Howls in the post-modern night

I have listened to Fonseca's podcast Howls in the post-modern night and I left this comment.

Fonseca, it's the first "Howls in the post-modern night" that I have listened to and I must recognise that I liked it. Still a bit of way to go to perform as a proper radio presenter, but your efforts are nothing to be sneered at. You'll improve with the practice. Congratulations and "bon courage"!

Don't worry, happy butcher, I think everyone understood that your mistake was a "lapsus linguae". But I think that your obsession with the liberalisation of drugs could be a bit too much. I think that the grandfather of the "liberalismo", Adam Smith, and its father and mother, Friedmans, although would include it as a requirement for a 100% pure libertarian society, do not consider it that central or with the highest priority.

Last thing, good song.

Love and freedom.

Jihad Watch

I have dedicated the day to sweep the internet, starting at usual at Red Liberal.

Taken a cue from John's Iberian Notes, I read a comparison of Freud and Ortega in The New Criterion.. I highlight the last two paragraphs:

Although Ortega is genuinely disdainful of fascism, seeing it as the apogee of mass man, there seems to me something at least proto-fascist, and possibly more than proto-fascist, in his solution to the existential problem that he has so astutely characterized. He makes power the measure of all things, indeed he makes it the meaning of life. When he says that life is struggle, he does not mean merely that there are always obstacles to worthwhile achievement to be overcome, and that a life without such obstacles would be meaningless, but that domination of the world is the meaning of life, and all else, at least for Europe, is decadence. I don’t find this at all pleasant.

Yet, at the same time, and more memorably, Ortega points to the very danger that I see in his solution. He says that today, precisely because so much is possible, the worst is possible: regression, barbarity, decadence. Freedom and possibility necessarily include the freedom and possibility to do evil, which is something of which conservatives are aware but progressives tend to screen out of their minds. Of course, conservatives have, or tend to have, the opposite fault, to be unduly sceptical of the possibilities of doing good. But the existential limitations of human life, as sensitively described by Freud and Ortega, mean that it is far easier to do harm than good, and therefore that the faults of progressives and conservatives, while intellectually mirror images of one another, are not moral mirror images.

The fact that freedom and possibility gives people the freedom and opportunity of doing evil links directly to the apology of terror made by self-called Muslims and denounced by JihadWatch. (If the Fitna film is blocked at Google, check out the following link http://www.fok.nl/mirror/fitna.html.)

However, the solution is not less freedom for everyone (the statism offered by fascism and socialism), but directly fight the people that cause the evil and show everybody that their attitude is shameful. So please, "Muslim moderates", stand up and point to your fellows that those lines in the Quram that command to kill and terrorise are not actually Allah's word, but simply the "calls to arms" by Muhammad to gather support of the empoverish nomadic tribes to gain power in Saudi Arabia.

Love and freedom.

Corruption in the Catalan government

El País eleva a 1,4 millones los pagos que hizo la Generalidad en 2007 a personas afines.

Libertad Digital (29/03/2008)

It seems that andalusian and extremeno people are not the only ones that know how to waste the money hardly earned by the Spanish workers and enterpreneurs.

As explained in the article above in Libertad Digital, the Catalan government also accomplishes successfully what the political class does better: wasting and misappropriating the money of the taxpayers. Please read and open your eyes to how corrupt all governments are if citizens give them any opportunity.

As I know that lots of you will simply ignore whatever appears in the "right-wing" papers, please do not hesitate to check out the mentioned article in El Pais. Since it is a socialist paper, it is much more forgiving with the offenders (former friends!!) and it does not explicitely recognise that the problem starts with the overgrowth of the government, but at least its ironic beginning is a step in the right direction.

La Generalitat de Cataluña tiene 140.000 funcionarios, más de 200 empleados eventuales y otros tantos altos cargos. Sin embargo, tanto personal parece insuficiente para que el Ejecutivo logre organizarse y proyectar su imagen externa. El Pais (29/03/2008)

We should fight our corrupt governments and the most efficient way is by reducing the burden of a government to the strictly necessary. I shall do it.

