Running...

Running has been a topic that many filmmakers and novelists have approached over the years.But what is it that makes the simple act of running such an interesting topic to approach?
Are there not many other athletics skills or events more interesting that would give great stories? Maybe! There are quite a few Artworks out there that depict athleticism and sports of all sorts from golf to boxing, to Skydiving and rock climbing and so on that narrate the story of true or fictional carachters that were known for their athletic prowess, or simply due to the fact that some filmmaker decided there was a story to be told about some sportsman or athlete out there.
However,what is it that still makes the act of running such an interesting topic for novelists and filmmakers to develop and elaborate? Simplest act in the world for anyone lucky enough to have both legs and a healthy heart.We have been doing it since we started taking our first steps without the aid of parental hands.We all have that memorable run in our minds were it from escaping someone or something that imposed danger to us,or to that run we made towards someone or something we called our prize or our loved one.
Most of us were for the first time challenged or challenged our teen aggressive peer for a run to see whom was faster.
Some few enjoy the act of running so much they do it every day for a number of hours,some do it just for the fun of it,some hate it and are obligated to do it,but most of us when we get older old that memory of how fast we were when we knew our prime.
Most of whom are deprived from the act of running due to health problems or some sort of incarceration, value the act of running sometimes more than life itself since it became an impossible task to achieve and because of its sheer representation of health or absolute freedom.
There are certain tribes in South America that even turned the act of running into a religion.Long distance runners are true wizards in the act of running and can share stories about it that most couch potatoes (that´s me,lol) would not even begin to understand.
Needless to say,there was still a lot more to be said about running...

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner


The Jericho Mile


Chariots of Fire


Gallipoli


"Running"

Renewal

Hi Everyone!
Today I was wondering what I could possibly post over here.Have you ever had one of those days were you feel no inspiration?I mean-0,ZERO,NOTHING,NADA?
Well,today was one of those days;after a long period without posting I wanted to say something about Easter and renewal,because after all "Easter is Renewal",and just like Spring, it brings forth the chance to celebrate life and hope after the long, cold and dark period of winter.I believe this to be true whenever I watch Nature´s grand amazing and natural architecture showing and covering the meadows with flowers,grass and the promise of trees.
But before I start rambling about like I sometimes do; like I was saying earlier, I felt no inspiration,but checking my Email today I was surprised to find three amazing music projects all in the Bel Canto area that a few friends had sent me.
The funny of it is,they don´t know each other,and although I like Bel Canto (I love all sorts of music)I had to smile with the refined taste of the video links instead of the usual-Dude,look at this guy shredding that electric guitar!!- Stuff.
I felt perplexed with this amazing coincidence and felt the need to share these videos with you,I hope you like these has much as I did.
I wish you all a Happy Easter and along with it the great chance of renewal of hearts and minds._BB

Here is a video that according to a friend went viral,but I had no idea of its existence,I really enjoyed it.

Here is a grand choir that I had the chance to watch perform earlier this week, live at the Church of Saint Nicholas/Igreja de são Nicolau in Lisbon.

And here is the Pièce de résistance, a great video from a well known blogger singing with the voice of an angel.You can also check it at http://www.suniart.blogspot.com/

Páscoa Feliz/Happy Easter

A dog named Patrick

Hello everyone!

I reflect a bit before writing this text as it is not my interest to emotionally disturb anyone advertising the little shop of horrors that is TV nowadays, with its daily news.All day long we watch countless hours off death, destruction, disasters, corruption, crime, war, wildfires, world hunger, war, elections, downfall of governments, war, disasters,financial political and social collapses,war (sorry,i believe i´ve said war before) and to my very own astonishment, daily I watch these sort of news bulletins paused, "not focused and looking for voices that provide solutions for a much needed physical and mental therapy on a world increasingly unbalanced and artificial "but by a cataclysm of ads that advertise the new toothpaste, or the new slimming pills, soon to be superseded by the hyper-caloric announcement from the latest delicacy wrapped inside a multicolored package stuffed with onions,ketchup,salt,sugar, "arthritis" and all sorts of yummi extras, that add "that" extra taste of artificial vanilla to a piece of ground beef injected with hormones and adrenaline that our children love to eat washing it down their little throats with buckets of coca-cola,so they later can become part of the latest statistics on childhood obesity or diabetes,brought to you by the same "humanitarians" who give pocket money to cancer research centers every Christmas, and are the very same people that made your kids fat and lazy in the first place and who are now promoting exercise and salad on a non stop vomiting (but profitable) chain of events...
Wait!Let me stop for a while so I can catch my breath before going on ...

Over the years we have seen "moral values" being traded before our very eyes in the name of sheer greed in a never ending accumulation of material goods, but we fail to realize
there is a true and fierce lack of peace, love, brotherhood, understanding, love for nature,love for animals and our fellow man in modern society.
I often wonder-what is it? Who turned "US"into this smart but cruel puppets that walk the earth?Let me ask you!Isn´t Man part of the same nature that nourishes our beings? In the end will we not nourish nature in return?SURE WE WILL!THIS IS A FACT! Although in our pathetically stupid arrogant perspective we keep lying to ourselves and believe to belong at some higher step in evolution.
Since this is so, why do we sometimes act the way we do? So disrespectful of Nature and our fellow man ?
Am I going too fast? I apologize,I often wonder and loose myself in my own thoughts.
There are certain stories that force me to stop and think about the sad fate of that word we often misquote,a word that should be shouted from the rooftops, and that is still the purest symbol of all that is good and that "still" endures inside man.
Clearly you know that I am talking about "LOVE".
I do not intend to subliminate anymore what I wanted to show you,because there is no point in covering up a horror story under a Ton of fancy words.

