Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Provado Cientificamente ;-)
"La tensión premenstrual (TPM) convierte a las mujeres durante cinco días en lo que un hombre suele ser todo el mes" (citado no El País online)
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Porquê votar SIM no referendo de dia 11 de Fevereiro
Vamos abstair-nos das questões acessórias na questão do referendo ao aborto:
há vida às 10 semanas, creio que todos concordamos, por muito primitiva que essa forma de vida seja; que o contributor do esperma que deu origem a esse embrião tenha uma palavra a dizer - isso é muito discutível (por mim, por muito que isso o magoe, lamento mas vá reproduzir-se para outro útero - my body, my choice); se as mulheres que me lêem o fariam ou não, isso é com cada uma (eu não o faria, tirando em situações muito específicas, que até estão já abrangidas pela lei); que é uma situação profundamente traumática para quem o faz, creio que não restam dúvidas. Até a questão se este referendo devia ter sido feito em vez de uma decisão parlamentar é uma questão acessória.
O que está em causa é que há mulheres que simplesmente não têm outra opção em dado momento das suas vidas. Quem somos nós para mandar pedras sobre quem se vê obrigado pelas circunstâncias da vida a tomar uma opção destas?
"O que é preciso é criar condições de amparo social!" gritam alguns apoiantes do "Não". Mas o que é que isso tem a ver?! Claro que é necessário e urgente dar apoio pró-vida a quem possa recorrer a ele. Mas isso nunca irá resolver os problemas de muitas mulheres.
Os apoiantes do "NIM", como o Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa , provavelmente divididos entre o que é um facto da sociedade e o problema moral de defender o que para todos os efeitos pode ser visto como a interrupçao de uma "existência", escondem-se por trás do lavar de mãos que o Não representa - "se queres fazer um aborto, vai para aí para um vão de escada, juntar à humilhação e à dor da opção que tomaste, o risco da tua integridade física."
Então porquê as 10 semanas, e não 20? Porque diz-se ser às 10 semanas que se inicia a actividade cerebral do embrião, que começa a deixar de o ser.
Mas até às 10 semanas há muito desespero a considerar pela mãe.
Não tenho problemas em ter os meus impostos a darem dignidade e condições de saneamento às mulheres (da mesma forma que os meus impostos servem para financiar tratamentos a toxicodependentes que tomaram a opção de se iniciarem num vício que os destroi, às suas famílias e à sociedade que os rodeia).
Este referendo não é um fim; é um começo da Dignidade.
Por isso vou votar SIM.
há vida às 10 semanas, creio que todos concordamos, por muito primitiva que essa forma de vida seja; que o contributor do esperma que deu origem a esse embrião tenha uma palavra a dizer - isso é muito discutível (por mim, por muito que isso o magoe, lamento mas vá reproduzir-se para outro útero - my body, my choice); se as mulheres que me lêem o fariam ou não, isso é com cada uma (eu não o faria, tirando em situações muito específicas, que até estão já abrangidas pela lei); que é uma situação profundamente traumática para quem o faz, creio que não restam dúvidas. Até a questão se este referendo devia ter sido feito em vez de uma decisão parlamentar é uma questão acessória.
O que está em causa é que há mulheres que simplesmente não têm outra opção em dado momento das suas vidas. Quem somos nós para mandar pedras sobre quem se vê obrigado pelas circunstâncias da vida a tomar uma opção destas?
"O que é preciso é criar condições de amparo social!" gritam alguns apoiantes do "Não". Mas o que é que isso tem a ver?! Claro que é necessário e urgente dar apoio pró-vida a quem possa recorrer a ele. Mas isso nunca irá resolver os problemas de muitas mulheres.
Os apoiantes do "NIM", como o Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa , provavelmente divididos entre o que é um facto da sociedade e o problema moral de defender o que para todos os efeitos pode ser visto como a interrupçao de uma "existência", escondem-se por trás do lavar de mãos que o Não representa - "se queres fazer um aborto, vai para aí para um vão de escada, juntar à humilhação e à dor da opção que tomaste, o risco da tua integridade física."
Então porquê as 10 semanas, e não 20? Porque diz-se ser às 10 semanas que se inicia a actividade cerebral do embrião, que começa a deixar de o ser.
Mas até às 10 semanas há muito desespero a considerar pela mãe.
Não tenho problemas em ter os meus impostos a darem dignidade e condições de saneamento às mulheres (da mesma forma que os meus impostos servem para financiar tratamentos a toxicodependentes que tomaram a opção de se iniciarem num vício que os destroi, às suas famílias e à sociedade que os rodeia).
Este referendo não é um fim; é um começo da Dignidade.
Por isso vou votar SIM.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
At gun point
In half an hour's time it will have been a week since someone pointed a gun at me and threated to shoot me in the foot if I didn't give him my laptop, my mobiles (he insisted he knew I had two, I don't know how he knew it or if he was just trying his luck), all my money and jwellery. early enough in the evening: 8.30pm is not that late for me to leave work.
