Jan 27 - Blindness/Ensayo sobre la Ceguera - Ottawa

No, Canada doesn't have a President... that was a Lapsus Línguae on my video of the day... although, I am sure our Prime Minister would love to become the King of Canada (over our unpopular Prince Charles)!!!! Anyway, Canada is a parliamentary system unlike the US which is a Republic (you do your research).

And Yes, I hate the shiny light reflected on my glasses as well. I didn't have much time to find the right spot for my video entry last night... darn... oh well... it kinda goes with the theme... that layer of shine that may cover our eyes at times, preventing us from seeing.

Blindness is a wonderful essay on human condition and human interdependence. Beautifully written, quite disturbing on occasion, it is impossible to drop it. There are moments when you literally suffer the pains inflicted on the characters. Brilliant work of Nobel Prize Laureate Saramago. This book is my second favourite of his after the Cave. If you don't like reading, watch the movie. If you like reading, go for it... and then watch the movie. I thought the film wasn't going to be as interesting (it didn't get very good reviews in North America)... but it was actually quite good... the audience may not have been prepared to see themselves reflected on the screen! Fernando Meirelles the director (City of God, 2002) is a genius. The cast is excellent... and what about the slightly cheesy ending? Well, we all need some optimism after all... Hollywood endings are more popular than we think.



I like open endings... endings that leave you wondering, that allow your imagination to complete the scene. Those are rare... there's a little bit of that in this book and film (despite the spark of optimism). There is rebuilding ahead, and that is not shown... that part is left for us to reflect on.

I've chose this book because I see how Haiti will disappear from the TV radars soon. After two weeks a catastrophe becomes history... a Wikipedia entry... we will soon forget how the earth roared on January 12, 2010... killing thousands of already impoverished Haitians. We will forget because the earth rotates at a very fast speed. The struggle for survival in Haiti will get shadowed by Apple's new iPad, or by the State of the Union speech... we just throw more rubble on what is dated, and move on... is it nature? is it choice? is it just short-attention span?

Actual news, which is supposed to mean "information on a recent event or happening", is associated with 'media news' (which is what media outlets and media associations, i.e. AP...consider is a 'recent event')... well, if official media newscasts stop broadcasting an event... should we forget about it ourselves? Should we move on to the next catastrophe? This is today's open ending to ponder on...

Tip of the day: We, as citizens have more media power nowadays than we did before, because of the Internet and other social media outlets... let's continue to empower ourselves. Citizen journalism is IN! Share

Jan 23 "Pierogies for lunch" and the Prince by Machiavelli

I had never tried pierogies until I came to Canada, they are some kind of dumpling filled with stuff. When the government of Stephen Harper decided to "prorogue" parliament last year (cancel it/postpone it)to avoid a vote of confidence, the words prorogue and pierogi were matched up. "Pierogies are for lunch" was one of the lines that rally goers scream in front of the Parliament in Ottawa today as we got together to oppose the decision to close the House of Commons until the Olympics in Vancouver are over."Go back to work", "Don't shut democracy" and "Pass that bill" were some of the other popular lines.

Beautiful day to protest, somebody said that Mr. Harper may want to take credit for such a bright day as he believes to be "the king". I don't want to go that far, I'll call it "The Prince" as I choose this book by Machiavelli to be the one of the day.

Mr. Harper may think that "the end justifies the means", but he may be wrong this time. We certainly hope so... in the best interest of the country. It is hard to believe that he represents the vast majority of Canadians.


For more videos on the rally, please visit my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/alvalle

Tip of the day: Never take for granted that the members of parliament represent us as the people of a nation and they are accountable to us because we elect them and give them the power to act on our behalf.

I'd like to thank Julie Laurin (A first-time rally-goer as well) for sharing her comments with me. This is the first of a two-video story that she's posted on her blog. You can follow her at: http://julielaurin.com/?p=582

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Dan Halton: Show me the other side of the story!

