As I said on the title I’m at my job. I’m typing this as a word document and as soon as I reach home I’ll publish it. First of all I’m dammed bloody bored, I have nothing to do but waiting for something to be finished, but I’ll to explain it a bit.
You know I’m a programmer and also I’m working as it at a bank. We don’t literally work on our computers (you know I got a shared one, it could be considered as mine, but it’s not, although nobody works on it except me), we do everything on a remote computer through a network (I just don’t want to be too technical). All our programming files are on that computer and we use a DOS like environment to type programs and to build them, what could be quite annoying sometimes if you know what I‘m talking about.
Anyway, the problem is that remote computer is not absolutely dedicated to development tasks but also to the real tasks of the bank. A bank has millions, or even more than millions, of tasks at any second. Some of them are fast and small, but some are huge and take a long time to be finished.
As that remote computer is dedicated to that tasks and also those of the real proccesings have more priority (it’s understandable, you need to know your account balance, and transfer money in less than seconds, and go to a cash point to have some money, etc…) means the development process are damm slow. Sometimes I have to wait hours for my jobs to be finished and if I have nothing else to do, or I need that to be finished before I can continue, I just sit here and look at the screen. Sometimes I draw, but that’s too risky in case my boss comes near me.
There are some days in wich working is almost impossible. Specially at the end of the month, when really huge accounting processes starts. They need to do balances, fix small (and sometimes big) problems with accounts, credits, etc… You can’t imagine how many data a bank manages everyday, nor to speak about the money, that’s just unthinkable.
So here I am, typing while I wait for a job of mine to be finished, and it’s the end of the month, so I guess it’ll take three or four hours to be finished. I’m going to be terribly bored today, lucky me? Or unlucky me?
And talking about something different. I went to J&Js yesterday to have some fun, I believe I deserve it sometimes. As always I met some new people, some of them Spanish, some of them English and/or Americans. I always have good times there, if you come to Madrid and you just want to have a chat, a pint or two or meet some interesting (and not that interesting) people, just go there on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.
It’s amazing to realize how many different accents and ways of speaking you English natives have. Some of them are nice, and some aren’t that nice. Yesterday I met another Liverpolian, but this time it was one with a very strong accent, hardly understandying for a poor Spaniard like me. If it wasn’t that he was saying “fucking” all the time and giving me time to think about what he said, I wouldn’t have catched a word of what he said. He was a nice guy, anyway. I also met a Spaniard who sings “Zarzuela” and he was also nice. No girls this time, they weren’t that friendly last two times I’ve been there, it might be the heat.
Well, nothing else. Farewell and have a good summer. (I wish I could enjoy the beach for a while, I never thought I could miss the beach, bloody hell)
Manoel.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
The Samba dancing.
Hi Bloggers.
First of all I apologize not to have written that much last week. The fact is I was ill, or at least ill enough not to have the energy and will to do it, althoug I went to work (I shouldn't, but I'm stupid).
My illness had a reason (well, I'm still a bit ill, coughing). I've been dancing Samba the whole Saturday afternoon, and also it was hot, and I was wet. My body is still not used to summer, and with all the sweating and water pured by fireman I had last saturday, and after receiving a bit of air, it's not strange I got a cold.
We had a lot of things to do last saturday. We could chose between two demonstrations and also a big Brassilian Carnival. The first demonstration was against the gay marriage, altough they wanted us to believe it was in favour of family, the fact was that it was mostly convoqued by catholic priests, catholic associations, and any kind of conservative association and/or individuals. If you have read a bit about our last goberment new laws, you should know about the permission they gave for homosexual couples to get married. That made the conservatives really angry. But I'm not going to speak about that, I have my own oppinion and as always it's on the middle of both, I'm not an extremist. I'll just tell you I believe this country is not yet prepared to such a change, we don't live at Switzerland or Holland.
The second one was convoqued by homosexual associations, so you can guess what it was about.
And the third option was a kind of a brassilian carnival. Carlinhos Brown, a good brassilian musician and also good person (he made a lot of good things for Brasil and his quarter at Bahia, the "barrio de candeal"), is at Spain, he's being payed by Telefonica Movistar (a mobile and phone company) for making kind of a Samba party at different cities in Spain. He comes with three lorries, full of musicians and dancers. So they ride on a long street (ramblas at Barcelona, Castellana at Madrid) playing Samba while the people dances, or at least they should dance.