"Maybe the weapon's a fake", I thought, but decided not to risk it. With his left hand he pulled the laptop bag off my shoulders and I gave me one and then both my mobiles, and then took the money out of my wallet, keeping it inside my purse, which I managed to keep out of reach - he had his hands full with the gun and the laptop - and he finally took off in the direction of the parking lot where I was heading to get my car. I got back inside the building and called the police.
I went through all the drill: discription, double questioning to see if I recalled anything else, and I know the police is out there to get him - because they have contacted me while they were in the area. The problem is catching him red-handed. And that's pretty hard to do.
Last wednesday it happened again to another girl. By the description it was the same guy. She resisted, and tried to run, he pulled her laptop bag throwing her down. She grabbed his leg - but finally let go when he cocked up the gun. It seems it wasn't a dummy gun...
In the end I feel I was extremely lucky: I was alone, there was a rather empty and extremely dark field just across the street, he could have forced me to go to the ATM and get cash, he could have perceived I was walking to my car instead of the metro and taken that too, he could have taken all my documents. A very bad nightmare could have started.
True the loss of information is, well, tragic. I had backups of my phone on my laptop, and I had hidden codes on the mobile. Pending issues were lots, mementos that hadn't backed up yet. For some odd luck I work a lot on website developement and maintenace so all my stuff is already out in the world and I just have to retrieve the access to the servers. A password was needed to get to my user area - so I guess they will just format the whole thing. Just in case my decade-old passwords were changed and I still haven't gotten used to them.
But I'm alive, I'm in one piece, I kept my integrity - and now I "invested" in a parking space in the garage. As my good friend D. put it, it took a robbery to upgrade my status ;-)
Keep cool, don't resist, try to reason with the guy but keep it short.
And ALWAYS report to the police. You may not see them, but they are there.
"Maybe the weapon's a fake", I thought, but decided not to risk it. With his left hand he pulled the laptop bag off my shoulders and I gave me one and then both my mobiles, and then took the money out of my wallet, keeping it inside my purse, which I managed to keep out of reach - he had his hands full with the gun and the laptop - and he finally took off in the direction of the parking lot where I was heading to get my car. I got back inside the building and called the police.
I went through all the drill: discription, double questioning to see if I recalled anything else, and I know the police is out there to get him - because they have contacted me while they were in the area. The problem is catching him red-handed. And that's pretty hard to do.
Last wednesday it happened again to another girl. By the description it was the same guy. She resisted, and tried to run, he pulled her laptop bag throwing her down. She grabbed his leg - but finally let go when he cocked up the gun. It seems it wasn't a dummy gun...
In the end I feel I was extremely lucky: I was alone, there was a rather empty and extremely dark field just across the street, he could have forced me to go to the ATM and get cash, he could have perceived I was walking to my car instead of the metro and taken that too, he could have taken all my documents. A very bad nightmare could have started.
True the loss of information is, well, tragic. I had backups of my phone on my laptop, and I had hidden codes on the mobile. Pending issues were lots, mementos that hadn't backed up yet. For some odd luck I work a lot on website developement and maintenace so all my stuff is already out in the world and I just have to retrieve the access to the servers. A password was needed to get to my user area - so I guess they will just format the whole thing. Just in case my decade-old passwords were changed and I still haven't gotten used to them.
But I'm alive, I'm in one piece, I kept my integrity - and now I "invested" in a parking space in the garage. As my good friend D. put it, it took a robbery to upgrade my status ;-)
Keep cool, don't resist, try to reason with the guy but keep it short.
And ALWAYS report to the police. You may not see them, but they are there.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
More about....
| Your Personality Is |
You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas. You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy! Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people. In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally. You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought. Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals. In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent. At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia. With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well. As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly. On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things. |
Italy and Women's Rights
A portrait of Italian women that still have to fight for respect and equal place in society - and the passiveness of the younger generation.
Feminism: Mamma mia is dead!
From Cafebabel.com
I can't help recalling the man that was cleared of the crime of rape of a girl because she was wearing tight jeans (given as an example in this piece): the court decided they were so tight she had to take them off herself thus cooperating in the act, therefore not possible to have been a rape.
Mr. Prodi... so disappointing.
Feminism: Mamma mia is dead!
From Cafebabel.com
I can't help recalling the man that was cleared of the crime of rape of a girl because she was wearing tight jeans (given as an example in this piece): the court decided they were so tight she had to take them off herself thus cooperating in the act, therefore not possible to have been a rape.
Mr. Prodi... so disappointing.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Things I hate about organising conferences...
I won't deny it - I love what I do. But as I'm one of those you has a thing for destructive relationships, I end up "suffering" quite a bit, all for the sake of my brilliant event. But there are some things.... that just get on my nerves....!!!