I just watched the first segment of the CBC's Sunday show and I am disgusted. There was an anti police brutality protest in Montreal today, and as expected, police showed its brutality against the protestors. What are we viewers being shown? Only how "brutal" the protestors were? The police...hmmm... they were just protecting innocent bystanders and vulnerable businesses? Fine, the protestors threw bananas at the police (and some stones), they set fire to garbage cans and broke some VIP corporate windows... let's say they "should be penalized"... but come on mr. journalist... show me the other side of the story... have at least one protestor express his/her viewpoint... don't only ask police their view, they will always find a way to justify violence... I expect a right wing agenda from our government not from our national broadcaster. I am skeptical enough about news and the distorted power of media, but don't give me such easy reasons to justify my claim... trick me a bit more so I can generate debate, try to confuse me, make me believe you stand on every side, that everybody has a voice... don't be so obvious...

Shame on Dan Halton for such a poor report. His background in Political Science and Masters in International Relations should give him deeper insight into the core of news stories... 

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Blindness

Poverty and violence walk hand in hand. Fear and social madness are one wall apart.  I recently watched the movie "Blindness", inspired by Jose Saramago's Ensayo sobre la ceguera... An interesting portrait of human condition under social and physical pressure. 

As our well-praised capitalist economy is crumbling and its evil daughter, the stock market, is plunging not only in the States but worldwide, some old communist must be celebrating... "it is the end of the empire as it's known", they may be saying... and perhaps, they aren't wrong. Things are changing and they ought to. It is time to revisit our view (and the needy-greedy rules) of the financial system, reconsider the vulnerability of the free markets and the wonders of a corporate world, not as safe and sound as once portrayed. Blinded by easy cash flow while exploiting non-renewable resources has led us to a crisis that Western governments are trying to bail-out. Would the expenditure of the hardly earned tax-payer money do the trick? I think our actions, as civil society, should go beyond this desperate measure... we have a chance to review the books and think this over. The market, as well as "the empire", are no longer safe... nor are we and our environment. Before this whole crisis unravels and the heart of recession awakens more violence, we should continue to listen to alternative voices that have been setting off the alarms of  "danger!" for quite some time now.  Sadly but true, the only "triggering passives" that seem to be affecting the political spectrum of this world are the purse string and our empty pockets... the rest is ignored green rhetoric. I'd hope that green means yet to ripen.   

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Fear of chaos 2

In an egalitarian society where there is freedom of speech and thought, individuals would be able to make free choices (aside from justice, from government policies, from formal education, from religious indoctrination). In a democratic society, 50%+ of the population (called the majority) has "a say" to decide over the rest of the population (with limited fractions of participation: on staged elections, limited number of political parties, arranged referendums, etc). Freedom of speech and thought that go against the mainstream order and that become civil disobedience or take more violent forms have very little account in democratic societies. A free society of individuals, where each person could make decisions (above the law and established order) is closer to anarchism than to democracy. Anarchism is linked with chaos and that fear of "chaos" invites political elites, economic powers, educational institutions... to establish control measures over their populations.  The enforcement of the order can happen "peacefully" through institutional indoctrination, law enforcement and fear of punishment (by earthy or divine justice)... but can also be violent through the use of force, correction, imprisonment, torture, intimidation, harassment, etc. A perfect society seems to be the one that moves within the permitted boundaries of a system and where people believe that there is freedom of choice. "Chaotic" societies are less indoctrinated and have a social potential to rediscover new ways of socializing and governing. Even though capitalism, in principle, seems to be opposed to democracy, it uses the "free market trade" and the "equal opportunities for all" speech in order to spread its values. It is true that capitalism as well as democracy empower very small elites... but there are deep internal difference between a true democracy and true capitalism. Political and corporation elites seem to work hand to hand to support an economic system that does not seem to be challenged enough (despite the poverty rates on the planet).  But there is no true democracy nor true capitalism. We are closer to monarchic societies, tyrannies and dictatorships... more than ever... our limited participation in the say of our governments is almost nonexistent . Why is Canada still invading Afghanistan and the US killing/and being killed in Iraq? The elites made that choice "and they know better" (we, the people who elect them and who oppose these wars,"know very little" that's why we elect elites to represent us).  Share

Inmigracion Desenfocada

Ayer me encontre este articulo en el periodico El Pais de Cali. Me parece que esta persona habla desde una realidad social muy diferente y su discurso me reulta facilista, elitista y racista. 

Vale la pena leerlo primero y despues hacer el comentario. 

