Chile's Quake 2010

Chile Toll at 700; 2 Million Are Displaced
(Link to Article from the NYTimes)

Hermanos Chilenos, reciban un abrazo fraterno en estos momentos dificiles.

Nos han dado una leccion a todos los latinoamericanos. Es admirable ver como estaban preparados para recibir tal catastrofe. Ojala en mi pais Venezuela sepamos seguir su ejemplo y se empleen las mismas medidas de precaucion que ustedes tan sabiamente han tomado.

Omara Portuondo Rocks the Sanders Theater!

Last night I was lucky enoungh to witness a historical performance by living Cuban legend Omara Portuondo. She was outstanding! A consummate performer, she had the audience at "hello". Her opening number, which is also the title of her latest CD "Gracias", was so full of energy that the Cambridge crowd was on it's feet almost instantly! The concert was the first of a series that will promote her album awarded recently with a Grammy. The repertoire was a mix of classic bossa novas, boleros, son montunos. Even though the majority of the musicians were Cuban the music had a clear and distinctive Brazilian tinge under the musical direction of Brazilian guitarist Swami Jr.

The performance had some pretty stunning highlights. One of them being a beautiful version of "Dos Gardenias" that featured a duet of Omara accompanied by Swami Jr. on guitar. She dedicated the piece to the late Ibrahim Ferrer. In addition to the heart wrenching ballads, and mellow bossa nova arrangements, Omara's show had plenty of Cuban Timba riffs and Coro sections that were hard to sit still to.

Her band, a sextet, had some stellar players. On piano, Harold Lopez Nussa, a young 24 year old winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival Piano Competition in 2005. Felipe Cabrera, on double bass, has had an extensive performing career, including being part of Gonzalo Rubalcaba's firt quartet "Proyecto". Rodney Barreto on drums, has played with Bobby Carcaces among others. And last but not least, Andres Coayo on percussion.

Omara proved to be an amazing entertainer. Her stage presence, energy and voice were all right on. As and audience member one can easily forget she is 80 years young. There were plenty of comedic moments and had so many wonderful interactions with the audience and her musicians, who she lovingly referred as "los Bebes" (the babies).

This was to say the least, a once in a life time treat. I'm very grateful to have been there and to Omara I say Gracias!

"Lento pero viene" de Mario Benedetti

lento pero viene
el futuro se acerca
despacio
pero viene

hoy está más allá
de las nubes que elige
y más allá del trueno
y de la tierra firme

demorándose viene
cual flor desconfiada
que vigila al sol
sin preguntarle nada

iluminando viene
las últimas ventanas

lento pero viene
las últimas ventanas

lento pero viene
el futuro se acerca
despacio
pero viene

ya se va acercando
nunca tiene prisa
viene con proyectos
y bolsas de semillas
con angeles maltrechos
y fieles golondrinas

despacio pero viene
sin hacer mucho ruido
cuidando sobre todo
los sueños prohibidos

los recuerdos yacentes
y los recién nacidos

lento pero viene
el futuro se acerca
despacio
pero viene

ya casi está llegando
con su mejor noticia
con puños con ojeras
con noches y con días

con una estrella pobre
sin nombre todavía

lento pero viene
el futuro real
el mismo que inventamos
nosotros y el azar

cada vez más nosotros
y menos el azar

lento pero viene
el futuro se acerca
despacio
pero viene

lento pero viene
lento pero viene
lento pero viene

Diblo Dibala & Loketo ~ Soukous

This style of music is called Soukous from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, what can I say, it just makes me smile. I find it absolutely intoxicating and I can dance it for hours. The artist is Diblo Dibala & his former band Loketo. Diblo is one of the best Soukous guitar players. He is also know as the "Machine Gun" for his speed on the guitar. You can buy some of his music here. Oh boy, gotta love that video footage hahaha!!

Climate Change

Got this quote from a "Letter to the Editor" of the New York Times and I agree 100% with it. What do you think?

"The basic science of global warming is really relatively simple. As the oceans and the air above them become warmer because of increased carbon dioxide, more water evaporates into the atmosphere. As we know, what goes up must come down — hence the increased snowfall in Washington (which probably deserves it) and Pittsburgh (which most certainly does not).

It would be nice if the increased precipitation fell in arid areas, but there are reasons of nature why these are arid in the first place, and global warming will only worsen, not alleviate, that situation.

The heavy snowfalls most certainly do not confirm the absence of global warming. The only thing they confirm is the ignorance of the politicians who make that claim."

Zvi J. Doron
Pittsburgh, Feb. 17, 2010

The writer, a retired nuclear engineer, is co-author of a book (in German) about energy and climate, published in Switzerland in 2008. Here's a link to the article.

______________________________________

What We Can Do At Home:

According to the EPA, making a few small changes in your home and yard can lead to big reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and save money. Explore our list of nine simple steps you can take around the house and yard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:

1. Change 5 lights
   Change a light, and you help change the world. Replace the conventional bulbs in your 5 most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR and you will help the environment while saving money on energy bills. If every household in the U.S. took this one simple action we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.
2. Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products
   When buying new products, such as appliances for your home, get the features and performance you want AND help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Look for ENERGY STAR qualified products in more than 50 product categories, including lighting, home electronics, heating and cooling equipment and appliances.
3. Heat and cool smartly
   Simple steps like cleaning air filters regularly and having your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor can save energy and increase comfort at home, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When it's time to replace your old equipment, choose a high efficiency model, and make sure it is properly sized and installed.

4. Seal and insulate your home
   Sealing air leaks and adding more insulation to your home is a great do-it-yourself project . The biggest leaks are usually found in the attic and basement. If you are planning to replace windows, choose ENERGY STAR qualified windows for better performance. Forced air ducts that run through unconditioned spaces are often big energy wasters. Seal and insulate any ducts in attics and crawlspaces to improve the efficiency of your home. Not sure where to begin? A home energy auditor can also help you find air leaks, areas with poor insulation, and evaluate the over-all energy efficiency of your home. By taking these steps, you can eliminate drafts, keep your home more comfortable year round, save energy that would otherwise be wasted, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Use green power
   Green power is environmentally friendly electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and the sun. There are two ways to use green power: you can buy green power or you can modify your house to generate your own green power. Buying green power is easy, it offers a number of environmental and economic benefits over conventional electricity, including lower greenhouse gas emissions, and it helps increase clean energy supply. If you are interested, there are a number of steps you can take to create a greener home , including installing solar panels and researching incentives for renewable energy in your state .
6. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
   If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. Use products in containers that can be recycled and items that can be repaired or reused. In addition, support recycling markets by buying products made from recycled materials. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gases from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.
7. Be green in your yard
   Use a push mower, which, unlike a gas or electric mower, consumes no fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gases. If you do use a power mower, make sure it is a mulching mower to reduce grass clippings. Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. See EPA’s GreenScapes program for tips on how to improve your lawn or garden while also benefiting the environment. Smart Landscaping can save energy, save you money and reduce your household’s greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Use water efficiently
   Saving water around the home is simple. Municipal water systems require a lot of energy to purify and distribute water to households, and saving water, especially hot water, can lower greenhouse gas emissions. Look for products with EPA's WaterSense label; these products save water and perform as well or better than their less efficient counterparts. There are also simple actions you can take to save water: Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape; only water when needed and do it during the coolest part of the day, early morning is best. Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth. Do not use your toilet as a waste basket - water is wasted with each flush. And did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away. See EPA's WaterSense site for more water saving tips.
9. Spread the Word
   Tell family and friends that energy efficiency is good for their homes and good for the environment because it lowers greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Tell 5 people and together we can help our homes help us all.