sexta-feira, 29 de julho de 2005

JJ72, where are u?



Lots of fans have been asking what is happening with JJ72 and what the plans are for this year. Lots of material has been recorded and there are still a few more tracks to finish up and record.

In the past few weeks in early April the band have been recording more new material with the debut albums producer, Ian Caple.

The band have recorded a new session in a studio in Dublin with producer Ken Thomas. They have worked on the following new tracks:

Coming Home,
Everything,
Rainfalls,
We'll Wait For You,
Maria,
Nothing In This World,
Radio,
Underground,
Take from me and
Keep Walking.

The band have also been working with the producer, Ken Thomas whose previous production jobs have included Sigur Rós and Dave Gahan and also John Leckie of Stone Roses, Starsailor, Muse and Radiohead fame.

There is no definite release dates set yet as the band want to be completely happy with everything recorded before releasing anything. But expect some great music coming out soon and a tour so you can see all the material played live.

JJ72 return at long last and perform a series of warm up dates ahead of their touring schedule and the release of their eagerly anticipated third album towards the end of the summer. This will be also their first tour with Sarah Fox, their new bassist, after former Hilary Woods left the band in 5th March of 2003 in pursue of other artistic talents.

The release date for their fist proper single for the album entitled “Coming Home” is set to be at the 29th of August. Another new song called “She’s Gone” has already been out for download only and limited 7-vynil.

Led
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Sedução VS Álcool



As autoridades britânicas pediram às empresas fabricantes de bebidas alcoólicas que passem a recorrer a homens menos atraentes nas campanhas publicitárias, nomeadamente a carecas e barrigudos, a fim de desencorajar as mulheres de beber para alcançar êxito social e sexual. O Advertising Standards Authority (organismo regulador da publicidade no Reino Unido) acredita que homens carecas e barrigudos são mais dissuasores do consumo de bebidas alcoólicas por parte das mulheres, com o novo código de publicidade a estabelecer que não devem ser feitas ligações entre álcool e sedução.

Tenha-se, porém, em consideração o realismo da coisa: depois de quatro ou cinco copos qualquer careca barrigudo se assemelha ao Martini Man.
Led
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quinta-feira, 28 de julho de 2005

Peace for Northern Ireland?



THE IRA is today expected to deliver its long-sought commitment to finally end its criminal and paramilitary activity and complete the decommissioning of arms.

Hopes rose following the temporary release last night of Shankill bomber Sean Kelly, who was returned to jail by Northern Secretary Peter Hain over a month ago. His release is seen as a significant development in ensuring the IRA goes ahead with its statement.

The IRA statement ending its campaign from four o'clock today was read aloud by former republican prisoner Seanna Walsh.
He said the Provisionals were ordering all volunteers to dump arms and comply with its decision to end its armed campaign.The statement was also unambiguous about total decommissioning: "The IRA leadership has also authorised a representative to engage with the IACD to complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use in a way which would fully enhance public confidence and to conclude this as quickly as possible. We have invited two independent witnesses from the Protestant and Catholic Churches to testify to this."

Mr Ahern said yesterday the peace process could undergo "enormous change" if the IRA commits itself to ending all criminal and paramilitary activity.
The statement is expected to confirm that the IRA will no longer operate as an illegal army and will end all links with paramilitarism and criminality.
There are also concerns that the winding down of the IRA will result in the medium term in the emergence of local crime gangs as Provisional activists drift away and turn to making a career in ordinary crime.
The IRA must also produce a formula on the verification of decommissioning that will meet the demands of the Unionist parties.
And it must sign up to a crucial phrase which it refused to accept last December which recognises that it cannot endanger anybody's rights or safety. This would mean an end to all kneecappings, beatings and the exiling of any citizen from the North.

Speaking at press conference this afternoon, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said today's development provided an opportunity for every nationalist and republican. Reacting to the IRA's declaration that they would put all arms beyond use, Mr. Adams said it was now time to seize the moment and make Irish freedom a reality: "I would urge all Irish nationalists, republicans and others, including those who have shown such commitment as volunteers in the IRA to put their undoubted talents and energies into building a new Ireland."

Irish Independent http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/

A time for peace?

Led
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Felines getting closer...


(Lion + Tigress)

Continuing the Big Cat’s subject…. Some fantastic and rare pictures I found elsewhere on the web and decided to share with you…

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(White Bengal Tigress + Lion)

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(Leopard + Lion)

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(Leopard + Tiger)

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(White Siberian Tiger + Black Leopardess /Panthera)

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(Juvenile Lion + Juvenile Tiger)

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(Tigress + Lion)

Led
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Tiger VS Lion debate



I love wild animals since I was a little boy, especially big cats; they have always captured my imagination. The Tiger is, without a doubt, my favourite animal in the world. However, I still love Lions, Jaguars, Cheetahs and Leopards. Whenever I sit down to watch "Wild Discovery" or "Wild America" I hope they'll show a fight between two formidable predators. Unfortunately such footage is only shown once in a blue moon.

