tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35201163363207870492024-03-05T13:37:19.071-05:00Le monde selon LéoWhere politics, religion and the 21st century meet for a moccaccinoLéonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-68314072717888977612008-05-15T11:19:00.008-04:002008-12-09T05:09:09.047-05:00On Images<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzlCOZ6KrrP104-OAVAvpshHBV8nJjqmMD1znX2Q-JiZUNcU_LK_ro5iMarYFPMe7tz2zYh1EOOEeQx94nc9MGXcVIU2Ktqm5ua0wjlu7ew-5zVKm92uFTH8t3HVPvF8FsDHLx46Plokg/s1600-h/dg.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200629464917102322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzlCOZ6KrrP104-OAVAvpshHBV8nJjqmMD1znX2Q-JiZUNcU_LK_ro5iMarYFPMe7tz2zYh1EOOEeQx94nc9MGXcVIU2Ktqm5ua0wjlu7ew-5zVKm92uFTH8t3HVPvF8FsDHLx46Plokg/s320/dg.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Last night I went to watch yet another romantic comedy (Made of Honor). It made me upset, but it wasn't until I discussed this with my wife that I actually understood why it had upset me.<br /><br />It turns out that two things upset me about that movie.<br /><br />First, this movie was exactly the same as any Hollywood-made romantic comedy: girl loves boy, girl gives up, finds another boy, decides to marry him and then the old boy realizes he loves the girl after all and crashes her wedding. How many times can Hollywood make the same movie (rhetorical question, thanks...)<br /><br />Second, the guy who was going to get married to the girl was the nice guy; her long-time buddy was a pathetic, self-serving, cold and promiscuous fella. And he gets to live happily ever after. That shows exactly what it is that our society accepts as normal behaviour, and what we - "consumers" - are called to accept in our own lives.<br /><br />And then, this morning, I read <a href="http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/images-in-the-modern-world/">an article by Fr. Stephen</a>, called Images in the Modern World. It clarified for me what made me so angry and uncomfortable in the movie I saw last night. This article did that by talking about images (and movies are also images) and the place and significance they have in our own lives.<br /><br />I share with you the parts that spoke to me:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p align="justify">1. What is the relationship of the image to reality?<br /><br />2. What is the relationship of the image to propaganda?<br /><br />3. What is the role of images in Christianity?<br /><br />4. What images should play the dominant role in my life?<br /><br />First - what is the relationship of image to reality? This is a significant question, particularly in our digital age. A picture may be an accurate depiction of reality or indiscernibly altered to fit someone else’s agenda. This is increasingly complex and will only become moreso. We are likely in the future to relate more and more to digital reality and less and less to things as they are. In this we must be wise as serpents and meek as doves.<br /><br />Second - we should assume that images in our modern context have much to do with propaganda. American’s who assume that their news in unfiltered and largely accurate would do well to watch news from elsewhere in the world. Our news has a slant and a bias as does the news from everywhere. We should not be so foolish as to assume that a picture necessarily gives us reality.<br /><br />Third - the role of images in Christianity. This is by far the most important point, it seems to me. A modern Christianity which denies the role of images in the Christian faith is an unarmed and uninformed Christianity. Images are not optional and may not be doctrinally dismissed. They are everywhere present in our world. The question is what are we to make of them? In the Eastern Church, there is a defined role of what images are and how they should act in our lives. Their content is controlled by conciliar doctrine (though there are many exceptions to this) and the honor which we give them is carefully defined so that we know the difference between honoring something and rendering worship (this, by the way, is not so clear in our image driven culture - what does a young man mean when he places a poster of a nearly unclad woman on the wall of his bedroom?).<br /><br />In essence, the Orthodox Church declared in its dogmatic pronouncements on holy images: “Images do with color, what Scripture does with words.” A properly executed icon should do for us precisely what Scripture does. It should point us beyond itself and towards the heavenly reality which it means to convey. Scripture, as compared to the cacophony of words is easily the more edifying. By the same token, properly rendered images of saints, angels, Christ and His mother, have a salutary effect on the soul, lifting it to God and the contemplation of heavenly things. Indeed, one of the functions of a proper relationship to icons is to teach us how to relate the everything around us - for everything, in some way, points beyond itself. The depth of creation takes us well below (and above) its surface.<br /><br />The fourth question is easily answered: holy images should play the dominant role in my life. If my consciousness is filled with the images that are being sold by the media, then I should not be surprised at the anxiety and anger which fills my soul. The images of the mass media are geared towards your passions and mean to engage you on precisely that level.<br /><br />In a contrary way, the images of the Church, particularly the Holy Icons, do not engage the passions, but the very heart of who we are, offering us images of salvation - windows to heaven.<br /><br />We live in a world that is filled with images. Only the most reclusive family could protect children from the images that often sully their precious minds. How important it is, then, to give their minds the images which God has set forth for us - images that do with color what Scripture does with words.