SpArK Of ThE sTrEeT

Inertia Creeps

synnovemathe — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:04:29 GMT

Recollect me darling raise me to your lips Two undernourished egos four rotating hips Hold on to me tightly I'm a sliding scale Can't endure then you can't inhale Clearly Out of body experience interferes And dreams of flying I fit nearly Surrounds me though I get lonely Slowly Moving up slowly Inertia keeps She's moving up slowly Slowly Moving up slowly Inertia creeps Moving up slowly She comes Moving up slowly She comes Moving up slowly Inertia creeps Moving up slowly She comes Moving up slowly Moving up slowly In my home no chrome as clear as See me now with my nearest dearest Been there when I'm over careering Room shifting is endearing Between us is our kitchen Would you found my irritant's itching Been here before Been here forever Moving up slowly Inertia keeps Moving up slowly Inertia creeps Moving up slowly Inertia keeps Moving up slowly She comes Moving up slowly Moving up slowly She comes moving up slowly Inertia creeps moving up slowly She comes I make no sound in my eider-down Awake I lie in the morning's blue Room is still my antenna in you Nylon burns the bedspread with two Gravity's zero see me stall I bounce off walls lose my footing and fall It can be sweet though incomplete though And the frames will freeze See me on all four's It's been a long time She comes She comes I want to x you She comes I want to x you She comes I caught your radio waves I caught your radio waves Will you take a string Say you string me along Say you string me along Say inertia creeps Inertia creeps and she comes Say she comes Say she comes Say she comes Say she comes Inertia Creeps by Massive Attack it's for U believe me !! Open your mind :oP

U

synnovemathe — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:51:24 GMT

The First Time lyrics I have a lover, a lover like no other She got soul, soul, soul, sweet soul And she teach me how to sing. Shows me colours when there’s none to see Gives me hope when I can’t believe That for the first time I feel love. I have a brother, when I’m a brother in need I spend my whole time running He spends his running after me. I feel myself goin’ down I just call and he comes around. But for the first time I feel love. My father is a rich man, he wears a rich man’s cloak. He gave me the keys to his kingdom (coming) Gave me a cup of gold. He said “I have many mansions And there are many rooms to see” But I left by the back door And I threw away the key And I threw away the key. For the first time, for the first time For the first time, I feel love. The first time by U2 OST "Millon Dollar Hotel"

Disowned by the Ownership Society

synnovemathe — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:56:29 GMT

Wed, March 26 2008 "Disowned by the Ownership Society" by Naomi Klein "Before the ownership society had a neat label, its creation was central to the success of the right-wing economic revolution around the world. The idea was simple: if working-class people owned a small piece of the market (...) they would cease to identify as workers and start to see themselves as owners, with the same interests as their bosses (...). Class consciousness would be a relic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disowned by the Ownership Society Naomi Klein Remember the "ownership society," fixture of major George W. Bush addresses for the first four years of his presidency? "We're creating...an ownership society in this country, where more Americans than ever will be able to open up their door where they live and say, welcome to my house, welcome to my piece of property," Bush said in October 2004. Washington think-tanker Grover Norquist predicted that the ownership society would be Bush's greatest legacy, remembered "long after people can no longer pronounce or spell Fallujah." Yet in Bush's final State of the Union address, the once-ubiquitous phrase was conspicuously absent. And little wonder: rather than its proud father, Bush has turned out to be the ownership society's undertaker. Well before the ownership society had a neat label, its creation was central to the success of the right-wing economic revolution around the world. The idea was simple: if working-class people owned a small piece of the market--a home mortgage, a stock portfolio, a private pension--they would cease to identify as workers and start to see themselves as owners, with the same interests as their bosses. That meant they could vote for politicians promising to improve stock performance rather than job conditions. Class consciousness would be a relic. It was always tempting to dismiss the ownership society as an empty slogan--"hokum" as former Labor Secretary Robert Reich put it. But the ownership society was quite real. It was the answer to a roadblock long faced by politicians favoring policies to benefit the wealthy. The problem boiled down to this: people tend to vote their economic interests. Even in the wealthy United States, most people earn less than the average income. That means it is in the interest of the majority to vote for politicians promising to redistribute wealth from the top down. So what to do? It was Margaret Thatcher who pioneered a solution. The effort centered on Britain's public housing, or council estates, which were filled with die-hard Labour Party supporters. In a bold move, Thatcher offered strong incentives to residents to buy their council estate flats at reduced rates (much as Bush did decades later by promoting subprime mortgages). Those who could afford it became homeowners while those who couldn't face rents almost twice as high as before, leading to an explosion of homelessness. As a political strategy, it worked: the renters continued to oppose Thatcher, but polls showed that more than half of the newly minted owners did indeed switch their party affiliation to the Tories. The key was a psychological shift: they now thought like owners, and owners tend to vote Tory. The ownership society as a political project was born. Across the Atlantic, Reagan ushered in a range of policies that similarly convinced the public that class divisions no longer existed. In 1988 only 26 percent of Americans told pollsters that they lived in a society bifurcated into "haves" and "have-nots"--71 percent rejected the whole idea of class. The real breakthrough, however, came in the 1990s, with the "democratization" of stock ownership, eventually leading to nearly half of American households owning stock. Stock watching became a national pastime, with tickers on TV screens becoming more common than weather forecasts. Main Street, we were told, had stormed the elite enclaves of Wall Street. Once again, the shift was psychological. Stock ownership made up a relatively minor part of the average American's earnings, but in the era of frenetic downsizing and offshoring, this new class of amateur investor had a distinct shift in consciousness. Whenever a new round of layoffs was announced, sending another stock price soaring, many responded not by identifying with those who had lost their jobs, or by protesting the policies that had led to the layoffs, but by calling their brokers with instructions to buy. Bush came to office determined to take these trends even further, to deliver Social Security accounts to Wall Street and target minority communities--traditionally out of the Republican Party's reach--for easy homeownership. "Under 50 percent of African Americans and Hispanic Americans own a home," Bush observed in 2002. "That's just too few." He called on Fannie Mae and the private sector "to unlock millions of dollars, to make it available for the purchase of a home"--an important reminder that subprime lenders were taking their cue straight from the top. Today, the basic promises of the ownership society have been broken. First the dot-com bubble burst; then employees watched their stock-heavy pensions melt away with Enron and WorldCom. Now we have the subprime mortgage crisis, with more than 2 million homeowners facing foreclosure on their homes. Many are raiding their 401(k)s--their piece of the stock market--to pay their mortgage. Wall Street, meanwhile, has fallen out of love with Main Street. To avoid regulatory scrutiny, the new trend is away from publicly traded stocks and toward private equity. In November Nasdaq joined forces with several private banks, including Goldman Sachs, to form Portal Alliance, a private equity stock market open only to investors with assets upward of $100 million. In short order yesterday's ownership society has morphed into today's members-only society. The mass eviction from the ownership society has profound political implications. According to a September Pew Research poll, 48 percent of Americans say they live in a society carved into haves and have-nots--nearly twice the number of 1988. Only 45 percent see themselves as part of the haves. In other words, we are seeing a return of the very class consciousness that the ownership society was supposed to erase. The free-market ideologues have lost an extremely potent psychological tool--and progressives have gained one. Now that John Edwards is out of the presidential race, the question is, will anyone dare to use it? Source The Nation 26/03/2008

