Yeek!  So the holidays and visiting friends has made my posts scattered this month.  I would love to return to a sense of normalcy, but December isn’t exactly the most stable month of the year either.  I’ll try though…not that it matters to anyone else, but I get annoyed when I’m spastic because that’s my natural tendency and I struggle with consistency in…well, life, so it’s something I try to work on for myself.  I’ve got a new bunch of new DVD’s on reserve at the library (I also caved and bought the Royal Ballet’s new production of Manon on DVD so that should be arriving any day now…Rojo save us!), but I’m actually in the mood for a music post today.

I’d like to highlight a duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela.  If you follow me on twitter, they are the only group I ever tweet for musicmondays, mostly because I’m pretty sure the majority of people wouldn’t be amused by a tweet like “Leonard Bernstein, Jeremiah Symphony! #musicmonday” or “Emil von Sauer, Piano Concerto no.1 KICKS ASS #musicmonday” and anything remotely recent I listen to people already know about.  But Rodrigo y Gabriela are somewhat obscure, but have a sound most people would enjoy, and as a result they’re gaining popularity in mainstream American media with appearances on late night talk shows and the like (like all good things, Europe appreciated them first).  I however, have been a fan for five or six years now, since the release of Re-Foc, the rerelease of their first album Foc.  I know what you’re thinking…and yes I have impeccable taste, but that’s beside the point.  The duo is lead by Rodrigo Sánchez on lead guitar and Gabriela Quintero on the rhythm guitar (with the occasional guest on another instrument).  They have sort of a flamenco-ish style with latin rhythms and are AMAZING.  I can’t tell you how obsessively I listen to their albums, and they do a fantastic job of having their own, original style, performing compositions they wrote themselves as well as covers.

It was funny looking for dances to their music because there wasn’t very much, but what did turn up was eclectic to say the least.  Who could have envisioned this music would be used for Irish stepdance, breakdance and…jazz/lyrical/modern?  (I hate to say “contemporary” because that was kind of coined by SYTYCD, so I’ll call it “jalyrimo.”)  It’s an odd assortment of styles, but I love to see that because I think it speaks volumes as to the universal appeal of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s music.  Weird, maybe…but it’s incredulously wonderful that so many people have been inspired by them in their own way, and translated that inspiration into their own language of dance.  It’s also great because it breaks this image that Irish dance has to be to Irish music, or that break dance has to be to hip hop, etc.  I don’t think jalyrimo should be one of the select dance forms that’s allowed to experiment with different musical genres.

Without further ado, we have a piece titled Chorine, choreographed by Nicholas Yenson for a BA exam at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (sounds prestigious to me!).  The piece is danced to Diem, which coincidentally is my favorite track from Re-Foc.  There’s a break in the middle of the song where it just gets in your face and the rhythm is so heavy it’s like you can feel your heart matching the beat.  It is literally impossible to walk while listening to this song on your ipod and not have this insatiable urge to move, and especially at that big feature moment (which is where Yenson performs his solo).  If you don’t have that urge…well, there’s probably something wrong with you.  I can’t really comment on the dance itself, because I don’t really know anything about Irish dance (I have seen Riverdance live though…that was a thrill!), but nonetheless I really enjoyed the performance, so bravo!

Next is another dance form I really can’t (and shouldn’t comment on) which is break dance, set to Diablo Rojo from Rodrigo y Gabriela’s self-titled album.  Double-coincidentally, Diablo Rojo happens to be my favorite track from the second album, with Juan Loco in a close second.  I like the driving, fast and furious music, although it should be known that they do great slower, sort of loungey music as well that’s great to relax to.  You definitely get your money’s worth with a purchase of any of their albums.  Breakdance to Diablo Rojo was actually a really big (and pleasant) surprise for me because it was really unexpected.  The piece (no title as far as I can tell) was performed by the break dance club of Leeds University, for an annual dance show they put on towards the end of the year.  From what I can gather, there are other student clubs including a Modern Dance Society that offer dance classes and then put on an annual show.  I don’t know whether Leeds has a dance department or not (it appears they do), but I’m very impressed that student run organizations put together an annual show and surely have lighting/tech rehearsals, costuming and the like.  Anyway, breakdance isn’t exactly my favorite genre (it’s not that I hate it, it’s just not my thing) but this piece actually gets my “pick of the day” seal of approval, for choosing unconventional music for breaking.  It was fun to watch!

Last is jalyrimo, one of them being a complete piece and the other being just some rough phrases, both set to Orion (a Metallica cover), also from the self-titled album.  Orion doesn’t have as much pace as Diem or Diablo Rojo, and is a little more steady and loose which aptly fits the jalyrimo style.  I’m not surprised two choreographers decided to pick the same song, and I’m sure they wouldn’t be either.  The staged performance, Subito, poco a poco, choreographed by Cara Scrementi appears to be at one of the Loyola Universities, so Rodrigo y Gabriela’s music is making its way into the American dance scene.  In Subito, the choreographer intended to include movements that looked like they were being controlled by external forces, which really came through about a 1:20 in, where there these hunched over leg kicks that flick out of nowhere.  Complete opposite from the whooshy, lifted grand battement of ballet.  I think the piece could have been a little more daring if the intent was to “take control of forced movement,” like there’s a part in the middle where the dancers are doing turning leaps into rolls on the ground in a circle, and it seemed a little too geometric to me.  I think the fact that the exact same phrase was repeated in the opposite direction is what made it so mathematical, and I found myself craving a little spontanaeity.  Nevertheless, excellent work.

Rodrigo y Gabriela’s latest album, 11:11 was just released this autumn so it would be unreasonable to expect a dance to any of the tracks already, but I hope we see more in the future.  The concept behind the album is really cool, as each track is specifically dedicated to a musical artist that inspired them.  My favorites include Hanuman (dedicated to Carlos Santana), Buster Voodoo (dedicated to Jimi Hendrix), Triveni (dedicated to Le Trio Joubran), Savitri (dedicated to John McLaughlin),  Hora Zero (dedicated to Astor Piazzolla) and Atman (dedicated to Dimebag Derrell).  I’ve got a lot of favorites on this album, and in my humble opinion it’s their best work yet, with amazing potential for great dances.  A lot of their songs in this album have some bite to them, so choreographers who want something with an edge to it, get on this!  The whole thing is so damn good, that I must insit on  HIGHLY recommending it.  If there were a term that was above “highly recommended” but just short of “mandatory” while still being suggestive with urgency, that’s the word I would use.

Good Evening.

You will be glad to know I am back on track and completely focussed on the job in hand; catching a large river carp. Yesterday was what I would call a tiny blip and it was an appropriate time to reflect on the past, the present and the future. I know where I’ve been, I certainly know where I am, and I have a good feeling about what lies ahead. The big carp hunter is back and the gloves are off.

There was some action last night from the bream and two small commons. The bream have been fairly active, especially in the deeper channel, and although they have not got to nuisance level yet, they are keeping the swim ticking over with activity. I had caught three slimey slabs as the clock struck twelve and I turned in for the night. At 3am a few bleeps alerted me to the rod I had the carp on, on saturday morning. Nothing materialised so I decided to wind in and check. I rebaited, put on a fresh stringer and banged it back out. Doing one rod was fairly straightforward so I attended to the other three while I was at it. I sat back with a brew and watched for rat activity, when the rod I had put back out first, was off. The recast had certainly worked.

