Travelling to one side of Asia, an insight on my inner self

Cambodia

At a point in time, before the wet season, I landed further than I ever dreamed of. Naturallly, I had feared for these far away landscape, these cultures I did’nt know., especially for what it combines, radically.

a shock, a culture, smiles were welcoming all around, with no sign of any negative thoughts, at least from my perceptions, tourists might have added this glasses on the 4 eyes I already have, still a pleasure.

A story taking its roots far away,  she is expressing a fully fledged travel to another world, another time, different rules.

Why? Because of the unsettlement I have felt during these two weeks, only 2 weeks, an eternal time some would feel.

Grateful for them to show me the deep essence of the identity composing my inner self, by truly discovering the contrast I had within myself A black and white picture express its beauty through contrast, same games, same rules.

Indeed, there, yelling is not a rational way of life, screaming is about losing your identity, crying is meant to be only done when alone.

I am looking back to the person I was there, the recipe took and worked tryly on myself. It gave myself a present: rethink myself, and restart. Don’t lose yourself, be true to yourself, essentially.

In all my travels, there is always something money cannot buy, and throughout these travel, I keep looking on this quest.

There, I’ve faced it. Calmness, a mark of respect, a gift. one memory staying with me, the atmosphere of Boeung Kak Lake within Phnom Penh, some evenings down there looking to the sun coming down and bringing its wild vibes on a special place.

Travelling to one side of Africa, a surf on emotions

Senegal


Afrique, et la le Senegal, tu m'as fait le meilleur cadeau. celui de vivre deconnecte de notre monde modene, oui touriste de passage. Au loin, enfin, ces verites eclatent de plus belle au grand jour, le mien... je digere, petit a petit. joie solitaire de ce ver qui m a fait vivre toutes ces surprises.

You offered me this gift, living, no thinking. I cannot stop anyway to write. this continent is the forgotten one of our modern world. To keep our comfort, we are still ignoring it. we are doing these mystakes again and again. after the first 2 weeks down there, my feelings confirmed by some other western people living permanently down there is that you know you have nearly no future, we are offering none, and you are living the present. to such extent. yes there are issues in Africa. yes there is corruption, yes, there are forgotten wars, yes there are awful diseases, yes there is a big weight of ancient traditions, some very positive, some very negative. yes, you are struggling to get your everyday food. yes, streets are very dirty, infrasctructure very bad. Aside, yes there is a wonderful panel of people spared from our modernity. that s one gift. you are worth it, you ve got the power to go forward. if only speaking less when setting up something. Senegal was one of a developped country down this continent, and yes that makes me scared. waouh, yes. when are we gonna remove that fold making us blind? Are we gonna still treat you as the waste of our little wars?

you don t have easily access to internet, but you can express it. Tiken jah fakoly, thanks you, yes you gave us our pardon. you haven t forgotten. we are still not worthing it. when are we gonna do the same? when are we going to react not blindly? Yes, I am ashamed. Yes, I will still be living. You offered me this power of simplicity, this desire of equity, this good sense of reality.

Thanks to you for making me sharing simply your everyday life. changing big thing starts by changing small. yes we ve got to change our habits.

Thanks. On that no more words ..

Andrei Makine - and well, many many many books :) EN FR

A short post to meet one proficient Russian writer. At the corner of each volume, I am entering a universe that keeps completing itself, and that keeps reinventing itself.

I have discovered his book through “the French will”. And since then, I do appreciate his verve and energy coming only from writer that composes in French, without French being their mother tongue.

Stories and novels are flowing around, from discoveries to local insights on the other side of the iron curtail. And well, on this other side, the love river is brining us in the dry landscape of whole Russia, far from only Moscow, in natural scenes that are so wide only a novel like this can correspond.

You are invited to a dance where you understand a prolific author advising us tha beginning of last century we were speaking French in what is composing now Russia.

A first invite to this literary scope: Life of an unknow person. I am finding there melody of sounds coming from Cyrillic background, a beautiful candor of literal writings bringing situations to the utmost.

And my wish now from such a proficient mind? a mind that can put disarray in wonderful and human words. I would welcome a book of Mr. Andrei Makine written in partnership with a Chinese author.

Un court billet pour s'envoler vers l’oeuvre des oeuvres de Mr. Makine, et je m’emporte dans l’univers de son œuvre complete et qui se complete.

Découvert a travers le prisme de « le testament français », j’apprécie cette vivacité et cette énergie qui provient de ces auteurs qui composent en français, sans que cela soit leur langue maternelle. Vous prenez part a une valse de cet auteur mirifique qui nous rappelle qu’au début du siècle dernier, on parlait français dans ce qui constitue maintenant la Russie.