Berlin, Berlin, Berlin, Berlin.....

synnovemathe — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:33:17 GMT

In last days I had been talking with a lot of friends form Berlin and with others who are very near or wish to go to live into Berlin, that magic, vibrant, alive city. That's one of my places on earth, the perfect place to have a hub-studio, or an artivist hub or an artivist studio hahaha A lot of thinkers and artists choose Berlin to stay because is one of the more open, underground and alive city of Europe. Yesterday I was talking with some german's institutions and seems I will find some supports for my idea :o)))))))) 2 days ago our tv show had a great share and all people are happy, ( that means more work hahaha), but I would like to avoid of tv, in fact I rejected a job offert of a Tampere local tv channel, as well as other tv offert. I know that seems insane, but I'm focusing in film, documetaries and fictional tv , I'm a bit tired of tv shows as "pasa palabra", "metro a metro", "el hormiguero", or "once" grrrrrrrr well, more soon :o))))) (yep!! I come back hahahahahaha)

Ecuador: Comunidad Sarayaku denuncia invasión de su territorio

synnovemathe — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:06:03 GMT

Ecuador: Comunidad Sarayaku denuncia invasión de su territorio (Por Pedro Cayuqueo) Azlintuwe Puyo, Ecuador, 18 de diciembre.- Construcción ilegal de pista de aterrizaje. Una nueva amenaza se cierne sobre el Pueblo Sarayaku, en la amazonía ecuatoriana. En las últimas horas, dirigentes han denunciado la construcción ilegal de una pista de aterrizaje ilegal dentro de su territorio en la provincia de Pastaza, acción que denuncian como una nueva estrategia de las empresas petroleras para ingresar a una zona de la cual fueron expulsados años atrás. Azkintuwe visitó la zona y comprobó la veracidad de la denuncia. Un llamado urgente a la comunidad nacional e internacional realizaron en las últimas horas las autoridades del pueblo Sarayaku, en la Amazonía ecuatoriana, debido a la construcción ilegal de una pista de aterrizaje en su territorio por parte de ex miembros de la comunidad aliados con empresas transnacionales petroleras. Asi lo informó a través de un comunicado Dionisio Machoa, Presidente del Gobierno Sarayaku, quien llamó a las autoridades a respetar la soberania territorial de su pueblo y terminar con estas estrategias de "desmembramiento" que los afectan. A continuación, texto completo con la declaración de la máxima autoridad Sarayaku: "Sarayaku es un pueblo indígena kichwa de la Amazonía ecuatoriana, con más de 1000 habitantes y un territorio que abarca 140 000 hectáreas, de las cuales casi la totalidad está cubierta por bosques amazónicos primarios. La gente de Sarayaku nos hemos dado a conocer a nivel nacional e internacional por haber expulsado de nuestro territorio a las empresas petroleras. Para defender nuestra selva y asegurar un desarrollo armónico, también hemos desarrollado un plan de manejo territorial que regula el uso de recursos naturales por parte de nosotros mismos. Esta lucha ha generado que la Comisión y la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos dicten medidas que obligan al Estado ecuatoriano a proteger la integridad del territorio de Sarayaku. En la actualidad, sin embargo, varios intereses están intentando quebrar nuestra lucha, a través de la desmembración de nuestro territorio. En abierta violación de los Estatutos y del Plan de Manejo Territorial de Sarayaku, se ha construido una pista de aterrizaje y varias casas en una importante zona de caza y pesca de la gente de Sarayakillu y Kalikali, dos de las comunidades del pueblo de Sarayaku. No es la primera vez que se trata de incursionar en esta zona, ya en 1989 tuvimos que expulsar de ahí a los trabajadores de las empresas petroleras ARCO - AGIP. El principal responsable de esta incursión es el Sr. Sergio Gualinga, quien aunque nació en Sarayaku abandonó su pueblo hace unos 25 años, y desde entonces ha vivido en la ciudad de Shell, y además varios años en los Estados Unidos. Trabajó varios años para la compañía petrolera CGC como relacionador comunitario. La tarea de él era quebrar la resistencia de Sarayaku a través de engaños, división y calumnias, pero no lo pudo hacer. Además, Sergio Gualinga ha viajado a Alemania y Suiza, para pedir fondos a la cooperación internacional presentándose como un defensor de la selva y de los pueblos indígenas, incluso llegando a la sede de las Naciones Unidas, cuando en la realidad es nada más que un oportunista. En la actualidad, Sergio Gualinga es coordinador de la Fundación Jurijuri. Según conocemos esta fundación jamás ha realizado obra social alguna, sino es nada más que una fachada para que Sergio Gualinga pueda usufructuar recursos de varias fuentes. En algunos otros sitios ha intentado crear nuevos centros poblados, pero siempre con resultados conflictivos. Dentro de la fundación Jurijuri figura también el ciudadano suizo Konstantin Walter Henzi, casado con la hermana de Sergio Gualinga. En una reunión mantenida con los dirigentes de Sarayaku en la ciudad de Puyo, Sergio Gualinga informó que los fondos para las obras en Kutukachi provienen de sus familiares en el extranjero. Sin embargo, por medio de otros ciudadanos suizos que han tenido contacto con gente de Sarayaku, hemos tenido conocimiento de que en Suiza la Fundación Jurijuri recauda fondos, falsamente alegando que es para la noble lucha de Sarayaku y la defensa de la selva, cuando en realidad es para la destrucción del pueblo de Sarayaku y el enriquecimiento personal de la antes mencionada persona. Atrás de Sergio Gualinga está también la compañía petrolera italiana AGIP. A pesar de que la supuesta comunidad de Kutukachi todavía no es más que una pista de aterrizaje y unas casas deshabitadas, ya está incluida en el programa de relaciones comunitarias de la AGIP. Esta petrolera ha financiado varios obras, e incluso vuelos de helicóptero, para trasladar herramientas y materiales, y los supuestos habitantes de la comunidad, quienes en su mayoría son gente que ha abandonado Sarayaku hace décadas atrás y desde entonces viven en la ciudad del Puyo. Es necesario aclarar que la zona de Kutukachi es una zona estratégica para la AGIP, ya que queda cerca de un pozo exploratorio y se sospecha que haya reservas de petróleo, pero por nuestra resistencia la AGIP no tiene acceso a la zona. Por lo tanto a la AGIP le resulta muy conveniente crear una nueva supuesta comunidad habitada por oportunistas ajena de la lucha del pueblo de Sarayaku. Esta es una estrategia ampliamente aplicada por la AGIP y otras empresas petroleras. El CODENPE (Consejo de Desarrollo de las Nacionalices y Pueblos del Ecuador) ha cometido el error de entregar personería jurídica a la supuesta comunidad de Kutukachi sin investigar a fondo el asunto. Otro cómplice es también el Consejo Provincial de Pastaza, que ha proveído fondos a la Fundación Jurijuri para que construya un camino vecinal desde la comunidad de Muritikucha, entrando al territorio de Sarayaku, pasando por Kutukachi, y llegando hasta el Río Rutunu. El Consejo Provincial recibe fondos de la AGIP para obras de desarrollo en las comunidades dentro del bloque 10, y al parecer son estos fondos que el Consejo Provincial invierte en esta obra de destrucción del pueblo de Sarayaku. Ante estos acontecimientos advertimos que la zona de Kutukachi está dentro del territorio indivisible e inalienable de Sarayaku. Allí rigen los estatutos, reglamentos y plan de manejo territorial de Sarayaku, aprobados por la asamblea general del pueblo. Es decir, la zona queda reservada para actividades de caza, pesca y recolección, y nada más. Esto lo haremos respetar a través de nuestras autoridades tradicionales. Denunciamos ante la opinión pública nacional e internacional, al Gobierno del Ecuador, y al Gobierno de Italia, que la compañía petrolera italiana AGIP, con pleno conocimiento de causa, intenta a destruir a un pueblo, por el simple hecho de que una parte del bloque 10, adjudicado a esta empresa, queda dentro del territorio de este pueblo que mantiene una posición de defensa territorial y ambiental que es contraria a la explotación petrolera. Exigimos al Gobierno Nacional, Ministerio de Minas y Petróleo, Petroecuador, y la Dirección Nacional de Protección Ambiental que cumplan con las medidas dictadas por la Comisión y Corte Interamericanas de Derechos Humanos, interviniendo inmediatamente para impedir esta desmembración del territorio de Sarayaku. Además solicitamos lo siguiente: - Que el CODENPE rectifique, anulando la personería jurídica otorgada, por ignorancia, a la supuesta comunidad de Kutukachi. - Que el Consejo Provincial respete la estructura organizativa de los pueblos indígenas y se abstenga de entregar fondos a grupos minúsculos de oportunistas que actúan fuera de los estatutos y reglamentos internos del pueblo. - Que el Sr. Konstantin Henzi y otros ciudadanos suizos se abstengan de financiar a la Fundación Jurijuri, ya que esta fundación es nada más que un negocio personal del Sr. Sergio Gualinga y un instrumento de destrucción de los pueblos indígenas de la Amazonía ecuatoriana. Dionisio Machoa, Presidente del Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku. www.azkintuwe.org•