So my choice was the third one. Though the second demonstration was cancelled at last, but they joined the lorries and us. So finally it was a full party with dancers of any kind and sexual option, wich it make it better, in fact.
The first hour was amzingly horrible. I believed Brassilians were at least better than Spaniards with timing, but they aren't. The party was scheduled for about 7pm. The Castilla square was crowded, so full of people it was almost impossible to move. We had to wait for the musicians to come to start partying, but they were late. And not only late, but horribly planed. They came in between the crowd, instead of coming with their cars and buses using less crowded streets they made the people move (and also smashing) to pass. Well, at that time we were exhausted, bored and tired (my flatmates came also). So we decided to go home, but it was then when it started and as soon as the lorries began to move and the street to get wider the crowd was less a crowd. So we could manage to dance and enjoy. And so we did.
I'm a bit angry with the world in general and with Spaniards in particular. There were some cheeky bastards who didn't care to push you to go to the head. They might believe we don't want to be as close as we can to the main lorry with Carlinhos Brown. But we do as they do. Some of them came wearing Brassilian T-shirts and flags, so it was like as they were brassilians they deserved to be in front. But not only they don't deserve it but also Brasilians my ass!! I bet they were just cheeky spaniards. People don't mind on pushing you, smashing you, stepping over you and kill you just to have a better look at a famous. I don't give a damm shit, but at least don't put your bloody feet over mine, please.
Anyway I had such a good afternoon, I'll remember it for a long time. I danced and danced 'till I couldn't dance anymore. But I had my punishment and I had a horrible week without any sleep at all, fever and an annoying cough. I feel better now.
Farewell and see you soon. I'm sure I'll have a lot of things to tell you.
Manoel.
PS: I told the "Fat Bastard" about the blog. I don't know if he'll read it. I might say I got used to him, and finally he's one of my best friends at my job. I'm not writing this in case he reads it, I promise, but at least he makes me laugh with his nonsenses and jokes, and also he seems to be a good guy after all.
First of all I apologize not to have written that much last week. The fact is I was ill, or at least ill enough not to have the energy and will to do it, althoug I went to work (I shouldn't, but I'm stupid).
My illness had a reason (well, I'm still a bit ill, coughing). I've been dancing Samba the whole Saturday afternoon, and also it was hot, and I was wet. My body is still not used to summer, and with all the sweating and water pured by fireman I had last saturday, and after receiving a bit of air, it's not strange I got a cold.
We had a lot of things to do last saturday. We could chose between two demonstrations and also a big Brassilian Carnival. The first demonstration was against the gay marriage, altough they wanted us to believe it was in favour of family, the fact was that it was mostly convoqued by catholic priests, catholic associations, and any kind of conservative association and/or individuals. If you have read a bit about our last goberment new laws, you should know about the permission they gave for homosexual couples to get married. That made the conservatives really angry. But I'm not going to speak about that, I have my own oppinion and as always it's on the middle of both, I'm not an extremist. I'll just tell you I believe this country is not yet prepared to such a change, we don't live at Switzerland or Holland.
The second one was convoqued by homosexual associations, so you can guess what it was about.
And the third option was a kind of a brassilian carnival. Carlinhos Brown, a good brassilian musician and also good person (he made a lot of good things for Brasil and his quarter at Bahia, the "barrio de candeal"), is at Spain, he's being payed by Telefonica Movistar (a mobile and phone company) for making kind of a Samba party at different cities in Spain. He comes with three lorries, full of musicians and dancers. So they ride on a long street (ramblas at Barcelona, Castellana at Madrid) playing Samba while the people dances, or at least they should dance.
So my choice was the third one. Though the second demonstration was cancelled at last, but they joined the lorries and us. So finally it was a full party with dancers of any kind and sexual option, wich it make it better, in fact.
The first hour was amzingly horrible. I believed Brassilians were at least better than Spaniards with timing, but they aren't. The party was scheduled for about 7pm. The Castilla square was crowded, so full of people it was almost impossible to move. We had to wait for the musicians to come to start partying, but they were late. And not only late, but horribly planed. They came in between the crowd, instead of coming with their cars and buses using less crowded streets they made the people move (and also smashing) to pass. Well, at that time we were exhausted, bored and tired (my flatmates came also). So we decided to go home, but it was then when it started and as soon as the lorries began to move and the street to get wider the crowd was less a crowd. So we could manage to dance and enjoy. And so we did.
