STOP CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Spanish Conservatives and Spanish Socialists reject legislating against festivals involving cruelty to animals: "Why is it that they are only able of reaching consensus at our expense!"

100% Tarantino

A band of US soldiers facing death by firing squad for their misdeeds are given a chance to save themselves - by heading into the perilous no-man's lands of Nazi-occupied France on a suicide mission for the Allies... Inglorious Basterds is Quentin Tarantino at his best! Spoken in English, German, French (and a little Italian, enough to make you crack up in your seat), make sure to watch it in the original version, as regional accents do play an important role in the storyline. If you weren't a Tarantino fan before, your are surely bound to become one after this hair-raising thriller! A truly cathartic anti-Nazi experience. Watched it only last night and I am still palpitating with excitement :) A must-see film!

La universidad europea ya habla inglés

La universidad europea ya habla inglés. ¿Y los alumnos? La lengua franca cobra fuerza. La oferta en este idioma y el nivel del estudiantado son claves para el éxito del espacio único europeo. Un reportaje de SUSANA PÉREZ PABLOS para El País, 12/09/2009 

¿En qué lengua puede estudiar una carrera un español en Polonia? ¿Y un polaco en España? ¿Y un alemán en Suecia? ¿Y un francés en Lituania? La riqueza de idiomas de la UE juega en contra de la materialización del espacio común europeo de universidades que persigue, como uno de los objetivos más relevantes, fomentar la movilidad de estudiantes. Suena bien, pero ¿en qué lengua van a estudiar esos alumnos para poder entender bien los contenidos de ingeniería, historia del arte o sociología? Descartado hace tiempo el esperanto, todo apunta a que la lengua franca va a ser el inglés. En futuro, porque aún no lo es. Sí en el mundo empresarial o en el de la investigación. Pero este aspecto, que requiere una inversión (no sólo económica, principalmente organizativa y de impulso político) a medio-largo plazo no está exento de dificultades... (Pare leer el resto del reportaje, cliquea en el enlace del título)

How to use a condom to fight aids:

This cartoon was sent to me by a Catholic doctor.

Saving You from Bad Cinema Choices

movies.ie is a very interesting Irish site for film lovers!

Climate Change: Let's FACE IT

Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is a human rights issue, an issue of global justice.
Millions of people living in the developing world are already feeling the devastating impacts of climate change. They will continue to be hit first, worst and hardest by climate change, a problem they did not create.
Now is the time for urgent action and justice on climate change. In the lead-up to crucial UN global climate change negotiation in Copenhagen this December, add you name and make a difference.
Join our campaign today to send a clear message to our Government calling for much needed leadership and action to ensure a fair and safe future for all.
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Pink Diplomacy

Minister takes 'pink diplomacy' to anti-gay nations
The Sunday Times

August 16, 2009

The gay Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant is championing a controversial drive to fund equal-rights activists in homophobic regimes. British missions in countries such as Jamaica, where homosexual acts are punishable by long jail terms, and Nigeria, where they can lead to the death penalty, are being encouraged to “support progress” by financing gay pride marches and legal challenges from local campaigners.

As well as targeting Commonwealth countries, “pink diplomacy” will extend to eastern Europe, where gays have suffered brutal attacks from far-right groups. Opportunities to tackle discrimination in ultra-conservative nations, such as Iran, are also being considered - cautiously.
The move risks a backlash from countries where support for homosexuality runs contrary to state teaching and religious beliefs.

The fact that the initiative is being promoted by Bryant, a former Anglican curate, could exacerbate things. Bryant, 47, said: “It is completely up to staff in our embassies and consulates around the world to decide the most appropriate and effective way of making our case but we do encourage this important work because British values are based on fair play and the protection of the individual’s freedom. We are not naive about this work. In some places oppressive regimes make it some of the toughest work we do.”
Bryant thanked Robin Barnett, the ambassador to Bucharest, for attending a gay pride march in the Romanian capital that had previously been targeted by thugs hurling fireworks and stones. A 2008 study by the European Commission ranked Romania as the most homophobic in the European Union.
Officials confirmed this weekend that the new policy included financial backing. A Foreign Office briefing document sent to British missions, said Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Nigeria and Uzbekistan were “countries of particular concern”.