<br /><br /></p></blockquote>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-35688170214058238382008-05-01T11:51:00.003-04:002008-05-01T11:55:09.828-04:00Pascha 2008After almost a year-long hiatus, I will be posting again soon.<br /><br />For now, I'll leave you with these words by Patriarch Bartholomew:<br /><br /><blockquote>Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Another Way of Living<br />26. April 2008<br /><br /><justify>While many Christians have long celebrated Easter, this year Orthodox Easter takes place on Sunday, April 27 - much later than normally, as a result of ancient calendar calculations and regulations requiring the prior celebration of the Jewish Passover, in accordance with their traditional interpretation of scriptural record. Thus, at midnight on Saturday April 26, the night that is said to be brighter than any sunlit day, some 300 million Orthodox Christians will crowd churches to hear the words: “Come, receive the light!” Throughout the world, entire congregations, previously waiting in darkness and anticipation, will light up in splendor and people’s faces will shine with joy and hope. All of them will chant the familiar hymn of triumph: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and granting life to those in the tombs.” For Orthodox faithful, Easter is the feast of feasts.<br /><br />As one Orthodox Easter hymn says, the feast of the Resurrection proposes “another way of seeing” and “another way of living.” Yet, the secret of that new life is already foreshadowed in the previous day, when the Orthodox Church recalls the harsh reality of the Cross.<br /><br />Faced with the seeming inevitability and impasse of global suffering, it is so easy to be cynical; it is tempting to dismiss issues like climate change or global conflict or world hunger, criticizing those who transform these into political flags or else who transmit messages of love. Yet, while people have become insensitive to sermons about the gloom and doom of our world, the reality of evil transcends any act of war or terrorism and every expression of violence or suffering. These are but symptoms of a deeper reality, which is overcome on the Cross on Good Friday [or Holy and Great Friday, as Orthodox Christians prefer to call it] through the radical power of forgiveness, tolerance, and compassion.<br /><br />The truth is that the Gospel message is as simple as it is radical. We are called to stand for love where there is hatred, to preach compassion where there is injustice, and to insist on dialogue where there is division. This at least, as we have been assured, is how people should recognize that those who call themselves Christians. (John 13.35) In fact, however, as uncomplicated as this may sound, it is a much harder Gospel to live by. It is far easier to proclaim a Gospel of power and might. It seems far less challenging to be dismissive of efforts to sustain conversation among unlikely partners from radically different religious or cultural backgrounds (even among the great monotheistic traditions, such as Christians, Muslims, and Jews) and conservation of natural resources (whether fundamental to our survival as human beings, or responsive to developing nations that experience poverty or hunger, or else supportive of our lifestyles). It is certainly far less intrusive in our personal lives to resist changes to our habits. People have far too much at stake.<br /><br />Hoping for change invites challenge in our worldview and lifestyle. But how willing are we to pay a price for our selfish consumption, our wasteful pollution, and our prideful discrimination, both racial and religious? When will we stop and be silent long enough to notice the direct impact of our way of life on the poor among us and on the poor of the world? Do we even recognize the wounds we have wrought upon the flesh of our brother and sister, as well as upon the body of the world? Is it that difficult to discern the arrogance of our behavior, conveniently and complacently overlooking the damage that results from our silence or ignorance?<br /><br />When Orthodox Christians recall the Resurrection, they are not primarily concerned intellectually with how that miracle actually took place. In fact, they think less of an empty grave and more of an open tomb, which remains an open invitation to those who believe. The miracle of Resurrection calls for an openness to confess the reality of the darkness within us and around us, admitting our role and responsibility in refusing to eradicate the suffering in our world. Then, when we stand honestly before the reality of our evil - in earnest recognition and prayerful confession of the hurt we inflict upon our neighbor within society and within the global community, and the abuse with we treat the earth’s resources - at that very moment of realization are we also able to perceive the hope and light of the Resurrection. Only then are we able to apprehend the relationship between the Resurrection and the presence of war, racism, global warming and terrorism in our world. For then, we shall also be able to discern the light of the Resurrection in our hearts and in our world.<br /><br />This is why for forty days after the bright night of that Easter vigil, Orthodox Christians will continue to greet one another with the words: “Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!”