Can you believe it?  We’re down to the final five already!  Not only that, but we were in for a treat this week, as the remaining contestants had to sing two songs each and there was no judges vote this week either – so the pressure was really on.  For the first round, they sang some classics from everyone’s favourite man band, Take That, and the second featured songs from piano genius, Sir Elton John.

Danyl Johnson opened the show singing ’Relight My Fire’.  I expected this song to be a bit of a task for Danyl as it’s quite up-tempo, but he made light work of it and even threw some shapes in the process.  For his second song, he came back as what Cheryl described as: “the Danyl that we first fell in love with back in the audition process” with ‘Your Song’.

Then it was Lloyd Daniels’ turn.  This week he sang ‘Million Love Songs’ and ‘I’m Still Standing’, both of which, I thought, were a tad off-key.  Simon thought that Lloyd’s second performance was like: “something from an armature dramatic production”.  Oh dear!

Next up was Olly Murs.  He Sang ‘Love Ain’t Here Anymore’ and ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)’.  Out of the two songs, I thought Olly made a better job of the second one.  When talking about his second performance, Dannii said: “You’ve got that sparkle in your eye – that song was absolutely made for you”.

Joe McElderry was next, singing ‘Could It Be Magic’ and ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’.  For me, both of Joe’s performances on Saturday were amazing, the guy always seems to deliver.  After Joe’s second song, Simon said: “I’m absolutely gob smacked by that”.

Finally, Stacey Solomon sang ‘Rule The World’ and ‘Something About The Way You Look Tonight’.  I loved Stacey’s performances too, but preferred the first one slightly more.  Louis told her: “You don’t believe how good you are – you are a really good singer”.

The Results

This week, two big American artist were making their X Factor debuts – Alicia Keys…

…and Rihanna.

After those amazing performances, we found out that Lloyd had received the least votes from the public and had to leave the competition.

Wow – what a final four we have now.  I can’t wait to see what next week’s semi-final brings!

Ciao for now!

“Dear God,

So far this year you have taken away my favorite dancer Michael Jackson, my favorite actor Patrick Swayze and my favorite singer Stephen Gately and my favorite actress Farah Fawcett.

Just so you know, my favorite politician is Traian Basescu.

Regards.”

Ar trebui sa va spun ca sunt extrem de bucuros de faptul ca odata aparut acest clip din “suburbiile” institutiilor statului Basescu va fi practic mazilit de catre opinia publica si ca sansa lui de a mai fi Presedintele Romaniei este destul de mica sau poate chiar nula. Realitatea este ca acest tip de campanie anti X ma dezgusta si ma dezgusta datorita faptului ca in acest mod este patata toata clasa politica iar perceptia cetateanului de rand este drastica gandindu-se probabil ca in conditiile in care omul sustinut prin vot a fost capabil sa faca asa ceva atunci ce rost mai are sa se gandeasca ca exista sau va exista cea mai mica sansa ca cineva sa poata conduce aceasta tara.

Ma sperie faptul ca singura modalitate gasita de contracandidatii lui Basescu de a-l “detrona” este un clip murdar care-l pune pe omul politic intr-o pozitie ingrata fata de tot ceea ce inseamna moralitate, caracter sau comportament. Este cu atat mai grav cu cat tot ceea e vede poporul  la televizor in ultimele zile este  un clip care-l arata pe Base dand un pumn in gura unui copil mic, iar ceea ce asteapta marea alianta este ca poporul sa voteze impotriva lui Basescu. Daca asa va fi atunci este si mai grav si mi se demonstreaza faptul ca toate deciziile noastre se bazeaza doar pe prima impresie si se bazeaza pe actiuni pe termen scurt, actiuni determinate de impuls, stres si multa oboseala. Eu cred ca era mult mai usor si mult mai elegant sa se demontreze ca Basescu cu al lui partid este incapabil sa conduca o tara aflata in criza doar analizand actiunile si rezultatele anilor de “guvernare” Basesciana si in acest fel determinau si poporul sa se orienteze catre o analiza a rezultatelor si nu catre un vot de distrugere a personalitatii.

Acestea fiind zise voi renunta la anticampania la adresa lui Base si ma voi gandi ca persoanele care-mi citesc blogul sunt capabile sa decida daca Base este capabil sau nu sa conduca o tara cum este Romania.

Hai la Vot!

When the inevitable happens and I finally take control of this planet we like to call Earth (do we actually like to? Strange saying..) these are the things I’m going to do to make the world a better place:

• Consider a new name for Earth that we DO like to call it
• Ban beards. Just why? They’re ewwy!
• I’d meet Taylor Lautner. I’d only have to meet him once for him to fall in love with me, haha (I wish)
• Every book I love will be made into a TV show/Film
• Being Scottish will be illegal
• Flying will be free (for people I like)
• Everyone will say hello and goodbye with a hug
• Anyone I don’t like get’s sent to Fiji
• I’ll build a bridge between the UK and USA with one giant flat (and uber fast) esculator thing along it so you just have to stand there
• Scales will be illegal – who cares how much you weigh?
• OAPs and children will not be allowed to go to town when I am
• My favourite TV shows will run continuously (every week) without hiatus or season breaks until I say so
• All dance/trance/house/rnb will be banned
• Chivalry will be law, but there will be clear guidelines on the difference between chivalry and sexism
• All bombs/guns/explosives will be destroyed and anyone wanting to fight must do so (with my permission) using swords and bow and arrows
• Karma will be MADE to happen
• No one is allowed to say they don’t like something unless they have tried it. Properly.
• Arguing with me would result in death
• All idiots will be prosecuted
• I would have one of every item of clothing/shoes in Topshop, Bershka, H&M, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Republic, River Island etc and someone to help me pick what to wear each day
• Anyone who annoys me while I’m driving will have their licence removed. For life.
• All hot lads must play either guitar/bass/drums and know how to ride a motorbike
• All cities will be removed from Africa, people from there will be given the option of a house in a different country or staying there and living in a tribal hut
• People who are bosses/supervisors/managers will be taught that they are only ‘higher’ during working hours and must consider than the rest of the time they’re no better than ‘their staff’ and should therefore treat everyone with respect within working hours too. Or it may come back to bite them in the arse.
• The whole ’sleep at night’ convention will be removed and the world will be constantly in motion with people sleeping whenever they want instead
• Friday and Monday will become parts of the weekend
• Everyone must read my blog. Or be punished.

That’s all I can think of for now. My world sounds pretty darn nifty, doesn’t it? Have a song that matches. Take That – Rule The World ♫ http://blip.fm/~gvp9n Enjoy!

