"(...) Retired Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie was interviewed on CBC radio, and told of an e-mail letter from Kruedener. "He was telling us that Hezbollah soldiers were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them. Since Hezbollah don't have representation in the UN, they use the UN as shields knowing that they can't be punished for it."
(wikinews)
How long will the UN put its forces in the position of being useless scarecrows that can be taken hostage by any bumbling criminal that cares to use them as shields? If they are not there to fight (even if to mantain proper integrity of their own perimeter) then get them out, and save both lives and money. On this whole sorry mess Anan keeps playing the idiot, the Chinese do their usual sorry bit, the Canadian PM being the only one with an actually reasoned reaction (for which he is sure to pay, I suppose). Israel, if it knows what's good for her, should perhaps try to aim a little better, and start using its considerable military strength to win the war instead of just gaining more ill will...
Friday, July 28, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The 15 minutes of fame, Nasrallah style
UN official accuses Hezbollah of 'cowardly blending' among civilians
By The Associated Press
LARNACA, Cyprus - The UN humanitarian chief accused Hezbollah late Monday of "cowardly blending" among Lebanese civilians and causing the deaths of hundreds during two weeks of cross-border violence with Israel.
The militant group has built bunkers and tunnels near the Israeli border to shelter weapons and fighters, and its members easily blend in among civilians.
Jan Egeland spoke with reporters at the Larnaca airport in Cyprus after a visit to Lebanon on his mission to coordinate an international aid effort.
On Sunday he had toured the rubble of Beirut's southern suburbs, a once-teeming Shiite district where Hezbollah had its headquarters.
During that visit he condemned the killing and wounding of civilians by both sides, and called Israel's offensive "disproportionate" and "a violation of international humanitarian law."
On Monday he had strong words for Hezbollah, which crossed into Israel and captured two Israel Defense Forces soldiers on July 12, triggering fierce fighting from both sides.
"Consistently, from the Hezbollah heartland, my message was that Hezbollah must stop this cowardly blending ... among women and children," he said. "I heard they were proud because they lost very few fighters and that it was the civilians bearing the brunt of this. I don't think anyone should be proud of having many more children and women dead than armed men.
(...)
IDF: Hizbullah preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon
The IDF has found that Hizbullah is preventing civilians from leaving villages in southern Lebanon. Roadblocks have been set up outside some of the villages to prevent residents from leaving, while in other villages Hizbullah is preventing UN representatives from entering, who are trying to help residents leave. In two villages, exchanges of fire between residents and Hizbullah have broken out. (Hanan Greenberg)
Sunday, July 16, 2006
OTA
A tragicomédia da OTA em toda a sua glória. Mais uma vez o futuro do país hipotecado para encher os bolsos de uns tantos.
in English: You're not missing anything
in English: You're not missing anything
Is the rest just silence?
Silence. Mostly that's what I've been hearing, regarding the situation in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon. Not absolute silence, true, but a relative quietness that is almost deafening in its understatement of the seriousness of the problem.
Why so much silence? Civilians are being slaughtered, it is true. Why so much silence? I got an email the other day (post below, in Portuguese), that said: "Say no to the silencing of the massacre...etc". Yet I see no silencing going on, what I see is a profound shrugging of shoulders. Apart from the people that are clearly partial to one side or the other (those always know what is right) everyone else is just too resigned to say anything. To me it has all gone beyond morality and into the simples, silent, amoral path of cause and consequence.
I have long been critical of Israel's policies. I think they have behaved criminally at times. I think it is beyond dispute that they have put terrorists and murderers into their governments. I think they need to get off their racist, bigoted, arrogant high horse. I think they need to deal with their own religious fndamentalisms and their lunatic Far Right. BUT, make no mistake, I see very well what happens on the other side, and despite all its mistakes, despite all its wrongdoings and fundamental faults, the people of Israel is still one that I admire for its boldness, its stregth, its courage, its brilliance, and the many promises it holds. I see no such things in those who would "liberate" the Palestinian people only to enslave it under Islam. The other side too is full of hatred, racism, arrogance, terrorism and crime, and that in far greater measure. I do not criticize it so often simply because I never had any expectations to even be disapointed.
