No meu tempo não era assim...
pelo menos não comigo.

I think of all the education that I missed.
But then my homework was never quite like this.
Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,
Im hot for teacher.
I got it bad, so bad,
Im hot for teacher.

Debra Jean Beasley (born August 28, 1980) is a former reading teacher at Angelo L. Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida when she was charged with several counts of having illegal sex with a minor in 2005.

LaFave, who claimed she was raped by a schoolmate at age 13, was raised by a loving but domineering mother and an attentive but remote father. She sang professionally, did some modeling, and had several relationships. After a high school lesbian affair was discovered, she entered therapy.

She graduated from the University of South Florida, and began teaching remedial reading. Highly popular with the students, she occasionally dressed inappropriately, sometimes wearing a very short skirt or a low-cut blouse showing cleavage.

According to the book Gorgeous Disaster, by her ex-husband Owen Lafave, she met the 14-year-old student at an after-school tag football game. The relationship developed over a period of weeks. Shortly after school ended for the year, she drove the boy to her home and performed fellatio on him. From then, the relationship turned intimate; they had sex in the back of her SUV while it was being driven by the boy's cousin.

The boy's mother soon learned of the affair and notified the police. They tape-recorded conversations between the lovers, then arrested LaFave when she drove to the boy's home to pick him up. The boy gave police an accurate description of her tattoos, tan lines, and pubic area. One European newspaper published the boy's name and photo; legal action by his mother led to it being removed from the paper's website.

Because sexual activity took place in two different counties, two separate sets of charges were filed. A trial date was set for December 5 at a court hearing after the prosecution and the defense could not agree on a plea bargain. The prosecution's plea deal involved prison time, which Debra and her parents found unacceptable. Debra's defense attorney caused a national stir that made headlines by remarking to the media that "To place Debbie into a Florida state women's penitentiary, to place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole, is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions." Owen LaFave's book suggests that this statement was an intentional ploy by the attorney.

Owen LaFave's book reports that the Temple Terrace police ordered photographs be taken of Lafave's genital area while her feet were bound up in stirrups.

Shortly before the trial was scheduled to begin, the boy's mother, who had been insisting that Debra serve time in prison, learned that the trial was to be covered by Court TV and changed her stance, agreeing to a plea bargain with no prison time to save her son from having to testify in court. A new plea agreement was quickly worked out.

On November 22, 2005, Debra pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years of Community Control (house arrest) and seven years of probation, along with a string of other requirements.

However, on December 8, 2005, the judge in the second county refused to accept plea-agreement terms that included no prison time, and set a trial date for April 10, 2006. In an unusual act, the prosecutor announced the charges were being dropped, overruling the judge.

LaFave is serving probation until 2015 and her teaching certificate has been revoked.

LaFave attributed her indiscretions to bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, which is associated with intense and irregular mood swings and with hypersexuality and poor judgment during manic episodes.

Mary Kay Letourneau, whose notorious seduction of 12-year-old boy led to more than seven years in prison, has married the former student she was convicted of raping.

Letourneau, 43, and Vili Fualaau, 22, exchanged vows they had written themselves during a tightly guarded ceremony Friday night, said Janet Annino, co-executive producer of the TV show "Entertainment Tonight."

The couple have been in the spotlight since Letourneau was imprisoned in 1997. But when she was released last August, the couple — who have two daughters together — reunited.

The ceremony was at the Columbia Winery in Woodinville, about 20 miles northeast of Seattle, Annino said.

"Mary Kay was whisked out of the hotel to this venue under intense security," she said. "She arrived here with a sheet over her head. She had to lie down in the car coming in to avoid the paparazzi."

Letourneau and Fualaau gave a series of interviews to "Entertainment Tonight" and its sister TV show, "The Insider," which had exclusive rights to the nuptials. Show officials said they did not pay for the wedding.

Letourneau's teenage daughter, Mary Claire, from her earlier marriage, was maid of honor. The couple's two daughters, Audrey, 8, and Alexis Georgia, 7, were flower girls.

The couple first met when Fualaau was in the second grade. Their relationship became sexual when he was 12 and she was a 34-year-old married mother of four, a teacher at a suburban elementary school.

Letourneau was pregnant with Fualaau's first child when she was arrested in 1997. She pleaded guilty to second-degree child rape and was sentenced to 7½ years in prison, with all but six months suspended.

Within weeks of her release, she was caught having sex with Fualaau in her car and ordered to serve the remainder of her sentence. She gave birth to the couple's second daughter while serving time.
©MMV, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

On September 29, 2006, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter stated on the Howard Stern show that he lost his virginity to Debra Lafave when they were classmates

Teacher who 'married' student in pagan ritual
tried for sexual assault

A female teacher who police said wed a 15-year-old female student in a pagan ritual is due in court Tuesday for the first of two trials.

Elizabeth Miklosovic, 37, is accused of having illegal sexual relations with her former student after the June 2004 wedding. The teacher will first stand trial in Kent County Circuit Court in Grand Rapids, Mich., on three counts each of first-and second-degree criminal sexual contact.

Authorities said she assaulted the girl in her Grand Rapids home, where another female companion and adopted son also lived.

Miklosovic is also accused of touching the girl's genitals while camping in Manistee and Van Buren County parks. She is scheduled to stand trial in Van Buren County Circuit Court in Paw Paw on May 10 for two counts of criminal sexual conduct and accosting a minor for immoral purposes.

If convicted of the first-degree charge, Miklosovic faces life in prison.

The ex-student, whose name has not been released for safety concerns, claimed she was assaulted from June to August last year.

Two years ago, the language arts teacher befriended the then-seventh grader during a class at South Haven's Baseline Middle School. The girl told a fellow classmate about the relationship, and the information eventually reached police.

"The teacher was trying to help the student work through her emotional issues," South Haven police trooper Daniel Diekema said. "I think that's how the relationship started."

Last June, Miklosovic asked the student's parents for permission to take her on a camping trip in Manistee National Forest. Thinking Miklosovic sought to mentor their vulnerable daughter, the family complied, State Police Sgt. Diane Oppenheim told the Grand Rapids Press newspaper.

Instead, the teacher and the girl lit candles, chanted and exchanged vows in the forest. The pagan wedding ceremony included exchanging a braided piece of cloth, which the student kept, Oppenheim said.

Miklosovic said she also gave the student a book on witchcraft "because she knew she was interested in it," Oppenheim told the Grand Rapids Press.

In Kent County, the girl testified that she still had feelings for her former teacher. Her relatives told the Grand Rapids Press that Miklosovic brainwashed her into thinking no crime was committed.

Trocadilhos

Não resito a partilhar convosco o trocadilho utilizado por um dos meus mestres.

Dizia ele o seguinte:

- "Os Macedónios eram um povo que praticava a poligamia. Como sabem, o oposto de poligamia é; a mono... tonia."

- "É como o Canto Chão e a Sinfonia." - retorquiu um colega meu.

Egas Moniz nascido a November 29, 1874

Falando em lobotomia, já não ouço o Bush há muito tempo, e quanto ao Papa? ah! está na Turquia... e já agora aquele senhor do Irão anda bem de saúde?