VIDEOEX 2008 International experimental film- and video Festival Zürich Switzerland 23. - 31. May 2008

synnovemathe — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:08:38 GMT

VIDEOEX 2008 International experimental film- and video Festival Zürich Switzerland 23. - 31. May 2008 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION / SWISS COMPETITION ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ You are invited to submit your works. We are looking for: - experimental films (35mm / 16mm / 8mm), - videos (experimental, videoart, essay...) - innovative animations, - experimental digital & graphic productions (to be screened) - experimental documentaries & innovative music videos. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 2nd February 2008. The following preview formats are accepted: - Mini DV (pal / ntsc) - VHS (pal / ntsc) - DVD (pal / ntsc) Maximum duration is 60 min. (exceptions may apply). Only works produced after 1st January 2005 are applicable. Download entry form and rules at www.videoex. ch (pdf) We are looking forward to receive your entries. VIDEOEX / Experimentalfilm & Video Festival / 23 - 31 May 2008 Kanonengasse 20 / CH - 8004 Zurich / Switzerland Tel +41 433220813 / Fax +41 433220815 http://www.videoex.ch/ / competitions@ videoex.ch

Burning other year !!

synnovemathe — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:08:55 GMT

I had been in an amazing party during 5 days haha yep !! as when I was teenager some time ago ;o) All started with Marilyn Manson + Turbonegro's concert in MAdrid, after in Barcelona, and the surprise party in Vitoria !! where I met some real authenthic persons (Diego, Gorka, Virginia, Gustavo, Elena,…….) very open, funny and insane persons :o))) I really needed that trip, and these wild days with some of my friends and making new ones, I felt very alive !! I'm 34 now, so I'm starting to burn other year, full of experiences, joy and creativity and of course love :o))) I received one of the most amazing gifts (that trip included). Some friends in real life and some internet friends made a kind of Synnöve's book, where they speak about our relation (friendship), our experiences together, our thoughts and dreams………and after all answered a few questions as Synnöve's last madness, Synnöve's last funny situation, etc I speak about these 2 questions because big part of my friends replied same experiences hahaha Seems my “last madness” was some time ago when I dismissed myself of my job, because I wanted to know a person who I only knew thru internet, and I wished to be free to do whatever haha yep !! C'est moi. At the end I never met that person because he was lying to me (and my inner self knew it), so I went to Jaca with some friends for a time hahaha very passionate???? maybe but what is live if you can't do that insane things? Just follow your feelings !! According with my friends my last “romantic adventure” was some days ago when a boy salved to me to be squashed by elevator's doors in a book shop hahaha that kind of things use to happen to me :o)) and a lot of questions, and funnies replies, I feel very charned and blessed with my friends in real live and thru internet, so……..I LOVE YOU SO MUCH :O))))

A new Stage ??

synnovemathe — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:17:57 GMT

yep !! yesterday I probably started a new stage in my life and in my “career” haha And , one of the first things going to be the next Ecosynergy Art meeting, where we will develop a project to help new artists, artivists, to show their art work, sharing opportunities and opening ways. The other is bbbbbrrrrrrrr (bbbrrrr means drum roll ;o) I found a producer to my documentary serie about the spirit of europeans or European's spirit, where I'm going to talk about Tantra, Shamanism, Chi Kung, Zen, Antrophosophic, Asatru, Wicca, etc And the big one about my people, Indigenous People :o)))))))) mmmm I like that new stage :o) But that new part have a very difficult part. I think a mega-meta-project to save or change that world, isn't be feasible or realistic. I believe in smalls projects with Global Visions, so since now, I just going to support these projects, and the people who develop it. Hope you don't understand me in a bad or wrong way, I like poetic dreamers, but not people who are all day dreaming or thinking and never TAKE ACTION !! The quote or phrase “Think Globally, Act Locally” has a lot of sense for me, in fact I think that is the way to change the current reality of pain, control, oppression……

A Bitter-Sweet day

synnovemathe — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:13:12 GMT

Today, all persons, and specially europeans might be happy for Poland results in theirs election, one of the fascist's twins is out , well done !! Now the other !! But, the "surprise" live today in Switzerland, what fucking have between eyes?? I can't believe a nazi party come back to have power in Europe. Viva Switzerland netrality !! yesterday were jews, who going to be today? me? you? In other way, seems we will have free land in Argentina for our Artivist Kollektivet !! but I can't celebrate it more, not after the fucking swiss decision

Gallerie Icosahedron 2008 Emerging Artist Competition or Am I the only one who can't do a post?