The problem with the idea of a Tiger fighting a Lion is that in the natural environment it never happens. It is often stated that lion and tiger habitats overlap at the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary in India. The rare Asiatic lion is to be found here in very low numbers (only a few hundred remain), but this is not a tiger country. The lion holds it as an exclusive range. The further the Gir lions have ever been recorded as straying from their forest habitat is 40 kilometers; this was back in 1966 when a group of 21 went on the move. Despite travelling such a distance, they were still nowhere near tiger territory. Gir Forest is also hotter, drier and more arid than the northeast wet forest areas preferred by the tiger, though it does contain appropriate prey species. This all means that the opportunity for a lion and tiger to meet in the wild is practically non-existent. There has been some suggestion that the tiger forced the retreat of the lion into the Gir Forest area, however history does not support this. The tiger was in India by 4500 BC; records exist that prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt. There is no evidence dating back this far for the Asiatic lion. It is believed they may once have ranged across Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, and large areas of India, but were hunted nearly to extinction after they started to raid cattle. Later the remnant population was introduced into the Gir Forest. There are no tigers here and probably any within 160 kilometres.

So which would win a battle in equal average terms? Personally, I would call it a draw. Although it is clear that tigers do have their share of victories, it seems that more lion victories have been recorded. So why do I insist that it is still even? I will explain:

I have a lot of lion and tiger pics, and comparing it one can see that the forelegs of the tiger are more muscular than of the lion, the canines and claws are larger, and the paws too. But to get a precise comparison you should have 2 average wild sized male animals, each of the bigger respective subspecies, I mean, a Siberian Amur tiger and a South African lion. It is true that the Lion has an advantage in its mane but the tiger (Bengal and Siberian) have a slight size advantage - so you could say that these factors cancel each other out. The reason, I think the lion appears to be notching up more victories against the tiger is for the other important factors of ferocity, age, mood and fighting experience. As pointed out several times, the main job of a male lion is to defend his pride from other male lions - this gives him plenty of battle experience.

However, it should be noted that a male tiger also has the job of defending a territory (containing food as well as a number of females) from other male tigers. It is true that he has to hunt too, but nevertheless, fighting other males (also to the death, in some cases) is part of his "job-description". The reason why lions are doing it better these days could be due to the fact that there are so few tigers left in the wild (approximately 5000). This is mainly because of poaching. As a result of poaching, male tigers no longer fight so much because there is always a vacancy for a new male in an area to replace the previous one (killed by a hunter rather than a tiger).

Most big cat handlers and or/observers believe the LION to be the better FIGHTER of the 2 species, mostly because of the fact that the tom lion has to do battle much more often and is just predisposed to actually want to fight other males, whereas the tigers rarely actually do battle, and when they do it is not nearly with the intensity of the lion, as tigers are solitary animals/hunters, and to do battle up to the point of inflicting serious injury on each other would doom both victor and vanquished to death by starvation, because they could no longer hunt. Another advantage for the lion is that he is used to living/operating in extreme heat, whereas the tiger is not. In fact, the Amur tiger which is the worlds largest cat lives in frigid climates, and overheats much quicker than would the lion, the lion has better stamina which would serve it well in a battle between the 2 species. Thus the temperature of the environment for the fight would be a crucial factor.

The TIGER however, is considered more powerful, STRONGER and better HUNTER of the two, and is usually a bit HEAVIER than the lion. Physically, lions and tigers are almost equivalent. Their skulls are very similar, but in general the tiger’s is more massive and more arched. The tiger skull is therefore more superficially “catlike” because the facial part is shorter and more rounded. On average the nasal bones are longer and narrower in tigers. Zygomatic arches or cheek bones are extremely wide and thick in both species but more so in the tiger. The sagittal crest to which the neck muscles are attached, is higher and larger in lions. The bottom edge of the lower jawbone is convex in lions and more concave in tigers. Compared to the lion, the tiger is longer and usually heavier, but it does not stand as tall at the shoulder. If the lion in the fight was a male, he has a huge mane around his neck that would help protect him from the tiger’s bite and that is a good thing, because the tiger has much longer teeth, is a bigger cat and is more agile. The way cats kill is with their teeth and a bite to the back of the neck or the throat. It would be hard for the faster, larger tiger to get a death grip on a male lion. The tiger does not have the protective mane, but can out maneuver the lion.

