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African Cup of Nations: will the public be there? 151

Aziz Daouda, 11 h.
4 min read.
African Cup of Nations: will the public be there? The 2030 World Cup is fast approaching, but even closer to home is the African Cup of Nations, which we will be hosting at the end of this year. Many people are asking questions about the renovation and rebuilding of the stadiums. The photos and a few videos picked up here and there show that things are progressing well and that soon, certainly before the opening of the African Cup of Nations, all the stadiums will be operational. Those in charge should be a little more transparent on this subject and hold press briefings from time to time. This would put everyone's minds at rest, put a stop to the lies and untruths told by some and, above all, encourage the population to support the success of this organization. The success of such competition also depends on the support of the public, who should feel concerned. After all, it's with their taxes that stadiums are built and it's to boost the progress of our country that we host this kind of event. We would do well to look at them not just as consumers of events, but as a key element in their success. The success of an event depends on the quality of the organization, and there is no need to worry about that. Morocco has always shown great expertise and mastery in this field. Combined with the secular hospitality of the Moroccan people, all the events organized on Moroccan soil have met with immeasurable success. Success also depends on the level of infrastructure on offer. Here too, there is no problem, as the country has been a master of major projects for some time now. The engineering, architecture and work carried out by national companies have shown great efficiency and a level of mastery worthy of the world's greatest nations. Morocco will deliver true monuments to the glory of sport. And there will be much to be proud of. Let's just hope that the Moroccan touch will not be omitted and that many craftsmen will be involved in the finishing touches and decorations. This would create a lot of jobs and boost the sector in much the same way as the Hassan II mosque did. The third pillar of success is, of course, a Moroccan victory. A country that hosts international sporting events also does so to shine. It's been almost 50 years since the Moroccans last lifted the African trophy. That's still a lot for the country that was the first to represent the continent, the first African country to get past the first round and top of the group, if you please, and the first just recently to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Morocco are feeling the pressure, even if their performance in Côte d'Ivoire was disappointing. The public, and the footballing public in particular, cannot imagine anyone other than the Moroccan captain lifting the famous Cup. The fourth element of success is public support, and not just when it comes to the Moroccan team's matches. Success is also measured by the number of spectators present at all matches. There are some real concerns here, and there are certainly questions to be asked and answers to be found. Morocco already hosted an African Cup of Nations in 1988. While the Moroccan matches were sold out, the others were played in an embarrassingly intimate atmosphere. I was a member of the organizing committee and frankly we were ashamed and had no explanation to give to the leaders of the participating nations. We all thought that we were a football country and that the stadiums were going to be packed. So the question was asked in 1988, but has anything changed since then? Developments in recent years show us that we have several types of football fans. We have club supporters. We have the fanatics who only travel for their club. Let's not dwell on some of the behavior of the latter, which has led many football fans to stop going to the stadium. We have the national team fans. And that's another sociological profile. We also have the millions of spectators in cafés who follow European competitions in particular. Many also support certain prestigious foreign clubs, organize themselves into communities and even travel to support their teams. Who will fill the CAN stadiums? In March, we will have the chance to experience a real-life test. Morocco will be hosting no fewer than twelve African matches as part of the World Cup qualifiers, in six different cities. While there will be no problems in Oujda, where the Moroccan national team will be playing, what will happen in Meknes, where Côte d'Ivoire will be playing Burundi? It would be incomprehensible for the African champions to perform in a sparsely packed stadium. The same goes for Berkane, where Mali, a direct opponent of the national team, will be playing, or Eljadida, where Burkina Faso, known for their high-quality, shimmering football, will be playing. But what about the Larbi Zaouli stadium in Casablanca, which will host both Mali and Egypt, with world-class stars on both sides. We are here in Casablanca, the most populous city where club fanaticism is at its peak. Would things be better at the El Houceima stadium, where Ghana will be playing? There is no doubt that Africans and the world press would be astonished to see top-level matches taking place without a crowd or atmosphere. Let's wait and see, but right now things don't seem very clear. There is virtually no coverage in the media and that is a bad omen. The press must play its part in informing and encouraging the public to go and enjoy such world-class performances. Coming back to the CAN, we also need to think about the realities of the continent. First of all, let's not forget the size of Africa and the scarcity of air links, which make air fares very expensive. Those who make comparisons with Europe are very much mistaken. It takes 3? hours to fly from Moscow to Paris, exactly the same as from Casablanca to Dakar. On the other hand, it takes 5h30 to get to Yaoundé or Douala, for example. Not to mention East or South Africa... In other words, it's up to the Moroccans to fill the stadiums, both in March and next December, and to do so we must not forget to work on the issue of football culture. Moroccans certainly love football when it involves them. They have to love it for the quality of the spectacle and make the effort to show it even when it's not their club or their national team playing. This is no mean feat. It has to be taken seriously - the success of a test event before 2030 and the economic profitability of the project are at stake.

