Que tal si el presidente Uribe estuviese anunciando recorte en lo social para buscar el equilibrio fiscal? Como lo señalarían? Que se diría de su enfoque de desarrollo?. Este jueves anterior en el recinto del senado se desarrollo la audiencia publica sobre el primero de tres proyectos de ley bajo la autoria de la Senadora Cecilia López, iniciativa que ha despertado el interés de todas las bancadas y de las diferentes expresiones del estado Colombiano “Transformación Social” en su primera fase que busca concertar unos mínimos filosóficos y acuerdos programáticos sobre la transformación gradual que debe tener la inversión social en Colombia.

Muy atentos estaban los representantes del gobierno: Directora de planeación Nacional, Directora del ICBF, Alto Consejero Social, delegados técnicos de casi todos los ministerios y muy especialmente se ha tenido el acompañamiento de la señora ministra de educación quien ha manifestado con seriedad la participación en este tema.

El delegado de UNICEF, académicos y ciudadanía en general, expresaron en esa audiencia publica la preocupación del futuro de la inversión social, adelantándose a las consecuencia de una posible crisis económica y pedían en una sola voz que se tiene que blindar la inversión en el desarrollo humano antes que maquillar los presupuestos para darle gusto a los críticos y a la banca multilateral que aprieta resultados y cifras en beneficio de sus metas financieras.

La protección social debe estar por encima de cualquier otra consideración y como deber superior del jefe de estado y de los tomadores de decisiones en Instituciones y entes territoriales deberá ser priorizar la inversión social. No tendría presentación seguir mostrando avances en la seguridad contra la violencia sin garantizar las coberturas y la calidad en la alimentación, educación, salud, agua potable.

El presidente anuncio como política fundamental la atención, la protección, las soluciones a las poblaciones mas vulnerables así implique el aplazamiento de la llegada al equilibrio fiscal.

Ojalá lo entiendan sus mandos medios y no se tenga que seguir acudiendo a las acciones de tutela para acceder a los derechos fundamentales. La forma alternativa de buscar protección los mas desvalidos o quienes ven vulnerados sus derechos esta asfixiando el sistema judicial, lo que se suma a las consecuencias del paro en la justicia que congestiono al tome los despachos.

Estamos presentando informe favorable frente a la reforma a la justicia y sobre ello nos vamos a referir en su momento; pero me refiero en este caso a la jurisprudencia reiterada, que debería ser obligatoria para los servidores públicos. Cuanta justicia social y como se evitaría tanta congestión si los funcionarios del estado actuando en conciencia y con justicia respetaran los mínimos de acceso a la salud, a los tratamientos, que trabajaran menos por los intereses de algunas E:P:S y que respetaran los tiempos de las pensiones y jubilaciones en un sistema unificado, actualizado y que de oficio tendría que tener el estado?

Si el señor Presidente se paro en la raya de pagar con recursos del presupuesto el pasivo pensional y aumento a 3 millones de familias en acción la atención por parte del estado, y si siguen mejorando los resultados de recaudo de cartera y aportes parafiscales en el SENA y en ICBF; pues se tienen que sumar a ese esfuerzo los alcaldes y gobernadores haciendo uso adecuado y justo de los recursos propios y de transferencias, nos aproximaríamos a la posibilidad del desafío de luchar en forma contra la pobreza y el hambre.

Se vendrán críticas sobre la decisión de invertir en lo social por encima del rojo fiscal. Pero nos tenemos que adelantar en la promoción y defensa de los derechos fundamentales de la gente. El desarrollo tendrá que hacerse desde la garantía del bienestar humano. Para que ajuste fiscal y ahorros en el exterior si la gente esta desnutrida, sin educación ni salud?

Mejor que Colombia muestre a su gente con posibilidad de vida sana, saludable y proyección académica. Nuestra población con calidad o por lo menos con vida digna podrá prepararse para pagar mas adelante la deuda externa y el pasivo fiscal. Lo que si no aguantaríamos es dejar sin un paquete mínimo a quienes así lo requieren.

DUBLIN, October 6 (Compass Direct News) – Militant Islamists in the southern island of Mindanao have stepped up their attacks on majority-Christian villages following the failure of a peace agreement that would have enlarged an existing Muslim autonomous region there.

With Muslim commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the southern Philippines yesterday saying ongoing support from the international community was necessary to prevent a full-scale war breaking out in Mindanao, both Muslim and Christian residents in the disputed territories were fearful of what the future might hold.

“The problem is that many people living in these areas don’t want to be part of a Muslim autonomous region,” a source in Mindanao who preferred to remain anonymous told Compass.

“The closer you get to these zones, the more nervous people are,” he said. “The town of Kolambugan, where most of the fighting took place in mid-August, became a virtual ghost town for a while. It had a population of 25,000. But people are slowly returning to their homes.”

A Christian family from the area said many people were afraid to sleep at night because they kept hearing reports that they would be attacked at midnight.

“When MILF forces attack Christian villages, Muslim neighbors are afraid that Christians will retaliate against them, even though they have nothing to do with the violence,” the source added. “This has happened in the past.”

He also explained that some moderate Muslims are drawn to support the MILF because the rebels claim the Christians have stolen their ancestral homelands. Communities in Mindanao often struggle with extreme poverty.

“If MILF is successful in gaining control over these lands, the people assume that their economic situation will improve,” he said. “So although they want the fighting to stop, they sympathize with the MILF.”

While the conflict is primarily political, religion plays a significant role. As a member of the Moro Youth League stated in an Aug. 5 national television interview in the Philippines, “As a Muslim, in order to live in a righteous way, you need to be living under sharia [Islamic] law and with an Islamic government. We believe we have the right to fight for this.”

Other Youth League members on the program agreed that sharia was a primary objective of autonomy, and that Islam was the only “real path of doing anything in this world.”

Violence Erupts

Some 2,000 MILF supporters yesterday held a protest march in Marawi city, Lanao del Sur, appealing to the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to compel the Philippine government to revive the aborted peace agreement that would have enlarged the existing Muslim autonomous region in the south.

Breakaway MILF commanders on Aug. 18 attacked several majority-Christian villages after the Supreme Court prevented the Aug. 5 signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). The agreement potentially would have given the MILF power to establish an Islamic state governed by sharia law.

Christian leaders in Mindanao appealed to the Supreme Court when they realized that if they voted against inclusion in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), their majority-Christian villages would become small islands in the midst of MILF-administered territory. As a result, they feared, they would be forced to move elsewhere.

Incensed by the 11th-hour stalling of the agreement, three MILF commanders on their own initiative led attacks against towns in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte provinces on Aug. 18, burning homes, seizing livestock and killing at least 37 people. Another 44,000 residents immediately fled the area.

