Feels like love...

In the beginning you don't know about it...

Then you listen to it and you fall in love...

Then you search for it...

In days of borebom or ones of immense creativity...

Then you listen to it again and you stick your ear to the radio wishing for the title...

You don't sleep without whispering its sounds or lyrics...

Then you commit for a good, really good search...

Then you find it...

You sense a feeling of having lost something...

That is the appetite for discovery...

Or the magic of it...

But then, it stays within you...

And more delicate feelings grow about it...

It's yours and you can share it with the world...

Or share it with yourself at times you may have forgotten about it...

And then you set off for new discoveries through reminding yourself what a good treasure-hunter you have been!

Enjoy...after you find it!

Sapphirecut feat dPen - Losing hope (Brusca Acoustic mix)

Interesting findings

Being silent for a good while didn't mean I've been inactive. On the contrary...

Too much to say and squeeze into a blog post, so I just thought of sharing some interesting findings!

# Do you want to know what drives us? Why do we do the things we do and we don't the things we don't? Watch this interestingly done video -->> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=channel

# Do schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson has a say on that! Watch the legendary video from 2006 here -->> http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html and also it's recent follow up "Bring on the learning revolution", here -->> http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

# Are you more genius than the genius? Play... but don't get angry at him...or don't get him angry! :) http://en.akinator.com/#

# The web site of my main occupation for the last 18 months and for the next 12 -->> http://enter.opencontent.it/eng

# Make your voice heard and bring non-formal education/learning closer into the recognition it deserves! -->> http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/consult/learning_en.html

Gasoline costs 0,5 euros in Azerbaijan...

:)

S.

Go...east!

...never been further to the east of the world! Not that it actually matters... But me being a geographer by education and a traveler by profession, I keep the 4 cardinal points as a "strong" reference framework!

What do you know about Azerbaijan? I didn't know much and by the time I went, I had only met a few people from there.

Now I know a bit more, although my 2 days staying there was definitely not enough.

The Caspian sea, the high quality caviar, the gas and oil companies, the huge constructions and re-constructions and more.

Above all nice people, really nice people...(well, maybe not some of the ones at the airport)... that made me feel at home.

I had some wonderful moments in an orphanage school where there was a "European night" organized. I'll be really happy to see some of these children taking advantage of European opportunities in the future. Trust me, there were very eager to know about Europe and what it offers!

As they were greatly interested in the "yoyo" I offered to them...this thingie never goes out of interest!

If any wind takes you to that side of the world, a walk on the seaside, or up to the hills and definitely some wandering around the market (bazzaar) will supply you with good memories to share later!



Until next time,

S.

P.S Thank you Akshin, your organization "Human Rights in the 21st Century" and the Council of Europe that made this possible.

Mountains are...

...the beginning and the end of all natural scenery

John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

Photo taken between 28/02 - 06/03/2010 in Flachau, Austria.

It takes two...

Try saying:


"Y E G Llllllllllll"!


You do it and then you get the sense of a waterfall in your throat!

You read it, and then you are ready to Go YEGLing!

When a multitude of youth leadership experiences are coming together, the result is a MUST READ!


But saying "Creativity in Motion" is easier, isn't it?

Easier for everyone will also be organizing it!

Organizing what?

"Creativity"!

So poetic... a publication that seeks to illustrate the past of Creativity and pave the way for its future!


Enjoy reading & please, feed us with your thoughts!

S.

The beginning of the end...

Well...

the time has come...or, if speaking that cosmos' language, when time comes or goes, it is difficult to say.

But Lost's final season, in the real (?) world we live is about to start...and I can't wait!

Though, a minute or so ago, when I came across the clip below, I said to my self "already the 2nd of February at the corner!hmmmm...why not delaying it a little bit more...". Longing emerging from waiting of your loved one is what probably makes the much desired beginning (of the end) the most ambiguous thing in one's Lost soul!

Enjoy, nonetheless!

Lullabies in the dark...

Listen with care...



S.

FaceBoom!

That's a surprise! My first post in Greek is reality! Just check a few lines below.

There are two questions remaining though!

Why in Greek?

Simply because this post is about an article I wrote in 2001 for the magazine "Citizen K"; published by the local government in the place where I have been residing for the last 23 years.

This article is about flirting and falling in love through the Internet. It has occurred to me recently that several of my friends are strongly experiencing what I was thinking or speculating back then. So, listening to their stories, I usually turn back to them saying... "Oh, I wrote an article about that 9 years ago!" And here I am publishing it in a newer medium, after going after it for some time.

Is it going to be a translation?

Of course! I'll do it, soon...Promise!