Meat prices: the upward spiral is stopped dead in its tracks... 693

Aziz Daouda, 8 d.
If there's one issue that has been preoccupying the public for a long time, and which has unfortunately been prolonged, it's the cost of living. It is perceived as unreal by a large fringe of society. In fact, it's not just a feeling, but a bitter reality that the government has been unable to rectify. It has never been easy to curb inflation anywhere in the world, except by means of drastic and unpopular decisions. What is currently happening in Argentina is the perfect illustration of this difficulty. The Moroccan government is not ready to shoulder such responsibility, especially as some of its so-called social decisions have contributed to the current situation. Since the COVID pandemic, inflation has not stopped. There has of course been imported inflation, particularly since the outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, but there has also been domestic inflation, which has been there since certain decisions were taken by PJD governments. The long-term rise in prices has also accelerated as a result of the money distributed by the current government, for reasons that are quite understandable from a human point of view. Citizens no longer know where to turn. The HCP confirms that there has been a slight overall improvement in Morocco, which is to be welcomed, but not for everyone. Gaps are still widening, and precariousness is catching up with a middle class that has been weakened for almost ten years now, one after the other. Against this bitter backdrop, over the past few weeks people have been looking ahead to Ramadan with uncertainty, and have already been talking about Eid, wondering how they are going to make ends meet. They dared to make alarming comments, vociferating recurrently, particularly on social networks and via certain ‘specialist’ websites. Clear demands have been made of the government. Each time, it has timidly tried to respond, without being convincing. Each day that the good Lord has done for a few weeks, not to say months, has only widened the gap, to the point where a crack has been felt in the coalition at the helm. The leader of the Istiqlal party came out clearly on the side of the plaintiffs, taking up the arguments of this important fringe of society. The situation is very special. The impact of 6 successive years of lack of rain on grazing and therefore on livestock is palpable. As a result, in line with economic logic, prices are on an upward trend. At the same time, it should be noted that for some years now, the habits of Moroccans have changed considerably. Improved living standards and certain cultural biases mean that we slaughter more sheep than any other Muslim country, especially when you compare the number of animals sacrificed on this sacred day of Aid with the number of inhabitants. In fact, the 36 million Moroccans that we have been for some time now sacrifice some 6 million animals every year on a single day. That's almost a third of the national sheep herd. Moroccans, who are very attached to tradition, are the people who sacrifice the largest number of sheep on Aid El Kebir. By way of example, our neighbors, who have a population of five million, only sacrifice between 3 and 3.5 million animals. In the Gulf countries and even in Mecca during the pilgrimage, people prefer to spend the equivalent of the amount needed to buy a sheep on charity. The impasse. It was clear that a powerful and far-reaching decision was needed to turn the tide. And it was through a message that His Majesty the King, may God assist him, in his capacity as Commander of the Faithful, came to break the spiral and restore hope to the people. When Si Ahmed Taoufiq, Minister of Habous and Islamic Affairs, read the royal message calling on the faithful to refrain from performing the rite of sacrifice for Eid, he could never have imagined the scale of the demonstrations of joy that the solemnly pronounced words would provoke. Back home, Moroccans instantly appreciated the invitation and chanted prayers in unison for His Majesty's health. The weight and impact of the Sovereign's words on the occasion were like a balm, healing wounds and reassuring people. In the cafés, some people behaved as they did when our national team scored goals in the World Cup. Chairs jumped up and down, and the joy and emotion were palpable. Moroccans approved and were satisfied and happy. The next day, things had changed. I was particularly surprised that beef was offered at 75 dirhams in Temara on Saturday. The price fell by 40 dirhams in record time. The impact of the royal message shook things up. Tongues have been loosened. Some speculators were exposed, while others reported that some players in the industry were not declaring the exact number of animals in their possession, or were not even declaring any at all. As if by magic, all these fine people came out of the woodwork, some to complain, some to express their discontent. In fact, people whose job is not to rear sheep have no structure to look after them. Generally speaking, all they have are sheds and staff to look after them. Their difficulty now is how to sell the quantity of sheep they trade in. It became clear that the effects of the drought were in fact combined with those of unbridled speculation at the expense of the consumer. The situation today is that meat is in the process of returning to the affordable, even normal, pre-crisis prices it was before the crisis, without imports and without any public aid being distributed for this purpose. In fact, without any intervention from the government, whose previous attempts have failed. Things are unlikely to stop there. The fall in the price of sheep has led to a fall in the price of cattle, and will probably lead to a fall in the price of goats, chicken and fish. The balance of these products in the consumer basket will inevitably rebalance prices to everyone's advantage. The upward spiral has been stopped dead in its tracks. Moroccan citizens have once again had proof, if proof were needed, of the closeness of His Majesty Amir Almoumine and feel perfectly well protected. As I write these words, a song pops into my head: habib aljamahir by Abdelwahab Doukkali.