When some Christian residents armed themselves in defense, Secretary of Interior Ronaldo Puno warned that anyone carrying weapons would be disarmed.

The MILF has only 11,000 active fighting men, according to local estimates. But by Aug. 20, the National Disaster Coordinating Council had reported a total of 159,000 people displaced by the rebel attacks.

The Philippine army quickly retaliated, sweeping villages in an attempt to seize the rebel commanders.

After two weeks of violent clashes, the Philippine government officially abandoned the MOA-AD. Spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would seek a new agreement based on consultation with legislators and local politicians rather than negotiations with the MILF.

Furthermore, the government would concentrate on the “disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation” of MILF cadres, Fajardo said.

In response, MILF leaders rejected any renegotiation of the peace deal with Arroyo’s administration.

Overcoming Prejudice

An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Aug. 7 stated that the MOA-AD would only reinforce prejudices between Christian and Muslim communities.

Under the agreement, WSJ claimed, the government would further divide Mindanao into Muslim and Christian enclaves, increasing the likelihood of territorial disputes. Separating Muslims from the rest of Philippine society, it stated, would encourage a vision already held by MILF to help create a pan-Islamic state covering several countries in the region, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Finally, the WSJ said, less Philippine control of Mindanao would “invite even more terrorist activity in an area that already has strong ties to al Qaeda.”

While there are proven terrorist leanings in groups such as the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf, not all area Muslims approve of or engage in such activities.

Camilo Montesa, a key figure in peace negotiations, in his blog on Aug. 30 described an encounter with a young man who believed that Muslim residents would readily seize property from Christians once the BJE were formed.

Others told Montesa that, “Muslims were scouting and marking the big houses of Christians in Cotabato and staking a claim over them in anticipation of the signing of the peace agreement.”

“The hearts and minds of the people are the battlefields, and not some hill or base camp,” Montesa concluded. “There is a limit to what arms and war can produce ... It is unfortunate that we are so divided as a people at this point in our national life.”

Reclaiming ‘Ancestral Domains’

As Islamic identity strengthened in the Middle East after World War II – and as many Philippine Muslims traveled to study in Middle Eastern countries – certain sectors of the Bangsamoro population became committed to reclaiming “ancestral domains.”

Their claims dated back to the rule of the Sultanate of Sulu, which existed prior to Spanish colonial rule in the 1500s, and the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935. When the last sultan died in 1936, the fledgling Philippine government refused to recognize his heir, effectively eradicating the traditional Bangsamoro power base.

When the Philippines became a republic in 1946, its constitution allowed for the establishment of an autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. Initially the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fought alone for this autonomous territory; in 1977, however, MNLF member Hashim Salamat – who had studied in Saudi Arabia – and his followers seceded from the movement and founded the rival MILF.

The Philippine government signed an agreement with the MNLF in January 1987, and territories were added to the resulting Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through a series of plebiscites or referendums in 1989, 2001, 2002 and 2006.

MILF commanders later laid claim to a further 712 villages outside the ARMM.

Negotiations between the government and the MILF began in earnest in June 2001. Both parties were to formally sign the resulting MOA-AD on Aug. 5, a deal which could have led to the creation of the separate Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, or fully-functioning state, replacing the ARMM by 2010.

When details of the agreement were leaked to the press, however, Christian politicians in regions of Mindanao affected by the agreement appealed to the Supreme Court, which in turn issued a temporary restraining order on the signing of the agreement on Aug. 4.

Report from Compass Direct News

ITR/2008: Mais de 1,7 milhão de declarações entregues

Prazo de entrega termina no próximo dia 30

A Receita Federal recebeu até esta terça-feira (9/9) 1.722.378 declarações do Imposto Territorial Rural (ITR). O prazo de entrega começou dia 11 de agosto e termina no próximo dia 30. A declaração deve ser apresentada por todos os proprietários de imóveis rurais.

O documento pode ser entregue pela página da Receita na internet, em disquete nas agências do Banco do Brasil e Caixa Econômica, ou em formulário nos Correios, ao custo de R$ 3,40.

Devem entregar a declaração obrigatoriamente pela internet ou em disquete os contribuintes que têm imóveis rurais com área igual ou superior a 1.000 hectares (ha) na Amazônia Ocidental, Pantanal mato-grossense e sul-mato-grossense; 500 ha para as propriedades localizadas no Polígono das Secas e Amazônia Oriental e 200 ha para os demais municípios.

Quem declarar após o prazo está sujeito a multa de 1% (um por cento) ao mês, calculada sobre o total do imposto devido, não podendo seu valor ser inferior a R$ 50,00 (cinqüenta reais), no caso de imóvel rural sujeito a apuração do imposto, sem prejuízo da multa e dos juros de mora devidos pela falta ou insuficiência do recolhimento do imposto ou quota; e de R$ 50,00 (cinqüenta reais), no caso de imóvel rural imune ou isento do ITR.

Ascom/Coordenação de Imprensa da RFB

Ver presentación >

Bajar presentación >

Bajar conclusiones concepción posmoderna >

So, what I'm saying is:

I'm lucky.  A.'s a beautiful (in all respects) person.  Some people behave disrespectfully about it.  I like to punch.

You call it territorial, I call it knocking out annoying motherfuckers.

The Alien (1951)

In July 2007 newspapers around the world reported that a Russian oceanographic vessel had led an expedition to the North Pole. On 2 August a largely symbolic claim to a vast area of the Arctic basin was implemented. Television footage, broadcast by the Russian channel NTV, was released depicting a mini-submarine planting a titanium (corrosion-resistant) flag to the bottom of the Arctic Basin (1). A Russian submariner was quoted as saying that the expedition would “remind the whole world that Russia is a great polar and scientific power” (The Times 2007). The stated purpose of the expedition was to investigate further the underwater geology of the high Arctic and in particular to ascertain whether the Lomonosov Ridge (2) was actually an extension of the Siberian continental shelf (3). If so then Russian scientists and political figures alike expressed hopes that Russian sovereignty could be extended over the North Pole itself. Near neighbors such as Canada, Denmark (4) and the United States condemned the move and in the case of the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, warned darkly of defending “our sovereignty over the Arctic”. As if that was not sufficient, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Peter MacKay, memorably retorted “You can't go around the world these days dropping flags somewhere. This isn't the 14th or 15th century. They're fooling themselves” (Toronto Star 2007). And then in a nice touch of presumably unintended irony noted that the “waters belonged to Canada”. Given recent Russian activity and associated reactions from Arctic neighbors, it appears that some of the intrigue and tension that characterized the Cold War has returned. Following the Russian expedition to the North Pole, Denmark and Canada are planning further research into the geological connections between their continental shelves and the Lomonosov Ridge. With the entry into force of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) in 1994, signatories such as Russia and Canada (but not the United States) have had a ten-year period to submit materials to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) delimiting the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the relevant baseline (5). In December 2001 the Russian government submitted materials to the CLCS and cited Article 76 (8)(6) of UNCLOS, which authorizes parties to make such submissions. Geological data are critical in such submissions because they help determine whether there is a case for delimiting an extended continental shelf (7). The territory claimed by the Russians included a large portion of the Arctic Basin and stated that the underwater Lomonosov Ridge alongside the Mendeleev Ridge were natural extensions of the Eurasian Continent (8). In 2002 the CLCS asked for more scientific data (but did not offer a judgment at this state about the Russian submission) and hence the dispatch, amongst other activities, of the 2007 Russian oceanographic expedition to the high Arctic. The Russians are intending to submit new documentation to the CLCS in 2009 (9). If the Russian claim is accepted, amongst others, then coastal states are able to claim not only a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but also up to 150 nautical miles of rights on the seabed beyond the EEZ. This matters greatly to coastal states particularly in areas such as the high Arctic where it has been estimated by the US Geological Survey that up to 10 billion tones of oil and natural gas remain untapped much of which lies outside internationally recognized waters (10).