Love and freedom.

Atonement

When I am dead, and the Marshalls are dead, and the novel is
finally published, we will only exist as inventions. Briony will be as much of a fantasy as the lovers who shared a bed in Balham and enraged their landlady. No one will care what events and which individuals were misrepresented to make a novel. I know there's always a certain kind of reader who will be compelled to ask, But what really happened? The answer is simple: the lovers survive and flourish. As long as there is a single copy, a solitary typescript of my final draft, then my spontaneous, fortuitous sister and her medical prince survive to love.

Ian McEvan, Atonement (2001)

I have not written for a good couple of weeks, since the new disappointment
at the Spanish elections, half because I have been pretty busy at work and
half because I have no easy access to the internet during the Holy Week.

Nevertheless, I had time to read and I got round to finish Atonement by Ian McEwan at Easter. It is a truly moving story.

I’ll wait for you was elemental. It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back.

Reading Atonement has shown me that I still have a long way to go to become a good novelist. And that it is very unlikely that I ever be a great writer. However, that doesn't mean that I should give up writing. Gift, dedication, patience and luck are all necessary. In Briony's words:

How can a novelist achieve atonement when, with her absolute power of deciding outcomes, she is also God? There is no one, no entity or higher form that she can appeal to, or be reconciled with, or that can forgive her. There is nothing outside her. In her imagination she has set the limits and the terms. No atonement for God, or novelists, even if they are atheists/. It was always an impossible task, and that was precisely the point. The attempt was all.

Love and freedom.

My favourite book

My favourite book is The Never-Ending Story by the great German writer Michael Ende.

I have the Spanish version of the book at home, I have read it 5 or 6 times; I prepared a work on it at high school; I have laughed, cried, feared and loved with it. It sparked my love for the world of the thought and unseen (Fantasy, ideas, dreams); it put the foundations for the philosophy of a very curious yet introspective boy.

However, I wish I could read it in German: Die Unendliche Geschichte. Sounds deep, doesn't it?

Love and freedom.

Vote for Sahara, kick PSOE out

The Saharawi people don't want Morocco supporters to win the Spanish elections. I can't believe I have found a post on the very same first reason that sparked my antagonism towards PSOE. PSOE sold their values as soon as it reached the government in 1982. They said that "One hundred years of honesty" backed them (I'd put it in doubt), but definitely when they got the power they thought: "but not a single one year more!".

I would be glad to see that the Saharawi people realised that Spanish left won't help them as PSOE is just a follower of France policy (which defends its colony Morocco) and IU supported RASD while USSR stood (now that the Saharawi cause is of little use in the fight against capitalism, all the support that United Left (IU) provides consists barely of a couple of food-loaded trucks a year).

Spain still is the responsible for the sovereignity and management of Western Sahara. Spain should enforce the referendum for Western Sahara and the Saharawi people should be given the option to resume their union with Spain as Autonomous Region. They are our brothers.

Love and freedom.

Vote today, kick him out

Spaniards thought that former Prime Minister Aznar lied or got it wrong 4 years ago when the 11-M blasts and his party (PP) was ousted. Incumbent Prime Minister Zapatero lied and got it wrong these years with regards to the ETA killings: his party (PSOE) should be kicked out of government. Don't you think it's fair?

Love and freedom.

ETA kills again

My condolences to late Isaias Carrasco's family. Requiescat in pace.

ETA is a terrorist band of coward bastards, their members should all be in prison for the rest of their lives and the Spaniards should rise and fight them to the victory of

Love and Freedom.

Conversation of two classmates

From: myaccount@hotmail.com
To: myclassmate@hotmail.com
Subject: Election time
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 22:09:56 +0100

Dear All,

If you are mad enough to re-read the ZP-Rajoy debates in English:

http://abrevaderos.blogspot.com/2008/02/notas-del-debate-round-1.html
http://abrevaderos.blogspot.com/2008/03/notes-of-debate-round-2.html

No, I'm not bored. I work, eat, drink, read, play football, go clubbing, watch films, and enjoy my time. In fact, I barely sleep the days I blog. The only things I don't do is watching TV (excluding the debates) and wasting my time with computer games.