Hai la vot ca-i tare…

”Victor Gaetan si Ciprian Nastasiu: Metodele paranormale sint o pista pentru investigarea lui Basescu. In ziua retragerii lui Stolojan din cursa prezidentiala, la sediul PD era un parapsiholog rus care poate scadea pulsul unei persoane de la distanta

Gaetan si Nastasiu despre metodele paranormale ale lui Basescu

Victor Gaetan si fostul procuror Ciprian Nastasiu au lansat luni, pe linga multele acuze la adresa lui Traian Basescu, si o pista noua pentru a explica actiunile presedintelui. Ei au declarat ca un parapsiholog rus, presupus cunoscut al lui Basescu, capabil sa ridice si sa coboare pulsul unei persoane de la distanta, se afla la acel moment la sediul PD.

Iata citeva declaratii facute in conferinta de presa desfasurata luni de Victor Gaetan si fostul procuror Nastasiu, declaratii legate de presupusele metode paranormale folosite de Basescu:
Victor Gaetan:

“Metodele paranormale, inca o pista de investigare… Relatia lui Albert Ignatenko, general sovietic, cu marinarul Basescu la Anvers, si continuarea relatiei pina in octombrie 2004, cind Ignatenko a petrecut mai multe saptamani la sediul PD, in Modorgan, inclusiv in ziua caderii formidabile a lui Teodor Stolojan. Ignatenko este cunoscut ca o mare autoritate, cu puteri deosebite de a ridica si scadea pulsul unei persoane de la mare distanta. Puteti face investigatia foarte usor, folosind Google”.

Ciprian Nastasiu:

Si fostul procuror Ciprian Nastasiu vorbeste despre influenta parapsihologului Ignatenko asupra lui Basescu. El explica astfel metodele de actiune ale lui Traian Basescu: “Cred ca raspunsul se poate afla in modul special de gandire al presedintelui si in strategia «triple X» pe care am vazut ca o foloseste. Ca in demonstratiile paranormale [...] Cred ca presedintele se astepta sa actionez in mod agresiv si sa ma prezint fara probe, si daca as fi facut o greseala, eu urma sa fiu partea vinovata. Eram deja compromis in fata opiniei publice. Si in spatele acestei diversiuni, pe seama mea, scandalul lansat de fuga lui Omar Hayssam ar fi fost uitat. Numesc acest lucru inchiderea cercului. Aceasta tehnica este bazata pe un program de instruire al unui renumit psiholog ucrainean, Albert Ignatenko. Relatia dintre Basescu si Ignatenko dateaza inca din momentul Anvers“, a scris Nastasiu in carte, citat de Jurnalul National.”

Aticolul bate toate recordurile legate de orice fel de campanie anti-X. Oricat de mult il urasc pe Basescu, nu pot sa mi-l imaginez participand cu ochisorii lui nedirectionati la cate o sedinta stinghera de spiritism profesionist. Adica, din ceea ce am inteles eu, Super Base invoca spiritele comuniste pentru destabilizarea fizico-para-sufletu’ a contracandidatilor lui politici.

Intrebare: de ce nu incearca si contracandidatii sa convoace o vrajitorica performanta pentru demoralizarea strategica a spiritelor jucause chemate si manipulate de Super Base?

Unii afirma printr-o campanie de tip neo-nazista: “de ce le e frica nu scapa” adica welcome to dictatura democratica…altii mai incearca si alte variante…

Un nou stil de campanie electorala realizata pentru cei nehotarati sau cei care nu sunt suficient de documentati vis-a-vis de candidatii la functia de presedinte al Romaniei.

Mi s-a parut extrem de interesant si elegant in acelasi timp. Completati testul de mai multe ori si sa-mi spuneti ce parere aveti despre rezultatele obtinute.

Mda, jos dictatura democratica!…si nu uitati sa mergeti la vot…:)

http://www.evz.ro/alege-ti-presedintele/index.html

O jurnalistă pune sub acuzare Organizaţia Mondială a Sănătăţii şi Organizaţia Naţiunilor Unite, pentru bioterorism şi tentativă de genocid

Aici ne aflam…

Suntem in “splendida” situatie de a afirma ca dictatura si democratia se intersecteaza peste principiile si idealurile unui popor cu o vasta experienta de tip “Ciocan & Secure”. Este ca si cum am spune ca minciuna si adevarul sunt unul si acelasi lucru…de unde putem extrage “sintagme” de genul “minciuna adevarata” sau “adevar mincinos”…cam aici ne aflam.

Nu stiu daca v-ati uitat in ultimul timp la televizor la situatia politica in care ne aflam. Eu unul am facut greseala de a urmari ce se intampla cu politicienii nostri, acei politicieni aflati in pozitia de conducatori ai tarii.

Scurt istoric:

1. Prim ministrul al Romaniei decide sa-l demita din functie pe ministrul de interne.

2. PSD iese de la guvernare datorita faptului ca Boc il demite pe Nica. Motivul demiterii nu are nici o legatura cu competenta lui Dan Nica ci cu dorinta lui Basescu de a avea control pe ministerul care se ocupa de alegerile prezidentiale.

3. Boc face guvernul “doi in unu” denumit si Boc2

4. Motiune de cenzura depusa de PNL si votata in parlament(momentul iesirii de la guvernare a PSD a insemnat si pierderea majoritatii in parlament a pardidului aflat la guvernare).

5. Cade si guvernul BOC 2.

Situatia prezenta este urmatoarea: nu avem guvern, nu avem prim-ministru, iar partidul politic majoritar, sau in lipsa acestuia, partidele politice care formeaza majoritate parlamentara trebuie sa propuna un prim-ministru care va fi aprobat de catre Basescu si care va forma guvernul.

PDL il repropune pe BOC( nu are nici un rost sa subliniez cat de comica este propunerea PDL avand in vedere ca BOC tocmai cazuse si ca nu avea nici o logica, nici macar pentru Basescu, sa-l repropuna pe “cel mic”).

Pentru prima data in istoria post-decembrista am vazut o evolutie in atitudinea partidelor politice. Pentru prima data se observa o strategie politica coerenta, strategie care ia in calcul si problemele acestei tari.

PNL, PSD,UDMR etc se intrunesc si decid ca propunerea lor sa fie un independent, primarul Sibiului, un om cu extrem de multe rezultate in cariera lui politica, rezultate care au ridicat mult Sibiul datorita strategiei lui economice si datorita relatiilor externe pe care le are pentru ca in astfel de situatii este foarte important pentru un om politic sa aiba sustinere externa.

Deci, pentru a rezuma, toate pardidele politice, mai putin PDL, au ajuns la concluzia ca solutia cea mai buna pentru Romania este Primarul Sibiului si ca il vor sustine indiferent ce guvern va propune acesta.

Propunerea ajunge la Basescu si este refuzata pe motivul ca el nu considera oportun ca primul ministru sa fie un tehnocrat, iar motivul pentru care nu sustine un tehnocrat este acela ca patidele politice trebuie sa-si asume responsabilitatea politica si sa nu se ascunda in spatele unui tehnocrat manipulabil.

A doua zi PDL apare cu propunerea lui: un tehnocrat in persoana consilierului Guvernatorului BNR.