Predictably, the Canadian and Danish governments have also been determined to further map the underwater geology of the high Arctic and establish connections to the Lomonosov Ridge. Denmark's Science and Technology Minister Helge Sander commented, “You can plant as many flags or send as many ministers as you want, in the end the important thing is to have the best data. We've put 230 million Danish Kroner [US$42 million] into this North Pole project, for 2004 to 2010” (11). At the same time, the Canadian government confirmed that it would be investing in two new military facilities in the Arctic in a bid to strengthen its claim to the contested region. In August 2007, at a press conference in Yellowknife, in the North West Territories (NWT) (12), the Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, “I think the recent activities of the Russians are another indication that there's going to be growing international interest in this region.” (13). At the time of the news breaking about the Russian expedition to the North Pole, three aspects seemed to receive limited attention from journalists and other commentators and are deserving of further reflection. First, for countries such as Canada and Russia the “far north” had always been invested with considerable political, economic, cultural, and symbolic importance (Abel and Coates, 2001; McCannon, 1998). Although Canadian government ministers in particular were dismissive of Russia's flag planting, there is a long history of countries dispatching expeditions to the high Arctic (and the Antarctic), which involved a substantial amount of flag waving as part of the formal process of cementing claims to sovereignty. Indeed, as Patricia Seed (1993) has noted, the planting of flags has been an important element in various “Ceremonies of possession” dating from the Columbian encounter. The television coverage of the Russian expedition within Russia itself was thoroughly redolent of earlier eras of Soviet polar endeavor; including the use of visual media to promote polar awareness amongst the wider public. In the 1930s, for instance, the Soviet Union not only invested time and resources in dispatching expeditions to the high Arctic, but also encouraged newspaper reporting and what might be called `Arctic cinema'. As John Mc Cannon had noted in his book Red Arctic,”the Arctic has occupied a place of prominence in its national development. For the Soviet state, the Arctic was a matter of paramount importance. Possessing great strategic significance, compromising over one-fourth of the entire Russian land-mass, home to two dozen nationalities, and containing the lion's share of the country's most valuable natural resources, the Soviet Arctic commanded the attention of the USSR's foremost statesmen and generals, engaged the minds of the finest scientists and economic planners, and attracted vast quantities of money, equipment and sheer human energy”.

While much has changed since the 1930s, the Soviet and now Russian goal of not only taming the icy waters of the Arctic but also gaining access to rich mineral deposits in the region has not changed (14). Likewise, Canada has had a long national debate about “Northern Visions” and the cultural and political significance of the North. The social scientist, Harold Innis was an important source of intellectual and political debate about a northern vision for Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. He contended that the North was not only an important industrial frontier for the country but also an imaginative resource that could help to promote greater national unity. In the post-1945 era, the Diefenbaker administration, in particular was associated with a `northern vision' for Canada that improved the country's integration and resource potential.

At the same time, in the midst of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957/58, Canada initiated a Polar Continental Shelf Project for the purpose of collecting geophysical data for US satellite launch tests in the high Arctic as well consolidating territorial sovereignty in the insular territories of NWT (now Nunavut). It was no accident that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a speech to Parliament in October 2007 acknowledged the Diefenbaker legacy,

“Half a century ago Prime Minister John Diefenbaker extolled his Northern Vision. He foresaw that Canada's future development and prosperity would depend on efficient transportation networks linking Northern resources to Southern markets. That is why our government established a strategy for the North and why we have already taken a number of steps to affirm our presence and sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic.”(15).

Second, the intersection between geographic knowledge (including underwater geology) and geopolitics and military strategy needs, if you will forgive the pun, flagging. As geographers and historians of the earth sciences have noted, scientists including geologists, geographers, and cartographers were “swiftly incorporated into highest level discussions about the relationship of science and foreign policy”. Geographers such as Matt Farish and Richard Powell have done sterling work here with regard to exploring how American and Canadian scientists, respectively, were embedded in the military and strategic calculations of Cold War Arctic policies. Historically, this kind of embedding has not been restricted to the northern high latitudes. The career of the polar geographer and long-term advisor to the British Foreign Office, Brian Roberts, highlights how academics played a vital role in producing wartime naval intelligence for both the Arctic and Antarctic (Dodds, 2002) (16). The IGY of 1957/58 further contributed to even more detailed mapping of the underwater geology of the world's oceans (Doel et al, 2006) (17). The IGY coincided with the signing of the first Law of the Sea Convention 1958 and subsequent manifestations in particular the 1982 Convention, have placed a premium on geological and oceanographic knowledge of the continental shelf and the surrounding seas. In the Cold War setting, places such as the Arctic accumulated strategic significance as the United States, Canada, and the Soviet Union became every more eager to collect geographical and geophysical data necessary for the accurate targeting of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and general surveillance purposes. Research establishments played their part in contributing vital information to what John Cloud had termed, the military- industrial-academic complex especially in North America. In a more contemporary setting, establishments such as Institute of Oceanology at the Russian Academy of Sciences have been at the forefront of providing the technical expertise so necessary for formal governmental submissions to the CLCS. The Russian government has also increased its military presence in the Arctic and recently conducted military exercises much to the alarm of the Canadians (18).

Finally, this tale about Russians planting a flag in the icy depths of the Artic Ocean highlights how expressions of ownership and associated military and strategic intrigue are bound up with the relentless search for oil and gas in the northern latitudes. As Peter Matthiessen has recently noted, “the imminent development of the Arctic sea floor as a lucrative new field for the industrial extraction of the fossil fuels whose carbon emissions were the principal component of the greenhouse gases that are the primary cause of Arctic warming in the first place''.

