Harry Potter

I would not read any famous contemporary* book as it is for sure a very bad book. Such is the state of the art and the world today.

*I carefully picked the word contemporary as there is nothing modern in the contemporary literature.

Dumbledore vs Burma

I recently wrote my first reaction when I've heard that Dumbledore is gay here. So let me elaborate.

I believe it is part of being human that curiosity is rose by absurd, and a new title like "Dumbledore is Gay!" is absurd enough to get you read it. It happened to me as well. Also part of being human is the big probability that by the time you finished to read the absurd news you forgot that it was the absurd title that got you reading it and you get engaged in discussions on the user comments part of the site presenting the news as if it was actually "real" and something to be concerned about.

So there you go, all these reactions of teenagers (which by the way, are more likely not to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction) and grownups about how Dumbledore is gay and how bad or good that is.

In the mean time people in Burma die. The news titles suggests that there is a bloody revolt of some sort happening in Burma. But this is not absurd is it? This does not attract ones attention as much as Dumbledore. Why? Because this is actually "normal" and we have gotten used to things like this happening everyday.

And this is truly sad! Because if we react to absurd news, we don't react to "normal" news like human rights violations in different parts of the world, or worse, people being killed because they fight for these basic rights for them and/or for their children.

Now why I do I care about what actually happens in Burma today and I am not very concerned about the sexual orientation of fiction characters?

Because it reminds me of Romania 20 years ago. It reminds me of the people that would give their lives for freedom. And I do not think the western world today understand what that means anymore.

It means that you wake up in the morning, you wash your face, you dress up, you think about all the injustice that happens to you, to your friends, to your family and you know they will all happen again today. But you also know that today you are not going to take it anymore, you also know that today you are so fed up with it that you would rather die than living one more day lacked by your freedom to be.

So you tie your shoes, you kiss your children and go in the streets marching for freedom. And you know you might not be back. And they know you might not be back. But you have to do it, if not for you, then for them waiting at home, hoping you will be back. And most probably he/she was never back.

Now just take a look at another part of the world. The most important, how they like to think of themselves: US. How many people in the US would have the strength to defend their freedom with their life? To be honest I think if the personal freedoms in the US would be threatened (and they are) they would sit on their fat asses and read about Dumbledore. The only thing that might get them to react would be a ban on McDonalds most probably. Europe is a bit different as people do react more asking their rights and not taking in all the crap from politicians, like the recent strike in France. But still...

Anyway I don't think that this is the fault of anybody. It might be the fault of the society for improper education, but not even that. Simply it is hard to understand what happens in Burma if you never experienced something similar. And this is the saddest thing. And this is why it is more interesting if Dumbledore is Christian or Muslim or heterosexual or homosexual.

And that person I was talking before, never came back home... and nothing in Burma has changed because of their sacrifice. Just that some parents are left without their child, or some children without their parent all in the dream of freedom. And the world leaders sleep well at night very aware of all that happens, and we sleep well at night not aware of much.

And Dumbledore is gay, and that is outrageous. Or is it?

Dumbledore is NOT gay!

Dumbledore is...

Oh wait! Dumbledore never... was anything but fiction. And I never read the books anyway as there are plenty of better books to read and just this much time.

In the meantime people in Burma are being killed because they want to be free, people in Africa still die of hunger, forests are being destroyed... just the usual.

But hey, to hell with all that! Dumbledore is gay!

Marele, bunul, cuceritorul de inimi... Dudu în Italia!

Dudu a fugit de-acasă!!!!

Doctorii au zis că e din cauza lipsei de atenție, eu la muncă toată ziua, Denisa la fel... VAAAIII ce ne facem?

Dudu in Italy

A trebuit să îl urmărim pe Dudu mai bine de două saptămâni prin toată Italia... zău așa: Milano, Florența, Roma, Veneția...

Acum toți suntem fericiți acasă, familia-i reunită, bine, veselă, dar Dudu... Dudu mai fuge el din când în când, în secret dar noi ne dăm seama... că știm noi ce-i poate pielea!

Boogie Woogie

- Bughi ce?
- Uuuughi măh.... uuuughi!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_woogie

Deci ne-am început concediu de vară mergând la un campionat mondial de dans. Nu știam la ce să ne așteptăm, dar voiam să văd cum e. Și în ziua în care am fost noi era finala la două chestii: standard (vals, quick step...) și bughi ughi.

Ce e bughi ughi? Păi e un rock-n-roll aerodinamic... sau rock-n-roll 3D... sau dai din picioare de nu ți se mai văd (și nu glumesc) și pe deasupra o mai și arunci pe parteneră de colo-colo, și dacă și ești profesionist... o prinzi după.