</justify></blockquote>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-41119404089884833422007-06-14T14:09:00.001-04:002008-04-10T14:38:44.728-04:00Il fait chaud au LibanLe dernier assassinat politique qui a eu lieu à Beyrouth hier confirme que les problèmes continueront dans ce petit pays méditerrannéen. <br /><br />Pour moi, ce conflit revêt un aspect personnel, car j'ai choisi de me marier à une Libanaise. Et souvent, c'est trop personnel. Comme lors de l'affaire des caricatures de Mahomet: une foule enragée s'est alors attaqué à plusieurs immeubles, dont celui de l'UE, avant d'essayer de pénétrer dans le quartier d'Achrafié, quartier 'chrétien' où habite ma belle-famille. Ou bien quand Israël bombardait un parking à une cinquantaine de mètres de leur immeuble en l'été 2006. Aussi, quand ce dernier chapitre d'une histoire sanglante a commencé, il y a un peu moins d'un mois, quand un attentat eut lieu près du centre commercial ABC, bordant une rue très fréquentée et que tous les habitants de ce quartier empruntent, souvent plusieurs fois par jour.<br /><br />Hier donc, c'est devenu personnel encore une fois, quand une voiture piégée prit la vie d'un Walid Eido et de son entourage. Personnel, car c'est apparemment un ami de la famille - chose courante dans ce pays d'à peine 4 millions. Mais plus personnel encore car cet attentat a eu lieu à côté du Sporting Club, que j'ai visité à maintes reprises et où ma belle-famille aurait dû être à l'heure de l'attentat. Intervention divine? Coup de chance?<br /><br />En tout cas, il est difficile de comprendre l'esprit humain, obstiné à continuer de vivre chez soi face au danger imminent...Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-43644099124425108292007-05-21T18:40:00.000-04:002007-05-21T18:47:16.104-04:00For those of you who are wondering, my in-laws in Beirut are doing relatively OK, after the car bomb that exploded Sunday night a couple of blocks away from their home in the Christian neighbourhood of Achrafieh...<br /><br />Apparently, another bombing occurred a few hours ago in mostly Sunni Verdun, also in Beirut.<br /><br />We've all been painfully aware that 2007 would be a rough year for this small Mediterranean country. This could just be a prelude to what's coming up.<br /><br />Sigh...Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-148530755862652502007-05-18T21:58:00.000-04:002007-05-18T22:03:12.454-04:00If you're at all interested in France, and what Sarko's elections mean for France and the world, I strongly urge you to read <a href="http://tonykaron.com/2007/05/17/getting-sarkozy-and-france-wrong/">this article by Princeton's Bernard Chazelle that was posted at Tony Karon's <span style="font-style: italic;">Rootless Cosmopolitan</span></a>.Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-79072364156303027702007-05-15T10:32:00.000-04:002007-05-15T12:35:58.909-04:00Le Canada aux Québécois<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/Quebec/images/high/5072.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 197px;" src="http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/Quebec/images/high/5072.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Quand j'ai déménagé au Canada en 1992 avec ma famille, nous avions d'abord atterri en Colombie-Britannique - je rêvais déjà du Québec. Lorsque, l'année suivante, nous sommes déménagés à Ottawa, je me suis retrouvé nez à nez avec lui. Chaque fois que je traversais la rivière des Outaouais, mon coeur palpitait: je me disais, un jour j'y vivrai. C'est que, pour un Franco-Brésilien comme moi, le Québec était le trait d'union qui manquait dans mon identité: je suis un Français fermement ancré en Amérique; je suis un Latino-Américain encerclé par d'autres Latino-Américains qui parlent une autre langue. Donc au Québec, jadis bout de France en Amérique, aujourd'hui société distincte dans une mer anglophone, je suis chez moi.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Moi même, je ne suis pas un souverainiste. Non. Ceci dit, je ne suis pas un fédéraliste non plus. Si, pour paraphraser ces slogans fédéralistes d'il y a douze ans, pour certains Canadiens, leur "Canada inclut le Québec", pour moi, le Québec inclut le Canada. C'est bien au Québec qu'est né le Canada, non?<br /><br />On se moque beaucoup cette semaine de la décision de M. Gilles Duceppe de se présenter candidat à la tête du Parti Québécois et le retrait de sa candidature le lendemain. M. Gilles Duceppe est le chef du Bloc Québécois - parti souverainiste dans le Parlement canadien. Pour le Canada anglais, c'est un peu (svp ne m'en voulez pas pour la comparaison que je ferai maintentant) comme si le Hamas formait l'opposition officielle dans la Knesset. Un peu paradoxal. Paradoxal, aussi, le refus de disparaître de ce mouvement, quand on sent que l'indépendance n'a jamais été aussi loin depuis la Révolution tranquille.<br /><br />Mais le mouvement souverainiste ne peut pas disparaître: il rend service à son pays, le Canada. Car, si laissé à lui-même, ce Canada des Anglais se contenterait de rester en orbite autour de son puissant éléphant de voisin, courant le risque d'être englouti. D'ailleurs, ce risque est d'autant plus réel qu'il semble devenir plus concret avec chaque jour qui passe, chaque camion qui traverse la frontière, avec chaque traité de coopération, d'harmonisation des normes (vers le bas, qui plus est), chaque mise en commun des compétences entre deux partenaires inégaux.<br /><br />Un Québec indépendant, à moins de joindre l'Union européenne, aurait moins de résistance à la force gravitationnelle américaine. Et le Canada, ou ce qu'il en resterait, y succomberait sans dout, en plusieurs morceaux probablement. Le Québec est la raison d'être de ce pays. Il en est le garde-fou.<br /><br />D'un autre côté, comme j'ai dit plus haut, je ne suis pas fédéraliste non plus. Ce modèle est en panne, selon moi. On ne peut pas avoir un tout dont les parties rouspètent de devoir partager leurs richesses - je pense au pétrole albertain. On ne peut pas avoir un pays où il est plus compliqué de faire du commerce entre les provinces qu'entre ces provinces et les États américains qui en sont voisins. C'est ça aussi l'ironie du sort: la géographie veut que Halifax et Vancouver soient plus proches, l'un de Miami et l'autre de Los Angeles.