Death in Finland

Colombia´s most important newspaper, El Tiempo, was created 95 years ago. The first edition didnt have any pictures and only included 4 pages. On the third page, Ángel Gavinet told colombians how death was celebrated in Finland.

"There [in Finland] people die much older than us [...] Funerals are one of the most vivid celebrations in that country [...] In a traditional way, they cover all of the streets where the funeral will pass with pine branches [...] It is practically impossible to bury someone alive because the body stays up to 10 days in the homes [...] The idea that people have here about death (a natural idea in a country where life is so hard), is that it doesnt matter how bad a person is, he deserves a crown of triumph for having lived and fought"

After 95 years some things have changed, and some things have not:

1. People still die here much older than in Colombia. The factors and atmosphere of the dayly-life helps them to live for more years. A considerable percentage of the people that you see in the streets is really really old and this might actually have to do with the fact that here very old people can go out and not get mugged.

2. I havent been yet to a funeral, but of what i have heard, they are not vivid (it would be weird if they were).

3. This tradition of the pine branches has not been kept alive, maybe in the really little small and far away towns?

4. It still takes a long time from the moment a person dies until he/she is buried (I have heard that up to 3 weeks in some cases). Actually, sometimes, it takes a long time from the moment a person dies until somebody actually notices that he is gone (specially with old people who live alone)

5. Nowadays, life in Finland is pretty easy. The government is able to provide everyone with more than the basic needs. Even if you dont do anything you can live in an honorable way. And by not doing anything i mean: anything.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Evo, Uribe & Chávez

No es taaan fácil

Este post es para todos los que creen que Uribe no tiene competencia en las urnas. La última encuesta realizada en las principales ciudades del país muestra que Uribe no ganaría en la primera vuelta. De todas maneras su popularidad lo dejaría con un 48% de los votos y se convertiría en el favorito para ganar la segunda vuelta. Esto no cambia mucho la situación PERO si demuestra que a Uribe si se le puede hacer competencia.

Sus supuestos vínculos con los paracos; las metidas de pata de su gobierno con la oposición; el no cumplimiento de sus promesas; y el giro a la izquierda que ha hecho el continente Sur-Americano podrían ser instrumentos y razones para mantener a Uribe afuera del Palacio de Nariño durante los próximos 4 años.

Es difícil porque esta misma encuesta le dió apenas un 8,5% a Serpa y un 2% a Carlos Gaviria. Pero también toca tener en cuenta que los que no votan por Uribe son personas que realmente NO QUIEREN que este señor sea re-elegido, por consiguiente: la segunda vuelta puede ser una sorpresa. Rafael Pardo como que se está asomando. El oso del gobierno en su contra le está ayudando.

Ignorance is dangerous

I am not even going to name the name of the danish ignorants who are responsible for this because i don't want to give them more publicity. But please, please... think a bit. Inform yourself a bit. If you are also an oppresed person and can't find anything to do, then try to do as less harm as you can. I do believe that Colombia is an unfair country, but helping these guys and dis-informing many others wont make anything better...

Suomen politiikka

Tarja Halonen näyttää keskisormea Niinistölle

Girl Power

Fin de semana de elecciones. En Finlandia se corrió la primera vuelta para la presidencia. Con un 46,3%, la actual presidenta Tarja Halonen, se sostuvo como favorita para ganar la segunda vuelta que le tocará disputar contra el neo-liberal Sauli Niinistö quien obtuvo el 24,1% (primer ganador de la primera vuelta en la historia de su partido Kokoomus). El primer ministro Matti Vanhanen, de un partido de tendencia central, quien era esperado en la segunda vuelta, solo obtuvo el 18,6%. Entre tanto, el verdadero aspirante para la verdadera derecha (casi radical) finladesa, Timo Soini, obtuvo el 3,4% de los votos.

En Chile, la socialista Michelle Bachelet ganó la segunda vuelta de la presidencia por ese país. Obtuvo el 53,51% de los votos, contra el 46,48% de su rival, el multimillonario Sebastián Piñera. Se ha convertido entonces en la primera mujer presidente de Chile y una ficha más en el nuevo mapa izquierdista (socialista?) de Latinoamerica.

En Alemania se posicionó hace poco Angela Merkel como la primer mujer Canciller en la historia de ese país. Siendo líder del partido CDU (Unión Democratica Cristiana), creó una coalición con el CSU (Union Social Cristiana) y con el SPD (Partido Social Demócrata de Alemania).

Otra mujer que acaba de ser noticia es Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, quien se posicionó como presidente de Liberia, a su vez convirtiendose en la primer lider (mujer) en la historia del continente africano. Muchas personas se refieren a ella como "Iron Lady" o "Dama de Hierro". Después de obtener el segundo puesto en la primera vuelta de las elecciones, se enfrentó en la segunda vuelta contra el futbolista George Weah. Ellen Johnoson Sirleaf pertenece al Unity Party (Partido de la Unidad).