Sper ca s-a inteles bine: toate partidele politice au o propunere care obligatoriu conform Constitutiei Romaniei ar fi trebuit sa fie acceptata de catre Basescu, iar el vine cu o alta propunere care contrazice nu numai motivul pentru care nu a accepta propunerea majoritatii, dar contrazice si incalca inclusiv Constitutia Romaniei.

Oricum, este clar ca si acest Prim Ministru nu va fi validat de catre Parlament, iar in acest caz Basescu va trebui sa vina cu o alta propunere care cu siguranta va fi respinsa si tot asa pana cand vor trece alegerile.

Strategia lui Base este primitiva si dictatoriala. Propune pe oricine stiind clar ca nu va fi acceptat de catre Parlament doar pentru simplul motiv ca pe perioada in care nu avem guvern interimatul este asigurat de vechiul guvern(adica Boc 2) ceea ce inseamna ca are controlul pe Ministerul de Interne si pe Ministerul de Externe cele doua ministere care sunt responsabile de alegerile desfasurate pe teritoriul Romaniei si de sectiile de votare pentru romanii care sunt plecati in strainatate.

De aici si conceptul de “dictatura democratica”.

Interesant nu-i asa?

“În 2007 nu s-a făcut nimic. Abia în 2008 au fost acreditate de Bruxelles autorităţile de management, au fost lansate programele şi au început să fie depuse primele proiecte”, explică Radu Limpede, consultant pe fonduri europene. Potrivit acestuia, este prea devreme în acest moment să se realizeze o apreciere reală a sumelor absorbite, pentru că România a întârziat foarte mult procedurile de accesare a fondurilor europene.

Abia anul viitor putem face o statistică reală. Cred că per total va fi ceva mai bine, având în vedere că pe Competitivitate şi pe Resurse Umane au fost depuse multe proiecte bune. Dezastru este la Transport, unde nu s-a mai depus nimic. E mai uşor să faci grevă şi să ceri bani de la stat decât să faci un proiect bun şi să obţii bani europeni”, spune Limpede.

Dacă cele 435 milioane de euro, care au intrat efectiv în economia reală, sunt raportate la bugetul alocat pentru 2007-2013, în valoare totală de 19,2 miliarde de euro, gradul de absorbţie scade la 2,2%. Uniunea Europeană a alocat până acum României 5,6 miliarde de euro, din care a virat deja 1,92 miliarde de euro. Din aceşti bani, cei care au ajuns însă la beneficiari reprezintă doar 22% din total.

Judecând exclusiv după sumele alocate, România poate fi considerată beneficiar net. Judecând însă din perspectiva sumelor transferate efectiv în economia reală şi mai apoi din perspectiva impactului pe care acestea le-au avut asupra transformării mediului economic şi social, devine evident că România suportă costuri de oportunitate,
Una dintre principalele cauze ale acestui grad mic de absorbţie este întârzierea demarării programelor, de la acreditarea autorităţilor de management, cele care gestionează la nivel local aceste fonduri şi până la redactarea Ghidurilor solicitantului, documentele pe baza cărora se depun cererile de finanţare şi lansarea efectivă a programelor. Datele Autorităţii pentru Coordonarea Instrumentelor Structurale (ACIS) arată că programul operaţional pentru creşterea competitivităţii are un grad de absorbţie de 16,5%, dublu faţă de media de 7,78%. Urmează programul pentru mediu (13,26%) şi cel regional (8,46%). Restul programelor înregistrează un grad de absorţie de sub 5%.” money

In traducere libera, toate aceste informatii ne spun ca Romania in loc sa absoarba bani de la UE, cotizeaza bani la UE.

Mecanismul este destul de simplu: Romania plateste o “taxa” anuala catre UE, taxa pe care ar trebui sa o amortizeze prin aceste fonduri structurale. Daca rata de absortie ar fi fost suficient de mare( nu se cunosc date certe), atunci am fi beneficiat de un profit net din acesti bani europeni. In conditiile in care noi nu suntem capabili sa atragem aceste fonduri, nu numai ca nu ne raman bani, dar ne si creste datoria externa.

Pentru a atrage aceste fonduri, guvernul Romaniei ar trebui sa angajeze profesionisti capabili sa evalueze si sa faciliteze absortia de fonduri. Pana in momentul de fata aparatul guvernamental este complet incapabil de a atrage aceste fonduri tocmai datorita faptului ca in pozitiile decidente in ceea ce inseamna evaluarea si decontarea proiectelor se afla persoane care nu au nici un fel de expertiza in fonduri structurale. Singura lor expertiza este aceea de a colecta bani pentru campania prezidentiala si pentru a face acest lucru blocheaza orice fel de proiect pentru ca beneficiarii sau partenerii sa fie obligati sa “doneze” o parte din bani catre “trezoreriile partidelor”.

Este inadmisibil. Sunt proiecte care au castigat finantarea acum un an si jumatate si care nici la ora actuala nu au fost demarate si asta doar datorita faptului ca oamenii pusi in pozitia de a decide pe aceste proiecte nu au expertiza si nici competenta de a le demara.

Solutia este foarte simpla: externalizarea activitatii de evaluare si de decontare catre companii care au expertiza in fonduri structurale pentru ca altfel ne va fi imposibil sa derulam proiecte, iar in conditiile in care economia este la pamant singura sursa de finantare reala sunt fondurile structurale, ceea ce inseamna ca in lipsa acestora s-ar putea sa ne trezim intr-un colaps financiar nu mai tarziu de iunie 2010.

Sper din tot sufletul ca acest guvern sa dispara incepand cu 2010 pentru ca altfel ne vom da seama ca tot ceea ce s-a construit in ultimii ani se va materializa intr-un “Big O”.

O ULTIMO CARREGAMENTO!        02 de outubro de 2009

Equipe antes da Descida

Levantamos as 07:45 da manhã de uma sexta-feira de céu aberto e frio (o famoso “Bise”: vento frio). Nosso tio Jaques decidiu que acordaríamos um pouco mais tarde na nossa ultima missão de 2009. Nada mal! Uma vez que a noitada passada foi looonga…

Oli, Giovanni e Trick

Apos o café da manhã, partimos rumo a ultima colheita de “Plant Robert” (vinho tinto) nas vinhas de Champ Noe. No Caminho, iluminado pelo sol e vigiado pelas montanhas, logo atrás do Lago, começamos a perceber que, de fato, a temporada de 2009 estava chegando ao fim. Mas nem por isso ficamos desanimados. Pelo contrario! Partimos instigados e motivados a fazer um belo trabalho.

Vista ao amanhecer

A equipe é muito afiada e sintonizada nesse ano e isso ajuda muito no trabalho. Colhemos rápido, transportamos rápido e tudo com muita alegria. O astral é sempre ótimo nas vinhas, na Cave, durante a prensa, nas refeições…

Jean Yves carregando nos primeiros raios da manhã

Apos o almoço na Cave, subimos para fazer o que seria nossos 2 últimos carregamentos da temporada. Primeiro descemos com a Charrete lotada para deixar tudo em baixo e deixamos, como de costume, somente 2 carregamentos (6 caixas) para que fossem transportadas pela ultima vez com muita animação, musica e festa.