<br /><br />Dans un pays de contradictions, il me semble digne et juste que les souverainistes soient à Ottawa...<br /><br />(L'image: le Parlement canadien vu du côté québécois de la rivière des Outaouais; tirée de <a href="http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/Quebec/images/high/5072.jpg">http://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/Quebec/images/high/5072.jpg</a>)<br /></div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-91806249128865973902007-05-04T17:05:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:09:09.180-05:00SimCity Dreams Come True<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9j0R4F2_m1_eyMvwDWs3O7NZkYXziwMYzAS6NF8fBotaNAc-Bzq-yrptrmKUzYR8l5sq2gQJf1edOMkBHqaAmseU7Y4wW2-5tT5M__tL0ah64E4kRclHkNYhDNI1mRCZtG8XIoMuL5Uw/s1600-h/ecoville_dongtan_chine.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9j0R4F2_m1_eyMvwDWs3O7NZkYXziwMYzAS6NF8fBotaNAc-Bzq-yrptrmKUzYR8l5sq2gQJf1edOMkBHqaAmseU7Y4wW2-5tT5M__tL0ah64E4kRclHkNYhDNI1mRCZtG8XIoMuL5Uw/s320/ecoville_dongtan_chine.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062280377957283490" /></a><br />If, like me, you ever played SimCity games, you know the adrenaline rush that comes from building an entire city from scratch. Well, <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/feat_popup.html">architect Alejandro Gutierrez</a> got to play SimCity lifesize style! The name of the city? Dongtan, a green metropolis built from scratch on the outskirsts of bustling Shanghai.<br /><br />The aim of the developpers, <a href="http://www.arup.com/eastasia/project.cfm?pageid=7047">Arup</a>, is to make this city with a capacity of 50,000 people completely self-sustainable and carbon neutral - focusing on zero energy building, recycling, alternative energy and mass transportation systems, to name but a few of the innovative methods it incorporates. And this is only the first out of a total of 4 such eco-cities Arup has planned to build in China. It carries a price tag of US$ 1.3 billion.<br /><br />It's good news but no surprise that China has chosen to go down this path, because as its economy shows no signs of slowing down in the near future, the environment will inevitably be the first victim of this unprecedented boom. Of course, a project of this magnitude is also only possible in a highly controlled environment where the government can impose its vision where it wishes (the SimMayor's dream).<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />For further reading: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongtan">Dongtan Eco-city (wikipedia)</a>, <a href="http://www.greenoptions.com/blog/2007/04/21/china_building_first_carbon_neutral_city">Green Options on Dongtan</a>, <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/will_the_dongta.php">Treehugger on Dongtan</a></div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-79164054778813196362007-05-03T01:02:00.000-04:002007-05-03T15:28:05.594-04:00Unbiased NewsI couldn't believe it when I found this online... This, in my opinion, is what's wrong with America... And with friends like these, Israel does not need enemies, really...<br />To all the two people who will read me, I just wanted you to know, this is NOT Christianity, no matter what this guy might claim...<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.veoh.com/videodetails2.swf?permalinkId=v429746G6rMqDhr&id=anonymous&player=videodetailsembedded&videoAutoPlay=0" bgcolor="#000000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" height="350" width="440"></embed><br /><br /><br />Oh, and if you can't stand to watch the whole thing... I can't say I blame you!Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-88499758765342578302007-05-02T20:21:00.000-04:002007-05-02T20:30:26.474-04:00PrisonersJ'ai trouvé ce joyau sur un autre site, il fallait que je partage, même s'il est un peu vieux...<br />I found this gem on another site, I had to share, though I know it's a month old...<br /><br />Très simple, très discret, très au point et sarcastique...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1101"></a></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dru/1101">Prisoners</a><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I haven't weighed in about the Iranian hostage crisis, but it's about time that I did. I'm shocked, shocked, to say the least, that a country would dare to unilaterally detain citizens of another sovereign country without trial, and subject them to questioning. Why, I'm sure it's only the massive media attention that kept them from dressing them up in orange jumpsuits, keeping them in humiliating conditions, and torturing them.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Iran has released them, but we cannot soon forgive this unpardonable violation of sovereignty and rights. Especially given that the British may have been in <em>Iraqi</em> waters. No foreign country has any right to enter those waters without Iraq's permission.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">And on it goes.</p><div style="text-align: justify;">par/by dru - <a href="http://dominionpaper.ca/">The Dominion</a></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://dominionpaper.ca/"></a></div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-89802886240199055572007-04-27T18:47:00.000-04:002007-04-27T21:28:31.941-04:00Who Cares About Global Warming?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ase.org/images/lib/e-FFICIENCY/sick_earth.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 164px;" src="http://www.ase.org/images/lib/e-FFICIENCY/sick_earth.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Much noise has been made over the last few years about the dangers we face, as fast-paced global warming threatens to dramatically change the environment. Many people claim that global warming is somehow related to human activity, while others deny the clear, scientifically-proven existence of such a link.