- STUPID QUESTIONS! people just don't read the writting on the wall and make me lose precious time stating the obvious in a polite way. Believe it or not, my job ISN'T replying emails of people that don't know how to read! One word: subsidiarity! Try solving the problem by yourselves - the solution is often there! - BEFORE NAGGING THE CONTACT PERSON!!
- Taking the blame: I didn't do it, but I'm the one who has to apologise "for the inconvinience" *EVERY* time...
- The Chairs Stress: the event deadline approaches and people get nervous; there is just so much that can go wrong and so many last minute things that can't be done before, people get nervous and lash out. At whom? Moi, of course. So what is my job? Do what needs to ne done, under pressure, and still control other people's nerves. What about me? Stressed? Of course not! I just *HAVE TO* be pacient otherwise I'll be showing I "crack under pressure". Why don't you all just s*d off and let me do my job?!?
- Authors and reviewers that make a mess: forgot the password? why not ask for a reminder from the system? NO!! Let's all just make new sign ups while they are open! and then email me and all the organisation and God himself complaining the there are no assigned papers, that the papers were refused, that the reviews disappear... or even better: email me for the password they forgot complaining "they never received the email with the password". Why would you receive something you DEFINED YOURSELF?!! What's left is me hacking the system to delete erroneous files and logs.
- "She will do it": the best escape for getting features the system doesn't provide to begin with or dumping on someone (again, Moi) problems that weren't there that need solutions no-one really has. Somehow, I end up fixing things up.... much to the expense of my life expectancy.
- The Omipresence: I'm often asked for that miracle. But that one I really can't do!
- The emails in French and Spanish: ok, the call for papers, the website, the instructions are ALL in English. Do you know me from somewhere?! I happen to understand both languages but why do you have to make my life any harder?! C'mon, you are submitting papers in English RIGHT?!?!
- the Nigerian registrations: they never intended to attended the event, but they want an invitation letter for fake visas into Europe. So they spam my email, first with "May God Bless you in the this fine day, and your company and your family, please provide invitation letters" (no joke!!) then with "Send letters now. Reply." emails if I don't answer. If I happen to have online registration, I get massacred on both sides. I got 40! fake registration in one event alone. I AM NOT THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE! YOU WON't GET LETTERS OF INVITATION! QUIT IT!!
Update:
- the "show off" names: people that are on the list as organisers and don't do anything! they don't even know they are there!
Well, let me go back to "making your event a success"...
- STUPID QUESTIONS! people just don't read the writting on the wall and make me lose precious time stating the obvious in a polite way. Believe it or not, my job ISN'T replying emails of people that don't know how to read! One word: subsidiarity! Try solving the problem by yourselves - the solution is often there! - BEFORE NAGGING THE CONTACT PERSON!!
- Taking the blame: I didn't do it, but I'm the one who has to apologise "for the inconvinience" *EVERY* time...
- The Chairs Stress: the event deadline approaches and people get nervous; there is just so much that can go wrong and so many last minute things that can't be done before, people get nervous and lash out. At whom? Moi, of course. So what is my job? Do what needs to ne done, under pressure, and still control other people's nerves. What about me? Stressed? Of course not! I just *HAVE TO* be pacient otherwise I'll be showing I "crack under pressure". Why don't you all just s*d off and let me do my job?!?
- Authors and reviewers that make a mess: forgot the password? why not ask for a reminder from the system? NO!! Let's all just make new sign ups while they are open! and then email me and all the organisation and God himself complaining the there are no assigned papers, that the papers were refused, that the reviews disappear... or even better: email me for the password they forgot complaining "they never received the email with the password". Why would you receive something you DEFINED YOURSELF?!! What's left is me hacking the system to delete erroneous files and logs.
- "She will do it": the best escape for getting features the system doesn't provide to begin with or dumping on someone (again, Moi) problems that weren't there that need solutions no-one really has. Somehow, I end up fixing things up.... much to the expense of my life expectancy.
- The Omipresence: I'm often asked for that miracle. But that one I really can't do!
- The emails in French and Spanish: ok, the call for papers, the website, the instructions are ALL in English. Do you know me from somewhere?! I happen to understand both languages but why do you have to make my life any harder?! C'mon, you are submitting papers in English RIGHT?!?!
- the Nigerian registrations: they never intended to attended the event, but they want an invitation letter for fake visas into Europe. So they spam my email, first with "May God Bless you in the this fine day, and your company and your family, please provide invitation letters" (no joke!!) then with "Send letters now. Reply." emails if I don't answer. If I happen to have online registration, I get massacred on both sides. I got 40! fake registration in one event alone. I AM NOT THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE! YOU WON't GET LETTERS OF INVITATION! QUIT IT!!
Update:
- the "show off" names: people that are on the list as organisers and don't do anything! they don't even know they are there!
Well, let me go back to "making your event a success"...
Monday, January 08, 2007
Saturday, January 06, 2007
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