This song has been on repeat for a minute. Love this song.

So… the Congressional Research Service (CRS) finds that ACORN has spent money the way they said they would. AND… That no one registered to vote illegally by ACORN ever actually voted. 

 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/22/acorn-properly-spent-federal-funds-congressional-study-says/?test=latestnews

 Hmmm… Last I checked the charges weren’t that they spent money wrongly.. it’s that they get money at all.. to register people who don’t exist or that couldn’t vote where they got registered by ACORN.  In the whole report nothing was said to the effect that ACORN didn’t register people illegally.. it’s that the people they illegally registered didn’t vote… Good I hope Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck didn’t actually vote.  Then I’d be worried.  They get federal funding to “register people to vote”. 

Thats what they did.. but the people they registered to vote can’t vote, like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, but what it can do is sway public opinion when in their candidate when the numbers of “registered voters” supporting the other guy gets higher than theirs.  Thats when people say.. well my guy isn’t going to win, so I’ll just vote for the black guy so I can say I was on the winning side.  The reason they got stripped of funding is because the government was paying them to do this. 

And then the report says the congress voting to strip them of funding is unconstitutional because no law can target one group or individual… Well then I guess all the bills giving them the money in the first place are unconstitutional and they should have to pay it back. 

These people are experts at twisting the truth… read between the lines people.

Some times we have to do a maual cleanup of failed CRS installation or some old CRS installation that was done. We have a automated way of cleaning up CRS as show below

1) Run rootdelete.sh script present in $ORA_CRS_HOME/install directory

2) Run rootdeinstall.sh script present in $ORA_CRS_HOME/install directory

If you have unknowingly deleted the CRS HOME before running the above scripts then you can follow below procedure to manually clean up the CRS.

Manual Cleanup of CRS on Linux

1. Remove following files as root user on ALL NODES IN CLUSTER

rm /etc/oracle/*
rm -f /etc/init.d/init.cssd
rm -f /etc/init.d/init.crs
rm -f /etc/init.d/init.crsd
rm -f /etc/init.d/init.evmd
rm -f /etc/rc2.d/K96init.crs
rm -f /etc/rc2.d/S96init.crs
rm -f /etc/rc3.d/K96init.crs
rm -f /etc/rc3.d/S96init.crs
rm -f /etc/rc5.d/K96init.crs
rm -f /etc/rc5.d/S96init.crs
rm -Rf /etc/oracle/scls_scr
rm -f /etc/inittab.crs
cp /etc/inittab.orig /etc/inittab

2. If they are not already down then kill off EVM, CRS and CSS process as root user on ALL NODES

ps -ef | grep crs    
kill <crs pid>
ps -ef | grep evm
kill <evm pid>
ps -ef | grep css    
kill <css pid>

3. Remove the files in /var/tmp/.oracle or /tmp/.oracle on ALL NODES

rm -f /var/tmp/.oracle/*
or
rm -f /tmp/.oracle/*

4. Remove the ocr.loc at /etc/oracle on ALL NODES

5. De-install the CRS home in the Oracle Universal Installer
This is to remove the CRS home from inventory. Installer may not be able to remove the files in the slot as CRS home is already deleted, but it will clean up the inventory.

6. Remove the CRS install location on ALL NODES
In case you have not removed the CRS install directory, please do so.

7. Remove OCR and Voting disk from shared location from any 1 node

Once above manual steps are done, the hosts are cleaned up and ready for next CRS installation.

Hope this helps !!

References:

Metalink Note ID : 239998.1

Aditi brought up the Kingston, TN,  coal ash disaster  in class on Friday. I received the following email and Birmingham News report from the Cahaba River Society this afternoon. It seems air quality issues and power generation are tied to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Who’d a thunk it? Y’all would after a semester of APES. The entire letter can be found on a a page called Kingston Mine. Untagling the connectiong in this article  could serve as another final exam for APES.

When Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo used the word “pussyfoot” in one of her State of the Nation Address, a lot of people wondered what “pussyfoot” really means.  Some modern individuals thought that the word “pussyfoot” connotes something sexual. According to yourdictionary.com, it means to shy away from a definite commitment or from taking a firm stand. It is actually derived from a cat’s gesture of shying away after feeling the coldness of water by its foot.

This is the word that I use to describe what the Catholic Priest, Abraham “Abe” P. Arganiosa, CRS, does on a challenge for an awaited debate. Mister Pussyfoot tries to make it appear that he is eager to face Bro. Eli Soriano but gives unfavorable conditions to make it appear that he is willing to engage in a debate but under the cloak of hypocrisy.

http://thesplendorofthechurch.blogspot.com/2009/11/update-on-church-of-god-international.html

WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION? YES, I AM WILLING TO DEBATE HIM. WE SHALL DEBATE ONCE HE RETURNS TO THE PHILIPPINES. WE CAN EVEN DEBATE WHILE HE IS INSIDE HIS PRISON CELL.

Mister Pussyfoot Abe said that he is willing to debate with Bro. Eli Soriano on the condition that he returns to the Philippines. Pussyfoot Abe ignores the fact that Bro. Soriano can still debate with him despite the long distance through modern technology. As a media practitioner, Pussyfoot Abe knows that two people from distant places can communicate through radio and television because of the advancement of technology in Mass Communication. Mister Pussyfoot is fully aware that a media personality can interview the President in Malacañang and be a detractor at the same time and start a heated discussion on air.

Mister Pussyfoot might not be aware that Bro. Eli Soriano was able to debate with Pastor William Saraga despite the long distance. The video of the debate can be seen in Youtube.Com.

Abe Arganiosa, aka Mister Pussyfoot, instead diverts the debate issue to other people to make it appear that Bro. Eli Soriano cannot face his opponents in a debate.

WHEN DID SORIANO SAID THAT HE IS ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE OF SOC, LLASOS, VENTILACION AND PARBA?

WHEN DID HE SAY THAT HE IS ACCEPTING THE CALL OF WILLY SANTIAGO?

WHEN? NADA, NUNCA, NOTHING. IN RUSSIAN, NYET-NYET!!! HA, HA, HA…

Mister Pussyfoot namedropped people whom Bro. Eli Soriano challenged in the past and made it appear that Bro. Eli Soriano was the one who shied away.  He even included his fellow compatriot in Cebu, Soc Fernandez who agreed for a discussion but did not show up. Mister Pussyfoot still ignores the fact that one of Soc Fernandez’s companions in the person of Rey Entilla was given time by Bro. Soriano for a debate on National Television. However, Soc Fernandez never showed up for the agreed discussion in Cebu.

Another funny thing about Mister Pussyfoot is that he also gives an improbable condition and that is to face Soriano in front of the INC Temple in Commonwealth.

I AM WILLING TO FACE SORIANO. RIGHT IN FRONT OF INC CENTRAL TEMPLE IN COMMONWEALTH. HA, HA, HA… WE CAN INVITE THE JUDGE OF HIS HOMOSEXUAL RAPE CASE TO BE THE MODERATOR. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THAT?

Mister Pussyfoot might be ignorant that debating on INC grounds is dangerous because of records of mishaps done by INC members. Why did you suggest that, Padre Abe? Are you the mouthpiece of the Iglesia ni Cristo members hiding in your white skirts?

INC is also involved on a mishap that happened by Jollibee, Apalit.

This is the reason why Bro. Eli Soriano challenged the INC to a peaceful debate which was to be aired on television wherein possible casualties can be avoided. INC hurts Catholics as well, based on records just like an instance of an INC minister shooting a Catholic. Isn’t that right, Padre Abe?