I was able to play this one from the bank and there were no fireworks. In fact the small common was in the net very quickly and an estimate of weight was around mid doubles. I returned the carp and climbed the muddy bank to rebait the rod. I heard a terrible squeaking sound from underneath my wader and realised I had trodden on a rat! I don’t know who was more shocked, me or the rat, but I know who felt worse! I wasted no time in putting the rodent out of its misery, and got on with recasting the rod back out to the channel. One carp and one rat exterminated; it was turning into a much better night.

Flash could see I needed a little warmth so he climbed in my sleeping bag with me for five minutes. The power of the dog had me straight back off the bed and attending to a very fast run. This was on the rod placed upstream and I was wondering when I would get action on this one. The fish kited rapidly into the margin upstream, so I climbed into the boat and gently made my way up to the position of the carp. It could go nowhere, so it turned around and headed out to deeper water. Another small common with a missile like body structure was responsible and I had to actually back wind at one point, as its determined efforts to escape capture, continued. Eventually after heading 50 yards up river away from my swim I netted the pristine common. It was hooked firmly in its bottom lip and the Curvs once again held fast. I considered taking him back to shore to weigh, but decided to let him go from the boat. Probably a shade under 20lbs, but well worth the fuss.

The weather certainly turned last night and it was very warm until it started to rain. It rained on and off for most of the night and in the morning I had two Diem jackets that needed drying out. After breakfast I decided to waste no time and spent an hour tying new rigs. This was followed by cleaning the water from my boat. I then went upstream and trickled some bait back down to my spots to try and draw more fish downstream. Lunch came next and then it was back to business. I tied up about fifty, five bait stringers, ready for tonight, and I keep these fresh in one of my Trakker bait bags. Why so many stringers? If a boat passes through the rods really need to be checked and recast. That is four stringers gone immediately. Five boats equals twenty stringers and so on. Then there is the chance of a fish etc… I like to have all of these prepared for the night, so it means I can get the rods back out quicker. Reeling in, rebaiting and recasting four rods takes about five minutes and I am now well practised at it! The only draw back is when one of the rods is snagged due to the massive boats passing. Then my boat has to be used to free the lead and obviously this takes slightly longer. It can get very frustrating but this is river carping. It is hardcore angling.

This river session is certainly turning into a very challenging one. I have caught some carp which is the main thing, but the rate of work is staggering. Why am I staying? The reason is simple and hopefully, by the end, I will have the pictures to show you why I perservered! The rods are now already back out and I am in my sleeping bivvy writing this. Darkness is falling quickly and although the skies are clear and there is a slight nip in the air, I am hoping the cloud cover will duly return with a little rain thrown in. It is time for some dinner now, I have a feeling there will be a few recasts before 10pm so I better be on alert.

Back tomorrow.

Jake and the dogs.

Good Morning Carpers!!

I hope you all had a good Friday night out, or if you are/were fishing you had an enjoyable session. I think it is safe to say that the majority of winter sessions in the UK can be fairly inactive on the carp front, but when it all comes right it makes all the waiting and the long dark cold nights worth it. A quick mention to my ‘new’ mate, Stuart Wilson: Good luck in your quest for that elusive common from your new water and see you in Italy!!

My backdrop for the next few days!

The blog was not written yesterday as it was duly time for a day off. I was also extremely tired after the last 48 hours of moving, setting up, etc.. Nothing actually happened on night one in the new swim. I wasn’t disappointed however, and in all honesty I didn’t expect to just move in and start hauling from the off. I had work to do. A couple of large boats passed through early evening and I decided I would have a recast at about 9pm. The rods would have been out for 4 hours and I wanted to check everything was okay. Suddenly the fog descended and all of a sudden my landscape markers had vanished. I sat twiddling my thumbs for an hour, but it was a real pea souper. I went off to bed and within an hour it had started to lift. I took my chance and reeled in the rods. To my utter surprise I only had a bait left on one rig out of four! The other three were completely missing and the hair stops were gone on two of the hairs. I have not encountered crayfish or vicious nuisance species here before, so this was rather baffling. I wondered if it could have been the force from the boats. Surely not! I put on the new rigs I had already tied up and recast them while I had the chance. Funnily enough within five minutes of casting them out the fog dropped once more. Bed was calling. In the morning when I wound in the rods….all the baits were on and still in tact, as per normal, as I would have expected. It was a rather freakish occurence with the missing baits?

Where did my other baits go!?

I had noticed during the first night in the new swim that I had some ‘other’ four-legged company. The type with the long wiry tail and the pointed nose. The species that can spread disease, but aside from that are pretty harmless. I am talking of course about Roland the rat! I remember there were a few here last year, and they seem to have multiplied. My eyesight is good, even in the dark, and I kept seeing dark shapes running around in all directions. I will kill them if I have to, but as long as we have our boundaries then I don’t mind them. These are: stay out of my bivvies and don’t destroy my equipment! Simple really! Yesterday I discovered that a hole had been chewed in my landing net. However on close inspection I do believe I was to blame for the way I had placed it on the ground. The rat must have got stuck in it and chewed himself out. I have now repaired it and it is leant upright against a bush. If another hole appears then the rat gets its, till then, we are at peace!

One repaired net!!

I charged up my echo sounder battery yesterday as it had run low in the other swim further downstream. I can do this by plugging leads off my vehicle straight onto the terminals of my echo battery and then turn on my van for twenty minutes. Bingo! One charged battery albeit a small one! I went for a quick look at where I had cast my rods the previous evening. They were all spot on to be honest and the river topography is as I remember it from last year. This river kind of steps down. It is fairly shallow for the first 3 metres, then drops to 8/9 feet deep. This shelf extends out for about 20 metres then it drops again to about 10/12 feet deep. This is the deeper channel that the boats use and is probably about 80 metres wide. I still find it hard to believe that the huge boats don’t ground themselves, and basically that is the river topography, in this stretch anyway!

Typical river debris.

I spent the day waiting for the night! This is all that seems to happen on this river. All the action comes from 7pm through till the morning. Morning being no later than 7am. The days are spent waiting. In my case the days are spent writing, sleeping, eating, playing with the dogs, and tying rigs and baiting up. I will keep my rods out because you never know and it would be great to catch one in the day, but I can not see it happening. I have spoken to several people who fish this stretch and they all say the same thing. Nights only.

I love the long nights...more sleep!!

I got the rods rebaited and back out last night just after 5pm. It is dark now by about 5.30. I could tell the night was going to be cold. Clear skies and you can see your breath! I sat up for a couple of hours and ate some food. I even watched the rat taking some pellet off the wooden step I have placed near my boat. To gently illuminate the area, I put a small tea tree candle inside a clear plastic bottle neck funnel (a large 5L bottle cut in half with the cap taken off) so the flame does not blow out and gives off some light. This does two things. I can safely get into the boat at night and the rat gets used to the light whilst eating. If we fall out again he will be easier to shoot!