<br /><br />While the movement supporting some kind of action has gained momentum within activist circles (à la Al Gore) and the international public opinion, I for one am not hopeful of any significant change over the near future.<br /><br />In the international relations arena, the divide between those that favour action to curb climate change and those who deny the pertinence of such action is a very clear one: on one side, you have the Bush administration, Australia and Canada (whose previous administration failed to implement the Kyoto Protocol and whose current one has no intention of upholding it); on the other the "rest of the world", including world leaders, NGOs, international bodies, public opinion, etc... Kyoto, without the participation of the United States (25% of world emissions) and of China and India (who ratified but are exempt from emission cuts for the time being) is truly dead.<br /><br />No change can come from the top on climate change: those who can enforce change will not betray the industries that pollute the most, because they are direct or indirect beneficiaries of industry. Most declarations of politicians concerning curbing emissions is mere lip service, as what really drives the world is the bottom line: profit, re-election, consumerism, comfort, all of which can be neatly tucked into that most American (indeed, Western or globalized) of ideals - the pursuit of happiness, which means that not enough consumers care enough to demand a change in attitude from their elites, or from themselves.<br /><br />What I am getting at is that the whole discussion on whether or not climate change is man-made is deeply flawed. Rather, it sidesteps the issue. If you deny human activity as a catalyst for climate change, then clearly there is no issue. If, on the other hand, you agree that the current fast-paced climate change is related to human activity, then you wallow in self-pity, blaming the lack of will of those who are in the position of actually bringing the mass scale change that is necessary to revert the trend.<br /><br />But, as I said, both sides have missed the real issue: human misuse of the world. Whether or not our activity is causing global warming does not matter. What matters is that it is NOT sustainable. Changing from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy makes us feel warm and fuzzy. Recycling is a great thing, although very little of it is done on a global scale. Organic food? Great, if you can afford it.<br /><br />Clearly, though, those solutions (including carbon emission reduction) are but band-aids, typical of the Western-turned-global mindset: we treat the symptoms without addressing the disease. Have a problem? Pop a pill and keep moving! What we need is a paradigm shift. We need to change as a society, as individuals even. I could go first, but what's the point - are you gonna follow???</div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-46663306096612825482007-04-16T07:18:00.000-04:002007-04-16T08:26:50.733-04:00Hometown BaghdadLa puissance de l'internet est qu'elle permet à des mortels comme vous et moi de passer outre la censure imposée par les grands médias. <a href="http://www.hometownbaghdad.com/">Hometown Baghdad</a> suit le quotidien de jeunes irakiens, qui subissent ce conflit si lointain pour nous occidentaux. Ce sont d'ailleurs ces mêmes jeunes qui filment leur propre 'téléréalité'. Ça vaut le détour, pour nous Occidentaux qui nous plaignons de nos vies confortables.Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-42716965539773261362007-04-13T11:54:00.000-04:002007-04-13T18:13:13.335-04:00Foreign Policy Commentary by MADtvSorry for the week long silence. Pascha celebrations and exams have kept me busy these last few days and will continue to until the middle of next week.<br /><br />For now, I wanted to share this video a friend of mine brought to my attention.<br /><br />CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: <a href='http://www.glumbert.com/media/irack'>The Apple iRack</a>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-57029379942889857532007-04-06T18:03:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:09:09.465-05:00Reflections of an Orthodox Christian<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM17xj6cV2Hr26UY8rwAkJCqCWv8sZn9d6OiRz4_vBJrSg5zR83WxOKp7-n4AHyBLifiwZshSfDFwZB-1cCVE05A4AgJIxVc4F885B27hDk7bb8qk_bAkOmWnCo1PymtuWQjJj1ijCxBS/s1600-h/Russian_easter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM17xj6cV2Hr26UY8rwAkJCqCWv8sZn9d6OiRz4_vBJrSg5zR83WxOKp7-n4AHyBLifiwZshSfDFwZB-1cCVE05A4AgJIxVc4F885B27hDk7bb8qk_bAkOmWnCo1PymtuWQjJj1ijCxBS/s320/Russian_easter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5050439690505881682" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">Another Pascha (Easter) is upon us. Pascha, the Resurrection of Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, is the greatest celebration of the Christian year.<span style=""> </span>I wanted to share with you two experiences I had this past week – experiences characteristic of the Lenten struggle.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">As with any celebration, Pascha requires preparation – after all, no one goes to a party without some kind of preparation.<span style=""> </span>Yet, year after year, I am surprised to recognize myself in these words sung in the Matins of the Bridegroom (Holy Wednesday evening): “</span><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Your bridal chamber, I see adorned, O my Saviour, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter.”<span style=""> </span>The realization that this verse speaks of me was brought home by the fact that I arrived in church one full hour after the service <i style="">I</i> was supposed to be reading for started.<span style=""> </span>Talk about being in tune!