Entre tanto, Cecilia López Montaño, retiro sus aspiraciones para la presidencia en Colombia al aceptar la propuesta de encabezar la lista única liberal al Senado. De esta forma probablemente no habrá ninguna mujer en las listas de nuestros candidatos. El partido Liberal, aparentemente, sabe que ganarle a Uribe en las urnas es bastante complicado. Por esta razón le están apuntado al Senado para poder, por lo menos, tratar de asegurar las elecciones del 2010.

+ point for our forrests

Colombia, as i have said numerous times before, is blessed with one of the richests biodiversities in the world. Great part of our ecological wealth is based on our thousands of hectars of forrests. However a new law (la ley forestal) which had been approved by the Congress has threaten to devastate them in order to strengthen the wood industry (national and international).

Luckily, several groups, including the Ministery of the Environment, have convinced the president to send the law back to the Congress for re-evaluation. Hopefully this law will not pass or at least will be changed so that our forrests can be saved.

Although Colombia is considered by some to be an environment-friendly-country, more than 600,000 hectars are destroyed every year. Another negative factor is the cultivation of coca and production of cocaine which has threatened our reserves because of all of the pollution which is created in this process.

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In a completely different note, I discovered today an article in the SOHO magazine about the life of the colombian football legend Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama. If you understand spanish and feel interested click here.

Its just a game

The videogame developer CITY interactive will launch next spring the fourth sequel of their so called 'Terrorist Takedown'. And guess what? This time its our turn. The new game is called 'Terrorist Takedown 4: WAR IN COLOMBIA'. Its a first person shooter game (like Call of Duty, Wolfenstein, etc...) where you will be an american elite soldier whose final objective will be to kill the colombian drug lord.

The game wont be in stores for quite some time but colombian newspapers are already heating up the coming controversy. Apparently the introduction of the game is demeaning for some people: "The only beneficial crop in non-industrial, mountainous region of Colombia is coca - therefore 70% per cent of its society is either directly or indirectly involved in production, distribution, purification or smuggling of cocaine, which makes cartel from Medelin and other mobsters be widely supported by the Colombian society. Criminals are flooding the U.S. with drugs thus earning loads of money from that business. Being fed up with that state of affairs, American government decides to get rid of drug bosses from Colombia. The war in Colombia breaks out... "

Come on.. its just a game. Actually, I'm curious.. I want to see it and play it. And I think that it was about time that they made a game with Colombia as background.

For a bit more info about the game click here.

Elson

Elson Becerra. Otro personaje del fútbol colombiano víctima de la violencia. A sus 27 años fue asesinado en Cartagena.

Parace que el ataque no fue dirigido a él. De todas maneras no importa porque igual lo hecho hecho está.

Jugador de la Selección Colombia, fue campeón de la Copa America del 2001.

Mike the headless chicken

This post is merely an attempt to remember this in the future. My friend Jaakko Kuosmanen told Beto and me that there was a chicken which had been beheaded and still lived for sometime. We didnt believe him. However.. its true. Here i present (for those of you who dont know this story):

MIKE: THE HEADLESS CHICKEN

In brief, Mike was a chicken who lived for 18 months after he was beheaded by his owner. He was left with one ear and the brain stem intact.

On the first night, Mike slept with his head under his wing. His owner decided to keep him and fed him with an eyedropper.

His owner decided to tour with Mike. They charged 25 cents and at the climax of Mike´s career they were earning 4,500 dollars/month.

Mike died on March 1947

"Mike the headless chicken day" is celebrated the third weekend of May every year. The responsible for organizing this even is the "Mike the headless chicken foundation" which has headquarters in Fruita, Colorado.

Going Bananas

The European Union (EU) gave an unpleasant New Year´s gift to the banana producing countries (specially Colombia and Ecuador). This year began with an increase on the banana tariff regarding the exports of this fruit to Europe. Beginning yesterday (01.01.2006), it will be 134% more expensive to export bananas to the EU. This decision was made by the EU in order to protect the producers of their old colonies in Asia and the Pacific.

This is a terrible news for colombian banana producers, who rely heavily on the EU: the final destination of 65% of their production. Colombia has around 300 producers who employ 100,000 families which are now afraid that this decision of the EU will force companies to downsize their personel.

Last year more than 86 million boxes each containing 18,14 kilos of bananas where exported from Colombia. This year analysts are expecting a reduction around 4% (both in value and volume). Many producers fear that they will only be able to hold on for the first 6 months of the year. Exageration? hmmm... maybe, but then again, increasing the banana tariff from 75€ to 176€ , and consequently affecting negatively more people than the ones that they help seems insane.