As a black person, it is easy to feel pressured to vote for Barack Obama solely because he is black. I've never voted before, but I suspect this pressure on how I should vote is more than the normal amount between two white candidates. My family expects me to vote for Obama, but when I get into that anonymous poll booth its MY vote, no one elses. My small little say on how I can change my country and community. Voting is not something that should be taken lightly.   

I am not voting for Barack Obama just because he is black. (I don't know who I am voting for). To vote for Barack Obama just because he is black is an insult to my intellect. Walking into a poll booth and voting for a candidate SOLELY because of his race means as a society we haven't progressed. We have not seen past the differences of our skin tones, or that there are issues more important than progression and gaining of power in our black community. 

Also, its an insult to Obama (an insult many people will use if he gets elected) to say "he only became president because he's black". No...I refuse to lower the standard of who our president is because of his race. If Barack wants to be president he should want to get it because he was the better candidate. Not because he was the blackest candidate. If he wants a hand-out just because he is black then he's never heard of the old saying "An average black person fails". To win this election he is going to have to work twice as hard, and to get my vote he is going to have to be the better candidate/choice. The person I BELIEVE will better my country.  

What if Barack gets elected and he screws up? What if he isn't as great of a president as (so many people think he will be)? Will the black race ever live down the fact that our first president was a bad choice for America? We don't want Barack Obama to be a sore on our Black History.

If Mc Cain screws up its sort of different. He isn't pioneering a way for his race. He isn't stepping out into uncharted territory for a white-man. If he messes up, there are other great white presidents to cushion his fall. If Barack messes up, what other black candidates are there to cushion his fall?

I'm not saying lets play it safe and vote for the white guy because we don't want the pressure of the black guy screwing up. I'm just saying, as a black person it is very easy to feel PRESSURED on how to vote in this election. We should give Barack Obama the respect of not voting for him JUST BECAUSE HE IS BLACK. As BLACK AMERICANS (both black and american  weighted equally) we should want a black candidate to win, not because of his race, but because we believe he is the better pick for a candidate.

Last night, My Morning Jacket visited DAR Constitution Hall, which is right down the street from the White House. And, as artists tend to do when they visit DC, Jim James waxed philosophic on our currently political climate for the crowd.

"Wow. 2008," he said. Wow indeed. Well said, Jim.

His statement pretty much reflects the atmosphere of the night: more rock, less talk. And they rocked the house (just not the White one). For over 2.5 hours, MMJ ran through several of their new tracks from Evil Urges, including "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream" parts 1 and 2, "Highly Suspicious," "I'm Amazed," 'Thank You Too," 'Sec Walkin," "Librarian," etc. Basically they played nearly the whole album, save "Aluminum Park" (my favorite on the disc).

Obviously that was the intent behind this tour (dubbed "An Evening with My Morning Jacket"), but as my lovely and astute concert partner pointed out, the crowd was largely lethargic during the new material. This obviously wasn't true for the whole show, but the energy died down immediately (particularly through "Sec Walkin." Ouch). I mean, the larger venues here don't really do well with new material. Santogold was practically playing to crickets when she opened for Coldplay (don't ask -- it was a free ticket), and the stuff off of Evil Urges ended with the same results. The only point to make here, though, is that "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2" was incredibly awesome. The coordinated light show created a face behind the stage, and it was nearly 10 minutes of psychedelic nirvana.

The last artist I saw at DAR was Neil Young. There were some obvious similarities (obtuse political commentary, late 70s classic rock guitar, lots of beards in the audience), but what I think I like most about MMJ is the band's ability to morph their sound from the Outlaws, to some sort of Seals & Crofts knockoff on 1972 AM radio stations, to the Allman Brothers, to Guns 'n Roses, and back to the Outlaws--all within 10 minutes. MMJ is just a really fucking good band.

Perhaps the most underrated member of MMJ is Patrick Hallahan, the drummer. For 2.5 hours, the dude was throwing down on the drums like he was trying to reach the floor below them. His 40 inches of hair flew everywhere, and I mean this in the most complimentary way possible: he is the embodiment of Animal from the Muppets. There may have been some additional bass drum pumped in through Bo Koster's electonic keyboard setup in the corner, because it sounded a lot like some double bass drum action (but with only one on the stage). Regardless, the guitar solos during "One Big Holiday" would be a lot less impressive live without the driving bass drum shaking the floor.

Z was probably represented the best, both in terms of the music and the fan response. The one-two combo of "Gideon" and "Lay Low" was better than the encore, and if I ever win the lottery, you bet I will try to get Jim and Carl Broemel to play those two songs in my living room, back-to-back, until I die.

OK, so as some of you may know, I do have a penchant for criticizing things on here (Bloc Party's new album among them; sorry about that, BP fans. How dare I voice my opinion on my blog?), so here are two main criticisms for this show (neither of which is MMJ's fault, to get that out of the way):

1. The acoustics are awful at Constitution Hall. Really, Really, REALLY awful. It was tough to discern harmonies amid the muddled sound, and the audio levels for the mics seemed to be off between Jim and Carl. The background vocals were significantly louder for some songs (particularly "Wordless Chorus"). I know, I know. This isn't a new phenomenon at Constitution Hall. But, seriously, get it fixed, folks. Otherwise we'll have to push for concerts outdoors somewhere. Actually, that's not a bad idea. I nominate Lincoln Park.

2. This is what I saw for about 10 minutes of the show:

Yes, that is a giant blue light. Yes it was behind Jim James, and yes, it burned my retinas for about 10 minutes. Time to aim that a little lower or higher than at the orchestra section.