One can criticize and point fingers. But one knows where to stand when things slip too far. I wish for peace, but if it indeed comes to an all out war, then make no mistake, I am clearly on the side o Israel.
For the good of Israel, of Lebanon, of the palestinians, and of the world, I think it is probably time for Hamas and the Hezbollah to bite the dust and fade from History once and for all. Oh, and it might be a good idea for Iran and Syria to take their hands off Lebanon while we're at it.
Why so much silence? Civilians are being slaughtered, it is true. Why so much silence? I got an email the other day (post below, in Portuguese), that said: "Say no to the silencing of the massacre...etc". Yet I see no silencing going on, what I see is a profound shrugging of shoulders. Apart from the people that are clearly partial to one side or the other (those always know what is right) everyone else is just too resigned to say anything. To me it has all gone beyond morality and into the simples, silent, amoral path of cause and consequence.
I have long been critical of Israel's policies. I think they have behaved criminally at times. I think it is beyond dispute that they have put terrorists and murderers into their governments. I think they need to get off their racist, bigoted, arrogant high horse. I think they need to deal with their own religious fndamentalisms and their lunatic Far Right. BUT, make no mistake, I see very well what happens on the other side, and despite all its mistakes, despite all its wrongdoings and fundamental faults, the people of Israel is still one that I admire for its boldness, its stregth, its courage, its brilliance, and the many promises it holds. I see no such things in those who would "liberate" the Palestinian people only to enslave it under Islam. The other side too is full of hatred, racism, arrogance, terrorism and crime, and that in far greater measure. I do not criticize it so often simply because I never had any expectations to even be disapointed.
One can criticize and point fingers. But one knows where to stand when things slip too far. I wish for peace, but if it indeed comes to an all out war, then make no mistake, I am clearly on the side o Israel.
For the good of Israel, of Lebanon, of the palestinians, and of the world, I think it is probably time for Hamas and the Hezbollah to bite the dust and fade from History once and for all. Oh, and it might be a good idea for Iran and Syria to take their hands off Lebanon while we're at it.
So faltou referirem o "imperialismo"
Circula por aí o seguinte email:
As atrocidades da entidade sionista contra o povo palestino continuam. E os media que se dizem "de referência" continuam a silenciá-las. Ou, pior ainda, a apresentar como uma guerra legítima aquilo que é um massacre unilateral contra um povo desarmado. O Centro Palestino pelos Direitos Humanos relata hora a hora a ofensiva assassina da tropa israelense, efectuada com o apoio do governo bushista. Ver em
http://www.pchrgaza.org/
Isto irritou-me tanto que tenho que dizer porquê:
"As atrocidades da entidade sionista contra o povo palestino continuam.(...)"
Se calhar isso tem a ver com o facto de que apesar das concessões recentes dos Israelitas, que apesar de grandes divisões internas retiraram de Gaza, a resposta palestiniana foi eleger um governo liderado pelo Hamas, que é apenas uma organização Islâmica que tem como objectivo explícito a destruição do estado de Israel e a sua subtituição por um estado Islamico (onde de certeza toda a gente, especialmente os judeus, viveriam em paz e segurança, como é habitual nos pardieiros onde vigora a lei do Corão. Se calhar teve qualquer coisa a ver com as acções desse mesmo governo. Nao defendendo a violência exagerada e tantas vezes inaceitável cometida por Israel, não me parece que ela tenha caido do Ceu.
"Gosto" ainda de ver o termo "entidade sionista" usado no email. É lingugem habitual do Hamas, que, ao contrario da OLP, gosta de usar essa designação ja que não reconhece a existência do estado de Israel. E mostra bem a proveniencia deste email e as suas intenções "humanitárias" e "impaciais".
(...)"os media que se dizem "de referência" continuam a silenciá-las. "(...)