Any person like Mister Pussyfoot Padre Abe who challenges anyone on INC grounds for a debate might be qualified to be brought to a Mental Institution for possible treatment.

To be biblical, there is really an ongoing war between the forces of good and evil. However, the war is not something physical.

(Ephesians 6:12)

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Abe Arganiosa clearly pussyfoots from a debate between him and Bro. Eli Soriano. He is a coward priest who knows nothing but hide under the cloak of pretense and hypocrisy to avoid shame once his erroneous teachings will have been exposed to his shame in a public fora.

Bruce Bartlett, former Treasury Department economist and columnist for Forbes, reviews the high prices of war:

During World War II, federal revenues roughly tripled as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) and the number of people paying income taxes expanded tenfold, from 3% of the population in 1939 to 30% by 1943. In 1940, a family of four needed close to $80,000 of income in today’s dollars before it paid any federal income taxes at all. By the war’s end, it saw its effective tax rate rise from 1.5% to 15.1%. (Today such a family only pays a federal income tax rate of about 6%.) But taxes weren’t the only way the war was paid for. Spending on nondefense programs was cut almost in half, from 8.1% of GDP in 1940 to 4.4% in 1945.

…In 1950 and 1951 Congress increased taxes by close to 4% of GDP to pay for the Korean War, even though the high World War II tax rates were still largely in effect. In 1968, a 10% surtax was imposed to pay for the Vietnam War, which raised revenue by about 1% of GDP. And there was conscription during both wars, which can be viewed as a kind of tax that was largely paid by the poor and middle class–young men from wealthy families largely escaped its effects through college deferments.

…According to the CRS, the marginal cost of continuing the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is about $11 billion per month, with no end in sight. Although there has been some decline in spending for the Iraq war, it has been more than offset by the rising cost of the war in Afghanistan. According to OMB director Peter Orszag, it costs about $1 million per year per soldier in the field, so adding 30,000 additional troops in Afghanistan, as President Obama is expected to do next week, will cost another $30 billion per year.

Aquí dejo unos videos que no dejan de ser meras pruebas de alimentación a Crystar Red con Shirakura, Hayashi, Papilla comercial para discos, Hai Feng y Ebita breed. Con las imágenes por delante sería presuntuoso por mi parte emitir un juicio, así que queda en manos del espectador decidir las inclinaciones alimenticias de mis CRS.

Shirakura:

Hayashi:

Papilla comercial para discos:

Hai Feng:

Ebita breed:

Pubblichiamo di seguito una comunicazione dell’Ufficio Tempi del comune di Rho, relativa ad  un’azione sperimentale che prevede l’utilizzo di nuovi servizi on-line ad accesso tramite CRS sul portale del Comune

Caro Cittadino,

Il Comune di Rho, grazie a un finanziamento di Regione Lombardia e nell’abito del progetto “Il Tempo Restituito”, sta mettendo in campo nuove idee e nuove soluzioni per migliorare la qualità della vita dei suoi cittadini, liberarli da code agli sportelli, rende l’accesso ai servizi comunali più facile e rapido grazie a un nuovo ventaglio di servizi on-line.

A questi nuovi servizi sarà possibile accedere solo con la CRS(la carta regionale dei servizi di cui tutti siamo in possesso) e il suo PIN associato, attraverso un lettore smart card.

Stiamo cercando un campione di 300 cittadini e cittadine che abbiano uno o più dei seguenti requisiti:

• età compresa tra i 19 e i 55 anni di età
• lavoratori a Milano
• con bambini in età scolare
• studenti universitari

Se fai parte di questa fascia di ricerca e vuoi partecipare alla sperimentazione: “Miglioramento dell’accessibilità e fruibilità dei servizi pubblici e della pubblica amministrazione tramite al creazione di un sistema integrato di pagamento ei servizi on-line tramite la CRS”, basta che compili il questionario (scaricabile al seguente Link) e lo rispedisci all’indirizzo e-mail: ufficio.tempi@comune.rho.mi.it entro il 19 dicembre 2009.

Ti verranno poi fornite tutte le indicazioni sulla sperimentazione, su dove e quando venire a ritirare il tuo lettore smart card gratuito e il codice PIN della tua CRS nel caso tu non ne sia già in possesso o l’abbia smarrito, su come accedere ai nuovi servizi in via sperimentale.*

Per qualunque informazione puoi chiamare l’Ufficio Tempi del Comune di Rho: 02.93.33.22.56/323 o scrivere una e-mail a ufficio.tempi@comune.rho.mi.it

Grazie per la collaborazione

* verranno considerati validi solo i questionari compilati nella loro interezza , che contengano i recapiti per le comunicazioni successive e abbiano ottenuto il consenso al trattamento dei dati personali

Anyss Arbib: «Beaucoup de policiers m’ont ajouté dans leurs contacts Facebook»

Lire l’article

STUPID BRIT, VERY SORRY USA!

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, presently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863. It did not become a federal holiday until 1941. Thanksgiving was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, but is now primarily identified as a national holiday.[1]

The First Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive the brutal winter.[citation needed] The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Indians.[2] The feast consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. However, the traditional Thanksgiving menu often features turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

The Obamas

And so on…you can read the Cockney Masterpiece too LOL

An announcent from Blue Mars

As of today we will be incorporating Cockney Rhyming Slang into our chat. To start you off me old china, Blue Mars can be referred to as Supa Stars.

Cockney rhyming slang (sometimes abbreviated as CRS) is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. Many of its expressions have passed into common language, and the creation of new ones is no longer restricted to Cockneys

So “

• Not another frog to cross? Me plates are killing me, wish I could be-a-sport like in Supa.
• ” Not another road (frog and toad) to cross? Me feet (plates of meat) are killing me. Wish I could teleport (be-a-sport) like in Blue Mars (supa stars).

Please note that only the first word of the phrase is used. Comments please and maybe my trouble will show you her bristols.

Tee Shirt for the first translation of:

‘Allo me old china – wot say we pop round the Jack. I’ll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on about your teapots. We can ‘ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve.

Oh btw Virtuality Labs dot com is Live and so is La Carissima dot com

Video being coverted as we speak………………..phew AND my minces ache cause Mick took my Gregories by mistake stupid merchant banker

And CRS is OK, this from the BBC:

A cash machine operator has introduced Cockney rhyming slang to a number of its ATMs in east London.

People using Bank Machine’s ATMs can opt to have their prompts and options given to them in rhyming slang.

As a result they will be asked to enter their Huckleberry Finn, rather than their Pin, and will have to select how much sausage and mash (cash) they want.

The rhyming slang prompts will be available from five cash machines in east London for three months.

Other rhyming slang prompts people can expect include a speckled hen (£10), while the machine may inform users that it is contacting their rattle and tank, rather than bank.

Ron Delnevo, managing director of Bank Machine, said: “We wanted to introduce something fun and of local interest to our London machines.

“Whilst we expect some residents will visit the machine to just have a butcher’s (look), most will be genuinely pleased as this is the first time a financial services provider will have recognised the Cockney language in such a manner.”

Out of respect Pray Silence For Her Royal Highness, Her Majesty The Queen.

(source : http://www.slate.fr/story/13459/racisme-violence-police-arabe-bavure  24/11/09)

Anyss Arbib, étudiant en quatrième année à Sciences-Po Paris, s’est retrouvé mercredi au cœur d’une guerre. Mais d’«une guerre franco-française.»

