Another translation of a small article written by Mia Couto and published in November 2004 in Mais Magazine.

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There was a country where eveything worked on a ten percent basis.

It was the doctor - You send me that patient and I'll pay you ten percent.

It was the street child - I let you park cars in my street and you give me ten percent.

It was the boss - I'll let your company win the job and you pay me back ten percent.

It was the policeman - I'm calling to remind you of that ticket I've forgiven you... remember our agreement.

It was the director - I have given you a job as a technician... you know, right?

It was the other boss wispering to the foreign entrepreneur - You can invest in our country but... there are commissions, it's normal...

Everything seemed to go well in the ten percent country. Apparently, at least... People worked at ten percent, they dreamt of that percentage, they lived inside that narrow perspective. Everything at ten percent.

Even the hope to invest in the future took only a fraction of their hearts.

A certain day, however, someone thought of taking a hundred percent initiative. And so it happened. The man rolled up his sleeves and he worked.

Immediately friends, family and co-workers started laughing. The effort would be for nothing. Because in that country building was perceived as "eating". And no one could eat by themselves. The inspector would come and ask ten percent. The Town Hall officer would come and ask ten percent for licenses. The minister would come and ask another ten percent. Or more.

In the end, we would have ten percent less of all his ideas and the applied effort would result in almost nothing. Because in the ten percent country it is better not to do anything. It's better not to build, not to work. The best and healthier is to live on those who want to do. Particularly those who want to make things at a hundred percent.

And so, although seeming very normal, the ten pecent country suffered from a fatal disease. The problem is that a country at ten percent can only be ten percent of a country!

Mia Couto in "Beco com Saída" in Mais Magazine
November 2004

There is no crazier, more frantic newsperson than Richard Quest. When he first anchored the CNN morning news I thought he was totally out there. His co-anchor even said something like you don't need to be so excited. The good thing is Quest has kept the same level of excitment ever since. Quest catches your attention and makes you look at things like they are totally new and amazing. There are love and hate groups out there on the internet, you either love or hate him. I have grown to actually like the man a lot, but the cherry on top of the pie was the unexpected Quest for Drama that aired this last month of January. I cannot for the life of me remember his closing sentence but it was great. I didn't expect that all business Quest would devote a show to drama and least of all in the way he did it, envolved and empathetic. Great job, Quest! I just wonder if there is any way that we could watch it again online or download it.

Quest's challenge: Have you set yourself a quest for 2006? Email Quest with your comments: quest@cnn.com

Photo by: http://www-us.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/page6/

For professional reasons, I subscribe to Marine-L, a list devoted to marine studies and information. The postings are always very interesting and informative. A serious list for people in the industry, hosted by the Canadian Coastguard College. The subjects are very actual and reflect the current issues in shipping today and I'm saying all this to get the information out there to all mariners and people in the business. To subscribe go here.

In the photo, a bridge simulator from the Wismar Maritime School. So close to reality, it could fool you. What a cool class to take.

Funny how Bolivia was so forgotten and all of a sudden is all over the news. The world balance was caught by surprise by the original leader Evo Morales. What makes him different and is sending shock waves all through South America is his opposition of the American Administration, his willingness to nationalize the oil and gas resources of Bolivia, the fact that he is the first indigenous president and of course the Evo sweater, the new black.

The Evo sweater is already available on the internet (click on the picture!). It is 100% alpaca and there are two models to chose from, $49 each. Not such a bad deal for an alpaca sweater that is so much more than that.

The swing to the left of South American countries is not a novelty anymore. In large measure it reflects the American foreign policy for that area, it also reflects the fact that corporations have been exploiting that part of the world for many years. A continent that is so rich in natural resources should have more to say about their own destinies, particularly the indigenous population. I think we all now that all these new leftist presidents are the product of dreams, dreams that never come true because the real world is not as simple. Lula's difficulties in Brasil illustrate this. In the meantime it is always exciting to see when a country's peoples unite for a dream.

"In the Midnight Hour" made Wilson Pickett a star. Dead at the age of 64, his song will remain very much alive.

CD Music sample WMD format here.
Or in Real format here.
A summary of samples that can be heard online here.

Here's the hit song story: "Cropper noticed that at the end of each song Wilson would launch into an improvised rap about 'the midnight hour:’ "In every song in the fade-out, he’d go into this ritual, ‘I’m going to wait till the midnight hour, oh in the midnight hour,’ and he’d start preaching this ‘midnight hour’ thing, and I said ‘That’s it!’ When Wilson and Cropper got together, the phrase ‘In the Midnight Hour’ was the first one that came up. It took just one hour to write the soul/rock classic that would established Wilson Pickett as a star. "In The Midnight Hour" reached the top of the R&B chart and hit #21 on the pop chart in 1965." by Classic Bands.