Não me parece que os media estejam a silenciar alguma coisa de muito relevante. É verdade que a TV nunca é imparcial, mas também não é justo dizer que anda a silenciar o assunto. Além diso eu posso acompanhar a situação através da Web, com acesso a agências noticiosas de todo o mundo, e a blogs e comentadores de todas as facções. Felizmente que não vivo na China nem na Coreia nem em outros paraísos de esquerda onde não teria esse luxo.
(...)"O Centro Palestino pelos Direitos Humanos relata hora a hora a ofensiva assassina da tropa israelense, efectuada com o apoio do governo bushista. Ver em
http://www.pchrgaza.org/"
(...)
Tambem gosto dos termos "assassina", etc, e da inclusão gratuita da "política bushista" (a que propósito é que o idiota de serviço foi aqui chamado?). Nao havia mais clichés para arejar? Ja agora, era este tipo de coisa que pediriam aos tais meios de comunicação de referencia? Esta perspectiva tão imparcial? Ah, faltou incluir algures no comunicado a palavra "imperialismo". Imperdoável.
Gosto também do link. Esta é talvez a parte mais desengenhosa do email. Depois de falar de "um massacre unilateral contra um povo desarmado" incluem um link para uma página que curiosamente apresenta entre outras coisas uma longa lista de mortes Palestinianas...em conflitos internos de clãs, guerras internas entre a Fatah e o Hamas, e "honour killings", em que o povo "desarmado" se anda a assassinar mutuamente com Kalashnikovs e outras "misused weapons". Além disso, o Hamas que não se preocupe, afinal de contas os seus amigos do Hezbollah, pelo menos, não estão nada desarmados, e até se dizem prontos para a guerra aberta.
So tenho a dizer que é muito triste que o simpatizante do Hamas que escreveu isto tenha aprendido a fazer propaganda na mesma escola que o ex-ministro iraquiano da desinformação. A falta de fundos já se está a reflectir no departamento de marketing.
As atrocidades da entidade sionista contra o povo palestino continuam. E os media que se dizem "de referência" continuam a silenciá-las. Ou, pior ainda, a apresentar como uma guerra legítima aquilo que é um massacre unilateral contra um povo desarmado. O Centro Palestino pelos Direitos Humanos relata hora a hora a ofensiva assassina da tropa israelense, efectuada com o apoio do governo bushista. Ver em
http://www.pchrgaza.org/
Isto irritou-me tanto que tenho que dizer porquê:
"As atrocidades da entidade sionista contra o povo palestino continuam.(...)"
Se calhar isso tem a ver com o facto de que apesar das concessões recentes dos Israelitas, que apesar de grandes divisões internas retiraram de Gaza, a resposta palestiniana foi eleger um governo liderado pelo Hamas, que é apenas uma organização Islâmica que tem como objectivo explícito a destruição do estado de Israel e a sua subtituição por um estado Islamico (onde de certeza toda a gente, especialmente os judeus, viveriam em paz e segurança, como é habitual nos pardieiros onde vigora a lei do Corão. Se calhar teve qualquer coisa a ver com as acções desse mesmo governo. Nao defendendo a violência exagerada e tantas vezes inaceitável cometida por Israel, não me parece que ela tenha caido do Ceu.
"Gosto" ainda de ver o termo "entidade sionista" usado no email. É lingugem habitual do Hamas, que, ao contrario da OLP, gosta de usar essa designação ja que não reconhece a existência do estado de Israel. E mostra bem a proveniencia deste email e as suas intenções "humanitárias" e "impaciais".
(...)"os media que se dizem "de referência" continuam a silenciá-las. "(...)
Não me parece que os media estejam a silenciar alguma coisa de muito relevante. É verdade que a TV nunca é imparcial, mas também não é justo dizer que anda a silenciar o assunto. Além diso eu posso acompanhar a situação através da Web, com acesso a agências noticiosas de todo o mundo, e a blogs e comentadores de todas as facções. Felizmente que não vivo na China nem na Coreia nem em outros paraísos de esquerda onde não teria esse luxo.
(...)"O Centro Palestino pelos Direitos Humanos relata hora a hora a ofensiva assassina da tropa israelense, efectuada com o apoio do governo bushista. Ver em
http://www.pchrgaza.org/"
(...)