The tiger has no rival as a pure predator, but hates the idea of a fight. As a lone predator, fighting for the tiger is an extremely bad idea and injury from a fight could spell starvation. Seated next to a male tiger, the male lion is composed. It is well known by animal handlers that females of the species do not really have any problem coexisting in the same cage/enclosure with each other,or even with members of the opposite gender/species,the problems come when males of the opposite species are kept together, because it is natural that they want to do battle,and it is natural that when they do battle,the winner runs the loser off,out of the territory, but if they are in the same cage/enclosure the loser cannot retreat and the victor keeps attacking,sooner or later resulting in the death of one cat or the other. The male tiger, on the other hand, is usually nervous and apprehensive when closed to a Lion. Tigers, historically, are extremely wary of the male lion and this has created problems for some zoos and circuses. Lions are extremely confident and proud animals and seem to have no fear of being closed to Tigers. The tiger does not seem to have the lion's capacity for calm analysis and appraisal. This puts him at a disadvantage in a fight with a lion. A male lion, especially if it has a well developed dark mane will manage to intimidate a tiger. If the initial intimidation gets the better of the tiger, it'll lose its confidence and start being reluctant. Then the lion will have the advantage. Any roars of the lion will be ignored by the tiger because they don't react to roars of a different species. But the tiger has a more powerful build than the lion, and if it has the chance to put its power to good use, the tiger will win without a doubt.

I think I can draw on some of the evidence on various web sites to back me up here - the case of the particularly ferocious Bengal tigers found in the Nepal Valley. Here were tigers that did have to fight each other for territory and they became extremely good at it, so much so that they almost always defeated lions in combat tournaments. The theory of tigers backing off because they are solitary hunters and don't want to risk injuries from fighting (as it would result in the inability to hunt and hence, starvation) does not hold true in this case. In places where there is a high-density tiger population, if a male tiger backs off, he will never win a territory of his own and hence, would also starve - so backing off is no longer the best option. A ruling male tiger would not tolerate a rival on his turf and would try to kill or drive him away (there are no places to hide either, a territorial male would soon know if there was any other tiger about, as he spends a lot of time patrolling and looking for signs). It is claimed these tigers attacked violently and relentlessly, most often winning in any fight against the lion. It was also discovered that this tendency towards extreme aggressiveness was confined entirely to the tigers of the one area. The great puzzle is why this should be so. Modern theories suggest the high level of aggression developed after vast numbers of tigers became cut off in a relatively small forest. A dense tiger population in a small area would greatly increase the frequency of territorial confrontation. Competition over the small amount of prey and the available females of breeding age would accelerate the process of natural selection. Today, as many as 250 tigers are still found in this forest, however there is no current record of a particularly high level of aggression.

I should also add that Male lions can and do hunt by themselves (or in groups) when they have not taken over another pride yet. So my conclusion is that if decent sized tiger populations were allowed to thrive in the wild - they too would produce individual males with a ferocity and battle experience equal and perhaps superior to that of the lion (thankfully still very numerous in the wild).
Led (Dame the Tiger)
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segunda-feira, 25 de julho de 2005

Presidenciais


“Se se confirmar uma candidatura de Mário Soares ela dará de imediato todo sentido a uma eventual candidatura de Cavaco Silva. A candidatura de Soares será o protótipo do intervencionismo presidencial, ao modelo do seu segundo mandato, dominado pela utilização do lugar presidencial para derrubar a todo o custo o governo. Este intervencionismo será agravado pelas posições extremistas de Mário Soares em matérias tão importantes como a política externa, onde Soares está mais próximo do BE do que do PS, ou na economia, onde Soares tem hoje teses anti-capitalistas próximas dos movimentos anti-globalizadores, ou em matéria europeia, em que é um europeísta radical. Com Soares, mesmo para o PS e sobretudo para o governo do PS, a sua candidatura é sinónimo de instabilidade. Cavaco Silva, pelo contrário, é mais sensível ao que é meritório na actual situação: possibilidade de estabilidade política, governo de legislatura, política com elementos de austeridade (ver-se-á se continua...), moderação na política externa. Soares será o candidato da instabilidade e Cavaco da estabilidade.” Pacheco Pereira