In the past, regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic were somewhat protected from more rapacious human behavior either by harsh climates and or by dense ice formations, which blocked the fabled North West and North East Passages. In the Antarctic, for instance, “sovereignty games” were conditioned by the seasons, especially in the period leading up to the IGY (19). During the southern austral winter season (approximately March-October), long polar nights combined with frigid temperatures placed a restraint of sorts on human endeavors to colonize, exploit, and administer polar territory. Likewise, the Arctic sea ice acted as a natural barrier to all but the strongest nuclear powered icebreakers in the Cold War period. In August 2007, global warming has made the North West Passage navigable for the first time and it is likely to become a major shipping route in the coming decades not least because it allows ships to save thousands of nautical miles by avoiding the Panama Canal. The shrinkage of ice cover has been recorded by the European Space Agency and its Arctic Climate Impact Assessment makes for sobering reading and more importantly will have dire consequences for indigenous communities such as the Inuit and Inupiat (20). The net result of ice cover shrinkage in the Arctic has been to further facilitate strategic and military planners vis-à-vis accessing the high latitudes and exploiting untapped resources. Paradoxically, therefore, the thinning of ice has encouraged further speculative behavior and military posturing. While climate scientists debate the instability of the Greenland ice sheet, others plot and plan further territorial consolidation at the same as indigenous peoples campaign for greater recognition of the threat posed to their human security (not to mention other indigenous residents such as the polar bear). The Inupiat in northern Alaska are a case in point. As traditional seal hunters, their livelihoods depend on hunting the Beluga whale and there is mounting evidence that not only is oil prospecting (including seismic surveying) disrupting whale migration but also thinning sea ice is unsettling the delicate polar ecosystem. Moreover, coastal communities are also further threatened, “because of Arctic warming, the sea ice is forming too late in the year to suppress the waves that batter the shores in the fierce autumn storms ... their inhabitants [in the Point Hope region of Alaska] are likely to become the first “climate refugees” from global warming in the United States” (Matthiessen, 2007, page 61).

Unsurprisingly, the 2007/08 International Polar Year (IPY) has laid a great deal of emphasis on human security in the high Arctic especially in the light of ongoing interest in consolidating territorial sovereignty and possible resource exploitation in the Arctic Basin close to the geographic North Pole (21). There are good reasons to be concerned about this unhappy coincidence of icy geopolitics, fossil fuels, and actual sea ice loss. Elsewhere in the Arctic, oil companies want to increase their prospecting activities off the Alaskan continental shelf and in Siberia. As Mark Serreze, a senior research scientist at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center at Boulder in Colorado has noted, “The sea ice cover this year [2007] has reached a new record low. It's not just that we beat the old record, we annihilated it. It's going to be a different world [as] the observed rates of change have far outstripped what we projected.” (22). A sobering thought indeed.

Klaus Dodds, Royal Holloway, University of London.

Acknowledgement: My sincere thanks to Stuart Elden for suggesting I write this editorial in the first place.

References:

Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 2008, volume 26, pages 1 ^ 6 doi:10.1068/d2601ed

(1) NTV is owned by Gazprom Media, which is a subsidiary of Gazpromöthe biggest extractor of natural gas in the world and, according to some estimates, the third largest corporation in the world. It should also be noted that the planting of metal plates and flags bearing the national coat of arms is a well-established Russian/Soviet practice. Such objects were buried by Russian explorers in the Aleutian Islands and a metal pennant bearing the coat of arms of the Soviet Union was included in the payload of the Soviet satellite Lunik II, which crashed into the moon on 14 September 1959. Apparently, the pennant was designed to survive the impact of the crash.

(2) The Lomonosov Ridge was named after a Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov following the 1948 Soviet High Latitude Expeditions.

(3) As international lawyers have noted, the definition of regions such as the Lomonosov Ridge is problematic under the terms of UNCLOS. Oceanic ridges cannot be considered part of the continental shelf so there is some doubt as to what the Russian submission in 2009 will actually contain in terms of cementing their claim to a larger part of the Arctic Basin. It is likely that they will claim that the ridges are `submarine elevations that are natural components of the continental margin' (see Benitah, 2007).

(4) Denmark is involved because it is responsible for exercising the defense and foreign policies of Greenland.

(5) The United States has not ratified the UNCLOS because it objects to Part XI of the convention, which deals with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and economic rights of the deep seabed. In essence, the ISA is invested with the authority to oversee the exploitation of the deep seabed on behalf of all members of the international community. These areas are treated as beyond internationally recognized waters and hence as a global common. For years successive US governments have resented such a role for the ISA and argued that it is prejudicial against US sovereign interests. In May 2007 President George W Bush urged the Senate to reconsider ratifying the UNCLOS and in October 2007 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended that the full Senate consider formal ratification. The Treaty may be ratified in 2008 and the US in the meantime accepts most of the provisions of the UNCLOS such as the 200 nautical mile delimitation of exclusive economic zones (EEZ). The United States has the largest EEZ in the world.

(6) The relevant section of Article 76 states: ``Information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured shall be submitted by the coastal State to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf set up under Annex II on the basis of equitable geographical representation. The Commission shall make recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of the outer limits of their continental shelf. The limits of the shelf established by a coastal State on the basis of these recommendations shall be final and binding.''

(7) For a geographical investigation into conventions such as the Law of the Sea see Steinberg (2001).

8 If you want to look at one of the maps submitted by the Russian authorities, which details the delimitation of the continental shelf with reference to the high Arctic see: http://www.un.org/Depts/ los/clcs new/submissions files/rus01/RUS CLCS_01 2001 LOS 2.jpg.

(9) For further information on the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf see: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs new/clcs home.htm

(10) The US Geological Survey is involved in a program of Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal and a great deal of attention has been given to the untapped potential of specific regions such as the East Greenland Rifts Basin Province. For further information see: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3077/.

(11) For further details see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6941134.stm.

(12) NWT was formally split in April 1999 when the territory of Nunavut was created. The Premier of Nunavut is advised by a council of tribal elders to help ensure Inuit culture and traditional knowledge incorporated into the decision-making process. Nunavut is dependent on federal Canadian funding and as with NWT is a major source of mineral exploitation.

(13) For further details see: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070810/harper arctic military 070810?s name=&no ads

(14) Significantly the breakup of the Soviet Union made no difference to its northern boundary as the other fourteen socialist republics were located overwhelmingly to the south of Moscow let alone the Arctic Circle.

(15) The speech is reproduced at: http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=355519.