O que é engraçado é que o primeiro nobelizado português foi atingido por uma arma de fogo por um cliente seu, enquanto lhe dava uma consulta. A razão? estava insatisfeito com a dose reduzida de medicação...

Tallulah Bankhead

"It's the good girls who keep diaries,
the bad girls never have the time."

"Cocaine, habit forming? Of course not,
I ought to know, I've been using it for years."

"My father warned me about men and booze but
he never said anything about women and cocaine."

"If you really want to help the American theater,
don't be an actress dahling. Be an audience."

Calvin & Hobbes


(click on the image to enlarge)

Quem não esqueci... faz hoje cinco anos

Fausto

Cheguei a casa e paguei ao Fausto para subir à mesa, residência da minha aparelhagem, e dedilhar o albúm "Por este rio acima".

Cheguei cansado. Cheguei triste e cansado.

Cada vez que ouço este albúm concluo que Fausto é de facto grande. Grande Fausto. É uma delíca ouvir Fausto; toca Fausto, toca!

A música de Fausto faz-me lembrar minha mãe. Lembro-me quando era pequeno e sem memória para as coisas vãs que vivem a nosso redor, lembro-me de adormecer ao colo de minha mãe, lembro-me de música a música, lembro-me de melodia em melodia, minha memória parece um pinga-azeite na voz de Fausto e das mãos de minha mãe. Cafuné chama-lhe a minha mãe. Minha mãe a cantar Fausto.

"...a guerra é a guerra, no céu e na terra.."

Estou triste e cansado das coisas fúteis em que me embrenho nestes dias. Sinto-me extenuado das conversas banais e dos sentimentos passageiros. Sinto-me importunado por me ter dado ao trabalho de pensar que...enfim...

"Como se a Terra corresse, inteirinha atrás de mim, o medo ronda-me os sentidos por baixo da minha pele, ao esgueirar-se viscoso; escorre pegajoso, e sai pelos meus poros, pelos meus ais. Ele penetra-me nos ossos ao derramar-se sedento nas entranhas sinuosas. Entre as vísceras mordendo, salta e espalha-se no ar, vai e volta delirante. Tão delirante, é como um sonho acordado, esse vulto besuntado a revolver-se no lodo a deslizar de uma larva, emergindo lá do fundo. Tenho medo ó medo, leva tudo é teu mas deixa-me ir.

Arrasta-me à côncava da funda do grande lago da noite, cruzando as grades de fogo, entre o Céu e o Inferno até à boca escancarada, esfaimada, atrás de mim, atrás de mim. É como um sonho acordado esses olhos no escuro, das carpideiras viúvas, pelo pai assassinado, desventrado por seu filho que possuiu lascivo a sua própria mãe e sua amante

Meu amor quando eu morrer
Ó linda
Veste a mais garrida saia
Se eu vou morrer no mar alto
Ó linda
E eu quero ver-te na praia
Mas afasta-me essas vozes
Linda

Tens medo dos vivos
E dos mortos decepados
Pelos pés e pelas mãos
E p'lo pescoço e pelos peitos
Até ao fio do lombo
Como te tremem as carnes
Fernão Mendes"

Fausto é grande... e minha mãe também.

IHA INSTITUTO DE HISTÓRIA DA ARTE
DA
UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
AGENDA 2006-2007

13 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2006 - 18 HORAS

Encontro com Malangatana

Apresentação L.C. Patraquim; Música Costa Neto; Fotografia Lieve de Boeck

Teatro Académico Gil Vicente
Organização Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
Apoios: Reitoria da Universidade de Coimbra
Entrada Livre



14 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2006 - 14.30 HORAS

A “Ceia” de Hodart: um Caso de Investigação Interdisciplinar

Apresentação teórica Ana Alcoforado, Catarina Alarcão

Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Apresentação em laboratório: Quartel da Graça, Oficina de restauro do Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro
Organização Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
Apoios: Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro
Entrada Livre




14 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2006 - 21 HORAS

FALAR DE HISTÓRIA DA ARTE

O Património Universitário: um espaço de sínteses

António Filipe Pimentel
Livraria Almedina, Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Nº 26 e 28, Coimbra
Organização Livraria Almedina Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra, Ideias Concertadas
Entrada Livre



28 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2006 - 21 HORAS

FALAR DE HISTÓRIA DA ARTE

Santa Clara-a-Velha: os estímulos de uma intervenção
Francisco Pato de Macedo

Livraria Almedina, Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Nº 26 e 28, Coimbra
Organização Livraria Almedina Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra, Ideias Concertadas
Entrada Livre



5 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2006 - 21 HORAS

FALAR DE HISTÓRIA DA ARTE

A cidade e o património móvel: disposições e exposições
Pedro Dias

Livraria Almedina, Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Nº 26 e 28, Coimbra
Organização Livraria Almedina Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra, Ideias Concertadas
Entrada Livre






22 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2007 - 15 HORAS

Cidade Medieval Portuguesa: Diferenças de Escala, Convergência de Modelos
Amélia Aguiar Andrade (Universidade Nova de Lisboa)

Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Organização: Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
Entrada Livre



10 DE MARÇO 2007 - 09.30H

Sob o Signo do Sol. Os direitos do património: ambiente e conservação
Colóquio Internacional no âmbito da Semana Cultural da Universidade de Coimbra

Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Organização Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
Apoios: Reitoria da Universidade de Coimbra

Programa

09.45h - Conferência inaugural
Prof. Doutor José Delgado Rodrigues

10.45h – Comunicações:
Prof. Doutor Francisco Gil
Prof.ª Doutora Cristina Castel-Branco

11.45h – Debate (moderador: Prof. Doutor Pedro Dias)

12.30h –Visita à intervenção de recuperação da Porta Especiosa (Prof.ª Doutora Maria de Lurdes Craveiro)

15.00h – Comunicações:
Dr. Joaquim Inácio Caetano (pintura mural)
Profª. Doutora Rocío Bruquetas Galán (pintura de cavalete)

16.15h – Comunicações:
Dr. Paulo Henriques (azulejo)

Profª. Maria José González López (escultura em madeira – policromia)
17.15h – Debate (moderador: Prof. Doutor António Filipe Pimentel)



ABRIL DE 2007

A Gravura Através do Tempo: Colecção Artur de Azevedo

Organização Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
em colaboração com o Governo do Estado do Maranhão
Biblioteca Joanina da Universidade de Coimbra



19 DE ABRIL 2007 - 18 HORAS

A Pintura Portuguesa no Século XVI
Dalila Rodrigues

Organização: Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
18 Horas Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Entrada Livre




20 DE MARÇO DE 2007 - 18 HORAS

Arte e Pensamento: O Conceptualismo na Arte Portuguesa
Tânia Saraiva

Organização: Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
18 Horas Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Entrada Livre

CURSO LIVRE MAIO/JUNHO de 2007 (6 SESSÕES)

Arte Portuguesa no Século XX: entre o modernismo e o pós-modernismo
Isabel Nogueira

Organização: Instituto de História da Arte da Universidade de Coimbra
Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra, Anfiteatro VI
Inscrição 25 €

INSTITUTO DE HISTÓRIA DA ARTE
FACULDADE DE LETRAS
UNIVERSIDADE DE COIMBRA
TEL. 239 859958 FAX 239 836733
E-MAIL iharte@ci.uc.pt
3004-530 COIMBRA

PARA MAIS INFORMAÇÕES SOBRE A PROGRAMAÇÃO: afpim@fl.uc.pt

Pois, estou de volta a Londres. Gostei de São Francisco.