Anyss Arbib a posté sur Facebook son témoignage de victime de «violences policières aveugles». C’était le soir du dernier match Egypte-Algérie, et ce soir-là les policiers français n’étaient pas tendres à l’égard des Français issus de l’immigration. Arbib et son ami se sont fait copieusement asperger de gaz lacrymogène par un CRS, abreuvé de: «Dégage, sale Arabe!»

Sur sa page Facebook, il écrit: «Je ne pouvais même pas lui répondre que j’étais au moins autant français que lui, la menace physique et l’impunité étant bien trop grandes. Mon honneur, mes valeurs et mes certitudes sous le coude, je rentrais chez moi blessé… par la nation. Blessé dans une guerre franco-française qui, malheureusement, semble être banalisée».

A Libération, il a expliqué comment il s’était rendu à Paris (il habite Bondy) pour faire la fête, et comment, arrivé dans la capitale avec un ami, il voit que les mouvements de foule commencent à dégénérer, qu’il y a des casseurs, et décide de rentrer. Il raconte comment il s’arrête Porte Maillot, en voiture, pour attendre d’autres amis, il raconte toutes les autres voitures de types qui attendent comme lui, les cars de CRS qui arrivent de plus en plus nombreux et le déchaînement de violence policière auquel il assiste.

Peu après, la voiture dans laquelle se trouve le frère de mon ami arrive. On décide de partir. A ce moment-là, on voit un CRS fracasser le nez d’un jeune d’un coup de matraque net et précis. On regarde, atterrés. Un CRS s’approche de notre voiture, tape du poing sur la tôle et lance: “Qu’est-ce que tu regardes ? Dégage, dégage !” Je commence à trouver cela révoltant. J’ai l’impression que nous ne sommes plus dans un Etat de droit. (…) Au policier qui me demandait ce que je regardais, je lui réponds : “Je regarde devant moi, je connais mes droits, je suis étudiant à Sciences-Po.” Réponse: “J’emmerde Sciences-Po!” Je lui fais observer que je suis poli avec lui et qu’il n’a pas à utiliser un tel langage. Il coupe court: “Ferme ta gueule.” Son collègue me pulvérise sur le visage un gel lacrymogène. C’est la première fois que cela m’arrive. C’est une agression gratuite. Un geste injustifiable. Je n’arrive plus à respirer. Je sors de la voiture, je m’allonge par terre. J’ai la sensation d’agoniser en étouffant. Mon ami est dans le même état. Quand je reprends mes esprits, j’essaie d’avoir des explications. On me dit : “Dégage, sale Arabe!” Après coup, mes copains m’ont dit : “Sciences-Po ou pas, tu restes un Arabe!”

Arrêts sur image souligne que ce qui frappe, dans le témoignage d’Anyss Arbib, «c’est finalement la rareté de ce genre de témoignage. Des contrôles au faciès, dans les quartiers dits «difficiles», nous avons de nombreux témoignages. Mais d’un indiscutable flagrant délit de racisme, par un policier en service, les témoignages sont rares.»

Arrêts sur image explique aussi que le jeune homme montrait de nombreux signes d’intégration, que c’est sans doute cela qui l’a aidé à faire émerger son témoignage, et que cette intégration-là, ce sont quelques signes positifs dans cette sombre histoire.

[Lire l'article complet sur le site de Libération (accès payant) ou sur le blog de Richard Descoings]

 

Une question à deux balles si j’ose dire !

En réalité, c’est bien plus grave qu’il n’y paraît. Je parcourais ce matin de nombreux sites et blogs pour essayer de décrypter l’information à ma façon, détachée, parfois virulente, au couteau même, mais toujours honnête. Enfin, je le crois. Nul n’étant à l’abri d’une erreur, j’en fais aussi. Mon précédent billet qui parlait de Rama Yade indiquait bien cette tendance à renvoyer les gens…ouverts aux autres, pour peu qu’ils soient noir ou arabe, vers les “leurs”. Étonnant constat chez ceux qui prônent à cor et à cri, le vivre ensemble. Dans la praxis hélas, aucun point de convergence avec leurs dires.

Lors de mes pérégrinations internétiques, donc, je tombe sur une vidéo de Jacques Chirac, l’ancien chef de l’État. Il vient de rencontrer un jeune homme. Ce dernier répondant à sa question “Vous êtes d’où vous ?” lui indique qu’il est d’une commune près de Bordeaux, Lormont.  Chirac laisse transparaître son étonnement devant le maire bordelais Alain Juppé, en indiquant que le jeune homme ne peut être originaire de cette région. En effet, sa peau basanée lui interdirait cette  filiation. Hélas, on peut naître quelque part sans y être originaire forcément mais, la question ne devrait même pas être posée.

Au fil de mes lectures, je tombe sur une autre affaire qui ne va pas faire grand bruit, même comme c’est en UNE de Libération. C’est l’affaire assez choquante de cet étudiant de Sciences-Po, Anyss Arbib. D’abord, cette indication barbante “Français originaire du Maroc” est risible. C’est mieux de laisser la chronique en dessous, plus explicite sur ce délit de faciès qui est condamnable en théorie. L’impunité étant un bien partagé par une minorité, rien ne sera fait par la suite. Les “dégage sale Arabe ?” ont de beaux jours devant eux. Et, le clou de la journée, c’est la visite en banlieue de M. déclencheur d’émeutes. (cliquez)

Je suis aussi tombé sur cet évènement malheureux, dans le 13e arrondissement de Paris. Des élèves d’un établissement professionnel, le lycée technologique parisien Jean-Lurça, veulent en découdre avec leur professeur d’anglais. Cette femme refuse que les élèves manipulent leurs portables et autres fanfaronnades pendant ses cours. Quoi de plus normal ? Or, ces derniers, empêtrés dans LEURS us et coutumes, refusent, et demandent même un nouvel enseignant moins regardant qui les laissera libre de leurs mouvements. On croit rêver mais ça, vous ne le lirez pas partout, ça concerne des enfants…blancs en majorité et rien à voir avec “l’étranger”, sous-entendu, loin du périphérique, c’est à dire, en banlieue. Encore heureux. Si ça avait été le cas, des camions de CRS auraient déjà été envoyés sur place.

En conclusion, vous noterez qu’il n’y a rien de plus terrible que l’exclusion. Chirac estime qu’un Arabe ne peut se revendiquer de Lormont. Or, ça se pourrait, in fine, que ce jeune homme y est né et n’a jamais bougé de cet endroit et ne connait même pas le Maghreb.   Ainsi va la France de l’identité nationale qui tend à retourner le couteau dans la plaie plus qu’autre chose. Tout ça, pour une élection régionale.  Alors, pourquoi être surpris quand des africains-français fêtent la qualification du pays d’origine de leurs parents pour le mondial de football ? Sans bien sûr cautionner ceux qui cassent, c’est l’effet du rejet…

Continuing our seven-part blog mini-series entitled “7 Things You Need to Know About Oracle 11gR2″, Integra Senior DBA Jason Buchanan, recently one of just twelve people from around the world hand-picked by Oracle to participate in the Oracle 11gR2 final beta, offers his thoughts on the CRS to Grid transition in Oracle 11gR2:

Oracle 11g Release 2 provides a streamlined upgrade solution for the database and supportive products such as CRS and ASM. It’s important to take into consideration some of the changes in 11.2, specifically the location of where CRS and ASM binaries are located.