Esta teoria da conspiração levantada por nomes sonantes da ala social democrata como Pacheco Pereira e Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa é de chorar a rir...nota-se obviamente um profundo mal estar e uma surpresa completa nestes exaustivos locutores do centro-direita ao conhecerem a notícia da possível candidatura do pai da democracia portuguesa. Este raciocínio de cabala política é completamente manipulador, demagógico e falso. Não passa pela cabeça de ninguém que Cavaco Silva vá facilitar a vida ao governo assim como Mário Soares seja sinónimo de instabilidade para o actual executivo...as ligações aos respectivos partidos são fortíssimas e prevalecerão sobre qualquer suspeita. É óbvia a preocupação e o desespero destes senhores que já pensavam terem as presidenciais no “papo”. Percebe-se que queiram fazer passar a custo esta imagem para a opinião pública pois não lhes resta outra alternativa. A possível candidatura de Mário Soares poderá ser suficiente em si para afugentar a de Cavaco Silva, pois se arrisca a sair ridicularizado da vida política nacional. O PSD ficaria aí sem um qualquer nome sonante para rivalizar com Mário Soares, indiscutível e experiente ganhador. Mário Soares não tem nada a perder pois já passou por todos os cargos e arrisca-se a vencer novamente. Por outro lado, confesso que não fico satisfeito com o regresso de Mário Soares ao mapa político pois este simboliza o contrário ao rejuvenescimento de uma sociedade democrática. O mesmo acontece com Cavaco Silva, este porém mais por razões ideológicas e porque penso que não tem carisma e cultura para uma figura presidencial. O facto de ser um bom economista não tem relevo nem é uma boa critério para ser um bom candidato presidencial. Essa não é a função de um presidente da república. Gostaria de ver Pacheco Pereira e Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa a ganharem coragem e a deixarem a facilidade populista das críticas televisivas e “bloguistas” para passarem à vida política activa candidatando-se eles próprios. É fácil opinar sem comprometimento , mais difícil é estar lá a dar a cara a todos os portugueses todos os dias! Não me parece então (e porventura felizmente) que seja desta que teremos um presidente do centro-direita. Pena que Jorge Sampaio tenha mesmo que deixar o cargo pois considero que foi um excelente presidente da república na actual conjuntura política e económica portuguesa. Moderado, simpático, inteligente, culto e sensível, as características fundamentais para um bom presidente.
Led
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Surviving Doors banned from using name



Former DOORS drummer JOHN DENSMORE has won a ruling stopping his old bandmates using the band’s name.
The Doors of the 21st Century featuring original keyboard player Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger had been touring and playing the Doors’ songs, however an order by the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 22 declared they may no longer use the band’s name and must share all profits with the original Doors partnership, reports Reuters.
Manzarek and Krieger had recruited former Cult singer Ian Astbury in 2003 to replace late frontman Jim Morrison, but Densmore along with Morrison’s parents and widow objected and subsequently began legal action.
Under a 1971 agreement between the band, all three surviving members and Morrison’s estate must agree any use of the Doors name and logo.
Responding to the ruling in a statement, Densmore said: "I'm just so happy that the legacy of the true Doors, and Jim Morrison in particular, has been preserved by this decision".
The Doors of the 21st Century have yet to comment.
Led
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FCPorto 2005/2006


Os Dragões terminaram o seu estágio na Holanda. Depois de fazerem uma pequena viagem até Brugge, onde conquistaram o «Matines Brugeoises», o 1º troféu da temporada, regressaram ao Porto a tempo da serem apresentados aos sócios.

Plantel FCP 2005/2006:

Jogadores :

Guarda redes:

Vitor Baía
Helton ( ex-ULeiria)
Paulo Ribeiro (ex-Vitória de Setúbal)

Defesas:

Fatih Sonkaya (ex-Besiktas)
Jorge Costa
Ricardo Costa
Pedro Emanuel
Bruno Alves
Pepe
Nuno Valente
Leandro

Médios:

Bosingwa
Raul Meireles

Paulo Assunção
Ibson
Lucho González (ex-River Plate)

Jorginho (ex-Vitória de Setúbal)
Diego


Avançados :

Quaresma
Alan (ex-Marítimo)
Ivanildo
César Peixoto
Lisandro Lopez (ex-Racing Club de Avellaneda)
Postiga
McCarthy
Sokota (ex-Benfica)
Anderson (ex-Grémio de Porto Alegre)

Equipa Técnica:

Co Adriaanse - Treinador Principal
Jan RieKerink - Treinador-Assistente
Rui Barros - Treinador-Assistente
Wil Coort - Treinador de guarda-redes

Próximos jogos de pré-temporada:

29 Julho (Sex) : FCPORTO - Boca Juniors , Torneiro de Amesterdão
31 Julho (Dom) : FCPORTO - Arsenal , Torneiro Amesterdão
06 Agosto (Sáb) : Tottenham - FCPORTO , Londres
13 Agosto (Sáb) : FCPORTO - Espanhol de Barcelona, Jogo de Apresentação ,Estádio do Dragão
21 Ago (Dom) - 1ª jornada da SuperLiga

Força equipa!

