So Long 2010!

Borrowed from Here

2010 is bidding us farewell! 

I fancy a good challenge and this year I met Mr. Challenge itself. I went to bed with it, I woke up with it, I had a meal with it, I laughed with it, I had mega fun with it; I loved it and to tell you the truth: Mr. Challenge rendered life even more interesting. 

I would like to thank those who have been following and reading MAX: you guys were one of the best things about 2010! 

Before I go, I'd like to wish everybody a blasting 2011, full of love, health and wealth (under its many forms)!

There's no better way to exit 2010, and entering 2011, than listening to music. 

As such, ladies and gents, I would like to introduce you to a young Portuguese artist, FF (Fernando Fernandes), who enchants with this poignant song entitled "Ponteiro da Solidão" (Clock's hand of loneliness).

Wishing love to all, I retire for now. Happy New Year!!

Lyrics & Translation

Eu não sei o que vou fazer.

(I don't know what I'm going to do)

Diz-me quantas horas tenho para te ver!

(Tell me how many hours I have left to see you!)

Atende só mais uma vez…

(Pick up the phone one more time)

Sei que ainda há tempo p’ra ver como és.

(I know I still have time to see you the way you are)

E nada espero. Só…

(I expect nothing. I only...)

Quero mais, quero mais, quero mais p’ra mim...

(Want more, I want more, I want more for me...)

Quero mais, dá-me mais, dá-me mais de ti…

(I want more, give me more, give me more of you...)

Eu não sei o que vou dizer,

(I don't know what I'm going to say)

As palavras embargam, não te quero perder.

(Words don't come easy, I don't want to lose you)

Diz-me que sim ou diz-me que não,

(Tell me 'yes' or 'no')

Não me faças perder tempo neste jogo da razão -

(Don't make me waste time in this mind game -)

Eu sei que não. Eu sei que não… Te posso ter.

(I know that I can't. I know that I can't...have you).

Quero mais, quero mais, quero mais p’ra mim...

(I want more, I want more for me)

Quero mais, dá-me mais, dá-me mais de ti…

(I want more, give me more, give me more of you...)

Aquilo que fazes é aquilo que és,

(What you do is what you are)

Diz-me com quem andas e eu dir-te-ei quem és –

(You will be judged by the company you keep -)

quem é, quem é que dá a mão à solidão?

(Whom? Whom holds the hand of loneliness?)

Quero mais, quero mais, quero mais p’ra mim...

(I want more, I want more, I want more for me...)

Quero mais, dá-me mais, dá-me mais de ti…

(I want more, give me more, give more of you...)

Mas se quiseres fugir basta dizeres que não

(However if you wish to run away, all you have to say is 'I don't')

“quero mais, quero mais!”,

("want more, I want more!")

Quero mais, quero mais…

(I want more, I want more...)

Quero mais!

(I want more!)

Quero mais!

(I want more!)

Quero mais!

(I want more!)

Quero mais… de ti

(I want more...of you)

Guardo na palma da vida

(In the palm of life I keep)

O relógio do teu coração

(The clock of your heart)

100 (sem) horas de partida -

(100 hours of departure -)

Marca o ponteiro da solidão

(Shows the clock's hand of loneliness).

Translation by Max Coutinho

La Famiglia

The Holy Family by Pompeo Batoni

Humans come together to either have children or raise them. Whenever they propose themselves to do this, with Love, they project their hopes and plans upon their offspring; not to mention the fact that they pledge themselves to protect their infants to death and worry about them till their breath is aspirated from them. Because of this, it is not easy to belong to a family, to be loyal to it while keeping one’s indentity intact – many do not have the stamina to stand by their family (for whichever reason). 

Friends can be one’s family (in the absence of blood relatives or in the presence of abusive kinship), and as such love, respect and loyalty are absolute requirements. 

A group of people comes together and organises itself into a Family. This group designs a set of rules which are to be followed and respected to the extreme, so that the chain of command is safeguarded and the order of things is maintained. If one member fails to follow the family’s directives it will suffer the rightful consequences. 