I decided to call it a night early. I was in bed by 8pm and heard a big boat pass through at ten. This one must have been moving as three of the rods beeped a few times. I was comfortable, so I left the rods and returned to the dream I was having…”Now where was I with that bra strap!” At around 4am I had a bleep. The orange light on my ATT receiver lit up. My third rod from the left! It was suddenly running so I got my headtorch on, put on the waders and made my way carefully to the rod. It had stopped now, but I could see the backlead lifting out of the water, so I knew the fish was still on. Was it possibly a very strong chub?

I got into the boat and wound my way out to the fish. Suddenly it pulled a little and my suspicions were confirmed; it was a carp! She proceeded to fight for her life and led me on a right merry old dance. I sat patiently and let her do her best to dart around under the surface. I had already seen she was a common, as she shot up to the surface, fairly early on, to give me a sneak preview, almost as if to say. “If you lose me, this is what you will have lost.”

After a few more minutes I got her into the net. I never had to give line once as I just let my Mamba XT do all the work. The rod was occasionally pulled under the surface, but there was never any doubt that she would escape. The hook was firmly in her bottom lip and the two 20mm boilie snowman set up had done the trick. I got her back to shore and weighed her first; twenty six pounds exactly and they are getting bigger! This fish had amazing scars and I suspect it has been in the clutches of a pike, zander or catfish at some point in its life. I sacked her till first light, and recast the rod. While I was doing that I got the kettle on and recast two of the other rods. I found last year when I sometimes recast the rods at about 3-5am, I often got takes soon after. I had one nice carp to photograph, but two would surely be better!

What could be better on a damp October morning.

A stunning scarred common from the river weighing 26lbs

On inspection inside the sack there were plenty of small crushed shells. Pea and zebra mussels by the looks of things and it does make me wonder about possibly changing to slightly smaller baits on a couple of rods. I know the tigers are working on this stretch as the Czech guys caught a few on them. I am thinking maybe, a tiger, a 15mm boilie and a piece of plastic fluro corn. They are ’small baits’ (to me!!) and used together I think they will fend off the bream, roach and chub. I also think the ever faithful three large tigers will have to come out of the bag. Although I caught my first carp on a large bait offering (a 26mm and a 15mm snowman), I suspect the carp might be scoffing more on the smaller stuff and ignoring the bigger baits. If anything it is good to experiment and can sometimes make all the difference in your catch rate.

What's in your sack?

Be back later with more news for TWP.

Saturday Evening Update.

I have made a few changes to the hookbait situation. As a comparison I am keeping two rods with the 20mm snowman arrangement, using a Dynamite Baits Fluro pop up for some colour and flavour attraction. The other two rods are now sporting the tiger, small boilie and coloured corn offering. These are being fished with a small PVA stick consisting of ground up mussel and oyster boilies, some garlic spray and some bread crumbs. I have no doubt this will attract the smaller species to my hookbait, but this increased activity may induce interest in a passing carp. I know this is already working as I have just returned a bream!

The other two rods with the snowman presentation are being fished with five bait stringers using Korda’s Spread Em’ tape. I have been introducing a small steady flow of freebies to my spots throughout the day, and if the circles on the surface from the small stuff are anything to go by, then I could be in for a busy night by all accounts.

I checked out the ten-day weather forecast for the region and it is looking superb. Cloudy skies, drizzle, rain, and mild temperatures and S/W winds. This is the weather I have been waiting for as it is the perfect weather conditions on the river, in my eyes.

It is dark already and my rat trap is set. I discovered today that he has been nibbling at my cooking oil bottle during the night, which means he is now on the wanted list. It makes the wait in the dark more fun as I am now hunting two species and not just one. Wish me luck and see you in the morning!!

Jake and the dogs.

Sunday Lunch.

It is a grey and overcast day on the river. I can hear trains rumbling by in the distance, the odd siren wailing, an occasional plane in the sky and the hum of the large factory several hundred yards away. Last night was Halloween and I had my own party; just myself and the dogs. No carp came to join us unfortunately, but I am going to blame the weather. It was forecast as cloudy, but I could only see clear skies for most of the evening. Then the eerie mist came down. The nearby church bells echoing in the thick fog and the constant leaves and twigs dropping on my bivvy, did little for my nerves!! I sent the dogs out once or twice to have a bark, to scare off the imaginary axe wielding mad man, but as I have just said; my mind was playing tricks on me and it was just the last remnants of autumn falling from the trees!

I am having a funny day today. I spoke to my mum on the phone earlier and I think that is partly to blame! I obviously miss my family and friends back home, but I think after 21 months it has finally dawned on me. What am I doing?! I only have three years left of this particular mission, so I am sure by then I will have worked it all out. I know exactly ‘what’ I am doing, but for the first time since I left, I have to ask myself that actual question? I suppose the answer could be, “Jake, you are doing something remarkable, or something very special.” At the moment, for today at least, I am unsure what I am trying to achieve. Is it to fish for five years? Is it to catch an astounding number of fifties by the end, or is to get into the record books for being stubborn and refusing to come home! I am still loving the adventure and today is just one of those ‘odd’ days I guess. It is certainly not to do with the lack of carp action as I have had hard stints before. However, I do think that possibly the scaly creatures may have got under my skin a little at the river, and I think it is time to relax more, ‘eat’ more food myself, rather than throwing everything I have at them, and when it happens, it will happen. I have been working very hard since I arrived and I think it has come to the point when I need to stop thinking about everything too much. I am at the river, the rods are out, sit back and enjoy it and stop going round and round in circles. The carp are sending you crazy and it is time to turn the tables around. I would just like to point out that I haven’t gone mad…..and I hope you understood all of that paragraph!

Bath time!!

Sunday for me is wash day! In the winter I don’t need to worry too much about showering every day, as obviously the body is not sweating too much. I tend to have a solar shower or a pan wash! Today was a pan wash and entails boiling some water and stripping off in the bivvy and giving yourself a good clean. I wound the rods in first! Clean clothes and clean skin is always good for moral, and as I have oodles of lovely Diem and 5.11 clothing in my vehicle, it is easy for me to have a quick change of clothes. One thing I am always looking for when I fish is time savers. Clever ways to save energy and in particular fuel and battery life. As an example when I boiled my pan of water to wash with, I also cooked some eggs (in their shells!) in the same pan. Two of these were for breakfast and the other three will keep for some sandwiches either later today or tomorrow. Two or three jobs done in one go!

Three bream, although I am sure it was down to the PVA stick.

I am going to leave the rods out of the water till later today. An afternoon nap is now the order of each day. The rods are all going back to the simple boilies with stringers; no frills attached. If the carp are here then I know that will be enough to catch them!

And the carp do love these.

Possibly back later(?), although more likely back tomorrow(!).

Cheers for now.

Jake and the dogs.