For the most part, upgrading the database and database binaries is much the same as upgrading previous releases – but CRS is different.

CRS isn’t really CRS anymore, either. It is now the Oracle Grid Infrastructure which is comprised of CRS and ASM, rolled into a single Oracle home. An existing CRS installation is upgraded by creating and installing to a new Grid Infrastructure home. From a migration/upgrade perspective this implies the requirement of approximately 4GB of storage for the Grid Infrastructure home. The old CRS home can eventually be archived or deleted.

The CRS to Grid upgrade procedure is streamlined and relatively worry-free – I have done this dozens of times this year and have not experienced upgrade problems except for problems that were pre-existing misconfigurations by the client. Network issues such as incorrect subnet masks, static routes, MTU size mismatch, etc. are usually caused by improper setup and not an Oracle software problem.

Ideally, the best upgrade method from 11.1 to 11.2 is in the form of a migration rather than an in-place upgrade. This is the quickest path to upgrading not only the database but the hardware, storage and OS, and a means to clean out Oracle homes with several patch levels applied.

Please check back soon for Jason’s next entry in this blog series: “Top 5 Tips for Reducing TCO with Oracle 11gR2″.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments here, or on our Facebook discussion board!

Thanks!

Eric Heine
Vice President
Integra Technology Consulting

781-890-0070
eheine at integratc dot com

www.integratc.com

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/IntegraTC

I just returned from the National Assoc of Realtors convention in San Diego.  There were several take aways besides the great fellowship and updates, but just one that I want to talk about here.

I spent some time with Gail Lyons, well known for her work in international real estate. This fall Gail has been busy teaching the CRS course “Broker Management.” By itself not terribly remarkable.

But Gail has been teaching it in Uganda and Thailand and India and Taipei. She reports that the real estate agents who make up the classes are bright and very successful. They just don’t know how to organize a brokerage. They are eager to learn how we do it.

The reason I think this is worthy of reporting is that the quest for more real estate knowledge on the part of people in other parts of the world is an encouraging sign for freedom.

When the iron curtain fell, countries particularly in eastern Europe started to figure out how to write the rules for the transfer of real estate. They called on the National Assoc of Realtors for help. This was important because people will not invest their life savings in real estate if they fear that the government will simply nationalize that home.

Once countries had laws, they realized they needed rules to govern the people who helped others buy and sell real estate–agents–and they called the NAR again. We helped countries in eastern Europe, South America and the Far East.

Then they realized that it took more than rules and laws to create good real estate agents. 4 years ago India asked us to send over GRI instructors, and the flood gates opened. So when Gail and others are criss crossing the globe teaching professionals how to be better at their job, they are performing an incredible service.

My thought is that people who have a stake in their future, who have some ability to control their outcomes, are more likely to be in favor of freedom, and that’s good news for our little globe. In the face of so much discouraging news, this is a real positive.

Pre-text

On Wednesday 16^th September 2009 Eric Besson (the French immigration minister) announced on French National television that the “jungle”[1] would be closed by the end of the following week. He had previously announced to the press in April 2009 that all “jungles” and refugee encampments would be gone by the end of the year. Besson and the French authorities had also previously given a date at the end of June for the operation to commence, but alas it never came into fruition. Besson had also announced only weeks before the 16^th , that early in October the police would launch a test run for the real operation later in the year. Therefore the announcement on the 16^th was not immediately taken as gospel, however, early on Thursday 17^th there was a large police operation to clear the Ethiopian squat [2], and as the days went by and the town of Calais filled with journalists from around Europe, we began to increasingly realise that this was probably going to be it. As a result Calais Migrant Solidarity [3] put out an urgent callout for activists to come to Calais. Journalists were intent that Tuesday 22^nd of September would be the day, and they were right. We were as unsure as everyone else about what the operation would entail but we felt that this crime could not go ahead without dissent.

Arial shot of the Pashtun "jungle"

———————————————–

I arrived at the Pashtun “jungle” late afternoon on the 21^st of September in anticipation of a full police lock down of the immediate surrounding area well in advance of the planned demolition the following day.

When I arrived the situation was as it had been for the last 36 hours. Media crews from all around Europe were walking around the “jungle” filming and photographing the Pashtun refugees and their less than aesthetically grand community.

This “jungle” was situated in the suburbs of Calais, about 1km from the centre, out towards the port, and right next to the infamous Rue des Gareenes where dozens of trucks are parked up at any given time, nearly

A house in the "jungle"

always with their doors wide open intentionally displaying  empty trailers with no place to hide. This is a renowned place for refugees to try and board lorries bound for the UK.

That sandy scrub land dotted with trees was home to multiple hundreds of Pashtun refugees who had built a small community out of scavenged material. Homes, a shop, a mosque and a rope swing were built from thrown away or donated wood, metal barriers, cardboard, plastic tarpaulin, carpets and rugs. Depending on the number of Pashtun refugees in Calais at any one time, some 10 or more people will share one of these homes. A single water point was situated at the entrance but this was as far as the amenities went as the local municipal council refused to pick up their garbage resulting in the place being royally littered, with one skip piled high, and of course sanitation was a la naturelle.

It is tempting for people from our aesthetically centered society to dismiss the “jungle” with adjectives such as “squalor” and nouns such as “huts” and “shacks”. It certainly was a horrible and degrading environment, but the choice of language chosen created an image in the media that was played on by Eric Besson, allowing him to charge that the “jungle” did no favors to the migrants and that eradicating it would be of no loss to them. Indeed the operation has been framed by Besson in the media as a humanitarian act.

It is far more appropriate to refer to the “jungle” as a community with homes, for, no matter how much the refugees considered it to be a degrading place to exist, that is how ultimately  how most considered it. Perhaps this just demonstrates how little these people had to hold onto, but the “jungle” was a place where people could go to at the end of the day; a semi- secure place to sleep, a base from which to make friends and share stories about their horrendous journey [4]; a place to cook, share and pray 5 times a day.

——————————

Pashtun friends on the eve of the eviction

The last night of the “jungle” was my first night in the “jungle”. I was shown by a friend to his home where I could leave my bag. His home was like the rest from the outside, but inside there were photographs taken of him, his friends and other Pashtun residents by either other passer bys or journalists. After being prompted to remove my shoes, I was welcomed in to the usual question of “where are you from?”….. “ahh UK, UK good, I go UK, I go London!”

Inshallah.

As the sun began to drop I took a walk around. There was a strange atmosphere of unease, correspondents from the BBC filmed pre-recorded stories describing the operation that was due to commence the following morning. Many of the refugees kept asking about what was going to happen to the jungle and to them because, of course, the refugees had never been informed in person by the authorities on what was going to be happening. They instead rely on journalists and activists for their information, but I too knew nothing about what would happen to the people once their homes were destroyed. Many Pashtuns had fled Calais in the previous 5 days for Paris, Dunkirk or Belgium, to escape the inevitable sweeping arrests, but with the intention on returning once the storm had calmed. A couple of hundred however remained, clueless, scared but ultimately almost resigned to whatever was going to be install for them.

My night in the jungle was one of the most memorable of my life. When I returned to the house some of the guys were making bread and dinner on an open fire. It wasn’t long before dinner, but before hand I spoke to a Pasthun poet from the Swat Valley and we exchange a few words about the beautify and culture of his incredible land – “Gilgit”, “Peshawar”, “Kyber”, “Kalasha” and of course “polo”.