Descer pelas vinhas com a equipe e o ultimo carregamento é uma tradição da região, que celbra o feito com muita animação e festa. Entrar pela pequena vila de Cully em cima da nossa Charrete e uma das melhores sensações do mundo!

Descida para a Cave

A ultima descida...

É uma farra! Todos se fantasiam com coisas e artefatos que utilizamos nas vinhas. Colocamos flores pelo Jeep, pela Caharrete e, claro, bebemos muuuuito vinho! Hehehe Tocamos grandes hits como “Vendanges a Cully”, “We’re gonna Rule the World” e “Rudy”. Todos cantam, tocam, dançam, batem palmas e por ai vai!

Somos super bem recepcionados pelo pessoal de casa e a festa continua até de noite, quando jantamos na Cave somente a equipe e as pessoas que realmente participaram das colheitas conosco. Trocamos e-mails, abraços relembramos de fatos, casos e situações que passamos juntos.

Logo mais o Primeiro Carregamento da próxima temporada está ai e, com certeza, estaremos preparados para o que der e vier!

PARA VER MAIS FOTOS CLIQUE AQUI!

PARA VER MAIS VIDEOS CLIQUE AQUI!

Beijos e Abraços

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The world came to Sea the Star at Longchamp, Paris and boy did he deliver like a flaming supernova. Will we see another horse like Sea the Stars in our life time, one wonders,  after seeing Sea the Stars win the English Derby, the Irish Guineas and now the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.. Many a colt before him had died trying only to fail.

John Oxx must be a very happy man indeed.

So as all superstar’s stories go its a combination of great genes, preparation, talent and perfect partnership. Coming from a star studded pedigree repeating the feats of his mother Urban Sea , who also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1993. 

Urban Sea spent the majority of her racing career in France,where she won eight races and the equivalent of £1,331,775 in prize-money. She died at the Irish National Stud in March 2009 after complications during childbirth to Invincible Spirit.

“She was the mare who answered back,” said Tony Morris, the Racing Post’s bloodstock columnist. “We called her the most unforgettable of Arc winners. She kept giving us reasons to remember her.”

The perfect partnership with Mick Kinane as jockey, saw an amazing finale to Mick’s career, as Mick was about to retire before Sea the Stars appeared.

Urban Sea was the dam to Sea the Star half brother, also a champion in his own right. Galileo seen below being held from a Coolmore man.

Of  course Coolmore, miss out this time with this world  headline horse Sea the Stars, as Christopher Tsui, a 27-year-old nightclub proprietor owns the£40 million wonder horse, which of course will be revalued given the latest win.

So this weeks posting really has had to been more about horse stars than bras, but Northern Lights will be finished production by the end of the week which is very exciting. 

Until then I guess here at Harlette we can dream of Sea the Stars siring a mare in the future for us and of course we already have the perfect name BRAS TO THE STARS…

If there was ever a song to celebrate this wonderful colt then its Take thats Rule the World..

Fratilor, va anunt ca emigrez. Si daca ma gandesc mai bine o sa emigrez in Siberia. De ce? …maaaaaaaai : vreau sa fiu cat mai departe de dobitocii astia care-si bat joc de noi, de noi toti.

Avem prim- ministru multitasking, adica face mai multe lucruri deodata si anume: domnia sa(dobitocul planetei) este si prim-ministru si este si ministrul educatiei. Va dati seama?

Mai animalelor cum Dumnezeu credeti ca o sa scoateti prapadita asta de tara din infinitul pesimisto apocaliptico-psihotic in care ati adus-o? Cu doi intr-unul? sau cum? Pai si asa e mic si vai de capul lui, il mai puneti si in pozitie de ministru al educatiei. Pai functia asta ar trebui sa aiba ca si conditie obligatorie statura minima 1.80 si voi puneti piticania ofuscata in aceasta functie? Pai imaginati-va cum arata caricatura dracului langa vreun doctor, certatator sau rector sau ce vreti voi. Mi se face greata.

Al doilea exemplu de dobitoc multifunctional este ministrul finantelor care acu e si ministrul munciiiiiiiiii mai boilor. Mai cretinoizilor, pai psihopatul ala cu mustata metalurgista o adus tara asta in cacatul monumental in care se afla. Creierul lui minuscul si lipsit de orice miligram de inteligenta…boule…s-o gandit el ca scoate romanica din cacat marind impozite la astia privati si vai de steaua lor. Pai cum mama dracu o sa gestioneze el doua ministere extrem de importante in ecuatia macroeconomica si mai ales ca ne aflam in CRIZAAAAAAAAAAAA mai cretinilor.

Al treilea, ba nu, a treia este parasuta aia blonda cu, zi-i sa-i zic, papornita de la Gucci. Da da, aia de conduce ministerul turismului si-l conduce de s-o umplut turistii de gonoree metamorfozica, adica li s-o acrit de atat turism in romanica si s-or gandit ca data viitoare mai bine decat sa vina in romanica sa se turiceasca mai bine se apuca de sex la colt de strada de unde daca nu esti precaut te mai alegi cu cate un “patrunjel multifunctional” denumit daca esti mai ghinionist gonoree. Ei ia imaginati-va voi unde e ministresa: la menesterul mediului. Adica e atat de vaca incat depolueaza atmosfera ca alta explicatie nu pot sa gasesc. Mi-o imaginez pe handicapata asta la picnic in pantofiorii ei gucii sau mai stiu eu ce cacat scotand prazul din gentutza ei secsi sau jucandu-se cu cate un catelus strengar riscand minunetii de unghiute vopsite cu bidineaua produsa de acelasi Gucii, poluind apocaliptic aerul cu a ei miresme debordante.

Astia-s, sa-i manance tata pe ei de profesionisti…

Bai cretinilor eu iubesc tara asta si mai sunt multi altii ca mine, lasati-o bai sa supravietuiasca, ca in ritmul asta la anul este stearsa de pe harta europei si e pacat ca e frumoasa. Lasati-va ma naiba de politica si apucati-va de ceva de orice numai radeti-o dracului in alta parte ca-mi pierd rabdarea.

Pentru toti cititorii, imi cer scuze pentru cuvintele folosite.

P.S. Sa va ia dracu pe toti mai animalelor!

Sepultura…Altered State!

“Endless repression by majority
A master without command
Strange new dimension disturbing my brain
Censored ideas, counterfeit answers”

Understanding Six Worldviews that Rule the World*

By Dr. David Noebel

President, Summit Ministries

Back in the early 1990s, Dr. James Dobson and Gary Bauer sought to identify what they saw happening to Christian young people in the United States. Their conclusion was that “nothing short of a great Civil War of Values rages today throughout North America. Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible worldviews are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of society.”[i] The war, as Dobson and Bauer put it, is a struggle “for the hearts and minds of people. It is a war over ideas.”[ii]

On one side is the Christian worldview, the foundation of Western civilization. On the other side are five worldviews: Islam, Secular Humanism, Marxism, Cosmic Humanism, and Postmodernism. While these worldviews don’t agree in every detail, they unanimously concur on one point-their opposition to biblical Christianity.