Love and freedom!
Borja


++++++++++++++++

From: Jose Julio Caparros (myclassmate@hotmail.com)
To: myaccount@hotmail.com
Subject: Election time
Date: Saturday, March 08, 2008 9:06:29 AM

¿A quién vas a votar Lopo? Eres un líder de masas. Ilumínanos! ¿Ni siquiera lo del matrimonio gay te ha convencido? Mira que nunca se sabe...


+++++++++++++++


I'm no mass leader, my friend. I don't know whether you read my post on Russia's ideologies: I am against any sort of Warlordism ("caudillismo") or demagogy (style quite commonly used by politicians who try to win support by using arguments based on emotion rather than reason and which converts them - people with no particularly great ideas - into mass leaders).

I am a libertarian ("liberal" in the sense given in Spanish from Spain - rather than 'libertario' as explained here). I support a somewhat limited form of government (further information here), leaning towards minarchism.

There are no proper libertarian political parties in Spain with which I fully agree, though there are sort of libertarian currents in some parties, such as in Union, Progreso y Democracia (UPyD), Ciudadanos-Partido de la Ciudadania (C's), Partido Popular (PP). That is why I don't ask people to vote for a specific party, but I do ask you not to vote for the anti-libertarian parties, such as PSOE, IU, CIU, PNV, ERC, BNG, Falanges (the last 4 are are national-socialists), Los Verdes, Partido Comunista, Partido Antitaurino, Partido Carlista, Partido Humanista, etc.

JJ, what does your "does not even the gay marriage convince you?" mean? PSOE and Zapatero have done hundreds of things wrong, and just a few of them well. I am in favour of a gay civil partnership in the UK style (enacted with far less scorn for the dissenters). Fortunately in Spain gays and other minorities can now live with no great risk for their lives just for the fact of being a minority (although physical and verbal attacks still occur and I condemn/fight them).

However, lots of citizens who defend Spain still need bodyguards and PSOE's dealings with ETA have not helped them. No negotiation should be held with ETA other than to decide how they are going to destroy all their weapons after ETA having surrendered with absolutely no economical, political or juridical concession by Spain.

Furthermore, PSOE have shown an anti-libertarian or disgusting behaviour in any other field. There is a list of reasons not to vote PSOE (some of which I'd re-phrase).

For these National elections, among the list of options, there are two new parties (UPyD and C's) with some libertarian characteristics and chances to reach the Congress. I think that lots of PSOE voters in the last elections would do better voting any of those two parties.

I'd like to see the anti-libertarian power (socialists and anti-freedom nationalists) reduced.

Hope this answers your question, JJ.

Love and freedom.

Comment of a Briton on the 9/3/08 Spanish poll

As a UK Spanish resident for twenty years I have seen a consistent disaster in Spanish economics each time the Socialist party wins power . The figure of Franco is continually used to frighten the modern day Spaniard along with an intent to foster nationalist agreements that only devide the Spanish people. Spain has been sheltered for years from the immigration problems faced by other EU countries who have all learned by their mistakes. Spain is now waking up to this because Zapatero literally "invited" thousands of immigrants to come to Spain trying to escape their terrible situation without EU consent or consideration for the consequences. It is not possible to "please all of the people, all of the time" . Zapatero seems to act before his party rescues/backs him - major companies are thinking twice before investing - many Spanish professionals are finding jobs elsewhere. Foreign investment is essential - although Spain is growing, 4 years more of Zapatero will retard Spain.

Gary M. Lee, Comment to a Timesonline article(07/03/2008)

I fully agree with this comment by a Madrid-based Briton to a Timesonline article on a survey days before the 9th-March Spanish elections.