2004 yılından bu yana Atatürk Caddesi Gülbahçesi Sitesinde Yabancı Dil Eğitimi Hizmeti vermekte olan DİEM ENGLISH GLOBE şehrimize her sene yeni bir hizmet sunmaya devam ediyor Adana da 2004 yılından bu yana Atatürk Caddesi Gülbahçesi Sitesinde Yabancı Dil Eğitimi Hizmeti vermekte olan DİEM ENGLISH GLOBE şehrimize her sene yeni bir hizmet sunmaya devam ediyor. Son gelişmeler hakkında bilgisine başvurduğumuz DİEM ENGLISH GLOBE Genel Müdürü Seda BAYKAM, gazetemize şu açıklamalarda bulundu: “Bizler DİEM Ailesi olarak, ilk etapta, 2006 yılında TOEFL IBT Testini bundan böyle Adana’da yapma hizmetini şehrimize getirdik. Sınav merkezi olmamız nedeniyle, sınavla ilgili tüm gelişme ve yenilikleri yakından takip edip bu alandaki bilgi birikimi ve yetkinliğimizi Toefl IBT Hazırlık Kurslarındaki öğrencilerimize aktarabilmekteyiz. Yine gündelik yaşamda çok sık karşılaştığımız “İngilizce Gramer biliyorum ve okuduğumu anlayabiliyorum ama konuşamıyorum” önyargısını, ICT donanımlı sınıflarda, gerek %70 konuşma ağırlıklı programlar uygulayarak, gerekse anadili İngilizce olan Yabancı Uyruklu Eğitmenler eşliğinde aşmaya çalışmaktayız. Ayrıca OXFORD ENGLISH ACADEMY ile “Franchise Anlaşması” yaparak onun Türkiye’deki resmi temsilcisi olup Genel İngilizce Programlarımızı başarıyla bitiren her öğrencimize tüm dünyada geçerliliği olan “OXFORD ENGLISH ACADEMY Sertifikası” alma olanağını sunmaktayız. Son olarak sözlerimi üniversite öğrencilerimize güzel bir haber vererek noktalamak istiyorum. Avrupa Birliği Üye Ülke Üniversitelerinin öğrenci değişim programı olan ERASMUS için Adana’da yine bir ilki sunmanın haklı gururunu sizlerle paylaşmaktayız. DIEM ENGLISH GLOBE olarak bu hafta itibarı ile sadece ERASMUS Sınavına yönelik hazırlık kurslarımızı başlattığımızı siz sevgili öğrencilerimize duyurarak hepinize başarılı bir yarıyıl temennisinde bulunuyorum

Good Evening.

I am sat in my bivvy as I write tonight’s post. It is very cold and the northerly winds have certainly contributed to the sudden drop in temperatures (it is now 3 degrees and I am wearing my super warm Diem Heavyweight Jacket). The view from my bivvy window is one of a blood orange skyline. It is stunning and the silhouette of the distant tree line adds to the effect. I feel very lucky to be here and the news we received today that the lake will probably close earlier than normal this year, saddens me somewhat. There is no time for tears though, just toil and sweat, and all it means is I have less time to catch the Orient carp of my dreams. Normally the Orient closes around the beginning of November and it is all dependant on the water level. Once it drops to a certain level then the lake is closed. It has been dropping at an alarming level this year, and the fact there has been no ‘real’ rain for weeks has only added to the problem. I already must start to think about my next mission after the Orient as it is now not too far away and I think some river carping is definitely on the cards.

I know why so many people love this place!

Lee had a carp this morning and as my door was down on my bivvy last night and he is now a good 150 yards from my ears; I heard nothing. I saw the recovery sling in the water this morning and wandered down to see what was inside it; a good common by all accounts! The mud is worse in Lee’s swim as he is on the edge of the waterline to protect his water. I don’t need to move and my ground is fairly dry, which the dogs tell me they much prefer!

Stuck in the mud!

We had a coffee and then photographed Lee’s common carp which weighed 37lb. She was a really fat lady and looked super for the camera, not that fat ladies are my thing to be fair! This was Lee’s 26th carp of his session and although the action has slowed for him, he is still picking up the odd fish every 48 hours or so, which at the Orient anyone would be happy with. 

Big Fat Lady!!

I made a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and onions and it was then time to continue my ‘No Fixed Abode’ article for IC. Just as I was about to head off to my bivvy/office, Dan arrived with a propeller to use and some supplies. He also bought two lads with him who are fishing at Gigantica this week. Jordan and Aje are their names and as they are from good old Brizzle, it was good to hear a familiar accent, rather than the rough old Essex accent that Turtle so ‘obviously’ puts on, to make him sound like a proper geezer! Jordan and Aje have done a fair bit of angling (mind) in France, but they both looked blown away by the Orient and I have a funny feeling they may tackle the great lake in the future. If you do lads…good luck!

Lee, Jordan, Aje and yours truly. Rotate!!!

I managed to crack on with some words and the rods are staying put so there was little to do fishing wise today. Patience is your biggest virtue at the Orient and moving the rods every day is not the way to fish here. Lee caught Bienvenue last year after his hook bait had been out for five days and nights. Time is definitely the best boilie at the Orient and so many other lakes! I suppose when you consider it took me practically all day to sort out four rods yesterday, you would not want to be doing that every day would you? On a lake of this size you need to wait for the carp to find your bait and that could take several days.

My versatile Spyderco Rench knife.

One of the other important things to attend to on very long sessions is maintenance of your equipment. Yesterday I gave my boat a quick inflate and emptied all the water out of the hull. Rain water and lake water soon gets in the bottom of your boat and this can slow you down dramatically wearing your battery down quicker.  Although the mud is not too bad in my swim the dust is awful. I have to clean my groundsheet in my bivvy every few days and you might think that sounds a bit odd, but breathing in dust over a period of a few weeks, is not the best for your health! Don’t forget I am on a five year mission and I intend on getting through it in one piece! In fact I think I will be in better health than when I started, and I have not actually been ill once since I left, so it says a lot for living outdoors!

Mud pie anyone?

Well that is it for another day in the life of the-big-carp-hunter. I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog at the Orient to date, there is still plenty more to come. Now I am off to find Lee to have some dinner, so goodnight and see you tomorrow!

Cheers

Jake and the dogs!

With a mix of old school grunge and verbal hint of Creed, A-Tract is a new alternative band that has made an impact the K-Rock scene. Despite the average age of the all members is only 17, they’ve already got stage experience and landed the producing/composing rights their first self-titled album.

From the lyrics, to the melody, to arranging it for a track, each member has played a vital role in the making of the band. Members include: Leader/vocalist Kim Ji Ho, guitarists Raze and Kim Jin Hwan, and last but not least bassist Diem.Their first track “It’s Over” is steamy ballad that not only displays Ji Ho’s amazing talent, but was also composed by guitarist Jin Hwan.

There’s not a lot of indie/rock bands hitting the crowds lately so it’s refreshing having them in full force!  The “Goodbye” track will probably be ended up being the favorite however, the whole album is definitely worth the your time.

A-Tract – Goodbye [Audio]

NINH BINH — Father Joseph Nguyen Nang was officially ordained Bishop of the Phat Diem diocese at the Phat Diem Cathedral, Kim Son district, in the northern province of Ninh Binh yesterday.

The ceremony followed Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment of Father Nang as Bishop of the Phat Diem Diocese on July 25.

Close to 20,000 Catholic people witnessed the ordination ceremony.

At the event, Chairman of the Viet Nam Episcopal Council, Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Nhon, congratulated the newly-ordained bishop.