synnovemathe — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:57:25 GMT

Hi, I'm trying to post that message in some tribes but my message don't appear, do you have same problem?? Gallerie Icosahedron Emerging Artists Fine Art Competition is intended for those who wish to receive exposure in the rigorous New York City art scene and market. We wish to offer fresh talent an opportunity to exhibit in NYC. We are one of the handful of galleries that specialize in Visionary Realism, Surrealism, and Visionary Art in general: however there are no rules to our selection since excellence in art often means breaking all the rules. The exhibit will run from January 9- January 31, 2008 at Gallerie Icosahedron. Gallerie Icosahedron is a fine art gallery and it has also become a premiere venue for classical and cutting edge contemporary music and performance. Our concert calendar has included luminaries that have performed at the Metropolitan opera and Carnegie Hall. We are hosting a weekly concert series designed to attract audiences interested in Jazz, New Opera and traditional classical music. Art and music lovers are drawn to Gallerie Icosahedron for the excellence of both the visionary art and the virtuosity of the performers. Gallerie Icosahedron is the vanguard of a cultural revolution that will unite both music and art. We believe that creative communication is freedom’s sanctuary. We are a street level art gallery located in the heart of the prestigious Tribeca section in Manhattan, NYC. The opening reception will include an open bar and we will send invitations and announcement to everyone on our extensive mailing list. The opening will be held on Thursday evening January 10th, 2008, and the show will continue until January 31st, 2008. There will be a musical performance before the opening. http://www.icosahedron.com/contest/contest.html

little by little understanding

synnovemathe — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 18:27:29 GMT

i was walking and i lost the way to the house pondering what i am and what i feel little by little understanding that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing i will come back to find me with you i will come back to smile in the morning i will come back with tears in my eyes to watch the sky and give thanks little by little understanding that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing little by little understanding that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing look at me inside (look at my heart) and understand that your eyes are my eyes that your skin is my skin in your attention i am joyful i bathe in your smile and i am part of your being that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing little by little understanding that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing little by little understanding that it's not worth the trouble to walk for the sake of walking that it's better to walk for the sake of growing i will come back to sit with mine (i will come back to be with "my" people) i will come back to share my happiness i will come back to tell you that i dreamed of new colors and clear days i will come back to tell you that i dreamed of new colors and clear days "Poquito a poco" by Chambao Dedicated to Rafael Gisbert

..............Jumping to Berlin..............................

synnovemathe — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:39:02 GMT

I'm starting the search of my studio in Berlin. That time I wont to live in a squated house hahahaha a lot of feelings, memories. Rigth now, seems I'm going to concentrate my efforts and energies in Prenzlauer Berg (interesting cultural life, amazing buldings, parks,...), and my second option will be Kreuzberg (artistic + political). Some friends told me is better go to places like Charlottenburg, and Forrest a very nice tribe's member, think this option can be great to start my production company there. I should think about. Berlin is one of my favorites cities, with London, Amsterdam, Praha, and a few more, included some Baltics, but no one like Berlin. I believe this city is a place for artists and special people because gives you inspiration and invite to create, to stablish new networks, and much more !!

JOSÉ SARAMAGO – INVITÓ A “PERDER LA PACIENCIA ”

synnovemathe — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 10:39:12 GMT

JOSÉ SARAMAGO – INVITÓ A “PERDER LA PACIENCIA ” Santillana del Mar, España, 14/06/07 (EFE).- “Estamos llegando al final de una civilización y se presentan tiempos de oscuridad: el fascismo puede regresar”. Saramago pide a los ciudadanos “perder la paciencia” ahora que “la izquierda ha dejado de ser izquierda” El escritor José Saramago cree que ha llegado la hora de que los ciudadanos manifiesten su disconformidad con quienes los gobiernan, en un mundo donde los partidos de derecha siguen comportándose como siempre, pero “la izquierda ha dejado de ser izquierda”. “Antes nos gustaba decir que la derecha era estúpida, pero hoy día no conozco nada más estúpido que la izquierda”, aseguró hoy Saramago, en la tercera y última jornada del ciclo “Lecciones y maestros”, que durante tres días ha reunido en Santillana del Mar a escritores, críticos literarios y profesores en torno a las figuras de Carlos Fuentes, de Juan Goytisolo y del escritor portugués, Premio Nobel de Literatura. Quizá algunos de los asistentes esperaban una lección magistral sobre literatura, y algo habló Saramago de ella. Pero el novelista portugués dedicó buena parte de su intervención a expresar su honda preocupación por el mal funcionamiento del sistema democrático y por el hecho de que los gobiernos sean “los comisarios políticos del poder económico”. “El mundo lo dirigen organismos que no son democráticos, como el Fondo monetario Internacional, el Banco Mundial o la Organización Mundial de Comercio”, dijo Saramago, que si bien es cierto que desde hace tiempo viene llamando la atención sobre estas cuestiones, hoy dio un paso más e invitó a los ciudadanos a “perder la paciencia” y a hacer algo para intentar cambiar la situación. “Es hora de aullar, porque si nos dejamos llevar por los poderes que nos gobiernan, y no hacemos nada por contrarrestarlos, se puede decir que nos merecemos lo que tenemos”, aseguró el autor de “Memorial del convento”, “Ensayo sobre la ceguera” o “Ensayo sobre la lucidez”, obra esta última donde plantea la importancia del voto en blanco a la hora de expresar la disconformidad con el poder político. Saramago es miembro del Partido Comunista Portugués, pero eso no le impidió criticar con dureza a los partidos de izquierda que, cuando dicen que “se acercan al centro”, en realidad '”o que hacen es acercarse a la derecha”. “Ya no hay gobiernos socialistas, aunque se llamen así los partidos que están en el poder”, dijo el escritor, para aludir a países como Italia y Portugal y precisar a renglón seguido que, con sus palabras, no se refería a España, donde el Gobierno socialista “compensa la política neoliberal, de la que no puede escapar, con importantes leyes de tipo social”. “No tenemos leyes de izquierda”, aseguró Saramago, que buscó la complicidad de Carlos Fuentes cuando evocó cómo, ”antes”, les gustaba “mucho decir que la derecha era estúpida”. “Pues yo tengo que decir que, hoy, no conozco nada más estúpido que la izquierda”. En una época en la que “todo se puede rebatir”, nadie cuestiona la democracia, aunque “todos sabemos que vivimos bajo una plutocracia: son los ricos los que gobiernan”, decía el autor de “La caverna” ante la atenta mirada, entre otros muchos, de Carlos Fuentes, Juan Goytisolo, Nélida Piñón o de Laura Restrepo, encargada hoy de presentar la obra de Saramago. A sus 84 años, el escritor cree que ya “no queda mucho tiempo” para tratar de cambiar el mundo. “Estamos llegando al final de una civilización y se presentan tiempos de oscuridad: el fascismo puede regresar”. Por eso “hay que hacer algo”, en un mundo donde “el engaño es el rey de la tierra”, afirmó el novelista, quien, como ejemplo de engaño, recordó el proceso que desencadenó la guerra de Irak y aludió a las multitudinarias manifestaciones de protesta que hubo en numerosos países, que estuvieron “muy bien”, pero que de poco sirvieron. Puede que las manifestaciones no consigan lo que pretenden, pero a los ciudadanos les queda otra solución: “despreciar a quienes nos gobiernan y nos engañan todos los días”, dijo Saramago, que en algún punto de su intervención hizo una pequeña pausa, quizá para recobrar fuerzas y continuar con su valiente denuncia. También hubo espacio para la literatura y para que le contara a los asistentes que está “tratando de escribir” un nuevo libro, aunque dio pocas pistas sobre él, probablemente porque Saramago es poco amigo de establecer fronteras entre géneros literarios y de “encasillar” sus libros en uno concreto. “Para mí, lo que hay no son géneros, sino espacios literarios, que, como tales, admiten todo: el ensayo, la filosofía, la ciencia y la poesía”, dijo el escritor, quien no dejó de expresar su admiración por quien a su juicio es “la gran figura literaria del siglo XX”: Kafka.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COMANDANTE