Da visita à City Lights em North Beach, comprei alguns livros alguns para mim outros para oferecer.

De um, "Jazz anecdotes", transcrevo uma anecdote:

page 214
"
Cannonball Adderly told Nat Hentoff:'A young tenor player was complaining to me that Coleman Hawkins made him nervous. Man, I told him Hawkins was supposed to make him nervous! Hawkins has been making other sax players nervous for forty years!'
"

Michael J Fox Responds To
Rush Limbaughs Lies

Rush Limbaugh On the Offensive Against Ad With Michael J. Fox

By David Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Possibly worse than making fun of someone's disability is saying that it's imaginary. That is not to mock someone's body, but to challenge a person's guts, integrity, sanity.

To Rush Limbaugh on Monday, Michael J. Fox looked like a faker. The actor, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has done a series of political ads supporting candidates who favor stem cell research, including Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, who is running against Republican Michael Steele for the Senate seat being vacated by Paul Sarbanes.

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. . . . This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

Limbaugh, whose syndicated radio program has a weekly audience of about 10 million, was reacting to Fox's appearance in another one of the spots, for Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill, running against Republican Sen. James M. Talent.

But the Cardin ad is similar. It is hard to watch, unless, for some reason, you don't believe it. As he speaks, Fox's restless torso weaves and writhes in a private dance. His head bobs from side to side, almost leaving the video frame.

"This is the only time I've ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has," Limbaugh said. "He can barely control himself."

Later Monday, still on the air, Limbaugh would apologize, but reaction to his statements from Parkinson's experts and Fox's supporters was swift and angry.

"It's a shameless statement," John Rogers said yesterday. Rogers, Fox's political adviser, who also serves on the board of the Parkinson's Action Network, added: "It's insulting. It's appallingly sad, at best."

John Kerry's Botched Joke

John Kerry: Stuck in Iraq When he ran for president in 2004, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) rarely missed an opportunity to crack a few jokes about President Bush.

One of his better lines came after being told by reporters that Bush had taken a tumble during a bike ride. "Did the training wheels fall off?" Kerry quipped.

This week, however, he botched a Bush punch line so badly, that it may qualify as the political gaffe of the year. Speaking to college students in California, Kerry said, "You know, education -- if you make the most of it -- you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." (Watch video clip)

The remark provoked a torrent of criticism from Republicans who were quick to take it out of context and broadcast it as a slam on U.S. troops, rather than on Bush. A group of soldiers in Iraq countered with an amusing dig back at Kerry, posing for a picture while holding a banner reading "Halp us Jon Carry - We R stuck hear n Irak."

Here's the joke as it was supposed to be delivered: "I can't overstress the importance of a great education. Do you know where you end up if you don't study, if you aren't smart, if you're intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

Dropkick Murphys

Memorable Quotes from
The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Frank Pentangeli: Those were the great old days,you know... And we was like the Roman Empire... The Corleone family was like the Roman Empire...

Tom Hagen: When a plot against the Emperor failed... the plotters were always given a chance... to let their families keep their fortunes. Right?

Frank Pentangeli: Yeah, but only the rich guys, Tom. The little guys got knocked off and all their estates went to the Emperors. Unless they went home and killed themselves, then nothing happened. And the families... the families were taken care of.

Tom Hagen: That was a good break. A nice deal.

Frank Pentangeli: Yeah... They went home... and sat in a hot bath... opened up their veins... and bled to death... and sometimes they had a little party before they did it.

Gaius Petronius Arbiter
ou
Titus Petronius

“Petrônio consagrava o dia ao sono, e a noite aos deveres e aos prazeres. Se outros chegam à fama pelo trabalho, ele adquiriu-a pela sua vida descuidada. Não tinha a reputação de dissoluto ou de pródigo, como a maioria dos dissipadores, mas a de um voluptuoso refinado em sua arte. A própria incúria, o abandono que se notava nas suas ações e nas suas palavras, davam-lhe um ar de simplicidade, emprestando-lhe um valor novo. Contudo, procônsul na Bitinia e depois cônsul, deu prova de vigor e de capacidade. Voltando aos seus vícios ou à imitação calculada dos vícios, foi admitido entre os poucos íntimos de Nero e tornou-se na corte o árbitro do bom gosto: nada mais delicado, nada mais agradável do que aquilo que o sufrágio de Petrônio recomendava ao príncipe, sempre embaraçado na escolha.

"Acontece que naqueles dias, césar [Nero] se tinha deslocado para a campânia e, quando avançou até Cumas, Petrónino aí foi retido. Não se agarrou este por mais tempo a delongas de temor ou de esperança, nem sequer baniu a vida de forma precipitada; antes cortou as veias e, como lhe aprouve, as fechou e voltou a abrir, enquanto conversava com os amigos, mas não de assuntos sérios nem de temas que buscasse a glória da firmeza de carácter. Prestava atenção não a quem lhe falava da imortalidade da alma e de máximas filosóficas, mas a quem lhe recitava poemas ligeiros e versos divertidos. (...) Participou num banquete, gozou as delicías do sono, para que a morte, embora forçada, parecesse acidental..."

Reflexão sobre Sexo

"Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes"

"mas é sempre a mesma história
depois do primeiro
assombro
logo o corpo fica farto"

A banalização destrói a nossa capacidade de espanto. Exemplo; o espectador e o ilusionista, quando o primeiro descobre o segredo da ilusão, deixa de ficar "boqueaberto", o resultado final da ilusão já não produz efeito na sua pessoa; talvez se passe a interessar pela técnica, pelo nível de perfeiçao que cada mágico possui ao realizar a mesma ilusão. Na maioria dos casos será a perda do total interesse na ilusão.
Desde que o homem poisou na lua em mil novecentos e sessenta e nove (ou não (pequeno à parte a que nao resisto)); melhor ainda, o acidente com "Challenger" em oitenta e seis parou praticamente o mundo, já o acidente do "Columbia" foi tratado de uma forma corriqueira; Porquê?
Obviamente porque o espanto tinha ficado em oitenta e seis com o "Challenger".
Enfim, pensamentos inconsequentes (lembras-te Martins?Estranho tempo aquele)

DECOTE

A utilizar num "projecto" futuro...

FLUC - Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Coimbra

Para quem pensa que as quatro estátuas (Mestre Barata Feyo) na fachada da FLUC servem apenas para pendurar os restos do trajo acadêmico...