Tambem gosto dos termos "assassina", etc, e da inclusão gratuita da "política bushista" (a que propósito é que o idiota de serviço foi aqui chamado?). Nao havia mais clichés para arejar? Ja agora, era este tipo de coisa que pediriam aos tais meios de comunicação de referencia? Esta perspectiva tão imparcial? Ah, faltou incluir algures no comunicado a palavra "imperialismo". Imperdoável.
Gosto também do link. Esta é talvez a parte mais desengenhosa do email. Depois de falar de "um massacre unilateral contra um povo desarmado" incluem um link para uma página que curiosamente apresenta entre outras coisas uma longa lista de mortes Palestinianas...em conflitos internos de clãs, guerras internas entre a Fatah e o Hamas, e "honour killings", em que o povo "desarmado" se anda a assassinar mutuamente com Kalashnikovs e outras "misused weapons". Além disso, o Hamas que não se preocupe, afinal de contas os seus amigos do Hezbollah, pelo menos, não estão nada desarmados, e até se dizem prontos para a guerra aberta.
So tenho a dizer que é muito triste que o simpatizante do Hamas que escreveu isto tenha aprendido a fazer propaganda na mesma escola que o ex-ministro iraquiano da desinformação. A falta de fundos já se está a reflectir no departamento de marketing.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Hezbollah leader: 'You wanted open war. We are ready for'...what?
Hezbollah leader: 'You wanted open war. We are ready for an open war'
I think he's taking advice from that great dark comedian, the former Iraqui disinformaion leader (or maybe Donald We-know-where-they-are Rumsfeld).
Or maybe it was a typo. He perhaps meant "we are ready to LOSE an open war".
Picture Monty Pythons memorable "suicide squad: attack!" scene in Life of Brian.
Then again, he can say anything he wants, it doesn't really make a difference for a man who knows he is marked for death. I surely wouldn't want to be in his shoes.
I'm following events from this Lebanese blog.
I think he's taking advice from that great dark comedian, the former Iraqui disinformaion leader (or maybe Donald We-know-where-they-are Rumsfeld).
Or maybe it was a typo. He perhaps meant "we are ready to LOSE an open war".
Picture Monty Pythons memorable "suicide squad: attack!" scene in Life of Brian.
Then again, he can say anything he wants, it doesn't really make a difference for a man who knows he is marked for death. I surely wouldn't want to be in his shoes.
I'm following events from this Lebanese blog.
Bin Laden unit disbanded
in other news, Bin Laden unit members will be redirected to more urgent (and more easily achievable) tasks, such as finding Elvis (left on the picture) and the Invisible Man (right on the picture, operating dyalisis machine). A CIA source stated that it was practically impossible to find Bin Laden. After all, a six foot five arab dragging a dyalisis machine around will blend seamlessly into the crowd.
Real Communism / Comunismo Real
O evento politico mais importante em Portugal esta semana: O Salão Erótico na Fil.
Ao que ouço desta vez há uma area especial de swingers para quem quiser implementar os principios do Manifesto Comunista sugeridos no post anterior :)
Força "nisso", camaradas :D
In English: A sort of "erotic forum" currently happening in Portugal and sporting a swinger's lounge would allow for implementation of last post's political sugestion.
The Marxist Swinger or: You never thought Communism was such Good Dirty Fun
I have many communist friends, but I never had a peaceful political relantionship with them. I like them as friends, I hope they like me, and so we put up with what we see as each others looneytoon ideas. For my part I think they make some good points but also suffer from graves failings in their understanding of the world. Like good christians they see the world in black and white and they have a Book that holds all the answers but that most of them never read. How is it possible that they devote so much time to the party, yet never read The Capital or even the communist manifesto? As a didactic effort I'll read the Bible to the congregation. Here is my favorite part of the Communist Manifesto:
But you Communists would introduce community of women, screams the bourgeoisie in chorus.
The bourgeois sees his wife a mere instrument of production. He hears that the instruments of production are to be exploited in common, and, naturally, can come to no other conclusion that the lot of being common to all will likewise fall to the women.