Led
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domingo, 24 de julho de 2005

Não há pão mas há sempre circo



“Praça da Alegria”, “Portugal no Coração”, “SIC 10 horas”, “Às duas por três”, “Você na TV”, “Preço Certo”,...de manhã, à tarde e à noite! Temos os canais de televisão completamente saturados deste tipo de programas durante quase todo o dia...mas será que ninguém controla esta merda? Farto de ver o ridículo Goucha abichanado e a outra cabra loura desconhecida, ou do dissimulado Jorge Gabriel e da barbie Sónia Araújo... cheio de Fernando Mendes e da sua postura excessiva de “Zé gordo da aldeia” ...enjoado do angustiante pateta-ridículo José Figueiras e da vasta panóplia de matarroanos, dread-queens, bichas loucas e de modelos anorécticas de 15 anos...Insuportável!...alimentamo-nos de tudo o que é pimba, saloio, barato, imagem, superficialidade, facilidade, ócio...“Mundo VIP”, “Quinta das Celebridades”, “Caras Notícias”, “Êxtase”...horrível! Se fosse primeiro ministro por um dia extraditava ( para a ilha da Madeira, provavelmente) imediatamente tudo o que fizesse parte da comunidade degradantemente designada de vip...sinto que ultrapassei a fase de gozo para a fase de irritação completa.. Não me sinto melhor ou pior do que ninguém para fazer esta crítica tão óbvia e tão fácil a este mundo pueril mas trata-se apenas de pura revolta e cansaço absoluto... encarem esta post como um desabafo pessoal. Já não consigo mesmo suportar este culto ridículo em volta de pessoas inúteis que só servem para realçar as fortes clivagens da nossa sociedade. Precariedade...nulidade....autênticos parasitas que nos enchem a TV, a rádio e revistas todos os dias. Apresentadores e entrevistadores ousadamente ordinários, convencidos, vergonhosos...não há responsabilidade cívica...não existe pedagogia...tudo a servir-se e a estimular este circo burlesco de tábuas rasas.. De um lado a triste evidência da crise económica, do desemprego, dos despedimentos em massa e do horror dos incêndios ...do outro personalidades sem valor que afrontam e gozam com as nossas caras todos os dias, dando alento à premissa de que não é necessário esforço na vida para se atingir reconhecimento. Colectividades que vivem da imagem e da estéril paisagem cultural nacional. Vivem do mundo sórdido da moda...elites super-valorizadas, ignóbeis prostitutas e chulos que engordam à custa da humildade ignorante alheia...bando de parolos, vazios, inúteis, egocêntricos, improfícuos, diletantes...O que lhes interessa são cirurgias-plásticas, roupa, festas, estrangeirismos, estilistas, praia, benfica, emigrantes, um qualquer romance com um qualquer jogador de futebol, câmaras, silicone e dietas milagrosas. A alienação completa sob a forma de um nacionalismo tacanho e desvirtuoso. É este o nosso trágico e sádico país...

Led (detesto as tardes de domingo)

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Coletes Retrorreflectores



NOTA TÉCNICA
Sobre utilização dos coletes retrorreflectores nos termos do disposto no art. 88º do Código da Estrada

Considerando as dúvidas que têm vindo a público sobre a correcta forma de transporte e uso dos equipamentos em apreço, importa esclarecer o seguinte:

• Os coletes retrorreflectores, tornados obrigatórios nos termos do Código da Estrada, não têm que se encontrar alojados no interior do habitáculo do veículo, podendo encontrar-se na bagageira;

Não existe qualquer imposição legal que imponha, a quem está obrigado à utilização do colete, que aquando da saída do veículo tenha que ter o colete colocado;

Só existe infracção ao disposto nos n.os 4 e 7 do art. 88º do Código da Estrada quando quem se encontre a proceder à colocação do triângulo de pré-sinalização de perigo, quem esteja a proceder a reparações no veículo, ou quem esteja a remover carga caída na via, não tenha colocado o colete de pré-sinalização de perigo.