The article follows...

e-ΡΩΤΕΥΜΕΝΟΙ & ΣΧΙΖΟΦΡΕΝΕΙΣ

- ASL?

- 3 μηνών (περίπου), n (neutral), Καλαμαριά !

Η απάντηση, όπως ίσως και να φανταστήκατε, αφορά το περιοδικό μας, ασχέτως αν το μυαλό σας δεν "πήγε" καθόλου στο ποια ακριβώς είναι η ερώτηση. Η ερώτηση προέρχεται από την πιο σύγχρονη γλώσσα, αυτήν του Internet (Διαδίκτυο, για να μην ξεχνιόμαστε) και πιο συγκεκριμένα από τον χώρο των chat rooms (Δωματίων κουβέντας, ας πούμε). Πως ακριβώς μεταφράζονται τα τρία αυτά αρχικά, θα το ανακαλύψετε στις "αταξίες" (κάπου εδώ γύρω τις βάλανε!)*. Το Internet, είναι μια σύγχρονη πραγματικότητα όπως κάποτε ήταν η τυπογραφία. Και ως σύγχρονη πραγματικότητα που σέβεται τον εαυτό της, έπρεπε να εμπνευστεί και να δημιουργήσει όλες εκείνες τις παραμέτρους που την προσδιορίζουν. Μέσα σε όλα τα άλλα έπρεπε να δημιουργήσει φλερτ και έρωτα! Ένα σύγχρονο, long distance, καλωδιακό φλερτ και εν συνεχεία, έναν ψηφιακό, γεμάτο λησμονιά και όνειρα "καυτής" καλοκαιρινής νύχτας, έρωτα. Και τα κατάφερε (εκ πείρας μιλάω)!

Ο τρόπος; Chat rooms. Οι συμμετέχοντες; Όλοι αυτοί που αναζητούσαν "σταγόνες" επικοινωνίας με τον συνάνθρώπο τους και καθημερινά ανακάλυπταν ότι πιο εύκολα βρίσκεις RED BULL (νε-υρ-οέλληνες ενωθείτε!) στην έρημο! Το αποτέλεσμα;

Μια μικρομέγαλη, "φορτισμένη" συναισθηματικά, υγροψηφιακή κοινωνία
e-ρωτοαγύρτηδων!

Αν κάποιος δεν έχει βρεθεί ποτέ μπροστά από μια οθόνη υπολογιστή που δείχνει μηνύματα να περνάνε και να "σκαρφαλώνουν" προς την δυνατή μας μνήμη, τότε είμαι σίγουρος πως δεν πολυκαταλαβαίνει για τι πράγμα μιλάμε.

Αν, πάλι, καταλαβαίνει, τότε ήδη έχει απορρίψει το άρθρο και μαζί με αυτό την ιδέα να αρχίσει να φλερτάρει μέσω καλωδίων.

Με λίγα λόγια, αυτά που γράφω (μυστικό, σσσ), θέλουν διακριτικά να συμπαρασταθούν στους σύγχρονους αυτούς Ρωμαίους και Ιουλιέτες, που προσπαθούν να διαφυλάξουν λίγο ρομαντισμό μέσα στα chips του υπολογιστή.

Ρομαντισμό;;;

Ναι, ρομαντισμό! Υπάρχει πιο ρομαντικό συναίσθημα από το να χτυπάει η καρδιά σου δυνατά για κάποιον που δεν έχεις δει ποτέ; Για κάποιον που η μόνη επαφή που έχετε είναι η αλληλοδιαδοχή των μηνυμάτων σας; Και όταν μετά από αρκετά e-ραντεβού, το μόνο που σκέφτεστε είναι πως αυτή η κακούργα η τύχη θα χαμογελάσει και σε σας για να ταξιδέψετε στην αγκαλιά της (;;;) αγαπημένης σας ή του αγαπημένου σας;

Και άλλα πολλά... Κάποιοι έχετε απογοητευτεί από αυτήν την κατάσταση. "Όλα καλά και ρομαντικά (όπως μας λες και εσύ ρε Σάκη), μέχρι που είδα τη φωτογραφία της/του" ή "μέχρι που την/τον συνάντησα και δεν ήξερα από πού να φύγω!" Ναι, ναι καταλαβαίνω. Το Internet θα μπορούσε να χαρακτηριστεί και ως μια τεράστια θεατρική σκηνή στην οποία ο καθένας υποδύεται αυτό που θέλει, λεει αυτό που θέλει, ντύνεται όπως θέλει κ.ο.κ.

Πλήρης ελευθερία!

Πρέπει να είμαστε προσεκτικοί, όχι βιαστικές κινήσεις. Καλή μνήμη και υπομονή μέχρι να γνωριστείτε καλύτερα. Το ρίσκο, όμως, παραμένει μεγάλο!