(16) It is also worth noting that Australia has submitted materials to the CLCS regarding the delimitation of continental shelf off the Antarctic continent and this involved much cartographic and geological research (see Jabour, 2006). Britain is planning to do so, but there is an additional tension involving overlapping claims to the Antarctic Peninsula. The Antarctic and Arctic are not only very different geographical environments but they also have distinct legal regimes.

(17) During the IGY itself, the US nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus had demonstrated that it was now possible for submerged vessels to sail under the North Pole. This feat was achieved in August 1958 and later films such as Ice Station Zebra 1968 brought to the wide screen stories of high Arctic geopolitical intrigue.

18See, for example, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/10/24/goose-russians.html.

(19) It was only during the IGY that permanently manned stations on the polar continent itself were established in significant numbers.

(20) For further details see: http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMA0R4Y3EE planet 0.html.

(21) The official website for the IPY can be found at: http://classic.ipy.org/. Abel K, Coates K (Eds), 2001Northern Visions (Broadview Press, Peterborough, ON), Benitah M, 2007, ``Russia's claim in the Arctic and the vexing issue of ridges in UNCLOS'' ASIL Insight 8 November, http://www.asil.org/insights/2007/11/insights071108.html. Carleton C, 2006, ``Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: implementation problems from the technical perspective'' International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 21 287 ^ 303.

Cloud J, 2001, “Imaging the world in a barrel: CORONA and the clandestine convergence of the earth sciences'' Social Studies of Science 31 231^ 251

Dodds K, 2002 Pink Ice: Britain and the South Atlantic Empire (I B Tauris, London)

Doel R, 2003, ``Constituting the post-war earth sciences: the military's influence on the environmental sciences in the USA after 1945'' Social Studies of Science 33 635 ^ 666

Doel R, Levin T, Marker M, 2006, ``Extending modern cartography to the ocean depths: military patronage, cold war priorities and the Heezen ^ Tharp mapping project 1952 ^ 1959'' Journal of Historical Geography 32 605 ^ 626

Farish M, 2006, ``Frontier engineering: from the globe to the body in the Cold War Arctic'' The Canadian Geographer 50 177 ^ 196.

Innis H, 1923, A History of the Canadian Pacific Railway (McClelland and Stewart, Toronto)

Jabour J, 2006, “High latitude diplomacy: Australia's Antarctic extended continental shelf '' Marine Policy, 30-197- 198

McCannon J, 1998 Red Arctic (Oxford University Press, Oxford)

Matthiessen P, 2007, “Alaska: big oil and the whales'' New York Review 22 November, pp 57 ^ 64

Powell R, 2007, “The rigors of an Arctic experiment: the precarious authority of field practices in the Canadian High Arctic, 1959 ^ 1975” Environment and Planning A 39 1794 ^ 1811

Seed P, 1993 Ceremonies of Possession (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge)

Steinberg P, 2001 The Social Construction of the Ocean (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge)

The Times 2007, Russia stakes its North Pole claim with an underwater search for oil'', 28 July Toronto Star 2007, “The Artic Cold War”, 12 August, http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Ideas/ article/245440

(22) Quoted in Scientific American (21 September 2007) and available at: http://www.sciam.com/ article.cfm?articleID=28591A94-E7F2-99DF-31EE65D88983AE31.

Educação rural

Uma área de 13.210 hectares de matas nativas, com a presença do maior trecho contínuo de Mata Atlântica do planeta. Uma paisagem dominada por montanhas, vales, chapadas e encostas, com diversos cursos d'água.

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Se convoca a todos los representantes vecinales, consejeros políticos y vecinos acreditados al Consejo Territorial Extraordinario que se celebrará en la Junta de Distrito nº 5 (C/ Doctor Gálvez Moll, 11) el próximo 12 de septiembre de 2008 a las 17:00 horas en primera convocatoria y 17:30 horas en segunda.

Según el orden del día, el tema a tratar será el Informe sobre Ordenanzas Fiscales de 2009.

Los representantes de esta Agrupación intervendrán sobre el uso de los fondos municipales presupuestados para la rehabilitación del distrito de La Palma.

Pero no hay que perder la calma,  si tienes la suerte de vivir allí y estas ahogado, ten en cuenta que has tenido suerte puesto   que es la "mejor Comunidad para nacer" para que cuando seas mayor, puedas pagar más incrementos de  impuestos, precios públicos y tasas  con la  suma tranquilidad de que necesariamente lo notes al final de mes.

     The earliest and largest territorial acquisition made by the United States was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. This area was considerably alluring to many powers including Spain and the French, the latter of which controlled the area for the majority of the colonial period up until 1763. Unfortunately, 1789-1799 was the heart of the French Revolution and weak after their defeat in the Seven Years' War, the bit of naval conflict in the Quasi Wars that lasted until 1800, and the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars with Britain, the Louisiana area changed hands quite a few times.

     After being in the hands of France for the majority of the 18th century Louisiana was yielded to Spain in 1763 following their vanquishment in the Seven Years' War.  This left the third president, Thomas Jefferson, in a sedated state of content, sure that the land will be ready for the taking in the future whenever American westward expansion was needed. What Jefferson did not know is that in May 1801 Spain had given Louisiana (in addition to New Orleans) back France which was then being run by Napoleon Bonaparte. This became evident when in 1802 New Orleans and everything south of the Mississippi closed their ports to American trade. Because the majority of westerners shipped products east through New Orleans, Americans were outraged and urged Jefferson to take action against the French. Fortunately the United States had friendly connections with the islands (such as Haiti) and they were supportive in keeping France off. This led to Napoleon offering Livingston and Monroe (the ambassador of France and a friend and ally of Jefferson) all of Louisiana AND New Orleans for $15 million. Napoleon needed the finances for the renewed war with Britain (Napoleonic War) and for three cents an acre and a peaceful agreement, the deal was one that the US could not refuse and the papers were signed on April 30th 1803. Although Jefferson, a man of the constitution, never held that the purchase was constitutional due to the timing and lack of a proper amendment addressing new territory, the Louisiana Purchase is thought to be one of the greatest achievements of his presidency. The need, whether based off of manifest destiny (the controversial philosophy that it was only natural that the inhabitants of the American lands were destined or fated to acquire the entire continent) to span sea to sea or the hopes of raw materials, the fur trade, agriculture prosperity or adequate defensible borders in addition to the urgent, expedited nature of the deal all justify the presidents' breaching of personal philosophy.

