained power in elections last month but lost seats to parties on the far left". The next countries appearing on the list are New Zealand, Italy and Britain (together in the 7th position), Australia, Ireland and Greece. On the other side of this ranking, we have more surprises! The countries where the rich-poor gap is less noted are Scandinavian countries, Japan and Czech Republic!
The twists this world gives, are sometimes not understandable...
quarta-feira, 21 de outubro de 2009
sábado, 17 de outubro de 2009
Texting while driving
This video is from an English campaign against the writing of SMS's while driving. Maybe, being objective and realistic, people will think twice before grabbing a mobile phone inside the car.
"Protect the lives of others while driving"
"Protect the lives of others while driving"
quinta-feira, 15 de outubro de 2009
Referendum
The meaning of the word "Referendum":
- "The submission of a proposed public measure or actual statute to a direct popular vote"?
- "a diplomatic agent's note asking for government instructions"?
No.
The true definition is: "a consultation about some proposal with the people in order to introduce debate among the country and control the media so in some years the mind of people is changed and Government can approve the new proposal"
Should the word Re-referendum exist?!
- "The submission of a proposed public measure or actual statute to a direct popular vote"?
- "a diplomatic agent's note asking for government instructions"?
No.
The true definition is: "a consultation about some proposal with the people in order to introduce debate among the country and control the media so in some years the mind of people is changed and Government can approve the new proposal"
Should the word Re-referendum exist?!
The Lisbon Treaty
This is tough subject to try to talk about, even more to say it correctly!
The treaty was first signed in Lisbon on the 13th of December, 2007. We are now in the long period of ratification by the different countries that always try to obtain the best for themselves.
The main goals of the treaty are:
- Not to serve as an autonomous document but rather an amend to the previous European treaties (times change, laws change and need to be adapted);
- Implement a “Charter of Fundamental Rights” to save the people’s political, social and economic rights;
- To officially name the European Central bank as an EU institution;
- To change the name of the “court of justice of the European communities” to “court of justice of the EU” and create a new emergency procedure for individuals in custody abroad;
- To fully introduce the “qualified majority voting” as standard method for voting in the European Council, meaning that “a qualified majority is reached when a at least 55% of all member countries who represent at least 65% of all EU citizens vote in favour of a proposal”
- Among other articles making minor changes in the hierarchic organization of the representatives of the EU.
The EU will have exclusive competences (does not need member’s approval and members have to accept it) in:
- The customs union;
- The establishing of the competition rules necessary for the functioning of the internal market;
- Monetary policy for the member states whose currency is the euro;
- The conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy;
- Common commercial policy.
Strict economic rules can ruin the small countries on their attempt to satisfy and meet these rules!
The Europe will become stronger and more unified with the treaty, making global important decisions to be held by many different cultures, together in an attempt to promote well-being and justice and at the same time it will face other big world potencies (USA, China, and Japan). Those are really important goals that EU should focus on because a single country does not have the same influence as a union of countries.
However, each and single country should not let this politics, to change their beliefs, culture and traditions. Small countries should not accept the proposals of the EU with indifference. The consequences should be carefully monitored because it might be the last chance of saying a world of yes or no.
Before its approval (which is done) and ratification, each country can try to have “opt-outs”, meaning they do not have to participate in certain policy areas. As much as the union tries to make equality to every country, there are always agreements and disagreements to certain policies, especially when they limit the activity of the particular country.
For example, Portugal has the largest sea territory but it is not the country of the EU that fishes the most because on the right time we did not impose our right.
Of course I am not writing this post just because I wanted to know more about this new European document. Vaclav Klaus, president of Czech Republic did not sign the treaty yet. This man is the second president of the Czech Republic and he is now on his second mandate after re-election in 2008 through the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the right-wing main party. He is known to be a strong eurosceptic and he is trying to make sure that the ratification of the treaty will not change the economics of Czech Republic, especially now that the country is in a fast-growing period.
So, what is his main reason to ask for an “opt-out”?
After de second world war many Germans were expel from Czech Republic. The West Bohemia, where Plzen is was really influenced by many German families that set their lives here during the war. As the Charter of Fundamental Rights” is now, post-war German deportees could claim their old properties in Czech soil leading to hundreds of justice processes in court that would be judge by members of the EU that are not inside the History and do not know exactly what happen at those times. He is trying to get a special amend to Czech Republic to avoid this new conflict with Germany. At least this is what the big media say.
sábado, 10 de outubro de 2009
The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.
Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
Oslo, October 9, 2009
What is going on in our world?
Where is the truly spirit of the peace Nobel Prize?
How can a person be awarded and at the same time be on active war in several places around the world?
This nomination fell as a bomb on my thoughts and the immediate thing that I asked to myself was “where is this world going?” I like the president of the USA. He is still a good choice to try changing what he inherited from Bush and Americans are satisfied with his work. However I think it is extremely premature to award him. A person should receive some prize for what he or she has done and not for his or her wishing of discovery, willing to change something, effort in some project. I mean, first you should expose your theory, show your results and then be awarded if it justifies. Not the opposite, as it happened just now.
If one wants to be ironic, the motives of this surprising award were/are:
- He still didn’t close the Guantanamo prison;
- High risk prisoners and enemies continue to be tortured, threatened and treated in the margin of the US constitution;
- He authorized CIA to capture enemies and take them to countries where human rights are not respected;
- In Pakistan the civilian attacks multiply and we count tenths of people dead per week, despite the presence of American troops;
- He is (directly or indirectly) continuing with the oil wars in several countries, naming Iran, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan causing (again directly or indirectly) the dead of millions (yes millions!) of people;
- He just approved the sending of extra 40,000 troops to Afghanistan;
- He authorized the order to kill in case of a pirate attack to a ship (instead of trying the diplomatic way to solve the problem);
- He is doing a great job in the relationship between Palestine and Israeli by prolonging this important conflict and again by letting thousands of people to die;
- He did nothing (yet) for the global warming problem.