All in all, a fantastic show. I spent most of the concert pretending I was at Bonnaroo, because that is probably the ideal place for MMJ to play. Even with no opening band, they are absolutely worth the price of admission. Actually, it's partly because they don't have an opening band. Having no opener left them more time for them to try their best Prince impressions on "Highly Suspicious" (which was both funny and highly awkward), trod through my second-least favorite MMJ track ever, Sec Walkin," and play a sweet four-song encore. Not a bad setup for $35.00.

LA MULŢI ANI, SIMONA !

Sănătate , clipe de bucurie şi multe, multe împliniri, mamică de Marco, tuşi de Zoran ! Fii binecuvântată sorela ! Ziveli !

Zorica Brunclik - Ja znam :

În dragoste, a iubi înseamnă de multe ori a înţelege. ( Nicolae Iorga )

Toate zilele-ţi vin înainte cu daruri pe care de cele mai multe ori nu ştii să le culegi. ( Nicolae Iorga )

Vesna Zmijanac-i kao uvjek kad zatreba :

Speranţa este doar dragoste de viaţă. ( Henri Frederic Amiel )

Nu zi niciodată "nu se poate", ci începe cu "să vedem". ( Nicolae Iorga )

Ceca - Ludo srce (Disko Folk '89) :

La Suflet :

O! Suflet, sparge-odată îngusta-ţi închisoare
Şi scutură-te-odată de lutul pământesc,
Ce-ţi pasă dacă-n valea de vecinică plânsoare
Mai sunt şi mai trăiesc?

Ce-ţi pasă dacă sufăr lovit de-o crudă soartă?…
Ce-ţi pasă de injurii la cari sunt supus?…
Ce-ţi pasă ca pe-o frunză răstriştea de mă poartă?
Tu eşti şi rămâi sus!

Alexandru Macedonski

Mile Kitić - Plava Ciganko :

Speranţa este ca o clepsidră, când crezi că ea s-a scurs, se întoarce în favoarea ta. ( Stefan Teodor )

Timpul schimbă florile câmpului, dar nu poate schimba strălucirea aurului din adâncuri. ( Nicolae Iorga )

Mile Kitic -Zasto bas :

Cea mai mare minune e să crezi că poţi face una. Restul e foarte uşor. ( Nicolae Iorga )

LA MULŢI ANI, SURIOARĂ !

Sibilla Poesis

citate preluate de pe www.citapedia.ro

muzika preluată de pe youtube

imagini preluate de pe google.ro

First off, most small children are terrified of me—a sad truth, although I'm sympathetic: I'd be pretty scared of anyone I thought was trying to steal my soul, too. I also get heckled a lot when I go out to run—as I was explaining to my mother, I'm about as exciting as an escaped circus animal: besides my skin color and sex, there's the strange get-up I'm wearing (Orange and white Asics? What are those—like moon boots?) and the absolute incomprehensibility of what I'm doing (I'm not running to anywhere or away from anything; indeed, at some point, I pull a u-turn and head right back the way I came). Another cultural crosswire occurs when I try explaining vegetarianism—as happened while I was visiting a far-flung village with our rural health evaluator, Dr. Francis, and our driver, Ananiya, last week. They spent all of lunch (I had rice and beans while they had rice, beans, and lots and lots of chicken) tearing into their drumsticks with gusto and every so often glancing at me slyly to apologize: "Oh, sorry! Mary's friend!" before collapsing into hysterical giggles.

Let's just say I don't blend in too well.

But the tricky bit about this all is figuring out who is interested in me because I'm so alien (wouldn't you want to have a photograph with a crazy, recently-landed Martian who goes running by in size 10.5 sneakers at 5:45 AM?) and who really is interested in being my friend. And while that sounds kind of sad as soon as I write it, I don't mean it to be. I think it's actually quite an interesting question.

For instance, is Cecily, the secretary at the health center, my friend? She plays with my hair one minute and asks me for lunch money the next—how do I respond to that? What about Happiness? She takes me to her home and brings her child to visit me on Sunday afternoon, but she also wants to show me off shamelessly to her friends. And what of Ananiya, the driver, who has declared that he intends to marry me, paying me extravagant compliments by day and sending me text messages sermonizing on my beauty by night?

I am not sure I will ever be able to sort it all out; I'm always going to be, essentially, a pretty interesting Martian to most of these people, an alien-ness that will take precedence over any subsidiary identity I establish—even that of "friend."

So how to come up with at least a functional definition of friendship? I think it all comes down to how these people make me feel. Every time Cecily asks me for money, I feel as though the walls have just grown a bit narrower and the ceiling a bit lower. On the other hand, despite Ananiya's school-boy overtures, we laugh a lot together—he teaches me all sorts of Kiswahili, not to mention other important life lessons [Mary (in Swahili): "The snake eats the monkey, the monkey eats the tomato, the tomato eats…" Ananiya: "No, no, no! Stop! Tomatoes do not eat!"], believes that, as an American, I must be infinitely familiar with his favorite musician "Schnuup" (a.k.a. Snoop) Dogg, and has taken to calling me "Zukini" because it sounds like a fascinating vegetable (Mary: "Well, the outside of a zucchini is kind of like a cucumber, but the inside is more like a potato…").

Actually, perhaps that's the best example: Ananiya and I share with each other—we swap Kiswahili lessons for descriptions of strange American squashes. And sharing, well, that seems like a pretty essential attribute of friendship, no matter what kind of UFO you were raised on.

(And I didn't plan it this way, but yes, they're in front of the bay window again.)

You might not be sure it's so nice from the outside—it looks something like a cross between a 14^th century Islamic fortress and a Soviet housing project—but it was the destination of choice for George W. Bush when he was here last year. (Although maybe we shouldn't let them know about the security issues, eh?) And while I'm not able to comment particularly on the quality of room service or the state of the mattresses, I can attest that, despite its view of the hotel's stunning exterior architecture, the swimming pool is completely and beautifully up to presidential standards.