The 56-year-old newly-ordained bishop was formerly the rector of St Joseph’s Major Seminary in Xuan Loc.

He is the 100th ordained Vietnamese bishop. The first, Father Nguyen Ba Tong, was ordained in 1933. —

Source: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

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OBAMA CARRIES OUT BUSH/OILCO PLANS IN MIDEAST

WHY WE WILL NEVER, EVER, EVER LEAVE THE MIDDLE EAST

YOUTUBE: THE DOORS
“Intro Apocalypse Now”
It didn’t end well…

Solar, Shmolar, It’s Oil & Gas We Really Want

Dick Cheney’s Assassin-In-Chief, General “Spook” McChrystal, hinted to the new Rupert Murdoch Wall Street rag that we are losing in Afghanistan. This was his preamble to a demand for dropping another 10,000 American troops into the Hole In Nowhere. McChystal’s predecessor in the Hole was fired for suggesting we needed 10,000 more troops in Afghanistan.

But wait, there’s more! McChrystal is offering a different strategerie in the Hole: Instead of actively going after the hostile Afghans, we will passively wait for them to come after us where we hide among the less-hostile Afghans. In Vietnam, that was called “The Strategic Hamlet Program.” No relation to the melancholy Dane. But it still had a tragic ending.

(continues)
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The “SH” Program, as the Army abbreviated it, was based upon a recognition that we were losing the war in Southeast Asia, just as the French had before us, by losing the “hearts & minds” of the local people. Since we could not make the countryside safe, we would fortify certain villages and hole up in them until Charlie and the NVA came for us. And come they did. And go we did. It didn’t work. (Poor locals! Let’s hope Afghan peasants don’t read U.S. history! Or have boats.)

So we thought we’d try it again, in Southwest Asia this time, where we are losing the war for hearts & minds just as the Russians had before us. Maybe it was the climate, or the terrain that defeated that brilliant strategerie in ‘Nam. Maybe hiding from the enemy and holding the locals hostage will work in frozen mountains and high deserts better than it did in broiling jungles and steamy swamps. Or maybe it was the people, and Caucasoid Muslim goat-herders and opium farmers will be more amoenable to being targets than Mongoloid Buddhist fishermen and opium farmers. Either way, the troops will have plenny opium, hashish & heroin to while away the hours with, waiting for Charlie, er, Talie, to come over the wall. This is the end, my only friend, the end…

Meanwhile, back in Iraq, things are falling apart, again. Violence is up. Our strategerie of pulling our troops out of Iraq’s cities and hiding them in the countryside is not going as planned. Unless the plan is to keep them there forever. Maybe that is the plan. Why else would we continue two unwinnable wars (make that three with Pakistan) just digging in and fortifying our hidey holes, while allowing chaos to reign all around us? Clearly, the plan, if there is one at all, is simply to keep US troops near the oil & gas reserves and pipelines until there is peace and stability in the region. But the mere presence of US troops guarantees that there will never be peace in the region. Is the idea that chaos is easier to deal with than independent governments who might squeeze –or squeeze out– our big Oilco’s? Easier for the Oilco’s, who never shed any of their own blood, and for our war machine, which is only there to shed blood for the Oilco’s? Vietnam was thought to have oil too, y’know.

And after all, there is not much point in being a general in peacetime. A real general needs a war to show his stuff. A real army needs actual combat experience to know whether it can do the job. The troopies may prefer to serve their time one weekend a month, one month each year filling sandbags for disaster relief back in Iowa, but this ain’t no democracy. So there will be blood, for oil. Forever.

NYTIMES
“At Least 50 Killed in Bombings in Iraq “
The war is over! YAAAAY!! We won!!! The Iraqi’s lost. All of them.

‘ The entire village was gone. Local television broadcast scenes of homes reduced to heaps of rubble mixed with bed frames, mattresses, furniture and bloodstained pillows. A villager cried into the camera: “Look, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Interior Minister, where is the security that you speak about?” ‘

THE GUARDIAN
“Pakistan: Premature claims”
Game so NOT over!

‘ But that does not mean the Pakistani Taliban are a spent force. Even with Mehsud allegedly gone, the component parts of the Pakistani Taliban are still in place. Mehsud held sway over a cluster of about a dozen groups – more of a business franchise than a company – some of which have defied his orders. With Mehsud gone or going, the cohesion could be reduced further. But that could herald an increase in bombing and shooting, as each outlet of the franchise competes for exclusive rights. Besides, Mehsud’s outfit was only one of a number of groups that comprise the Pakistani Taliban. ‘

CNN
“Support for Afghan war drops, CNN poll finds”
Gotta keep those Repukelickin’s happy. They’re violent and they have guns.

‘ A new national poll indicates that support among Americans for the war in Afghanistan has hit a new low. Forty-one percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday say they favor the war in Afghanistan — down 9 points from May, when CNN polling suggested that half of the public supported the war. Fifty-four percent say they oppose the war in Afghanistan, up 6 points from May. “Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. “Nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war in Afghanistan. Three-quarters of Democrats oppose the war.” ‘

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
“More US troops for Afghanistan: Are they inevitable?”
“Left-leaning Democrats in Congress”? Who do THEY represent? 54% of the American people? Who CARES!

‘ The 21,000 US troops promised to Afghanistan have still not all arrived, yet speculation is rife that rising violence may force the senior commander there to ask for more. Last month was the deadliest ever for US forces in Afghanistan. In all, 76 coalition troops were killed. Seeking to reverse that trend, the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is preparing an assessment of the mission. News reports suggest that he could ask for an additional 10,000 to 45,000 troops. Previous commanders have all asked for more forces. In the past, “the handwriting was on the wall for more forces – and may still be,” says Michael O’Hanlon, an analyst at Brookings, a think tank in Washington. If General McChrystal does ask for thousands more troops, it could cause a rift between the administration and left-leaning Democrats in Congress. ‘

WALL STREET JOURNAL
“Taliban Now Winning “
Strategic hamlets, anyone?

‘ The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency’s spiritual home. Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that means U.S. casualties, already running at record levels, will remain high for months to come. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the commander offered a preview of the strategic assessment he is to deliver to Washington later this month, saying the troop shifts are designed to better protect Afghan civilians from rising levels of Taliban violence and intimidation. The coming redeployments are the clearest manifestation to date of Gen. McChrystal’s strategy for Afghanistan, which puts a premium on safeguarding the Afghan population rather than hunting down militants. ‘

FOX NEWS
“Pentagon Disputes Claim That Taliban Is Winning in Afghanistan”
Quag, meet Mire.

‘ “I wouldn’t say we are winning or losing or stalemated,” McChrystal told USA Today. The U.S. commander said in that interview that the insurgency has “momentum” which coalition forces are working to reverse. The dispute over the course of the war comes as McChrystal prepares to present a comprehensive assessment of operations in Afghanistan — an assessment that could eventually include requests for additional U.S. troops. Top brass are insisting that despite the sharp rise in casualties in July and an expectation of more bloody months ahead the war is not taking a turn for the worse. National Security Adviser Jim Jones, who left the door open to more troops, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the war is not at a “crisis level.” ‘

MT HOLYOKE COLLEGE: DEPT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
“The Pentagon Papers”
Deja vu all over again: What the Pentagon knew, and when they knew it.

