Saturday, April 30, 2011

Ernesto Sabato

 
Murió
Ernesto Sabato


La literatura argentina
está de luto.
 
 

Sydney May Day

Assemble - Hyde Park North        March to Rally -12 Noon 

Speakers
Paul McAleer - MUA
Joan Lemaire - NSWTF
Mal Tulloch - CFMEU
Cristian Cuevas - Chilean Copper Workers

Ayn Rand via Slate

[from Johann Hari @ Slate, 2 November 2009]

How Ayn Rand Became an American Icon: The perverse allure of a damaged woman


Ayn Rand is one of America's great mysteries. She was an amphetamine-addicted author of sub-Dan Brown potboilers, who in her spare time wrote lavish torrents of praise for serial killers and the Bernie Madoff-style embezzlers of her day. She opposed democracy on the grounds that "the masses"—her readers—were "lice" and "parasites" who scarcely deserved to live. Yet she remains one of the most popular writers in the United States, still selling 800,000 books a year from beyond the grave. She regularly tops any list of books that Americans say have most influenced them. Since the great crash of 2008, her writing has had another Benzedrine rush, as Rush Limbaugh hails her as a prophetess. With her assertions that government is "evil" and selfishness is "the only virtue," she is the patron saint of the tea-partiers and the death panel doomsters. So how did this little Russian bomb of pure immorality in a black wig become an American icon?

Read the rest here & consider the source.

tenemos parilla


See more here @ the Cala House blog.

Argentina author Ernesto Sabato dies at 99

[from Karina Grazina @ Reuters, 30 April 2011]

Murió Ernesto Sabato


(Reuters) - Argentine writer Ernesto Sabato, whose novel The Tunnel is hailed as an existentialist classic and who presided over a probe into the crimes committed by the nation's military rulers, died on Saturday at age 99.

"Humankind cannot live without heroes, martyrs and saints," Sabato, an intellectual known as a tireless activist for justice and human rights, once said.

His death was reported by local media.

Sabato, who trained as a physicist before becoming a writer, had three novels to his name -- The Tunnel published in 1948, On Heroes and Graves published in 1961 and Abaddon, The Exterminator in 1974.

Known for his bald pate, tinted glasses, brush mustache and open-necked shirts, he was viewed as a hero by many in his South American homeland.


After the end of Argentina's notorious 1976-83 military rule, Sabato was chosen to preside over the National Commission on the Disappeared (CONADEP), which investigated the fate of tens of thousands of Argentines who disappeared at the hands of the military -- kidnapped, tortured and killed.

The commission compiled 50,000 pages of chilling evidence of systematic kidnap, torture and rape waged against anyone even remotely suspected of sympathizing with leftist guerrillas.

Its findings and recommendations that the "Dirty War" soldiers should be tried and punished were published in 1984 in a book called Nunca Mas (Never Again).

Sabato seemed ill at ease in the limelight even as he was idolized by many young people and students in Argentina. Lionized by the political left, Sabato nevertheless rejected any party affiliation.

"I don't belong to any party, I just support anything I think is good for this sickly country and denounce anything I find false, despicable, dirty, corrupt and hypocritical," he said.

He railed against the tendency to seek technological solutions to human suffering, a painful admission for a man who studied science in Argentina, France and the United States.

He embraced surrealism and abandoned science for writing. His first novel, The Tunnel, was hailed after its release in 1948 as an existentialist classic and won him fans including Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.

Sabato, sin túneles que recorrer...un siglo de vida a favor de la libertad

Ernesto Sabato 1911-2011

"..Un socialismo que respete la persona, que termine con la alienación y la sociedad de consumo, que termine con la miseria física pero también con la espiritual, que ponga la técnica y la ciencia al servicio del hombre y no, como está sucediendo, el hombre al servicio de aquellas. Un socialismo descentralizado que evite los pavorosos males del superestado, de la policía secreta y de los campos de concentración..."