The food, placed in the centre of the floor for everyone to eat from, was incredibly good. Over dinner a man with fluent English translated our conversations about life in Pakistan or Afghanistan, Pashtun culture, the Taliban, the American and British assault, and the apathetic and material culture and politics of Europe. Under a couple of small candles, I was treated to some songs by the Pashtun Poet, and they were (not so) treated some English songs back. I think the poignancy of the sound, the flicker of the candle light and the silence outside infected everyone. There a long silence, everyone just stared at the candle…. what could have going through their mind?

I took a photo and made copies of my contact details for all of them to pass around. Inshallah, if you get to London, call me. I was riddled with sadness at the prospect of the following day.

——————————

I had just a couple of hours rest before getting up very early. There was however no sign of the police yet, but a small group was gathered round a camp fire. At about an hour before sunrise the broadcast media vans returned and slowly the camp fire became populated with Pashtuns and journalists snapping away.

Migrants gather behind banners as police arrive behind them

I had heard from a friend that a huge number of French CRS police were massed in near by Coquelle the previous evening. At about 7:10am I had a text message to say that this large convoy had left for Calais. Just before 8am the police arrived pulling up with their masses of vans and coaches to take the migrants away in. As this happened, the refugees weirdly were all bunched together behind the banners for which we had them the material to write their own messages. The media were snapping away furiously, and as the police arrived, one by one, almost like crashing dominoes some migrants began to wail with tears and pain, infecting others who followed suit.

The pain of the journey, the eviction, and the future

After all the physical and emotional pain that they had been through [4], Lord can only imagine what they felt at this time. Was this the end? Was their trip to hell not only wasted emotionally but also financially, as so many have given up and sold their lives back home to come here, spending in excess of 10,000 pounds.

As clueless as they were about the consequences of this operation, I had a gut feeling that this was it for them, and that I would never see any of them again. This, combined with the sheer vocal despair coming from refugees in their early teens pushed me into emotional breakdown. I wept as I hugged some of teary eyed friends for possibly the last time. Indeed, tears are easy to come by now writing this weeks after the events – such is the pain that I saw and was apart of on that morning.

500 police officers arrive evict the "jungle"

As a reported 500 policemen marched into the “jungle” in an orderly fashion, the migrants stood all together, still and paralyzed. The media rushed around, a few Calais Migrant Solidarity activists unfurled some banners and began chanting towards the coming brigade of inhumanity. A human chain was formed by CMS and other local humanitarian groups such as SALAM as the police slowly and calmly approached. Convinced that the operation was simply a cruel media PR stunt, the police were clearly trying to embody what Besson had decried would be a “dignified” operation.

Activists attempting to stop the eviction

However their polite façade would soon fall as a scuffles broke out. The police first tried to grab refugees from the pack but with little success as activists would block their path and grab them back. This tactic was semi-successful for a short period before the police concentrated their efforts on removing any unwanted barrier. Adrenaline, anger and tears coursed through my veins in a desperate, but quite frankly pitifully small display of resistance proportionate to the crime being committed. It was not long before I, like the rest, was being kicked and dragged along the floor head first before being held to the ground well away from the group of refugees. By now refugees were being taken by police officers one by one, some resisting, but most just walked, heads slumped, some in tears, towards another unknown chapter in a godforsaken story.

human pain, pure and simple

Bulldozers make light work of the homes

A 6year ghettoised community reduced a single pile

——————————————-

Postscript

My blog post entitled “After the destruction” (to follow) describes the immediate days following this large eviction. In short, about ¼ to 1/3 of the Pashtun refugees taken were released from their detention centres in the following days.

When I arrived in Calais for the first time in early August 2009 and first started hearing the stories of the migrants I didn’t think things could get much worse for them [5], but it has. Destroying the “jungle” has gotten rid of one of the few things the migrants had. The EU has stripped these people of all of their rights, their voice and now their home. They now walk the streets. Where is the logic in this operation you may cry? It is a subtle one, and one that has not been reported, but is one that is to be found around the world, most popularly in Palestine… it’s called ethnic cleansing, but a subtle one. The police and the authorities across the EU make the refugees” lives hell, squeezing them tightly [6], so they simply give up, take the pitiful 2000 euro reward offered by the International Organisation for Migration and return back to Afghanistan and tell others that the “free west” doesn’t exist, so don’t bother trying.
……………………………………………………….
VERY GOOD FILM HERE: Jason Parkison has made this film shot during the destruction:
http://current.com/items/91014318_the-dignified-destruction-of-calais-refugee-jungle.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/sep/22/france-refugee-camp-jungle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/sep/22/french-bulldoze-jungle-camp-calais

Notes

[1] In mainstream public media discourse the “jungle” refers to the Pashtun “jungle” in the suburbs of Calais. In Calais there are in fact several “jungles” and several squats in which migrants reside. “Jungles” refers to areas of scrub land that migrants have built homes from discarded or donated wood, plastic, carbboard, carpets etc. They are a thoroughily degrading place to live. In mainstream discourse however there only ever appears to be one “jungle” and that is the pashtun jungle which is the biggest, totalling between 300-500 pashtuns at a given time, and has the biggest reputation for links to mafia rings.

[2] Before the eviction process started on the 22nd of september there was a number of squats and “jungles” dotted in and around calais, each of which tended to correspond to an ethnic group, language or region. There was a Pashtun “jungle”, an Hazara “jungle”, a Vietnamese “jungle”, an Iranian “jungle”, reportedly a Kurdish “jungle”, a Sudanese “jungle”, an Arabic speaking squat, an Eritrean squat and an Ethiopian squat.

[3] Calais Migrant Solidarity is a network of activists primarily from France, Belgium and England who have had a continual presence in Calais since June 2009. They work concentrates on filling the gaps left by what the humanitarian agencies working Calais can’t do. CMS therefore concentrate their efforts on migrant security from the police, trying to document and communicate all acts of aggression and oppression against migrants from the police, resist evictions, visit those in detention, provide some aid, and since the evictions CMS has been working on trying to create a solution to their homelessness.

[4] Please see my blog post entitled “A tale of migration to the free world” for an account of the journey from Pashtun territories in NW Pakistan and Afghanistan to Western Europe.

[5] My blog post “A tale of migration to the free world” is a constructed generic tale of the journey based on conversations with refugees in calais.

[6] See the blog posts “A tale of migration to the free world” and “life after eviction” for details about repression of migrants.

caught the jay tour last night…more on that later. i will say that this DID NOT happen in austin. *sadface*

-grizzly

Semilampo G. Marconi 2009

Sasso Marconi - 08/11/2009, 08/11/2009

Classifica al turno 9

Pos  Pts  ID  NAME                    | Rtg  PRtg Fed |   Buc1    BucT     ARO 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1  7.5   1   A RONCHETTI Niccolo'   | 2659 2375 BO_IM |   51.00