L’histoire s’écoule a chaque fois dans un fleuve de découvertes simples de l’autre cote du rideau de fer. D’ailleurs de l’autre côté, « le fleuve amour » » nous transporte dans les steppes, dans les étendues si larges et longues que seul un roman peut correspondre.

Une première invitation a la rencontre d’un paysage littéraire qui se définit au cours des livres : « La vie d’un homme inconnu. »

Je retrouve les sonorités de ma langue dans ces mots cyrilliques, je retrouve la belle candeur des passions littéraires dans les situations mises en phrase de Mr. Makine.

Ses mots transcendent toute description dans ces lieux pleins de mémoires. Mon désir, la, je saluerai une œuvre de Makine en partenariat avec un auteur chinois.

The Financial Bluff FR EN

FRANÇAIS

Avec toutes les infos qui nous tombent dessus, en tant que pro-nucléaire, et j’explique plus bas pourquoi et me permet une photographie de la situation telle que je la vois.

Je suis incertain sur l’issue que certains trouvent et utilisent dans la problématique nucléaire, débat qui risque d’être traite comme une gestion de crise et non en tant que débat. Je comprends une gestion de crise au Japon, la situation est critique et dramatique. Maintenant ramener ces vieux démons en France sans attendre, je trouve ca utilitariste et tout à fait égoïste. Pour le moins tant que ca reste dans le cadre de pompiers en face de crise.

Pourquoi je suis pro-nucléaire ? la raison financière. L’énergie est le démarreur de n’importe qu’elle développement. Maintenant, a y regarder de plus près, maintenant, ici, je trouve, en parallèle, que les événements en Lybie prennent racine dans un soulèvement humain. Et la, je suis tres peu confiant que le monde occidental sache saisir cette fenêtre d’opportunité qui va bientôt se fermer en Lybie. Beaucoup de pétrole vient de la bas, nos économies vivent en couple sur le pétrole, et cela nous empêche de prendre des actions. Nous avons peur que cela étrangle une économie tout juste rétabli. Oui, c’est vrai, oui, mais ce n’est pas éthique, c’est économique et purement financier. La France et l’Angleterre ont oublie leurs vieux démons, bien a eux, et se sont concentres sur l’avenir, l’option diplomatique ne fera que nous faire attendre et rater le coche.

Sur ce chemin de bon matin, le mien croise encore celui d’un livre de Mr. Jacques Ellul : « le Bluff Technologique » que j’ai pu enfin lire. Se concentrant sur certains paramètres sur lesquelles notre futur pourrait prendre place dans ces années 80. Points que l’on aurait peut être dû considérer comme critique dans leur développement. Un livre intéressant, et le titre de ce post le montre, je crois que le fantôme technologique est un mal pour un bien et qu’il a laisse place a un bluff financier sur lequel nous ne nous sommes pas arrêtés. Cela nous a bluffe tout du long, et continue de le faire. Dans ses points, c’est la qu’une personne comme Mr. Ellul manque dans les débats cruciaux qui se posent dans notre présent actuel, et dans notre avenir.

Oui, nous devons trouver une solution pour être indépendant énergétiquement et réfléchir a sortir possiblement du nucléaire vers une autre source d’énergie. Source d’énergie pas encore mature. Les panneaux solaires ont leurs inconvénients. Quels sont les composants de panneaux solaires qui devront se multiplier par millier pour faire face a notre consommation ? Sont ils écologiques ? non pas encore. Les éoliennes, les matériaux composites sont ils écologiques ?  Est-ce que ce sont des technologies valides alors que les grilles énergétiques commencent seulement a se développer et pas encore en position de maturité? Voila pourquoi je reste pro nucléaire pour l instant, en attendant d’avoir une technologie mature capable de les remplacer, et devant les possibles progrès du nucléaire, cette source a sa place dans un mix énergétique qui aujourd’hui laisse trop la place au pétrole.

http://stotb.blogspot.com/2010/07/business-gouvernement-et-societe-quand.html

ENGLISH

With all the news coming around, as a pro-nuclear, and I will explain below why, I am afraid the recent concern following recent events will be diverted through crisis management in France, and not through an interesting debate that has to take place. Crisis management, yes, in Japan, the situation is worrying and dramatic and I can unfortunately only hope and cross fingers… now taking this fact to bring back so shortly all old daemons on our French nuclear, I find it egoist, as soon as it is staying within the crisis management frame.

