April 25, a day to remember

A late note to remember two anniversaries on April 25.

First, Portugal celebrates the 38th anniversary of the carnation revolution, which overthrew the dictatorial regime and paved the way to democracy. In a time of economic and social strife, it is an imperative to stress the importance of democratic values for a fair and equal society. Below is the homage of Chico Buarque to the revolutionary endeavor:

Second, a deserved tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, who would be 95 years old today. The First Lady of Song is arguably the best jazz singer ever and lent her indelible voice to countless classics from the Great American Songbook, written by talented songwriters such as Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin. Her takes on Duke Ellington's compositions are my favorite, and I leave you with one of them:

Pain in Portugal

The New York Times published an interesting article last Sunday, which focuses on the crisis in Portugal and how it reveals itself in the street walls of Lisbon. People are naturally dissatisfied with the course of events leading the country to the brink of economic and social collapse, and some are using graffitti and stencils as an original form of nonviolent protest. 

Portugal never fared well economically since it joined the Euro, and bad turned to worse when the former center-left executive agreed to apply severe austerity measures monitored by IMF, ECB and European Commission in May 2011, in exchange for an €80 billion loan. The result so far is the third highest unemployment rate in EU (15%, after Spain and Greece), a pronounced recession (more than 3% of GDP in 2012), and the consequent degradation of life quality. The current center-right government was elected soon after the loan was contracted, and is prolonging the pain of austerity even further than troika's recommendations.

The future of Portugal and that of many peripheral countries is somber and uncertain, and the very foundations of the European Union are at stake. Let us not forget that the thriving postwar Europe was a bastion of peace and solidarity, and make sure that these two principles are fulfilled to overcome the current crisis. 

Change of tack in France?

The French will vote for their next President this Sunday, April 22, and chances are that none of the candidates will gather sufficient votes to be elected on the first round. This means that a runoff will probably take place on May 6, since the electorate is rather divided in its voting intentions. Opinion polls suggest that the bulk of the voters will choose between five candidates: Nicolas Sarkozy from the center-right UMP (current incumbent), François Hollande from the center-left PS, Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the leftist FDG, Marine Le Pen from the rightist FN, and François Bayrou from the liberal MoDem. 

While the latest projections for Sarkozy (26%), Hollande (28%), Le Pen (16%) and Bayrou (9%) are in line with expectation, the performance of Mélenchon (16%) comes as a surprise and may be of great help for Hollande in the probable runoff against Sarkozy. Indeed, Mélenchon announced that FDG would support Hollande in a hypothetical runoff against Sarkozy, while Le Pen did not go as far as to back Sarkozy.

After 17 years of right-leaning presidencies, France may finally be on the way to have its first left-leaning President since François Mitterrand. This prospect challenges the current political trend in Europe, where most countries are governed by center-right, conservative parties. All the more so if FDG manages to exert pressure on Hollande to stop and reverse pervasive austerity measures. 

On vera... 

Electronic fe(a)st at MoMA

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk concluded last night their residency at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where they played music from eight albums in eight consecutive nights. Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 is the culmination of a groundbreaking and highly influential career, and I wished to be there and witness the masters. Unfortunately, that was not possible and I am left with the comforting memory of their visit to Lisbon back in 2004.

I leave you with Man-Machine, one of my favorites (more here):

Change of tack in Argentina

Following the re-nationalization of Argentina's flag airline carrier in 2008, President Cristina Fernandez announced plans to expropriate YPF and thereby proceed with her late husband's turn from the rampant privatizations of the 80s and 90s. This is yet another example of the change of course operating in many Latin American countries, where the state is increasingly taking hold of key industries. Hopefully, this move will bring back jobs to strategic economic sectors and boost state revenue. Europe, and especially its peripheric countries, should take heed. 

For those interested, below is Memoria del Saqueo, a documentary by Fernando Solanas that focuses on the economic downturn of Argentina from the end of dictatorship in 1983 until Néstor Kirchner's rise to power in 2003 (hat tip to Nuno Teles). Sorry, but no English subtitles...

Hello world!

Here is my first shot at writing a blog.

This is an experiment intended not only to share my views on the world with those interested, but also to improve my writing skills in English and Portuguese. Rien n'va plus (sic) will naturally focus on my favorite subjects, which should be revealed as the blog unravels.

After many failed attempts to choose a title for this blog, I came up with a French phrase that I read yesterday in James Joyce's Ulysses - an enjoyable if difficult book. While I attribute no particular connotation to this title, it should be interpreted in the context of games. In the end, that is what this blog is all about: experimentation in a leisurely fashion.

Hope that you enjoy reading this blog as much as I do writing it!