I'm a bit angry with the world in general and with Spaniards in particular. There were some cheeky bastards who didn't care to push you to go to the head. They might believe we don't want to be as close as we can to the main lorry with Carlinhos Brown. But we do as they do. Some of them came wearing Brassilian T-shirts and flags, so it was like as they were brassilians they deserved to be in front. But not only they don't deserve it but also Brasilians my ass!! I bet they were just cheeky spaniards. People don't mind on pushing you, smashing you, stepping over you and kill you just to have a better look at a famous. I don't give a damm shit, but at least don't put your bloody feet over mine, please.
Anyway I had such a good afternoon, I'll remember it for a long time. I danced and danced 'till I couldn't dance anymore. But I had my punishment and I had a horrible week without any sleep at all, fever and an annoying cough. I feel better now.
Farewell and see you soon. I'm sure I'll have a lot of things to tell you.
Manoel.
PS: I told the "Fat Bastard" about the blog. I don't know if he'll read it. I might say I got used to him, and finally he's one of my best friends at my job. I'm not writing this in case he reads it, I promise, but at least he makes me laugh with his nonsenses and jokes, and also he seems to be a good guy after all.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
A short Tube Story
Hi Bloggers.
Before telling the story I'll introduce you on my coming back from work routine. I made a friend at the office and I always come back with him. We talk for a while and we play chess on my mobile phone. We start playing when we jump into the bus, but we always leave a short time to realize who's travelling with us (my favourite hobby, you know). Then we have a 20 minutes trip (sometimes 30) to the nearest tube station at "Colonia Jardin" (Wich I could translate into garden colony or garden perfume). Then we wait for the train to come and we continue playing 'till he leaves, he stops before I do. The statistics are with him, as he always wins, (he's quite good or at least better than I am) althoug I won some matches. After that I read a free newspaper called "Que!", I leave books and music for the mornings.
Now it's time for my story. At the same time my friend left the train two young blokes came into it. The were what I might call fashion boys with shorts and t-shirts without leeves, dyed short hair and sun glasses. I could tell from the distance they were not straight, and specially because I saw their hands tied. They seated beside two old women that looked totally straight and also conservative (I believe you can guess it). I wasn't lucky because I was standing up and I wasn't fast enough to have a seat, but it gave me a better view on what was going to happen. The boys were quiet for a while, but then they started to kiss, well, they were more than just kissing each other, it was more like shagging. As you might have guessed the women were horrified. They were good enough not to say anything, but fast enough to stand up and wait beside the door even when it was still some minutes to reach next station. They looked nervous, in fact one of them jump over me, by accident but because she was ona hurry.
I have my own oppinion about seeing two boys kissing each other. I don't give a goddam shit if they do. The women were too scared of them and they're not going to harm anyone. Although I believe is not fair for the rest of the people when a couple (men, women or whatever) is kissing that way in front of others. I hope you understand what I mean, but it might be also because I miss doing it (with a girl, I mean).
Farewell and have a nice weekend. I'll sleep so much....
Manoel.
Before telling the story I'll introduce you on my coming back from work routine. I made a friend at the office and I always come back with him. We talk for a while and we play chess on my mobile phone. We start playing when we jump into the bus, but we always leave a short time to realize who's travelling with us (my favourite hobby, you know). Then we have a 20 minutes trip (sometimes 30) to the nearest tube station at "Colonia Jardin" (Wich I could translate into garden colony or garden perfume). Then we wait for the train to come and we continue playing 'till he leaves, he stops before I do. The statistics are with him, as he always wins, (he's quite good or at least better than I am) althoug I won some matches. After that I read a free newspaper called "Que!", I leave books and music for the mornings.
Now it's time for my story. At the same time my friend left the train two young blokes came into it. The were what I might call fashion boys with shorts and t-shirts without leeves, dyed short hair and sun glasses. I could tell from the distance they were not straight, and specially because I saw their hands tied. They seated beside two old women that looked totally straight and also conservative (I believe you can guess it). I wasn't lucky because I was standing up and I wasn't fast enough to have a seat, but it gave me a better view on what was going to happen. The boys were quiet for a while, but then they started to kiss, well, they were more than just kissing each other, it was more like shagging. As you might have guessed the women were horrified. They were good enough not to say anything, but fast enough to stand up and wait beside the door even when it was still some minutes to reach next station. They looked nervous, in fact one of them jump over me, by accident but because she was ona hurry.
