Wednesday 16 March 2016

POPE FRANCIS : WHY NOT CHANGE THE CELIBACY RULES !


The history of the Catholic Church is littered with  sexual scandals !  Is this not due to the Vow of Celibacy which Priests are obliged to take !   Over the centuries many have regularly been caught, but  does that not also mean that many other guilty priests were not caught !

Some Popes even married and had children.  Some fathered illegitimate ones !  Monks and Nuns were also found guilty !

Women cannot be ordained since the year 352 !  Why ?  Are they more guilty than the men ?  Do they really merit  being treated as an inferior second class type of Human Being in 2016 ?

Jesus had a Mother and a Father, but did HE condemn Women ?  Did HE insist on Celibacy ?  Why then does the Roman Catholic Church have such unnatural rules ?

Today, Pope Francis, like many Popes before him, is also embarrassed by paedophile scandals among his Priests.  

Faithful worshippers, want and deserve, a modern Church to guide them, but without its archaic principles !  If Priests could marry,  would they not be very happy to serve their Church as upright Catholic examples of their  community !

Pope Francis, why not change the celibacy rules ?  YOU as Pope, are the only person who could bring about such a change !  Why not start now ?   You would discover overwhelming popular support ! 

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Monday 14 March 2016

MERKEL : CAN SHE STILL CHANGE TO SURVIVE ?


The results of the three Regional Elections yesterday clearly reveal the disquiet among Voters arising from the unending, daily invasion of Germany by thousands of Refugees from the Middle East, but also by other Migrants from all over the World !

Merkel invited Refugees from Syria but now desperately seeks to stem the tide with a possible "Deal" by paying Turkey to "Harbour" those trying to arrive via Greece ! 

The fear among Electors has now become that Turkey, a Totalitarian State, will angle for a fast-track promise from Angela "Mutti" Merkel, to be able to join the EU !   Such an eventuality would totally destroy the ultimate objectives the EUROZONE still has at present ! 

It seems that Merkel has now reached the cross-roads !  It would no longer be a surprise if Political Parties in Germany  want to select a new Chancellor, well before the next General  Election which must be held in the Autumn of 2017 !

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NUCLEAIRE: LES GRANDES DECISIONS


  
Fessenheim : Avenir incertain.
Centrales françaises :Prolongées de 10 ans…
 
Marin
 
 

Friday 11 March 2016

PAULA RADCLIFFE : CHEATS WILL NEVER REPAY !


Paula Radcliffe can be admired for her wish to make Drugged Athletes, or any other cheating competitors, repay ill gotten gains from Sport, but no one will ever repay !

By the time it has been "proved" that they did cheat, their gains will have "disappeared".   There will be no trace left of how  their ill gotten gains were finally banked !  Also should well known sportsmen also repay "Sponsors" ?

How were winnings paid ?  In cash ?  Were they first "creamed off", by Trainers and/or Administrators of Sports, before the Competitor was "rewarded" ?

Penalising Administrators of Sport and Trainers for conniving in or encouraging fraud, must be pursued by WADA.  Alas, in some countries even Political Leaders could be suspected of knowingly financing and encouraging "cheating" in Sport ! 

The list of "forbidden products" must also be updated more than just once a year, to serve ALL sports all the year round, not just when events like the Olympic Games take place.

Finally, to "catch" cheats, is the only sure method  not to test all participants systematically less than two hours before an event ?  If a National or World record is achieved, should a second test not be obligatory before it can be registered ?

What everyone really wants to know is : "Will there be foolproof and systematic testing at the RIO Olympics in August 2016 ?"  Can WADA, the World Anti Doping Agency, answer that question ?  

Not only Sports Enthusiasts but also potential "Cheats" want a clear answer to that question !   

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Thursday 10 March 2016

MERKEL ; WILL SHE CHANGE OR RETIRE ?,


From the highpoint in her Political Career in 2015,  Angela Merkel is now facing mounting opposition after her "open arms" invitation to 800 000 "qualified" Syrian Refugees to come to work in Germany !

This directly led to the flood of refugees intothe EU from the Middle East,  as well as from many other "hot spots" in Africa and Asia !  This delighted and encouraged Extremist Muslims everywhere to accelerate and extend their oppressive fight to occupy deserted towns and villages. 

The crisis now facing the EU was evident after last week's meeting of the Council of the EU, when no agreement was reached on how to stem the tide of immigrants heading to the EU via Greece !   The desperate attempt to "buy" the services of Turkey to help, was not approved by ALL the 27 other EU Leaders !  In fact would this solution ever stop the arrival of more refugees or stop the War in the Middle East ? 

The leadership of Angela Merkel now faces mounting opposition, not only in the EU but in Germany as well.   Will she still be chosen as the Chancellor of Germany by her Coalition after the General Election which must take place in October 2017 at the latest ?   Will she Change her policies or will she be persuaded to Retire beforehand ?

 

Wednesday 9 March 2016

FRANCE TODAY : MASS DEMONSTRATION AND STRIKES


Today Wednesday March 9, 2016 all over France demonstrations are planned and railways workers are on strike !

