Versailles and its art

The Versailles Castle in France is one of the most beautiful royal monuments of France. This castle was the home for several kings like Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI and today when we think of France, we think of the Eiffel Tour and Versailles (the monarchy). The art we find in this castle represents well the time of the monarchy, and their lifestyle. Among the types of style we find the Classic style and Baroque style, and some imitation of the Greek mythology. We don't think of modern art because Versailles itself represent history thanks the antique architecture.
I had the opportunity to visit Versailles on Fri, Dec 19, 2008 and to my surprise several things have changed. I was glad to see how beautiful it look from the outside. As I entered I saw a extra room that was built to check-in. An extra service is also offered, they take your extra bags (if you are bringing you own good), and baby strollers, etc. I liked it because I had brought food and my bag was heavy and this way I had the opportunity to enjoy the visit without the extra weight. Once inside the castle I discovered Jeff Koons' art. I had no idea who this person was and yes I asked to the tourist guide about this artist and they gave me a pamphlet with his biography. The art exposed inside the castle had no relation with Versailles antiquity. The audio guide I had explained the relations between modern and classic art... I just couldn't believe it!
Among Koons' art exhibitions I saw a giant balloon dog (in metal), Michael Jackson and bubbles the monkey along with the pink panther. I ask, how is this relevant to Versailles art?. Michael Jackson in Versailles, who's idea was to exhibit this? I'm not denying the beauty of Jeff Koons' art, but the Versailles Castle was not the right place for it.
Two days earlier, while visiting the Louvre I've seen a group of people protesting about culture and how french people shouldn't forget about it. I didn't understand what was going on, but after seeing the art of Versailles I see why french people might be worried about their culture (culture is history). Jeff Koons is an American artist born in 1955, way after Louis XIV, Louis XV and even Louis XVI. Some of his work has been shown in Rockefeller Center and he also contributed a balloon flower shown at the 7 World Trade Center in New York City. He's a well known artist with great talent that has achieved a lot, but come on now, just because he is talented,he had to present his art in Versailles?. I don't agree with the decision made, and I find scandalous to see his art in a place like Versailles. We have to preserve culture in general and not disrespect it by comparing to modern art... I don't care how talented or well known the artist might be!

Engagements and diamond rings

Have you thought of the perfect marriage proposal? This is a very important step therefore for some people the proposal must be perfect. What perfect means? Well for some it means a romantic dinner and/or a trip with a diamond ring. Now, the question is, what do we know about diamond rings? Diamonds are gorgeous, but behind this beautiful jewel it hides violence and corruption. The truth is that in almost all markets we can find corruption and the diamond industry is not an exception. Countries like Sierra Leona, Angola and Congo are known for their black markets and abuse to mine workers. Workers rights are not respected and they earn little money for these beautiful gems, while we are paying exorbitant prices for it. Where does the money goes? The big companies that sell it, and this money is also often use to buy the government to look the other way (see movie Blood Diamond). When buying a diamond ring we must be careful, buying a certificated diamond might be helpful because it assures us that this gems hasn't been stolen. Conflict-free and free-trade diamonds are also an option but they are normally more expensive.
Now that we know a little more about diamonds, girls, do we really want a diamond ring? Nowadays diamonds are common and I certainly wouldn't want an ordinary gem. I think that over the years the big diamond industries have done a great job making us believe that our love can be represented by a diamond. The slogan "a diamond is forever" created by DeBeers on 1947, has become so popular that we even believe that if a diamond is forever so will be our love. I don't want to change people's ideas, but I do want us to think for a bit, I am not trying to kill romanticism, but that's the truth. Every woman is special and we deserve something special and I just don't believe diamonds are that rare anymore. I was reading "Miss Penguin" blog and story about diamonds and it was then I thought for us (women) an engagement can only be represented by a ring. After reading "Miss Penguin" story I thought of a friend of mine and her ideas about proposals; a 'perfect' proposal is when the boy goes down on his knee and asks the question by popping up a diamond ring.
I did some research on the 'perfect proposal' and you can find many ideas on how to tell that special someone how special she or he is, some are casual and other ones are just charming. Now I have some questions for you, how would you like your partner to propose to you? How about just a trip with no ring or how about some other jewel, like a bracelet or a necklace? Instead of diamonds why not pearls or some other gemstone. If you were to change the diamond ring for another precious stone, what would it be?

We have a new president: Barack Obama

"Yes, we can", the crowd said when Obama presented himself after projection votes stating he was the new president. After eight years under the Republican party, Democrats finally showed victorious. It took 21 months and a lot of hard work to be where we are now. Obama is the first African-American president in US history and I think this is the type of change the US was aiming for.
"The road ahead will be long. I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight" (CNN, Transcript) said Obama, who is focusing on the people to make our country a better country. I know this victory upsets others, but we must remain united because this is our country and divided we won't go anywhere. Candidate McCain even offered his support to Obama,we should all follow his example. This is the country we all love and we need to make efforts to put end to our differences and obtain the prosperity we all want. I believe McCain held himself with a remarkable demeanor and this is what we all need to do.
This is the beginning of a new era for the US - We should be grateful to be living this, it took years and hard work to have women and African-Americans to vote and now we have an African-American as a president, but this is what change is all about. It was a difficult campaign, but everyone's efforts have paid off and now its time to focus on fixing the problems. Like Obama said "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too" (CNN, Transcript). Let's not forget it.
Every four years when a new president is elected a new journey begins and this is no different, we must believe!