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Originally performed by Motown artist Wilson Pickett
A # 21 Top 40 hit in 1965, it also hit # 1 on the R&B charts

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I'm gonna wait till the midnight hour,
That's when my love comes tumblin' down,
I'm gonna wait till the midnight hour,
A when there's no one else around.

I'm gonna take you girl and hold ya,
And do all the things I told ya,
In the midnight hour - Oh baby, yes I am.

I'm gonna wait till the stars come out,
And start to twinkle in your eye,
I'm gonna wait till the midnight hour,
That's when my love begins to shine.

You're the only girl I know,
That really loves me so,
In the midnight hour.

Phot above from The Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Being a member of Coalition for Darfur, here are the news from Darfur the Coalition would like you to read.

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Physician for Human Rights released an important report on Darfur that
says, as the Boston Globe explains, Khartoum and the Janjaweed
"committed a little-discussed form of genocide. One clause in the UN's
Genocide Convention defines the crime of genocide as a group
inflicting upon another group ''conditions of life calculated to bring
about its physical destruction in whole or part.'"

http://www.phrusa.org/research/sudan/news_2006-01-11.html
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2006/01/11/darfur_conflict_study_sees_death_of_a_way_of_life/

There were also reports that the AU mission in Darfur is going to run
out of money by March and may be forced to hand over the mission to
the UN:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1292536.htm

This might not be an entirely bad thing, because Khartoum is poised to
assume the chairmanship of the AU at the end of the month:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10300487.htm 

The UN is considering its options in Darfur, but Khartoum has already
stated that it will not accept US, EU, or UN troops in Sudan:

http://www.columbian.com/news/APStories/AP01132006news105622.cfm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MCD350583.htm

In other news, the AU has accused Sudanese troops of disguising
themselves as AU peacekeepers to launch attacks in Darfur:

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1862048,00.html

Sudanese troops also attacked areas of eastern Sudan earlier this week:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MCD137517.htm

And finally, a recent International Crisis Group reports says that
Sudan continues to support Uganda's vicious Lord's Resistance Army:

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-01-11T093340Z_01_KNE134346_RTRUKOC_0_UK-UGANDA-REBELS.xml&archived=False

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I would like to add the UN weekly Report of Humanitarian Activities in Sudan dated Jan 4th 2006, a Report worth reading if we want to have an ideia of what the stakes are over there. For instance:
"·WES carried out maintenance and minor repair for nine hand pumps in Wau South Payam, sustaining the supply of safe drinking water for 4,500 people"  and "· WFP distributed 155 MT of food to 8,758 beneficaries in Gogrial ".

The photo above was taken in Gogrial: "gogrial east county. this is outside the primary health care center; patients waiting for care" says Erin Chu at his Flickr website. Erin has a whole set of 57 photos of South Sudan.

The problem with translations is that while books haven't been translated to the English language they are not really out there but remain limited to a close circuit of fans. Such is the case of the book "Na Roça com os Tachos", a cookbook based on the TV show of the same name meaning something like "In the plantation with pots and pans", something like that. The show is hosted by amazing Joao Carlos Silva, a natural of S. Tome and Prince, two tropical islands off the coast of West Africa that used to belong to the Portuguese. The plantations are still a witness of colonial times and they usually display the same style and are still nowadays centers around which people live.

Each episode of this amazingly different cooking show takes place in a different plantation and the cook tries to use the ingredients that are locally grown. The cooking style is that of S. Tome and sometimes recipes come from other African countries. The results are always exotic, original and unexpected. Another element of surprise is that all the cooking is done outside in the open, using only a table and an old woodburning stove. No electrical appliances at all. The show also features some local music, as background. History or poetry fill in the cooking times or the change of course.

I would buy the whole show if I had a chance. Unfortunately that I know of that is not possible, so I grabbed the opportunity to buy the book... in Portuguese. Not everybody can read Portuguese of course so this is another case when a translation is urgent! I will leave you now with a couple recipes from the book (my translation) and some texts found online about the show or the book. Enjoy!

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The Cooking of the Enchanted Islands

João Carlos Silva is a magician. He can make a gastronomic feast with a small stove and rudimentary utensils against the sumptuous sceneries of Saint Thomas and Prince Islands.
With the sea in the back ground and fabulous fresh products, he makes a three course meal in each programme. He is a life loving man who wants to make you feel happy and hungry.