Why am I pro-nuclear? A financial one. Energy is the key for development of our future industries. Energy is the essence of our development. Now, looking to events, from human roots, taking place in Lybia, I am afraid we will the opportunity window of giving back power to people who owns it. So why nuclear? Because t would enable us to take actions against Gaddafi’s Lybia. Why? Because we are afraid of a surge of petrol that already happened, and will continue. We are fearing this will strangle our recovering economy and so on. All that is right, but it is not ethical, it is only financial. France and the UK were looking to the military option. Opponents are bringing back the diplomacy tool all around and will make us wait and miss this window.

In this path, mine crosses a book from Jacques Ellul “The technological bluff”. While focusing on key parameters on what our future could hold, it shows interesting point in which we have perhaps not considered as critical, while it should. An interesting book, so and as the title of this post shows, I believe now we are far more within the financial bluff, that has bluffed us all around, and continue to do it. Too bad we are now missing this person in crucial debate laying ahead and update the book view on economy and finance that has developed to such extent compared to the 80s. ah la la.

So yes we have to find a way to divert from this old nuclear technology to others developments of energy. Still, this won’t be done for the day to the day after. Solar panels have their drawbacks, what are the materials used to manufacture these panels??? Renewable? And wind farming? Are composites renewable either their production environmentally friendly? Is it that efficient given IT grid are not yet mature? So it is why I am standing as a pro nuclear, we don’t have any alternative yet in the mix of energy between oil and renewable yet, this mix, its working capital, enabling us to run our everyday life. Work has to be done.

http://stotb.blogspot.com/2010/07/business-gouvernement-et-societe-quand.html

La Fin de la Folie - Jorge Volpi - FR EN

Welcome to 1968, back to tack the pulse around Paris street on a period that will change our culture forever. Anibal Quevedo is crossing diffrent path around his psycho extravaganza. He is meeting Claire of course, taking part of a Street movements, meeting deconstruvist like Lacan and Laplace, crossing fingers with the philosopher of photography, Roland Barthes, and Foucault, and Altusser.

An epic contemporary ficion that gives a view of the world around, from cuba, to mexico to france with an undefined look that gives this book all its value. Put some humor, some sarcasm, some interesting thoughts along an unbelievable imagination, and it s where contemporary fiction are giving good insights in our own history.

Digestive and beautiful.

Bienvenue en 1968, de retour pour prendre le pouls le long des rues parisiennes. Pendant une période qui changera notre point de vue complètement. Anibal Quevedo croise différents chemins. A la croisée de ceux-ci et des mouvements de 68, il rencontre les déconstructivistes qui constituent la pensée de la philo française a l'époque, Lacan et Laplace, il croise les doigts avec Roland Barthes, ce philosophe magnifique qui donne un sens moderne a la photographie (Lire la chambre clair), et Foucault, et Althusser.

Des vies qui se croisent, des destins qui se décroisent. Une vue a un moment t sur ce qui se passe dans le monde alentour, des événements de Cuba a ceux du Mexique et d'Amérique latine, a la France de 68 qui met en scène. Un esprit indéfini qui donne sa valeur a se livre. Rajoutez de l'humour, du sarcasme, des pensées diablement intéressantes, tout ca le long d'une imagination intellectuelle débordantes, et on se retrouve a regarder notre histoire sous un nouvel œil, là où la ou la fiction contemporaine rencontre de nouvelles significations.

Marina – Carlos Ruiz Zafon FR EN

C’est avec un plaisir non dissimulé que j’entre une fois encore l’univers de Barcelone sous les doigts émérites de Mr Ruiz Zafon. Un auteur que je découvre lors d’un voyage vers la Grèce, un des rares auteurs qui m’accompagnent encore quotidiennement. Un style qui chante, une écriture qui change, un délicieux équilibre entre la simplicité du moment, et la découverte des impromptus qui composent la vie des acteurs de chacun de ses livres.

Ce que j’aime particulièrement ? Comme tout ses personnages, vous pouvez décider d’ignorer les événements, vous pouvez décider d’aller plus loin. Mr Ruiz Zafon montre le miracle à chaque croisée de ce second chemin.

Avec Marina, je retrouve cette Barcelone, endroit de mille et une découvertes. Dans le jeu de l’ange, ou a l’ombre du vent, je suffoquais sous la ténébreuse atmosphère diffusée au fil des pages. Un plaisir.

Un livre est un film que chacun se crée.

Merci

It s with pleasure that I enter, another time, in the universe of Barcelona under the golden fingers of Mr. Ruiz Zafon. One author I discover on a plane going to Greece, one of the rare author I am coming back to nowadays. A style that sings, a writing that changes, a delicious balance between simplicity of the moment and the discovery of the unexpected that compose life of actors of each of his books.

What I like? Like these actors, you can decide to ignore, you can decide to go further, and the author shows the miracle of following up this second road.