  2  7.5   4   A GILEVYCH Artem       | 2346 2464 BO_-- |   50.50

  3  7.0   3   A SCALCIONE Michelange | 2478 2419 BO_FM |   49.00   53.50  2198.67

  4  7.0   2   A COCCHI Andrea        | 2483 2402 BO_FM |   49.00   53.50  2182.00

  5  6.5  13   C CAMPINI Marco        | 2131 2146 FE_CM |   47.00

  6  6.5   6   A BRANCALEONI Maurizio | 2288 2114 RN_FM |   46.50

  7  6.5  10   C VOLTOLINI Mario      | 2163 2139 RN_-M |   41.50

  8  6.0   7   A CALAVALLE Giulio     | 2265 2213 BO_-M |   49.50

  9  6.0   8   C VILLA Flavio         | 2188 2080 RE_CM |   47.50

 10  6.0  30   D VEZZELLI Francesco   | 1822 2101 MO_1N |   45.00

 11  6.0  11   C FRIGIERI Fabrizio    | 2162 2080 MO_CM |   43.00

 12  6.0  27   D LAPENNA Michelangelo | 1841 2091 MO_1N |   42.50

 13  6.0  23   D PICCININI Samuele    | 1911 1973 BO_1N |   41.00

 14  6.0  38   E GNUDI Giorgio        | 1729 1908 BO_-- |   36.50

 15  5.5  12   C LUCCHI Lorenzo       | 2156 2221 RN_CM |   49.50

 16  5.5   9   C MOLINA Fabrizio      | 2164 2102 TO_FM |   46.00

 17  5.5  16   C CRICCA Andrea        | 2016 1924 FE_2N |   45.00

 18  5.5  28   D DE LILLO Michele     | 1837 1982 BO_1N |   44.50

 19  5.5  25   D RONCATO Antonio      | 1848 1977 PD_-- |   42.00

 20  5.5   5   A BALDAZZI Stefano     | 2331 1967 RA_CM |   40.50

 21  5.5  52   E NARDELLI Gianni      | 1623 1904 BO_-- |   39.50

 22  5.5  20   D CHIARION Elisa       | 1935 1905 MO_1N |   39.00

 23  5.5  32   D PROIETTI Tosca       | 1812 1923 BO_1N |   38.00

 24  5.5  45   E FERRAGUTI Francesco  | 1674 1873 MO_2N |   37.50

 25  5.0  17   C GIOVANNINI Roberto   | 2003 1929 RN_CM |   43.50

 26  5.0  36   E DONDI Renzo          | 1778 1836 BO_2N |   42.00

 27  5.0  40   E GASPARI Mauro        | 1721 1926 BO_1N |   40.50

 28  5.0  31   D DA FORNO Roberto     | 1814 1827 RN_1N |   40.00   43.50

 29  5.0  22   D ORI Marco            | 1912 1823 RA_CM |   40.00   43.00  1780.22

 30  5.0  21   D GARDI Riccardo       | 1916 1807 BO_1N |   40.00   43.00  1763.89

 31  5.0  29   D COCUZZI Edoardo      | 1836 1719 FI_1N |   37.00

 32  4.5  14   C GAIDO Paolo          | 2122 1731 BO_-M |   43.00   47.00

 33  4.5  37   E FUOCHI Tommaso       | 1749 1893 BO_2N |   43.00   45.00

 34  4.5  55   F MATAJ Maksim         | 1578 1872 RE_NC |   42.50

 35  4.5  18   D CIMMINO Pietro       | 1984 1828 BO_-- |   42.00

 36  4.5  46   E CESETTI Egidio       | 1670 1791 RN_2N |   39.50

 37  4.5  35   E GIORDANI Roberto     | 1785 1716 BO_2N |   37.50

 38  4.5  47   E SCARPA Mauro         | 1670 1725 RN_-- |   36.50

 39  4.5  24   D ZORZETTO Carlo       | 1874 1683 BO_1N |   36.00   38.50

 40  4.5  61   F DECANETO Erick       | 1488 1640 MO_2N |   36.00   36.50

 41  4.5  51   E DEL ROSARIO Raffaele | 1637 1789 BO_2N |   35.50

 42  4.5  54   F ASSIRIA Enrico       | 1590 1788 BO_NC |   35.00   38.00  1804.11

 43  4.5  41   E MARCONCINI Fabio     | 1716 1692 BO_1N |   35.00   38.00  1692.44

 44  4.0  39   E DOBBOLETTA Alex      | 1728 1715 NO_2N |   39.00

 45  4.0  42   E SANZANI Pierluigi    | 1706 1697 BO_CM |   37.50

 46  4.0  26   D FAGNANI Alessandro   | 1845 1571 BO_1N |   34.50   37.50

 47  4.0  53   E CUDRET Alexandru     | 1611 1629 BO_-- |   34.50   36.50

 48  4.0  58   F CAVAZZINI Umberto    | 1548 1562 FE_2N |   33.50

 49  4.0  59   F GABBRIELLINI Gianfra | 1539 1612 BO_NC |   32.00   35.00  1654.67

 50  4.0  50   E CARLETTI Davide M.   | 1641 1586 MO_NC |   32.00   35.00  1629.11

 51  4.0  48   E CAPRARA Gianfranco   | 1658 1621 BO_-- |   31.50

 52  4.0  72   G LUCCHI Sauro         | 1392 1525 RN_NC |   29.50

 53  3.5  33   D GOZZI Giorgio        | 1805 1679 RE_1N |   39.50

 54  3.5  56   F CORTELLESSA Fulvio   | 1569 1607 BO_-- |   36.50

 55  3.5  63   F VANDELLI Mattia      | 1473 1600 MO_3N |   36.00   39.50

 56  3.5  70   G EBRAHIM Gaber Giulio | 1425 1650 BO_-- |   36.00   39.00

 57  3.5  43   E CORALLI Nevio        | 1701 1691 BO_1N |   35.50

 58  3.5  49   E CASOLA Giuseppe      | 1654 1538 RN_2N |   34.50

 59  3.5  62   F GULINELLI Euro       | 1484 1427 VT_2N |   31.00

 60  3.5  74   G DIVIZA Sorin         | 1335 1409 BO_NC |   29.50

 61  3.0  65   F MONTERASTELLI Marco  | 1455 1630 BO_NC |   37.50

 62  3.0  34   D BONFIENI Amanzio     | 1800 1536 BO_2N |   35.00

 63  3.0  68   G DE ZAIACOMO Tonino   | 1442 1476 BO_1N |   33.50

 64  3.0  71   G PIZZOLANTE Luca      | 1419 1383 BO_-- |   31.50

 65  3.0  60   F MANIGLIO Thomas      | 1500 1489 BO_3N |   30.00

 66  3.0  69   G DAL POZZO Daniele    | 1437 1362 BO_NC |   28.50

 67  3.0  66   G BOSCHI Marco         | 1449 1343 BO_3N |   27.00

 68  3.0  73   G ANTONELLI Alessandro | 1350 1427 BO_NC |   26.50

 69  2.5  75   G SCARPA Claudia       | 1308 1433 RN_NC |   31.00

 70  2.0  67   G LONGHINI Guido       | 1443 1299 PD_2S |   32.00

 71  2.0  64   F FORESTI Matteo       | 1464 1276 BO_-- |   28.00

 72  2.0  77   G MANIGLIO Leonardo    | 1245 1219 BO_NC |   26.50

 73  2.0  76   G GALLO Andrea         | 1263 1213 BO_NC |   23.00

 74  1.0  78   G ANTONELLI Federico   | 1224  714 BO_NC |   24.50

Semilampo G. Marconi 2009

Sasso Marconi - 08/11/2009, 08/11/2009

 Tabellone al turno 9

 ID NAME                 Rtg   T  Fed  Pts |   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  1 RONCHETTI Niccolo'   2659   A BO_  7.5 | +B39  +W23  -B12  +W25  +B27  +W13  +W3   +B4   =B2  