Lisboa, 11 de Julho de 2005
O Director-Geral de Viação
António Nunes

Led
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sexta-feira, 22 de julho de 2005

Aparição


Para ti...
Música intensa arrebata o teu coração sons pungentes de guitarra apoderam-se do teu ser como um relâmpago numa arena de areia fina de um verão nocturno folhas defuntas queimadas acompanham o vento nos confins dos teus sonhos explosão de cor arrepanha e alimenta o fraco de ti numa noite de céu limpo e astros diáfanos e a vida então ganha cor e apaga o crível assombro que se arrasta para trás como uma onda sobre a linha dourada de uma praia da alma num dia destes que paira na tua memória de criança faz-te épico e vê tudo em perspectiva a tempestade ficou lá atrás a pairar e a vida é mais evidente nos ecos quentes orgânicos vindos de um contrabaixo profuso do fundo das cavernas do teu adágio e diluis preconceitos e convencionalismos com os ritmos assoladores de uma bateria que torna certa a torrente de emoções de um piano solitário majestral sublime no abandono de ti no abandono de um quarto vazio no eterno da fantasia onde te agigantas e exclamas que o sol só é possível dentro de ti e concebes todos dentro e fora de ti na próxima viagem sonora orgásmica onde aspiras ser um semideus porque foi esse o milagre que te viu nascer para o dia para o deslumbramento e para o enlevo e te fez novamente humano por uns momentos de alheação...aí...aí no limiar melódico,... aprendes a estar vivo...


Led
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quarta-feira, 20 de julho de 2005

O País a arder...



Um horror...uma tragédia...uma calamidade....

Ao nível do governo, a responsabilidade passa pela motivação. Não é falta de meios, nem é falta de dinheiro. A GNR foi enviada para o Iraque completamente fora de tempo e completamente desenquadrada da realidade no terreno -- que exige forças bem mais musculadas -- e os meios lá apareceram. Também todos os anos se fala nos militares, no ócio dos quartéis, que pelo menos podiam exercer acções de vigilância, mas nem isso. Não têm formação específica, ao que parece.
Por outro lado, do interior cada vez mais desertificado, resultam menos votos o que não ajuda à motivação. Se não é pelas pessoas, se não é pelos animais, se não é pelas árvores e o ambiente, podia ser pelo economicismo reinante, mas não. Todos os anos é a mesma lenga-lenga.
Mas acho piada quando se coloca a responsabilidade toda no governo, sacudindo o peso da responsabilidade individual e colectiva do que se passa realmente na nossa terra. Na minha opinião, os incêndios têm as seguintes causas, não exclusivas e onde a ordem dos factores acaba por ser arbitrária:

A já mencionada falta de motivação governamental.

Falta de limpeza. É uma utopia querer as matas todas limpas, mas é uma exigência mínima ter os locais estratégicos (do estado e particulares) limpos, designadamente: bermas de estradas, caminhos, estradões corta-fogo e áreas à volta de habitações. Esta situação resulta também do envelhecimento e desaparecimento das povoações.

Negligência, é maior das causas provavelmente. Agricultores, veraneantes, caçadores, automobilistas, fumadores, construtores e todas as pessoas em geral. A verdade é que não há o cuidado necessário e suficiente, o que nos remete para a cansada discussão da educação e civismo do povo português.

A acção criminosa, que julgo ser maior e mais importante que os resultados de investigações e algumas correntes querem fazer crer. A justiça também não ajuda, como não ajuda a nada neste país. Para os incendiários, no mínimo, deveriam existir penas de 20 a 25 anos de prisão, com trabalho de limpeza de matas incluido.

Causas naturais. As alterações climáticas são o maior problema ambiental do século XXI que exige uma resolução à escala global. Cada país, cada cidadão, tem porém a sua responsabilidade. Se por um lado a necessidade de reduzir as emissões é um aspecto relevante, papel de sumidouro de carbono da floresta é importante num contexto onde a produção de bens e a sua enorme mais-valia como ecossistema são decisivos.

“A forma como se contabilizará no quadro do Protocolo de Quioto a floresta é um elemento fundamental de conhecimento para se decidir a política de florestação, reflorestação e também de avaliação da destruição da sua floresta por incêndios ou pelo corte.

No ano de 1990 a floresta contribuiu com 10% das emissões de gases de efeito de estufa, tendo porém invertido esta tendência recentemente para se passar a comportar como um sumidouro de carbono. O ano de 2003, porém, abalou esta tendência e perto da data decisiva do cumprimento do Protocolo de Quioto em 2008-2012, os fogos florestais poderão ser cruciais para agravar o incumprimento do nosso país.

Também ao nível da poluição do ar serão apresentados os efeitos ao nível de um dos poluentes que mais prejudicam a saúde pública – as partículas inaláveis, fazendo-se uma análise mais global do impacte das emissões para a atmosfera causadas pelos fogos florestais.