‘ A number of contributory reasons can be cited for the failure of the Strategic Hamlet Program. Over-expansion of construction and poor quality of defenses forms one category. This reason concentrates only on the initial phase of the program, however. While valid, it does little to explain why the entire program collapsed rather than only some hamlets within it. Rural antagonisms which identified the program with its sponsors in the central government are more suggestive of the basis for the complete collapse as Diem and Nhu departed the scene. The reasons why they departed are traceable in part to the different expectations which combined in the apparent consensus at the program’s beginning: to Diem’s insistence on material assistance and independence, to U.S. willingness to provide assistance only if its advice was heeded, and to the failure to resolve this question either by persuasion or leverage. Having said this, it does not automatically follow that the program would have succeeded even if Diem had met U.S. demands for change. To point to the causes of failure is one thing; to assume that changes of style would have led to success is quite another. It may well be that the program was doomed from the outset because of peasant resistance to measures which changed the pattern of rural life–whether aimed at security or control. It might have been possible, on the other hand, for a well-executed program eventually to have achieved some measure of success. The early demise of the program does not permit a conclusive evaluation. The weight of evidence suggests that the Strategic Hamlet Program was fatally flawed in its conception by the unintended consequence of alienating many of those whose loyalty it aimed to win. ‘

USA TODAY
“McChrystal: Jobs could curb Taliban fighting “
“It may well be that the program was doomed from the outset because of peasant resistance to measures which changed the pattern of rural life–whether aimed at security or control.” -The Pentagon Papers: The Strategic Hamlet Program.

‘ In an interview with USA TODAY, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said his No. 1 unmet need is to have functioning local governments in Afghanistan and officials who can provide basic services. “At the end of the day, what the Afghan people are really looking for is that very basic level of governance provided, obviously, with security,” McChrystal said. “I wouldn’t say we are winning or losing or stalemated,” McChrystal said about the current fighting. “What I would say at this particular point is that the insurgency has a certain amount of initiative and momentum that we are working to stop and, in fact, reverse.” Afghanistan is holding its presidential and provincial elections on Aug. 20. ‘

CNN
“New NATO chief warns of Afghan ‘terror Grand Central’ “
Hey, anybody wanna play dominoes? Not real dominoes, theoretical dominoes.

‘ NATO will stay in Afghanistan “for as long as it takes,” the military alliance’s new leader said in Brussels, Belgium, Monday. He said success in the country was NATO’s top priority “to help prevent Afghanistan from becoming again the Grand Central Station of international terrorism.” ‘

SALON.COM
“It’s easy for soldiers to score heroin in Afghanistan”
Another sad Vietnam parallel.

‘ Just outside the main gate to Bagram airfield, a U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, sits a series of small makeshift shops known by locals as the Bagram Bazaar. For Afghans, it is the place to buy American goods, but the stalls that make up the heart of the bazaar are also well known for what they provide American soldiers stationed at Bagram. Walking through the bazaar it takes less than 10 minutes for a vendor in his early 20s to step out and ask, “You want whiskey?” “No, heroin,” I tell him. He ushers me into his store with a smile. The shop is small, 9 feet wide by 14 feet deep, and dark. The walls at the front are lined with dusty cans of soda, padlocks and miscellaneous beauty supplies. As we enter, a teenager is visible at the back, seated in a chair next to a collection of American military knives and flashlights. The shopkeeper speaks to him in Dari. The teen stands and heads for the door, where he stops and asks my Afghan driver a question. My driver translates, “He wants to know how much you want? Twenty, 30, 50 dollars’ worth?” From past experience, for I have arranged this same transaction a dozen times in a dozen different Bagram Bazaar shops, I know that the $30 bag will contain enough pure to bring hundreds of dollars on the streets of any American city. Afghanistan, after all, is the source of 90 percent of the world’s heroin. I say 30 and the teen jogs off. The true extent of the heroin problem among American soldiers now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan is unknown. At Bagram, according to a written statement provided by a spokesperson for the base, Army Maj. Chris Belcher, the “Military Police receive few reports of alcohol or drug issues.” The military has statistics on how many troops failed drug tests, but the best information on long-term addiction comes from the U.S. Veterans Administration. The VA is the world’s largest provider of substance abuse services, caring for more than 350,000 veterans per year, of whom about 30,000 are being treated for opiate addiction. Only preliminary information for Iraq and Afghanistan is available, however, and veterans of those conflicts are not yet showing up in the stats. According to the VA’s annual “Yellowbook” report on substance abuse, during Fiscal Year 2006, fewer than 9,000 veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) sought treatment for substance abuse of all kinds at the VA; the report did not specify how many were treated for opiate abuse. The anecdotal information, however, suggests there may be a wave of new patients coming, and it will include many heroin users. I’m a filmmaker, and I have been to Afghanistan several times to research a film about a soldier who died there under murky circumstances. Before his death, the soldier, John Torres, had told friends and family of widespread heroin use at Bagram. Based on my own experience, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the Bush administration has spent on opium poppy eradication, Torres was right. I asked to buy heroin a dozen times during two trips a year apart and never heard the word “no”; I also saw ample evidence that soldiers were trading sensitive military equipment, like computer drives and bulletproof vests, for drugs. Other soldiers who have served at Bagram agree: Heroin, they say “is everywhere.” And although they haven’t shown up in the statistics yet, reports from methadone clinics suggest the VA’s future patients may already be back in the States in force. Much like the caskets that return to the Dover Air Force base in the dead of night, America’s new addicts are returning undetected. ‘

MORE POSTS ON THE AFGHAN WAR & PRIVATIZATION OF THE MILITARY

(cross-posted at blog me no blogs by cosanostradamus)
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Another late night at work and decided my inspiration for my photo of the day will be the name of the person that I just can’t wait to meet in November-December…

Mujeres Asesinas es una serie de televisión mexicana producción de Pedro Torres, director de Mediamates, en asociación con Televisa. Es una adaptación de la serie argentina de Mujeres asesinas producida por Pol-Ka de 2003 a 2007. El formato de la serie presenta en cada capitulo un caso diferente acerca de una mujer que comete un asesinato.

En la segunda temporada de la serie, los tenientes del DIEM (Departamento de Investigación Especializado en Mujeres ), Camacho e Isabel Medina no aparecieron más y fueron sustituidos por la teniente Aranda y el teniente Morán, interpretados Wdeth Gabriel y Ricardo de Franco respectivamente. Se conserva a los actores Rosa María Bianchi y Mauricio Castillo con sus respectivos roles y se incluyen participaciones especiales de otros miembros del DIEM.

Rosa Maria Bianchi es la doctora Sofía Capellán.
Mauricio Castillo es el doctor Gerardo Trejo.
Wdeth Gabriel es la teniente Aranda.
Ricardo de Franco es el teniente Morán.