Asi pensaba Ernesto Sábato, muerto a "destiempo" a los 99 años de edad, de los socialismos de Estado que cercenan la libertad del Hombre.Sábato, un hombre de muchos silencios, un gran pensador del siglo xx.

Por igual, Sabato luchó contra la dictaduras de derecha. Era un gran humanista, un intelectual que rechazaba recorrer los túneles de la opresión y el totalitarismo en sus variadas vertientes ideológicas. Siempre prefirió la luz, costará lo que costará alcanzar esa luz.

Larga vida para Ernesto Sabato!


Publicado el sábado 30 de abril del 2011

Colette


"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."












French Novelist


1873 - 1954











Humans are not perfect.  We make foolish mistakes.  We behave in ways that we know we shouldn't.  We make choices that we later question.  We take the wrong turn in the road and find ourselves at a dead end.  We run out of gas and find ourselves stranded at the edge of the road.  We trust someone when we should have been wary.  Even the most rational of beings can make foolish decisions.  And creative leaders are not immune from this disease of foolishness.  Read the biography of any writer, artist or musician and you will find story after story of mistakes.  





Are you enthusiastic about your mistakes or do you try to sweep them under a carpet so no one finds out?  Do you celebrate your foolishness with a toast?  Are you able to laugh at your foolish mistakes?  Do you find humor in your imperfections?  Do you learn from your mistakes or are you doomed to repeat them again and again?

UK: Hands off May Day

Mr Cameron and his Cabinet of millionaires are hoping to make this Monday's May Day bank holiday one of the last.

Plans are afoot to abandon the holiday on the first Monday in May, and replace it with a holiday on St George's Day April 23, or the anniversary of the bloody Battle of Trafalgar on October 21.

Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner urged the labour movement to band together "to ensure that we keep the May Day flags flying as they do across the world."

Mr Skinner warned: "In sharp contrast to the pomp and circumstance and organised happiness around the royal wedding, the Tory establishment is now turning its attention to ruining the workers' traditional May Day celebrations.

"True to type, Cameron wants to create more unhappiness for working class people who are struggling to keep a job.

"He wants to stop them from enjoying the May Day bank holiday and from celebrating International Workers' Day along with people across Europe and around the world."

Rail union RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The most important events this weekend are the annual May Day celebrations - not the bread and circuses that were rammed down people's throats."

Declared Mr Crow: "Forget all the diversions. The trade union and socialist focus is on marking International Workers' Day at a time when the working class is under unprecedented attack."

He warned that the Tories were not only attacking the workers, but were also gearing up for an assault on May Day itself.

"Send out the message to the Con-Dems and the bosses loud and clear - la lucha continua!" urged Mr Crow.

Left Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins, who spent today tramping the streets of Luton delivering election leaflets, accused the government of blatant right-wing tactics in seeking to ditch the May Day holiday.

Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey said: "The Tory attack on the May Day holiday is to be abhorred and it's another reminder that this government has scant regard for the working people of this country."

May Day was an accepted holiday in many countries to commemorate workers' struggles, said Mr McCluskey, who suggested an extra bank holiday in October during the "long stretch" between August and Christmas.

General union GMB general secretary Paul Kenny had a blunt message for the government of millionaires: "Keep your hands off our May Day. Keep your hands off workers' day."

Mr Kenny added: "May Day is an important celebration of the achievements of humanity. We have got to fight to save the bank holiday."

Friday, April 29, 2011

William Campbell

Character actor par excellence -- via Memory Alpha. Starting with small roles in big pictures such as "The High and the Mighty" and bigger roles in a score of B-movies, including Westerns, war films, prison movies and the like, he made a run in a number of grade-Z horror flicks that later became cult favorites -- "Dementia 13," "Blood Bath" and "Portrait in Terror."

He scored big with two distinctive roles in the original "Star Trek" TV series -- as Trelane in "The Squire of Gothos"
and Koloth in "The Trouble with Tribbles."

Kate sobrevivirá...