<span style=""> </span>We tend to think that we are adequate – that we are doing just fine, that we need no healing, no betterment, no repentance.<span style=""> </span>It is moments like that one on Wednesday that really <i style="">should</i> serve as a wake-up call.<o:p></o:p><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">I had had another moment like that last Sunday – Palm Sunday.<span style=""> </span>Together with my wife, my brother and some friends, I half-heartedly agreed that we go to an Antiochian Orthodox parish.<span style=""> </span>That particular parish, where we have many friends, is renowned for its chaotic Palm Sundays: one must come early in order to secure a spot or risk being relegated to the basement, only to watch the service on TV screens!<span style=""> </span>Also, it’s very noisy – Orthodox churches are known for the brouhaha that accompanies services, as people are encouraged to feel at home in church, not in a museum.<span style=""> </span>But at that particular parish, Palm Sunday busy-ness is like being transported to the streets of an old city in the </span><st1:place><span style="" lang="EN-GB">Middle East</span></st1:place><span style="" lang="EN-GB">. I often compare it to being in the merchants’ quarter, or souq.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">So there we were, in that souq service (granted, it really wasn’t as bad as previous years), me holding on to any fault I could find.<span style=""> </span>It got pretty bad, I started to want to just walk out of the church.<span style=""> </span>It was then that I had my realization: God’s murmur in my heart (for God never yells) demanded my attention.<span style=""> </span>As I was agonizing over the constant re-tuning of the choir before each and every response – wishing I was back at my home parish, that soft voice told me: ‘Stop focusing on details.<span style=""> </span>You’re here to be with <i style="">Me</i>.<span style=""> </span>Just be with Me.’<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">I was filled with joy at this realization, and I spent the rest of the service just conversing with the Lord in my heart.<span style=""> </span>Alas, as is often the case, such states of grace are gone far too quickly. But thankfully, this weekend I will experience that joy yet again, as we are all invited to the great banquet of the Lord - even those (especially those) of us who have 'no wedding garment' that we may enter.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="" lang="EN-GB"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="" lang="EN-CA">For all are invited, as is stressed in the sermon by St. John Chrysostom read aloud in all Orthodox churches around the world:</span></p><blockquote><p>If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival. </p><p>If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord. </p><p>If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. </p><p>If anyone has labored from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay. For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious. He both honors the work and praises the intention. </p><p>Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward. O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today! The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry! </p><p>Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness. </p><p>Let no one lament his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. </p><p>Let no one mourn his transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave. </p><p>Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free. </p><p>He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He descended into hades and took hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed, "Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions." It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it was bound in chains! </p><p>It took a body and, face to face, met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen! </p><p>"O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?" </p><p>Christ is risen, and you are overthrown! </p><p>Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen! </p><p>Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! </p><p>Christ is risen, and life reigns! </p><p>Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb! </p><p>For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the First-fruits of them that slept. </p><p>To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen."</p><p></p></blockquote><br /><p></p><p>Christ is risen! Le Christ est ressuscité! Cristo ressuscitou! Христос Воскресе! Χριστός Ανέστη! !<span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>المسيح قام </strong></span>Kristo Amefufukka! 基督復活了! ハリストス復活!</p>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-4590576727802190382007-04-03T23:26:00.000-04:002007-04-04T00:46:29.782-04:00À venir / Coming soon...<a href="http://shijiejuleo.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">世界据雷欧</span></a>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-19945279008841618272007-04-01T23:53:00.000-04:002007-04-02T00:08:57.681-04:00NEW FEATURE!French is not your thing? Some of my French articles are now available in English. Visit <a href="http://theworldaccordingtoleo.blogspot.com/2007/04/mercury-rising-in-middle-east.html">The World According To Leo</a>!<br /><br />NOTE: English posts on this site will NOT be transferred over (unless you clamour for it, that is)Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-89550538213386515882007-04-01T18:35:00.000-04:002007-04-01T23:43:31.445-04:00La température monte au Moyen-Orient(<a href="http://theworldaccordingtoleo.blogspot.com/2007/04/mercury-rising-in-middle-east.html">go to English version</a>)<br /><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">Quand on a accueilli l’année 2007 à Beyrouth, on sentait un certain malaise dans l’air.