Love and freedom.

Russia's ideologies

My project manager this week has been a young, Russian, married came every morning with the Wall Street Journal under his arm. This slightly encouraged me after the blow to freedom struck by Russia’s political establishment at the last Russian presidential elections.

I asked him whether he had voted in them, to which he replied that he had not bothered: lots of Russian people's votes don't count or, rather, are miscounted appropriately by the government. We have just seen how Russia has decided how to overcome its lack of confidence after the collapse of the USSR: to regain their pride with the restoration of the "Warlordism" or the cult to a powerful violent leader. Long after the Stalinism, we have seen the emergence of the Putinism.

The Bolshevik revolution was just a copy of the popular revolutions that broke with the Old Regime of Absolutism some 100 years earlier and brought the New Regime to Europe. However, Russia has never left the aristocratic regime. The Communist revolution in Russia (as in any other Communist state) never introduced a real change of political system. It merely enabled a new limited group of people to seize the power via new economical structures and to retain it by means of threats or brainwashing. That is what the communist experience turned out to be: not a political breakthrough, but a shift of people in power.

After the collapse of the USSR and the languishing of all kinds of Communist ideology, subsequent generations have developed an enfeebled version called Neo-Communism. This is the new mind frame followed by lots of young progres (not my manager) and can be summarised in two characteristics:
a) The blissful ignorance about the differences between the various theoretical definitions of Communist/Socialist theories.
b) The focus on finding ways to spend the money which do not create wealth.

The first feature of the Neo-Communism or "Progre-ism" is due to their inability to discern between more than two types of things: for these progres, the only ideological alternatives are just Left and Right.
The second feature stems from the victory of the more realistic capitalism, which adapts better to the human nature. Progres do not want to accept that capitalism is right and hence that they were wrong: the resistance to accept that they are wrong is the main cause for their "social struggle". However, they wouldn't go and live in a non-capitalist country as no one actually wants the worse for themselves and so the only action they are able to fight with is spending the money against the advice of the wealth-generating capitalist system.

Love and freedom.

The Battleship Potemkin

I just watched Sergei Eisenstein's cinematic masterpiece The Battleship Potemkin or "Bronenosets Potyomkin" (1925). This is one of the most influential films of all time and an iconic work.

Its dramatisation is outstanding and viewers still get shocked (I did at least)with the scenes of the masacre of civilians on the Potemkin Stairs and that baby in the carrycot down the steps.

Though the film is obvious political propaganda, as J.Goebbels said in Triumph of the Will (1934):

Potemkin is a marvellous film without equal in the cinema ... anyone who had no firm political conviction could become a Bolshevik after seeing the film.

Love and freedom.

Lives of well-known progressive liars (IV)

Hay investigadores que cobran mucho mas que el ministro de sanidad, cuyo salario es publico y conocido.

Bernat Soria, El Mundo's Digital Meetings (28/02/2008)

Arcadi Espada and his friend uncover the lies of another not so well-known progressive liar, Bernat Soria Escoms, Spanish Health Minister. Bernat Soria lied about his CV: his research works, his Nobel-prized colleagues and his job roles. As A. Espada calls it: a standard case of name-droping.

Love and freedom.

Eolo versus two bridges

In this post El puente tuneado, civil engineers will find two very "vibrating" videos on how bridges struggle with the resonance effects that wind may create.

Engineering and architecture can be arts.

Notes of the Debate Round 2

Notes of the Debate Round 2 between 2 of the candidates for Prime Minister of Spain.
Zapatero, of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
Rajoy, of People's Party (PP).

Apologies for any mistakes. Words between [] are mine.