Un artículo de la periodista española Elvira Lindo sobre la nueva princesa inglesa Kate Midleton
Si las comparaciones son odiosas, en el caso de esta pareja, Kate y William, la recurrente vista atrás de todos los comentaristas hacia la boda de Lady Di y Carlos de Inglaterra les ha beneficiado de manera prodigiosa.

Más detalles

Publicado el viernes 29 de abril del 2011

Sobeida Félix Morel no seguirá sola. Jueza ordena que la trasladen a una celda con otras presas comunes


La jueza suplente de la Ejecución de la Pena del Distrito Nacional ordenó hoy trasladar a la interna Sobeida Félix Morel a un pabellón común y compartir con las demás reclusas de la cárcel Najayo-Mujeres.

La magistrada Gisel Soto adoptó la decisión tras acoger un recurso de amparo presentado por Félix Morel a través de su abogado Félix Portes Núñez.

Más detalles


Publicado el viernes 29 de abril del 2011

Katherine Mariel Ramírez tenia 21 años y estaba embarazada a la hora de su muerte

Fueron levantados los cadáveres de los esposos hallados muertos este viernes en el interior de su casa en Bayona, comunidad de Santo Domingo Oeste. La pareja fue identificada como Jorge Aquino Brito y Katherine Mariel Ramírez Fajardo, quien solo tenía 21 años y quien tenía tres meses de embarazo.

Más detalles

Publicado el viernes 29 de abril del 2011

In 2011, the Era of Mobile Three Dimensional?

After Japan, Nintendo's 3D was released in the United States, on Sunday (27 / 3). To enjoy a three-dimensional impressions on this game console is not needed special glasses.

 

The presence of Nintendo's 3D, it seems to be a kind of kick off for the presence of other 3D gadgets. HTC has launched a 3D EVO, 4.3 inch touch screen smartphone that can also display 3D images without the need for special glasses. Users can take photographs and make videos in 3D with a pair of cameras in the back.

Like the EVO old version, this 3D version also will run Google's Android operating system and connected with fast data network from Sprint Nextel 4G, CNN wrote in his report.

LG Electronics has worked for one and a half years for its 3D smartphones, said Yongseok Jang, vice president of LG strategy. 3D Optimus, LG is named, will be launched with AT & T Mobility network called Thrill 4G. AT & T said the device will be available in coming months, but the price has not been determined.


LG software developers spend a lot of time to adjust (fine-tuning) for a pair of 5-megapixel camera can accurately capture 3D media, said Jang.

"Our 3D EVO Prototype test at the CTIA Wireless conference this week and produce a video blur. HTC is still working on that aspect, which may take several months to perfect," said Trevor Van Norman, a marketing director at Sprint.

3D EVO will be available this summer, said Norman.

Nintendo makes 3D permaian device to fend off its competitors through partnerships with media publishers to offer more games and movies in 3D.


"You not only need the ability, you need content," said Reggie Fils-Aime, chief operating officer and president of Nintendo America. "They will not have the game content of what we have."

For mobile-phone, LG and HTC also been lobbying game developers to create 3D software for Google's Android smartphone platform. Users also will be able to download thousands of games already available for Android.

LG will incorporate some games package with the Thrill 4G and has at least 10 games while the device was available to buyers, said Jang.

Through a team led by Jang, LG is also central to persuade Google to make YouTube videos produced by the 3D camera through a separate application and allows mobile users to upload their own videos.

"It's not expect pity from Hollywood studios to present 3D content, why do not we help our customers to create their own 3D content?" Jang said.

Google's YouTube team also helped Motorola to improve the video quality produced by the cell phone.

Towards Operator 100 Million Subscribers

A new history in the cellular industry, Telkomsel will be inscribed in the near future. Following ditembusnya as many as 100 million subscribers.

 


For President Director of Telkomsel, Sarwoto Atmosutarno, that achievement is an achievement. ''If we compare with telecom operators, this is an achievement. We were able to reach 100 million subscribers within 16 years,''said Sarwoto.