Perhaps you have seen or heard about this_ somewhere in the United States; a dog after having spent a period of famine way beyond the starvation point, was pushed into a bag and thrown inside of a garbage duct.A maintenance worker noticed some movement inside the bag and opened it up,were he found the dog who was now little more than a pile of bones but,was still fighting for his life.
This dog survived after persistent and excellent work done by a team of veterinarians and was named Patrick, since he was found on Saint Patrick´s day.
To watch a video click HERE.
I am mentioning this because Patrick has become an Internet phenomenon with thousands of followers around the world (including me) who seek to know his state of health on a daily basis.
With this I hope that in future the name of Patrick is spoken in all corners of the world and become a sort of symbol for all those who loathe and despise those who encourage such sadism and fail to give a more "human" treatment to their pets.I hope that this kind of behavior will be casted out from all societies once and for all...I hope...Since "we are only human" If we act as such.

I did not want to extend the horizons of this very small shop of horrors but for those who somehow feel the need to broaden their vision of things and aren´t afraid of a much more graphic perspective I would also like to ask your attention to the following story from Brazil.
Viewer discretion is advised:To view click HERE.
To finish I just wanted to point out that over the years I´ve had the privilege to meet some people, ordinary folks like myself of all nationalities who face all the difficulties of life as I do, and share no other previlege than the ability to feel some empathy.
There is nothing "sanctifying" in it, but I still feel a genuine affection and the deepest admiration for people who have shared and keep sharing stories of how they saved dogs and cats that were abandoned to die on highways,of dogs and cats who were kicked with such violence until they had their bones broken, or people who have pets with no legs, or who are old, or blind and so on with no common appeal in what is supposed to be a pet, or how they filed complaints to the police about attack dogs that were used in illegal fights to the death and when found were completely deformed,deranged and mad from the brutality they endured, or animals that were forced to give birth to never ending litters of pups and kittens until they were unable to walk,or strangled dogs hanging from trees with their own leashes or tied with chains to tires to serve as practice for target shooting ... and an infinite number of dark and hard to imagine stories.
I hope this new century will bring forth not only what is techno progress or economic and Socio-Development but also, the ability to turn to ourselves,into our humanity,our kindness,without intention to quote any sort of religious cliche I dare say our very "souls", so we may find once more, and miss that increasingly basic need, which is the need to love and learn to love back and with it have a lot of more respect for our four legged brothers._BB

I would also like to apologize for my very poor English to all of those who are kind enough to read some of my stuff...In the future I will try harder to improve my knowledge of the English language.
I THANK YOU ALL_BB

Um cão chamado Patrick

Olá a todos(as)!