Da esquerda para a direita:

Demóstenes

Aristóteles, Heródoto e Safo

Esta última incluída provavelmente, com o desconhecimento de Salazar, uma vez que, Safo é a grande poetisa da ilha de Lesbos.
Para mim esta estátua é um toque ornamental delicioso, pois o regime da altura, tinha por máxima; Deus, Pátria e Familía.

A escola de Safo - o amor em Lesbos

Safo, por Charles-August Mengin (1877)

Concebeu Safo uma escola para moças, onde lecionaria a poesia, dança e música - considerada a primeira "escola de aperfeiçoamento" da História. Ali as discípulas eram chamadas de hetairai (amigas) e não alunas... E a mestra apaixona-se por suas amigas, todas... dentre elas, aquela que viria a tornar-se sua maior amante, Atis - a favorita, que descrevia sua mestra como vestida em ouro e púrpura, coroada de flores. Mas Atis apaixona-se por um moço e, com ciúmes, Safo dedica-lhe os versos:

"Semelhante aos deuses parece-me que há de ser o feliz

mancebo que, sentado à tua frente, ou ao teu lado,

te contemple e, em silêncio, te ouça a argêntea voz

e o riso abafado do amor. Oh, isso - isso só - é bastante

para ferir-me o perturbado coração, fazendo-o tremer

dentro do meu peito

Pois basta que, por um instante, eu te veja

para que, como por magia, minha voz emudeça;

sim, basta isso, para que minha língua se paralize,

e eu sinta sob a carne impalpável fogo

a incendiar-me as entranhas.

Meus olhos ficam cegos e um fragor de ondas

soa-me aos ouvidos;

o suor desce-me em rios pelo corpo, um tremor (...)

A aluna foi retirada da Escola por seus pais, e Safo escreve que "seria bem melhor para mim se tivesse morrido".

O termo "lésbica" é derivado da interpretação dos poemas de Safo, cuja poesia foi tida por amor sexual de preferência do que amor emocional ou platônico entre ela e outras mulheres. Graças a tal associação, Lesbos e especialmente a cidade de Eresos, lugar de nascimento de Safo, são visitadas freqüentemente por turistas lésbicas hoje.

Está quase a fazer dois anos que Hunter S. Thompson "checked out"

Hunter Stockton Thompson (1937-2005)

(click to follow the hyperlink)

O.J. Simpson

O.J. Simpson will address "If I Did It, Here's How It Happened" in a book and TV special.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- O.J. Simpson created an uproar Wednesday with plans for a TV interview and book titled "If I Did It" -- an account the publisher pronounced "his confession" and media executives condemned as revolting and exploitive.

Fox, which plans to air an interview with Simpson Nov. 27 and 29, said Simpson describes how he would have committed the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, "if he were the one responsible."

Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, lashed out at publisher Judith Regan of ReganBooks for "promoting the wrongdoing of criminals" and commercializing abuse. The book goes on sale Nov. 30.

She added: "It's unfortunate that Simpson has decided to awaken a nightmare that we have painfully endured and worked so hard to move beyond."

Regan refused to say what Simpson is being paid for the book but said he came to her with the idea.

"This is an historic case, and I consider this his confession," Regan told The Associated Press.

Simpson was acquitted in 1995 of murder after a trial that became an instant cultural flashpoint and a source of racial tension. The former football star was later found liable for the deaths in a wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family. In the years since, he has been mocked relentlessly by late-night comedians, particularly for his vow to hunt down the real killers.

"He's willing to tell the world how he 'would' murder his children's mother and Ron. Sick," Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said on CNN's "Larry King Live" Wednesday night. (Watch what the Goldmans told Larry King -- 10:53 )

Simpson has failed to pay the $33.5 million judgment against him in the civil case. His NFL pension and his Florida home cannot legally be seized. He and the families of the victims have wrangled over the money in court for years.

The victim' families could go after the proceeds from the book's sales to pay off the judgment. But one legal analyst said there are ways to get around that requirement -- such as having proceeds not go directly to Simpson.

"Clever lawyering can get you a long way," said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola University law school professor and former federal prosecutor who has followed the case closely.

Levenson noted that the criminal justice system's protection against double jeopardy means Simpson's book, explosive as it may be, should not expose him to any new legal danger. She added that Simpson could create an extra layer of insulation from any legal worries by presenting the story hypothetically.

"He can write pretty much whatever he wants," Levenson said. "Unless he's confessing to killing somebody else, he can probably do this with impunity."

Goldman's sister, Kim Goldman, told CNN: "He's snubbing his finger to the system, to the community again. He's telling us one more time, 'I'm gonna continue to get away with killing your family members and I'm not gonna honor the judgment and look at me, ha, ha, ha."'

Simpson did not return numerous calls for comment. Simpson's own attorney Yale Galanter said he did not know about the book or the interview until this week.

"The book was not done through our office," Galanter said. "I did not have anything to do with the negotiations of the book. This was strictly done between O.J. and others."

He said there is "only one chapter that deals with their deaths and that chapter, in my understanding, has a disclaimer that it's complete fiction."

On Amazon.com on Wednesday, the 240-page book was being offered for $16.47. An image of the cover featured Simpson's face and the title "If I Did It," with "If" highlighted in white and the other letters in red.

Other publishers and publishing industry observers practically fell over each other to criticize ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, and Simpson.

Otto Penzler, who runs Otto Penzler Books, a crime imprint of Harcourt, said he would have a moral problem with "carrying a book like that and enriching this lowlife in any way."

"If I were betting, I would say the book won't sell," he said. "I think people are so disgusted with this guy that they're having the same feeling I do."

ReganBooks has gained a reputation for publishing some less-than-highbrow material, including Jose Canseco's "Juiced," billed as a tell-all on steroids in baseball, and books about the slaying of Laci Peterson.

Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive of the American Association of Publishers, described the developments as sickening.

"But I think it's going to stir an awful lot of debate and make the culture take a real look at itself, and that may not be unhealthy," she said.

Indeed, one thing that seemed certain was that the book and interview -- which Fox will air at the end of the crucial sweeps month -- were bound to generate a torrent of publicity.

Shari Anne Brill, a television analyst for the Madison Avenue firm Carat USA, predicted public interest would rival that of the 2003 interview with Michael Jackson, seen by 27 million people in 2003.

At least one other network, NBC, said it had been approached to air the special but declined the offer.

"This is not a project appropriate for our network," said Rebecca Marks, a spokeswoman for the entertainment division of NBC, a network that once employed Simpson as a football analyst.

CBS said it was unaware of any pitch for the project. ABC did not immediately return a call for comment.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ed Bradley

Fast forward to the 1990's. I'm now in Philadelphia and still attending Blues festivals and there are still very few Black people in attendance. At one particular festival, the Neville Brothers are performing and they turn in their usual brilliant set mixing a New Orleans gumbo of Funk, Blues and Rock. They are about to play the last song of the set, "60 Minute Man," which had been a hit way back in 1950 for Billy Ward and his Dominoes. As the song starts, I notice a tall, slender Black man on the stage joining Aaron Neville at the microphone. He looks familiar, but at first I can't place him. And then I recognize him. I turn to my wife and say, "Yo, there’s Ed Bradley up there singing “60 Minute Man” with the Neville Brothers.”

