Future

Stopping my holidays temporarily for DJing in a place 2 hours driving away from my tent was not so desirable but it proved to be an interesting experience.

First of all, it was great fun. People dancing, lucid moon, iodine smell from the sea, cold beer, twisted beats and more.

Fortunately, the darkness of the night, covered the disgust that images like the one on the left was causing the moment you were letting your eyesight to enjoy the sea view (in the daylight).

Tones of garbage over tones of garbage...on the beach of the camping site for university students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

In an age that action for the support of the environmental resuscitation is needed more than ever, the future doctors, mechanics, lawyers, teachers...(nothing against the professions and to those that possess and practice them with respect) have decided that an act of faith to this end (or maybe the best their brains can think) was to create a dump in a place that offers them invaluable relaxing moments and healthy living...and also hosts them the next day, amongst plastic bottles, cans, food left-overs...Quality in life.

Shitheads...

S.

That's what sports is all about

Spain won over Italy last night in a match that didn't satisfy me but still I feel the "football bliss" of the Saturday night's match during which two of my favorite teams kept me away from the beach bar for 2 hours...which is anyway not the easiest thing in the world to be done!
But I am far from being a sports' reporter. I just know that the Italian guy being interviewed by a Greek channel, made me stop my lunch and try not to become so emotionally charged when he said "Italy lost and that sorrows me...but my girlfriend is happy - and he smoothly drugs her closer to him so the camera catches her - because she is Spanish...and I am happy she is happy!!!" Even the most distant dualities - like sorrow and happiness - collide creatively...and generate life...when people meet.

S.

What's next?

In the following web links you can find things very much related to the previous article.

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/101346.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_245_en.pdf

The former is about the Presidency Conclusions of the recent Council and the latter regards a survey that was conducted in Ireland after the referendum for the Lisbon Treaty.

Although the Lisbon Treaty was on the top of the Agenda, the "real" discussion was actually postponed for the October Council. Logically, so to say. It was too early to act and EU's modest, gradual and meticulous approach to things is the prevalent operational attitude so far, although admittedly (and logically) people tend to condemn this approach. Call it not brave enough, for the time being, this is the way it is.

Results of the survey will make us all think and this is precisely the reason why I have included this web link here. Lack of information and protection of the Irish identity were the main reasons for voting "No". Reasonable reasons? I am still wondering.

S.

Treating a Treaty

Some say I am not a normal person. Maybe, they are right.
I spent the last weekend in an amazing seaside place. The picture on the right, although not so relevant in the first glimpse with the content of this post, was taken there. It was the "peak" moment; the one that I liked the most during those days. What I liked the least was to get to know (from the late arriving newspapers) that the Irish people - precisely, 53,1% of the population entitled to voting - voted "NO" for the Treaty of Lisbon. "Why do you care" was the question of many. Rightly wondered. Ireland is so far anyway.

It's been a while since I posted a link to the official web site of the Treaty of Lisbon. I can not not know. Especially for something that is going to affect my life so deeply in the years to come. The same I thought for the kind visitors of this blog. To be honest, I haven't read the 388 pages of the Consolidated Version of the Treaty. Very few have, even less understood. I am reading a comment by an Irish MEP "Of the three things that led to the NO result, one was that the Irish Prime Minister hasn't read the Treaty". At the same time, I consider my self quite informed: I have followed on TV the procedures of the Greek Parliament and the dedicated Commission about the Treaty, I have visited the web site and wandered and pondered for hours, read newspapers and more.

And I am wondering, what was the "NO" vote for?

• Was it for the adherence of the EU to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the explicit reference that it "shall have the same legal value as the Treaties" (9/5/2008, C 115/19)?

• Was it for the so called European Citizens' Initiative "whereby one million citizens, from any number of member countries, will be able to ask the Commission to present a proposal in any of the EU's areas of responsibility"?

• Was it for the reduction of the Commissioners' number to the 2/3 of the number of Member States, simply because there aren't tasks for everyone (something that at the same time means less money for the payments and more efficiency)?

• Was it because the European Parliament, the only EU institution that is directly elected by the citizens will have advanced powers and a strengthened voice?

• Was it because the National Parliaments will have an improved role with regards to European Law and decision making?

• Was it because of the President of the European Council (falsely, mistakenly, impromptu and sometimes provocatively named by the media "The President of Europe")? Was it because of the High representative for foreign and security policy? The explicit reference to "promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems, and in particular combating climate change" (9/5/2008, C 115/132).

What was it for?

I don't personally think that the NO vote was related to any of the key points above. Reading around I get to know that the people of Ireland voted what they vote having in mind issues such as abortion, European Army, taxation etc. Whatever they voted for, the mandate should be respected. A democratic society can not do otherwise, although it is disputable how much democracy exists without sufficient information and in the case of the Irish referendum (or the referendums wherever they would have taken place) information was insufficient, blurred, not pursued and sometimes (modestly), misleading.