Αλλά, για κάτσε...Ρομαντικοί, ελεύθεροι, ριψοκίνδυνοι...Η τέλεια συνταγή για ένα διαδικτυακό ερωτικό δείπνο!

Πριν 3 χρόνια, σε κάποιο σεμινάριο, πασίγνωστη δημοσιογράφος είχε ερωτηθεί από εμένα αν το Internet είναι ένας "υγιής" τρόπος επικοινωνίας. Η απάντηση που πήρα ήταν ότι φυσικά είναι υγιής τρόπος, αρκεί η οθόνη να είναι στο σωστό ύψος, η πλάτη ίσια και οι ώρες μετρημένες!!!

Είχε βάθος στη σκέψη η κυρία...

Mexican Moon από Concrete Blond, για καλή συντροφιά στα ταξίδια σας...

Σημ. Ερωτευμένους σχιζοφρενείς μας είπαν οι "Τρύπες" πριν μερικά χρόνια...

* Οι "αταξίες" του τεύχους Νο2, του Πολίτη Κ αφορούσαν στο "λεξιλόγιο" της διαδικτυακής επικοινωνίας (πχ. :) = χαμόγελο, :( Στεναχωρέθηκα κτλ)


Facebook + baby boom = FaceBoom!

S.

EURubik's cube solved!

Not that I have seen or attended many, but this must've been of the "lightest" ones!

Barroso (European Commission President) giving Reinfeldt (Swedish Prime Minister) the Rubik's cube as a present symbolizing his efforts to push the Council into selecting and appointing the 2 (+1) persons to take over the 2(+1) roles created by the Lisbon Treaty.

Van Rompuy (President of the European Council, starting from today) being several times, and rather impromptu, called as the President of Europe...

Reinfeldt calling him self "thorough as a Swedish" referring to the long consultations that took place in advance of the Council.

Van Rompuy promising that his "negative qualifications" will be revealed to the journalists, after the press conference!

And more...

For the press conference announcing the 1st President of the European Council and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy someone would have expected something more rigid. I personally watched the video of the press conference rather smoothly and with a substantial interest while only seldom being trapped in eloquences and "heavy words".

Additionally, it was great to watch (although I couldn't understand 2/3 of it) Van Rompuy making his first speech as a President of the European Council in 3 languages, that is: English, Dutch and French. That's another difference the BBC should have added when compiling this comparative list...Would Obama (and his likes) ever make his inauguration speech in a language other than (American) English?

Long ago should I have commented on the processes led to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, especially because I promised so in a post 18 months ago.

But today it seems the right day to do so, once it's the "beginning of a new era"... Where this will lead, no one knows. But change is inevitable. Let's try and live with it.

More and more curious I am getting about the details of the "Citizens' initiative"... And other elements stipulated in the Treaty, such as the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Besides all, a trip to Lisbon today, not so much for the celebrations but because it is just a beautiful city, would be great! Free transfer to everyone should have been my proposal some weeks ago!

Let's make it happen...

S.

Out, on the streets...

We know of young people going out on the streets, claiming more support for education...

We know of retirees going out on the streets, asking for more decent benefits...

We know of unemployed people going out on the streets, demanding their works back...

But...

I, personally, never knew that this will ever happen...

Rich Germans, out on the streets, asking the government to put more taxes on them! More taxes because the money they have is more than enough...they don't need it!!! And because society needs it, education needs it...

I still find it hard to believe...

As I still find it hard to believe it's so hard to believe what's logical nowadays...

S.

Summer nights

Suffering from a terrible cold in the middle of the summer while I have realized that it has been more than 3 months since my last blog post....

Shame on me...

But blogging should look more like one of the "OST" rules... When it starts, it's the right time... When posting it is the right time for posting...

So many things happened lately...

To intrigue you about where my thoughts lie at the moment (cause my body lies at my bed, non stop), take a look at this : Twitter: US confirms it made request to keep Iran tweeting | World news | guardian.co.uk

If Internet is not the way to a new Democracy, then what it is, what could it be???

In pain...

S.

Non-formal learning on screen!

It has arrived! Finally! I'd dare to say the first of its kind. The first ever visual material that approaches non-formal learning from this angle!

A guy, called Romanos, living in Greece and coming originally from Uzbekistan explores life concepts - love prevailing - through non-formal learning activities and makes sure that the learning occured is meaningful for his future life.

More, on screen!

Visit www.my-learning.gr and go to the menu titled "Publications". You can find the documentary there (among some other "goodies").