It made me smile. There he was, "Mr. "60 Minutes," on stage singing "60 Minute Man" along with the Neville Brothers, at a lily white Blues concert right in the middle of the city of Philadelphia.

60 minute man

(William Ward)
Vocal Arrangement: The Persuasions

Well listen here girls, I'm telling you now.
They call me lovin' Dan.
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all night long
I'm a 60 minute man.

And if you don't believe I'm all I say,
Come up and take my hand.
As soon as I leave you go you'll cry
"Oh Yeah, he's a sixty Minute Man!"

* There'll be 15 minutes of kissin',
And then you holler "Oh please don't stop!"
There'll be 15 minutes of teasin'
And 15 minutes of pleasin'
And 15 minutes of blowin' my top! MOP MOP MOP!

Well if your man ain't treatin' you right
Come up and see your Dan.
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all night long
I'm a 60 minute man.

** 60 (Minute Man)
Well they call me (lovin' Dan)
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all night long
I'm a 60 minute man.

** Repeat

* Repeat

Well if your man ain't treatin' you right
Come up and see your Dan.
I'll rock 'em, roll 'em all night long
I'm a 60 minute man.
Oh yeah! 60 Minute,
Rock'em, roll'em, rammin', jammin' all night long
I'm a 60 Minute Man

Trecho do Conto "No Moinho" do Eça

O seu amor desprendeu-se pouco a pouco da imagem de Adrião e alargou-se, estendeu-se a um ser vago que era feito de tudo o que a encantara nos heróis de novela; era um ente meio príncipe e meio facínora, que tinha, sobretudo, a força. Porque era isto que admirava, que queria, porque ansiava nas noites cálidas em que não podia dormir- dois braços fortes como aço, que a apertassem num abraço mortal, dois lábios de fogo que, num beijo, lhe chupassem a alma. Estava uma histérica.
Às vezes, ao pé do leito do marido, vendo diante de si aquele corpo de tísico, numa imobilidade de entrevado, vinha-lhe um ódio torpe, um desejo de lhe apressar a morte...
E no meio desta excitação mórbida do temperamento irritado, eram fraquezas súbitas, sustos de ave que pousa, um grito ao ouvir bater uma porta, uma palidez de desmaio se havia na sala flores muito cheirosas... A noite abafava; abria a janela; mas o cá- lido ar, o bafo morno da terra aquecida do sol, enchiam-na dum desejo intenso, duma ânsia voluptuosa, cortada de crises de choro...
A Santa tornava-se Vénus.
E o romanticismo mórbido tinha penetrado tanto naquele ser, e desmoralizara-o tão profundamente, que chegou ao momento em que bastaria que um homem lhe tocasse, para ela lhe cair nos braços: - e foi o que sucedeu enfim, com o primeiro que a namorou, daí a dois anos.

(...)

(Maria da Piedade tinha-se atirado do pedestal. Na vila era agora conhecida como a bola de unto.) - Um fim mais a meu gosto

(...)

Era o praticante da botica.
Por causa dele escandalizou toda a vila. E agora, deixa a casa numa desordem, os filhos sujos e ramelosos, em farrapos, sem comer até altas horas, o marido a gemer abandonado na sua alcova, toda a trapagem dos emplastros por cima das cadeiras, tu do num desamparo torpe - para andar atrás do homem, um maganão odioso e sebento, de cara balofa e gordalhufa, luneta preta com grossa fita passada atrás da orelha, e bonezinho de seda posto à catita. Vem de noite às entrevistas de chinelo de ourelo: cheira a suor: e pede-lhe dinheiro emprestado para sustentar uma Joana, criatura obesa, a quem chamam na vila a bola de unto.

Sérgio Godinho - Balada Da Rita

Disseram-me um dia Rita põe-te em guarda
aviso-te, a vida é
dura põe-te em guarda
cerra os dois punhos e andou põe-te
em guarda
eu disse adeus à desdita
e lancei mãos à
aventura
e ainda aqui está quem falou

Galguei
caminhos de ferro (põe-te em guarda)
palmilhei ruas à fome
(põe-te em guarda)
dormi em bancos à chuva (põe-te em
guarda)
e a solidão não erre
se ao chamá-la o seu
nome
me vai que nem uma luva


Andei com
homens de faca (põe-te em guarda) 
vivi com homens safados
(põe-te em guarda) 
morei com homens de briga (põe-te em
guarda) 
uns acabaram de maca 
e outros ainda mais
deitados 
o coveiro que o diga 


O coveiro
que o diga 
quantas vezes se apoiou na enxada 
e o
coração que o conte 
quantas vezes já bateu p´ra nada 


E um dia de tanto andar (põe-te em guarda)
eu vi-me exausta e exangue (põe-te em guarda)
entre um
berço e um caixão (põe-te em guarda)
mas quem tratou de me
amar
soube estancar o meu sangue
e soube erguer-me
do chão


Veio a fama e veio a glória (põe-te em
guarda)
passaram-me de ombro em ombro (põe-te em guarda)

encheram-me de flores o quarto (põe-te em guarda)
mas é sempre a mesma história 
depois do primeiro
assombro 
logo o corpo fica farto

A Campanha do Argus

«”A campanha do Argus”, agora reeditada pela Cavalo de Ferro, é um livro fascinante, para além de ser o melhor retrato alguma vez feito sobre a pesca do bacalhau em Portugal.» Francisco Neves, Público MilFolhas

A Campanha do Argus, de Alan Villiers, é um clássico da literatura marítima mundial. Numa escrita límpida e envolvente, este oficial da Armada australiana, presença assídua nas páginas do National Geographic Magazine do segundo pós-guerra como repórter das “coisas do mar”, escreveu uma narrativa de viagem de um dos mais belos veleiros da frota bacalhoeira portuguesa, o Argus. A convite de Pedro Teotónio Pereira, embaixador português em Washington, na Primavera de 1950 Villiers embarcou com os pescadores portugueses. Durante cinco longos meses, viu e registou a dureza da “faina maior” com o sentido de a documentar. Naquele tempo, a pesca do bacalhau por “homens de ferro em navios de madeira”, a mítica “frota branca”, era a última grande actividade económica que fazia uso da navegação à vela para viagens transoceânicas. Da viagem única que fez, de Lisboa aos bancos de pesca da Terra Nova, Villiers compôs um tríptico que correu mundo: um livro (com edição original em inglês, em 1951, e tradução portuguesa meses depois), um filme e um magnífico álbum de fotografias. A projecção internacional do livro foi tal que teve tradução em mais de uma dezena de línguas. Reeditá-lo a mais de cinquenta anos da primeira edição, com um preâmbulo contextualizador ilustrado com belas imagens e partindo de uma nova tradução do original, é um acontecimento cultural da maior importância. Além de um belo e minucioso memorial da pesca do bacalhau com dóris de um só homem, A Campanha do Argus permite entender os múltiplos significados deste património marítimo singular e desvendar a relação interessada do Estado Novo e do seu aparelho de propaganda com o drama épico da pesca do bacalhau.