<span style=""> </span>Cette année serait pleine d’événements, pour le meilleur ou pour le pire.<span style=""> </span>En cette fin de Carême, on voit que les choses commencent à bouger.<span style=""> </span>Au Liban, la situation continue bloquée : l’opposition continue à étouffer le centre-ville tandis que la majorité parlementaire, appuyée par les Etats-Unis et la France, prie pour un miracle. Mais, la situation au Liban, on le sait, ne se résoudra pas sur place, mais bien entre Damas, Téhéran, Riyad, Washington et Paris.<o:p></o:p></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p>Curieusement, d’un seul coup, le Moyen-Orient est en ébullition.<span style=""> </span>Tellement de choses se passent sur autant de fronts, qu’il est difficile d’en cerner la signification (à moins de faire partie du club fermé des princes de ce monde).<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">D’abord, pour l’énième fois ces dernières semaines, Condoleeza Rice accumule des <i style="">miles</i> entre l’Amérique et ses myriades visites chez les Israéliens, les Saoudiens, etc. Vladimir Poutine aussi a effectué sa propre tournée dans le monde arabe récemment, afin de signaler à Washington que la Russie entend avoir son mot à dire dans cette région charnière.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">Mais tout cela n’est rien comparé à la fébrilité à laquelle on a assisté depuis la semaine dernière : Rice est de nouveau au Moyen-Orient.<span style=""> La chancelière allemande Angela</span> Merkel, en tant que présidente de l’Union européenne, s’affaire elle aussi à discuter avec Olmert sur la proposition de la Ligue arabe sur un plan de paix totale entre le monde arabe et Israël, ainsi que sur les relations entre le gouvernement assiégé de l’Autorité palestinienne et l’État hébreu.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">Plus tôt cette semaine, <a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20070330/62861432.html">les médias russes annonçaient</a> avoir pris connaissance de préparations pour une attaque imminente des États-Unis sur l’Iran, prévues pour ce Vendredi saint (ou lundi de Pâques, selon d'autres).<span style=""> </span>Ces informations auraient été cueillies par les services de renseignement russes.<span style=""> </span>Sauf que normalement ce genre d’information n’est pas divulgué sans raison, et il faut toujours se demander pourquoi une telle ‘fuite’ a lieu.<span style=""> </span>En parallèle, la capture par Téhéran de soldats britanniques, accusés d’avoir envahi les eaux territoriales iraniennes, tandis que l’on assiste au plus grand déploiement de navires de guerre dans le Golfe depuis 1991.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">Parmi les plans américains, les défenses balistiques (missiles sol-air), les forces aériennes et les installations nucléaires iraniennes seraient visées.<span style=""> </span>Évidemment, ce type d’attaque s’effectue à l’aide de bombes nucléaires tactiques surnommées bombes ‘propres’ (euphémisme), ou encore <i style="">mini-nukes</i>.<span style=""> </span>Selon une de mes sources (tu sais qui tu es, merci!), ces bombes sont de l’ordre de 13 kilotonnes (à titre de comparaison les bombes larguées sur le Japon étaient de 20 kilotonnes).<span style=""> </span>Elles seraient utilisées, selon les stratèges américains, afin de transpercer le sol et atteindre des bunkers enfouis.<span style=""> </span>Où ces bunkers sont, et quel est le risque à long terme pour la population civile, je l’ignore.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">Pour sa part, Nancy Pelosi, chef démocrate du Congrès américain, est en Israël et devrait se rendre à Damas, probablement pour donner un ultimatum à la Syrie – <i style="">either you’re with us or you’re against us</i>, qu’ils disent.<span style=""> </span>Si Assad ne fléchit pas, il risque la possibilité d’une attaque israélienne via le Liban-Sud.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;">C’est possible que tout cela ne soit que de la rhétorique (appuyée évidemment par des porte-avions et une concentration massive de <i style="">marines</i> sur la frontière irano-irakienne.<span style=""> Pour sa part, <a href="http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/844640.html">selon le quotidien Haaretz</a>, aucune préparation de ce genre n'a lieu présentement, ce qui n'empêche le Hezbollah, la Syrie et l'Iran de mettre en place des dispositifs de défense contre une guerre en été - que ces derniers n'initieraient pas cependant.<br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Ce qui est sûr, c’est que QUELQUECHOSE est en train de mijoter au Moyen-Orient.<span style=""> Au Liban, on attend...<br /></span></span></p><a href="http://theworldaccordingtoleo.blogspot.com"><a href="http://theworldaccordingtoleo.blogspot.com/2007/04/mercury-rising-in-middle-east.html"></a></a>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-67232449761005821322007-04-01T01:59:00.000-04:002007-04-01T02:20:25.602-04:00"TV for the Internet age!" and Xingu.net<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Most people like to watch TV. In an age where cable-TV providers offer us consumers hundreds of channels with nothing worth your ever-shrinking time, some people have taken matters into their own hands and have given us the power to make TV. <br />The principle is quite ingenious: segments called 'pods' lasting no more than 4 minutes, made partly by ordinary webizens (no, I did NOT just create a word), presented to the viewer in a 'shuffle' randomness. Ideal for the 21st century </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >internaute</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, whose attention span is shorter than ever... </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" ><br />Mesdames et messieurs</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://uk.current.com/about">Current TV</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. (go on, click on the link)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">On unrelated news, Brazil has decided to deploy its latest hi-tech weapon in order to protect the environment: the Internet. More on this strange story, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6509973.stm">here</a>.