synnovemathe — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 17:17:59 GMT

If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine

A ranking to think about it

synnovemathe — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 11:36:26 GMT

That morning, a very dear friend Lars, and I, were talking about how our societies could come back to feel ancient values like dignity, loyalty, purity, honesty,…. All these values are inside ourself, are part of DNA of ours hearts and souls, but currently big part of humanity, at least big part of “occidental / western” people simply forget it. I would like to think and to take action about it. Rigth now “a link to think “(hahaha :o)…. are you agree with that ranking? What that ranking tell you? Synnöve http://www.visionofhumanity.com/rankings/

Happy Beltane !!

synnovemathe — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:18:47 GMT

That night is Beltane, I hope all of yours will have a great experience that night !! My bonfire is ready.......and yours ??? Hey !! I want to mean next night !! Synnöve

A travel to spiritual roots

synnovemathe — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:44:10 GMT

In May I’ll go to Sweden, that is a very important trip for me, because I will assist to a very special ceremony, a travel to my spiritual roots. I’m very excited, and I can’t wait !!!! I’m composing kenningar all time, and a lot of images, scripts….ufffff too much inspiration and creativity, amazing and powerful energy. I feel like that trip going to be a special time in my life, I know the person who will go , will not be same person who come back, I can’t explain it, I simply feel it. But before Beltane ceremony !!!! LOVE, Synnöve

Call for April 17: International Peasant’s struggle Day

synnovemathe — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 11:12:31 GMT

Call for April 17: International Peasant’s struggle Day The 17th of April is the International Peasant’s Struggle Day, established after the massacre of 19 landless peasants belonging to the Landless Movement (MST) in Brazil on the 17th of April 1996 during the second conference of La Via Campesina in Tlaxcala Mexico. In commemoration of the International Peasant’s Struggle Day, La Via Campesina and its allies are organizing activities and actions all over the world. Peasants and friends will rally around the following demands: 1. The WTO negotiations should not resume. We want the WTO to permanently remain in the lethargy state it entered in July 2006. Under the WTO policies, the crisis of food, agriculture and family farming has deepened in every corner of the world. We call peasants’ organizations and other social movements to urge their governments to put an end to the so-called Doha Development Agenda (DDA). In reality there will not be any development as long as countries are competing with each others to grab each others food and agriculture markets. Challenging the Doha Development Agenda, peasants, fisher folks, pastoralists, workers, women and ordinary people in the world are demanding the implementation of food sovereignty. (Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations. It defends the interests and inclusion of the next generation. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current corporate trade and food regime, and directions for food, farming, pastoral and fisheries systems determined by local producers. Food sovereignty prioritises local and national economies and markets and empowers peasant and family farmer-driven agriculture, artisanal - fishing, pastoralist-led grazing, and food production, distribution and consumption based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Food sovereignty promotes transparent trade that guarantees just income to all peoples and the rights of consumers to control their food and nutrition. It ensures that the rights to use and manage our lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. Food sovereignty implies new social relations free of oppression and inequality between men and women, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations. (Excerpt of the Declaration of Nyeleni 2007, International Forum on Food Sovereignty in Selingue, Mali, February 2007)) We call peasants organizations and other social movements to discuss with their governments about trade and production alternatives based on food sovereignty and out of the WTO. 2. Stop Free Frade Agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) in food and agriculture. FTA and EPAs are just a breakthrough created to deal with the collapse of the WTO negotiations and to speed up the liberalization process. They are not alternatives to the WTO, but the other side of the same sharp blade, the blade of neo-liberalism. Bilateral agreements and partnerships should be made between peasants and ordinary people based on the principle of solidarity. People to people relations in solidarity will create brotherhood and sisterhood, while FTA will pave the way for transnational corporations to destroy people’s economies. 3. End with the colonial model of monoculture. History shows that that exploitation of other countries’ agricultural wealth usually happens through monocultures farming. This was the colonial mode of production because the rulers were only concerned about getting commodities in huge volume at the cheapest price. They did not care about the impact of monocultures on the land and on the workers. It led to environmental destruction and slavery. Until today, agriculture systems based on monocultures keep exploiting human beings and the environment. They create overproduction, which in turn destroys the peasants’ economy because of the dumping of agricultural produces. We urge all governments to phase out from monoculture farming and to develop a sustainable agriculture based on family farms that respects the ecology or agro-ecology and produces healthy and nutritious food. 4. Oppose the World Bank policies on land and rural development The World Bank has been imposing policies leading to privatisation of land, water, public services, seeds, etc. As a consequence, farmers and rural communities are kicked out of the land and are loosing their livelihood, while big corporations are grabbing most of the world resources. Those policies are even implemented under the name of “agrarian reform” (the Market Assisted Land Reform of the World Bank). We call people’s organisations not to be cheated by those neo-liberal policies and to keep struggling for genuine agrarian reform which ensures the rights of communities to access and control of their land, territories, water and agricultural biodiversity. Instead of listening to the World Bank and IMF’s advice, governments should work with their people towards social justice. 5. Reject the G8 domination! The G8 countries are only representing 13,5 % of the world population, but they control 62,6% of the world economy. They are shaping the world order (economy, development, conflicts, environment…) in a way that affects every human being. This world order drives us in a situation where the number of hungry people has increased from 840 to 854 million in 2006 while a tiny group of millionaires have doubled their capital from 16 to 33 billion dollars. A few months before the G8 summit in June in Germany, we are denouncing the policies put forward by the G8 governments in order to maintain their power and to protect the interests of the big companies, at the expense of the great majority of the world population. JOIN THE ACTIONS FOR APRIL 17 ! - More on www.viacampesina.org 1. Organize public debates, workshops, discussions, seminars, cultural events, and rallies on food sovereignty as the alternative to the neoliberal model. You can use the results of Nyeleni 2007, the Forum for food sovereignty (Mali, February 2007) to disseminate information and to make sure that food sovereignty principles are implemented in your country. Invite government officials, academics and social movements to take part. (more information at www.nyeleni2007.org) 2. Take part in the global action and activities on 19th of April to stop EU-ACP EPAs. 3. Join the campaign against green deserts! 4. La Via Campesina, together with many other social movements, will take part in the mobilizations against the G8 in Rostock, Germany, June 2 and 3 to show that alternative policies are possible. We call people to go to Rostock for the mobilizations against the G8. La Via Campesina calls all its member organizations in the world to prepare and organize activities, events and actions in commemoration of 17 April. We invite all Via Campesina members to commemorate this event in their farmlands with their communities and organisations in their villages, provinces and countries. We also call other social movements to celebrate this event. Please inform us about the activities you are planning. We will publish all actions and activities in our website. If you want to get more information please contact: International Operative Secretariat of La Via Campesina (Contact Person: Tejo Pramono) Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV No. 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia. Phone : +62-21-7991890 Facs : +62-21-7993426 Email: viacampesina@viacampesina.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it And/or join the April 17 listserv by sending a blank message to viacam17april-subscribe@yahoogroups.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Or contact our regional staffs that are close to where you live: Africa (Isabelle Dos Reis) Maputo - Mozambique Tel/Fax : (+258) 2132 7895 Email: vcafrica@tvcabo.co.mzThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it South-East and East Asia (Irma Yanni) Jln. Mampang Prapatan XIV No. 5 Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta 12790 Indonesia Phone : +62-21-7991890 Facs : +62-21-7993426 Email: petani@indosat.net.idThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Caribbean (Francisca Peguero) Av Independencia No 1063, Zona Universitaria, Distrito Nacional, Apdo Postal 905-2, Feria. Tel/Fax: 00-1-809 686 7517 Fax: +1-809-682 0075 Email: conamuca@verizon.net.doThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Europe (Morgan Ody) Rue de la Sablonnière 18 B - 1000 Bruxelles - Métro: Madou tel + 32 2 2173112 fax: + 32 2 2184509 e-mail: morganody@yahoo.frThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Central America (Wendy Cruz) Colonia Alameda, 11 Avenida (Alfonso Guillen Zelaya), entre 3 y 4 Calles, Casa 2025, Apartado Postal 3628 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. – Honduras, C.A. Tel/fax:+5042359915/ +5042324679. Email: wendy_cruz_s@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it South America (Rita Zanotto) Alameda Barao de Limeira, 1232 - 01202-002 - Sao Paulo -SP – Brasil Phone - 61 3325 3909 Email: lavia.campesina@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it North America(Jessica Roe) 110 Maryland Ave., N.E. Suite 307 Washington , DC 20002 - USA email: jroe@nffc.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it South Asia (Gayathri Girrish) Email : gayathri_krrs@yahoo.co.inThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Can Green Consumers Make a Difference?