He has not even a suspicion that the real point aimed at is to do away with the status of women as mere instruments of production.
For the rest, nothing is more ridiculous than the virtuous indignation of our bourgeois at the community of women which, they pretend, is to be openly and officially established by the Communists. The Communists have no need to introduce community of women; it has existed almost from time immemorial.
Our bourgeois, not content with having wives and daughters of their proletarians at their disposal, not to speak of common prostitutes, take the greatest pleasure in seducing each other’s wives.
Bourgeois marriage is, in reality, a system of wives in common and thus, at the most, what the Communists might possibly be reproached with is that they desire to introduce, in substitution for a hypocritically concealed, an openly legalised community of women. For the rest, it is self-evident that the abolition of the present system of production must bring with it the abolition of the community of women springing from that system, i.e., of prostitution both public and private.
Yet my communist friends seem to hold their significant others with as strong a sense of property as anybody else around. In fact, the most open relationships I know are among "apolitical" people. And I, who am very much in favour of private property, have never been known to be jealous where women are concerned. Funny thing, isn't it?
I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal. When I see you implement this part of the plan, I'll take you seriously about the rest, ok? :)
is this the best you can do?
Bush went in, he didn't give a shit. Cowboy boots and all, let's kick some ass. Now, where we had a harmless dictatorship, we have a chaotic state that is about to fall to the islamists.
The Right doesn't give a shit. It just wants out.
The Left doesn't give a shit. It just wants the Right out. It thinks it can make some new friends...the Left is making too many Islamist friends for my taste. Wasn't the Left supposed to be progressive, rational, even "scientific"? How the fuck can "progressive, rational, scientific" people support religious nuts, and think that Capitalism is more dangerous to Humanity than radical Islamism?
We should never have gone in. We should have left long ago. But we didn't. Thank Bush for that. Now, please, there must be something better to do in Iraq than just pack up and leave it to the Islamists. The massacre we'll be watching is of course much to the delight of the Left. It won. It proved Bush wrong (oh, that's hard). It cares nothing about the blood that will be spilled, it will shake its head disaprovingly while glorying in the graphic details of its victory.
The Right doesn't give a shit. It just wants out.
The Left doesn't give a shit. It just wants the Right out. It thinks it can make some new friends...the Left is making too many Islamist friends for my taste. Wasn't the Left supposed to be progressive, rational, even "scientific"? How the fuck can "progressive, rational, scientific" people support religious nuts, and think that Capitalism is more dangerous to Humanity than radical Islamism?
We should never have gone in. We should have left long ago. But we didn't. Thank Bush for that. Now, please, there must be something better to do in Iraq than just pack up and leave it to the Islamists. The massacre we'll be watching is of course much to the delight of the Left. It won. It proved Bush wrong (oh, that's hard). It cares nothing about the blood that will be spilled, it will shake its head disaprovingly while glorying in the graphic details of its victory.
It's the people, stupid
Yes, I am angry. I have grown tired of the hipocrisy and arrogance on both Left and Right. And I have become too bitter to just laugh as I used to. Won't you self-deluding bastards come to the realization that no, implementing your regime will not make life better. Capitalism and Communism are just economic theories. They are NOT what matters. It's the people, stupid. It is the individuals and their actions. You can have a dictator in any regime.
Communism, by itself, will always degenerate into an opressive bureaucratic dictatorship.
Capitalism, by itself, will always degenerate into Corporate Feudalism.
Unlike Newton's solar system, the political system is unstable, and its planets need constant intervention in order to remain stable. Those interventions only by accident come from the political parties. When they happen, they happen in spite of the parties. They are the actions of individuals, pushing this way and that. There is no masterplan. Because there are thousands of masterplans. It's not that conspiracy theories are wrong. The problem is that they're ALL right. All of them. At the same time.
Communism, by itself, will always degenerate into an opressive bureaucratic dictatorship.
Capitalism, by itself, will always degenerate into Corporate Feudalism.