</span></div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-23992428511732429592007-04-01T01:15:00.000-04:002007-04-01T01:26:51.435-04:00J'accepte des donations (CAN$, US$, €, £, etc...)Je viens de décider ce que je m'offre comme cadeau cet été (avec VOTRE aide):<br /><br /><embed src='http://us.i1.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/player/media/swf/FLVVideoSolo.swf' flashvars='id=1504232&emailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fca.video.yahoo.com%2Futil%2Fmail%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26vid%3D106463&imUrl=http%253A%252F%252Fca.video.yahoo.com%252Fvideo%252Fplay%253Fei%253DUTF-8%2526vid%253D106463&imTitle=JET-MAN%2B%253A%2BTHE%2BINCREDIBLE%2BFLYING%2BMAN%2B%2521%2521%2521&searchUrl=http://ca.video.yahoo.com/video/search?p=&profileUrl=http://ca.video.yahoo.com/video/profile?yid=&creatorValue=Y2hyaXNiYW5hY2g%3D&vid=106463' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='425' height='350'></embed><br /><br />Merci d'avance, les amis!<br /><br />(<span style="font-style:italic;">Non, ch'uis pas sérieux... Ouf, on peut rêver, non?)</span>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-43313333041851761792007-03-30T20:31:00.000-04:002007-03-30T21:04:16.003-04:00Christ and the Tao (基督 和 道)A while back, while book-browsing at John Hadjinicolaou's <a href="http://alexanderpress.com/">bookstore</a>, I found this curiously titled book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Christ the Eternal Tao</span>. I bought it on the spot, thinking it would look perfect on one of my dusty shelves (so many books, so little time!).<br /><br />One day, a Chinese woman came over and I thought, arrogant that I am "<span style="font-style: italic;">Hey, this is the perfect tool to preach to them Orientals!</span>"... Turns out, she's a devout Catholic. She took the book anyway, and has vowed never to return it, as she fell in love with it...<br /><br />So, I was very happy to find <a href="http://bonovox.squarespace.com/journal/2004/11/28/the-logos-and-the-tao.html">this article</a> that summarizes (for you and for me) what the book is all about.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bonne lecture</span>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-41856717979625242622007-03-30T20:01:00.000-04:002007-03-30T20:22:47.713-04:00Leçon d'histoireTout le monde sait très bien que l'Australie a été découverte par les Britanniques (ok, d'accord, au moins moi j'en étais convaincu). Eh bien non! Il semblerait que ce sont les Portugais qui ont exploré sa côte est: Selon un article publié <a href="http://es.today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2007-03-21T110118Z_01_SAN139417_RTRIDST_0_OESEN-DESCUBRIMIENTO-AUSTRALIA-MAPA.XML">ici</a> et selon Wikipedia, <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australie#Histoire">"Le premier Européen à visiter l'Australie est l’explorateur portugais <span style="font-size:100%;">Cristóvão de Mendonça</span> en 1522."</a><br /><br />Là, je tu m'épates!Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-7732546250193429242007-03-30T01:21:00.000-04:002007-03-30T11:23:35.569-04:00This is one angry kid!I stumbled on this video a couple of days ago... I thought I'd share with y'all...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BY7875_rv1s"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BY7875_rv1s" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-78284888453367471902007-03-30T00:59:00.001-04:002007-03-30T13:08:57.741-04:00Vue sur la mer<div style="text-align: justify;"> On entend beaucoup parler des conflits en Afrique et au Moyen-Orient, du terrorisme et du fondamentalisme. Cependant, à tout moment, des dizaines de conflits 'mineurs' sévissent partout dans le monde, sans que les médias ne s'y attardent longtemps.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> Comme j'ai passé la majeure partie de mon enfance au Brésil, je vous invite à regarder ce reportage sur les violences actuelles dans les <span style="font-style: italic;">favelas </span>de Rio:<br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.france24.com/france24Public/fr/dossiers/grands-reportages/20070228-Rio-violence">http://www.france24.com/france24Public/fr/dossiers/grands-reportages/20070228-Rio-violence</a>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520116336320787049.post-4330588692299643052007-03-30T00:32:00.000-04:002007-03-31T15:48:08.505-04:00I finally got my Bachelor's. So what now?<div style="text-align: justify;">After 12 years of avoiding the brutality of the real world, I am finally a worthy member of society: in a couple of weeks, I am to graduate! Having swallowed text after text, theory after theory, I am at last ready to get out there and leave my mark...<br /><br /> Graduating from International Relations carries with it the dubious distinction of my being able to work nowhere and everywhere. Not only do I have to find a job - I have to <span style="font-style: italic;">invent</span> a job for myself... But don't cry for me: I think this is actually appropriate for our present age. The world needs new ideas, a fresh start. The world needs the right dose of idealism, of naïveté, of pragmatism and cynicism. <span style="font-style: italic;">Ça tombe bien! </span>The world needs <span style="font-style: italic;">me</span>!<br /><br /> Now all I need to do is convince you...</div>Léonard Roger Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10666734852325245516noreply@blogger.com8