The original reason is the changes planned to employee rights in the proposed "El Khomri Law", name of the Minister of Employment.   It aims to make redundancies easier which then would permit  more employment.  This then will reduce the number of the out of work in France.   

Train workers are striking to protest against the renegotiation of their conditions of employment.

All this has attracted secondary school pupils and Students  who also intend to join in the revolts.  To see the Young and Students in the Streets strikes fear into any Government !  It is a reminder of what happened in 1968 and afterwards ! 

TheGovernment has said it was ready to go to the end of its reform.   We shall see what the real Knock-on effect is in the coming weeks !

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Tuesday 8 March 2016

EU BEWARE : TURKISH DEAL COULD BACKFIRE !


The Turkish President Erdogan and his Prime Minister Davutoglu, are driving a hard deal !  Due to this, all the Leaders at the meeting of the EU Council yesterday,  were not ready to adopt the deal Turkey wanted.    Progress was made, as some said after the Meeting !  

The EU, Merkel in particular, wants Turkey to control the flow of migrants into the EU and in particular, to stop the flow via  Greece !   

The Turks refused the 3 billion Euros offered and got 6 Billion to cover costs.  Could  that not really later mean that Turkey will  demand more Billions on a "drip-feed basis" to continue the agreement until the Middle East war ends ?   As a garantee, will Turkey not also want a fast track promise to join the EU ?

After all, Turkey already has strong links with the EU !  There are now at least 3 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany.  They started arriving there more than 50 years ago to help in the "Wirtschaftswunder"....  the miraculous reconstruction of West Germany after the 2nd World War ! 

If more arrive in the EU now, will Germany accept to take them ALL as new guest workers ?

The real problem remains :  "How can the War in the Middle East against the Islamic State be ended ?".   Then the flow of Refugees will decline !

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JOURNEE DE LA FEMME

 
 
François Hollande a remis la Légion d’Honneur au prince héritier d’Arabie Saoudite probablement pour le remercier du traitement exemplaire  dont bénéficient les femmes dans ce royaume.
 
Bonne journée Mesdames
Marin
 
*Par ailleurs, «  LE MONDE » souligne que 70 exécutions capitales ont eu lieu en Arabie Saoudite depuis le début de l’année.
 
 
 

Sunday 6 March 2016

FIFA : AT LAST, VIDEO HELP FOR REFEREES ?


Has the "Wind of change" at last arrived in the FIFA organisation ?  It seems it is already dusting away the cobwebs of the Blatter era !   But, how far will it dare to go ? 

The reforms envisaged to help Referees in football matches with up to date visual technology have already been introduced by other leading Sports, some as far back as the 1950s !

For example, Ice Hockey then had 2 referees and was studying the use of "film replays" !  Rugby League rules introduced the "Video Ref" in 1996 and Cricket has used "instant replays"  since 2008 !  

The way Rugby Union has been using the "Television Match Official" (TMO) since 2001, has even been helpful to spectators !  

Football now, at last, has the chance to modernise.  It has many options it can consider !  For example ;  

  -  2 referees on the pitch,
  -  instant "sin bin" time penalties for serious fouls,
  -  penalties for "body checking" to prevent opponents from playing the ball !
  -  disallow any change of players during the "added time" after the end of the "normal" time of 90 minutes ! 

These are certainly not the only changes which need to be discussed, to protect the future of the most popular game in the world !

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Saturday 5 March 2016

EU REFUGEES CRISIS COULD BE STOPPED !


In the European Union no country really wants or needs Refugees, but due to the Wars against Muslim Extremists in many parts of the World, more than 1.3 million migrants are expected to converge on EU Borders in 2016 !  

Germany, which has no external EU land frontiers, is the only country which could accept migrants "on a selective basis" to solve the lack of skilled workers it requires.

Some countries have built barricades to keep Migrants out, but this is not an option for Greece which has 13,700 kilometers of Coastlines near the Middle East !  This Coastline is the longest in the EU, followed by Italy with 7 600 kilometers of Coast !

The simple fact that until recently travellers arriving at external EU Frontiers were not rigourously checked, almost invited Migrants to come from all over the World.

Migrants from all parts of the World will continue to arrive in Europe, unless action is taken.  More rigourous controls at Frontiers of the EU are necessary and obviously Greece needs special help, financially and materially, to deter unwanted arrivals.

However, this is not enough !  The root cause for Refugees leaving their Homelands is the war and total destruction,  wraught by the Islamic State.  The Leaders of the EU and of NATO must, sooner of later, recognise this.  Only when the West comprehensively intensifies its attacks will the I S be stopped !

If there is another way of preventing the arrival of Refugees, Leaders of the EU must explain "how" to EU Electors !

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Friday 4 March 2016

LES DERNIERS DINOSAURES...

 
LE POINT du 3 mars titre : «  Les derniers dinosaures »,nommant ainsi les opposants à la réforme du droit du travail qui " se prétendent les défenseurs des chômeurs et sont en fait leurs pires ennemis ".
 
Qui sont-ils ? on reconnaît ci-dessous :
F.O.saure, Tyranocégétaurus, Martinosaure.
 

Thursday 3 March 2016

FRANCE : WILL HOLLANDE SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2017 ?