Macron in the White House, the hidden humiliation... 876

Aziz Daouda, 10 d.
Without a doubt, the followed event this week was Macron's visit to the US. How he would be treated after the cold sweats endured with skill and patience by the King of Jordan and the Polish President, assigned to wait in the corridors for an hour and a half before being given 10 minutes of interview time, suffering a cruel humiliation at his expense. He will not be returning here any time soon. Unless... From the first images, it was clear that things were going to be different. Hugs, familiarity, debonair and mocking laughter followed in quick succession. Was this obvious duplicity or a posture of convenience? Who knows? Both were overacting. Trump is known to be a jokester, he showed a great sympathy for his guest, mentioning Notre-Dame and describing Mrs Macron as charming.Macron, on the other hand was more annoyed than genuinely happy.His joy appeared at times when his forehead relaxed for a few seconds. He must have wondered, and with him the press, a little larger than usual: had he been received here for his stature, out of consideration for his country or as the leader of Europe, which he wanted to play by beating the British PM to the White House? Poorly seated in the Voltaire armchair to the right of his host, with the backdrop of a fireplace that had not been lit for, Macron was about to be subjected to a veritable diatribe from Trump. At his Resolute Desk, in front of a lectern or in an armchair, Trump is the same: self-assured, determined and oblivious to what others may think. What matters is what he says. We're used to the US Presidents speaking on behalf of departments that meticulously prepared the remarks, the narrative and the story. Now it's Trump who sets the course, unashamedly in public; it's up to the administration to implement. Macron will therefore have to endure and, above all, learn things first-hand. Trump began by announcing that Zelensky would be flying to Washington ‘either this week or next week to sign’. So, he's telling Macron in public what he is normally supposed to do in private, away from the cameras. In fact, he is trumpeting the economic capitulation of Zelensky, whom he had stripped of legitimacy a few days before, calling him a dictator. In essence, he is saying that he wants to recover the American money unjustly spent by Biden on an idiotic war. He set the figure at 350 billion USD. To do this, he is going to get his hands on the rare earths in Ukraine. Concomitantly Putin says that he is ready to cooperate with the Americans to exploit these minerals. In fact, much of this wealth are in the areas annexed by Putin which he calls ‘the new territories’. When asked about Ukraine's recovery of the land it lost during the war, Trump replied ‘it's not easy’. These heralds the other phase of the capitulation. It's territorial, no doubts any more. By linking these remarks to those in which Trump informs that Ukraine will have to forget its desire to join NATO, is he not announcing the political capitulation and the end of the Zelensky who more than ever, must regret having played with fire. Respecting the Minsk agreements would perhaps have spared him what he is about to experience: losing rare earths, ceding 20% of the territory and probably giving up his presidency. Macron seemed to be sitting on a folding seat with no margin of comfort; so uncomfortable that you could see the pronounced wrinkles on his nervously contracted forehead and his furrowed brows. He was being tutored by Trump. Embarrassment on the one hand, ease, precision and assurance on the other. He made several attempts to speak, while his host looked the other way. When he finally conceded the courtesy of letting him speak, Macron was a little confused before finding a decent speaking rhythm and a presidential voice. He even apologized for speaking French. In such circumstances one often returns to mother tongue to regain a little ease. When he said that Europe would like a swift, fair and lasting agreement, implying that he was refusing a dictatorship, Trump did not flinch. He had said what he had to say and would not discuss it. The future of the region is not being decided in Europe but in Saudi Arabia, which is entitled of epithets, each more eulogistic than the last, with its Crown Prince, whom he calls King, incidentally. Macron seems to be addressing the Frenchs and Europeans. Trump is addressing Americans and the world. He repeats that if he had been president, this war would never have happened. He blames his predecessor, and at the same time the European warmongers. Indeed, come to think of it, with a bit of hindsight, without justifying Putin's warlike enterprise, who among the Europeans still talks about the Azov regiment, which came into being in 2014 in Mariupol, a neo-Nazi formation that sowed terror among Russian speakers, weighing heavily on the country's politics and largely contributing to the election of Zelensky? Every day, they marched in their provocative black outfits, yellow flags with a stylized swastika on their arms, pumped up on hormones, shouting ultra-nationalist chants of rare malice. At the time, this seemed to annoy the Europeans, who magically forgot all about Azov as soon as Putin began the invasion, which he justified as a fight against Nazism. Who is still talking about the Minsk agreements and the trick played by Merkel and Hollande to buy time for Ukraine? These agreements were signed to guarantee peace. Ukraine never respected them, with Europe's blessing. Trump does not mention any of this, but makes it clear that the European position of cutting off all relations with Putin was ill-advised. Macron tryed to justify himself but was not convincing anyone. This is borne out by the very few questions to him. He wanted to gain a foothold in the situation, proposing that Europe is prepared to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Is this naivety or much worse? Trump cast a furtive glance at his ‘counterpart’ and moved on. How could Putin accept a European army on his borders, from countries that financed a war against his armies. European troops there would be like installing NATO without the Americans. When Macron tried to position Europe on the question of the sums spent, saying that Europe had contributed 60% of the war effort, Trump smiled sarcastically, one arm stretched forward, waved his hand as if to say:‘I don't believe you, you little liar’. A cute gesture, highly indicative of Trump's perception of his European peers. It also means: the rare earth’s affairs is between Putin and me. Final signature to this skillfully orchestrated production, a journalist confirmed to Trump that he had the broad support of the Americans for everything he was doing. The powerful man nodded generously as he straightened his torso, as if to say to his host: ‘You see, I have the support of my people, not you’. In the Oval Office that afternoon, a guest was treated politely, but there was only one interlocutor, and that was Mr Trump.
panorapost.ma/post.php?id=49566

Personality Psychology Part 1 : The Mind of a Control Freak 937

Anas Bedraoui, 11 d.
A control freak is someone who has an overwhelming need to dictate people and situations, often to the point of obsession. Their desire for control stems from different factors, including anxiety, insecurity, or even underlying psychological conditions like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While they may believe their meticulous oversight ensures perfection, their behavior often damages relationships and creates unnecessary tension. Why Do Some People Become Control Freaks? Anxiety: A person who struggles with anxiety may attempt to control everything around them to minimize uncertainty and reduce stress. Insecurity: Those with low self-esteem or a history of being controlled themselves may develop controlling tendencies as a defense mechanism. OCD and Perfectionism: Some individuals have an intense preoccupation with perfection, organization, and structure, making them hyper-controlling in their interactions. ---- Signs of a Control Freak: They rarely, if ever, admit when they are wrong. They blame others for mistakes rather than accepting responsibility. Delegating tasks is difficult because they don’t trust others to do things correctly. They micromanage, obsessing over small details rather than focusing on the bigger picture. They may try to undermine others' reputations to maintain a sense of superiority. Lying—whether about their behavior or yours—is a common tactic for maintaining control. Extreme jealousy often accompanies their need for dominance. ---- The Desperation of Losing Control: The most dangerous moment is when a control freak feels they are losing their grip. When this happens, they will do everything in their power to regain control—no matter the cost. They may reach out to your surroundings, trying to manipulate your friends, family, or colleagues against you. They could spread false information, twist narratives, or play the victim to make you look like the problem. In extreme cases, they might resort to emotional or psychological attacks, using guilt, fear, or even threats to pull you back into their influence. ---- Not everyone responds to control the same way. If you attempt to dominate someone who recognizes what you're doing—and knows how you operate—they may see it as a threat rather than an inconvenience. Some people will leave you for good, cutting ties entirely rather than tolerating manipulation. Others will wait for the right moment to strike, using your need for control against you. They may anticipate your actions, exploit your weaknesses, or retaliate in ways you never saw coming. A control freak often believes they are in charge, but in reality, those who understand manipulation can either escape it or turn it into a weapon. ---- If you are experiencing this, just be pure, open you heart, and pity them, don’t hate them. Beneath the manipulation and obsession is a person who is suffering—someone so afraid of uncertainty, failure, or rejection that they feel the need to control everything around them. They may hurt others, but in the end, they are hurting themselves the most.