I have my own oppinion about seeing two boys kissing each other. I don't give a goddam shit if they do. The women were too scared of them and they're not going to harm anyone. Although I believe is not fair for the rest of the people when a couple (men, women or whatever) is kissing that way in front of others. I hope you understand what I mean, but it might be also because I miss doing it (with a girl, I mean).
Farewell and have a nice weekend. I'll sleep so much....
Manoel.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
So Hot!!
Hi bloggers.
If you had read my previous post you might think I'm getting hotter, and you're right, but not in the way your perverted minds believe (ha ha).
The fact is it's so hot. At the time I'm writting this it's 28ºC in my bedroom, and that's with the fan on. This last week has been terribel for me and all those who live at Madrid. It's hot, and there's nothing you can do unless you spend a lot of money on an air conditioner, wich I can't use because I get terribly sick.
And also I have to wear a suit!!!!
I nearly slept a few hours a day for the last 5 days (today it's saturday, so I slept quite a lot). It was because I can't bare heat. I'm sure you know the feeling (except those who live at England, I know it was even cold last week there). You try to sleep, but your sweating, you're bathed in sweat. You move, you try one side, then the other. After a while you take out the cover, and even the sheets, and then, finally, after 2 hours you manage to sleep. But unfortunatly you're bare over your bed, and your body gets colder, so you wake up with cold. Then it starts again, except for me it was then, when I got slept again, when my bloody mobile phone started ringing telling me it was time to go to work. Thank's Nokia!!!
My personal nightmare for the last days started then. I had a shower, wich I really needed (apart from all the sweat and the stinking), my coffe, and finally I left home. It was still hot on the street but bareable. That's when I reached the tube station. They have air conditioners, but it seems the tunnels are so huge that the air get's lost and hot very soon. So it's even hotter inside the tube, and also the bus (I have to use both).When I got to my working place I realized the air conditioner wasn't on, so it was hot. But it was a matter of time. When you're feeling better because you get used to the heat, they turn it on, but with so much power I started to cough and being cold.
Spending the whole day with air conditioners is horrible. My throat gets completly dry and I can't breath properly (I might be allergic to it). But again, after a while (a long time for me) you get used. But that's when I had to leave again. With the nice feeling of going home, but with the sun over me laughing and making jokes about my suit, he can be a bit of a bastard some times.
As you see it's a bad time to come to Madrid at summer. You can't do anything except going to a swimming pool, but they're so crowded that it's not that nice. Unless you like watching bikini girls and almost naked men.
I wonder what it will be on the summer, when the sun comes nearer and it's still hotter.
Farewell and see you soon (unless I get melted down)
Manoel.
If you had read my previous post you might think I'm getting hotter, and you're right, but not in the way your perverted minds believe (ha ha).
The fact is it's so hot. At the time I'm writting this it's 28ºC in my bedroom, and that's with the fan on. This last week has been terribel for me and all those who live at Madrid. It's hot, and there's nothing you can do unless you spend a lot of money on an air conditioner, wich I can't use because I get terribly sick.
And also I have to wear a suit!!!!
I nearly slept a few hours a day for the last 5 days (today it's saturday, so I slept quite a lot). It was because I can't bare heat. I'm sure you know the feeling (except those who live at England, I know it was even cold last week there). You try to sleep, but your sweating, you're bathed in sweat. You move, you try one side, then the other. After a while you take out the cover, and even the sheets, and then, finally, after 2 hours you manage to sleep. But unfortunatly you're bare over your bed, and your body gets colder, so you wake up with cold. Then it starts again, except for me it was then, when I got slept again, when my bloody mobile phone started ringing telling me it was time to go to work. Thank's Nokia!!!
My personal nightmare for the last days started then. I had a shower, wich I really needed (apart from all the sweat and the stinking), my coffe, and finally I left home. It was still hot on the street but bareable. That's when I reached the tube station. They have air conditioners, but it seems the tunnels are so huge that the air get's lost and hot very soon. So it's even hotter inside the tube, and also the bus (I have to use both).When I got to my working place I realized the air conditioner wasn't on, so it was hot. But it was a matter of time. When you're feeling better because you get used to the heat, they turn it on, but with so much power I started to cough and being cold.