Álvaro Garrido

Sempre ouvi falar mas nunca me tinha dado ao trabalho de saber ao certo o que era.
Fica assim colmatada (ou não) uma da muitas lacunas que "minam" a minha percepção do ser humano ( neste caso em particular da mulher).

DISFUNÇÃO SEXUAL FEMININA
( FRIGIDEZ )

Para a falta de desejo sexual, o evitar do contacto sexual é uma agravante. Quanto mais se evita, menos vontade se tem de sexo. Muitas dessas mulheres podem estar substituindo o sexo pelo trabalho, pelo cuidado exclusivo com os filhos ou por afazeres domésticos e não perceberem estas substituições. Com isto, muitos parceiros cobram a mudança de atitude, de forma não compreensiva para elas, o que contribui justamente para um maior afastamento sexual.


Por vezes, a frigidez revela-se logo na primeira relação sexual e explica-se geralmente pela inexperiência dos dois parceiros: o rapaz não terá compreendido a importância dos preliminares.

Na maioria dos casos, a frigidez manifesta-se em consequência de um choque, de um conflito psicológico mesmo inconsciente ou de uma má experiência clínica. Seja qual for a causa, a frigidez é antes do mais a história de uma mulher, de um casal. Com mil e uma maneiras de viver a situação. A frigidez define-se como a ausência de satisfação sexual durante as relações ou pela obtenção de um prazer considerado insuficiente.


FRIGIDEZ É A ALTERAÇÃO DA FUNÇÃO SEXUAL COM AUSÊNCIA DE DESEJO, APRESENTANDO AUSÊNCIA OU DIMINUIÇÃO DE RESPOSTA ORGÂNICA À EXCITAÇÃO ( LUBRIFICAÇÃO VAGINAL, RELAXAMENTO DA MUSCULATURA, ETC).
A MULHER NÃO APRESENTA DESEJO EM TER RELACIONAMENTO SEXUAL, NÃO PROCURA O PARCEIRO E QUANDO PROCURADA EVITA O CONTACTO SEXUAL, (OU GOSTARIA DE EVITAR).
A PACIENTE COM FRIGIDEZ RELATA MEDO OU MESMO REPULSA A SITUAÇÃO DE RELAÇÃO SEXUAL. ESTA SITUAÇÃO PODE APRESENTAR-SE DE VÁRIAS FORMAS:

- NÃO LUBRIFICAR DURANTE A RELAÇÃO SEXUAL,
- AUSÊNCIA DO DESEJO DE TER ACTIVIDADE SEXUAL,
- ALGUMAS MULHERES EXPERIMENTAM REPULSA A ESTÍMULOS SEXUAIS, MESMO A BEIJOS E TOQUES.

A INTENSIDADE DA REAÇÃO PODE VARIAR DESDE FALTA DE PRAZER, ATÉ UM EXTREMO SOFRIMENTO PSICOLÓGICO EM TER QUE CONSUMAR O ACTO.


AS CAUSAS PODEM SER ORGÂNICAS E/OU PSICOGÊNICAS


ORIGENS ORGÂNICAS DA FRIGIDEZ:
- DISPAREUNIAS (DOR NA RELAÇÃO SEXUAL),
- ALTERAÇÕES HORMONAIS,
- DEBILIDADE FÍSICA OU DOENÇAS EM GERAL QUE A DEBILITEM.

ORIGEM PSICOGÊNICAS DA FRIGIDEZ:
- RELIGIÃO,
- TABUS,
- VIOLÊNCIA SEXUAL ANTERIOR ( COMO ESTUPRO, POR EXEMPLO),
- EDUCAÇÃO SEXUAL RÍGIDA, TRATAMENTO DA FRIGIDEZ
- MEDO DE ENGRAVIDAR OU DE DOENÇAS SEXUALMENTE TRANSMISSÍVEIS,
- IDADE AVANÇADA,
- STRESS,
- RELACIONAMENTOS DESGASTADOS

The Story of a Second Taj

The legend has it, that Shah Jehan decided to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble
on the other side of the river Yamuna and to connect the two by a bridge. This structure was
intended to be his own tomb. It has been recorded by Tavernier : "Shah Jehan began to build his own tomb on the other side of the river but the war with his sons interrupted
his plan and Aurangzeb who reigns at present is not disposed to complete it". Later gazetteers and
guide books mention this story almost invariably. The irregular position of the cenotaph of Shah
Jehan as compared to that of Mumtaz Mahal which occupies the exact centre of the hall is enough proof into itself.. The Mehtab Burj and the wall adjoining it opposite the Taj Mahal are
generally said to be the grim remains of the proposed plan.

Arquitectura Fascista
"Cidade Universitária"

Este é o projecto de Cotinelli Telmo para a cidade universitária de Coimbra. Como podemos observar, o edificío paralelo à faculdade das Matemáticas, que iria "substituir" o colégio de São Jerónimo nunca chegou a ser construído. A sua contrução iria porporcionar a quem chegasse ao cimo das escadas monumentais uma "linha" de visão que iria a desembocar na praça da porta Férrea. Ficou também por construir um enorme portão entre a faculdade de medicina e faculdade da ciência e tecnologia.
Embora hoje ninguém negue o "valor" arquitétonico do colégio de São Jerónimo (daí a impossibilidade de concluir na realidade) penso que não deixaria de ser interessante, visualizar, de um forma virtual, a conclusão deste projecto.
Deixo aqui a ideia...

P.S.) Lembra-me sempre o suposto Taj Mahal em mármore negro que se edificaria em frente ao existente em mármore branco...

Cristiano Silva ( 1965) - Projecto para a Escola Superior de Farmácia

America - Midterm Elections

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Last Tuesday's elections provided a striking mandate for change, according to an election night survey released last week by the Campaign for America's Future. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, found that the top two issues among Americans who voted for Democrats this election were getting out of the mess in Iraq and getting politicians to work for the public good instead of special interests.

Rumsfeld Resigns!

After years of defending his secretary of defense,
President Bush on Wednesday announced Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation within hours of the Democrats' triumph in congressional elections.

Saddam gets DEATH

Sunday, November 5, 2006 (Baghdad):

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by a trial court in Baghdad.

Sixty-nine year-old Saddam has been found guilty of the mass murder of 148 Shi'ite villagers after an attempt on his life in the town of Dujail in 1982.

Iraq's High Tribunal found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to hang.

Cultura:Decrescendo de ano para ano...

260 milhões > 254,5 milhões > 236,8 milhões

DN - Quinta, 3 de Novembro de 2005

Orçamento de 260 milhões criticado pela oposição por estar longe do 1% desejado

Deputados não estão convencidos do aumento para 2006

Isabel Pires de Lima falou do papel que a cultura pode ter para ajudar o País a sair da crise em que se encontra

???????????????????????????????