Reflecti um bocado antes de escrever este texto visto que não é de meu interesse perturbar ninguém emocionalmente ou publicitar a lojinha dos horrores que é a TV com os seus flashes noticiosos diários a que nos vamos habituando e para nossa incredulidade até entretendo, com a verdadeira enchente de notícias sobre morte,destruição,abalos sismícos,corrupção,crime,guerra,fogos florestais,fome mundial,guerra,eleições,queda de governos,guerra, calamidades político_social e financeiras,guerra (desculpem acho que já tinha dito guerra) e que para meu espanto são apenas pausadas "não por vozes que procuram dar soluções e tepapia física e mental a um mundo cada vez mais desiquilibrado e artificial" mas sim pelo cataclismo de anúncios que publicitam a nova pasta de dentes ou as novas pílulas de emagrecimento para logo serem suplantadas pelo anúncio de uma qualquer iguaria hiper-calórica vendida sobre a forma de pacotinho multi-colorido e gorduroso recheado de cebola e todo o género de suplementos que adicionam um gosto suplementar e artificial de baunilha ao pedaço de carne moída e injectado com hormonas e que os nossos filhos adoram comer empurrando garganta abaixo baldes de coca-cola para mais tarde virem a pertencer à estatística de obesidade infantil ou crianças diabéticas.
Deixem-me parar um pouco para ganhar fôlego e já continuo...
Como dizia não é minha intenção publicitar ou mencionar nada que não tenha um "mínimo" de interesse socio-cultural ou que sirva de algum modo para enriquecer as nossas vidas tão ganaciosamente hipnotizadas e ávidas de acumulação de materiais mas quase totalmente áridas de paz,amor,fraternidade,compreensão,amor pela natureza,pelos animais e pelo ser humano, visto que este é parte integrante da mesma natureza que nos alimenta e alimentar-se-á dos nossos corpos depois de morrermos, embora na nossa arrogância pateticamente estúpida continuemos a mentir a nós mesmos e a querer acreditar que pertencemos a um qualquer patamar superior de evolução.
Estou a ir demasiadamente rápido? Peço desculpa,mas embora já me vá habituando a certos blocos noticiosos mais ou menos horrorizantes que vou vendo com a mesma imparcialidade e frieza com que se come um prato de lentilhas, ainda assim existem certas notícias que me obrigam a parar e pensar no triste destino daquela palavra bradada aos quatro ventos e que é a mais pura simbologia de tudo quanto existe de bom e que ainda, "ainda" vai resistindo dentro do ser-humano.
Obviamente que lhes falo daquilo que apelidamos como "AMOR".
Não pretendo aqui subliminar mais o que lhes quero mostrar, pois de nada serve querer disfarçar o horror com uma enxurrada de palavras pseudo-filosofais.
Talvez tenham visto ou ouvido esta notícia algures,nos Estados Unidos; um cão após ter passado um período de fome muito para além da sub-nutrição foi enfiado dentro de um saco e atirado por dentro de uma conduta de lixo.Um responsável pela manutenção do prédio reparou nalgum movimento dentro de um dos sacos de lixo e ao abrir o mesmo deu com o cão que não era mais do que uma pilha de ossos mas que ainda assim lutava pela vida.
Este cão hoje sobrevive depois do persistente e magnífico trabalho realizado por uma equipa de veterinários e foi baptizado com o nome de Patrick visto que foi encontado no dia de Saint Patrick um santo Irlandês conhecido por dar boa sorte aos seus seguidores.Pode ver o vídeo AQUI.
Saliento esta notícia porque o Patrick tem vindo a tornar-se num fenómeno da Internet com milhares de seguidores de todo o mundo (eu inclusive) que procuram saber o seu estado de saúde diariamente,e com isto faço votos que futuramente o nome do Patrick seja falado em todos os cantos do mundo e se torne numa espécie de símbolo para todos aqueles que abominam e desprezam todos os que se desresponsabilizam de dar um tratamento mais "Humano" aos seus animais de companhia e para que este género de comportamentos saia o mais possível do comportamento daqueles que se auto intitularam e apelidaram como seres Humanos.
Apenas "somos Humanos" quando nos portamos como tal.
Não queria alargar muito os horizontes desta lojinha dos horrores mas para aqueles que de certo modo sentem a necessidade de alargar a visão das coisas e não se importam com pormenores gráficos mais violentos então também peço a vossa atenção para este caso que vem do Brasil que é tão cruel que nem existem pormenores para o descrever.Embora tenha um final feliz desaconselho o visionamento DESTE vídeo aqueles mais sensíveis.
Para finalizar apenas queria salientar que ao longo dos anos tenho tido o previlégio verdadeiramente honrado de conhecer algumas pessoas,cidadãos comuns como eu de todas as nacionalidades que enfrentam todas a dificuldades da vida como eu, e que em nada são previlegiados a não ser com a capacidade de empatia.
Nada existe de "santificante" nisto, mas não deixo de sentir um verdadeiro carinho e a mais profunda admiração por pessoas que me contam histórias de como salvaram cães e gatos que foram abandonados em estradas para morrerem atropelados, ou pontapeados com tamanha violência que ficaram com os ossos partidos,ou que recolheram animais sem patas ou cegos ou idosos ou sem nenhum atractivo comum naquilo que é suposto ser um animal de companhia,ou que denunciaram lutas ilegais de cães e que ficaram completamente disformes e enlouquecidos devido à brutalidade resultante das mesmas,ou animais que foram forçados a parir até morrerem com ninhadas consecutivas interruptamente,ou que desprenderam cães enforcados em árvores com as próprias trelas ou amarrados com correntes a pneus para servirem de prática de tiro ao alvo... e um número infinito de histórias tenebrosas e difíceis de imaginar.
Espero que este novo século traga para além daquilo que é o progresso técnológico ou económico-social a capacidade de volvermos ao encontro de nós mesmos,da nossa humanidade,fugindo de qualquer clichê religioso atrevo-me a dizer da nossa alma;para que re-encontremos e sintamos a falta uma vez mais da necessidade mais básica, que é a necessidade de amar e saber dar amor de volta e que com isso ganhemos um maior respeito pelos nossos irmãos de quatro patas.

Dedicado com amizade ao Said e dona que muito me ensinaram e continuam a ensinar através do exemplo._BB

I like the moon

Here´s a small video I found on You Tube from one of my favourite comtemporary American poets H.R.. I selected this video because it sort of reflects my own thoughts and feelings of life (and yonder) at this precise moment.Well, at least some of it_Thank God i´m not as pessimistic about life or my fellow man as Mr.Rollins is...Sure, I know this ain´t Heaven (and we al have a different definition of what "that" is) BUT_I still believe there´s a lot of good in this world, I see it every day.The moon is just a part of that wide spectrum of wonder and beauty that ONE should be thankful for...and I AM !
What about you ? Do you know any poem or have something to say about the moon?

Today the moon is high,iridescent and beautiful.
_Portugal,Lisbon,00.29 a.m._BB

ROUND LAND OF HORSES AND APPLES...

Ao Miguel, no seu 4º Aniversário, e contra o nuclear, naturalmente ...

Vais crescendo, meu filho, com a difícil

luz do mundo. Não foi um paraíso,

que não é medida humana, o que para ti

sonhei. Só quis que a terra fosse limpa,

nela pudesses respirar desperto

e aprender que todo homem, todo,

tem direito a sê-lo inteiramente

até ao fim. Terra de sol maduro,

redonda terra de cavalos e maçãs,

terra generosa, agora atormentada

no próprio coração; terra onde teu pai

e tua mãe amaram para que fosses

o pulsar da vida, tornada inferno

vivo onde nos vão encurralando

o medo, a ambição, a estupidez,

se não for demência apenas a razão;

terra inocente, terra atraiçoada,

em que nem sequer é já possível

pousar num rio os olhos de alegria,

e partilhar o pão, ou a palavra;

terra onde o ódio a tanta e tão vil

besta fardada é tudo o que nos resta;

abutres e chacais que do saber fizeram

comércio tão contrário à natureza

que só crimes e crimes e crimes pariam.