Unlike Newton's solar system, the political system is unstable, and its planets need constant intervention in order to remain stable. Those interventions only by accident come from the political parties. When they happen, they happen in spite of the parties. They are the actions of individuals, pushing this way and that. There is no masterplan. Because there are thousands of masterplans. It's not that conspiracy theories are wrong. The problem is that they're ALL right. All of them. At the same time.
Immigration, racism and all that jive
For the Right, there is no such thing as racism.
The Right pretends to close the doors, but turns a blind eye and sends for yet more illegal immigrants that it uses to pocket a few more bucks. It has a sort-of-a-plan to send them back after it uses them. It is only a sort of a plan. It really sort of knows it will not work, but it really sort of doesn't give a flying fuck. The Right has no master plan, it is a patchwork of greedy middle-aged fat men who put their friends in cushy jobs and sleeps with fat greedy hysterical wives at night and suffers from a low dick to car size ratio. What if those people will have no jobs later? What if they get angry? Fuck that. The Right only thinks short term. The Right has firmly bolted doors and lives only in the good neighbourhoods.
For the Left, everything is racism.
The Lefties like to pretend to be the immigrants only friends. It makes them feel superior to say they are equal, ten times a day until nobody - especially the immigrants - can't fucking stand them. The left has found that the pesky locals won't vote for them in free elections. The horror! It has sort of an unstated plan to replace this ungrateful gene pool for another that will vote for them. Get more illegal immigrants, defend their legalization, therefore ensuring their vote. Voters as an imported commodity. The far Right says the Left's masterplan is therefore a sort of genocyde with displacement replaced by replacement. Fools! The Left has no master plan. It is a patchwork of self-deluding old farts who think they are fighting fascism and that Stalin was a nice bloke, and spoiled young brats who want to fuck their Right Wing parents by playing Che and feel opressed while they're not partying on friday night or buying IPods. Though badly dressed and in no need of fast cars they'll sort of scrounge up a few cushy political places to replace actual work while deriding anybody else who doesn't join the party (note the word) for not being "politically active". Hey, get a clue, for some reason they're called "the workers". Like, thet're busy working! They've no time for partying, Fools!
The Right pretends to close the doors, but turns a blind eye and sends for yet more illegal immigrants that it uses to pocket a few more bucks. It has a sort-of-a-plan to send them back after it uses them. It is only a sort of a plan. It really sort of knows it will not work, but it really sort of doesn't give a flying fuck. The Right has no master plan, it is a patchwork of greedy middle-aged fat men who put their friends in cushy jobs and sleeps with fat greedy hysterical wives at night and suffers from a low dick to car size ratio. What if those people will have no jobs later? What if they get angry? Fuck that. The Right only thinks short term. The Right has firmly bolted doors and lives only in the good neighbourhoods.
For the Left, everything is racism.
The Lefties like to pretend to be the immigrants only friends. It makes them feel superior to say they are equal, ten times a day until nobody - especially the immigrants - can't fucking stand them. The left has found that the pesky locals won't vote for them in free elections. The horror! It has sort of an unstated plan to replace this ungrateful gene pool for another that will vote for them. Get more illegal immigrants, defend their legalization, therefore ensuring their vote. Voters as an imported commodity. The far Right says the Left's masterplan is therefore a sort of genocyde with displacement replaced by replacement. Fools! The Left has no master plan. It is a patchwork of self-deluding old farts who think they are fighting fascism and that Stalin was a nice bloke, and spoiled young brats who want to fuck their Right Wing parents by playing Che and feel opressed while they're not partying on friday night or buying IPods. Though badly dressed and in no need of fast cars they'll sort of scrounge up a few cushy political places to replace actual work while deriding anybody else who doesn't join the party (note the word) for not being "politically active". Hey, get a clue, for some reason they're called "the workers". Like, thet're busy working! They've no time for partying, Fools!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Sunday, July 09, 2006
The Secret source of Google's Power
My desktop PC died today. Time to think of new hardware. In that spirit, I kind of ended up day-dreaming about The Secret source of Google's Power
The Balkanization of the web
Each and every little ridiculous, replaceable website today, from the typical mega-news-corp website to the little my-dog-and-I-micro-blog seems to want you to "register" before you are able to access it. This is a hindrance to the most important characteristic of the Web which is the ability to easily create links between information stored in different places. Registration mania is the reason I never went through the trouble of getting myself a deviantart account, for instance. I find it pathetic that visitors have to register just to leave a comment and I don't want to legitimize that practice by building a page for its "community" (i.e., money making scheme built by users and ruled by owners with fake-community-sense-building brainwashing). Another peeve is the exclusive portals of some ISPs (that thankfully only provide crap that I wouldn't want), available only to their users. Instead of a global network of knowledge we get a global network of barbed wire barriers with guarded portals. A ridiculous analogue of the outside world, not built upon the needs that are justified in the real world, but upon the ingrained habit that somehow, even when you can be free, you somehow shouldn't. This is slave mentality at it's best.