Rare diseases are not as rare as they seem... 1342

Aziz Daouda, 15 d.
On Saturday february 22, I had the privilege of attending the 6th Rare Disease Day. Dr Khadija Moussayer, President of the Moroccan Rare Diseases Alliance, did me the honour, and I thank her for allowing me to sit at the table with the great medical professors who were going to discuss cutting-edge medical issues, requiring expertise and mastery of various subjects, as well as a deep humanism and a certain love of the country and its people. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend half of the proceedings, for which I am very sorry. So-called rare diseases are not in fact all that rare. They may be rare in terms of numbers, but they are so common that they are a daily occurrence in medical circles. They are rare because they are often invisible in a social environment that does not yet understand them or does not understand them well enough. They have a heavy impact on the emotional, sociological and economic life of families and enormously on the lives of the people affected. They are not yet adequately treated in university curricula, and are poorly understood by general practitioners and even by many paediatricians. Increasingly easy access to medical treatment is bringing these conditions out into the open, revealing their complexity and diversity to the medical community itself, as well as to families and society at large. They have an enormous psychological impact on families, disorientating them, tearing them apart and impoverishing them. Because of their genetic nature, they leave the families and individuals concerned in doubt, and plunge them into anxiety, disgust and self-hatred. Negative emotional reasoning and feelings of responsibility are never far away. This is often the driving force behind heavy social prejudice. Tradition and lack of education do the rest. They can go so far as to break up a family and often make the woman responsible. I myself met a young woman who was repudiated and rejected simply because she had given birth to a Marfan child. Her husband and family blamed her for the problematic birth and put her out on the street. Today, she is bringing up her child alone and is fighting to feed him, look after him, educate him and have his difference understood and accepted at school. Rare diseases are even more problematic, when you consider that doctors don't come across them every day in their consultations, and can even go so far as to ignore their existence. Their diagnoses are so complex at times that they require the intervention of multiple highly qualified specialities to define their existence and the protocols to be followed. More than in any other situation, the person diagnosed needs to be followed by more than one specialist at the same time. Is this always the case? Special tribute must be paid here to Professors Asmaa Quessar and Amine Benmoussa, who addressed the issue from the haematological point of view, explaining the complexity of the manifestations of some of these diseases and the impact of certain treatments. Professor FZ El Fatoiki focused in particular on skin manifestations, which in fact hide many things inside and are therefore crucial to diagnosis. Professor Imane Chahid received a special mention for her presentation on type 1 neurofibromatosis, which goes beyond café au lait spots. She recommended the creation of working groups involving all the specialities concerned, in order to limit patients' medical wandering and save time, efficiency and money. We need to explain to mothers that café au lait spots on a baby's skin are not ‘touhimates’. This ignorance can delay the treatment of a child with the disease, with all the consequences that can entail. That's true. One of the problems faced by families is medical wandering. Patients can spend a long time consulting and treating symptoms - ophthalmological, gastric, dermatological, etc. - before being diagnosed with a rare disease. Wandering is extremely costly. The testimony of a father who lost two children was particularly poignant. It was an emotional moment. The dignity and courage he showed make him an admirable character. I was reassured by the youth and commitment of more than one of the speakers. The sheer number and quality of people in attendance, and the questions asked by professionals and parents, show that there is a growing interest and expertise. The clarifications and commitment expressed on behalf of Moroccan geneticists by Prof. Karim Ouldim augur better days ahead, and a probably innovative approach to rapid and early diagnosis, and hence to treatment. In a way, he was responding to Prof. Chahid's call to work in clusters. Taking an interest in genetics brings us back to the question of data and the power of our computers. When it comes to genetics, AI is going to play a vital role, and if Morocco is not to suffer from the biases of others, it must compile and process its own data and train machines capable of understanding the specific genetic characteristics of Moroccans, because there are some, and that's normal. Any delay in this area will result in a lack of control, a squandering of skills, waste and a failure to respond effectively to the real needs of citizens. A fundamental question hovered over the room just before the lunch break: why is it that the work carried out by eminent Moroccans, the results of research carried out in the country and other discoveries are not taken into account in the establishment of public health policies? The gap between Moroccan research and the spheres of political decision-making is simply abnormal. A country can only progress from within through scientific research and hard work. Public policy must be based on innovation and research in the Moroccan field. Benchmarking is good, but research at national level is even better. I had the impression, and I was not the only one, that politicians go so far as to ignore, not to say despise, national skills, preferring to put their trust in foreign consultancies that are often ill-advised and ignorant of Moroccan realities and particularities. This is one of the reasons why our health and other systems are being hampered and impacted. It's unfortunate to be asking such questions in 2025. The day was an immeasurable success and deserves a great deal of media coverage, because the aim was to raise awareness. Lalla Khadija Moussayer and her team succeeded. We can never thank them enough for that. Thank you also for giving me the opportunity to meet Professor Mohammed Itri, an eminent paediatrician who left Rabat to teach at the CHU Ibn Rochd, but who never forgot his neighbourhood and his childhood neighbours...