Que faremos nós, filho, para que a vida

seja mais que a cegueira e cobardia?
Poema de Eugénio de Andrade

Young foul/Portuguese garrano breed

To Miguel for his 4th birthday, and against nuclear power, of course ...

You grow up, my son, with the difficult

light of the world. It was not a paradise,

made of human measure, what I once had

dreamed for you. I only meant that the land be cleared,

And in it you could breath awake

and learn that every man, every man,

would be entitled to be so entirely,

until the end. Land of ripe sun,

round land of horses and apples,

generous land, now tormented

in its very heart, land where your father

and mother once loved

so that you could be the pulse of life

now turned into hell

where we become trapped

In fear, greed, stupidity,

Dementia turned into reason;

innocent land, betrayed land,

where it is not even possible

To rest ones eyes on a river of joy,

and share the bread, or the word;

land where so much hatred and vile

uniformed beast is all that remains;

vultures and jackals who have knowledge

trade so contrary to nature

criminals that give birth to crime.

What shall we do, son, so that life

is more than blindness and cowardness?
Poem by Eugénio de Andrade / English Translation by BB

WHY OIL ? / PORQUÊ PETRÓLEO ?

Currently there are engines powered by "Compressed Air, Water, Electricity,solar power, Magnetism,Alchool, methanol, cooking oil, garbage, etc." (all of these considered to be less pollutant than Petroleum a.k.a OIL, and some are even considered to be pollutant free) these also have something in common, thay are all cheaper than OIL.
But the oil lobby continues to keep us "blind" in the presence of such concepts. So, for the average citizen the car engine that runs on nothing but "Their Oil" seems something out of a science fiction novel, or some sort of utopian idea approved only by the unpractical,retarded,obsolete,misinformed and paranoid "dude".
UTOPIA?
I believe it´s more than time we should ask ourselves "why ?" !_BB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJAlrYjGz8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4hs607eNYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1UrlDNkYSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lSxhTatUU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEfpGoYMdvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XPH3fV1Fd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QegyXo5u9uI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBBpwX1sJxQ

PT (Portuguese translation)
Actualmente existem carros movidos a "Ar Comprimido,Água,Electricidade,Energia Solar,Magnetismo,Álcool,Metanol,Óleo de fritar,Lixo e.t.c" (todos estes muito menos poluentes do que o petróleo sendo alguns até completamente isentos de capacidade para poluir o meio ambiente. Estas alternativas também têm todas algo em comum,SÃO TODAS MAIS BARATAS DO QUE O PETRÓLEO) no entanto o Lobby do Petróleo continua a manter-nos "cegos" perante todos estes conceitos que nos parecem utópicos ou saidos de um filme de ficção cientifica.
UTOPIA ???
Creio que é mais do que altura de perguntar-se a si próprio o porquê de tal situação._BB

1.1.11 A tribute to a new day

I am here to shine my light, to be bright, to be brilliant! I am here to share, to love, to teach, to heal. I have studied and learned and shall always be a humble student....I am also a teacher; and I have a responsibility to teach what I have been blessed to learn.

I am ready.

I am inspired.

I am Blessed.

I am Gratitude.

I chose Abundance. I chose Life. I chose to Love myself and others as Divine BeIngs of Energy and Light.

I share this with you in hopes that it touches your heart and brightens your light.
May you also be empowered and activated in your truth.

 Text Excerpt from Toi Pua La`a / Artistic Director, Choreographer & Performance Artist
 Source: http://sacredflowerproductions.blogspot.com/

PT/Portuguese Translation
Eu estou aqui para fazer brilhar a minha luz, para ser brilho, para ser brilhante! Estou aqui para compartilhar, para amar, para ensinar, para curar. Estudei e aprendi e sempre serei uma estudante humilde .... eu também sou professora, e eu tenho a responsabilidade de ensinar o que tenho sido abençoada em aprender.

Estou pronta.

Eu sou inspirada.

Eu sou abençoada.

Eu sinto-me Grata.

Eu escolhi a Abundância. Eu escolhi a vida. Eu escolhi amar a mim mesma e os outros como seres divinos de energia e luz.

Eu compartilho isso com vocês na esperança de que toque o vosso coração e ilumine a vossa luz.
Que seja você também capacitado e activo em suas verdade.
 De Toi Pua La`a / Artistic Director, Choreographer & Performance Artist
Fonte: http://sacredflowerproductions.blogspot.com/

Thank you Pua La`a for being a never ending source of inspiration _BB

The new blue dress / O vestidinho azul

Recently I rediscovered a short story that I fell in love with a long time ago. I was just browsing through a large and dusty pile of old books and papers, and "this" old book I used to read when I was just a young kid, sort of jumped out of "nowhere" and caught my attention.
_There you are !"I said".And browsing trough the pages of this dusty old book I found once again a short story that I believe is quite special and unique. You won´t find the meaning of life upon it,or some incredible "stuff" that will boost your mind into another dimension or the fairy realm. It comes with no special powers,and you don´t have to be a brain surgeon to understand it,even a 5 year old will, but sometimes,"sometimes" simplicity will travel a great distance and achieve the most magnificent acts,much more than any other sophisticated "gizmo"or a multimillion dollar spaceship.
It´s just a very simple story based on real events that happened a long time ago, like 100 years or so, and this is what really made me want to share it with you,due to the fact that this short story being so old, and all protagonists on it are most probably dead ; but the narrative is so alive,so real even for today´s standards,there´s such honesty upon it that I felt it wouldn´t make much sense if I kept it to myself, because in my heart I truly hope and believe that the single act of purchasing a blue little dress for a poor little girl,(or any other act of kindness) the single,unique and magnificent act of giving something of "value" to one who owns "nothing" develops a wonderful chain of events that will live on forever and echoe in eternity.
I hope you enjoy this short story as much as I did,may it echoe in your heart and may we "all",all over the world, find happiness and love.
I want to believe_,Merry Christmas Everyone_BB