There is this book, The Descent of Woman, published in the 1970s or so, by an extraordinarily militant feminist called Elaine Morgan. (Un-)Surprisingly Morgan was one of the first to write seriously about how humans (well, according to Morgan it was the women-folk, and the men just rushed around after them like lemmings) must have returned to the water at some point in their evolutionary history, a now-accepted explanation for some important human attributes (hairlessness, diving reflexes, saline tears… I tell you, it's fascinating).

Feminism and metabolism aside, I can offer profound subjective evidence for this return-to-the-water-theory: I am happier than a clam when you put me in a swimming pool. Particularly one surrounded by mountains of hibiscus plants, lounge chairs with straw umbrellas, a grassy pool-side, and dressing-rooms with showers… that have water pressure… not to mention the unforeseen luxury of hot water.

Insert sighs of bliss now.

I hear how horribly indulgent, extravagant, and insensitive of me this sounds as I write, but it was the most wonderful hour-and-a-half that I've yet spent in Dar. The German tourists (why are there always grouchy German tourists?) were aghast at my somersaults and near-ecstatic paddling about, but just luxuriating in the water… I might even call it a "God moment" (here that Sam?!).

And it's not that my afternoon at the Moevenpick makes where I live any nicer—I knew I was going to be taking a hot, packed daladala back home to my lovely dust-bin, with its stream of ants parading from one end to the other (none of my suppressed Buddhism prevents me from spraying the incredible kitchen cleaner and immediate bug-killer, "Mr. Muscle," on all ants who decide to make any detours on their march) and the men burning garbage in my so-called backyard. It also doesn't make the poverty around me one bit less extreme—indeed, I fear that my swimming pool adventure may incriminate me in supporting such inequalities. But something in me (sadly?) needs a little bit of luxury and paddling every now and then to keep ticking along—something in me needed to bask a bit in the sun this weekend, and not to fight the good fight against bug invaders, or feel guilty about the color of my skin or the privileges of my background—just return to the water.

So while I probably should feel guilty, and maybe you all will be appalled at my cavalier-ness, I thoroughly enjoyed that pool. Please forgive me!

El Blog Day es el día de los blogueros, ha sido creado para que los blogueros conozcan otros blogueros, de otros países y de otros centros de interés. El 31 de agosto es el día en el que los blogueros dan a conocer otros autores. Así de sencillo.!

Pero se preguntaran qué mecanica es llevada a cabo para conocer otros blogs, aquí se describe:

Toda la jornada del 31 de agosto, los blogueros en el mundo entero postearán un artículo recomendando 5 nuevos blogs, preferentemente blogs diferentes a su propia cultura, punto de vista y posición. Así, ese día, el 31 de agosto, los lectores descubrirán otros autores alejados de su entorno habitual. Es un día para descubrir nuevos blogueros y nuevas experiencias.

Por lo que nuestra lista sería...

• Hábitos Vitales
• TecnoCulto
• Puto Desmadre
• EcoInventos
• PortafolioBlog

Espero que les sean interesantes estos blogs. Saludos!!!

O que leva uma pessoa a tirar uma foto assim?

Mais é um OOOOTÁÁÁÁÁRIOOOO MESMOO!!!

Amigo Urso!!!! Meu nome é Daniela, tenho 19 anos, perdi a virgindade com 18, com um amigo por quem fui apaixonada. Saí com uns amigos e acabei ficando com um cara, amigo de uma amiga, que eu conhecia pouco e só conversava pela internet. O negócio esquentou e acabei transando com ele. Conversamos bastante e até comentei sobre meu histórico sexual, mas mesmo assim continuei me sentindo sendo vista como uma vaca. Percebi q ele tem um jeito meio machista, cheio de paradigmas, e fiquei super encanada depois. Não me considero uma pessoa tradicionalista, nem preconceituosa, mas estranhamente fiquei me julgando por ter transado de cara com alguém que nem conhecia direito. Ressaca moral.
Você urso, citado algumas vezes como machista, poderia dar o seu parecer sobre meu caso?! Beijos polares.

Olá Daniela, achei sua pergunta muito interessante, eu realmente gostaria de poder responder a todas que recebo, infelizmente ainda não tenho o blog como minha principal fonte de receita, portanto, meu tempo é escasso. Contudo, a sua pergunta me chamou a atenção por dois motivos, a forma com que ela foi feita e a habitualidade com que seu caso acontece.

Já me assumi tendo uma criação machista neste blog, não poderia ser diferente e quando recebo uma pergunta com essa formulação percebo que não estou sozinho, até as principais prejudicadas, no caso, as mulheres, também são, de certa forma, machistas.

Considero-me um “neo-machista”, não aquele padrão antigo cuja principal defesa para qualquer tipo de comportamento inconveniente beirava a cretinice na justificativa: “eu sou o homem, portanto, eu posso fazer tal coisa”.

O tempo dos “machistas à moda antiga” acabou, aquele ser que proibia a mulher de trabalhar, estudar, sair com as amigas e, por vezes, a obrigava a aceitar seus casos extra-conjugais, foi enterrado, sem deixar saudades nas moçoilas.

Porém, nem tudo são rosas, como toda ação gera uma reação inversamente proporcional, o machismo estúpido deu origem a outro movimento tão nefasto como o primeiro, o feminismo absolutista.

Parafraseando nosso “grande” líder molusco, nunca na história desse país se falou e fez tanta merda nessa guerra dos sexos.

Assim como para haver a vacina, tem que haver a doença, o feminismo foi fundamental para o início do processo de igualdade entre as pessoas, independentemente dos órgãos internos que elas ostentam. Surgiram milhões de teorias sobre as diferenças entre homens e mulheres, algumas contestando habilidades psíquicas, composição genética e outras até analisando a quantidade de neurônios que cada um tem, como se isso fizesse diferença... Não importa a quantidade de neurônios, mas sim o que se faz com eles! Sei que isso parece discurso de homem dotado de “instrumento” pequeno, mas é isso que penso.