Functions of a Family

1. School: la famiglia is our first academy. The important lessons this group transmits us are vital tools to survive in the cold harsh world.
2. Shield: la famiglia protects us. Friends and lovers come and go; strangers may try to walk all over you; but no matter what your family will always be there to keep you from unnecessary harm.
3. Psychological intervention: every family gathering is a potential catharsis. When before your kinship vent out all your troubles. Even if you have to throw a soofganiyot or a turkey drum towards a relative’s head...go ahead, for the family will help you cleanse your mind and soul.
4. Guardian of Order: if every family plans, organises, manages and controls its pack properly crime rates will decrease for sure and society will be a much more pleasant place to live in. 

When the world becomes overwhelming and ruthless you can always come home to recharge batteries. 

Family is the cornerstone of society.

Wikinicked

Taken from Wikipedia

It’s 17:00 and my intellect is in a momentary stupor. 

Too much time and attention has been bestowed to Wikileaks. 

The excitement over what this website has exposed is beyond my comprehension: people crave for Wiki-info the same way they crave for celebrity gossip on E! channel. I wonder if they realise how dangerous this Wiki-project really is and what is at stake here. 

The romantic-Left extols Leaks' lack of wisdom and thirst for diplomatic gossip, all under the flag of Freedom of Speech. 

However, Wikileaks is not exercising freedom of speech or freedom of information; it is instead exercising its freedom of Anti-Americanism. 

Not everybody has to like the United States, not everybody has to agree with its policies, and the US is certainly not above criticism; however being Anti-American doesn’t make sense at all when half the world emulates its way of life, and the other half aspires to the American Dream.

Whenever I see leftists clad in Levi’s, wearing Nike, drinking a Coke, playing with its iPhone and proudly trashing America, I feel like despising them. 

Now back to Wikileaks...

I would like to understand this site’s agenda. What drove Assange and his people to rummage the diplomatic world and jeopardise the lives of people involved with the Intelligence Services? Moreover, who gave this site access to classified cables and with what purpose? 

These are interesting questions that (so far) remain unanswered.

Wikileaks = Dangerous Gossip with a Plan. 

Julian Assange is the editor in chief of Wikileaks. As such, he is a Gossiper in Chief who endangers Diplomats and the Intelligence Corps. He should be prosecuted for treason and wikinicked for his criminal behaviour. 

Definitely Deficit & Debt

The Banker and his wife by Marinus van Reymerswaele

The Western World has become the new “Rain Man”.

Every time I turn on the TV, or the radio, and read the newspapers I am being fed by the same words.

I have come to be under the impression that sand is being thrown at the public’s eyes to prevent it from seeing the snare. Otherwise why do we keep receiving the same answers to different questions?

Q: What can be done to tackle families' over-indebtedness?

A: Deficit & Debt.

Q: How can we encourage the business world to create jobs and encourage workers to seek for jobs?

A: Deficit & Debt.

Q: How can we remind bankers that their main line of business is to lend money so that real wealth can be generated?

A: Definitely Deficit & Debt.

Q: Government coffers are empty. Rumour has it that there isn’t a cent to solve preeminent problems, such as fixing bridges, dams, roads and schools; not to mention assisting indigent citizens. What can be done?

A: Definitely Deficit & Debt. 

This reminds me of one of my nephews who has Asperger and keeps repeating the same thing over and over again with no tangible result.

The culprits for this economic crisis (both Right and Left Wings + certain influential groups) have already been identified, however the time to point fingers has become redundant. 

The autistic trope (“Deficit & Debt”) is no longer acceptable. Futile chat and comments should be rejected; real solutions to the problem should be demanded. 

If the experts are incapable of offering a sustainable solution, then people are to forget governments, banks, the media and, specially, the narrow-minded-parrot-like commentators; and go back to the basics (i.e. roll up their sleeves and generate business – if not alone, then in community [remember barter?]). That way, nobody will starve and eventually wealth and well-being will be restored. 

Definitely new economic solutions are peremptory.