As in any war, there are casualties, and anti-Christian ideas are taking their toll. Recent surveys indicate that up to 59 percent of “born again” college students drop out of that category by their senior year.[iii] According to George Barna’s research, nine out of ten “born again” adults do not have a biblical worldview.  To effectively engage this battle of ideas, Christians must have an understanding of the times and “know what [they] ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

What is a Worldview?

Everyone bases his or her decisions and actions on a worldview. We may not be able to articulate our worldview, and our worldview may be inconsistent, but we all have one. So the question is; what is a worldview?

A worldview is “an interpretive framework”[iv]-much like a pair of glasses-through which you view everything. It refers to any set of ideas, beliefs, or values that provide a framework or map to help you understand God, the world, and your relationship to God and the world. Specifically, a worldview contains a particular perspective regarding at least each of the following ten disciplines: theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history.[v]

This article summarizes the six worldviews that currently exert the most influence over the whole world. Other worldviews exist, but they wield much less influence. For example, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, or Shintoism may profoundly influence some Eastern countries, but hardly sway the entire world. The major ideas and belief systems controlling the world, and especially the West, are contained in the following six worldviews.

The Christian Worldview

Many people, including many Christians, do not realize that the Bible addresses all ten disciplines of a worldview. Christianity is the embodiment of Christ’s claim that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). When we say, “This is the Christian way,” we mean this is the way Christ would have us approach life and the world. It is no small matter to think and act as Christ instructs.

America has been described as a Christian nation. However, America-along with the rest of Western Civilization-has turned away from its intellectual, cultural and religious heritage. Almost thirty years ago, Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer noted America’s drift toward secularism as a failure of Christians “to see that all of this [cultural and social breakdown] has come about due to a shift in world view-that is, through a fundamental change in the overall way people think and view the world and life as a whole.”[vi]

The study of worldviews in general, and the Christian worldview in particular, is a wake-up call for everyone. A country seeking to promote human rights (including the right to be born), liberty, and the common good must adhere to the only worldview that can account for our existence and dignity. We contend that human dignity comes from the fact that human beings are created in the image of God, a uniquely biblical perspective. Abandoning this perspective has dire consequences, considering the rise in abortions, homosexual practices, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research, and the move toward human cloning.

The Islamic Worldview

It is estimated there are 1.3 billion followers of Islam.[vii] In recent years, the Islamic worldview has been growing exponentially in numbers, power, and influence, and, therefore, is worthy of our study. As one article headlined, “The future belongs to Islam,”[viii] providing added incentive to understand its beliefs and goals.

Writing in The Sword of the Prophet, commentator and international political consultant, Serge Trifkovic, explains that “Islam is not a ‘mere’ religion; it is a complete way of life, an all-embracing social, political and legal system that breeds a worldview peculiar to itself.”[ix]

Christianity and Islam have some teachings in common, including belief in a personal God, creation of the material universe, angels, immortality of the soul, heaven, hell, and judgment of sin. Likewise, Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet (one of many), his virgin birth, physical ascension, second coming, miracles, and messiahship.[x]

The major differences between Christianity and Islam is Islam’s rejection of the biblical Trinitarian God and the death of Jesus for the sins of the world. Muslims likewise reject Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead and his claim to be the Son of God.

Another major difference between the founder of Christianity and the founder of Islam is that the Bible describes Jesus as living a sinless life while the traditions of Islam depict Muhammad having many flaws. “Muhammad’s practice and constant encouragement of bloodshed,” writes Trifkovic, “are unique in the history of religions. Murder, pillage, rape, and more murder are in the Koran and in the Traditions.”[xi] Furthermore, Muhammad’s life “seems to have impressed his followers with a profound belief in the value of bloodshed as opening the gates of Paradise.”[xii] Thus, the history of Islam from 622 A.D. to the present has been a history of violence, submission, and war toward infidels (non-Muslims).

For many Muslims, one of Mohammad’s most important legacies is to see the world as a conflict between the Land of Peace (Dar al-Islam) and the Land of War (Dar al-Harb). On the other hand, there are a number of Muslims, particularly those living in Western democracies, who do not believe the Koran’s violent passages regarding killing infidels and Islam’s violent history should be applied literally today.[xiii] Yet, in either case, Islam is a worldview with which Christians must contend.

The Secular Humanist Worldview

Secular Humanism refers primarily to the ideas and beliefs outlined in the Humanist Manifestoes of 1933, 1973, and 2000. Secular Humanism is the dominant worldview on the majority of colleges and universities throughout all Western nations. It has also made gains in many Christian colleges and universities, especially in the areas of biology, sociology, law, politics, and history.

Secular Humanists recognize the classroom as a powerful incubator for indoctrinating students into their worldview. Operating under the educational buzzword “liberalism,” a Secular Humanist agenda controls the curriculum in America’s public schools thanks to the National Education Association, the National Academy of Sciences, and a host of foundations, including the Ford Foundation.

Christians considering a college education must be well versed in the Secular Humanistic worldview or risk losing their own Christian perspective by default. In her book Walking Away From the Faith, Ruth Tucker, a professor at Calvin Seminary, makes it clear that Christian students are walking away from their faith because of Secular Humanist teaching.

The ideas of Humanism have gained prominent influence throughout modern society. B.F. Skinner, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm, all former “Humanists of the Year,” have powerfully affected the discipline of psychology. Scientists such as the late Carl Sagan, another “Humanist of the Year,” preached his Humanism on a widely heralded television and high school curriculum series. More recently, the outspoken atheist and Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins has gained much attention through a number of popular books on evolution and, of course, his 2006 best-seller, The God Delusion. Clearly, Humanists are willing to support their worldview-often more faithfully than Christians. For these and other reasons, we must give the Secular Humanist worldview close attention.

The Marxist Worldview

Marxism is a militantly atheistic, materialistic worldview. It has developed a perspective regarding each of the ten disciplines-usually in great detail. Based on the writings of Karl Marx in the late 1800s, Marxism has taken on some new looks in recent years-including debasing culture as a form of revolutionary activity.[xiv] The latest Communist Manifesto, titled Empire, was published in 2000 by Harvard University Press. Marx’s presence continues to be felt around the world.

Marxism predominates on many American university campuses. Recruited as college students in the 1950s and ’60s, many Marxist “radicals” earned PhDs and are now the tenured faculty on many campuses. “With a few notable exceptions,” says former Yale professor Roger Kimball, “our most prestigious liberal arts colleges and universities have installed the entire radical menu at the center of their humanities curriculum at both the undergraduate and the graduate level.”[xv] U. S. News and World Report published a lengthy article in 2003 entitled “Where Marxism Lives Today,” which states, “Marxism is so entrenched in courses ranging from literature to anthropology… that today’s students are virtually bathed in Marx’s ideas.”[xvi]

The “radical menu” Kimball referred to includes a large serving of economic determinism. According to Karl Marx, the key problem with capitalism is that it breeds exploitation. Therefore, capitalism must be replaced with a more humane economic system, one that abolishes free markets (private property and the free and peaceful exchange of goods and services) and replaces it with a government-controlled economy.