synnovemathe — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:23:13 GMT

March 30, 2007 — By the Globe Foundation of Canada VANCOUVER, B.C. — Can the actions of the individual consumer, multiplied many times over, change how the goods we use in our everyday lives are produced? An increasing number of people are choosing to buy products and services that have positive environmental and social impacts, and their purchases are feeding a growing green marketplace. How much of an impact will green purchasing have on tomorrow's consumer marketplace? EPIC, The recent "Sustainable Living Expo" produced by the GLOBE Foundation, provided some insights to that question. EPIC was a first in Canada, bringing together consumers and suppliers of green products and services spanning a wide array of lifestyle sectors, including food, fashion, home design, personal transportation, travel, investing, recycling and communications, all designed to leave a softer footprint on the earth. Live presentations on sustainable living, eco-fashion shows, and the slideshow from "An Inconvenient Truth", drew large crowds to the EPIC Main Stage throughout the event. While EPIC was a celebration of environmentally friendly products and services that could allow shoppers to feel good about their purchases, a more fundamental level of concern motivated the 12,000 visitors participants. By using their purchasing power to support sustainability, consumers are bringing about positive environmental and social changes in the marketplace. Even simple choices such as buying recycled paper products, selecting biodegradable dishwashing soap, or purchasing organic food and clothing, can make a difference. Today's green consumer movement is part of a trend that gained traction during the early 1990s. In the past few years the market for 'green' products has leapt forward once again, galvanized by increased public awareness and concern about the environment. The question remains - can those simple choices, such as buying an organic cotton t-shirt or using energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, have a long term environmental and social impact? Is buying environmentally and socially friendly products really going to save the planet? Perhaps not single-handedly, but as a component of an overall shift towards a more sustainable society, the power of green spending is considerable. Individual purchasing decisions are strengthened by numbers, and in turn influence the marketplace In today's highly competitive marketplace, companies listen to their customers. If the people speak, not just with their words but with their actions and with their dollars, companies will react. If a company's line of recycled paper products outsells its conventional product line, it will shift towards more recycled fibre. If organic cotton shirts start flying off the shelves, more retailers will seek out these products We must face the fact that in our society the lifestyles we enjoy require large inputs of natural resources and raw materials. If consumers make sustainable choices consistently, the nature of some products may change forever. Savvy consumers can save money, protect the environment, and own products that are both stylish and ethically sound. Government policies and scientific innovation will be required to make the changes necessary to make our society sustainable. But individual consumers, by exercising choice and making simple commitments to buying environmentally friendly goods, can help drive these changes, reduce their own environmental impact, and more tightly link economic and environmental prosperity. Read more on Green Consumerism at GLOBE-Net. EPIC: The Sustainable Living Expo, held its first show this March 16-18 in Vancouver, Canada, bringing over 12,000 people together to learn about and purchase sustainable products. If you missed EPIC, take a look at the hundreds of exhibitors and new products, featured presentations and sustainable inspiration that took place at our 2007 event at www.epicvancouver.com. Next year's show will take place April 18 - 20, 2008, at Canada Place, Vancouver, BC. Contact Info: Dr. John Wiebe President and CEO The GLOBE Foundation of Canada Tel : 604-775-5822 http://www.epicvancouver.com/main.cfm

Arctic Action Update: ExxonMobil's Shocking Refusal

synnovemathe — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:45:19 GMT

<http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=UI1BGDwXwXgp1PgpH4XL7A..> Sierra Club <http://www.sierraclub.org/raw/images/blackpixel.gif> Explore, enjoy and protect the planet. <http://www.sierraclubplus.org/insider/template/tagline_white.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/root_images/spacers/space.gif> <http://www.sierraclub.org/root_images/spacers/space.gif> <http://action.sierraclub.org/images/content/pagebuilder/13967.jpg> As someone who has taken action through the Sierra Club to protect the Arctic, you probably remember that almost exactly 18 years ago one of the worst environmental disasters in modern times occurred when the Exxon Valdez spilled more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. That oil spill destroyed the livelihood of thousands of Alaskan fishermen and others and decimated the wildlife. What you might not realize is that, after all these years, ExxonMobil still has not paid the punitive damages it owes to the victims of the spill. Instead, ExxonMobil has dragged more than 30,000 people through 13 years of litigation by appealing every guilty verdict it's been given since 1994! During this time, 6,000 people have died waiting for compensation. <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=pvJuNeicqtduTSG_FWDiPA..> <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=OXxPA0AcofTdPZvqkRoDEA..> SEND A FAX to ExxonMobil's CEO and Board Chair and tell them to stop appealing the guilty verdicts and to pay the damages they owe. The economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of the spill are still being felt today. Sadly, the Bush administration has not taken any of the lessons of the Exxon Valdez to heart but instead continues to push for expanded oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay (just to the West of Prince William Sound), and in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska. Instead of endangering the world-class fisheries, Alaska native cultures, and coastal communities in Alaska, the Bush administration should focus on smart clean energy solutions that will move our country away from our dependence on fossil fuels. Your support can help close this painful chapter in the lives of thousands of Alaskans -- so they can start rebuilding their communities at last. After you send your fax, please ask your friends and family to join you in demanding justice for the victims of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Apparent bomb attack against Food Not Bombs in St.Petersburg, Russia