O problema é que, o feminismo, em minha visão, buscou a igualdade de forma um pouco equivocada, a mulher quis ter os mesmos “direitos” que os homens. Isso é estúpido! Como você pode contestar uma conduta pregando a igualdade a ela? Ridículo! Caras feministas que aproveitam mal a massa encefálica, é dado o momento de vocês me apedrejarem! Já dá até para ouvir os gritos de vocês...

Não defendo a igualdade de “abusos”, o homem deve ter, acima de tudo, caráter. O respeito à companheira já serviria para que essas divergências tivessem fim. Não é necessário que as mulheres se tornem tão cretinas quanto os homens para cobrar um comportamento digno de seus companheiros.

Muitas vezes escutei “Se ele pode, eu também posso!”, isso é abominável! Ao invés de coibir o “ele pode”, a meliante usa a ausência de respeito do indivíduo para justificar uma falha cometida por ela. Como cobrar respeito agindo de forma desrespeitosa?

Apenas para me ater a questão principal, perceba que você, cara Daniela, a começou me dando justificativas: “tenho 19 anos, perdi a virgindade com 18, com um amigo por quem fui apaixonada”. Repare, você já me disse, de antemão, coisas para conquistar a minha “aprovação”, como se você precisasse dela...

Daniela, você não precisa, nem da minha, nem da aprovação de homem nenhum. Você precisa é da aprovação da sua consciência, ela é que deverá ser seu guia. Para deixar mais claro, se você acha um absurdo um homem sair comendo tudo que passa pela frente, não deveria se incomodar em ser tachada de “fácil”. Afinal, é o mesmo raciocínio. A mulher que rotula um homem de galinha por causa das suas experiências sexuais, age, exatamente, da mesma forma que um homem que repudia a liberdade sexual da mulher.

Eu não gostaria de casar com uma mulher que dormiu com todos meus amigos, ficaria constrangido. Poderia fazê-lo? Sim, poderia, mas teria que a amar muito. Porém, fujo de qualquer extremismo, também não gostaria de casar com uma virgem. Acho saudável que a mulher, assim como o homem, tenha algumas experiências, desde que não denigram seu caráter.

Acho que já escrevi aqui, mas se não, fica a mensagem, se sobrassem apenas duas mulheres no mundo, uma prostituta e a outra que dormiu com todos os homens que conheço apenas para exigir o seu direito de igualdade, cortejaria, sem pensar duas vezes, a primeira. No meu modo de ver as coisas, não conta o número de experiências, mas sim as motivações que as levaram a existir.

Sinceramente, não acho normal rotular as pessoas... A vida é curta, mas é cheia de momentos, dependendo do qual você esteja vivendo, certa atitude é aceitável ou não, e nem por isso você viverá eternamente dessa forma. Devo adverti-la de que o mundo não é repleto de pessoas que pensam dessa maneira, portanto, para um convívio em sociedade, por mais que detesto isso, devemos nos adequar a um padrão. É hipocrisia pura, eu sei, mas é assim que a banda toca...

Numa boa, primeiro você deve analisar o que queria com aquela relação. Você só queria uma transa ou queria estabelecer um relacionamento duradouro? Se a resposta foi “só uma transa”, não encane... Você conseguiu! Por que se preocupar com o que o cara pensa? Ligue o botão “Foda-se” e fique feliz...

Se a reposta foi “relacionamento duradouro”, releia o penúltimo parágrafo com mais atenção que o habitual. Recomendo, mesmo que discordando da essência da recomendação, que você se preocupe com o que o rapaz pode pensar, mas faça isso antes de acontecer algo mais, para não ficar encanada depois. Outra alternativa é escolher melhor o tipo de homem que você deseja se relacionar, por mais que pareça, homem não é tudo igual. Se você quiser algo com um cara moderno, isso não será problema, mas se o seu tipo ideal for um cara convencional, faça o jogo dele. Caldo de galinha e inteligência emocional não faz mal à ninguém!

Beijoka do Urso

Até o Dr. Love quis responder essa também, veja a resposta dele clicando aqui!

Faça parte da comunidade do blog no orkut, clique aqui!

Dúvidas básicas? Leia o F.A.Q. do Urso antes de perguntar!!! Clique aqui!

Leia também:

My adventure this afternoon came in the form of one of the young women (Happiness), who said to me: "Come, Maria" (they all call me Maria), "Tunakwenda sukoni" (We are going to the market).

This is not an easy venture: one has to walk a half-mile up the road, hop through puddles, almost get run over by at least three large vehicles, evade pickpockets, and bargain aggressively with banana vendors ("You like bananas, Maria?  I show you.").  In the first five minutes of our trip, Happiness and I had established that I wash my hair in the shower (although I use the noun "shower" loosely) at the guesthouse, that I not only wash it in a shower and not in a salon, but that I wash it in the shower every day (gasp! giggles!), that I have a twin sister, that I have no children, and that my mother lives in the States.  Apparently this comprises all the critical information one should know about me.

In return, Happiness clutched my arm gleefully as we walked, held my hand tightly as we crossed the street, and showed me off to her best friend (look!  My pet mzungu!), who manages a hair salon quite adeptly—her friend does women's hair while a young man crawls around after her on the floor, trying to give her a pedicure simultaneously.

Somewhere in the middle of this all, however, as we were wandering the streets around the market, cutting through yards and negotiating the little bridges over the trash-filled drainage ditches, we came across a sad-looking house, with six or seven children playing on the front porch. Happiness stopped, gestured toward the crumbling veranda, and announced, "My home."