Ce mai tura bura, a fost fain (partea de țopăială). Partea de standard... nu știu... la un moment dat mi se păreau toți la fel. Adică noroc că aveau tipele fuste de culori diferite că altfel habar n-aveam că sunt alții și nu tot aceeași pereche clonată de 6 ori să le iasă ălora numărul de finaliști.



După cum ziceam, eram un pic sceptici. Mai ales că nu ne-a placut Sttutgard deloc... urât oraș pentru un oraș nemțesc, zău.


Delectați-vă! Și concurs: "de câte ori dă tipul din picioare în timpul primului dans?"

Violenţa la TV...

Sunt de acord cu petiţia de mai jos, şi în caz că sunteţi şi voi vă invit să o semnaţi şi/sau să o promovaţi prietenilor.

http://www.petitiononline.com/nu_crime

Ziua mea, Alpii, un Ghețar și Jacuzzi

Veni și ziua mea... iar. De data asta a fost o surpriză aranjată de Denisa.

Și uite așa am ajuns la cel mai mare ghețar din europa. Și a fost super. Am făcut asa:

• hike pe crestele munților de langă ghețari pe la vreo 2900m - am zis că nu mai scap, cum mie nu prea îmi plac înălțimile și diferența de aer se simte chiar tare deși sunt numai 400m față de Bucegi unde mergi și n-ai nimic... Oricum când am ajuns la sfârșit m-am simțit excelent și ușurat: "AM SCĂPAT!!!!" :-)
  
• a doua zi am fost rupți așa că am mers numai cu gondole și telecabine
  
• și seara a fost seară de relax. Jacuzzi și hidromasaje, și saună, și iar jacuzzi... dar asta nu e tot. Jacuzzi cu tot hotelul la care am stat era la 2500m, într-o cameră cu trei pereți de sticlă prin care vedeai alpii... eeeeehhhh... Mai bine uitați-vă aici, mă tot chinui să explic eu:
  
• Și am mâncat cel mai bun desert din viața mea... sublim! O cremă de ciocolată (chocolate moss) cu cremă de vanilie/brânză dulce... moaica mia! Și da, știu că după ce mergi pe munte mâncarea pare mai bună, dar nu e asta, desertul ăla a fost excelent. Am lins farfuria, fără glumă :-)
  

Și restul de poze sunt aici:

Aletsch Glacier, CH

Dreaming about the past (answer to criticism)

The usual critique for this blog contains a few statements that I'd like to answer to.

The first one, and perhaps the most important is that we dream too much about the past. "You see the past in such an ideal light" - and that is wrong.

As a matter of fact, I would say that there is NOTHING to dream about the past societies. The past societies did nothing to preserve the earth, as a matter of fact, the effects of the past societies are the ones that we endure now! So no, we don't have an ideal light over the past societies, but we do mourn the nature as it was in the pre-industrialized world. We do love our computers, our life-span of over 70 years and our health - and we are healthy since it does take more than an epidemic to kill hundred of thousands of people. Of course, we still have epidemics that kill a lot of people (look at the HIV epidemic), but that is somewhat different, since this epidemic looks rather human inflicted than nature-inflicted. We have now the cleanest water in history - because we know how to clean it up and all, and we have it bottled. It's not cheap, but health is important - the fun fact is that having the cleanest water in history we still drink the most poisonous stuff like chemically created carbonated sodas. But, aside all that, we are healthier.

The second criticism against this blog and against people like us goes with the fact that we are too critical. There are wheels spinning, the people are starting a new trend - a 'save the planet' trend. Well, I don't believe that there is really a 'save the planet' trend, but there sure is a 'look at me trying to save the planet' trend going on. So is this true that we are too critical? Perhaps we are. Perhaps we are talking about stuff that contradict too much our own lives, and perhaps we should do more, talk less, and do that silently. Well, my guess is that this is not possible. That we can't have surgery without the blade cutting the skin - and we can't just ignore the facts that we see. We talk about them because we want people to know, and spread the word. We see other people moving stuff, we see other people thinking great things, and we try to spread the word. It's the least we can do.

We do criticise, but there is no progress without critique. As a matter of fact, we evolved like this because we didn't criticise the ways we did evolve. We did grow fast, but it was better a slow evolution that would put us at peace with our own house. And here comes the ancient wisdom that we talk about in our blogs. Because our society is now affected by gluttony, greed and desires and all these are coming back against us to hit like a hammer. We are the victims of the past societies. But now it's too late to criticise them, so we criticise ourselves.