The New Blue Dress
When spring came to the city of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1909, it did not change Gates avenue. The people who lived on the pretty streets near Gates Avenue were making gardens, painting their houses and getting their lawn mowers ready for the summer. But Gates avenue continued to look dirty and ugly.
Gates Avenue was a short street. But it seemed long because it was so ugly. Most of the the families who lived there had very little money. They never expected to have much more.
Sometimes the men had jobs and sometimes they didn´t. Their houses had not been painted in many years and did not even have running water. The Gates Avenue families carried their water from the hydrants on the street corners.
The street itself was ugly, too. It had no pavement and no street light. The railway at one end of Gates Avenue added noise and dirt.
Most of the little girls in the school near Gates Avenue wore pretty new clothes that spring. But the little girl from Gates Avenue wore the same dirty dress that she had worn all winter. It was probably the only dress she owned.
Her teacher sighed. The little girl was so nice! She always worked hard in school; she was always polite and friendly. But her face was dirty and her hair was untidy.
One day the teacher said, "Will you wash your face before you come to school tomorrow morning? Please do that for me." The teacher could see that the girl was pretty under the dirt.
A clean face
The next morning the child´s pretty face had been washed. Her hair was clean and tidy, too. Before the little girl went home that afternoon, the teacher said, "Now, dear, please ask your mother to wash your dress."
But the little girl continued to wear the dirty dress. "Her Mother is probably not interested in her," the teacher thought. So she bought a bright blue dress and gave it to the little girl. The child took the present eagerly and hurried home as fast as she could.
The next morning she came to school in the new blue dress, and she was clean and tidy. She told the teacher, "My mother was surprised when she saw me this morning in my new dress. My father wasn´t at home; he had gone to work. But he will see me at supper this evening."
When he father saw her in the new blue dress, he was surprised to find that he had a pretty little girl. When the family sat down to eat supper, he was even more surprised to find a cloth on the table. The family had never used a tablecloth before. "What is the cloth for?" he asked.
"We´re going to be more tidy here," his wife said. "It isn´t nice to have a house that is dirty and untidy when our daughter is so clean."
After supper the mother started to wash the floors. Her husband watched for a little while without saying anything. Then he went outside into the back yard and began to repair the fence. The next evening, with the family´s help, he started digging for a garden.
During the next week, the man who lived in the next house watched what the little girl´s family was doing. Then he started to paint his house for the first time in ten years.
A few days later the young minister of a church near Gates Avenue passed the two houses and and saw the men working. He noticed that there was no pavement o Gates Avenue and no street light. He knew the houses had no running water. "People who are trying so hard to have clean homes and tidy yards on a street like this should be helped," the minister said to himself.
He went to see the men who were at the head of the city government. And he went to see the important businessmen and the leaders f churches and schools. He asked them to help the families living on Gates Avenue.
A few months later Gates Avenue looked like a different street. There was pavement now on the avenue. There was a light on the street corner. The houses had running water. Six months after the little girl got her new blue dress, Gates Avenue was a tidy street of friendly homes where respectable families lived.
People who knew about the changes called it the "Gates Avenue Cleanup." Everywhere the young minister went, he told the story of this miracle.
Other cities heard of the "cleanup" and began to organize their own "cleanup" campaigns. Since 1913, thousands of U.S. towns and cities have organized campaigns for painting and repairing homes. For the people who live in the homes, life has been made better.
Who knows what miracles may happen when a teacher gives a little girl a new blue dress?

PT/Portuguese Translation
Recentemente reencontrei uma pequena história pela qual me apaixonei há muito tempo atrás. Eu vasculhava uma pilha grande de livros empoeirados e antigos e papeladas, e um livro antigo que costumava ler quando ainda era puto saltou do "nada" e chamou-me a atenção.
_Aqui estás tu! "disse para comigo". E ao reler as páginas deste livro velho e empoeirado encontrei uma vez mais um pequeno conto que acredito ser muito especial e único. Tu não vais encontrar o sentido da vida nele, ou alguma "coisa" incrível que vai transportar a tua mente para outra dimensão, ou para o reino das fadas, ele não vem com poderes especiais, e não é necessário ser um cirurgião do cérebro para entendê-lo, mesmo uma criança 5 anos de idade consegue entender este conto, mas às vezes, "às vezes" a simplicidade consegue percorrer uma grande distância e consegue realizar os actos mais magníficos, muito mais do que qualquer outra "engenhoca" sofisticada ou uma nave espacial que custa milhões de dólares.
É apenas uma história muito simples, baseado em factos reais que aconteceu faz muito tempo, talvez há 100 anos ou mais, e foi isso que me fez querer realmente compartilhar esta pequena história convosco, devido ao facto desta pequena história ser tão velha, e todos os protagonistas que nela participaram provavelmente já estarem mortos, mas a narrativa continua tão viva, tão real, mesmo para os padrões actuais, existe tal honestidade nesta que senti não haver muito sentido em conservá-la apenas para mim. Porque no meu coração, eu espero e acredito que o simples acto de comprar um vestidinho azul para uma menina pobre, (ou qualquer outro acto de bondade) Daquele Acto Único, único e magnífico, que consiste em dar algo de "valor " a quem não possui "nada", desenvolve uma cadeia de eventos maravilhosos que vão viver para sempre e ecoam pela eternidade fora.
Espero que gostem deste conto tanto como eu,faço votos que ecoe no vosso coração e que "todos" nós, em todo o mundo,possamos encontrar a tão desejada felicidade e o amor.
Eu quero acreditar_, Feliz Natal a todos_BB