Spending the whole day with air conditioners is horrible. My throat gets completly dry and I can't breath properly (I might be allergic to it). But again, after a while (a long time for me) you get used. But that's when I had to leave again. With the nice feeling of going home, but with the sun over me laughing and making jokes about my suit, he can be a bit of a bastard some times.
As you see it's a bad time to come to Madrid at summer. You can't do anything except going to a swimming pool, but they're so crowded that it's not that nice. Unless you like watching bikini girls and almost naked men.
I wonder what it will be on the summer, when the sun comes nearer and it's still hotter.
Farewell and see you soon (unless I get melted down)
Manoel.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Spanish Girls. An answer to Colin.
Hi bloggers.
If you read Colin's blog as well as mine you've had read about an english friend of him who was having problems with a spanish girl. So I decided to clarify things for him as much as I can, and also talk to you about my experience and knowledge about girls and spain.
In my little experience with Spanish girls (some might say I'm being too humild, but that would be too arogant ;-)), as I have some, I could say they really like playing, but thats being generalistic. Of course not every girl on the street wants to play with us. But as I met girls from other countries I might say that's common in women. I had friends in love with foreigners and I met girls outside spain. The problem is with us, not with them. As a matter of fact they always know what they want and what we want from them, but that's easy, as we always want the same thing. And also we are too macho to realize they just want to have a good time, well, it's better to say we have a different idea about what's having a good time with a girl.
I'm not trying to contradict my friend Colin, as he's much more experienced with woman than I am but I just want to show you my point of view.
Generalizing, men always want something from woman different as they want from us. When they show a little interest we misunderstood it believing we have a chance for...(I'm trying not to be rude). They need weeks of chating, knowing ourselves, we need a night (and sometimes even seconds, it depends on how much drinks we have had that night).
But as I lived at Pontevedra I know what night is. There are some places in wich spanish mates go for having a girl just for one night (I have a friend who is an expert on that). If the english boy went to one of them I can believe he thought she wanted something more than just a night. Boys from Pontevedra know it, and they go to that places because they know some girls there, are looking for that. Of course some of them go there because they want to have a good time (this time meaning a girls good time) and we need to know whether they want to shag or they want just to dance, and knowing that is the difference of a succesful boy or a non succesful one (I might say I'm part of the second group). That's what makes the difference, knowing what they want from us and it doesn't have to do with being handsome or a good speaker, it has to do with our minds.
The main difference between Spain and the other countries is boys and girls are more naif. It's just a short time since we became a democracy and shorter even when the "machismo" became past. So we have liberal girls, wich we didn't have in the past, and it's hard to a rude spaniard to understand some girls would just want to have a laugh or to shag. So the problem I talked before it's even bigger, specially when you are used to different ways of thinking. He might have seen the signs at england, but not here, that's what I mean.
And spaniards are also confused, I mean boys. I was always the naif kind, so my sight on those signs is even worst than on any other boy from outside spain and this time I can't really help. My friends would be better on that sense.
I could also talk about my flat mate, who's a girl, and who's of the non liberal kind, but I will left it for another time.
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
(PS: I'm looking forward to seeing somebody. Come soon.)
If you read Colin's blog as well as mine you've had read about an english friend of him who was having problems with a spanish girl. So I decided to clarify things for him as much as I can, and also talk to you about my experience and knowledge about girls and spain.
In my little experience with Spanish girls (some might say I'm being too humild, but that would be too arogant ;-)), as I have some, I could say they really like playing, but thats being generalistic. Of course not every girl on the street wants to play with us. But as I met girls from other countries I might say that's common in women. I had friends in love with foreigners and I met girls outside spain. The problem is with us, not with them. As a matter of fact they always know what they want and what we want from them, but that's easy, as we always want the same thing. And also we are too macho to realize they just want to have a good time, well, it's better to say we have a different idea about what's having a good time with a girl.
I'm not trying to contradict my friend Colin, as he's much more experienced with woman than I am but I just want to show you my point of view.