  2 COCCHI Andrea        2483   A BO_  7.0 | +W40  +B24  +W11  +B7   -W3   +B17  +W6   =B8   =W1  

  3 SCALCIONE Michelange 2478   A BO_  7.0 | +B41  +W25  +B18  +W12  +B2   =W4   -B1   =W5   +B7  

  4 GILEVYCH Artem       2346   A BO_  7.5 | +W42  +B28  +W13  +B9   +W6   =B3   +W7   -W1   +B8  

  5 BALDAZZI Stefano     2331   A RA_  5.5 | -B43  +B42  +W54  -W27  +B33  +W35  +B21  =B3   -W10 

  6 BRANCALEONI Maurizio 2288   A RN_  6.5 | +W45  =B30  +W65  +B17  -B4   +W16  -B2   +W55  +B12 

  7 CALAVALLE Giulio     2265   A BO_  6.0 | +B46  +W27  +B37  -W2   +B23  +W12  -B4   +W11  -W3  

  8 VILLA Flavio         2188   C RE_  6.0 | +W47  =B32  -W30  +B54  +W36  +B20  +W10  =W2   -W4  

  9 MOLINA Fabrizio      2164   C TO_  5.5 | +B48  +W29  +B10  -W4   =B16  =W18  +B22  =W12  -B13 

 10 VOLTOLINI Mario      2163   C RN_  6.5 | +W49  +B34  -W9   +B26  =W20  +B30  -B8   +W16  +B5  

 11 FRIGIERI Fabrizio    2162   C MO_  6.0 | +B50  +W31  -B2   +W33  -B12  +W37  +B25  -B7   +W28 

 12 LUCCHI Lorenzo       2156   C RN_  5.5 | +W51  +B36  +W1   -B3   +W11  -B7   +W27  =B9   -W6  

 13 CAMPINI Marco        2131   C FE_  6.5 | +B52  +W33  -B4   +W31  +W37  -B1   =W28  +B30  +W9  

 14 GAIDO Paolo          2122   C BO_  4.5 | +W53  =B38  =W32  -B40  =W51  +B45  +W20  -B28  -W52 

 15 CAMERINI Lorenzo (W) 2056   C RE_  0.0 | -BYE   --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --  

 16 CRICCA Andrea        2016   C FE_  5.5 | +W55  =B54  +W38  =B30  =W9   -B6   +W52  -B10  +W51 

 17 GIOVANNINI Roberto   2003   C RN_  5.0 | +B56  +W35  +B22  -W6   +B40  -W2   =B55  =B31  -W30 

 18 CIMMINO Pietro       1984   D BO_  4.5 | +W58  +B78  -W3   =B32  +W24  =B9   -W30  -B36  =W37 

 19 MATEI Cristian   (W) 1967   D TN_  0.0 |  --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --  

 20 CHIARION Elisa       1935   D MO_  5.5 | +B59  -W37  +B41  +W46  =B10  -W8   -B14  +W43  +B55 

 21 GARDI Riccardo       1916   D BO_  5.0 | +W60  -B22  +W45  -B55  +W53  +B38  -W5   -B32  +W39 

 22 ORI Marco            1912   D RA_  5.0 | +B61  +W21  -W17  -B37  +W65  +B32  -W9   -B38  +W42 

 23 PICCININI Samuele    1911   D BO_  6.0 | +W62  -B1   +W47  +B65  -W7   -B28  +W53  +B29  +W31 

 24 ZORZETTO Carlo       1874   D BO_  4.5 | +B63  -W2   =B43  +W48  -B18  -W52  -B61  +W75  +B70 

 25 RONCATO Antonio      1848   D PD_  5.5 | +W64  -B3   +W49  -B1   +W70  +B47  -W11  +B37  =W32 

 26 FAGNANI Alessandro   1845   D BO_  4.0 | -B65  +B60  +W51  -W10  -B35  -W61  +B73  +W70  -B40 

 27 LAPENNA Michelangelo 1841   D MO_  6.0 | +W66  -B7   +W53  +B5   -W1   +W40  -B12  +B39  +W36 

 28 DE LILLO Michele     1837   D BO_  5.5 | +B67  -W4   -B46  +W52  +B42  +W23  =B13  +W14  -B11 

 29 COCUZZI Edoardo      1836   D FI_  5.0 | +W68  -B9   -W55  +B64  =B45  =W63  +B40  -W23  +B48 

 30 VEZZELLI Francesco   1822   D MO_  6.0 | +B69  =W6   +B8   =W16  +B55  -W10  +B18  -W13  +B17 

 31 DA FORNO Roberto     1814   D RN_  5.0 | +W70  -B11  +W58  -B13  =W46  +B51  +B56  =W17  -B23 

 32 PROIETTI Tosca       1812   D BO_  5.5 | +B71  =W8   =B14  =W18  =B39  -W22  +B63  +W21  =B25 

 33 GOZZI Giorgio        1805   D RE_  3.5 | +W72  -B13  +W78  -B11  -W5   =W41  -B46  +B59  -B47 

 34 BONFIENI Amanzio     1800   D BO_  3.0 | +B73  -W10  =B48  -W43  -B47  +W54  -W45  -B50  =W60 

 35 GIORDANI Roberto     1785   E BO_  4.5 | +W74  -B17  -W40  +B68  +W26  -B5   +W58  =B61  -W38 

 36 DONDI Renzo          1778   E BO_  5.0 | +B75  -W12  =B52  +W50  -B8   +B46  =W38  +W18  -B27 

 37 FUOCHI Tommaso       1749   E BO_  4.5 | +W76  +B20  -W7   +W22  -B13  -B11  +W59  -W25  =B18 

 38 GNUDI Giorgio        1729   E BO_  6.0 | +B77  =W14  -B16  +B56  +W43  -W21  =B36  +W22  +B35 

 39 DOBBOLETTA Alex      1728   E NO_  4.0 | -W1   +B64  =W56  +B59  =W32  -W55  +B68  -W27  -B21 

 40 GASPARI Mauro        1721   E BO_  5.0 | -B2   +W61  +B35  +W14  -W17  -B27  -W29  +B58  +W26 

 41 MARCONCINI Fabio     1716   E BO_  4.5 | -W3   +B66  -W20  -B70  +W72  =B33  -W51  +B60  +W53 

 42 SANZANI Pierluigi    1706   E BO_  4.0 | -B4   -W5   +W60  +B72  -W28  -B70  +B67  +W63  -B22 

 43 CORALLI Nevio        1701   E BO_  3.5 | +W5   -B65  =W24  +B34  -B38  -W56  +W49  -B20  -B54 

 44 MATEI Bogdan Stef(W) 1689   E TN_  0.0 |  --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --    --  

 45 FERRAGUTI Francesco  1674   E MO_  5.5 | -B6   +W63  -B21  +B58  =W29  -W14  +B34  +W46  +W61 

 46 CESETTI Egidio       1670   E RN_  4.5 | -W7   +B68  +W28  -B20  =B31  -W36  +W33  -B45  +B56 

 47 SCARPA Mauro         1670   E RN_  4.5 | -B8   +W67  -B23  +B62  +W34  -W25  =B70  -B52  +W33 

 48 CAPRARA Gianfranco   1658   E BO_  4.0 | -W9   +B70  =W34  -B24  =W59  -B68  +B69  +W65  -W29 

 49 CASOLA Giuseppe      1654   E RN_  3.5 | -B10  +W69  -B25  =W63  -B52  +W75  -B43  -W54  +B71 

 50 CARLETTI Davide M.   1641   E MO_  4.0 | -W11  +B72  =W59  -B36  -W56  -B60  +W66  +W34  =B63 

 51 DEL ROSARIO Raffaele 1637   E BO_  4.5 | -B12  +W71  -B26  +W67  =B14  -W31  +B41  +W56  -B16 

 52 NARDELLI Gianni      1623   E BO_  5.5 | -W13  +B74  =W36  -B28  +W49  +B24  -B16  +W47  +B14 

 53 CUDRET Alexandru     1611   E BO_  4.0 | -B14  +W73  -B27  +W75  -B21  +W67  -B23  +W68  -B41 

 54 ASSIRIA Enrico       1590   F BO_  4.5 | +BYE  =W16  -B5   -W8   -B63  -B34  +W62  +B49  +W43 

 55 MATAJ Maksim         1578   F RE_  4.5 | -B16  +W75  +B29  +W21  -W30  +B39  =W17  -B6   -W20 

 56 CORTELLESSA Fulvio   1569   F BO_  3.5 | -W17  +B76  =B39  -W38  +B50  +B43  -W31  -B51  -W46 

 57 MATEI Christian M(W) 1566   F TN_  0.0 |  --   -BYE   --    --    --    --    --    --    --  

 58 CAVAZZINI Umberto    1548   F FE_  4.0 | -B18  +W77  -B31  -W45  +B71  +W73  -B35  -W40  +B65 