The most ridiculous aspect of this, is that not only it is evil(tm) but it is also stupid. Some websites that should be attracting more viewers are instead taking trouble to ensure that direct linking to their stories is impossible. The Web, of course, treats them as damage, and routes around them, thereby redirecting lucrative traffic to the competition.
Here is a nice discussion of this issue at Topix.net, which is a real life test case of how dropping compulsive registration can improve things dramatically for both users and providers.
The most ridiculous aspect of this, is that not only it is evil(tm) but it is also stupid. Some websites that should be attracting more viewers are instead taking trouble to ensure that direct linking to their stories is impossible. The Web, of course, treats them as damage, and routes around them, thereby redirecting lucrative traffic to the competition.
Here is a nice discussion of this issue at Topix.net, which is a real life test case of how dropping compulsive registration can improve things dramatically for both users and providers.
Stadium (3) - The referee
The barkeep at "estádio".
-"So you draw too?"
-"Yeah, but she's the pro."
F. had gotten the "comission" a few days earlier in exchange for a couple of drinks that she then, as I recall, waived graciously.
I preferred to do my own portrait while he was unaware. I have this David Attenborough thing...
Friday, July 07, 2006
Stadium (2)
F., who was always there, at the time. You were a good friend, wherever you are. I hope you are doing ok. F., who sang so well, smoked so much, and was really tough with a pencil.
and what is this? (stadium (1))
This is a little sketchbook I found a few minutes ago while rummaging around for a specific drawing. I filled it with quick sketches once upon a time when I used to spend a good number of nights at a bar called "estádio" (the stadium) near Bairro Alto in Lisbon.
So I thought it appropriate...
FootBall (Part 2) - The FANS
Now, what did you expect for part 2? "THE BALLS"? :D With a picture of Rooney stepping on them? ;)) Now that would be simply impolite (and I wasn't sure about the copyright of those pictures either!). Well, I think it's about time we all became friends again (except for the bloody French, of course, whom nobody ever likes :D - kidding, you lovely frogs, you ). So bring out the Porto, and the champagne, and that dirty water you brits call beer ;), we all have suffered long enough (except the French, once more :D), especially Carvalho, but then again that's why God gave him two of those :p.
Cheers!
FootBall - Part 1 (The Feet)
Thanks to Marcela Mora who linked the shrug post from the Guardian.
Dedicated to her and to all the Guardian readers who may be around, here is a small collection of old drawings from this blog that quite after the fact have everything to do with "the beautiful game".
It actually comes in two parts. Part 1, is, of course, the feet.
Can you guess what is part 2? Guess again :)
Dedicated to her and to all the Guardian readers who may be around, here is a small collection of old drawings from this blog that quite after the fact have everything to do with "the beautiful game".
It actually comes in two parts. Part 1, is, of course, the feet.
Can you guess what is part 2? Guess again :)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
No more Griefing Widows OS! Bliss is...
...having a linux distribution recognize your obscure under-the-counter criptoshitty excuse for a modem/router without even trying. I think I may be dual-booting into Ubuntu from now on. Though I'll try the new knoppix first to see if it also works as well - Ubuntu really drives me up the wall with (what at first sight seems to me to be) its PC bullshit posing. I do not need to hear Nelson fucking Mandela telling me to hug the fucking trees! All I want is a proper OS!