He then compares with the growth of fixed cable telephone service (fixe line) developed Telkom Indonesia - Telkomsel's parent. ''It has been decades of fixed line is developed, new subscribers to reach nine million,''he said giving an example.

On the other hand, at the same age there is no cellular operators in Indonesia are able to record the same number of customers. Instead of having the same number of subscribers, half of it yet. XL and Indosat - which are both born in 1995 -, the number of new subscribers reached 40 million.


More than just the success of Telkomsel, number 100 million was described Sarwoto also reflect another dimension. Figures 100 million subscribers''also illustrates the high public trust in Telkomsel for this,''said Sarwoto.

Public trust, because SingTel is able to provide cellular services as required. This is supported by extensive coverage and large capacity, two aspects that became the key words for the growth of Telkomsel for this.

Sarwoto admitted receiving many calls from Telkomsel subscribers who live in a number of areas categorized as remote or isolated. They express thanks for Telkomsel's presence in their area. At many points Telkomsel often present alone.

In terms of tariffs, the achievement of customer 100 is also called Sarwoto illustrates that Telkomsel's tariffs developed affordable or accessible by public users of cellular service. If no reasonable course of public service is not used or are reluctant to use the service in question. In the end, Telkomsel will not be able to reap the number of customers that much.

No less encouraging, Sarwoto call the cellular industry's rapid growth also illustrates the changes in society today. ''This country has advanced in terms of ICT,''he said.


For SingTel, the achievement of 100 million customers have opened a new chapter. ''This is a milestone for SingTel to perform a transformation,''said Sarwoto.

Moreover, 100 million figure illustrates that the telecommunications industry in Indonesia has entered the stage of mature and saturated. reasonably suspected that the simcard is circulating in the community have exceeded the total population.

An estimated number of active sim card on the market reached 240 million. This figure is equivalent to the population or even larger than the total population. This reality raises its own problems for the telecommunications industry.

''We have a zero-zum game,''said Sarwoto. Just to remind that the game is zero zum political terminology. This simply means that the winner would control everything, the loser will lose everything.

In the cellular industry will apply the law of bubble gum, if there are able to improve customer service, you can bet there are operators who have lost customers. In these situations, Telkomsel seems to have ready. ''It's been two years we set up a transformation,''said Sarwoto. What kind of transformation?
 

Motorola Polishing Atrix with 1080p Video Recording Capability

Motorola Android polish latest gadgets, Atrix, with the ability to record video with 1080p format. If this is true, Atrix recorded as the first mobile phone that has the ability to record 1080p video.

Atrix itself has a dual core CPU Nvidia Tegra2. This processor is, perhaps, that supports kemampian Atrix full high definition video recording.

In the initial design, Atrix only have 720p video recording capability. However, with HDMI support, this phone is capable delivers video with 1080p format.

Reportedly, Atrix with 1080p video capability is only available to AT & T. Not yet known if Atrix is sold through other operators or sold openly also has the same specifications.

Atrix is a phone that has support services long term evolution (LTE) or 4G. Android Duet 2.2 and 1 GHz dual core processors, expected to show a powerful performance as the computer. Graphical display of the optimal become one of the 'dream' Motorola. The solution, Motorola immerse Mozilla Firefox 3.6 and full support of the Adobe Flash Player.


With two processors and support this application users can enjoy the Atrix is expected to display rich graphics and animation, and video more enjoyable. It claims Motorola. This phone supports high definition technology

Atrix that carries the design simple - but elegant -, designed to provide ease of operating the mobile phone users for various purposes, from access, edit and manage documents, media and content. The wide screen and support for the trackpad is expected to provide a variety of convenience and comfort.

Connection or interaction to the virtual world and social networking more easy and convenient. With HTML5 Web-base Application, Atrix also supports cloud computing applications and services currently being trendy. There is WiFi 802.11 n which can operate at 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.

Motorola claims that the Atrix is a phone with a displayin the world'sfirst high definition . For user safety, there is a biometric fingerprint reader application. Activation of the phone can be done with this application, so not everyone can activate it.