Gaza and AI are just a few words away... 1936

Aziz Daouda, 22 d.
The second week of February saw Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinians. The Hamsaouis were still armed to the teeth. The bombings did not do much. This happened against the backdrop of President Trump's confirmation that there would be a Gaza Rivera without the Palestinians. Bluffing is becoming a constant in the President's language. He said that he was 99% certain that Egypt and Jordan would agree to receive him, brandishing the fatal weapon of the dollar. When he received the King of Jordan in the Oval Office, it was a painful moment bordering on humiliation. It took all the class and dexterity of the Hashemite sovereign to finally get through it, his face taut and red with barely veiled anger and sadness. He had to stand his ground and he did. Trump seems to be ignoring history and geography, or at least not taking them into consideration. Let's wait for the Arab summit on 27 February in Cairo and the reactions of countries that have so far been silent or in a state of expectation. In the meantime, Hamas is begging the Arab countries for help, going so far as to acknowledge at last that 7 October was a mistake. Trump quickly moved on to other things. After 19 minutes and 55 seconds with the King of Jordan, he now had a long telephone conversation with Putin lasting almost an hour and a half. The two men seem to be on the same wavelength. They say they want peace in Ukraine as soon as possible. The future of the troublemaker Zelensky seems to be numbered. In principle, the Europeans say that peace cannot be achieved without them. They don't have the power, divided as they are. At the same time, the Palestinian Authority, or what is left of it, has thanked His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his intervention to release funds held back by Israel for its benefit. What is happening in Gaza has overshadowed the most important event of the month: the Paris summit on artificial intelligence. Almost every country in the world was there. Some were represented by their presidents, such as India and the Emirates. China and the USA were represented by their respective vice-presidents. The American president's remarks were in line with his own. This just goes to show how important this issue is for the future of humanity as a whole. Some want fairness, others balance, and still others transparency and ethics. This is difficult to achieve when the world's major players do not sign the final resolutions and make no commitment to restrict their domination and the technological development that serves them first. 61 countries have signed up to an open, inclusive and ethical AI, not including the USA and the United Kingdom. On the fringes of the summit, there was a very important meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, which today brings together some fifty countries. This was necessary, as many countries, including Morocco, are knocking on the door to join. The young body took the opportunity to take stock of its strategy, which it is seeking to bring into line with the OECD's recommendations on AI. While many countries are campaigning to reduce the gap between nations as much as possible, it has to be said that this is not going down well with the purists and the naïve. The gap is already there, with the two behemoths, the USA and China, firmly in the lead. Others are hoping and doing their utmost to catch up, notably India and now France, which has announced its intention to invest $109 billion in AI. To achieve this, they are joining forces with the United Arab Emirates, which will contribute $50 billion, and Canada, which will inject $20 billion into the project. The most important thing is to have their own data centres. Data being the sinews of war at this level, alongside technology of course. The amount announced by France is still a far cry from the 500 billion American project. We're on a different planet here. But do we need so much money when we learn that DeepSeek, developed by the Chinese, only cost USD 6 million? What China isn't saying is that it started from where the Americans had arrived with heavy investment, even using INVIDIA cards, albeit from a slightly earlier generation. To get an idea of the differences, consider that in terms of data centres, there are 5,381 in the USA, compared with 521 in Germany, 449 in China, 315 in France and just 219 in Japan, for example. The USA has more than 50% of the world's data storage capacity, compared with 16% for China. Africa is counted in the rest of the world, a truly negligible quantity. Having data and computing centres is first and foremost a matter of will and funding, as well as the ability to produce energy and have access to large quantities of water. Yes, when you click to open a WhatsApp message or send one; when you do a search on Google, Brave or others; when you watch a video on YouTube or a film on Netflix, you consume energy to run the machinery that will respond to you but also water because it is water that cools it down. The technology consumes a lot of energy and water. Some even say that it is Silicon Valley's excessive water consumption that explains the recent huge fires in California. If Morocco is seeking to join the PMIA, it's because it feels the importance of not just being a simple consumer of AI. It wants to play its part and, above all, position itself so as not to be left behind. The country already has respectable-sized computer centres, enabling it to aspire to efficiency in scientific research and in meeting the needs of its citizens. But this is not enough. Today, AI is everywhere in our daily lives, and it will be even more so in the future. Morocco aims to continue its digital transformation and is looking for a small share in technological innovation. This means that we will need to produce more energy, and to do so we may have to take account of the limits of renewable energies and their cost, and give serious thought to nuclear power. This is what is planned in the American project. We mustn't be mere consumers of AI, otherwise we'll be importing other people's biases and then we'll simply be lost. To achieve this, we need to be careful not to over-legislate and over-regulate in a rapidly evolving field where no one can say how or what tomorrow will bring. One article, one comma in a law and the machine is irremediably blocked. We are in a field where milliseconds are important, and the freedom to think without limits, to venture beyond barriers and to undertake without conditions is vital.
open.luxeradio.ma/show/track/47f...