Block 1: Economy

Z: Tonight I'll explain PSOE's project to overcome the global crisis and enhance the social development. To have a safe Spain, for the culture, convivence and a united country. I want a clean debate with solutions. I have a white book with my data.
R: Lots of Spaniards don't live well. When we talk about politics or economy, we talk about people. Immigration isn't controlled and Spaniards don't have their rights assured. PSOE got the priorities wrong: negotiate with ETA and change Spain.
Z: Economy goes better than Europe's average. PSOE will achieve "full employment" with an agreement to face the world crisis and lots of proposals to control prices and work. PP provokes fear among the socialist for them not to vote.
R: Spain does not work well and Eurostat says so. With PSOE, lots of inflation and unemployment. PSOE has not reformed and the inercy from PP's government is now over. Financial Times says that Spain is a disaster.
Z: Rajoy didn't care about prices up to election time. PSOE will create an "Observatory of Prices" to control them as in France [more intervention!]. Prices went up more with PP.
R: The first question I asked ZP was about economy. Average salary have gone down with PSOE. There are lots of observatories already, PSOE has lived out of PP's heritage. PP's proposals: to decrease public spending.
Z: Rajoy's first question wasn't about economy. PSOE will create 2m jobs, will increase the minimum pensions and the minimum salary a lot. UN's Human Development Index for Spain was good with PSOE and bad with PP.
R: With PSOE, poverty and wealth gap have gone up. PP will fix it again, proposals: Income Tax for under €16K will be nil, Corporation Tax will decrease, more education, more women working, non-interventionist regulators.
Z: Rajoy's first question wasn't on economy. Rajoy has not cared about economy at all.
R: Zapatero was the Prime Minister and has not cared about the economy. ZP has lived out of PP's heritage. PP will fix it again.

Block 2: Social policies

Z: Rajoy betrays Spaniards. PSOE has spent a lot in public spending: Dependency Act, equality between men and women in salary, motherhood and fatherhood period will be enlengthened. Nurseries for everyone.
R: Zapatero promises but does not makes his word good. To have a good social policy, we need a good economy and control the immigration. We need to pay attention to everyone, to Spaniards and immigrants.
Z: PSOE cares about the social policy; PP doesn't. PP forgets social dialogue and agreements. PSOE supports the social dialogue and will decrease temping. PP is "order and command"; PSOE is "dialogue".
R: PSOE has no immigration policy. PP supports the Dependency Act properly. PISA report says that education is a failure.
Z: Immigrant can come to work here, but we need: 1st, they don't go out from their countries; 2nd, border control; and 3rd, to give illegal immigrants back to their countries. Immigrantion must be a European policy and helps Spain's development.
R: Europe's policy of PSOE is a tale. Legal immigration is OK, but we have to fight against the illegal immigration. Zapatero also said that Spaniards shouldn't be left without rights to give it to an immigrant.
Z: Rajoy isn't credit-worthy. With PP, lots of illegal immigrants and they were given papers with a simple receipt.
R: With PSOE, there is an avalanche. Europe complained about PSOE's "regularisation".

Block 3: Foreign and Security policies

Z: PSOE will support Spain's Government in its anti-terrorist policy. With PSOE, offences are low and there are a lot of policemen. PSOE will promote a Plan against domestic violence and against drugs at schools.
R: PP will support Spain's government if it fights ETA and if it does not negotiate with ETA. PSOE lied to Spain and negotiated politically with ETA.
Z: PP uses terrorism, even to go to Irak. PSOE took the troops away from Irak and won't send them to illegal wars. PP would support Spain's government.
R: Zapatero said that he wasn't going to bring back the troops straight away. UN resolution encouraged sending troops to Irak and PSOE was in favour of this resolution.
Z: PSOE makes his word good. PP doesn't care what Spaniards want. PSOE supports Armed Forces. PP was against 11-M judicial process.
R: PP caught all 11-M terrorists. PSOE lied Spaniards about terrorism. Zapatero has to say sorry.
Z: Rajoy said that islamic terrorism and ETA will be linked and he didn't accept the 14-M results.
R: PSOE uses the dead people. ETA was weakened when PP left government.