     After the Louisiana Purchase and despite the Embargo Act flop, a failed attempt at neutrality in European affairs, the explorers of the United States continued to drudge on. Lewis and Clark documented their western findings and in 1805 Lieutenant Zebulon Pike began to probe the headwaters of the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers. After exploring the Arkansas Rivers source in what's now southern Colorado he for reasons unknown began exploring the desert and headwaters of the Rio Grande. He was soon caught by Spanish troops who returned him to the border. What's interesting about this is that the doctrine for the Louisiana Purchase wasn't extremely clear so there was a lot of speculation as to whether or not West Florida was part of the deal and respectively, part of the United States. What with borders swaying and portions of land changing hands several times before the final settlement the nations did not know to whom the land rightly belonged. Spain felt the Louisiana Purchase itself was illegal as Napoleon had told them it would not be sold so West Florida was worth a great deal to them and would not be given up easily; this led to an array of arguments and conspiracy ultimately ending in the Transcontinental Treaty stating that all of Florida would be American territory and in turn the United States would acknowledge Texas as ruled by Spain as of February 22, 1819.

     After the War of 1812, the expansion of the United States took off at a remarkable pace; between 1816 and 1821 Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine and Missouri all joined the union. With the ending of the war removing all foreign power in US territory, the Indians had little comfort in knowing that it was only in time that the Americans would take over their land without the protection of Britain. The majority of Indians including the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles surrendered their land in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to the Americans however some did resist resulting in the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and a war with the Seminoles in Florida.

     Up until the 1840's Texas, New Mexico, California and Oregon were considered vast, unknown regions with claims of ownership disputable between the US and Britain. However the Texas annexation in 1845, the establishment of American title to Oregon Territory in 1846, the Mexican cession of 1848, the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853, the purchase of Alaska, and the annexation of Hawaii brought the land area of the United States to its present boundaries. The Oregon Territory was settled with The Oregon treaty with Great Britain, the Mexican Cession was a purchase from Mexico following the American-Mexican War ($15 million and $3.25 million in assumed claims) the Gadsden Purchase cost $10 million (paid to Mexico), Alaska was purchased in 1867 from Russia for $7.2 million but didn't achieve statehood until 1959 and the Hawaiian Islands were acquired in 1898 as an annexation of independent republic that received statehood in 1959 with Alaska. The new States were admitted into the Union by acts of Congress (usually) by petition of the citizens residing in the territories in question. The boundaries of these States were defined in the enabling acts (however for some States, notably Missouri and Texas, the boundaries were changed by subsequent legislation) as opposed to the thirteen original states that which were not defined by acts of ratification but rather established by the crown or by mutual agreement.

     The Texas annexation, Mexican cession and Gadsden Purchase were all rather complicated and shall be further elaborated on. The Texas annexation was a peculiar situation because it started directly after the Texas revolution ended with the freshly elected House president Houston (of the republic of Texas) almost pleading with Jackson to annex Texas as soon as possible... however it was near the end of Jacksons term, the self elected Van Buren was next in line (who was also opposed to slavery and Texas was still pre-abolition) and the economy was still in a steep downward fall. Jackson decided nay on the annexation but on March 2, 1837 he did sign a document officially recognizing it as a sovereign state. After dabbling a bit in Oregon and California, the independent Texas, along with portions of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wyoming and Colorado were annexed and became part of the US. This led to controversy because Mexico barred the move illegal as they still felt Texas was part of Mexico rather than independent; subsequently this led to the Mexican-American War. Wilmot Proviso, who prohibited slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, and President polk fought with Mexico all around the Rio Grande and throughout the rugged Mexican Terrain while dealing with the new settlers of California. The war ended with the Mexican cession in 1848 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Polks reluctant compliance to taking all of California, Nevada, Utah, portions of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming ( also established was the Texas-Mexican border with the Rio Grande) instead of all that in addition to all of Mexico as some had hoped. America's Manifest Destiny, the long to span 'sea to sea' was fulfilled (at least for a short time.) The war with Mexico also served as a precursor to the full realization of America's strengths of being an industrialist nation and a technologically advanced country that would be revealed more later on in the Civil War. Another significant geographic event was the Gadsden Purchase. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo tensions with Mexico were at an all time high because the US was trying to build a southern transcontinental railroad and needed the land of the present day states Arizona and New Mexico to do so. Fortunately after negotiation and some conflict with private companies, the land needed for the railroad was sold to the US under the condition that they would help with the native american attacks. 

     There were also many other smaller, often disputed acquisitions such as the islands claimed under the Guana Act of 1856 that included Baker Island, Howland Island, Navassa Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll and the Midway Islands. After 1877 the US continued to take on more islands such as Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, The Federated States of Micronesia... etc etc many of which are self governing, unincorporated or uninhabited.

She guards him closely, and mirrors his movements from outside of the play pen. Even when she's having her meal, she's on full alert.. as soon as she hears any movement from Hans, she shoots straight for the play pen to see what Hans is up to. When she rests, she rests next to the play pen.

Poor Buttons, she's been on guard for 2 days already. I hope she managed to get some sleep.

Even when she's resting, her tail is raised!

Buttons is clearly upset by the newcomer, but Yohji seems alright so far. He's off doing his own thing in this pic:

Yohji then comes over to comfort Buttons with an extra long grooming session:

Buttons seemed slightly better, as of late last night. She had stopped her attempts at boxing Hans, and her tail muscles are finally getting some rest, too! :D She's still keeping guard over Hans, but with less anger and aggression.

I hope she comes to accept Hans' presence soon. I hate to see her so visibly upset. On a good note, there's only been 2 small pee puddles outside of Hans' playpen so far, and zero doots! Fingers crossed it doesn't get worse!

Dans un passé lointain, c'est à dire environ une trentaine d'années, une partie de ce tronçon de l'A-55 s'est déjà nommé A-51. La désertion de tous les chantiers autoroutiers, au profit du transport en commun, entreprise par le gouvernement péquiste de René Lévesque, a donc signé un arrêt de mort à l'A-51, ainsi qu'au tracé original que devait suivre l'A-55. Une partie de celui-ci, de l'A-20 jusqu'au village de Saint-Albert-de-Warwick, fut d'ailleurs recyclé en A-955. Mais aujourd'hui, je vais m'attarder sur le tronçon qui relie Drummondville à Sherbrooke.

Quand on roule sur l'A-20, en direction ouest, on arrive à ce point, juste à la sortie vers l'A-55 sud.

Les trois photos suivantes furent prises en mouvement, et les images peuvent sembler déformées. C'est normal.

L'échangeur A-20/A-55 sud n'est pas complet; à preuve, le viaduc, qui passe au-dessus de l'A-20, n'a qu'une seule voie par direction, ce qui est plutôt rare, pour un échangeur autoroutier.

Je me dirige lentement vers la "séparation" des chaussées. On sait que l'autoroute fut construite en super-2, entre 1971 et 1980 pour l'ensemble de la première chaussée, puis elle fut doublée au fur et à mesure des budgets, et des pressions politiques.

Si l'on regarde dans l'autre sens, on voit bien que les haut-mâts, pour l'éclairage, qui sont normalement au centre, entre les deux chaussées, sont à droite de la chaussée. C'est pas vraiment normal, pour une autoroute.