I was totally unprepared for this in so many ways.  While I had been unprepared for the sudden offer of friendship on Happiness' part, unprepared for her to buy me some green peas at the market ("Ah, you cook?"), unprepared for the fact that she would be the same age as I, unmarried, and the mother of a young child, I could handle all that as simple serendipity.  I was egregiously unprepared, however, to walk up to her home—this was not serendipity, this was not so benign, this was one level of reality too close.

What does one say in such a situation? "Oh, how lovely"?  Clearly not.  "Nice"?  I don't know about that either.  "Thank you for bringing me"?  Maybe that would have been appropriate, but I found myself mute.  Somehow it all feels so inadequate and patronizing.

I've not yet worked this all out.  It's a lot: a lot for her to share and a lot for me to accept.  I'll try to get back to you on it when (if) I have some answers.

So if you go to Baylor and you know where I can find 304 B PLEASE leave me a comment. If I find the class later today I WILL POST AN INFORMATIVE POST, possibly video telling where the secret classroom is

UPDATE--JUST FOR YOU LOST PEOPLE: I found 304B Old Main at Baylor University. If you are looking for this classroom. I know where it is. The classroom is on the small stair case (with 3 steps) next to Michael long's office. The room looks as if you are walking into an office, but you are not. Go through the office ROOM 304 ( a first room), and then you will see another door. In that door (the room inside of the room) there is a room with a table and chalkboard. That is where 304B Old Main is located.

http://varnpliktsnytt.se/reportage.php?id=4251

The World Health Organization (WHO) disability and rehabilitation newsletter is produced three times a year and distributed via e-mail. Subscription/unsubscription requests should be sent to WHO’s Disability and Rehabilitation Team (DAR) at the following e-mail address: pedersenr@who.int

IN THIS ISSUE

Features
* WHO Task Force on Disability
* WRDR Regional Consultations
* RI World Congress
* Wheelchair Guidelines
* CBR Congress
* New faces at DAR

Editorial
This month sees the halfway stage of development of the World Report, a moment to celebrate and take stock of how far we have come and how much more there is to do before we launch the document in eighteen months time. Another milestone has been the first meeting of the WHO Task Force on Disability, part of the Organizations' response to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These are exciting times for WHO's work in disability and rehabilitation, and we have an expanded and enthusiastic team of staff working to deliver change. We are particularly grateful to all our collaborators and funders who have worked with us to help us achieve our ambitions to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Alana Officer,
Coordinator
Disability and Rehabilitation

Task Force on Disability
WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, has set up a Task Force on Disability, chaired by Assistant Director-General Dr Ala Alwan, with representation from each regional office and from each cluster within HQ. This exciting initiative comes in the wake of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and will work to raise the profile of disability at WHO. Key tasks will include: conducting audits of WHO premises and making access improvements; reviewing websites and printed information to improve their accessibility; promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities; and providing disability equality training for staff.

The Task Force will also work with the Technical Programmes of WHO to assist them to make their programs inclusive of and accessible to people with disabilities. For example, what about the needs of people with disabilities in disaster and emergencies? What about the needs of women with disabilities during pregnancy and childbirth?

Task Force focus: Information
So, what is WHO doing to ensure better access to all the information it produces? Ian Coltart of WHO Press, responsible for publishing guidelines and standards across WHO, writes…

"With a global audience and a mission to disseminate WHO's information as widely as possible, WHO needs to ensure that it's published information is accessible in appropriate formats for different audiences, including partially sighted and blind people, as well as people with learning difficulties.

WHO Press has developed and published a large print version of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The book is produced in A4 size with a clear page layout designed for partially sighted people. The book is available from the WHO online bookshop, at: http://bookorders.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=15&codcch=4088. WHO Press also plans to develop a Braille version of ICF for the blind.

WHO Press is working with WHO’s Disability and Rehabilitation Team (DAR) to develop publishing guidelines for WHO staff on producing specific formats such as large print and Braille, but also to improve the general design and layout of WHO's mainstream printed products to accommodate partially sighted audiences.

World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation Regional Consultations
In May and June 2008, regional consultations on the preliminary draft of the World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation were held in San José, Costa Rica for the Americas Region; Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania for the African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions; Rome, Italy for the European Region; and Manila, the Philippines for the South-east Asian and Western Pacific Regions. Each consultation brought together a diverse group of experts with complementary knowledge and experience, including people with disabilities. Participants included editors of the Report, chapter authors, academics, service providers, policymakers, government officials, NGO representatives, and disability advocates.

Claudia Sánchez, a Columbian architect and participant in the consultation in San José, felt that the process was vital because "it brings into the report experiences from around the world that come from the real people", i.e. those who have direct knowledge of the issues. While it was most helpful to gather constructive criticisms of the preliminary draft, it was also encouraging to witness how many participants were excited by the potential of the Report to advance work in disability and rehabilitation. As Kudakwashe Dube, CEO of the Secretariat of the Africa Decade of Persons with Disabilities remarked at the Dar-Es-Salaam event, "the report challenges countries to take serious steps to mainstream disability and capacitate all actors in order to achieve an improvement in the quality of life of persons with disabilities".

The participants' feedback, cultural perspectives on the draft and the sources of regional information they identified, will help ensure that the final document is relevant in diverse global contexts. They also proposed recommendations for action and generated ideas for regional dissemination of the Report and related events. The comments and suggestions from the four consultations will be collated and reviewed by the Editorial Committee. Lead authors will then use the input to help guide development of the next draft.

Wheelchair Guidelines
The wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive devices for enhancing personal mobility. For many people, an appropriate, well-designed and well-fitted wheelchair can be the first step towards inclusion and participation in society.