Candilejas. Por: Alberto José Holguín 
Inmigración descontrolada 
Marzo 19 de 2008

La inmigración es buena cuando obedece a una política seria y los ejemplos son muchos. Uno es el de Estados Unidos, país que, gracias a los millones de inmigrantes que llegaron a hacer patria, se convirtió en el más importante del mundo. Otros son Australia y Canadá que, por su enorme tamaño, tienen una densidad muy baja, por lo que ofrecen grandes oportunidades a quienes van a residir en ellos. 

Pero la inmigración es mala cuando no se planifica, porque atenta contra el bienestar y la estabilidad de los residentes originales. Por eso, Europa, el continente más civilizado del mundo y con una alta densidad de habitantes, la está regulando cada día más, especialmente cuando se trata de inmigrantes que, se supone, van a aportar muy poco. 

En cuanto a Cali, un alto porcentaje de la inmigración fue funesta para la ciudad desde hace cerca de 50 años y el caso de los desplazados por la guerrilla agravó el problema últimamente. 

El cuento de la ‘Sucursal del Cielo’ en que corrían ríos de leche y miel y sobraban las oportunidades le hizo mucho mal, porque una enorme cantidad de gente de buena fe se vino para acá buscando el paraíso que les habían pintado. Y, a medida que la población creció a índices mayores que la generación de empleo, se oficializó la informalidad laboral, la inseguridad aumentó, surgieron los niños de los semáforos, que desafortunadamente tienen un futuro tan incierto, y las cosas se fueron complicando. 

Así nació Aguablanca, inicialmente un barrio de invasión que, ante la indiferencia de las autoridades municipales y debido a las falsas promesas de algunos políticos que para conseguir votos ofrecieron el oro y el moro, fue creciendo como un monstruo insaciable que lleva más de medio siglo acaparando un porcentaje desproporcionado y altísimo del presupuesto, tanto de Emcali como del Municipio. 

A través del tiempo se gestó otra ciudad dentro de Cali y hoy tenemos dos ciudades en una. La Cali original, con un millón de habitantes y muchos problemas, pero que en una u otra forma es manejable, y el Distrito de Aguablanca, con otro millón, que es el prototipo de la informalidad, el desorden, el desmanejo, el desempleo, la inseguridad y el aportar poco y exigirlo todo. 

¿Cómo sería Cali sin Aguablanca? Una ciudad sin ínfulas de ser la segunda de Colombia en habitantes, índice que ya nada significa, más amable y segura que la actual, con pocos huecos en las calles, bonitos parques, zonas verdes, fuentes funcionando, buenos servicios públicos, ciclovías, campos deportivos sin mugre ni maleza y respirando optimismo y prosperidad. ¿Por qué? Porque su índice de desempleo sería muy bajo y podría dedicar todo su presupuesto a fomentar su propio desarrollo y dar una buena calidad de vida a su gente. 

La verdad es que Aguablanca se volvió un problema de Cali cuando debería ser un problema de Colombia. Ojalá se buscara la manera de que, teniendo en cuenta su enorme población, se convirtiera en municipio independiente, que nombrara sus propios gobernantes y manejara su propio presupuesto, en vez de seguir siendo una especie de hijo pródigo de Cali. 

Comentario:

Con todo el respeto del sr columnista... su mensaje me resulta facilitista, elitista y racista. Facilista en cuanto reduce una probematica tan compleja como la del desplazamiento forzado a una accion "simple" como la de la inmigracion "organizada". Esta comparando peras con manzanas... es muy distinta la realidad de nortemerica y australia a la de europa y a la de Cali. Elitista... porque esta hablando desde su posicion social, desde la derecha, desde la riqueza... desconociendo el conflicto social generado por la aristocracia calenia. Racista porque genera el rechazo a una comunidad que "deberia ser exterminada". En su columna le sugiero ironicamente la posibilidad de proponer un "muro" como el que divide a Israel y a Palestina.. O un campo de concentracion "para acabar con todos los indiseables" que le recuerdan a diario su propia miseria... En otras palabras "alla los pobres con los pobres" y que nadie se venga a meter en "mi club, mi ciudad linda y con parques, el colegio bilingue de mis hijos, etc". Muy mal por este articulo... creo que mis palabras son demasiado blandas para el analisis que merece este pedazo de informacion que habla mucho de la "elite calenia". 

