Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Loic "Flying Dude" Jean-Albert Wingsuit Flying
"...so we play around!"
Loic Jean-Albert
www.loicjeanalbert.com
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Democracy: The European Parliament Elections
"From Strasbourg with indifference
Jun 4th 2009
From The Economist print edition
The European Parliament has failed to win legitimacy with voters. Look to Denmark for a solution
The rich world’s biggest election, with 375m potential voters, ought to be both exciting and uplifting. Yet campaigning ahead of this weekend’s election (June 07, 2009) to the European Parliament has been neither. Almost everywhere it has focused exclusively on national issues, not European ones. In several countries a ragbag of extremists, nutcases and xenophobes look set to win seats. And the turnout, which has fallen in every European election since 1979, may yet sink to a new low.
The fact is that Europe’s electors do not care about their parliament. Most do not bother to vote. Those who do take the excuse to cock a snook at their national governments and boost fringe parties. In so far as they have any view about the European Parliament, they see it as a talking-shop with no influence—a place that lavishes its unknown members with pay, pensions and expenses and wastes oodles of euros every month on a ludicrous commute from Brussels to Strasbourg.
Some (but not all) of this is either unfair or plain wrong. The European Parliament has real power—and will become still more powerful if the European Union’s Lisbon treaty is ratified (see article). In many ways MEPs have more say over legislation than do most of their national counterparts. "
Complete article at the Ecomomist.com
Jun 4th 2009
From The Economist print edition
The European Parliament has failed to win legitimacy with voters. Look to Denmark for a solution
The rich world’s biggest election, with 375m potential voters, ought to be both exciting and uplifting. Yet campaigning ahead of this weekend’s election (June 07, 2009) to the European Parliament has been neither. Almost everywhere it has focused exclusively on national issues, not European ones. In several countries a ragbag of extremists, nutcases and xenophobes look set to win seats. And the turnout, which has fallen in every European election since 1979, may yet sink to a new low.
The fact is that Europe’s electors do not care about their parliament. Most do not bother to vote. Those who do take the excuse to cock a snook at their national governments and boost fringe parties. In so far as they have any view about the European Parliament, they see it as a talking-shop with no influence—a place that lavishes its unknown members with pay, pensions and expenses and wastes oodles of euros every month on a ludicrous commute from Brussels to Strasbourg.
Some (but not all) of this is either unfair or plain wrong. The European Parliament has real power—and will become still more powerful if the European Union’s Lisbon treaty is ratified (see article). In many ways MEPs have more say over legislation than do most of their national counterparts. "
Complete article at the Ecomomist.com
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Spring Swing Fever Party!
(Athens) Swing Riot !!!
4/25/2009 10:00 PM at Blue Fox
Asklipiou 91, Athens
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Joanna's MSF Blog from Zimbabwe
“Coléra, coléra!!” shout little Zimbabwean kids running after our MSF minivan as it splashes through sewage soaked muddy roads in the high density Harare township of Dzivaresekwa (or Dziva or just Dizzy as some expats have started calling it). Revayi our driver laughs and puts the music up higher. He usually works his minivan as a combi (privately owned transport for locals). “What’s your name mean Revayi?” I ask him as I try to hold on in the back seat — all Zimbabwean names mean something. He says it means bad gossip, because his mother-in-law talked bad about his mother while she was pregnant so in revenge she named her son like that. Dominique turns around and we look at each other, both rather stunned with the explanation and not really knowing how to respond.
I change the subject and ask Dominique to tell me about his field of water sanitation and the project of trying to get safe and clean water to Harare’s most vulnerable residents. Dominique, French-Canadian, young and crazy obsessed with water. Any kind of water, dirty, clean, sewage — with dark thick hair and intense brows he gets easily carried away about his favorite subject ...
Read her articles at MSF
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
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