O Vestidinho Azul
Quando a primavera chegou à cidade de Cleveland, Ohio, em 1909, não alterou o aspecto de Gates Avenue. As pessoas que viviam nas ruas asseadas bem perto de Gates Avenue estavam a fazer jardins, pintavam as casas e preparavam os seus cortadores relva para o verão. Mas Gates Avenue continuava com um aspecto sujo e feio.
Gates Avenue era uma pequena rua. Mas parecia muito maior, por causa do seu mau aspecto. A maioria das famílias que lá viviam tinha muito pouco dinheiro. E estes nunca esperavam ter muito mais.
Às vezes, os homens tinham empregos e outras vezes não. As suas casas não eram pintadas à muitos anos e nem sequer tinham água canalizada. As famílias iam buscar água ás bocas de incêndio nas esquinas.
A rua em si era feia também. Não era asfaltada e não havia luz na rua. O caminho de ferro na extremidade da Avenida adicionava barulho e sujidade.
A maioria das meninas da escola perto de Gates Avenue usavam roupas novas naquela primavera. Mas havia uma menina em Gates Avenue que ainda usava o mesmo vestido sujo que tinha usado durante todo o inverno. Era provavelmente o único vestido que possuía.
A sua professora suspirou. Era tão boa menina! Ela sempre se aplicava arduamente na escola, ela era sempre educada e amável. Mas o rosto dela e o cabelo estavam sempre sujos.
Um dia a professora disse: "Vais vai lavar a cara antes de vir para a escola amanhã de manhã? Por favor, faz isso por mim." A professora podia ver que a menina era bonita por debaixo da sujidade.
Uma cara limpa
Na manhã seguinte, o rosto bonito da criança surgiu lavado. O seu cabelo estava limpo e penteado, também. Antes da menina voltar para casa naquela tarde, a professora disse: "Agora, querida, por favor, pede à tua mãe para lavar o teu vestido."
Mas a menina continuava a usar o mesmo vestido sujo. "A mãe provavelmente não se interessa por ela,"pensou a professora. Então, ela comprou um vestido azul brilhante e deu de presente para a menina. A criança pegou no presente com avidez e cheia de pressa correu para casa o mais rápido que pôde.
Na manhã seguinte, ela veio para a escola com o vestido azul novo, e ela estava limpa e aprumada. A menina disse à professorA: "A minha mãe ficou espantada quando me viu esta manhã com o meu vestido novo o meu pai não estava em casa;. ele tinha ido trabalhar, mas ele vai me ver na hora do jantar esta noite.."
Quando o pai a viu com o vestido azul novo, ficou surpreso ao descobrir que tinha uma linda menina. Quando a família se sentou para comer a ceia, ele estava ainda mais surpreso ao encontrar uma toalha de mesa sobre esta. A família nunca tinha usado uma toalha de mesa antes. "Para que é a toalha de mesa?" perguntou.
"Vamos ser mais arrumados por aqui", disse a esposa. "Não é bom ter uma casa suja e desarrumada quando a nossa filha está tão limpinha."
Depois do jantar, a mãe começou a lavar o chão. O marido observou durante um bocado sem dizer nada. Então ele saiu para o quintal e começou a reparar o muro. Na noite seguinte, com a ajuda de toda a família, eles começaram a tratar do jardim.
Durante a próxima semana, o homem que morava na casa ao lado assistiu ao que a família da menina fazia. Então ele começou a pintar a sua casa pela primeira vez em dez anos.
Poucos dias depois, o jovem pastor de uma igreja perto de Gates Avenue passou pelas duas casas, e viu os homens a trabalhar. Ele notou que não havia o pavimento naquela avenida nem luz de rua. Ele sabia que as casas não tinham água canalizada. "Pessoas que lutavam tão arduamente para ter casas limpas e jardins bonitos numa rua como esta devem ser ajudadas", disse o clérigo a si mesmo.
Ele foi ver os homens que estavam à frente do governo da cidade. Entrou para ver os empresários importantes e os líderes das igrejas e escolas. Pediu-lhes para ajudar as famílias que viviam em Gates Avenue.
Poucos meses depois, Gates Avenue parecia uma rua diferente. Existia agora pavimento na avenida. Havia uma luz na esquina da rua. As casas tinham água canalizada. Seis meses depois daquela menina começar a usar o seu vestido azul novo, Gates Avenue era uma rua de casas arrumadas, amigável e onde viviam famílias respeitáveis.
As pessoas que sabiam sobre as alterações a chamou de "A limpeza de Gates Avenue". Por todo o lado o jovem clérigo contou a história deste milagre.
Outras cidades ouviu falar da "limpeza" e começaram a organizar as suas próprias campanhas de "limpeza". Desde 1913, milhares de vilas e cidades dos EUA organizaram campanhas para a pintura e reparação de casas. Para as pessoas que vivem nas casas, a vida tem sido bem melhor.
Quem sabe que milagres podem acontecer quando uma professora oferece a uma menina um vestido azul novo?