The man pointed almost as a saver of a nation is falling on the nets of corruption, hidden motives when helping someone and influences from really powerful people, specifically located on the fields of oil industry and banking.
Washington Post wrote: “Obama is pushing to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, stop Iran's nuclear enrichment program, pass legislation to slow global warming, and strengthen international nuclear nonproliferation protocols”
“Pushing to restart”? And meanwhile he is 1 million euro richer (not that he needs the money) and people continue to die! Trying to change the world is not so difficult but it should be recognized and motivated (however, not by the Nobel Prize). Changing it is the great challenge and if Obama changed something was the promises he made on the elections compared to what he is doing now.
The same newspaper says then “In some respects, the prize could make his [Obama’s] approach more difficult on issues as diverse as climate change and Afghanistan, where Obama has largely failed to secure significant new resources from NATO allies eight years into the war”. Isn’t this obvious?!
“Obama is the world leading speaking” does not mean he is the one deciding the meaning of the word “peace”. There are always two sides in a war and many times it is impossible to calculate which one is the good before the consequences are noted. I hope I can say this was the right decision in some years.
Once again, this is not a direct critic to the President of the USA. In my personal opinion, his general ideas fit with my beliefs. I just do not understand how a prize that is attributed for peace can be given to someone on war with half of the world. There are other ways to stimulate the “good work” made till now.
We should not put the cart in front of the bulls!
Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.
Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."
Oslo, October 9, 2009
What is going on in our world?
Where is the truly spirit of the peace Nobel Prize?
How can a person be awarded and at the same time be on active war in several places around the world?
This nomination fell as a bomb on my thoughts and the immediate thing that I asked to myself was “where is this world going?” I like the president of the USA. He is still a good choice to try changing what he inherited from Bush and Americans are satisfied with his work. However I think it is extremely premature to award him. A person should receive some prize for what he or she has done and not for his or her wishing of discovery, willing to change something, effort in some project. I mean, first you should expose your theory, show your results and then be awarded if it justifies. Not the opposite, as it happened just now.
If one wants to be ironic, the motives of this surprising award were/are:
- He still didn’t close the Guantanamo prison;
- High risk prisoners and enemies continue to be tortured, threatened and treated in the margin of the US constitution;
- He authorized CIA to capture enemies and take them to countries where human rights are not respected;
- In Pakistan the civilian attacks multiply and we count tenths of people dead per week, despite the presence of American troops;
- He is (directly or indirectly) continuing with the oil wars in several countries, naming Iran, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan causing (again directly or indirectly) the dead of millions (yes millions!) of people;
- He just approved the sending of extra 40,000 troops to Afghanistan;
- He authorized the order to kill in case of a pirate attack to a ship (instead of trying the diplomatic way to solve the problem);
- He is doing a great job in the relationship between Palestine and Israeli by prolonging this important conflict and again by letting thousands of people to die;
- He did nothing (yet) for the global warming problem.
The man pointed almost as a saver of a nation is falling on the nets of corruption, hidden motives when helping someone and influences from really powerful people, specifically located on the fields of oil industry and banking.
Washington Post wrote: “Obama is pushing to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, stop Iran's nuclear enrichment program, pass legislation to slow global warming, and strengthen international nuclear nonproliferation protocols”
“Pushing to restart”? And meanwhile he is 1 million euro richer (not that he needs the money) and people continue to die! Trying to change the world is not so difficult but it should be recognized and motivated (however, not by the Nobel Prize). Changing it is the great challenge and if Obama changed something was the promises he made on the elections compared to what he is doing now.
The same newspaper says then “In some respects, the prize could make his [Obama’s] approach more difficult on issues as diverse as climate change and Afghanistan, where Obama has largely failed to secure significant new resources from NATO allies eight years into the war”. Isn’t this obvious?!
“Obama is the world leading speaking” does not mean he is the one deciding the meaning of the word “peace”. There are always two sides in a war and many times it is impossible to calculate which one is the good before the consequences are noted. I hope I can say this was the right decision in some years.
Once again, this is not a direct critic to the President of the USA. In my personal opinion, his general ideas fit with my beliefs. I just do not understand how a prize that is attributed for peace can be given to someone on war with half of the world. There are other ways to stimulate the “good work” made till now.
We should not put the cart in front of the bulls!
domingo, 4 de outubro de 2009
Documentary suggestion
I found this video some days ago and it is extremely interesting. It is not new that USA is involved in some kind of blurred wars all over the world being the most known example the Iraq and the Afghanistan wars.
The 4 parts documentary shows the intelligent manipulation of a nation that supposedly has the duty of maintain the peace worldwide over some small but strategically really important African countries. It shows the reality lived and being lived by defenseless people in the insatiable search of oil at any human cost. Those countries are the Djibouti, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (also dominated by powerful multi-national companies looking for rare minerals) and Sudan.
It is available in:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
The 4 parts documentary shows the intelligent manipulation of a nation that supposedly has the duty of maintain the peace worldwide over some small but strategically really important African countries. It shows the reality lived and being lived by defenseless people in the insatiable search of oil at any human cost. Those countries are the Djibouti, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (also dominated by powerful multi-national companies looking for rare minerals) and Sudan.
It is available in:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Subscrever:
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