Segunda temporada
Daniela Castro: Rosa, Heredera
Angelica Maria: y Angelica Vale: Julia, Encubridora
Carmen Salinas: Carmen, Honrada
Karyme Lozano: y Elsa Pataky: Ana y Paula, Ultrajadas
Patricia Navidad:, Galilea Montijo y Ana Brenda: Las Garrido,Codiciosas
Sherlyn: Laura, Confundida
Nuria Bages: Ofelia, Enamorada
Angelique Boyer: Soledad, Cautiva
Edith González:Clara, Fantasiosa
Patricia Reyes Spindola: Tita Garza, Estafadora
Susana González:Tere, Desconfiada
Adriana Fonseca: Cecilia, Prohibida
María Sorté: María, Pescadera

Por Roberta Garrido

Como já dizia Albert Einstein, a criatividade nasce da angústia. E nada melhor que os tempos de crise para colocar a cabeça para funcionar e aproveitar o que a cidade oferece a baixo custo. Relaxe e sirva-se de atitudes e oportunidades que poderão melhorar sua qualidade de vida.

Divulgação

Seja um amante da boa leitura
Que tal pegar carona com o filme “Clube de Leitura Jane Austen”? Esta é uma idéia para unir amigos, amigos de amigos e dividir experiências e sensações que os livros geram em cada um. Escolhem-se títulos de livros em certo período – por exemplo, cada mês terá um “livro tema” – e, em um encontro, todos expõem os pontos mais marcantes. Ótima opção para quem quer compartilhar suas opiniões e conhecer gente nova. “O próprio ato de reservar um tempo para ler por prazer já e por si só uma maneira de escapar da correria, somando isso uma conversa amistosa com outras pessoas com um interesse em comum, temos a receita perfeita”, conta Ana Sloboda do Clube de Leitura Meia Palavra. Para aqueles que não gostam de sair de casa, há comunidades relacionadas à atividade em redes de relacionamentos como o Orkut.

Espírito Zen
Não deixe o estresse do trabalho e da correria do dia-a-dia acabar com sua paz interior. Para levar uma vida mais relaxada muitos parques da cidade oferecem aulas gratuitas de Tai Chi Chuan e Lian Gong. Nunca ouviu falar? Um é uma arte marcial milenar que tem os golpes inspirados na natureza. Outro, um método terapêutico que usa manobras e massagens em seus praticantes.

• Tai Chi Chuan:

Parque da Aclimação. 7h30 e 9h30 (exceto 6°)
Parque Trianon. Dom., 8h e 10h
Parque do Ibirapuera. 2°, 10h30 e 12h
Parque Buenos Aires. Sáb., 10h e 11h

• Lian Gong:

Parque da Luz. 3° e 5°, 6h30 e 7h15
Parque do Ibirapuera. 2° a 6°, 10h30 e 11h30; Sáb. e Dom., 10h e 11h
Parque do Piqueri. Dom. 9h e 10h

Trabalho Voluntário
Ajudar o próximo é sempre uma boa opção para aprender a valorizar a sua vida. Aproveite a oportunidade e encontre um grupo que precise do seu auxílio. Quem quiser, pode fazê-lo mesmo sem sair de casa. www.voluntariosonline.org.br

Alugue ao invés de comprar
Lembra da cena do filme Sex and the City em que Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) ouve da assistente que sua bolsa de grife era alugada da Bag Borrow or Steal? Pois é, a moda na Europa e Estados Unidos desembarcou no Brasil com a Feel Chic. Lá, você pode alugar bolsas de grifes como Prada, Gucci, Chanel e Dior. Uma maneira de ficar chique sem gastar muito.

Menus alternativos
Aproveite para explorar alguns restaurantes premiados da cidade que oferecem menus com preço fixo no almoço. O Kinoshita, japonês requisitado em São Paulo, por exemplo, oferece o “Take”, cardápio que traz couvert, prato do sushi bar, prato quente, missushiro, arroz, picles e sobremesa por R$49.

Corra e aproveite
Sempre nos finais das temporadas, as lojas fazem bazares e liquidações de peças que restaram das últimas coleções. Fique antenado nas épocas em que esses eventos acontecem. São boas oportunidades para redecorar a casa e trocar as roupas do armário sem gastar muito. Mas lembre-se: nem tudo em liquidação é imperdível. Outra opção são os brechós online como o Com Que Layout Eu Vou (comquelayouteuvou.blogspot.com). Você pode ver fotos e fazer pedidos por e-mail.

Pare e não faça nada
Afinal, é sempre bom parar um pouco e dedicar-se ao ócio criativo. Basta deitar em um sofá, jogar-se numa cama e ficar sem fazer coisa alguma. Às vezes, Isso pode ser impossível. Então, para ajudar associe-se ao Clube de Nadismo, do designer Marcelo Bohrer, defensor da necessidade de um tempo sossegado sem culpa e sem estresse. Já são quase duas mil pessoas por todo Brasil e exterior adeptas da filosofia do vazio.

Atividades culturais
Aproveita as exposições gratuitas pela cidade, como a “Os sonhos de Grete Stern”, no Museu Lasar Segall. Lá, você pode passear pelas fotomontagens da artista judia-alemã que ilustram interpretações de sonhos. É uma ótima opção para aproveitar os tempos livres. Mas se você é mais ligado em cinema, a rede Espaço Unibanco exibe filmes a R$5 às quintas-feiras. Também fique atento às vantagens de sua operadora de celular e cartão de crédito. Alguns dão descontos para sessões durante a semana. Além disse, você pode participar do Movie Mobz . Você vota em filmes para serem exibidos em um cinema perto da sua casa.

Publicada na edição de maio/09

Una sintesi di uno dei più bei film di tutti i tempi

Più volte ho citato il film L’attimo fuggente come mirabile prova d’attore per Robin Williams e Robert Sean Leonard (l’amico di Dr House).

Oggi vorrei proporre una nuova chiave di lettura: vediamola insieme.

Un ragazzo che viene folgorato dalle parole di un professore di letteratura fuori dagli schemi, uno Steve Jobs (CEO della Apple e co-fondatore) che sconvolge le vite dei ragazzi osando suggerire di usare le loro teste e pensare in modo attivo.

In una società dove bigottismo e schemi vetusti la fanno da padrone, beh, praticamente una bomba atomica lanciata su un deposito in fiamme.

Il ragazzo sogna, s’illude, riesce ad ottenere la parte principale in una rappresentazione di Sogno di una notte di mezz’estate di Shakespeare, è ad un passo dalla sua reale realizzazione: la sua passione trova pieno sfogo e, senza rinunciare agli studi, riesce a trovare il completamento naturale della sua anima.

L’ottusità del padre e la sua sordità verso i bisogni del figlio lo portano a ritenere frivolezze inutili il suo desiderio di diventare attore: il ragazzo, depresso e senza più la forza di lottare, si toglie la vita con la pistola del padre. La colpa ricade sul professore e il film finisce con lo storico saluto degli studenti in piedi sui banchi del college.

Ma la vera colpa non è di chi ha insegnato i ragazzi a realizzare le proprie aspirazioni ma dei genitori, bigotti pidocchi arricchiti ignoranti. Loro sono i veri sordi e pagheranno con la perdita del figlio la loro chiusura, il loro rifiuto militare verso la creatività artistica.

Il film è opera di finzione ma ancora oggi si sentono, purtroppo, genitori che ragionano con il paraocchi. In questi casi l’emancipazione non è un capriccio: è un bisogno naturale per capire che, quando si hanno gli strumenti, la statua bisogna scolpirla.