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This book is inspired on the TV show with the same name. The author presents a spicy selection of recipes based of the flavours of Sao Tome and Principe and of other former Portuguese colonies. Adriana Freire is responsible for the photographs.
To buy the book.

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(Above, the cook is more than a cook. Here at work in the Roça São João) Here's the bio:
Founder and director of CIAC - International Center of Art and Culture, and in 1995 organized the First Bienal of the Art of São Tomé and Principe. Coordenates the Project for Integrated Development in the Roça de São João.
In 2001 founded the space and gallery "Teia d'Arte" which brought new dynamism to the artistic and cultural life of the country.
Worked in journalism in Portugal from 1985 to 1989. In 2001 founded the Space and Gallery Teia d'Arte in São Tomé.


Last but not least at all, I would like to introduce the Roça São João, another project of João Carlos Silva. It's a plantation in S. Tomé that has been converted to ecoturism, but incorporating culture, art and culinary. Isn't this perfection? Everything I care about in one! The place is beautiful and almost virgin territory for english speaking tourists. And then, a double room breakfast included is 35 euros, roughly 40 dollars. There's only 6 rooms in the complex. You have to check the website! Travel agent offering the Roça here.

More info: Good info about Roças here, including a mention to the Roça São João.

And finally, the recipes.

 Fried Plaintain with Honey

Ingredients: Plaintain, Oil, Honey, Lemon, Cinnamon

Cut the plaitain in slices and fry in hot oil. Then pour over it the honey diluted in a little bit of lemon juice and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve cold.

Chicken squares with coffee sauce

Ingredientes: one or two chicken breasts, 1,5dl of coffee (not expresso!), half a liter of white wine, 1,5 dl of cream, butter, garlic, chillies, 1 laurel leaf, coffee beans, salt (sorry for the european measures)

Make a paste by pressing together the chillies and a bit of salt. Reserve. Melt some butter on the stovetop and sautée the chicken squares. Mix in the paste, the crushed garlic and the laurel leaf. When the chicken is golden brown, remove and reserve. Pour the wine and the coffee into the mixture still cooking, reduce until the sauce is thick and add the coffee beans and the cream. Mix well and pour over the chicken squares.

Cell phone photos of the book. Will give more recipes under request!

Epiac from Panama has quoted my Darfur posting and that was great, but after visiting Epiac's Place (Where Ideas are Born) and deciding that we care about some of the same stuff, I've decided to bookmark him/her on my Good Company category. Welcome!

When I heard about Google Video, I was all excited. I'm always searching for media online to use for my job, but I also believe that all forms of communication are just about to explode. All sorts os wireless devices, not only PCs are going to have access to neverending media resources, exchanging images will be as easy as a phone call, it's freedom as never before. Ok, you get the point, I'm excited about the possibilities. Google Video is a big step into the democratization of the moving image and despite the fact that the video clips available are still limited, particularly regarding their subject matter (try searching for Mozambique and you only have 4 clips), it's a matter of time until people start pouring in their clips. It'll be most interesting.

The recent feature "more from this user" was most welcome and the just released "put on site" option" is just what I am using right not to give you this "Sex, Love and Violence (for Natasha) by Jerry Preusser that I have enjoyed watching.

Accompanying text: "I made this video around the time Natacha and I were going our own ways. It helped me through a difficult time. It was filmed in and around Paris, Versailles and San Francisco with the bulk of the footage borrowed (stolen) from documentaries. The Song is by Marilyn Manson but I cant remember the tracks title."

Technorati tells us this is the most talked about news today. No wonder that the news media feel empowered to broadcast whatever fait divers they feel like, after all it is all based on what the consumers want. As for the photo, no, this was not the woman found dead in front of the TV in her house in Cincinnati, Ohio. The woman's mummified head is one of the artifacts that can be found at the Egyptian Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

I take the opportunity to forward readers to a different kind of news: "Sudan: Security Worsens as Darfur Peace Talks Stagnate":

With the talks mired in disagreement, the security situation in Darfur continues to worsen. One of the AU's 6,000 peacekeepers was killed on Friday in the latest breach of the ceasefire and mediators say a crisis between Sudan and Chad risks escalating tensions and damaging the Darfur peace process.
(...)
Humanitarian workers estimate that more than 180,000 people have been killed and nearly two million forced to flee their homes because of the bloodshed. And last week the United Nations declared Darfur a high-risk zone and reduced the number of its personnel in the area.

From AllAfrica.com