synnovemathe — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 20:03:57 GMT

Apparent bomb attack against Food Not Bombs in St.Petersburg, Russia Yesterday 4th of February a small bomb, supplied with a timing device, exploded in 4:20 PM in Vladimirskaya square of St. Petersburg, where Food Not Bombs is organised every sunday by different rotating groups. Bomb hidden to a kiosk selling flowers, but as device was small, it just damaged kiosk and nobody was hurt. Obviously, purpose of the bomb was not to kill but to terrorize. Luckily, that day Food Not Bombs was late from the schedule and activists showed up in the spot few minutes after the explosion, and food was given to homeless without any problems. Usually 4:20 would be the moment with most people gathering in the square for food. At time of the action, activists did not paid much attention to damages but considered timing as a coincidence - it could have been some conflict between organised crime for example. But as later in the day it was revealed that bomb had been set with a timing device, people considered that Food Not Bombs may have been targeted on purpose. Russian nazis have used explosives quite often, last time in Moscow 22nd of December a bomb set up against local anti-fascists wounded a number of police who attempted to neutralise device. Last August in Moscow a bomb set up by nazis killed 11 in Cherkisovski marketplace. Nazis have often targeted Food Not Bombs in St. Petersburg, 14th of January 2007 activist Ivan Elin suffered 20 stab wounds when returning home from action but he is recovering. 13th of November 2005 another Food Not Bombs activist Timur Kacharava was murdered few hours after action. In http://anatrrra.livejournal.com/22099.html you may see photos from the site of explosion. If you have a blog, please post this link there as it helps to increase the rating of the article. Anatrrra is also criticizing a pro-police St. Petersburg internet publication fontanka.ru for publishing wrong time of the explosion, 7:30, suspecting that they did this on purpose. Correspondent of the site is denying this in comment section of the article.

ThE wAy To BeRLiN

synnovemathe — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:17:32 GMT

Hey !! Today a german production company offered me a job in Berlin !! sounds very interesting, and it's possible I'll accept the job vacancy. The price of the houses in Berlin is very cheaper than Madrid, I have family there, and some friends who works in cinema going to move there soon, so maybe I'll go there too :o) Anyway, before I should decide if I accept or not other job vacancy in Madrid, maybe an opportunity to earn money for my art work, mmm I believe I have to think better. How are your day?? Synnöve

Between whales and dolphins

synnovemathe — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:33:39 GMT

Last night I had been dreaming with to swing between whales and dolphins...wwwwooowww so great dream, i feel so calm, so fine, a great experience. That morning I was selectioned to participate in a course for film makers !!! hahahaha YEP!! Maybe the whales and the dolphins..... Synnöve