Marx’s economic ideas and political policy go hand in hand. A Marxist style communism controls a large number of nations around the world, and traveling under the name of “social democracy,” a Marxist inspired political philosophy has engulfed Western European nations. Further, many South American countries have also taken a Marxist turn in recent years, and many think that the current administration and congress of the United States is quickly taking America down the same socialist road.[xvii]

In addition, some Christian groups have attempted to combine their Christianity with Marx’s ideas of social equality. Because of the prevalence and subversive nature of Marxism, Christians must be aware of the goals of Marxist-thinking professors, politicians, and theologians.

The Cosmic Humanist Worldview

The Cosmic Humanist worldview consists of two interrelated spiritual movements. One is known as the New Age Movement (NAM), and the other is neo-paganism, which includes occult practices, Native American spiritism, and Wicca.

The New Age Movement mixes ancient Eastern religions (especially Hinduism and Zen Buddhism) with a touch of other religious traditions, adds a smattering of scientific jargon, and imports the newly baked concoction into mainstream America. “The New Age,” explains researcher Johanna Michaelsen, “is the ultimate eclectic religion of self: Whatever you decide is right for you is what’s right, as long as you don’t get narrow-minded and exclusive about it.”[xviii]

The assumption that truth resides within each individual, however, becomes the cornerstone for a worldview. Granting oneself the power to discern all truth is a facet of theology, and this theology has ramifications that many members of the New Age movement have already discovered. Marilyn Ferguson, author of The Aquarian Conspiracy (a book referred to as “The New Age watershed classic”), says the movement ushers in a “new mind-the ascendance of a startling worldview.”[xix]

This worldview is summed up by Jonathan Adolph: “In its broadest sense, New Age thinking can be characterized as a form of utopianism, the desire to create a better society, a ‘New Age’ in which humanity lives in harmony with itself, nature, and the cosmos.”[xx]

While New Age believers make no serious distinctions between religions, considering that all are ultimately the same, John P. Newport explains that “neopagans generally believe that they are practicing an ancient folk religion, whether as a survival or a revival. Thus, being focused on the pagan religions of the past, they are not particularly interested in a New Age of the future.”[xxi]

Through best-selling books and popular television shows and movies,[xxii] the Cosmic Humanist worldview is gaining converts in the West and around the world. Malachi Martin lists dozens of organizations that are either New Age or sympathetic to Cosmic Humanist views. Clearly, Cosmic Humanism, a transplant from the East, is a growing presence throughout the Western hemisphere.

the Postmodern Worldview

Forced to face the inhumanity, destruction, and horror brought about by the Third Reich and the Soviet Gulag during the first half of the 20^th century, a substantial group of Enlightenment humanists and neo-Marxists abandoned their worldview to create one they believed more fitting with reality, resulting in the Postmodern turn. By the 1980’s, Postmodern professors were making significant inroads in humanities and social science departments around the world.

Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland notes that Postmodernism refers to a philosophical approach primarily in the area of epistemology, or what counts as knowledge or truth. Broadly speaking, Moreland says “Postmodernism represents a form of cultural relativism about such things as truth, reality, reason, values, linguistic meaning, the ’self’ and other notions.”[xxiii]

Though Postmodernism comes in many forms, there are three unifying values: (1) a commitment to relativism; (2) an opposition to metanarratives, or totalizing explanations of reality that are true for all people of all cultures; and (3) the idea of culturally created realities. Each of these commitments are designed to deny that there is a worldview or belief system that can be considered absolute Truth.

Postmodernism’s most effective methodological tool, one used extensively in university modern language departments, is known as Deconstruction, which means (1) that words do not represent reality, and (2) that concepts expressed in sentences in any language are arbitrary.

Some Postmodernists go so far as to deconstruct humanity itself. Thus, along with the death of God, truth, and reason, humanity is also obliterated. Paul Kugler notes the ironic twist: “Today, it is the speaking subject who declared God dead one hundred years ago whose very existence is now being called into question.”[xxiv]

To complicate matters even further, we must acknowledge that there even exists a variety of Postmodernism called “Christian Postmodernism.”[xxv] Such is the essence of mainstream Postmodernism-a worldview that claims there are no worldviews. This “anti-worldview” worldview is one that certainly demands the attention of thoughtful Christians.

Conclusion

We cannot overstate the significance of these five anti-Christian worldviews. The basis for much of what is taught in the public classroom today comes from Secular, Marxist, Cosmic Humanist, and Postmodern thinking and takes on a variety of labels: liberalism, multiculturalism, political correctness, deconstructionism, or self-esteem education. Or, as is often the case, the labels are dropped and courses are taught from anti-Christian assumptions without students being told which worldview is being expressed. Neutrality in education is a myth.

The first chapter of the Book of Daniel explains how Daniel and his friends prepared themselves to survive and flourish amid the clash of worldviews of their day. We believe that Christian young people equipped with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Christian worldview and its rivals can become “Daniels” who will not stand on the sidelines, but will participate in the great collision of worldviews in the twenty-first century.

Society will flourish in the light of truth only when the emphasis shifts back to a Christian perspective. This dramatic shift in emphasis can be brought about through the leadership of thousands of informed, confident Christian students who think deeply and broadly from a well-honed biblical worldview and emerge as leaders in education, business, science, and government.

Our desire to bring about this shift in emphasis is the fundamental reason Summit Ministries produces curricula and resources for Christian schools and homeschool families (primary, middle, and secondary), presents in-service worldview training for teachers across the U.S. and around the world, and provides worldview conferences for students and adults. Information is available at www.summit.org.

About the Author:

Dr. David A. Noebel is founder and president of Summit Ministries and edits and writes Summit’s monthly publication, The Journal. Dr. Noebel has been a college professor, college president, and candidate for the U.S. Congress. Dr. Noebel has a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, a M.A. from the University of Tulsa, and was a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin. He is an Author, Editor, Public Speaker, and Ordained Minister. Dr. Noebel is recognized as an expert on worldview analysis and the decline of morality and spirituality in Western Civilization. His most popular works include Understanding the Times: The Collision of Today’s Worldviews, which sold over 500,000 copies, and Clergy in the Classroom: the Religion of Secular Humanism (co-authored with Kevin Bywater and J.F. Baldwin). He and his wife Alice live in Manitou Springs, CO and have two children and five grandchildren.

*This article is taken from the introductory chapter of David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times, 2^nd Ed., (Summit Press: Manitou Springs, CO, 2006). Understanding the Times is a landmark text that provides a comprehensive comparison of the six worldviews discussed in this article and can be purchased at www.summit.org. Portions of the original text has been edited and re-written by Chuck Edwards for the purposes of this article.