The United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and World Health Assembly Resolution WHA58.23 all point to the importance of wheelchairs and other assistive devices for the developing world, where few of those who need wheelchairs have them, insufficient production facilities exist, and all too often wheelchairs are donated without the necessary related services.

When the need is not met, people with disabilities are isolated and do not have access to the same opportunities as others within their own communities. Providing wheelchairs with related services not only enhances mobility but begins a process of opening up a world of education, work and social life. The development of national policies and increased training opportunities in the design, production and supply of wheelchairs are essential next steps.

In the light of the realities of the developing world and the immediate need to develop functioning systems of wheelchair provision in less-resourced parts of the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) and Disabled Peoples' International (DPI), in partnership with the Centre for International Rehabilitation, the Motivation Charitable Trust and Whirlwind Wheelchair International, have developed the Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less-resourced settings. These will assist WHO Member States to develop a local wheelchair provision system and thereby implement Articles 4, 20 and 26 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Update from the WHO Ghana Country Office
As part of measures to strengthen the capacity of the Rehabilitation Services in Ghana, a joint WHO and International Society of Prosthesis and Orthotics (ISPO) mission was carried out. Details of the mission were provided in the fourth Newsletter (http://www.who.int/disabilities/publications/newsletter/en/index.html). In response to the mission's recommendations, the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Health and the WHO Ghana Country office selected two candidates for certificate level training in prosthetics and two candidates for certificate level training in orthotics. The training will be carried out in the WHO collaborating Centre: Tanzania Training Centre for Orthopaedic Technologies (TATCOT), Moshi, Tanzania. The certificate courses, each of one year duration, comprise theoretical, laboratory and clinical practice to prescribe and deliver the appropriate lower limb prosthesis or orthotic in consultation with the intended user. This is an important step towards developing prosthetics and orthotics service provision in Ghana. The training has been made possible through support from ISPO and full scholarships from the Leahy War Victim Fund of USAID .

RI World Congress
Rehabilitation International (RI), a partner of WHO, is a global organization bringing together expertise from all sectors in the disability field advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities. RI is organizing its 21st World Congress in Quebec City from 25 -28 August 2008, attended by more than 1000 participants, including people with disabilities and their organizations, human rights activists, experts, rehabilitation professionals, government representatives, service providers and leaders of civil society. The vision statement of the Congress is “Disability Rights and Social Participation: Ensuring a Society for all” and the key areas of discussion are: Human Rights, Independent Living and Social Participation and Implementation of the UN Convention.

WHO will be launching the new Wheelchair Guidelines during the plenary session of the first day of the Congress. Additionally, WHO is hosting three sessions during the event and will be supporting the ICF conference, a dedicated two-day track, within the RI conference:

1. CBR Guidelines -- 25 August (Block 63 - 2:10 pm) with Barbara Murray (ILO), Karen H. Motsch (CBM), Venus Ilagan (RI), Tomas Lagerwall (RI), Alana Officer (WHO) and Chapal Khasnabis (WHO).

2. World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation -- 25 August (Bloc 62 - 4:20 pm) with Anne Hawker (RI); Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo (World Bank); Sebenzile Matsebula (RI); Kicki Nordstrom (WBU) and Alana Officer (WHO).

3. 3. Wheelchair Guidelines -- 27 August
(Bloc 72 – 10:30 am) with David Constantine (Motivation); Dan Blocka (ISPO); Rob Horvath (USAID); Anna Lindstrom (Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology - SIAT); Venus Ilagan (RI) and Chapal Khasnabis (WHO).

4. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) -- August 26 and 27.
The 14th annual North American Collaborating Center (NACC) Conference on the ICF will be hosted by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Statistics Canada and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in collaboration with Rehabilitation International. The theme is Evaluating Social Participation: Applications of the ICF and ICF-CY.

Conference website: www.riquebec2008.org/

1st CBR Asia-Pacific Congress
This event, taking place on 9-11 December 2008 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, Thailand, will be the first meeting of CBR practitioners from countries in Asia and the Pacific. The Asia-Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, promoted by ESCAP, has given an impetus for Governments and NGOs to create an inclusive, barrier free and rights-based society. A regional policy guideline, the Biwako Millennium Framework (BMF) for Action and its supplement, the BMF +5, promoted a paradigm shift from charity to a rights-based approach to disability. Meanwhile, the CRPD heralds a new era of state recognition of the human rights of people with disabilities.

The Congress will bring together key stakeholders to share resources and to be updated on CBR as an effective multi-sectoral strategy for rehabilitation, equalization of opportunity, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities. It will promote research and evidence based practice related to CBR, and facilitate the development of an alliance and resource base for the Asia-Pacific region – comprising UN, Governments, NGOs, DPOs and others.

Satellite workshops pre- and post-conference will be held on CBR and mental health; CBR, human rights and the CPRD; CBR and Leprosy for up to 45 participants each.

The Congress is jointly organized by WHO, UNESCAP and the Government of Thailand and supported by ILO, UNESCO, JICA, CBM, HI, AIFO, NAD, ILEP and others.

Conference Website: www.cbr-asiapacific.org/
E-mail: secretariat@cbr-asiapacific.org

New faces at DAR

Three short term staff have brought their wit and wisdom to bear on WHO's projects on disability and rehabilitation. Bliss Temple is a trainee physician from North Carolina, USA, and she has been supporting the development of the World Report. Tom Shakespeare is a disability studies academic from Newcastle, UK, and has been working for the Task Force on Disability. Veronica Umeasiegbu is a physical therapist from Nigeria, currently studying Rehabilitation Counselling at the University of Pittsburgh, USA and has been working on CBR. As well as their solid academic and professional credentials, as people with disabilities they bring personal experience of the issues.



If you wish to receive future issues of the WHO Rehabilitation Newsletter directly via email, then please inquire with pedersenr@who.int. You may also download past issues of the newsletter in PDF format at http://www.who.int/disabilities/publications/newsletter/en/index.html

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Espero que os guste, pues no tiene desperdicio...