Generalizing, men always want something from woman different as they want from us. When they show a little interest we misunderstood it believing we have a chance for...(I'm trying not to be rude). They need weeks of chating, knowing ourselves, we need a night (and sometimes even seconds, it depends on how much drinks we have had that night).
But as I lived at Pontevedra I know what night is. There are some places in wich spanish mates go for having a girl just for one night (I have a friend who is an expert on that). If the english boy went to one of them I can believe he thought she wanted something more than just a night. Boys from Pontevedra know it, and they go to that places because they know some girls there, are looking for that. Of course some of them go there because they want to have a good time (this time meaning a girls good time) and we need to know whether they want to shag or they want just to dance, and knowing that is the difference of a succesful boy or a non succesful one (I might say I'm part of the second group). That's what makes the difference, knowing what they want from us and it doesn't have to do with being handsome or a good speaker, it has to do with our minds.
The main difference between Spain and the other countries is boys and girls are more naif. It's just a short time since we became a democracy and shorter even when the "machismo" became past. So we have liberal girls, wich we didn't have in the past, and it's hard to a rude spaniard to understand some girls would just want to have a laugh or to shag. So the problem I talked before it's even bigger, specially when you are used to different ways of thinking. He might have seen the signs at england, but not here, that's what I mean.
And spaniards are also confused, I mean boys. I was always the naif kind, so my sight on those signs is even worst than on any other boy from outside spain and this time I can't really help. My friends would be better on that sense.
I could also talk about my flat mate, who's a girl, and who's of the non liberal kind, but I will left it for another time.
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
(PS: I'm looking forward to seeing somebody. Come soon.)
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Back to the old Fashion
Hi bloggers.
I noticed those last posts were of the same kind. I lost my funny touch and I regret it a bit. The fact is I was hiding some information in case somebody could read my blog and be offended. Today I realized if they read it and they get offended that means they don't have any sense of humour at all and that's not my fault. But today I have something to tell you and I'll leave humour for next one.
I've been to a demonstration today. If you read spanish newspapers you'll know wich one I'm talking about. But I'll talk about what it was about in case you don't.
Our new goberment decided to dialogue with ETA for them to put their weapons down. That showed useless in the past. For two times they tried (different gobernments) and for two times it was not only a failure but a chance for ETA to be reenforced and renewd. Last time it was the PP who dialogued with them and for a while it looked good, they weren't bombing anything for almost two years (I'm not sure about the time) but in the meantime ETA was just waiting and taking advance of the time without being disturbed to make some money and steal some explosives. So finally they started again with new strenght.
So it showed useless to speak with them and the PP decided to take some more rough tactics. They made a new law to expell the political arm of ETA from the legality (wich showed useful) and encourage police to take a lot of actions against them. For a time ETA was weaker than ever (that's for sure, and I'm not saying it's because of the PP but because of the tactics and help from other countries they used).
But then, the new gobernemnt needed to be different from the last one. As they didn't have experience on gobberning (almost all the older PSOE leaders have been left out) and they spent last 8 years on the opposition they acted (and act) as they still were the opposition party. So they made new laws and stopped some others against the PP. Our new president Zapatero, or ZP(whom is called sometimes "bamby", as the Disney character) loves dialoguing (what he calls, or it's called since he became the leader of PSOE "talante") and he is never offended for he preffers talking than being angry. So he talks with everybody, and even he tries, without any answer yet, to talk with G.W. Bush, whom he didn't ever liked.
Continuing, the political arm of ETA was a political party called HB. After being declared illegal they changed their name and that time it worked. That was 'till the new law of PP, they became illegal with any name. But this time a new p. party called PCTV (Comunist Party of the Vasque lands) came to take the place of HB. This time it was less easy to see the connection between PCTV and ETA but it was clear for some, even a judge. The old leader of HB said to HB votants to vote for that party, so it became clearer. But PSOE allowed them to be and then the mess started. Some weeks ago PSOE declared they wanted to talk with ETA and asked the parlament (I'm not sure if it was the parlament, sorry). The parlament it's constituted mostly by PSOE and his friends who are nationalists (vasque and Catalonian) so the petition it went on and was approbed with the negative vote of PP who broke the antiterrosit pact they had with PSOE.