Cultura: redução de 7%
O orçamento do Ministério da Cultura para 2007 prevê uma redução da despesa de 17,7 milhões de euros em relação ao ano anterior, o que corresponde a um corte de sete por cento. Com esta redução, o ministério tutelado por Isabel Pires de Lima passa de 254,5 milhões para 236,8 milhões de euros, de acordo com a proposta de Orçamento do Estado para o próximo ano.


A verba orçamentada para o ministério da Cultura corresponde a 0,4 por cento da despesa da administração central e 0,1 por cento do PIB. As despesas com o pessoal são a rubrica com maior peso relativo, com 32 ,9 por cento, seguidas da aquisição de bens de capital, com 16,6 por cento.

Em detalhe no site do Ministério das Finanças Orçamento de Estado para 2007 (pdf)

Bem, como um provavelmente já anda pelos Estados Unidos, e o outro está hoje a caminho da Califórnia, fica aqui esta versão actualizada do "clássico" dos Dead Kennedys...

"Kalifornia Uber Alles 21st Century"



I am governor schwarzenegger
pretty soon I'll be dictator
when they make me president
democracy is going away
hasta la vista, bay-bay
I will command all of you
kindergarten cop in every school
or I vill terminate you

Kalifornia! uber alles!
Kalifornia uber alles!
uber alles! Kalifornia!
uber alles Kalifornia!

enron will control you
like they staged the recall coup
steroids for the master race
so you all can haff my face
close your eyes, can't happen here
bush and cheney are already here!
third reich will come back, you say
soon as fox news has their way
can i grope your titties today?

Kalifornia! uber alles!
Kalifornia uber alles!
uber alles! Kalifornia!
uber alles Kalifornia!

mandate: two thousand und four
knock knock at your bedroom door
it's the homeland security police
you're a terrorist and so is your niece
drag you secretly to a camp
where we keep all zee girly man!
don't you worry it's for a cause
feeding halliburton's claws
die on your feet of uranium gas
North Korea or Iran
run you over with my hummer, baby
when you mess with schwarzenegger
and all the money that's making him bigger!

kalifornia! uber alles!
kalifornia uber alles!
uber alles! Kalifornia!
uber alles Kalifornia!

I'll be back!

John Dewey

" "Knowledge," in the sense of information, means the working capital, the indispensable resources, of [for] further inquiry; of finding out, or learning, more things. Frequently it is treated as an end in itself, and then the goal becomes to heap it up and display it when called for. This static, cold-storage ideal of knowledge is inimical to educative development. It not only lets occasions for thinking go unused, but it swamps thinking. Pupils who have stored their "minds" with all kinds of material which they have never put to intellectual uses are sure to be hampered when they try to think. They have no practice in selecting what is appropriate, and no criterion to go by; everything is on the same dead static level. "


Depois de vir da California, construirei uma base de dados com alguns livros que poderemos fazer o download; "Democracy and Education" sera um deles.

Em 1934

(link)"An Open Letter to President Roosevelt
John Maynard Keynes

Dear Mr President,

1.
You have made yourself the Trustee for those in every country who seek to mend the evils of our condition by reasoned experiment within the framework of the existing social system. If you fail, rational change will be gravely prejudiced throughout the world, leaving orthodoxy and revolution to fight it out. But if you succeed, new and bolder methods will be tried everywhere, and we may date the first chapter of a new economic era from your accession to office. This is a sufficient reason why I should venture to lay my reflections before you, though under the disadvantages of distance and partial knowledge.

2.
At the moment your sympathisers in England are nervous and sometimes despondent. We wonder whether the order of different urgencies is rightly understood, whether there is a confusion of aim, and whether some of the advice you get is not crack-brained and queer. If we are disconcerted when we defend you, this may be partly due to the influence of our environment in London. For almost everyone here has a wildly distorted view of what is happening in the United States. The average City man believes that you are engaged on a hare-brained expedition in face of competent advice, that the best hope lies in your ridding yourself of your present advisers to return to the old ways, and that otherwise the United States is heading for some ghastly breakdown. That is what they say they smell. There is a recrudescence of wise head-waging by those who believe that the nose is a nobler organ than the brain. London is convinced that we only have to sit back and wait, in order to see what we shall see. May I crave your attention, whilst I put my own view?

3.
You are engaged on a double task, Recovery and Reform;--recovery from the slump and the passage of those business and social reforms which are long overdue. For the first, speed and quick results are essential. The second may be urgent too; but haste will be injurious, and wisdom of long-range purpose is more necessary than immediate achievement. It will be through raising high the prestige of your administration by success in short-range Recovery, that you will have the driving force to accomplish long-range Reform. On the other hand, even wise and necessary Reform may, in some respects, impede and complicate Recovery. For it will upset the confidence of the business world and weaken their existing motives to action, before you have had time to put other motives in their place. It may over-task your bureaucratic machine, which the traditional individualism of the United States and the old "spoils system" have left none too strong. And it will confuse the thought and aim of yourself and your administration by giving you too much to think about all at once.

4.
Now I am not clear, looking back over the last nine months, that the order of urgency between measures of Recovery and measures of Reform has been duly observed, or that the latter has not sometimes been mistaken for the former. In particular, I cannot detect any material aid to recovery in N.I.R.A., though its social gains have been large. The driving force which has been put behind the vast administrative task set by this Act has seemed to represent a wrong choice in the order of urgencies. The Act is on the Statute Book; a considerable amount has been done towards implementing it; but it might be better for the present to allow experience to accumulate before trying to force through all its details. That is my first reflection--that N.I.R.A., which is essentially Reform and probably impedes Recovery, has been put across too hastily, in the false guise of being part of the technique of Recovery.

5.
My second reflection relates to the technique of Recovery itself. The object of recovery is to increase the national output and put more men to work. In the economic system of the modern world, output is primarily produced for sale; and the volume of output depends on the amount of purchasing power, compared with the prime cost of production, which is expected to come n the market. Broadly speaking, therefore, and increase of output depends on the amount of purchasing power, compared with the prime cost of production, which is expected to come on the market. Broadly speaking, therefore, an increase of output cannot occur unless by the operation of one or other of three factors. Individuals must be induced to spend more out o their existing incomes; or the business world must be induced, either by increased confidence in the prospects or by a lower rate of interest, to create additional current incomes in the hands of their employees, which is what happens when either the working or the fixed capital of the country is being increased; or public authority must be called in aid to create additional current incomes through the expenditure of borrowed or printed money. In bad times the first factor cannot be expected to work on a sufficient scale. The second factor will come in as the second wave of attack on the slump after the tide has been turned by the expenditures of public authority. It is, therefore, only from the third factor that we can expect the initial major impulse.

6.
Now there are indications that two technical fallacies may have affected the policy of your administration. The first relates to the part played in recovery by rising prices. Rising prices are to be welcomed because they are usually a symptom of rising output and employment. When more purchasing power is spent, one expects rising output at rising prices. Since there cannot be rising output without rising prices, it is essential to ensure that the recovery shall not be held back by the insufficiency of the supply of money to support the increased monetary turn-over. But there is much less to be said in favour of rising prices, if they are brought about at the expense of rising output. Some debtors may be helped, but the national recovery as a whole will be retarded. Thus rising prices caused by deliberately increasing prime costs or by restricting output have a vastly inferior value to rising prices which are the natural result of an increase in the nation's purchasing power.