Un bebé a todo precio

Hoy en día gracias al avance de la medicina, nosotras las mujeres podemos tener hijos a la edad de lo imposible-la vejez. Querer ser madre es una prueba muy grande, no importa la edad. Pero hay muchas mujeres que aun siendo joven no pueden concebir, y recurren a las opciones que sus doctores y la medicina les ofrecen, ¿pero que tan capaces somos de afrontar tales pruebas?
¿Sabía usted que una vez que se detecta el problema de no poder tener hijos, la pareja (especialmente la mujer) debe asumir una serie de estudios? Este proceso puede ser fatigoso y hasta difícil de seguir ya que hay que esperar, semanas, meses y hasta años. La verdad es que ser madre vale la pena, pero también hay lados positivos y negativos cuando se afronta lo inesperado. Las mujeres somos mas susceptibles a aceptar la respuesta de nuestro medico, cualquiera que esta sea. Aun si es el hombre el que tiene la dificultad, somos nosotras que vamos a sufrir, y cuando la decisión de querer tener un bebe a todo precio es establecida el largo y doloroso camino solo empieza. Muchas mujeres llegan hasta obsesionar con ese bebe tan deseado que olvidan a su pareja y las consecuencias.
Proceso - El proceso de tener un bebe, requiere dos personas, y la pareja debe ser fuerte para poder hacer frente a ese problema. Muchas de las parejas pierden la felicidad por lograr tener un hijo, muchas han perdido los valores que tenían como pareja. Supongo que muchos de ustedes has visto la serie de televisión ‘Sex and the City’, en esta serie Charlotte una de las amigas de Carrie se obsesiona con tener un hijo que pierde a su esposo, ya que él se cansa de los tratamientos. Esta serie no forma parte de la vida real, pero lo que se ve ahí muestra como en realidad muchas de las mujeres reaccionan a la idea de querer ser madre a todo precio.
Historia, la vida real - Hace una semana atrás en la televisión francesa el programa ‘Tout une histoire’, presento el caso de varias mujeres y muchas de estas habían logrado tener hijos a una edad avanzada. Una de las participantes había quedado encinta a la edad de 46 años su esposo era varios años mas joven que ella y pues ella pensó que todo iría bien, si algo le pasa a ella (ella que era la mas avanzada en edad) su esposo aun joven podría cuidar del bebe. Tres años mas tarde su esposo muere y su hija no logra conocer a su padre (ella tan solo era una bebita). La mujer comenta que su vida fue dura porque muchas mujeres a su edad ya se van desgastando más fácilmente, y el cuidado de la niña no fue fácil. Ella se sentía mal cuando la iba a ver a la escuela porque la gente se preguntaba si ella era la madre o la abuela. Estos tipos de sentimientos son comunes y aunque no todas las mujeres pasan por la misma situación; hubo muchas madres en este programa, que aunque contentas de ser madres decían que pensarían dos veces antes de hacer lo mismo otra vez.
En estas últimas semanas la televisión francesa ha hecho mucho enfoque a las mujeres que optan tener hijos sin importar las consecuencias. Según ‘tout une historie’ muchas mujeres cada año pierden la vida por querer tener un hijo (mas aun a la vejez). La experiencia de otras es quedar en el coma, pero ni siquiera esto nos frena. Muchas parejas europeas van en buscan de ayuda a las clínicas en España donde se les da la oportunidad de tener un hijo “in Vitro”. Hay otras que acuden a Grecia donde no hay una lista de espera como en España, cualquiera que sea la esperanza ahí van las parejas.
Regalo de Dios - Creo que tener un hijo es el regalo más grande de Dios, pero mujeres hay que pensar en todo. No podemos segarnos, ni darle la espalda a la verdad. Hay que examinar las opciones, si realmente queremos ser madres, hay que estar conciente que este trae riesgos. La comunicación es vital, hoy en la día con el avance de la medicina podemos saber si el bebe que tanto deseamos es posible, y si no lo es, examinar las alternativas y sus puntos bajos es importante. Si ya estas en el vejez, cuales son las consecuencias que algo vaya mal. Todas tenemos derecho a la felicidad de un bebe, pero no le robemos esa felicidad a nuestro bebe de no estar presente para verlo dar sus primeros pasos, decir mama y hasta verlo crecer.

New techniques to find a job

The economical crisis isn't getting any better and some of us have already felt the side effects of it. I want to thank Nicolas Schriver for showing me this video that I will show you as well. I find it somehow ironic. I don't know if some of you know how illegal people work in the U.S, but I'll tell you. Every morning illegal immigrants go to supermarkets and/or places like Home Depot to wait for someone to come and offer them a temporary job (this job could be a one day thing or if luck is on their side a week). It's very common to see these people early in the morning and they go home like any other worker late at night. The video you are about to see shows professional people doing what immigrants do. The job offers are for professional, but they use immigrants techniques to obtain one. If you are curious to know more just type 'immigrants in home depot' and you'll see what I'm talking about. Here's the video:

The job
envoyé par trescourt