ENDNOTES:

[ii] Ibid., 19–20.

[iii] Taken from the “College Student Survey.” Cooperative Institutional Research Program, U.C.L.A. Online article: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/css_po.html.

[iv] Norman L. Geisler and William D. Watkins, Worlds Apart (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989), 11.

[v] Other areas could be included in a definition of worldview, such as the arts, yet these ten disciplines contain the primary areas, acting as a web of interacting ideas, which contribute to a total world and life view.

[vi] Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1981), 17.

[vii] http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001468.html.

[viii] “The Future Belongs to Islam,” by Mark Steyn, October 20, 2006, accessed 5/4/2009, http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/article.jsp?content=20061023_134898_134898.

[ix] Serge Trifkovic, The Sword of the Prophet (Boston, MA: Regina Orthodox, 2002), 55.

[x] Ibid., 369.

[xi] Op cit., p. 51.

[xii] Ibn Warraq1 (Ed.), The Quest for the Historical Muhammad, New York, 2000, p. 349, quoted in Trafkovic, p. 51.

[xiii] See the American Islamic Forum for Democracy at http://www.aifdemocracy.org/.

[xiv] Paul Edward Gottfried, The Strange Death of Marxism: The European Left in the New Millennium (Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2005); David Horowitz, Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2004); Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000); Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories, and Political Significance (Cambridge, NY: MIT, 1998); Raymond Aron, The Opium of the Intellectuals (third printing; New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 2003).

[xv] Roger Kimball, Tenured Radicals (New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1990), xiii.

[xvi] U. S. News and World Report, Special Collection Edition, September 2, 2003, p. 86.

[xvii] See the online article, “The Socialization of America,” by David Noebel, accessed 5/4/2009, http://www.summit.org/blogs/pd/2009/03/the_socialization_of_america.php

[xviii] Johanna Michaelsen, Like Lambs to the Slaughter (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1989), 11.

[xix] Marilyn Ferguson, The Austrian Conspiracy (Los Angeles, CA: J.P. Tarcher, 1980), 23.

[xx] Adolph, 11.

[xxi] John P. Newport, The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1998) p. 214.

[xxii] Books by best-selling authors include The Celestine Prophecy and Conversations with God, while Cosmic Humanist themes are explicit in TV shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lost, as well as through films such as Pocahontas, Mulan, and Star Wars (directed toward children), and Sixth Sense, Gladiator, Dances with Wolves, and Hidalgo, (for adult viewing), just to name a few in each category.

[xxiii] See J.P. Moreland’s website for his article “Postmodernism and the Christian Life.” Also, J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, The Philosophical Foundation of a Christian Worldview.

[xxiv] Walter Truett Anderson, The Future of the Self: Exploring the Post-Identity Society (New York, NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 1997), 32.

[xxv] See D.A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996); Myron B. Penner, ed., Christianity and the Postmodern Turn (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2005); and D.A. Carson, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005).
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If I ruled the world…

Disabled/handicapped people will be allowed to take part actively in politics.

Any form of discrimination will result in public SPANKING.

Guys will have to learn ‘Gentlemen for DUMMIES’ as a subject at school.

Meanwhile, girls will learn how to handle their man.

All cats and dogs will have homes to stay, bones and fishes, and they will be trained until they are clever.

Just like Paris’ ideology, The White House shall be PINK.

Everyday, confetti, balloons and LAUGHING GAS will fall from the sky!

The INTERnational anthem will be a rap song produced by Timbaland and sung by Justin Timberlake.

School? Students will only go to school to take their exams. Computers will be teaching them

There shall be an international Bloggers’ Day!

Waxing will be BANNED! A less painful and more effective method of hair-removal will be invented for the ladies.

Free candy for everyone!!!

But too bad… reality says I’m just a normal teenager. Boohoo.

~ Anonymously Secret

Me and a few chaps from church sometimes get together to do some male, vocal, harmony stuff. We call ourselves Vangelo. So far it’s been maily Candle Lit Carol Services, Easter Sundays and that.

Coming up this September we have our first ‘gig’. We’re the entertainment for a wedding!

Tuesday night 4 out of 5 of us got together for a little recap. I pulled the ol’ iphone out at the death so that I could share the beauty with you all. Enjoy?

Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! TAKE THAT AND PARTY!!!

 Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while, I’ve been busy over the weekend with work and… TAKE THAT!

Even if I wasn’t a massive fan of Take That I wouldn’t have been able to say I wasn’t impressed. It was one hell of an epic show with a mechanical elephant, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, flaming hoops, chinese acrobats, trampolines and giant inflatable puppets. Not to mention Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Mark Owen on unicycles and Gary Barlow on a tiny bicycle with stabilisers. Legends!

Apparently the tour is costing them an epic £10million and I’m not surprised. The two hour show never left a second without something spectacular to watch. It was entertainment in its purest form as the four of them spread their act between the main stage and the smaller central stage. They opened with Greatest Day and had everyone on their feet and singing (or screaming) along with them from start to finish where they ended with Rule the World inclusive with an unexpected fireworks show as we all swayed along under the stars.

I must admit I was still hoping for Robbie to show up and was slightly miffed that he didn’t - I still don’t get why not?! – but they managed Could It Be Magic fine with the others singing and he wasn’t missed too much. They did a grand job of keeping everyone’s mind off it. Jason sang ‘Wooden Boat’ and Howard sang my all time favourite ‘Never Forget’ so everyone got their fair share of the limelight.

Every song had it’s own seperate little show; they produced umbrellas and a fountain of water surrounded them in reflection of the video for the massively successful ‘Back For Good’. To get from the smaller stage they started on, over to the main stage, a mechanical elephant formed and rose beneath them then turned and sauntered it’s way down the walkway dropping them off at the foot of the bigger stage.

The boys then donned their clown faces while singing ‘What is love?’ and became part of the circus acts by unicycling their way accross to the smaller stage. Mark Owen needed a bit of help getting started but managed to make it accross without falling and Gary Barlow seemed unable to even manage that so instead opted for a tiny bicycle complete with stabilisers which he rode hilariously and easily over to join the rest of the boys in the middle.

Relight My Fire ended their main section with the original singer (can’t remember her name) singing the lines made famous by Lulu. She may not have been quite the same but there’s no denying she had the power behind her voice that was needed for the epic lines. Mark opened the encore in a shiny silver outfit with my favourite song from the new album – Hold up a light and he was soon joined by the rest to finish their last few songs for the night.

 Obviously my song for today is one of theirs. My favourite has already been used in a previous post so here’s my favourite from their new album as mentioned before. Take That – Hold Up A Light ♫ http://blip.fm/~7uvwr Enjoy!

I have been thinking about why we pour our heart out onto the web for “nothing”.  The reality is it is not for nothing.  We are all seeking something in exchange for our efforts as as abstract as that something may be.

You are putting something onto the Internet Table in order to take something from the Internet Table.