 59 GABBRIELLINI Gianfra 1539   F BO_  4.0 | -W20  +B62  =B50  -W39  =B48  +W65  -B37  -W33  +B69 

 60 MANIGLIO Thomas      1500   F BO_  3.0 | -B21  -W26  -B42  -W73  +B77  +W50  =B75  -W41  =B34 

 61 DECANETO Erick       1488   F MO_  4.5 | -W22  -B40  -W72  +B78  +W74  +B26  +W24  =W35  -B45 

 62 GULINELLI Euro       1484   F VT_  3.5 | -B23  -W59  +B71  -W47  -W68  =B74  -B54  +W73  +B75 

 63 VANDELLI Mattia      1473   F MO_  3.5 | -W24  -B45  +W74  =B49  +W54  =B29  -W32  -B42  =W50 

 64 FORESTI Matteo       1464   F BO_  2.0 | -B25  -W39  +B73  -W29  -B75  -B66  +W76  -W69  -B77 

 65 MONTERASTELLI Marco  1455   F BO_  3.0 | +W26  +W43  -B6   -W23  -B22  -B59  +W72  -B48  -W58 

 66 BOSCHI Marco         1449   G BO_  3.0 | -B27  -W41  -B75  +W77  -B73  +W64  -B50  -W71  +B78 

 67 LONGHINI Guido       1443   G PD_  2.0 | -W28  -B47  +W76  -B51  +W78  -B53  -W42  -B72  -W74 

 68 DE ZAIACOMO Tonino   1442   G BO_  3.0 | -B29  -W46  +B77  -W35  +B62  +W48  -W39  -B53  -W72 

 69 DAL POZZO Daniele    1437   G BO_  3.0 | -W30  -B49  -W70  -B74  +W76  +B78  -W48  +B64  -W59 

 70 EBRAHIM Gaber Giulio 1425   G BO_  3.5 | -B31  -W48  +B69  +W41  -B25  +W42  =W47  -B26  -W24 

 71 PIZZOLANTE Luca      1419   G BO_  3.0 | -W32  -B51  -W62  +B76  -W58  -B72  +W74  +B66  -W49 

 72 LUCCHI Sauro         1392   G RN_  4.0 | -B33  -W50  +B61  -W42  -B41  +W71  -B65  +W67  +B68 

 73 ANTONELLI Alessandro 1350   G BO_  3.0 | -W34  -B53  -W64  +B60  +W66  -B58  -W26  -B62  +W76 

 74 DIVIZA Sorin         1335   G BO_  3.5 | -B35  -W52  -B63  +W69  -B61  =W62  -B71  +W77  +B67 

 75 SCARPA Claudia       1308   G RN_  2.5 | -W36  -B55  +W66  -B53  +W64  -B49  =W60  -B24  -W62 

 76 GALLO Andrea         1263   G BO_  2.0 | -B37  -W56  -B67  -W71  -B69  +W77  -B64  +W78  -B73 

 77 MANIGLIO Leonardo    1245   G BO_  2.0 | -W38  -B58  -W68  -B66  -W60  -B76  +W78  -B74  +W64 

 78 ANTONELLI Federico   1224   G BO_  1.0 | +BYE  -W18  -B33  -W61  -B67  -W69  -B77  -B76  -W66

As you read this, I am probably on board already in an airconditioned bus bound for Manila viewing the insipid monotony of pitch black darkness over the misty window as I contemplate on the days ahead.

I am anticipating a sleepless journey back to UP, back to Unavoidable Perdition, as I will be sitting on the last row of seats of the bus and I will be feeling the wheels bouncing against my seat.

I may sound hyperbolic by describing UP as such, an Unavoidable Perdition, but college life is hell disguised in term papers, news stories, exams, and newspaper quizzes. It entails sleepless nights and bouts of stress and panic for crammers like me. The days ahead will be inevitably haggard for me as I welcome changes in my college life this semester.

This semester, I will no longer be a bedspacer in a small room deprived of fresh air, I will be a dormer or a power ranger as the Collegian put it in one of the residence halls inside the UP Diliman campus. Specifically, I will be now be staying in Ipil but at this moment, I still have to be assigned with a room number and I am hanging in the balance of whether I will be allowed to check in by the guard on an early morning or I will be sleeping in the dormitory lobby until the dorm manager arrives and gives me the key and room number.

This semester, I am on the verge of giving up my hopes of graduating by 2012. Based on my personal computations, I need to get 21 units this semester and the CRS gave me 18. I consider that fortunate as compared to some who barely got a subject in the online enlistment module. Everything now rests on the adviser who will be assigned to me as to whether he/ she will allow me to get another subject and keep my hopes alive of graduating on time.

I am an “irregular” sophomore and very irregular in my case. Before I was accepted in the journalism program, I was a Biology student at UPLB, and had no intentions of going back to the craft that I left when I graduated from high school. When I shifted perspectives and entered journ, I ‘wasted’ 24 units of chemistry, biology, and mathematics majors that I really had a hard time passing and the new program credited 12 units of GE courses that I took in UPLB. 12 units and none of those nerve-wracking majors!

If I will be allowed to enroll with 21 units, the next step is finding a subject. I have at least three prospective GEs that still have available slots and fit my schedule. If I am really fortunate, or rather blessed as I am a believer, then I will be able to enlist in at least one of those GEs. I only need one. Just one. One. One and my hopes are still alive.

This semester, I will no longer have an overdose of literature every Wednesday and Friday as I passed my English 11 and Creative Writing 10 subjects last semester but I may still be subjected to such should I opt to take English 12 and the workload is Eng 11 and CW 10 combined.

The real perditions, and unavoidable at that, are the long queues of lines in every step of the registration process. That’s why UP also stands for University of Pila every and November. The crisp Form 5 and the Paid status in our CRS accounts are our own trophies that we survived UP, University of Pila.

For an idea of what University of Pila is about, one of the twains, a schoolmate, in www.twain-ty.blogspot.com has his personal experiences with “UP” posted yesterday.

]]> http://thenonprofitlife.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/approval-from-mongu/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:33:29 +0000 David Vosburg http://thenonprofitlife.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/approval-from-mongu/