Moroccan Anti-Doping Agency: We can't wait for a second caravan... 3149

Aziz Daouda, 1 mon.
3 min read.
It is not my intention to define doping, or to talk about doping techniques, or to list the consequences, or even to dwell on the techniques or procedures for combating this phenomenon, which no longer taints elite sport in particular but has become a social phenomenon, given the fact that many young people resort to certain products in order, they believe, to accelerate the effects of training on their musculature and physical appearance. Others do it much better than I do. Doping is not a new phenomenon. Some say that it has accompanied mankind for as long as sporting competition has existed. The first proven case in modern times dates back to 1865 and since then doping has never ceased to exist. Doping in sport has been tolerated for decades, no doubt because of a lack of knowledge of its consequences for health, a lack of awareness of its immorality, and the fact that it has long been the basis of sports policies for certain powerful states with the means to do so, but above all with a mastery of certain techniques, the underpinnings of technology and other advanced scientific aspects. Nowadays, things are clearer, and the international community is all on the same side. It condemns doping. It has criminalised it and set itself the goal of eradicating it. All the countries of the world and all the international and national sporting bodies are united in their determination not to accept the phenomenon of doping and to fight against it. There is now an international body to which everyone has subscribed and to which they refer. It sets the course and dictates to everyone the path to follow. Many countries, including Morocco, have gone even further and criminalised doping by making the use of and trade in so-called doping products part of their criminal law, with heavy penalties. Every country in the world has set up independent bodies whose sole mission is to combat doping. Better still, governments and national Olympic committees are obliged to fund, support and guarantee the total independence of national anti-doping agencies. Testing techniques have evolved to such an extent that no-one can escape punishment. The international sporting community has gone so far as to preserve samples taken from athletes for a very long time, only to return to analyse them years later, using techniques that are becoming more sophisticated and more precise every day. Today, athletes are convicted of doping and penalised on the basis of samples taken eight years earlier. Others are sanctioned on the basis of abnormal variations found in their biological passports. In other words, the fight is total. The only thing that is easy to do is to tackle doping among well-known and recognised sportsmen and women. They are identified and within reach of the agencies. What remains is the possibility and effectiveness of the system among the young and not-so-young, who are neither registered with a club affiliated to a federation nor have the ambition to take part in any kind of competition. Many use doping products or simply food supplements that may be contaminated with doping molecules. The Moroccan agency AMAD had the brilliant idea of organising an awareness-raising caravan aimed at the general public and young people. It visited all twelve regions of the country. For more than a year, its teams and staff, accompanied by experts and sports personalities, were constantly informing, reminding and raising awareness, not just of the legal aspects, but also of the harmful effects and consequences of the use of certain products, supplements or food supplements, on the health of the individual and therefore on a public health level. The aim was to make young people aware of the catastrophic consequences of doping on their physical and mental health, on their life in society, and on their reputation and that of their country in the case of sportsmen and women. I'm sure that everyone understands this. But the understanding and support of each individual in his or her own little corner is not enough. Our sportsmen and women and all our sports leaders, PE teachers and sports coaches must all contribute to the Kingdom's tireless fight against doping. They must act as relays to counter what is said and done here in their clubs, schools and neighborhoods. While it is not proven that any product can make you a great champion, it is certain that doping automatically damages an individual's health and leads to criminality. It can even make you a disgrace to your family and tarnish your country's reputation. The Moroccan National Olympic Committee is sparing no effort to contribute to this innovative drive, which is now taking shape and developing. Our mission as citizens is to be present, alongside the Royal Moroccan Sports Federations, the Ministry of Sport and, of course, the national anti-doping agency, AMAD. Morocco is now a model in this fight. It has a strong legal arsenal and an effective, competent anti-doping body, and we welcome this. Morocco's experience is watched with interest, and its cooperation is sought by many African countries, among others. As a result of this confidence, WADA President Dr Fatima Abouali recently won the confidence of her African peers, who elected her President of the African Union of Sports Medicine (UAMS). Doping is the enemy of us all, and those who practise it, trade in it or encourage our young people to resort to it are deliberately placing themselves on the fringes of society. Above all, sport is about honesty. Doping means condemning yourself to dishonesty. We will never allow one of our own to be dishonest. We can't wait for a second caravan…
amad.ma

Bluwr New Moon Report 3498

Aziz Daouda, 1 mon.
I'm very pleased to share here the statistics achieved by my posts on Bluwr during the month of January. Proud to be part of the Bluwr family, thanks to our readers for their trust. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite readers who don't yet publish to take the plunge. They certainly have a lot of interesting things to share. Your Bluwr New Moon Report Dear Aziz Daouda, We thank you very much for writing on Bluwr. Bluwr was born on a new moon and hence we decided to do things differenlty by sending monthly reports on new moons. Please find attached this monthly report on the activity of your articles on Bluwr. If you would like more detailed information, you can head to your analytics page on Bluwr. With our sincere thanks, The Bluwr team. Number of views this month 43495 This month top article by views 2024, kenyans on top of the world in number of world records 2909 Number of articles written this month 12 Number of bluws this month 6 Writer points for this month Curator points for this month Number of all time views 95372 All time top article Achraf Hakimi is not the 2024 African footballer... CAF disowned? 4316 Number of all time written articles 104 Number of all time bluws 6 All time writer points 5000 All time curator points 33.333333333333336