If you are not working for remuneration, you are advertising.  You are seeking intangibles that–in some way–will lead to a transaction.  You are creating a brand.

All the “OpenSource”.  All the blogs, all the webpages, all the sites, all the comments, all the games–everything–is about building your brand.

It is about “You, Incorporated”.

You want to ultimately acquire the world you want.

You want to rule your world.

There is a word for it: “Anarchy”

You each have no leader, but yourself.  Yet we work together in Synergy.

We are working toward a world of the Independent Global Professional.

If you are not selling something, you are advertising something.

After re-reading The Fine Artists Career Guide:  Making Money in Arts and Beyond by Daniel Grant (who by the way has a whole bevy of art career books to his name with Allworth Press), we were inspired to re-create our very own business cards.

Grant is a big believer in the “get”  – the things that help artists stand out in the crowd and promotion is BIG on his list.  We had previously seen Moo Cards - mini business cards and were inspired to draft up our unique slice of the pie.  After easily and quickly loading some of our own artwork on the site and then selecting the right crop, we waited about two weeks for delivery and simply could not be happier with the quality or end result. 

The benefit of Moo Cards is now we have something extra to talk about when handing out the card – the image that appears on the front as a series from our very own artwork (we uploaded 30 images).  It’s a highly visual world according to Daniel Pink’s Right Brainers Will Rule the World book and it requires a new approach on marketing, a fresh breeze of air, and smart thinking. 

Ainda não passou sequer um ano desde que conheci a música dos Kamelot, mas não foi isso que me impediu de os ir ver a Madrid no passado dia 4 de Abril.
800 pessoas aguardavam, numa sala Heineken esgotada, um espectáculo que prometia. Para apoiar a banda norte-americana estavam agendadas as actuações dos austríacos Serenity (cujo espectáculo teve, infelizmente,  de ser cancelado devido a uma infecção contraída pelo vocalista na garganta) e dos holandeses Delain.

Coube então ao quinteto dos Países Baixos a responsabilidade de aquecer o público espanhol (e os três grupos de portugueses que lá se encontravam =p), e a verdade é que conseguiram. Certamente que mesmo os que fossem mais críticos em relação à música (e não me parece que tenha havido algum), não puderam ficar indiferentes à vocalista Charlotte Wessels que, para além de ter uma voz extremamente agradável, já deve ter feito suspirar muito boa gente.

A banda fundada por Martijn Westerholt, ex-teclista dos Within Temptation, tocou 4 músicas do seu novo álbum, April Rain, e duas do seu antecessor, Lucidity, sendo que The Gathering, tema com que encerraram a sua actuação, foi gravado com a participação de Marco Hietala, conhecido baixista e vocalista dos finlandeses Nightwish – estão, portanto, bem apadrinhados.
Os Delain puxaram pelo público, e o público respondeu. Muitos saltos, muito abanar de capacete, aplausos… pode-se dizer que nuestros hermanos sabem como dar ambiente a um concerto (passe o inconveniente de às vezes não saberem quando é altura de estarem calados).

Seguiram-se cerca de 40 minutos de espera para a organização preparar o material da banda que todos aguardávamos impacientes. Mas, felizmente, pontualidade foi o que não faltou.
Após uns primeiros momentos de introdução instrumental, eis que os Kamelot entram em palco com o riff contagiante de Rule the World, single do seu mais recente álbum Ghost Opera. Público reaquecido e toca a manter o ritmo. Somos brindados de seguida com When The Lights Are Down, Soul Society e Center of the Universe, que pouco espaço dão para descansar dos ritmos acelerados.
Entretanto, os intentos do vocalista Roy Khan de puxar por «MADRIIIIIIIIIDDD» eram bem correspondidos pela plateia.
The Pendulous Fall, tema tirado da segunda edição de Ghost Opera (Ghost Opera: The Second Coming), permitiu recuperar o fôlego mantendo um pouco do peso das músicas iniciais, seguindo-se-lhe Anthem,  que Roy explica ter sido escrito para o seu filho de 6 meses antes de completarem as gravações do álbum – e , infelizmente, foi durante esta balada, que pouco mais tem que voz e teclas, que um desgraçado de um espanhol se pôs a falar em altos berros com outro que estava ao meu lado… era caso para citar o rei Juan Carlos com o seu ¿Por qué no te callas?, mas adiante…
O alinhamento prosseguiu com Moolight e com uma jam session instrumental (uma surpresa), em que o vocalista teve direito a uns minutos de descanso e cada um dos restantes músicos teve o seu momento de glória.
As teclas de Oliver Palotai deram o mote para The Human Stain, mais um single do último trabalho da banda, que antecedeu The Haunting (Somewhere In Time), tema que na sua versão original conta com a participação de Simone Simons, vocalista dos holandeses Epica – cujo nome, curiosamente, é retirado do álbum homónimo dos Kamelot.
Antes de Oliver Palotai poder ter as atenções todas centradas em si, com mais um momento a solo, ainda pudemos ouvir Eden Echo, outro dos temas que compõem o alinhamento de Ghost Opera.
Já a caminho do fim, o guitarrista Thomas Youngblood tocou as notas iniciais daquele que seria o momento da verdade para os fãs. Em Forever, Roy Khan fez o tradicional duelo vocal com o público que, diga-se, mostrou-se bem à altura do desafio, tendo inclusivamente Roy tido alguma dificuldade em conseguir fazer-se ouvir por entre as vozes da plateia quando estava a apresentar os membros da banda.

Chegava assim ao fim a actuação principal do grupo, a que se seguiram 2 encores (o que já vai sendo raro nos dias que correm, infelizmente):
1.º encore – Ghost Opera e Love You to Death, ambas do último álbum – sendo a segunda uma poderosíssima balada –, concluíndo com Karma, tema que recupera os ritmos rápidos e cuja quebra de tempo dificulta o acompanhamento ao cantar, mas que nem por isso tem menos força.
2.º encore: o obrigatório March of Mephisto – com a gravação da voz diabólica de Shagrath,  vocalista dos Dimmu Borgir, banda norueguesa de Black Metal – deu por terminado um concerto onde não faltaram interpretações teatrais, um espectáculo visual bastante bom, tendo em conta as reduzidas dimensões do palco, e uma interacção com o público que deixa muita vontade de regressar a um espectáculo com estes 5 senhores do metal.

Fica aqui o vídeo oficial de Rule the World.

What would you do if you ran the world? Great site coming soon on people doing their part on changing the world. If you would like to get involved now you can visit: http://ifwerantheworld.com/ also on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/iwrtw Check out this excellent article on “Yes, We Plan: How Altruism and Advertising Could Change the World”: http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/yes-we-plan-how.html

Mentioned in this article is a site that features projects that people are doing to change the world. Appropriately branded: http://www.DoSomething.org Get’s me pumped about the Heaven on Earth project. Update coming soon.

Maybe we should ask ColdPlay, after all they used to rule the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvbT8v4BGw8. Great song, creepy video.