With Marina, I find again this Barcelona, place of many discoveries at every corner. In the angle’s game or Shadow of the wind, I suffocated by the atmosphere building up pages after pages. A delight.

Books are films that each one is creating.

Thanks.

http://www.amazon.fr/Marina-Carlos-Ruiz-Zafon/dp/2266213024/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300011821&sr=8-3

What this blog is about

As you have reckoned this blog is mainly speaking/writing about one subject I have at heart Culture, in fact CULTURE. The kind of that gives perspective to the things happening.

Well, yes, here culture might be hampering action, still I do believe culture is effectively aiming at a good set of actions. Out of the box, in the box, whatever, just think. Culture is this gem that we shouldn’t look to standardize. Every country has one of its own, and that’s for the best. Because between me, and Alfred, there are as much differences as there are similarities, it is the best recipe to cook well.

I wrote quite a while ago a motto I do enjoy: books cook our looks. Yes, in the equation of culture, books, and literature in general, is one main agent, the mixer if I dare, exposing ideas in different situations. And in a world fully super connected, quick as hell, frozen as the sun, with reactions giving no meaning no more to the word of pro-activity, I do believe books cook our looks. It gives us the perspective, it gives us some witness, and most of all, it gives us some thoughts of older times that holds still true today.

I was some time ago spending some time and attention at a corner of the following discussion:

-          World is more insecure now than before

-          Before what?

-          I don’t go out at night, I am scared

-          Why are you scared?

-          It is very insecure now

-          Well, forties years ago

-          Well, I don’t believe in that, at that time, we might have had the same amount, still it wasn't published in the medias as now

I cannot remove here that yes we have new roots for the social unsettlement we might be subject of, still I do believe standing out and putting in prospective is what history brings best. So in a word like in a hundred, I am happy to see around every corners thinkers and readers, and I am grateful to see on the next corners people acting.

In a world where information is passing through everywhere, distorting through every perceptions, understood through every confusion, we are alive. Information is not a power of decision by itself. Still, information is an important part of the decision process.

Reframing it on our daily life, as we open our computer, log on and unlog, and relog, we can feel we are opening again and again the door of nonsense: a flow of datas coming from a context of the initial writer, the first filter to the jigsaw appearing smoothly to our eyes. Are we able to put that in prospective? Do we need to challenge any assumptions? No, yes, what is the goal. It depends mainly of this question. Now are we able to do that? Yes only if we acknowledge we have to put efforts in the process.

Only 3 subjects are coming to my mind when thinking of the current imbalance of our world. And from it, the most important I see is about culture, and how we can ensure differences, as well as similarities, are taking equal parts in an equation that brings more light to the day. And the day we will learn from the past, and live for the present will be the right day of progress. Not getting eaten by old daemons, but still not giving birth to new ones.

At a time where we might think human race is nearly reaching the end of the road of progress, the essence, I believe, is to consider the equation again, with what I say the three roots causes that imbalanced it radically.

One way of thinking I have, and that I am standing strongly for, is to consider nothing as given, all things as dynamic and essentially irrational. Tools or Way of life?

What is for you information system, finance, politics, literature, means of communication, medias, a tool or a way of life? Like I am not idealizing anybody given we are all humans with its fair share of negative and positive points, I will not do it for a system.

It s only my vision here, I cannot escape to see that finance has reached the global superpower above us all. A revolution is aimed at persons, how do you do that in finance, in IT, in system of thoughts like capitalism? We would need to change the rules, simply. This system is evolving in a network based on rules, abusing some of them, so references have to be dynamic. Tools have to remain tools, not to replace our thinkings.

Like any others, in IS in Finance, in Literature, in all topics,  there is only one step to do in order to let them overcome us. I am not prepared for that. For people in action yes, for a system no.

Still, as I have many voices going around at this moment in time in my twisted head, Here comes one thought: it is the imbalance that defines the balance, it s from it that we can be aware of what is balance. Balance is not an end goal, but something to what we are tending to. At least I believe.

Like any tools, we are here to ensure we create the frame for it. System are developed in frames, it is from where we are drawing our strengths. After, like any products or services in our modern world, it is only a matter of are we reaching the critical mass to overthrow this power?

Culture is by essence a medium of exchange, a power of negotiation, far above the solely financial ones. It is nowadays in imbalance, because politics are not business men, while they currently appear as. A country is not a business, and here comes my strong disagreement with any capitalistic economics philosophy around, this belief, this doctrine, is only one way of thinking, Still it is missing one essential point, Economy 101 is too much rational, or in other words, rational economists cannot understand our world given every equation is made of parameters local and particular, not global and overall.

So what is this blog about? I don't know, round?

The External World from David OReilly on Vimeo.