Num quadro de avaliação das consequências do aquecimento global cada vez mais rigoroso mas também mais apreensivo, saber tomar e implementar as decisões certas num quadro de uma visão global e sustentável é vital. Entre a florestação com espécies de crescimento rápido exóticas como o eucalipto às espécies autóctones ou mesmo ao crescimento sem plantação de espécies nas áreas ardidas, discutir os impactes das diferentes alternativas deverá ser uma opção consciente, estudada, e discutida, para que as próximas gerações não nos culpem por decisões erradas.” Excerto retirado de “ALTERAÇÕES CLIMÁTICAS E INCÊNDIOS EM PORTUGAL” – Conferência UNL-UTL - Dr.Francisco Cardoso Ferreira

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Album da semana - Jaga Jazzist - "What We Must"


Jaga Jazzist has become something of a musical phenomenon in Norway since they started 9 years ago. Not only is this 10 piece instrumental band regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative in Norway, the members are all involved in other musical projects and have in one way or another contributed to almost every significant recording to come out of that part of the world in the last few years. It has been this strong involvement with different projects, and different musical styles and sounds which is the key to the unique sound of Jaga Jazzist. With no boundaries and an arsenal that includes trumpets, trombone, electric guitar, bass, tuba, two bass clarinets, Fender Rhodes, vibraphone and a rack of electronics, Jaga Jazzist create timeless music. Melodic, hypnotizing, delicate and subtle.

Ever since their beginnings Jaga have been a band who have searched for something different - without any interest in the latest trends, with no concern for who is on the cover of which magazine, this ten piece collective from Norway have focused their efforts on evolving a unique sound which can collectively express their musical ideas. It's a quest that's been going on for a decade now. One which may be about the reach fruition.
Jaga Jazzist's first album ("Jævla Jazzist Grete Stitz") was released in 1994, when the group's youngest members were still only fourteen. It was, they have said, "an album about trying without fear of failing" and as such has served as a manifesto for much of what has followed since. It's in the nature of such a large collective, that development takes time, and although their second album, "Magazine" (1998), was critically-acclaimed on home turf, it wasn't until 2001's "A Livingroom Hush" that the ideas they had hinted at in previous work really began to blossom. Word of Jaga began to spread across Europe, tours followed, and tracks like "Animal Chin" and "Lithuania" soon became classic live moments. Seven years of playing together resulted in blistering performances, likened to witnessing a controlled explosion, the musicians constantly threatening to lose control of the music but only using this apparent chaos to take things ever higher. No fear of falling here.
In keeping with the band's sonic adventurism, "The Stix" saw Jaga embrace more fully the electronic elements which they dabbled with on "A Livingroom Hush", This was Jaga Jazzist`s take on electronic music, an album characterized by harsh, intricate rhythm, drummer Martin Horntveth often battling it out with drum boxes and pre-programmed beats. The results has everyone from Observer Music Monthly to the Mars Volta buzzing.
After heavily touring, the time came for the next chapter in the Jaga Jazzist history, "What We Must". After months spent on writing new material, the band ripped it all up, went into an isolated studio out in the Norwegian woods and recorded the demo now known as the Spydeberg Session. Put down in one take in one day, it was a breakthrough moment for the group. A sound that was closer to their live sound than ever before. The band began to whisper about their rock album. But note that "their". This was a kaleidoscopic take on rock stylings, rolling from early 90s British shoegazer guitar pop to 70s prog rock, all shot through with Jaga's own unique logic.
After testing the new material on the road, they returned to the studio and used the Spydeberg Session as the basis of the record which became "What We Must," perhaps the most radical development so far in their career. At heart of this collective is a restless soul, going in many directions at the same time, but always going forward. Fast. The band always pushing their boundaries, both personal and musical. That is why they are impossible to categorize. And that's why they're special. Jaga is something natural and beautiful. A necessity. For both them and us. They do what they must. It goes without saying that they do it without fear.
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terça-feira, 12 de julho de 2005

Album da semana - "Team Sleep"


Chino Moreno from the Deftones has taken his love for the Cure, My Bloody Valentine, ambient and his own bands’ brand of emotive power rock and created a heartbreaking piece of electro-rock built on the slow sway and the torn heart. They have a floating, ethereal, jazz-like hard rock. Honestly, this is one of the most interesting releases I have listened to in a long time. The beautifully crafted soundscapes compliment the slightly rough, yet airy vocals from Chino.