THE CHILDREN OF DON QUIJOTE

synnovemathe — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 08:36:13 GMT

In France more and more impressing action against the housing crisis, homelessness and speculation is rising. Our old friends from DAL have organized another spectacular squat in Paris and built the “ministry for housing crisis”. New groups and movements, especially the “children of Don Quichotte” have organized camps with homeless. Under the conditions of the campaigns for presidents’ elections these movements achieved remarkable political reactions within the past days: The conservative government plans to establish a legally enforceable right to housing,. – it would be the first in Europe (with the exception of Scotland). The socialist candidate Ms. Royal promises a huge social housing programme, intervention into the markets and even effective requisitions. The press in France and even in Germany is full of these astonishing news which totally against the main trend in Europe. May this become a year of a break through of an "enforcable right to housing" and regulation on specualtive markets! Knut Unger (Germany) ------- Some articles and links (French at the bottom): Bloomberg January 3, 2007 11:01 EST Villepin Promises French Housing Right After Homeless Protests By Emma Vandore and Gabriele Parussini Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin introduced a legal right to housing, responding to growing protests over homelessness. ``It's a principle which puts the right to housing at the same level as the right to health care or education,'' de Villepin said in a press conference in Paris today. Burgeoning lines of red tents have lined the banks of the Canal Saint Martin in central Paris since December as people answered a call by the charity les Enfants de Don Quichotte to leave their homes for a night to show solidarity with the homeless. Medecins du Monde, a doctors' charity, began supplying grey tents to homeless people a year ago. President Jacques Chirac ordered the housing right during his New Year's eve address Dec. 31. De Villepin said the cabinet will approve a law Jan. 17 providing an extra 120,000 housing units per year through 2012. The legislation, which must be voted by parliament before it adjourns ahead of the elections Feb. 22, will take effect from 2008 for street sleepers and 2012 for people in shelters. Paris has as many as 5,000 people living on the streets, according to a government report published Aug. 9. That's in addition to 26,630 homeless people in shelters in the Paris region. London has 1,500 homeless people on the streets, and Madrid 700, according to Brussels-based European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless. France's homeless population rose to about 100,000 last year from 86,000 in 2001, Fondation Abbe Pierre, a Paris-based non-profit group, said in its latest report. Shelters can house 91,675 people. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=adDHfoG01Yio&refer=europe FT January 3 2007 France adopts Scottish policy of legal right to housing By Martin Arnold in Paris Published: January 3 2007 18:26 | Last updated: January 3 2007 18:26 French politicians are loath to admit they have anything to learn from other countries, particularly on social policy. But Dominique de Villepin, prime minister, on Wednesday conceded that Paris had copied Scotland’s legally enforceable right to housing, as he promised to introduce a similar measure in France. The law would allow homeless people to sue public authorities and force them to provide accommodation. It follows an assertive campaign by homeless associations that has pushed a growing public concern up the political agenda four months before France’s presidential elections. France’s interest in Scottish housing policies has surprised some campaigners who, in spite of long-standing close Franco-Scottish relations, are more accustomed to seeing the UK as a bastion of heartless capitalism. … http://www.ft.com/cms/s/716f63c0-9b55-11db-aa70-0000779e2340.html Squatters Push Housing Rights in France Squatters occupy Paris office building to press housing as presidential campaign issue PARIS, Jan. 2, 2007 By JENNY BARCHFIELD Associated Press Writer (AP) (AP) Homeless families and their supporters have taken over an upscale office building in Paris and set up a mock housing ministry in a bid to keep housing rights on politicians' agendas before spring presidential elections. The plight of France's homeless and others living in poor conditions becomes a hot-button issue each winter. But with presidential elections on the horizon this year, it has taken on real political meaning and encouraged groups to take action. A group calling itself the Children of Don Quixote recently set up tents for the homeless in the French capital _ and invited Parisians to spend the night in them. Associations made a push to register the homeless for the April and May two-round vote before last week's deadline. The enthusiasm on behalf of the homeless, and those housed in cheap hotels, appears to be spreading. President Jacques Chirac spoke out on the matter in his annual New Year's Eve address to the nation, pledging to work to "make the right to housing a reality." On Tuesday, the conservative government studied a first draft of a bill that would allow the homeless to take their plights to court. They hope the bill will be adopted before parliament ends its session Feb. 22. Two leading presidential candidates, conservative Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Segolene Royal, have responded to the homeless issue. Sarkozy designated a noted lawyer to follow the issue, and Royal spoke by telephone with the Children of Don Quixote. France, with a population of some 63 million, has about 86,500 homeless people, according to a 2001 study by the INSEE statistics agency. But the Abbe Pierre Foundation, which works with the homeless, estimated last year that the figure is closer to 150,000. The squatters, including at least 10 families, took over the empty building in central Paris sometime last week, but their presence only became clear Monday, when a fire alarm went off, according to Yves Manet, deputy director general of the Lyonnaise de Banque group, which owns the building. By Tuesday, families were busy outfitting the offices with bathtubs, showers and kitchens. Groups that organized the takeover were using some floors for their "ministry" to press politicians to take action. A statement from the Right to Housing group said the action was taken on behalf of all those who could not find a proper dwelling, including people expelled from their apartments or artists with irregular incomes. Most of the approximately 50 people who took up residence in the office building had been living in cheap hotels. Squatter organizers said the building, in a trendy neighborhood across the street from the old Bourse, or stock exchange, was unoccupied for years before they "requisitioned" it. "We cannot accept that there are buildings that are empty while there are people freezing outside," said Alexandre Archenoult, a coordinator for Macaq, one of the three housing rights groups behind the takeover. He said the squatters accessed the 10,800 square foot building through an unlocked window. "We are going to stay here until we can find something else," said Hafida Sadek, a 47-year-old mother of two who was evicted from her apartment in September. She had been moving from cheap hotel to cheap hotel, she said. "It's nice here, certainly better than out there," she said, pointing through the picture window to the cold rain pelting down outside. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/02/ap/world/mainD8MDF0801.shtml NYT January 2, 2007 Middle-Class French Join Sleep-In Over Homelessness PARIS, Jan. 1 — Hundreds of people emerged from tents beside this city’s Canal St.-Martin to greet the chilly New Year with a hot lunch from a nearby soup kitchen. But not all of them were homeless. Dozens of otherwise well-housed, middle-class French have been spending nights in tents along the canal, in the 10th Arrondissement, in solidarity with the country’s growing number of “sans domicile fixe,” or “without fixed address,” the French euphemism for people living on the street. The bleak yet determinedly cheerful sleep-in is meant to embarrass the French government into doing something about the problem. … http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/world/europe/02paris.html?em&ex=1167886800&en=8f8d7cc494bf35a5&ei=5087%0A A new French law would make housing a basic right Reuters Published: January 3, 2007 PARIS: A new French law would make housing an enforceable right like education, the government said Wednesday, after a high-profile action by a lobbying group forced the issue of homelessness to the top of the political agenda. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/03/news/france.php ET Jan. 4, 2007 Ségolène Royal sets out campaign stall The opposition Socialist party's presidential candidate, giving her new year's address in Paris before leaving for a four-day visit of China on Friday, said: "Housing is the first requirement for a secure family." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16468967/ Droit au Logement Chirac promet, la lutte continue : Réquisition d’un immeuble vide ! Paris, le 31 décembre 2006 DAL prend acte de la demande du Président de la République au gouvernement de faire que le droit au logement opposable et pour tous devienne une réalité, et qu’il avance sur ce point dans les toutes prochaines semaines. Droit Au logement félicite les enfants de Don quichotte et leur action, sans lesquels cette déclaration Présidentielle n’aurait pas vu le jour. C’est aussi le résultat des luttes de mal-logés et de sans logis engagées depuis 20 ans. http://www.globenet.org/dal/ Overview on movements in „Liberation“: http://www.liberation.fr/vous/logement/226625.FR.php L’Humanité 3 janvier 2007 Droit au logement opposable : comment l’appliquer ? HABITAT . Après l’intervention de Jacques Chirac, l’idée fait son chemin. Mais sa mise en oeuvre soulève de nombreuses questions. Décryptage. Le droit au logement opposable, évoqué par le président de la République, a été accueilli très favorablement par les partis politiques, hormis le Mouvement pour la France de Philippe de Villiers, pour qui ce concept « appartient typiquement au socialisme le plus archaïque ». Cette unanimité est également de mise chez les associations de lutte contre l’exclusion et le mal-logement, dont une quarantaine se sont même organisées en plate-forme pour le droit au logement opposable depuis plusieurs années. Pour autant, l’application, en France, de ce droit soulève des questions fondamentales. Décryptage. http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/2007-01-03/2007-01-03-843110 mercredi 3 janvier 2007, mis à jour à 19:19 La France se dote d'un droit au logement opposable Reuters Le gouvernement annonce la mise en application progressive, d'ici 2012, d'un droit au logement opposable en faveur des mal-logés, répondant ainsi à une demande de longue date des associations relancée de manière spectaculaire par Les Enfants de Don Quichotte. http://www.lexpress.fr/info/infojour/reuters.asp?id=34592 Les Don Quichotte ne lèveront pas le camp Charlotte Menegaux (lefigaro.fr). Publié le 03 janvier 2007 Sur le canal Saint-Martin, où plus de 200 tentes sont installées, l’annonce du gouvernement sur le droit au logement opposable ne change pas la donne. Les campeurs souhaitent obtenir d’autres garanties avant de quitter les lieux. Reportage. http://www.lefigaro.fr/france/20070103.WWW000000359_les_don_quichotte_ne_leveront_pas_le_camp.html REUTERS jeu. janv. 4, 2007 4:25 CST25 Ségolène Royal présente son contre-programme sur le logement http://today.reuters.fr/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-01-04T152504Z_01_GAR455318_RTRIDST_0_OFRTP-FRANCE-LOGEMENT-ROYAL-20070104.XML Parti Socialiste Le droit au logement opposable doit être universel Thierry Repentin, sénateur socialiste de la Savoie, explicite le concept de droit au logement opposable, une idée inscrite dans le projet socialiste pour 2007, récemment reprise par la droite, qui s’y était pourtant opposé à l’Assemblée nationale… en avril 2006. http://hebdo.parti-socialiste.fr/2007/01/04/342/ CFDT (union) Le droit opposable, une étape vers un droit effectif http://www.cfdt.fr/actualite/presse/comm/comm636.htm Libé Le programme PS, plutôt vide sur le logement http://www.liberation.fr/vous/logement/226610.FR.php SNL Union (NGO) Le droit au logement opposable présenté en conseil des ministres le 17 janvier http://www.snl-union.org/index.php?page=voirnews&id=277 CGL (tenants organization) http://www.lacgl.fr/index.asp?ID=366&id_sous_menu=11 CNL http://www.lacnl.com/index.htm

Shoes off...foot in

synnovemathe — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:03:37 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm watching the Neujahrskonzert like I do each year before to go to sleep hahahaa yep!!. That night was magic ;o) I'm in the beach, so for that night I took my shous off and I jumped to the sea like a re-born act. I'm doing a trip without return ticket hahahahaha. Hope all of you, my dears friends had an amazing night !! LOVE, Synnöve