The End of the "Pink Era"

I wasn´t sure if I should post this being so close to Christmas and all and bring to the table such a... (I cannot find the proper word) but the news about Blake Edwards death kind off caught me off guard,I mean I was a fan of the Man´s Artwork (If you believe cinema is Art, I do) and whenever I think about the Pink Panther movies I´ve watched trough my teens I always crack up laughing. I mean, Blake Edwards was the man with the plan,the Great puppeteer,the genius director behind the movie stage that made the magic happen and brought to us some of the most hilarious movies that one can ever see,I still remember laughing my AS* off until tears would run down my face and I would grab my rib cage from the hurt that I felt and the fear that something inside me would explode from laughing so hard. I mean, there are comedies,there are silly movies and then there´s genius and THAT was the sort of movies Blake Edwards would direct,movies you would laugh so hard you would fall off a chair (I DID).


I don´t mean to sound disrespectful "BUT" associated with such great comedies Blake Edwards name will also go down with another great name long departed and that was "Peter Sellers", because truth be told the Pink Panther series would have never been such a hit if it weren´t for the sheer genius of this great actor that impersonated the "Inspector Clouseau" Character so well, no one could replace him,there´s a time and an era for everything in life and I do not mean the sequels from The Pink Panther after Peter Sellers death were bad or not so funny,I´m just saying that at that specific time true magic happened between the alliance of these two (even, as the story goes if they weren´t in the best of terms with each other and lived a rather conflictuos and strange work relationship way far from the "healthy" work relationship "displayed" for public appearances, but it´s not my place to judge, I´m just a movie fan. I am also wondering if The Pink Panther character and cartoons (unbelievable great stuff also) will not be forsaken over the years since the "man with the plan" is now dead.

You shall be missed Mr.Edwards ...( The Pink panther theme tune would sound great here wouldn´t it ?)_BB

Sowing the Seeds of Love

A great song filled with some great metaphors which are so alive today as they were back in 89 when I first heard this._BB

Tears for Fears / Sowing the Seeds of Love

High time we made a stand & shook up the views of the common man

And the love train rides from coast to coast

DJ's the man we love the most

Could you be, could you be squeaky clean

And smash any hope of democracy

As the headline says you're free to choose

There's egg on your face and mud on your shoes

One of these days they're gonna call in the ruse, yeah

(Sowing the seeds of love) anything is possible

(Seeds of love) when you're sowing the seeds of love

(Sowing the seeds of love)

(Sowing the seeds of love) anything is possible

(Seeds of love) sowing the seeds of love (Sowing the seeds)

I spy tears in their eyes

They look to the skies for some kind of divine intervention

Food goes to waste, so nice to eat, so nice to taste

Politician Granny with your high ideals

Have you no idea how the majority feels

So without love and a promised land

We're fools to the rules of a government plan

Kick out the style, bring back the jam

(Sowing the seeds of love) anything (seeds of love)

(Sowing the seeds of love) (Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love)

Sowing the seeds, the birds and the bees, my girlfriend and me in love

Feel the pain, talk about it, if you're a worried man then shout about it

Open hearts, feel about it, open minds, think about it

Everyone read about it, everyone scream about it

Everyone (everyone, yeah yeah)

Everyone (everyone) read about it, read about it

Read it in the books in the crannies

And the nooks there are books to read...Chorus!!!

(Sowing the seeds of love) Oh, the seeds of love

We're sowing the seeds, sowing the seeds

We're sowing the seeds of love. we're sowing the seeds

Sowing the seeds of love, we're sowing the seeds of love

(Mr. England sowing the seeds of love)

(Time to eat all your words, swallow your pride, open your eyes)

Time to eat all your words, swallow your pride, open your eyes

High time we made a stand (time to eat all your words)

And shook up the views of the common man (swallow your pride)

And the love train rides from coast to coast (open your eyes)

Every minute of every hour "I Love a Sunflower" (open your eyes)

And I believe in love power (open your eyes)

Love power, love (open your eyes) power

(Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love…Sowing the seeds of love)

(Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love)

We're sowing the seeds (sowing the seeds of love)

Sowing the seeds of love, we're sowing the seeds (seeds of love)

Sowing the seeds, an end to need, and the politics of greed with love

(Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love, sowing the seeds of love)

(Sowing the seeds of love) anything (seeds of love) anything

(Sowing the seeds of love, Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love)

(Sowing the seeds, an end to need, and the politics of greed with love)

(Sowing the seeds of love, seeds of love, sowing the seeds of love)

Alfama´s Lovebirds

I won´t lie to you,but The Lovebirds (2007) isn´t exactly "the sharpest tool in the shed"_ cinematographically speaking that is. I won´t be so bold to tell you that this is a great movie,to be frank in my opinion this is just average cinema;However_for me a Portuguese citizen born and practically raised in Lisbon city The Lovebirds is much more than a mere curiosity,for there are certain nuances upon it that made me smile out of pure joy. It is a great link between Portugal and the U.S. but it´s much more than that,it is indeed a great link between two very different cities (Lisbon and New York) but each with a similar "soul" that makes these two seem almost like siblings that were separated from each other when they were born for some mysterious reason.