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The Decline of the American Empire

Not many people want to believe it but as Hugo Chavez says it, “the empire is about to fall and we will see it in this century”. I don’t necessarily agree with all of Mr. Chavez’s approaches, especially with his loud volume, but I do believe that the United States is falling on its own principles. They have made believe their population that the resources of the world are endless and that their credit cards will pay for everything they want… when reality hits (and it is starting to do so) … each family will have to get rid of not only 3 of their SUV's per household, but also sell their mega TV and move out of the suburbs to a smaller house in town because their bank will be taking their million-dollar home away along with their 40-year mortgage.

An interesting documentary to watch on the topic: The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream. Not the first time I see something on the topic… another good documentary on a similar issue is  A Crude Awakening/The Oil Crash

 http://www.endofsuburbia.com/

http://www.oilcrashmovie.com

 Some interesting statements to ponder on:

 "What’s good for business is the fantasy" (good reason for Media and Governments not to talk about the peak of oil reserves...)

 "We are addicted to oil and we don’t want to hear that it is going to run out"

 This is a funny one: "The name of the suburban neighbourhoods is based on  the nature they have destroyed around them. i.e. “Fresh Water Creek”, “Cedar Sunset Forest”, etc"

 "The future of the globe is the reverse of globalization"

 My own homework... I should look into: New Urbanism Movements 

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Reflections on Colombia

As expected, the United States has backed the Colombian government as much as most average Colombians. It is a democratic crisis that has revealed a series of dark holes. On one hand there is the question of violating Ecuador's sovereignty and on the other, the dilemma of prosecuting an "insurgent guerrilla leader" (I refuse to use the word "terrorist" which I find sickening and abused). I know very little about the Colombian guerrillas. I should know more. I know they have been discredited by the media and that Andres Pastrana claims that he managed to place them on the list of "the most-wanted rebels of the world"... but who are they and what do they want? S and I discussed the possibility of interviewing Chavez and I am going to try to arrange it. I'd like to hear his loud side of the story. I am not fond of Uribe because I link him to militarism and right wing measures, but I also have to admit that I know very little about him. He's popular... his iron hand and workaholic attitude has placed him high on the public opinion polls. Some claim he wants to avenge his father, who was killed by the FARC; some appoint him the creator of the paramilitary forces (Autodefensan Unidas de Colombia). His closest allies have been splashed with the tint of corruption and have been put on trial for alleged links with paramilitary and drug dealers... who can be saved in Colombia? The Colombian society has been intoxicated with an addiction to easy money and with a conflict between oligarchy and left wing guerrillas. The white money from cocaine has tempted both sides of the "peso" and has encouraged the rich (or new rich) to promote the formation of alternative protection forces that would allow them to stay alive. This conflict is far from reaching an end... but a nice way to divert the thoughts of the general public has been the prosecution of guerrillas... and their protrayal as "terrorists, kidnappers, left-wing-chavez-sympathizers"... no wonder why chavez is misunderstood in Colombia as well as the Polo Democratico party. Meanwhile, Ingrid Betancourt - the former Colombian presidential candidate and a French citizen, kidnapped by the FARC five years ago - remains the symbol of a meritless conflict between Creole mentality and the old ideals of a stubborn communist organization. She dies slowly in the midst of an undetermined jungle camp while these different factions play chess with their demons. Share

Raul Reyes y Dawson City

Ayer me entere de la muerte de Raul Reyes y del conflicto diplomatico con Ecuador y Venezuela. No se que pensar. No creo que acabar con las vidas de las personas sea un camino hacia la solucion de un conflicto armado tan viejo como el colombiano. Lo que si veo, es que contrario a la reaccion diplomatica de los paises vecinos, la percepcion interna de la situacion en Colombia respalda al Estado con efervescencia. Los medios y la forma en la que el conflicto se ha vuelto del diario "comer" del ciudadano promedio... han animado a muchas personas a respaldar la politica militar del gobierno.
Yo mientras tanto estoy en Dawson City, Yukon... a menos 25 grados centigrados... acabo de conversar con el alcalde de la ciudad, John Steins sobre politica, arte y cultura local... sobre su historia y como llego a Dawson en el 74. Me he animado a pensar que puedo regresar por unos meses a este lugar para escribir, tal vez en ingles, por primera vez.
Ahora vamos a visitar a Lulu "alias" Peggy Sue! Share