Ver Presentación (pulsar F5 en MS-Office para mas comodidad).

My dad called today to inform me that he may or may not be coming to visit me tomorrow. If he visits, as he explained, it depends on prior circumstances and how potentially lucky he may or may not be in achieving his ultimate goal in visiting me. While, he continued, the probability for a potential visit on any random day is about the same, the motivating factors push the probability for a potential visit on tomorrow slightly above the norm. 

I understood what he meant completely. The sad thing is I answer questions in the same manner as my dad and pinnochio, and wondered where I obtained this strange trait for some how answering a question but not REALLY answering it. Then my dad called, told me about his potential visit, and I finally discovered why I so indirectly answer questions. Most questions obtain some element of relativeness to them.

Example:

Question: Are you going to go to dinner with me tomorrow?

Answer: The correct answer is not a definitive "yes" or "no". The right answer is "possibly" because I don't know what could happen between today and tomorrow that could make me unable to attend a dinner party. For example, I could potentially be kidnapped, and not be able to make it. While I have the best intentions of showing up, I may or may not make it. 

The problem really isn't in the answer it is more in the questions. The question should be "Right now, are you planning on going to dinner with me tomorrow?"

Answer: "yes" or "no" or "maybe". 

Question: Does this dress look good on me?

Answer: Once again the answer is "possibly". The way you look is all relative to the person looking at you. Everyone has different tastes, and while I may potentially not like the way the dress looks that doesn't mean that it does not look good on you. Me not liking the dress could mean I have bad fashion taste, or I do not like that particular style in clothing. Whether or not I LIKE the dress on you is not indicative of whether or not the dress looks good on you.

The best answer is "How do you think you look in the dress?" Of course, it doesn't really answer the question but whether or not you look good or bad is a relative question, anyways. And how can you accurately answer that question without using the word "possibly". Plus, I'd rather you thought you looked good in the dress than basing your answer on a relative question anyways.

BETTER Question: But, Dar, how do YOU think I look in the dress?

Answer:"Ehh" or "Could look better" "okay" "hideous" "gorgeous" (etc.)

Question: Is your friend Dating (FILL IN THE BLANK)?

Answer: This answer got me in a bit of trouble with my friend, but it teaches people not to ASSUME because when I answered I didn't assume. The correct answer is not a "yes" or "no" its a "possibly" or an "I don't know." Saying "yes" or "no" assumes that she couldn't be having a secret relationship with (FILL IN THE BLANK). Logically, she could be having a relationship. Just because I don't KNOW that something is happening does not mean that it isn't.(I don't know alot of things are happening) She could be denying a relationship, but that does not mean that she could not potentially be lying. To her credit, I could have explained my logic after answering so indecisively. 

Better Question: Are you aware if you're friend is dating (FILL IN THE BLANK)

Answer: "Yes" or "No"

Eu acordando é uma coisa engraçada, cara. É cabelo bagunçado, cega feito um morcego, andando apalpando as paredes chamando pela mãe. HAHAHAAH. (Eu jurei que ouvi porta abrindo!)

O Dar falou que eu sou um morcego albino, logo, eu achei foto.

Eu tava procurando um morcego albino de verdade, mas achei que esse combinava mais com a minha personalidade.

Eu tava pensando ontem sobre coisas que eu não faria, tipo, nunca.

(Eu falo nunca no sentido de "nunca - com a minha mentalidade de hoje". Por que como disse antes, eu mudo de idéia absurdamente fácil.)

Então, eu fiz uma listinha. (Eu adoro fazer listinhas. Eu passo minhas tardes de tédio fazendo listinhas, lendo fofocas na internet, botando tags nas fotos dos outros no orkut, e ouvindo música.)

1. Dor de Parto. - Cara, a minha avó, digníssima D. Nilda, olhou pra mim e falou: "não queria ter filhos." E olha que papai era filho único. Agora eu sei por quê. Sem contar que vendo pelo exemplo de minha mãe, filho só trás desgraça! E se todas as pragas da mãe pegarem, eu tô ferrada! (Vou ter uma filha pior do que eu, e olha que eu sou terrível. HAHAHA) E vocês não querem um exemplo fotográfico de um parto pra provar, né?

2. Piercing na Língua. - Se bem que isso não é tanto pela dor, mas sim pelo ter que ficar uma semana sem comer. Eu adoro comer! Eu quase morri por causa de dois dias quando tirei o ciso, imagina uma semana. Se bem que emagrece, né? Temos que considerar isso. Não ligo, cara. Sem contar que já com o meu da boca eu vivia mordendo e quebrando os dentes, imagina na língua!

3. Bungee Jump. - Aí temos que levar em consideração uma porrada de variantes.Tipo:
3.a - E se a corda arrebenta?
3.b - E se a pressão fizer com que todos os meus órgãos se espremam no meu corpo e sei lá, morra?
3.c - E SE A CORDA ARREBENTAR, CARA?!

"Temporary Blinded

One case I heard about was a jumper turned temporarily blind after doing a jump. The explanation was that the blood vessels in the retina had burst under the pressure and caused blindness. I believe the jumpers sight returned to normal after a few days though.

(...)

Joint problems

(...)

Five months after this he began to feel a little annoyance and he started to limp. A fracture in the osseous affected the femur because of bad blood circulation in this area.

(http://www.bungeezone.com/disasters/medical.shtml)"

4. Me Suicidar A Mim Mesma. - (Já conversamos sobre isso!) Porque convenhamos, né? Nada deve doer mais do que morrer.

Mas até que são medos racionais, sabe? Eu tenho medo de altura, mas não da altura em si, mas no que vai acontecer se eu cair!