Or skip the web site (nnoooo, you don't wanna do that!) and visit the video directly at:

http://www.vimeo.com/3557129

Feedback always appreciated and much desired.

Well done Romanos, well done Miki, well done myself ;)

S.

2:25 - 3:30

I am nothing but a "LOST" fun...

No comments

Get informed...

Get despaired...

Get angry...

Get active...

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28809&Cr=somali&Cr1=

S.

MyBook

Well, the title seems to refer to a new "web" thingie, that follows the "My" onomatology...but actually is my book :) I dare to say "the 1st one of those I will write during my life"...

In cooperation with Miki, here is the fruit of our work.

Another step towards recognition of non-formal learning? Time will show... For the time being, we are proud to have it finished...without a single penny of support...And this is not an allusion of complain towards those institutions that for years have been supporting our ideas-turn into-projects, but a statement and a belief about achieving a lot without money being necessarily a precondition.

My gratitude and respect to all those that supported and still support our work and its promotion.

Enjoy reading and feed us with comments and stories! Let's breath life into it!

S.

Online consultation

Politicians ask for our opinion and input....................................................................................................................

Yes, they do!

Well, what do they do with it is the case...

But still, without contributing to the online consultation you miss the one opportunity that those politicians might actually do something with it.

Let action take over skepticism, let commitment take over complains.

http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-policies/doc1220_en.htm

S.

European information goes on TV!

I greatly support (and I am deeply surprised by)
http://www.eurodesk.tv

"European information" for young people gets more accessible than ever...and most of all, nicely illustrated and expressed!

Thousands of thumbs up!

S.

European Youth Week

Visit:

http://youthweek.magusine.net/

and take a glimpse on what happened during the "WebLab" of the European Youth Week 2008, Brussels event.

S.

True or not???

Now that's really interesting!

Taken from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/008-37657-266-09-39-901-20080919IPR37656-22-09-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm

Questions over the funding of the No campaign in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty referendum

Raising a point of order, Co-President Daniel Cohn Bendit (Greens/EFA , DE) said: "Last weekend, the Irish press revealed that there possibly exists a link between the financers of the no-campaign in Ireland and the Pentagon as well as the CIA. This was a very interesting story and the explanation given was that Europe should not become too strong. I would ask the President to please clarify this matter and suggest that we also ask the Council as well as the Commission to inform us next time, because if this story turns out to be true it would be an interesting fact indeed, confirming what lies behind the €1.2 million which was used to finance the no-campaign in Ireland. I therefore would like to ask the President to please look into the matter so that we receive information and achieve transparency."

In response, EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering said: "I have been following this whole matter very attentively for some time. We do indeed need absolute transparency on this (matter) because this is exactly what those who are attacking us demand. However, they must of course comply with these standards themselves, i.e. they must provide total transparency on what funds this organisation.

We have learned from the Irish media - and I am quoting what we read in Ireland during the past week - that in the past Mr Ganley claimed that the donations come from ordinary citizens, and that they are small donations. According to the reports, he now has admitted that he himself has donated €200 000 of his personal assets to his organisation, and it has also been confirmed in the meantime that Mr Ganley has signed contracts with the Pentagon over the execution of military orders amounting to about 200 million - I believe - dollars. Other estimates are much higher. We must continue to follow this affair very closely. The facts must be put on the table. We cannot allow Europe to be harmed by people who demand transparency but do not provide it themselves.

I would like to emphasise my high regard for the Irish Minister of European Affairs, Dick Roche, who has made it his personal cause to shed light on this issue and I explicitly support him in his uncompromising approach. Ladies and gentlemen, I deduce from your applause that we stand on the side of those who strive for absolute transparency in all of these questions in order to keep Europe from suffering harm. "


Let's wait and see...

I didn't plan to bring this previously blogged issue forward, at least not before any update in the Irish referendum. Well, the update has arrived so here we are.

It's very interesting, for the world in general but for this blog as well, to see who has raised this issue within the European Parliament! If you look some articles before you'll see what I mean!

On hold.

S.

In between 2 posts

I have just noticed that in between my two latest posts... there has been a war.

I didn't write anything about it...Maybe because I found it difficult to believe it happened. Maybe because I just wanted it finishes faster than my blogging reflexiveness can grasp. Maybe because I had nothing to say.

And still, I have nothing to say... I am kind of speechless when thinking wars still happen nowadays. Actually, it was the first time that something like that is so close to me; I had to cancel/postpone a training course in Georgia because of the post-war situation. But that's the least in my line of thinking and most of all, in the overall situation during and after the war.

What fears me the most is that I don't personally see an easy, fast and effective healing in the wound made in the body of the Caucasian mountains...

But I wish.

S.