European Parliament: two idiotic votes.. 4187

Aziz Daouda, 1 mon.
The recent vote in favor of a European resolution calling for the release of the writer Boualem Sansal has finally revealed what a certain Left in France is all about. What it thinks, its doctrinaire tendencies, its ideological heritage, its philology and, above all, its idea of freedom of expression and humanism. Two French MEPs, representing the country of the Enlightenment and the Declaration of the human Rights, found nothing more intelligent to distinguish themselves in the eyes of Europeans than to go against the grain of what any sensible person might think: one abstained and the other voted against the resolution outright. This is the position of the political movement they represent and not a personal one. One is known for having little to show for it other than the fact that her inheritance makes her a political pensioner, while the other shines through her bizarre positions, waltzing to and fro between extreme left-wing and extreme right-wing ideas. It's enough to make you dizzy. All that matters is that she is getting coverage in the media every day. She hasn't been taught that value and enhancement come with scarcity, not profusion. For example, she is the only one who knows where the Mecca of freedoms and revolutionaries is on the world map. So for these two turbulent political figures, the 553 MEPs who voted for the resolution were probably wrong. By their votes, the two excitements have defended the arbitrary imprisonment of a 75-year-old man; an intellectual who in a television program simply recalled historical and geographical facts, without calling for anything, or pleading for anything. The true face of a certain French Left is thus revealed; still nostalgic for the totalitarian regimes of the Eastern bloc... Fundamentally nostalgic for the only truth that is that of the single party. But they don't tell the French that; they practice it. But aren't they themselves, as young as they are, the victims of leftist indoctrination from another time, which has numbed their minds and inhibited the neurons of discernment and lucidity? They have always lived in an environment where common sense is the daily target of outdated propaganda, the legacy of another time; a time that has run out of steam before our very eyes but to which they have simply remained faithful. Foolish ideology always ends up killing... So human beings don't count for them, and the law even less... Let's not forget that they and their acolytes are nothing more than a contemporary digression from Ceausescu, Tito or Brezhnev and their parties, not to mention Stalin and co... Their names are not mentioned in this text as a prelude to the fact that history is unlikely to remember them. They are the epitome of imbecility and nothing else. Their votes did not count.

President Trump's first decions Part 1 4273

Aziz Daouda, 2 mon.
On the very evening of his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump signed no fewer than 77 executive orders, as promised. Many of the decisions simply repealed those of his predecessor and the policies of the opposing camp. In this way, he is laying the foundations for his future policies as he had announced them. Here is a list of the ‘President acts’ he signed in a truly revanchist staging. Part 1: 1. Repeal of 78 decrees issued by the Biden administration: cancellation of measures to reduce the price of certain medicines, anti-discrimination programmes and sanctions against certain settlers in the West Bank. 2. Declaration of a national emergency on the Mexican border: Authorisation for the deployment of US troops to reinforce border security. 3. Withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement: marks a break with international environmental commitments. 4. Withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO): a halt to collaboration with the WHO. 5. Presidential pardon for more than 1,500 people involved in the riot of 6 January 2021: Pardons granted to supporters involved in the assault on the Capitol. 6. Suspension of telework for federal employees: Encouragement to return to face-to-face work. 7. Declaring a national energy emergency: Increasing oil and gas production, withdrawing subsidies for electric vehicles and abandoning the Paris Agreement. 8. Official recognition of two biological genders: Limiting diversity and inclusion policies, recognising only male and female genders. 9. Designation of drug cartels as terrorist organisations: Tougher measures against the cartels and increased sanctions. 10. Extension of deadline for TikTok: Temporary suspension of the ban on TikTok, allowing a further 75 days to comply with US regulations. 11. End of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in government agencies: Elimination of initiatives aimed at promoting diversity within federal institutions. 12. Creation of the Foreign Revenue Service: Establishment of a new agency responsible for collecting tariffs and customs duties. 13. Renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America: Symbolic change of name to assert American sovereignty. 14. The name Mount McKinley was reinstated for Denali: the traditional name for the mountain in Alaska was restored. 15. Federal hiring freeze: Suspension of new federal government hiring, with the exception of national security positions. 16. Revocation of the electric vehicle mandate: Cancellation of the obligation to transition to electric vehicles. 17. Ending citizenship by birthright: Eliminating the automatic acquisition of citizenship for children born on U.S. soil to foreign parents. 18. Reinstatement of military personnel discharged for vaccine non-compliance: Reinstatement of members of the armed forces discharged for refusing vaccination, with retroactive payment. 19. Prohibiting government censorship: Implementing measures to protect free speech and prevent the suppression of political speech. 20. Creation of the Department of Government Efficiency: Appointment of Elon Musk to head a new department tasked with reducing waste and improving the efficiency of federal agencies. 21. Withdrawal of sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank: Cancellation of punitive measures against Israeli settlements. 22. Reinstatement of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism: Reinstatement of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, leading to economic sanctions. 23. Relocation of the headquarters of the United States Space Command to Alabama: Relocation of the Space Command headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama. 24. Implementation of Schedule F: Reduced job protections for thousands of federal employees, making it easier to lay them off. 25. Reassessment of foreign aid: Reduction or elimination of funding to countries deemed hostile to US interests or not supporting US initiatives in international organisations, with priority given to strategic allies. 26. Prohibition of critical race education programmes: Withdrawal of funding for schools promoting critical race theory. 27. Expansion of oil and gas drilling: Authorisation of new permits for extraction in protected areas. 28. Cancellation of subsidies for renewable energies: Abolition of tax incentives for wind and solar power. 29. Creation of a commission on electoral fraud: Launch of a national enquiry into electoral irregularities in 2020. 30. Suspension of visas for citizens of several Middle Eastern countries: Reintroduction of a modified ‘Muslim Ban’. 31. Reinstatement of the ‘stay in Mexico’ policy: asylum seekers must wait in Mexico while their case is processed. 32. Ending federal funding for sanctuary cities: Eliminating subsidies for jurisdictions that protect illegal immigrants. 33. Increased import taxes on Chinese products: Tariffs will be strengthened to protect US industries. 34. Protecting historic monuments: Prohibiting the destruction or removal of federal statues. 35. Encouraging Made in the USA: Strengthening local sourcing requirements for government agencies. 36. Reducing union rights for federal employees: Limiting collective bargaining in the civil service. 37. Removing limits on political donations: Easing restrictions on campaign financing. 38. Proclaiming Energy Freedom Day: A national celebration of America's oil and gas industries. 39. Creating a fund for victims of crime: Increasing resources for victims of crime, particularly those perpetrated by illegal immigrants. 40. Eliminate federal transgender bathroom standards: Reinstate laws defining bathrooms by biological sex.