But it seems the country doesn't want them to talk with ETA at all, and neither do I. The terrorism victims asociation is against talking and they convoqued a demonstration for today. There's some other things, but it'll take a long time and pages so I'll left them. I'll just tell you another one and then I'l talk about the demonstration. There's a guy (called Gregotio Peces Barba) who is the gobernemt responsible to manage all the affairs of the terrorism victims. He decided not to go to the demonstration as he should because it's against his party (he's elected by the gobernement). The T. victims association didn't like it at all and they didn't like either the fact he didn't resing after saying that. I understand about him not going to the demonstration but he should do something or, at least, resign of his charge. In fact I believe it's a stupid charge considering he'll never be with the victims if it's against his party. So that means he's not helping the people he's payed to help. It's clear to see some of the shoutings were against him.
The demonstration was a big one. There were something like 1 million people (according to TV) and the street was full and the crowd was like a snake. It covered a whole large street (Principe de Vergara) and ended at a roundabout near my house, so that's why I went, I'm too lazy to had gone if it was far away. At first my flat mate Vane and I came to the middle of the street. We were well positioned to see the people as we were beside the road, she wanted to see some famous politics. But after a while old people came and they subtly started to push us away to be first. They seemed to like it a lot, specially old women. Some of them came with their best clothes and some make up, the hair perfectly done. They laughed, they shouted, they pushed us without saying sorry, but they said good words to the policemen who were pushing them. There was something I found really funny, some cameramen were there with stairs. They walked a bit in front of the crowd and run up the stair to record the crowd. When they came close enough they went down and walked a bit further away and repeated the same thing. And then, the head of the demonstration came. They had a rope tied along the head, it was something like 20 meters long and made kind of a circle around them, I've never seen something like that before, but it was nice. After some organization people (the ones holding the rope and some others, including policemen) came victims of ETA, some recognisable faces because of TV, it was the only moment I got a bit sensitive and emotional as I thought about them being almost killed and some of their relatives getting killed by ETA bombings.
Then it was a big gap between them and the politicians filled with normal people. We waited being pushed to see them. After 20 minutes the politicians came holding a sign. The leader of the PP was in the center of it. I saw him being so, so, so happy!!!. He was smiling, giving kisses to everybody and enjoying the crowd bath he was having, he looked as he really liked it. I'm not going to say I like him but I'm not going to say the opposite, he's a human being after all, but I felt a bit proud of him as he was my neighbour when him and myself were living on the same street (I have a friend who lives on the same building as his parents and it's just a few buildings close to mine). I also felt happy because of his smile, he was so happy it was even contagious. And considering the demonstration was against a PSOE decission you can imagine everybody was encouraging him.
It was a big one, I might say but I don't know if it'll be useful or not. At least it'll tell the gobernment people some times have their own oppinions, and this time I agree with them. It's being a bad month for the goberment, as they have some other problems (related to european constitution) to deal with. I just hope it won't be bad for my country and any others.
I'll stop now, because it's taking a lot of space and time, and I don't want you to be too bored. I hope next one will be funnier, I'll do my best, I promise.
Farewell all you fellow readers.
Manoel.
I noticed those last posts were of the same kind. I lost my funny touch and I regret it a bit. The fact is I was hiding some information in case somebody could read my blog and be offended. Today I realized if they read it and they get offended that means they don't have any sense of humour at all and that's not my fault. But today I have something to tell you and I'll leave humour for next one.
I've been to a demonstration today. If you read spanish newspapers you'll know wich one I'm talking about. But I'll talk about what it was about in case you don't.
Our new goberment decided to dialogue with ETA for them to put their weapons down. That showed useless in the past. For two times they tried (different gobernments) and for two times it was not only a failure but a chance for ETA to be reenforced and renewd. Last time it was the PP who dialogued with them and for a while it looked good, they weren't bombing anything for almost two years (I'm not sure about the time) but in the meantime ETA was just waiting and taking advance of the time without being disturbed to make some money and steal some explosives. So finally they started again with new strenght.
So it showed useless to speak with them and the PP decided to take some more rough tactics. They made a new law to expell the political arm of ETA from the legality (wich showed useful) and encourage police to take a lot of actions against them. For a time ETA was weaker than ever (that's for sure, and I'm not saying it's because of the PP but because of the tactics and help from other countries they used).