7.
I do not mean to impugn the social justice and social expediency of the redistribution of incomes aimed at by N.I.R.A. and by the various schemes for agricultural restriction. The latter, in particular, I should strongly support in principle. But too much emphasis on the remedial value of a higher price-level as an object in itself may lead to serious misapprehension as to the part which prices can play in the technique of recovery. The stimulation of output by increasing aggregate purchasing power is the right way to get prices up; and not the other way round.

8.
Thus as the prime mover in the first stage of the technique of recovery I lay overwhelming emphasis on the increase of national purchasing power resulting from governmental expenditure which is financed by Loans and not by taxing present incomes. Nothing else counts in comparison with this. In a boom inflation can be caused by allowing unlimited credit to support the excited enthusiasm of business speculators. But in a slump governmental Loan expenditure is the only sure means of securing quickly a rising output at rising prices. That is why a war has always caused intense industrial activity. In the past orthodox finance has regarded a war as the only legitimate excuse for creating employment by governmental expenditure. You, Mr President, having cast off such fetters, are free to engage in the interests of peace and prosperity the technique which hitherto has only been allowed to serve the purposes of war and destruction.

9.
The set-back which American recovery experienced this autumn was the predictable consequence of the failure of your administration to organise any material increase in new Loan expenditure during your first six months of office. The position six months hence will entirely depend on whether you have been laying the foundations for larger expenditures in the near future.

10.
I am not surprised that so little has been spent up-to-date. Our own experience has shown how difficult it is to improvise useful Loan-expenditures at short notice. There are many obstacle to be patiently overcome, if waste, inefficiency and corruption are to be avoided. There are many factors, which I need not stop to enumerate, which render especially difficult in the United States the rapid improvisation of a vast programme of public works. I do not blame Mr Ickes for being cautious and careful. But the risks of less speed must be weighed against those of more haste. He must get across the crevasses before it is dark.

11.
The other set of fallacies, of which I fear the influence, arises out of a crude economic doctrine commonly known as the Quantity Theory of Money. Rising output and rising incomes will suffer a set-back sooner or later if the quantity of money is rigidly fixed. Some people seem to infer from this that output and income can be raised by increasing the quantity of money. But this is like trying to get fat by buying a larger belt. In the United States to-day your belt is plenty big enough for your belly. It is a most misleading thing to stress the quantity of money, which is only a limiting factor, rather than the volume of expenditure, which is the operative factor.

12.
It is an even more foolish application of the same ideas to believe that there is a mathematical relation between the price of gold and the prices of other things. It is true that the value of the dollar in terms of foreign currencies will affect the prices of those goods which enter into international trade. In so far as an over-valuation of the dollar was impeding the freedom of domestic price-raising policies or disturbing the balance of payments with foreign countries, it was advisable to depreciate it. But exchange depreciation should follow the success of your domestic price-raising policy as its natural consequence, and should not be allowed to disturb the whole world by preceding its justification at an entirely arbitrary pace. This is another example of trying to put on flesh by letting out the belt.

13.
These criticisms do not mean that I have weakened in my advocacy of a managed currency or in preferring stable prices to stable exchanges. The currency and exchange policy of a country should be entirely subservient to the aim of raising output and employment to the right level. But the recent gyrations of the dollar have looked to me more like a gold standard on the booze than the ideal managed currency of my dreams.

14.
You may be feeling by now, Mr President, that my criticism is more obvious than my sympathy. Yet truly that is not so. You remain for me the ruler whose general outlook and attitude to the tasks of government are the most sympathetic in the world. You are the only one who sees the necessity of a profound change of methods and is attempting it without intolerance, tyranny or destruction. You are feeling your way by trial and error, and are felt to be, as you should be, entirely uncommitted in your own person to the details of a particular technique. In my country, as in your own, your position remains singularly untouched by criticism of this or the other detail. Our hope and our faith are based on broader considerations.

15.
If you were to ask me what I would suggest in concrete terms for the immediate future, I would reply thus.

16.
In the field of gold-devaluation and exchange policy the time has come when uncertainty should be ended. This game of blind man's buff with exchange speculators serves no useful purpose and is extremely undignified. It upsets confidence, hinders business decisions, occupies the public attention in a measure far exceeding its real importance, and is responsible both for the irritation and for a certain lack of respect which exists abroad. You have three alternatives. You can devalue the dollar in terms of gold, returning to the gold standard at a new fixed ratio. This would be inconsistent with your declarations in favour of a long-range policy of stable prices, and I hope you will reject it. You can seek some common policy of exchange stabilisation with Great Britain aimed at stable price-levels. This would be the best ultimate solution; but it is not practical politics at the moment unless you are prepared to talk in terms of an initial value of sterling well below $5 pending the realisation of a marked rise in your domestic price-level. Lastly you can announce that you will definitely control the dollar exchange by buying and selling gold and foreign currencies so as to avoid wide or meaningless fluctuations, with a right to shift the parities at any time but with a declared intention only so to do either to correct a serious want of balance in America's international receipts and payments or to meet a shift in your domestic price level relatively to price-levels abroad. This appears to me to be your best policy during the transitional period. In other respects you would regain your liberty to make your exchange policy subservient to the needs of your domestic policy--free to let out your belt in proportion as you put on flesh.

17.
In the field of domestic policy, I put in the forefront, for the reasons given above, a large volume of Loan-expenditures under Government auspices. It is beyond my province to choose particular objects of expenditure. But preference should be given to those which can be made to mature quickly on a large scale, as for example the rehabilitation of the physical condition of the railroads. The object is to start the ball rolling. The United States is ready to roll towards prosperity, if a good hard shove can be given in the next six months. Could not the energy and enthusiasm, which launched the N.I.R.A. in its early days, be put behind a campaign for accelerating capital expenditures, as wisely chosen as the pressure of circumstances permits? You can at least feel sure that the country will be better enriched by such projects than by the involuntary idleness of millions.

18.
I put in the second place the maintenance of cheap and abundant credit and in particular the reduction of the long-term rates of interest. The turn of the tide in great Britain is largely attributable to the reduction in the long-term rate of interest which ensued on the success of the conversion of the War Loan. This was deliberately engineered by means of the open-market policy of the Bank of England. I see no reason why you should not reduce the rate of interest on your long-term Government Bonds to 2½ per cent or less with favourable repercussions on the whole bond market, if only the Federal Reserve System would replace its present holdings of short-dated Treasury issues by purchasing long-dated issues in exchange. Such a policy might become effective in the course of a few months, and I attach great importance to it.

19.
With these adaptations or enlargements of your existing policies, I should expect a successful outcome with great confidence. How much that would mean, not only to the material prosperity of the United States and the whole World, but in comfort to men's minds through a restsration of their faith in the wisdom and the power of Government!

With great respect,

Your obedient servant

J M Keynes"