Da Oscar la scena finale con il coro golbale ed accorato di Capitano, oh  mio Capitano dello zio Walt, come direbbe Keating .

Bisogna dar vita, regalare una forma nuova alle nostre idee e avere il coraggio di portarle avanti. Per molti questo blog non dovrebbe esistere: puntando sulla qualità dei contenuti riceve giornalmente visite e commenti anche da sconosciuti, segno che le mie idee vengono più o meno condivise.

La libertà è il bene più importante, la linfa vitale del nuovo che cambia e migliora le cose: cerchiamo, per quanto possibile, di darle la maggior visibilità immaginabile.

Solo con l’innovazione si ottiene un miglioramento e nuovi obiettivi da conquistare: le menti stantie e il dormire sui propri allori porta alla stagnazione, un meccanismo che porta avanti per inerzia meccanismi e procedure che non puntano alla massima efficienza.

L’elezione di Obama lo dimostra appieno: i cambiamenti servono.

Marco

Att leva i nuet? Ta vara på här och nu?
Det är svårare än vad det låter.

Vi går omkring och antingen grämer oss över det förflutna eller så väntar vi på att något speciellt eller bättre skall hända i framtiden. På detta vis så glömmer vi bort att leva i ögonblicket. Ett ständigt grubblande på vad som ska hända eller kan hända. Man borde inte tänka på vad som kommer att hända i i morgon.

Jag har gett mig själv en hemläxa.  

• Att  inte tänka tillbaka. Det som har hänt har hänt och det finns ingenting jag kan göra något åt, det är bara att släppa taget. 
• Våga, helt ta bort orden om och när.  
• Låta bli att känna tvång eller press.
• Göra det jag tycker känns bra i hjärtat och kroppen.
• Vara possetiv, mot mig själv och andra.
• Investera tiden smart så att jag får bästa möjliga avkastning i form av hälsa, lycka och framgång.
  

I do not believe that life is sacred.  Merely being born does not make one worthy of life nor does it make one entitled to a good life or an easy life.  I believe that it is up to each individual to make their life sacred.

I’ve often asked the question and very rarely been answered, but, who defines what life is sacred.

Whose life is sacred Mother Theresa or Hitler?

Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great?

Xerxes or Ceaser?

Attila the Hun or Aetius, Master General of Rome?

Mahatma Gandhi or Kublai Khan?

Ted Bundy or Ted Kennedy?

Jeffrey Dahmer or Charles Manson?

Mussolini or Charles De Gaulle?

Pol Pot or Ho Chi Minh?

Singh Man Rhee or JImmy Carter?

Teddy Roosevelt or FDR?

Chiang Kai-shek or Mao Tse Tung (Mao Zedong)?

Josef Stalin or Leon Trotski or Vladimir Lenin or the Romanov family they murdered?

Was the life of George Patton more sacred or less sacred than that of Erwin Rommel?

The lives Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson who were two of the most pious and religious American Generals were more or less sacred than the lives of Grant and Sherman. Sherman who supposedly said that the only good indian is a dead indian and was the author of modern day total war.

The Monk in Southeast Asia who studies Buddhism and teaches by his example yet does not believe in Christ as his savior. Sacred or no?

The Hindu Brahman? Sacred or no?

The Roman Empire and it’s millions of souls. Both the murderer of Christ and the main vehicle by which Christianity became THE primary religion of Europe. Had there been no Ceaser, there’d have been no Constantine.

And in the end, we live our beliefs. America says it believes in the sanctity of life even as we demand higher profit ratios and cheaper sneakers and nicer houses at cheaper prices. These things all come at a high human toll.

Yet, life is sacred?

It’s a good thought that is seldom put into action.

We invade Iraq because it has oil which is the grease of the capitalist machine. Then we stand idly by and watch as genocide occurs across the African continent.

Life is cheap.

There is nothing sacred about it. We love the sentiment. It makes us all feel better. Jesus and his words of Faith, Hope and Love. Christians who worship the man, yet, ignore his words.

Personally, I think Jesus would be ashamed of Christendom.

Life is as sacred as a Super-sized Big Mac Menu Meal.

The McSanctity of Life.

America has proved this time and again.  We preach human dignity and self determination even as we support dictators who are willing to do our bidding.  We preach self determination even as we have a distinguished one hundred plus year history of deposing democratically elected governments in the name of corporate profits.

Before one of you morons calls me unAmerican or a “blame America firster,” you might want to read a little history.  Start with Chile and Guatemala.  It’s a world tour.  Next stop, Vietnam and Iran.  Come on back home and read a bit about Honduras, Panama and Cuba.  If you know nothing about these chapters of American history, speak not to me.  You’re a blind and ignorant fool.

“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end”

carpe’ diem!

i hear so many people saying things like “this life is hard, but it will be worth it when i get to heaven”, or perhaps “i’m saving up so i can have a good retirement” and to be honest, i am a bit saddened by it! to me, these people are wasting their lives on something they believe to be there for them in the future. i am not knocking religion or being financially prudent, but what happened to pleasure, to enjoyment? it seems as if so many people simply disassociate themselves from the here and now to focus on the then and later, when, as recent occurances such as the rapid fall of the stock market [and many investments to boot]  just stand to show how shaky these future rewards really are. the religious zealot may say he has faith, but can he  really know?  the struggling investor may say he has put his money in secure funds, but are they really safe?  to me, the principles these people are working from are one and the same. placing  trust [or faith] in something that cannot be absolutely counted on. what can be counted on? this moment, this second, this breath. don’t put your life on hold just so you can dream of  living a full life, enjoying pleasure, and experiencing all the wonders of this world [or the next] later. it almost seems as if some people have an aversion to being happy; like they think something is wrong with it. where did this come from? why would we, as beings capable of living and loving our lives, ever be convinced to forsake that in pursuit of some vague “let’s wait and see”  promise? this is just one of those things that i don’t understand and like i said, earlier, am a bit saddened by. i’ve never been one to buy the old “protestant work ethic” or the “streets of gold” visions, but …. that is not why i felt compelled to blog about this. what precipitated this blog was the never-ending stream of whiners, complainers, and self-imposed martyrs that walk around long-faced, scowling at the public and making the sky just a little bit cloudier for those of us who are taking in and living this life carpe’ diem [seize the moment]. so friend, next time you put your good works, or your money away for the future, don’t forget to invest a good part of it in the present. we all need it… and i’m guessing you just might like it – if you can get past all the conditioning and let yourself.

]]> http://realitystarsmyspace.com/2009/04/09/mtv-the-duel-2-myspace-pages/ Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:34:21 +0000 RealityStarsMyspace http://realitystarsmyspace.com/2009/04/09/mtv-the-duel-2-myspace-pages/

The Myspace Pages of MTV’s The Duel 2 Cast were added today!

The Pages added included those of  CT, Adam, Aneesa, Brad, Davis, Diem, Evan, Eric, Tori, Paula, Isaac, Katie, Rachel, Robin, Ruthie, Ryan, Jenn & more!

Check it Out Here – The Duel 2 Myspace Pages.