The Lovebirds is almost like a reunion of these two after many years where they share similar stories among each other in some Bar filled with cigarette smoke after hours on a rotten part of town (wherever that is), even though these "stories" took place in very different atmospheres, there is that sense of Deja Vu that only siblings seem to be aware. Maybe I´m "pushing the envelope" I´m no film critic, I´m just an ordinary guy that likes "the movies" but It was great to watch on the same screen and sharing the same background a couple of great actors that I really respect such as Michael Imperioli and John Ventimiglia ( you probably know these two from the Sopranos) with a few faces known to me from the Portuguese movie screens.

There was much more to say but i´m not that good with words (even in my native tongue) I´ll leave with with a short clip from The Lovebirds I found on YouTube and ask of you to watch it to the very end where you can see a very short dialogue between Michael Imperioli and Ana Padrão a Portuguese Actress,and maybe just maybe you will find out why I love this movie._BB

Michael Imperioli _Those buildings down there are so, old...look how they lean against each other crumbling ! It´s like they´re holding each other up for stability but if you´d just touch one, they´d all fall apart and break.


Ana Padrão_ You know?...earthquake?!

Michael Imperioli_Yeah,1755 right ?All of Lisbon got destroyed.

Ana Padrão_Not Alfama...not us.

Michael Imperioli_You survived !

Ana Padrão_Yes !
 
*All underlined words are linked to Web pages.

Today I Woke Up Thinking / Hoje Acordei a Pensar

Drawing By Laerte an amazing Brazilian Cartoonist,find out more on the link below:

http://verbeat.org/blogs/manualdominotauro/

PT/Desenho de Laerte um cartoonista Brasileiro magnífico,saiba mais no Link acima:

TODAY I WOKE UP THINKING...THAT THE HEART IS A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MADE OF MANY STRINGS.

***

HOJE ACORDEI A PENSAR...QUE O CORAÇÃO É UM INSTRUMENTO MUSICAL FEITO DE MUITAS CORDAS.

-BB

You´ve Got a Friend

You´ve got a friend / Lyrics by James Taylor

I want to believe / Graphic Junctin by BB 

Please share this message around your friends and loved ones,let´s ALL turn this world into a better place.
Thank you.-BB

Fire & Rain

 
James Taylor Fire & Rain
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me, jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

 Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
To come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again, now

Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain, now

The deepest thank´s



To Mr.Taylor


For weaving this song


It returned a piece of my heart


That I believed was dead


That I believed was long gone.-BB

The Power of One

Sometimes ONE is more then enough...

When a Button is Missing

"You may turn into an archangel, a fool, or a criminal—no one will see it. 

But when a button is missing—everyone sees that."

 ~ Erich Maria Remarque

PT/"Tu podes tornar-te num Arcanjo,num tolo,ou num criminoso—ninguém vai reparar.

Mas se te faltar um botão—toda a gente dará por isso."

O Prato de Arroz / The Rice Plate

A guy was placing flowers on the grave of a relative when he sees an Asian placing a rice plate on the tombstone beside him.
He turns to the Asian and asks:
- Excuse me Sir, but do you really believe your relative will eat the rice?
And the Asian responds:
- Yes, usually around the same time that yours is coming to smell the flowers!

PT/ Um sujeito colocava flores no túmulo de um parente quando vê um Asiático a colocar um prato de arroz na lápide ao lado.
Ele virou-se para o Asiático e perguntou:
- Desculpe-me, mas o senhor acha mesmo que o seu defunto virá comer o arroz?
E o Asiático respondeu:
- Sim, geralmente à mesma hora em que o seu vem cheirar as flores!

Somewhere someone is thinking of you...

“Somewhere someone is thinking of you. Someone is calling you an angel. This person is using celestial colors to paint your image. Someone is making you into a vision so beautiful that it can only live in the mind. Someone is thinking of the way your breath escapes your lips when you are touched. How your eyes close and your jaw tightens with concentration as you give pleasure a home. These thoughts are saving a life somewhere right now. In some airless apartment on a dark, urine stained, whore lined street, someone is calling out to you silently and you are answering without even being there. So crystalline. So pure. Such life saving power when you smile. You will never know how you have cauterized my wounds. So sad that we will never touch. How it hurts me to know that I will never be able to give you everything I have.”
Dedicated to angels i´ve encountered along the way BB

Poem by Henry Rollins

PT/Portuguese Translation_BB

 "Em algum lugar alguém está a pensar em ti. Alguém está a chamar-te anjo. Esta pessoa usa cores celestias para pintar a tua imagem. Alguém está a tornar-te numa uma visão tão bela que esta pode apenas existir na mente. Alguém está a pensar na forma como a tua respiração escapa dos teus lábios quando és tocado(a). Como os teus olhos se fecham e a mandíbula se te aperta de concentração quando dás um lar ao prazer. Esses pensamentos estão a salvar uma vida nalgum lugar agora agora mesmo. Nalgum apartamento sem ar, nalguma rua escura manchada de urina onde as prostitutas se alinham, alguém chama por ti em silêncio e tu respondes, mesmo sem estar lá. Tão cristalino. Tão puro. Esse poder que salva vidas quando sorris. Tu nunca saberás como tens cauterizado as minhas feridas. Tão triste, jamais nos tocaremos. Como me dói saber que nunca serei capaz de te dar tudo aquilo que tenho. "

Dedicado aos Anjos que tenho encontrado ao longo do caminho_BB