All the speculation concerning the evenual intention of President Hollande to stand for a second term of 5 years as  President in May 2017, has been revived this morning by RTL, with comments on its radio station.

Nothing else was said, except that Hollande would announce in October his intention not to stand and only in January that he would be a Candidate ! 

How this can be interpreted is as clear as mud !

It helps no one, in particular the Socialist Party.  Its members  are increasingly crying out for a Primary Election to be held, because all Opinion Polls reveal that Hollande has little or no chance of being re-elected after his catastrophic Presidency so far !  

Socialists want to select a Party Candidate who at least would have a passing chance of becoming one of the two Candidates in the second round run off, when voters finally elect the next President of France ! 

Other Parties are already organised to select their candidates, but independent Candidates will also be present in the first round ! 

What would it mean if Hollande finally says nothing in October ? Even worse, what if in January 2017, he decides not to stand ?  

The deadline for all Candidates, for filing their official 500 sponsors to stand, is about one month prior to the first round, which could be between April 10th and 24th, 2017. 

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Wednesday 2 March 2016

CAN 2016 RIO OLYMPICS SAFELY BE HELD ?


Athletes and future Spectators are wondering "Will it be safe to hold the Olympics in Rio this year ?  Will Brazil be safe ? "   

To be very blunt, who would be responsible if competitors or spectators contract any illness due to the ZIKA virus ?   Can   anyone guarantee that the danger of the Virus will have been eliminated long before the Games are due to start in six months time ?

It is quite clear that holding the Olympic Games is financially a costly business but rewarding for everyone directly involved.   However, the overriding problem is the Health of Everyone in Brazil who is involved ! 

If now, the decision is taken to postpone the Olympics for exactly one year, because it is better to be safe than being sorry afterwards, most people would reluctantly accept !

Today all the normal sporting events to be held next year could still be rescheduled without too much difficulty.   The longer one waits, the more difficult it would be ! 

Who has the responsibility for such a decision ?  Could it be that of Lord Coe, the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, or that of Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee ?    

Perhaps they should meet and discuss this question, and why not another problem they have in common, .... Drug testing of Athletes at the next Olympic Games !  

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EU MUST ACT AND CHANGE TO SURVIVE !


How much longer will it take for the EU to understand, that it is the War started by Islamic Extremists and Terrorists, in the Middle East and in other "hot spots" in the World, that has provoked forlorn Citizens to flee, just to save their lives ? 

History Books and Bibles are full of similar stories going back over thousands of years !  Alas, history will repeat itself and there will again be many more unwanted Migrants in the future !

Some Leaders in the EU have understood that, if Borders are not efficiently protected, desperate immigrants will simply walk in, even without asking for permission !   Some countries have barricaded their Borders, but this just puts more pressure on other countries.   Is Greece not the perfect example ?

All the miserable Migrants have lost everything, but still many dream of rejoining the families and friends they left behind !   This will be impossible without "International Aid" !  

Why ?   Because this War is a "War of total Destruction".  The Islamic State wants to enlarge its "territories" by any means possible.   There are also other countries, like Russia for example, which conquer by coldly destroying everything, even when they are fighting for Peace !  

So what should the EU do ?  

Should the EU not immediately firmly close all its external Borders ?  Should EU countries not share equitably the Financial costs of foolproof Border Controls ?   How can anyone expect a small country like Greece, the EU country nearest the Middle East, to pay for a foolproof border control system ?

The EU must also participate in financing the escalating costs of fighting the Islamic State in the Middle East.  It is only when the War is over, that the number of Refugees will decline ! 

Finally, before Refugees can return to countries like Syria, the UNO should envisage an AID plan for the reconstruction of not only Syria but where necessary in the Middle East !


The hesitation and bickering inside the EU must stop !  If the EU is not positively constructive now, how can it expect to survive ?   Which countries would be prepared to remain ?

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JOURNEE MONDIALE DU COMPLIMENT


Un groupe de Néerlandais a créé cette « journée mondiale du compliment » en incitant les quidams à se féliciter   les uns les autres.
 
A propos de ces innombrables journées dédiées, je suggère que la « Journée mondiale de la bêtise*» soit fixée une fois pour toute au 29 février… au moins ça ne reviendra que tous les quatre ans.
 
MARIN
 





 

Tuesday 1 March 2016

NEW FIFA MUST OUST THE OLD EXECUTIVES !


With the election of the new President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, aged 46, one must hope that he will ensure that the "Rotten Old FIFA" cannot make a comeback when the new rules of the  Statutes are tested and finally adopted. 

Should not any prior serving FIFA executive be prevented from being re-elected or from serving in the future ?  Should such rules not also be applicable in the Geographic Regions of FIFA ?     

There is a well known saying, "One old rotten apple in the basket can infect all the other apples !"    

Their experience dating from the past, of what "could be done, what is possible", is not necessary, essential or desireable !  All that is really required, for a few years, are professionals from the Business World, including some with Marketing or Legal Experience. 

When FIFA acts and appears to be "clean", Sponsors will flock back !   President Infantino must be firm, even stubborn, during the coming months.  He will need friends, but not those from the FIFA past !  

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