Eu sou cagona, cara. E todo mundo que me conhece sabe disso. HAHAH.

m: BB Brunes - Perdus Cette Nuit.

Tudo bem, papai -mamãe também agrada, mas que um showzinho no começo e uma performance caliente fazem toda a diferença, ah, isso ninguém pode negar! Na hora H, na minha opinião, o mais gostoso é uma música calminha pra começar, pra vocês poderem acompanhar os movimentos do comecinho e terminar com um som com uma pegada gótica, na hora do punk rock.

Então, como nem todo mundo tem imaginação, segue uma lista de músicas que, com um vinho ou um champanhe, é capaz de fazer a mais pudica das moças virar uma pantera. Segue meu playlist!

Warm up:

Barry Manilow and Diane Schuur - Summmertime
Boom Devil - Life is
The Cure - If only tonight we could sleep
Depeche Mode - World in my eyes

Show time:

Creedence Clearwater Revival - I put a spell on you
The Doors - The spy
Depeche Mode - In your room (perfeita para BD)
Enigma - Voyageur

Music for fuck:

Gare Du Nord - Pablo´s lounge
Little Axe - Long way to go
Portishead - Glory Box
Enigma - It´s in the mind not in the eye

Music for (hard) fuck:

(essas são pra dar até a alma)
Depeche Mode - In your room
The cure - Want

LA MULTI ANI ZAMOLXE !!!

Cele mai frumoase ganduri, sincere si calduroase felicitari la ceas aniversar, prietenului nostru Zami-Zamolxe, un ardelean de isprava, iubitor de istorie, frumos, adevar ! Sanatate si putere sa continui sa darui farama de suflet pelasg, noua tuturor, lumii intregi ! La multi ani, Zami !

Gheorghe Zamfir - interpretare, fluier :

Inscriptia lui Acornion de la Dionysopolis - "In tineretea sa, pe cand era rege Burebista, cel dintai si cel mai mare dintre regii stapanitori asupra Traciei si obtinand de la acesta stapanirea peste intreg tinutul de dincolo de Potamos si peste imprejurimi, Acornion face foarte multe lucruri bune patriei sale, spunand si dandu-i totdeauna cele mai bune sfaturi si castigand prin vorbele sale bunavointa regelui pentru orasul sau."

“Prin tara lor curge raul Marisosm ce se varsa in Dunare. Ei (romanii) numeau Danubius partea superioara a fluviului si cea dinspre izvoare pana la cataracte. Tinuturile de aici se afla in ceam mai mare parte in stapanirea dacilor. Partea inferioara a fluviului, pana la Pont - de-a lungul careia traiesc getii - ei o numesc Istru. Dacii au aceeasi limba cu getii”. Strabon

Gheorghe Zamfir - doina ardeleneasca :

Iordanes, Getica - "... ce mare placere, ca niste oameni viteji sa se indeletniceasca cu doctrinele filozofice, cand mai aveau putin ragaz de razboaie. Puteai sa-l vezi pe unul cercetand poezia cerului, pe altul proprietatile ierburilor si ale arbustilor, pe acesta studiind cresterea si scaderea lunii, pe celalalt observand eclipsele soarelui si cum, prin rotatia cerului, soarele vrand sa atinga regiunea orientala, este dus inapoi spre regiunea occidentala..."

Fecioara Daciei :

Plângeţi crinul tânăr ce, mutăt de vânt,
Naşte lângă piatra tristului mormânt!

Abia se formă foile,
A morţii mână rece
Pe fruntea sa cea tânără
Cu răsfăţare trece.

Îşi pierde frăgezimile
Şi splendida coloare;
Îngheaţă, piere repede
Surâsu-i, dulcea floare.

În darn înturnă feţele
Cătând la raza vieţii,
La sărutarea soarelui,
La roua dimineţii;

La graţioase aure
Ce-l lasă-n întristare
Şi nu-i rejună zilele
Cu dulcea lor suflare.

În line horuri fluturii
Plutesc pe lângă sine,
Dar nu-i culege lacrima
Cu sărutări divine.

Iar viermele mormântului
Al său crud mire pare;
Îi soarbe restul zilelor
Cu rece sărutare.

Secret Garden :

Calde imbratisari sibiline, prietenului meu de suflet, caruia ii datorez multe din deslusirile tainelor dacice si caruia ii multumesc pentru a-mi fi fost alaturi in clipe de suferinta, cu mai mult de un an in urma, un OM in adevar deosebit ! Multumesc Zami !

LA MULTI ANI, ZAMOLXE !!! tOT CE-TI DORESTI IMPLINIT SA FIE, CLIPE DE BUCURIE SI BOGATIE DE ZAMBETE SI SATISFACTII ! CONTINUA SA SCRI, SA SPUI LUMII INTREGI, CINE SUNT GETO-DACII, CINE SUNTEM NOI ! iTI MULTUMIM ZAMI ! ZAMOLXE SA FIE CU TINE, OM BUN !

SIBILLA POESIS

citate preluate de pe citatecelebre.ro

muzica preluata de pe youtube

Okay. You're asking, "What does this have to do with genealogy?"

A recent article, Charleston, SC Latest Local News: DAR fracas: Blue bloods see red ,in the local newspaper, The Charleston Post and Courier, immediately brought to mind these terms and phrases related to poultry, or chickens.

Some people may view genealogy research as dull and boring and consider those involved in the pursuit equally uninteresting. I think the cited article proves that exactly the opposite can be the case. It gives a little insight to the amount of fervor that can be developed among the people who are engaged in the quest for their ancestors.

I don't know that any of these individuals are involved in Brinson research but their temperaments are certainly consistent with some of the Brinsons I've known.

Hopefully, the article will add a little humor to everyone's quest.

Today's news is tomorrow's history.