The disc opens with “Ataraxia”. The despondent sounding Moreno’s voice is led by an interesting sample track, which is accompanied by a short piano interlude. It brings itself right along creating a feeling of traveling. It is like zoning out and just watching a city pass you by as you drive through it at night. The clean guitar punctuates the space between the vocals, but everything just flows together.
First single ‘Ever (Foreign Flag)” lives, breathes, and sweats the ache of a lover on the way out (I am assuming because lyrically it travels beyond of comprehension), and maybe that’s the beauty of Team Sleep, it leaves very little to decipher from the words, so you must find meaning in the haunting groove or the electronic elegance. That being said a track “Princeton Review” blends a pop sensibility against the rough and ready Deftones-like “Blvd Nights”, both hard chargers that work each side of the spectrum. This is more of a rock song than the rest of this release. Even though it grinds along like many of the Deftones songs, it still has an overwhelming feeling of airiness that permeates the entire disc.

This record is too far removed from a majority of what the Deftones have done on White Pony and the self-titled release, mixing their vengeful rock against a wall of poetry and beautiful moments. The shining moments of a track like ‘Minerva” would work side by side with “Our Ride To The Rectory”, or the utter bone crushing, heart stopping “Anniversary Of An Uninteresting Event” nuzzling up against “Elizabeth”, a slow bender that renders the listener motionless; love hurts baby.
The eighth offering is “Tomb of Leigia”. It is a sorrowful song that feels like it is mourning for some loss. The guest vocalists are perfect for the track, making it feel distant and despondent. The tones used in the track have small amount of dissonance used like harmony, which only adds to the sad atmosphere that is laid down. This is by far one of my favorite songs.

Big plus for doing something as spacey as anything Catherine Wheel or Slowdive has ever done and then naming it “King Diamond”. The tone of the track is confrontational and it feels like Chino is starting an argument with some unknown female during the chorus, but like much of the rest of this release, the track is flowing and ambient.
“11/11” closes out this disc. It is very representative of the sound for this entire CD. You feel like you are drifting along down a lazy river or just relaxing in the middle of a huge field alone.
This first installment from Team Sleep, makes me feel that their name was definitely chosen purposefully. The entire CD is incredibly relaxing and just wanders along to completion. With the minor exceptions of “Blvd. Knights” and “King Diamond” this whole album has a loose trippy progression to it. The minor differences in the individual songs are enough to make it an interesting listen. If you are looking for another Deftones album with this, you are extraordinarily off base. This record rest nicely next to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and no one would blink an eye, and maybe settled in with The Cure’s Pornography. The mix of the danceable bits along with the suffocating heaviness would leave you beaten and bloody blue. This is an entrancing, beautifully written journey.
Brilliant!
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terça-feira, 5 de julho de 2005

Anti-Globalization


“Os movimentos anti-globalização foram mais uma vez manifestar-se no sítio onde se vai realizar o G8, “contra a pobreza” gerada pelo capitalismo. Este é um dos maiores enganos que se pode alimentar: grande parte da pobreza africana não existe à míngua de ajuda humanitária, mas devido à enorme corrupção dos regimes africanos, à engenharia social, cópia mimética do marxismo europeu, que levou à destruição do pouco que os regimes coloniais tinham deixado, às guerras civis tribais e, se se quiser, nos tempos mais recentes, ao proteccionismo, principalmente europeu, que impede muitos produtos agrícolas africanos de entrarem nos mercados ricos. É mais globalização que os países pobres de África precisam e acima de tudo, intransigência contra a corrupção dos seus dirigentes.
(...) a RTP1 passa uma pequena peça sobre Angola, em que a palavra corrupção não é pronunciada, e em que não se explica como é que se pode ter petróleo e diamantes, um dos melhores e mais bem equipados exércitos de África, uma elite riquíssima que manda os filhos estudar para a Suiça e…nada para a esmagadora maioria da população. Mas a culpa é do capitalismo e do G8. É isto informação.”

PP
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Yesterday


Yesterday I got so old
I felt like I could die
Yesterday I got so old
It made me want to cry
Go on go on
Just walk away
Your choice is made
Go on go on
And disappear
Go on go on
Away from here

And I know I was wrong
When I said it was true
That it couldn't be me and be her
Inbetween without you
Without you

Yesterday I got so scared
I shivered like a child
Yesterday away from you
It froze me deep inside
Come back come back
Don't walk away
Come back come back
Come back today
Come back come back
Why can't you see
Come back come back
Come back to me

And I know I was wrong
When I said it was true
That it couldn't be me and be her
Inbetween without you
Without you

The Cure – “Inbetween days”

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Augury



Oiço o augúrio do vento no oceano
Mas não sei de que me fala
Sei só que o contentamento
De olhar a luz me resvala
A um súbito pressentimento
Que me abala.

E a qualquer coisa, incerta que me dói
E é o que no vento passa,
Não é a dor do que há-de-ser ou do que foi,
Mas só a pura ameaça.

Assim no vento, o que ouço
Não é o aviso de nada.
É a vertigem de um poço,
De uma casa abandonada...


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