Block 4: Institutional policy

Z: PSOE works for the territorial cohesion in Spain. In 2020 there will be lots of highways and High-Speed Trains (AVEs). There will be 3 Presidents' Conferences.
R: My first question was about VAT. PSOE has put PP's projects on halt and PSOE's Public Works Minister is the first one who has been told off by the Parliament. PSOE has put Spaniards and regions against each others.
Z: Rajoy's first question was about the lack of co-ordination between ministers. PSOE is the central axis to Spain's democracy [confirmed, democracy for PSOE means Russian-styled One-Party democracy.] PSOE talks with everyone.
R: PSOE has been against Catalonia. Rajoy has gone to Andalucia and Basque Country. PP is in the centre of Spain. PSOE has inaugurated PP's projects. There are two break-away referendums.
Z: PP had a debt with Andalucia and PSOE gave money to Andalucia. Language policy in Catalonia is 20-year-old and PP didn't do anything. PP puts territories against each other and PP has no coherence.
R: Zapatero agrees with fining Spaniards for sign-posting in Spanish. PP will put a law to study in Spanish everywhere in Spain. PSOE has no idea of Spain.
Z: PP didn't defend the Spanish when it ruled.
R: Zapatero supports fines against the Spanish. PP supported the Statutes and with PSOE is being the first Statute without the support of both largest political parties. PSOE is a failure.

Block 5: Challenges of the future.

Z: Education is the future and PSOE puts money to create quality with maths, English and grants. PSOE will put Spanish universities between the world's top ten. PISA Report says that Spain is on the average of the developed world and criticises PP's education policy [What a lie! Education laws in Spain have been PSOE's since 1980s and they are a complete failure].
R: PISA Report criticises LOGSE and PSOE repealed PP's Quality of Education Act immediately showing how little of democrats they have. Education has to be based on merits, work and effort. House prices have gone up and we need a Housing Agreement.
Z: PISA report criticises PP's education policy. [PP tried to improve education with the Quality of Education Act and PSOE manipulated the students to oppose it. I saw it first hand and PSOE's activist behaviour was disgusting]. PP denigrates the education system that has put Spain where it is [Exactly, PSOE's education system is a disaster as any honest student can tell you and it will ultimately cause Spain's decline]. Land prices went up five-fold with land's liberalisation [Zapatero is going to beat the record of lies: PP didn't liberalised the land and that is something libertarians have always complained about].
R: Bank of Spain says that Spain earn less with PSOE. Zapatero lies: there was no liberalisation of land with PP. PSOE passed the Education Act and the following day Zapatero kicked out the Minister of Education, does anyone understand why? Zapatero is out of the reality.
Z: Esperanza Aguirre (Region of Madrid's President) wants to get rid of council flats. Spain has democracy since only 30 years ago and we still have to catch up with Europe. With PSOE, lots of internet connections and researchers on aero-space, renewable energy and bio-tech.
R: Some East Europe countries have been a democracy for a shorter period than Spain, but they rank better in PISA Report. PSOE talks big but does nothing. PSOE puts PP's projects on halt to inaugurate them later. PP will invest in infrastructure, education and R+D.
Z: PSOE bets for the power savings to fight against the climate change. PSOE will have a rural programme and a water plan.
R: PP will bet for education and infrastructure. With PSOE, negotiations of agriculture in Europe were a disaster. PP supports the Water Plan.

Last words

Z: Thanks to those who voted me and to those who criticise me. I ask for your support because I am committed to end with all discrimination, to sustainable development, to education, peace and Europe. The future is convivence. I'll rule for everyone. Good night and good luck.
R: Spain is a great Nation of free, equal citizens. It will be a time for consensus. I'll offer PSOE a pact on terrorism and social policy. I'll rule with all Spaniards. My objectives are economy above all, working women and education and tax reforms. PP defends the State of Autonomies, but we have to do it well. That girl who grows in Spain is always in my mind and my heart.

[Love and freedom.]

Harry the Hero

I am a bit envious of Prince Harry. I'd like to have the guts to be out there risking my life to show that I can defend my country's rights:

Love and freedom.