Ici, nous sommes en plein vis-à-vis de la chaussée nord, qui vient s'aligner le long du muret, pour l'échangeur.

Regardant à nouveau en direction nord (je suis en train de vous étourdir, avouez!), on voit bien le passage de l'autre chaussée, là où les arbres sont abattus.

Le kilomètre 126, en direction nord, là où va bientôt commencer ce que j'appelle "l'entonnoir", c'est à dire l'endroit où l'on perd une voie, passant de deux à une seule.

Cette photo montre une vue sur presque deux kilomètres. Prise du viaduc de la rue Saint-Pierre (sortie 125), c'est la finale de l'autoroute, en direction nord.

Comme le disait Edward Rémy, à l'époque où il faisait les actualités artistiques, à Télé-Métropole (ça ne me rajeunit pas!), "c'est officiel, c'est confirmé", l'A-55, à cet endroit, s'appelle "Autoroute Joseph-Armand-Bombardier". Photo prise en direction sud, dans la courbe vers la sortie 122 (boulevard Jean-de-Brébeuf).

La chaussée sud de l'ancienne A-51 fut la première des deux à être ouverte; elle fut donc celle où la circulation se faisait à contresens. À preuve, cette petite tache jaune, sous la ligne blanche actuelle.

Voici un autre vestige de l'ancienne A-51, devenue A-55, quelque part dans les années 1970. À l'époque de la super-2, on avait construit les viaducs, mais on n'avait fait que des mini-bretelles, afin d'accéder à l'autoroute, ou d'en sortir. On voit ici une ligne restante de la mini-bretelle qui menait à la route Ployart (sortie 103). De nos jours, cette route, comme toutes les autres routes desservies, d'ailleurs, l'est par un échangeur plus moderne, et plus sécuritaire.

Depuis le kilomètre 97, on voit la sortie de la halte routière qui mène au moulin à laine d'Ulverton. Comme on peut le voir, cette sortie ne comporte aucune indication. Pourtant, en direction nord, la sortie 98 est bien indiquée; elle mène à la route Mooney, qui va vers le village d'Ulverton.

À l'époque de la super-2, quand on roulait vers le nord, on pouvait accéder à la halte routière du moulin à laine d'Ulverton par une intersection à niveau. Maintenant que l'on peut sortir au chemin Mooney, l'intersection a été démantelée, et le petit bout de chemin menant à la halte fût fermé.

Dernière sortie avant d'atteindre les limites territoriales de la nouvelle ville de Sherbrooke, la sortie 71 mène vers la jolie ville de Windsor, ville avec laquelle a fusionné la municipalité de Saint-Grégoire-de-Greenlay, dont le nom fut enlevé du panneau.

Malgré ce que certains prétendent, je persiste à croire que le point de raccordement prévu de l'A-55 et de l'ancienne A-51 se trouve à Windsor, et non pas à Richmond. Ce qui me permet de croire à cette théorie est l'emplacement, et l'orientation, du boulevard du Conseil, à Asbestos. Vous allez me demander "c'est quoi, le rapport?" Et je vais vous l'expliquer.

D'abord, le boulevard du Conseil date de 1977, soit plus ou moins un an après la prise du pouvoir par le gouvernement péquiste. Ce boulevard est composé de deux chaussées distinctes, et constitue une voie de contournement de la ville. De plus, il ne comporte aucun point d'accès, mis à part les intersections des rues qui le croisent. Il est donc possible de croire que ce soit une partie de l'A-55 originale, mais comme le nouveau gouvernement a fait cesser les travaux de l'autoroute, la ville a probablement dû demander au MTQ de lui remettre l'emprise, afin d'en faire un boulevard. Il faudra enquêter afin d'avoir le fin mot de l'histoire.

Ensuite, si vous regardez une carte montrant le relief de la région située entre Asbestos, Richmond, et Windsor, comme celle disponible sur Google Maps, par exemple, vous vous rendrez compte que le relief entre Asbestos et Windsor est beaucoup moins accentué que celui entre Asbestos et Richmond. De plus, le passage par Windsor représente une ligne plus directe pour relier Asbestos et Sherbrooke. Mais tout cela demeure également de la théorie, parce que le gouvernement actuel n'a aucun projet, dans ses cartons, pour remettre en circuit le tracé original de l'A-55.

Bon, voyons voir ce qui me reste de photos. J'ai en réserve celles des divers chantiers de l'A-15, dans la région des basses Laurentides, ainsi que, tenez-vous bien, les premières images de la blogue-mobile!

C'est donc à suivre...

Con estos datos,  la demanda de crudo aumentó respecto al 2006 en España un 0.8% y, a nivel global el consumo se incrementó un 1.1%, mientras que por otro lado, la producción disminuyó un 0.2%, según los datos facilitados por la petrolera. 

La regla es básica, a mayor demanda y menor oferta, los precios se disparan. Si la demanda creciente de los países emergentes es compensada con una menor producción, los precios seguirán disparados por mucho tiempo. Ahora bien, a pesar de la fuerte dependencia energética de España y el alto consumo de crudo, no se puede justificar las intervenciones en los sectores mencionados anteriormente. Si la escalada de los precios continúa serán las propias empresas quienes comiencen a sustituir la demanda de productos derivados del crudo por otros alternativos. No cabe forzar a nadie a nada, no se puede suprimir el consumo de plásticos, ni gomas, ni carburantes, ni energía en las casas, a nadie sensato se le puede ocurrir destruir de la noche a la mañana los sectores que trabajan con y para el crudo, porque este está presente en todo lo que vestimos, nos transporta, utilizamos para trabajar, para escribir este blog (ordenador) o hablar con tu madre (teléfono). Cuanto mayores sean las dificultades a las que los ciudadanos y las empresas se enfrenten en esta escalada de precios, mayores y más rápidas serán las soluciones que el mercado establezca, la reconversión será prolongada y la destrucción de empleo mínima debido a la recolocación en un espacio de tiempo prudente de la mano de obra de estos sectores a otros, por lo que el gobierno tiene poco que hacer en esta materia. Es más, una de las consecuencias de que España dependa tanto del crudo han sido las actuaciones y regulaciones gubernamentales durante  años, regulaciones que han impedido la aparición y desarrollo de otras energías como la nuclear, el desarrollo de sistemas alternativos de transporte más eficientes  debido a la deficiente, obsoleta  y mal planteada red radial de transporte ferroviario tanto de pasajeros como de mercancías o la red radial de transporte terrestre por carretera que hace que el consumo de combustible se incremente considerablemente.  El problema es mas bien de base, la fuerte regulación gubernamental en materia de transporte ha permitido que  ahora convivamos  con infraestructuras obsoletas, con un diseño ineficiente de carreteras (red de autovías y autopistas radial) y con sistemas de energía caros, debido a los prejuicios políticos que hay por las centrales nucleares. 