To my belief, a big amount of information (with all the adjectives seen above) was transmitted by people, entities, institutions, collectivities and associations that have little or no faith to European integration, so "their problem" is not the Treaty of Lisbon but it would have been any kind of treaty, decision or act that aims at changing something that they don't favor anyway. As well, like anything new in the political life, it inevitably suffered opportunistic attitudes.

The Treaty of Lisbon is not a magic stick that will change the world at once. It is not the perfect treaty. There is space for improvement. There might be mistakes, omissions and unclarity. It won't be the device that all alone will respond to "hot" issues such as unemployment, oil prices, environmental catastrophe, high food prices etc. But certainly, the NO vote will not give, suggest, propose solutions to the problems that the Treaty was designed to deal with and resolve.

The European Council is now taking place in Brussels (19 - 20/06/2008) and the Treaty is on the top of the Agenda.

I personally stay tuned.

S.

North does it better!

I couldn't but make a brief reference to the wonderful hosting of the Estonian National Agency of the Youth in Action programme during the works of the "NFL goes WWW" seminar (ideas evoked will be processed soon).
It has been such a fruitful experience that proved results do not take time; they take shape through commitment, insistence and vision.
The Agency resides in a country that is as much connected to the Internet as to the practice and promotion of non formal learning (only in Estonian so far). So much, that very few countries in the continent are.
Besides the above, it resides in a beautiful country that it's edge of attractiveness is sharped particularly during May! Go on, visit and, literally, forget what it means to sleep!
I've just noticed that in a month, it is the second time I refer to this "northy". I stop here or I am going to be accused for partiality!
Well done for everything!

Naqemiseni!

S.

A shift of mind

Chatting recently with my dearest friend Maris from Estonia, I discovered a very interesting action that took place last week in this lovely country. So interesting, that in my mind it was translated and accommodated as a "light of hope". BBC has a video reportage about it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7382489.stm.
It's not only the collection of tones of garbage, which as indisputably a noble act. It's not only the overall coordination which included Google maps, photos uploading, GPS and more, which can not be imitated even from the most sophisticated management systems in large corporations. It's not only that more than 50000 people came together as one, which is a revolution in its own. It's a shift in the minds of the people; a realization of their power and of their responsibility; a deep comprehension that change is possible and an understanding that we, people, are the carriers and purveyors of it!
With the hope that more minds will shift.
A European/World spring cleaning day is what comes to my mind now; may the organizers have the strength, the will and the courage to go about it. I am with them.

Start from your self.

S.

"Societies will start to self organize themselves once nobody can do it better for them".

Has something changed?

It was the best present for my birthday. A book, very delicate and carefully illustrated, highly readable and attractive. I made this present to my self, simply by buying the newspaper that included it!
In its pages I read about this incident dated back in January 1968: The Minister of Education of France was visiting a university. On his way out, he was stopped by a red haired student just to be said "I read the White Paper on Youth, Mr. Minister. In 300 pages there is not even a single word mentioned about the sexual problems of young people"...
This recurring thought in my mind pushed me to read our "generation's" White Paper on Youth. I did it long ago. Good time for refreshment. I am quite informed about its contents. Actually, it's part of my work. But I would read 100 pages simply to see if any of the words and phrases such as sexual, sex, sexuality, sexual health, sexual problems are anywhere mentioned; moreover if they are meaningfully mentioned.
100 pages read...
Yes, they are! Happily, they are!
The same guy, in his most recent book, mentions an anecdote: "As a vice mayor, I was promoting social integration for immigrants. A man, deeply religious, Catholic, right winked and very sympathetic turns back to me and tells me that I am excellent but I don't understand one thing: the problem is not migration, the problem is that some religions do not recognize equality between men and women and that's the basis for democracy". Something has changed; back in the sixties no person sharing characteristics such as his would even think about this value, the value of equality. Something has changed and yes, May '68 was successful...
Sexual and all its derivatives are included in "our" White Paper on Youth. In my humble opinion, this is another indicator that May '68 was successful. But the main success of those events with regards to this Paper is far beyond the inclusion of sexuality; it is that it was young people that shaped it; that young people was consulted, asked and questioned; that young people suggested, proposed and highlighted. A document that "leads" and informs youth policies around EU since 2001. Nothing is criticism - free, but its importance to our lives as young people is indisputable.
Something has changed, indeed.

S.

PS. The stories above and the translation is quite "free style" given. I was not interested in having a detailed reproduction but to give the essence of it. I hope I managed. I don't specify names and places, deliberately. Hint: the "student" is alive and kicking, member of the European Parliament nowadays. A weekend in my summer tent for free for those who guess!