But then, the new gobernemnt needed to be different from the last one. As they didn't have experience on gobberning (almost all the older PSOE leaders have been left out) and they spent last 8 years on the opposition they acted (and act) as they still were the opposition party. So they made new laws and stopped some others against the PP. Our new president Zapatero, or ZP(whom is called sometimes "bamby", as the Disney character) loves dialoguing (what he calls, or it's called since he became the leader of PSOE "talante") and he is never offended for he preffers talking than being angry. So he talks with everybody, and even he tries, without any answer yet, to talk with G.W. Bush, whom he didn't ever liked.
Continuing, the political arm of ETA was a political party called HB. After being declared illegal they changed their name and that time it worked. That was 'till the new law of PP, they became illegal with any name. But this time a new p. party called PCTV (Comunist Party of the Vasque lands) came to take the place of HB. This time it was less easy to see the connection between PCTV and ETA but it was clear for some, even a judge. The old leader of HB said to HB votants to vote for that party, so it became clearer. But PSOE allowed them to be and then the mess started. Some weeks ago PSOE declared they wanted to talk with ETA and asked the parlament (I'm not sure if it was the parlament, sorry). The parlament it's constituted mostly by PSOE and his friends who are nationalists (vasque and Catalonian) so the petition it went on and was approbed with the negative vote of PP who broke the antiterrosit pact they had with PSOE.
But it seems the country doesn't want them to talk with ETA at all, and neither do I. The terrorism victims asociation is against talking and they convoqued a demonstration for today. There's some other things, but it'll take a long time and pages so I'll left them. I'll just tell you another one and then I'l talk about the demonstration. There's a guy (called Gregotio Peces Barba) who is the gobernemt responsible to manage all the affairs of the terrorism victims. He decided not to go to the demonstration as he should because it's against his party (he's elected by the gobernement). The T. victims association didn't like it at all and they didn't like either the fact he didn't resing after saying that. I understand about him not going to the demonstration but he should do something or, at least, resign of his charge. In fact I believe it's a stupid charge considering he'll never be with the victims if it's against his party. So that means he's not helping the people he's payed to help. It's clear to see some of the shoutings were against him.
The demonstration was a big one. There were something like 1 million people (according to TV) and the street was full and the crowd was like a snake. It covered a whole large street (Principe de Vergara) and ended at a roundabout near my house, so that's why I went, I'm too lazy to had gone if it was far away. At first my flat mate Vane and I came to the middle of the street. We were well positioned to see the people as we were beside the road, she wanted to see some famous politics. But after a while old people came and they subtly started to push us away to be first. They seemed to like it a lot, specially old women. Some of them came with their best clothes and some make up, the hair perfectly done. They laughed, they shouted, they pushed us without saying sorry, but they said good words to the policemen who were pushing them. There was something I found really funny, some cameramen were there with stairs. They walked a bit in front of the crowd and run up the stair to record the crowd. When they came close enough they went down and walked a bit further away and repeated the same thing. And then, the head of the demonstration came. They had a rope tied along the head, it was something like 20 meters long and made kind of a circle around them, I've never seen something like that before, but it was nice. After some organization people (the ones holding the rope and some others, including policemen) came victims of ETA, some recognisable faces because of TV, it was the only moment I got a bit sensitive and emotional as I thought about them being almost killed and some of their relatives getting killed by ETA bombings.
Then it was a big gap between them and the politicians filled with normal people. We waited being pushed to see them. After 20 minutes the politicians came holding a sign. The leader of the PP was in the center of it. I saw him being so, so, so happy!!!. He was smiling, giving kisses to everybody and enjoying the crowd bath he was having, he looked as he really liked it. I'm not going to say I like him but I'm not going to say the opposite, he's a human being after all, but I felt a bit proud of him as he was my neighbour when him and myself were living on the same street (I have a friend who lives on the same building as his parents and it's just a few buildings close to mine). I also felt happy because of his smile, he was so happy it was even contagious. And considering the demonstration was against a PSOE decission you can imagine everybody was encouraging him.
It was a big one, I might say but I don't know if it'll be useful or not. At least it'll tell the gobernment people some times have their own oppinions, and this time I agree with them. It's being a bad month for the goberment, as they have some other problems (related to european constitution) to deal with. I just hope it won't be bad for my country and any others.
I'll stop now, because it's taking a lot of space and time, and I don't want you to be too bored. I hope next one will be funnier, I'll do my best, I promise.
Farewell all you fellow readers.
Manoel.
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