All this because I was so horribly tired of using Adobe's horribleness on the Widows-toy OS (I'm suffering from a bad case of evince-envy and foxit is good but not free...)
All this because I was so horribly tired of using Adobe's horribleness on the Widows-toy OS (I'm suffering from a bad case of evince-envy and foxit is good but not free...)
Patch for the toy operating system
Ever had one of these annoying messages given by Windows?
Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
Many Windows XP users are being driven to madness by a bug that keeps windows from releasing files after it's done with them, thus keeping the user from deleting, renaming, or moving them. When you have to move a lot of files around on a regular basis (like I do with photographs) it will make you mad as hell and really harm your productivity. The only nice side effect is that it shows you how Microsoft doesn't give a shit about its users, as the problem has been around for a while with no proper solution in sight. Makes me want to switch to a real OS; maybe the bug is a feature after all.
Anyway, I finally found a solution and just had to tell everyone. Unlocker is a freeware program that catches the bug in action and lets you release the files you want without even stopping whatever task is being done. Also, you can just right-click to release a specific file. What bliss!
Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
Many Windows XP users are being driven to madness by a bug that keeps windows from releasing files after it's done with them, thus keeping the user from deleting, renaming, or moving them. When you have to move a lot of files around on a regular basis (like I do with photographs) it will make you mad as hell and really harm your productivity. The only nice side effect is that it shows you how Microsoft doesn't give a shit about its users, as the problem has been around for a while with no proper solution in sight. Makes me want to switch to a real OS; maybe the bug is a feature after all.
Anyway, I finally found a solution and just had to tell everyone. Unlocker is a freeware program that catches the bug in action and lets you release the files you want without even stopping whatever task is being done. Also, you can just right-click to release a specific file. What bliss!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The English must learn to shrug it off (according to Darwin, the French already do, which may prove handy).
Helplessness, Impotence: Shrugging the shoulders.—When a man wishes to show that he cannot do something, or prevent something being done, he often raises with a quick movement both shoulders. At the same time, if the whole gesture is completed, he bends his elbows closely inwards, raises his open hands, turning them outwards, with the fingers separated. The head is often thrown a little on one side; the eyebrows are elevated, and this causes wrinkles across the forehead. The mouth is generally opened. I may mention, in order to show how unconsciously the features are thus acted on, that though I had often intentionally shrugged my shoulders to observe how my arms were placed, I was not at all aware that my eyebrows were raised and mouth opened, until I looked at myself in a glass; and since then I have noticed the same movements in the faces of others. In the accompanying Plate VI., figs. 3 and 4, Mr. Rejlander has successfully acted the gesture of shrugging the shoulders.
Englishmen are much less demonstrative than the men of most other European nations, and they shrug their shoulders far less frequently and energetically than Frenchmen or Italians do. The gesture varies in all degrees from the complex movement, just described, to only a momentary and scarcely perceptible raising of both shoulders; or, as I have noticed in a lady sitting in an arm-chair, to the mere turning slightly outwards of the open hands with separated fingers. I have never seen very young English children shrug their shoulders, but the following case was observed with care by a medical professor and excellent observer, and has been communicated to me by him. The father of this gentleman was a Parisian, and his mother a Scotch lady. His wife is of British extraction on both sides, and my informant does not believe that she ever shrugged her shoulders in her life. His children have been reared in England, and the nursemaid is a thorough Englishwoman, who has never been seen to shrug her shoulders. Now, his eldest daughter was observed to shrug her shoulders at the age of between sixteen and eighteen months; her mother exclaiming at the time, "Look at the little French girl shrugging her shoulders!" At first she often acted thus, sometimes throwing her head a little backwards and on one side, but she did not, as far as was observed, move her elbows and hands in the usual manner. The habit gradually wore away, and now, when she is a little over four years old, she is never seen to act thus.
Darwin, Charles - The expression of the emotions in man and animals, London, John Murray, 1872(page 265).You may read it here.
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