Ahora cabe esperar, a ver que se les puede ocurrir para destruir más empleo en dos años, ¿prohibirán el uso de bolsas de plástico?, ¿aumentará el precio de la energía?, ¿irán los españoles desnudos por la calle?, ¿prohibirán circular con coche los días pares?, ¿se impondrá el transporte marítimo de  pateras entre la Península y las Islas Canarias o las Baleares?,...

Putting it mildly, Boo is quite a territorial feline. (bad ass kitty) Although Boo is an indoor cat she protects us from any other animals, and sometimes people, that come near the house. A week or two back Boo actually chased a cat up a tree from inside the house.  She has also scared a grown man and his German Shepherd back down the driveway and into their car. 

Do you see who Boo is hunting?

She is hunting the cat from next door "Alice" AKA "Smokey", who is laying camouflaged amongst the lillys hunting the chipmunks eating the seed underneath the bird feeder. 

After a hiatus I am glad to announce that Monday Chick Flick Nite has returned.  Look later tonight or tomorrow for my latest review.

Acaso no es verdad, que en España no existe un mercado transparente de Agua, donde la gente con derechos de regadío bien definidos, pueda vender libremente o alquilar tales derechos a otros agricultores interesados en adquirirlos. Acaso no es verdad, que el agua es una mercancía, que por abundante en unos sitios tiene escaso valor y en otros, por escasa, tiene un elevado valor. No es cierto, que los agricultores de las cuencas del Norte, si tuviesen pleno derecho de explotación sobre el agua, venderían esta a los de las cuencas del Sur de España, obteniendo con ello mayores beneficios que los que actualmente les proporcionan algunos de los paupérrimos cultivos de cereal o las tierras de barbecho fuertemente subvencionadas.

Por ello, no es de extrañar que en Estados Unidos  lo pinten así, un País donde personas que se dedican a elaborar informes sobre el sexo de las almejas, obtener jugosas "comisiones" por decidir donde se puede construir o divagar acerca del rédito político de la lucha y confrontación sobre el agua, deciden por el resto de ciudadanos  lo que han de hacer y pueden comerciar. En vez de preocuparse en solucionar el problema, concediendo y protegiendo los derechos de explotación de los que realmente sí  tienen algo que decir en esta materia, aquellos agricultores que les sobra agua y estarían dispuestos a venderla a otros que lo necesitan y, a cambio, poder obtener beneficio por ello.

Antes de começar a falar sobre o assunto de hoje, queria agradecer a todos os leitores e colaboradores. Na semana passada o Blog atingiu a marca de cinco mil visitas (com menos de três meses de vida). Tudo bem! Eu sei que existem Blogs muito mais promissores por aí. Por isso peço a todos que divulguem cada vez mais o Musashinm. Para que, desta forma, desbanquemos todos os nossos rivais (rs). Enfim: "Muito obrigado a todos!".

Bom, mas vamos ao que interessa!

Há, mais ou menos, um mês atrás eu falei sobre a Teoria da Conspiração "Acre, Você Acredita?". Vocês se lembram? Não? Por favor, leiam novamente o Post: "Campanha - Acre, Você Acredita?". Pois o assunto de hoje é justamente sobre esta pergunta que não quer calar (rs).

Se eu consegui provas concretas sobre a inexistência do Acre? Eu não diria que não são bem provas, mas que são fatos muito intrigantes sobre esta teoria. Que foram desencadeados pela seguinte matéria: Chega ao fim disputa por território entre Amazonas e Acre. Matéria esta que foi transmitida pela Globo, no Jornal Nacional, há algumas semanas atrás.

Mas quais são estes fatos intrigantes, afinal? Bom, vamos por parte (como diria Jack, o Estripador):

Primeiro, lembra que eu comentei (no outro Post sobre o Acre) que uma certa emissora de televisão estava envolvida? Pois é (rs), agora não preciso mais guardar segredo, já que ela (e somente ela) tentou corroborar a teoria do Acre. Como assim "somente ela"? Ao ver esta matéria fui atrás de outras fontes que a sustentassem. E pasmem: a decisão desta disputa judicial (que durou 26 anos) foi um furo de reportagem da Globo. Isto é, até hoje. Pois não podemos esquecer que esta Teoria da Conspiração é fomentada pelo Governo (rs).

Segundo, não é muito conveniente esta decisão judicial ter saído justo agora? No exato momento em que a Teoria da Conspiração começa a ganhar cada vez mais adeptos. Na minha opinião, esta matéria (da Globo) está parecendo fogo-fátuo! Ou seja, uma pequena distração para aqueles que estão a procura da verdade.

Terceiro, quando eu esta a procura de mais fontes encontrei esta outra matéria: A vida de quem vive na divisa do Amazonas com o Acre. Vocês devem ter reparado que, na primeira reportagem, o William Bonner afirma que o território agregado ao Acre é de 1.184 Km². Pois é! Agora reparem no tamanho do território que o repórter (da segunda matéria) diz ter sido agregado. Intrigante, não? Parece até uma mentira que aumenta a cada vez que é contada! Daqui a pouco esta matéria vai parecer Lenda Urbana (rs).

Bem, vou parando por aqui. Mas antes queria que vocês vissem um Trailer feito por Igor M. (do Blog Regulama):

Observação: Para você que, assim como eu, continua duvidando da existência do Acre (rs), o pessoal do Jovem Nerd continua vendendo a camiseta: "Acre, Você Acredita?".

Il semblerait que ce soit une vaste mission.

Tellement vaste que quand je donne l'intitulé de mon poste, en général, les gens ne le comprennent pas et répondent en général de la même manière :

"ça doit être intéressant..."

Bien sur que c'est intéressant, car me connaissant, si ça ne l'était pas, il n'y aurait aucune chance pour que je l'ai choisi ce métier.

La mission que je me donne dans les billets à venir, regroupés dans la toute nouvelle catégorie "Territoire(s)" c'est de présenter quelques unes des problématiques liées aux territoires, à leur organisation et à leur mise en valeur.

Us adjuntem un gràfic on es pot veure com es realitzarà el canvi al final de la propera temporada que serà de transició.

En definitiva l'any vinent si el primer equip queda entre els 12 primers la temporada 2009/10 jugarà a Tercera Catalana, el que considerem injust donat que tant se val quedar primer com dotzé esperem que la Federació se'n adoni del seu error i permeti que almenys el primer classificat tingui opció a pujar a Segona Catalana.

També sembla que volen canviar la categoria d'alevins a futbol 7 enlloc de futbol 11.