We are biased, some say. I've read some weeks ago an article written by Vaclav Klaus that said that not the climate is at risk, but the freedom of thought. He is true, as far as he is concerned. The idea that the climate change is a propaganda might be true, and I took some time to think this over. But somehow it seems quite different the world we live in, and I know for sure that weather is a whole lot different nowadays and a few years ago (like the '80s). Of course, Mr. Klaus argues with the arguments of a person that fought the totalitarian movement of the soviets, but perhaps this is not the case. You choose for yourselves. But even the most ardent opponents of the 'global warming' did shift in time - from denying the phenomena to stating now that 'humans have nothing or too little to do with it'.

And we have some harsh proves. I am not talking about some politician's movie, but I think that anyone who lived in New Orleans does have a say or two about the global warming. The phenomena is there. The question is: do we accept it and try to get over it? Or do we just fight for our freedom of speech (which I don't see in what way is affected) and die of some desert disease in our temperate-climate homes?

Yes, I have some unruly thoughts about some oponents of the global warming. I never thought I would hear this, but I hear more often: "but warmer is better!". And I fail to see it - I fail to see why warmer is better. You don't die of cold... but you do die of heart-attack at high temperatures. So where's the gain?

And even if we didn't have these effects on our hands, think about it more. Would you start a gasoline-based car in your apartment? Would you ride your motorbike in your apartment without a breath of fresh air? Point is that the current environment is damaging our health, and sure, we do survive more, but it's survival what we do.

So if there is something to criticise, don't criticise the ideas. It's so silly to criticise the existance of global warming now, but soon global warming will become textbook issue. You know, the kind of things that you learn in the first grade. And you may say that this is pure propaganda, but then again 1+1 equals 2 is pure propaganda as well (and people that finished some mathematics-oriented sections of universities know that what I say is true, and 1+1=2 is quite a different thing).

As I remember, it's George Orwell that said that 'freedom is the freedom to say that 2+2 makes 4'. The freedom to state the obvious. And this is the obvious.

If there is something to criticise, criticise the methods that are used to clean the Earth. Please do.

Perhaps there are many points I left out of this. There is still a lot more to talk about, but questions are welcome :)

PS: Since we talked about freedom of thought and global warming, a reaction (translated from romglish to english):
(3:37:56 PM) Teo: i'm back. again
(3:38:06 PM) Dorin: Welcome
(3:38:07 PM) Dorin: You have a link (with the new post, my note)
(3:38:13 PM) Teo: I saw
(3:40:23 PM) Teo: it's too hot to think
(3:40:51 PM) Dorin: :D
(3:40:57 PM) Dorin: it's about being too hot to think
(3:40:57 PM) Dorin: :P
(3:41:02 PM) Teo: i know

Zürich Fäscht!

A fost sărbătoarea Zürich-ului... IHA!

Adică o sărbătoare ce se ține doar o dată la 3 sau 4 ani! și la care participă peste 2 milioane de oameni și la care sunt cele mai grandioase focuri de artificii pe care le vede Zürich-ul... și noi :-)

Dar mai întâi a fost zi. Şi în timpul zilei: Carnavaleeeeelelelelee!

Şi da, am ameţit, dar nu să mi se facă rău. Şi da, este de fapt un experiment de cum se comportă oamenii în medii cu forţe centrifuge mari, făcut pe nebuni care dau şi bani să participe.

Și apoi a fost seară. Şi seara: Artificiiiii!


Ce ne-am mai distrat :-) A fost chiar fain.

Și închei cu o poză cu Zürich într-o după-amiază de festival, care îmi place tare, tare.

Hans Rosling: The Seemingly Impossible Is Possible

I loved this talk. The presenter has such a catchy optimism: "We need to get serious, so what do we do to get serious? A power point slide!".

The main theme of the talk is how less fortunate countries (in financial terms) are striving to achieve the same (in terms of health and education) as (what do they call them?) "highly industrialized countries" (meaning reach).

It is amazing to see that countries like Japan and Philippines can do so good and will probably do even better with much less. As always there is another side of the story: the few very rich countries gather their wealth from resources of the impoverished countries. Or in other words: you don't want your miners to get clever and ask for more, you just want them to dig up the gold and give it willingly to you for free. It's all in interests and whose interests they are.

I find that (as with my previous video post) the most interesting people are the ones who have traveled the world in its most forbidden and remote places.

Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which (he points out) is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did.

Rosling began his wide-ranging career as a physician, spending many years in rural Africa tracking a rare paralytic disease (which he named konzo) and discovering its cause: hunger and badly processed cassava. He co-founded Médecins sans Frontièrs (Doctors without Borders) Sweden, wrote a textbook on global health, and as a professor at the Karolinska Institut in Stockholm initiated key international research collaborations. He’s also personally argued with many heads of state, including Fidel Castro.

As if all this weren’t enough, the irrepressible Rosling is also an accomplished sword-swallower.

Have fun with the graphs here.