President Trump's first decisions. Part 2 4272

Aziz Daouda, 2 mon.
On the very evening of his inauguration on 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump signed no fewer than 77 executive orders, as promised. Many of the decisions simply repealed those of his predecessor and the policies of the opposing camp. In this way, he is laying the foundations for his future policies as he had announced them. Here is the list of ‘President acts’ that he signed in a truly revanchist staging. Part 2: 41. Strengthening controls at the northern border: Expansion of security measures with Canada. 42. Evaluating social media practices: Launching a commission to examine censorship of conservative views. 43. Obamacare repeal: Another attempt to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act. 44. Revoking public housing rules: Removing requirements for residential areas to accept subsidized housing. 45. Banning public-private partnerships with China: Blocking Chinese investment in US critical infrastructure. 46. Restoring federal executions: Reactivating executions for convicted federal criminals. 47. Cancellation of restrictions on firearms: Revocation of federal laws limiting the possession of semi-automatic weapons. 48. End subsidies to companies supporting progressive causes: Reducing tax credits for climate and inclusion initiatives. 49. Promoting the celebration of Christmas in schools: Requiring public schools to recognize and promote Christian traditions. 50. Relaxing pollution rules for large industries: Reducing emissions standards to boost industrial competitiveness. 51. Recognition of Christian institutions in federal funding: Priority to faith-based schools for educational grants. 52. Increased budget for law enforcement: Increased funding for the police and federal security departments. 53. Reopening Guantanamo: Reactivating the detention center for suspected foreign terrorists. 54. Strengthening sanctions against Iran: Returning to the strictest economic sanctions against Tehran. 55. Priority funding for rural infrastructure: Directing public funds towards rural communities rather than large cities. 56. Creating a technological wall with drones and cameras: Deploying advanced technology to monitor the southern border. 57. Revision of refugee quotas: Significant reduction in the annual number of refugees accepted. 58. End of UN funding for climate projects: Suspension of US contributions to international climate initiatives. 59. Promoting charter schools: Increasing funding for independent schools. 60. Implementing a national civic literacy program: Creating a program to teach American values and history in public schools. 61. Restoring religious rights in businesses: Allowing businesses to refuse certain services on the basis of religious beliefs. 62. Reducing restrictions imposed on banks by the Dodd-Frank Act. 63. Increasing the military budget: Increasing funding for equipment modernization and military cyber security. 64. Abolish work visas for foreigners in certain industries: Reduce legal immigration in favor of domestic employment. 65. Reinstatement of economic sanctions against North Korea: Stricter measures to limit the financial resources of the North Korean regime. 66. Funding infrastructure for the army: Prioritization of funds to improve military bases and military housing. 67. Suspension of funding for family planning: Abolition of subsidies for abortion-related services. 68. Promoting public-private partnerships in infrastructure: Encouraging private investment to modernize roads, bridges and airports. 69. Creation of a national database on migrants: Centralizing information on migrants to facilitate monitoring and national security. 70. Declaring a ‘National Patriotic Day’: Establishing a public holiday to celebrate American values. 71. Restricting the activities of international NGOs: Reducing funding for organizations promoting progressive ideals abroad. 72. End of scientific cooperation with China: Suspension of academic and technological exchanges with Chinese institutions. 73. Expansion of vocational training programs: Increased funding for apprenticeships and technical schools. 74. Supervision of Big Tech practices: Reinforcement of regulations on data collection and algorithmic transparency. 75. Reinstate Confederate monuments as National Historic Landmarks: Restore and preserve controversial monuments. 76. Repealing restrictions on oil companies in the Arctic: Reopening drilling in polar areas. 77. Promoting academic freedom: Prohibiting universities from penalizing students who do not meet their academic standards

Africa: Lack of understanding of the fundamentals of sports performance and the impact on public policy 4862

Aziz Daouda, 2 mon.
3 min read.
Physical activity is so complex that it requires optimum knowledge of virtually all the human sciences, all the biological sciences and certainly all the demographic, geographic, historical, ethnographic, economic, artistic and cultural aspects. It has embraced recent technologies and made many substantial innovations and advances its own. It is a cornerstone of human progress that no one can ignore, except at the cost of physical and mental health problems. Societies, too, cannot ignore it, except at the cost of deviance and malaise, which it alone has the possibility and the secret of remedying. The aim of this modest contribution is to return to some of the fundamentals of sports performance, to systematize them and to offer a platform for reflection, particularly in relation to public policies in this area. Physical activity has many expressions. The most important is of course sport, because it is present in every society and is an area where people's emotions are affected. Sport fascinates through performance, sport sows the seeds of joie de vivre, sport makes people react and sport makes them cry. An analysis of public policies in certain African countries that I have had the pleasure of visiting and where I have had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with senior sports officials, and of certain decisions and recommendations of national and continental sports bodies, reveals a number of gaps in understanding and leads to a need for certain methodological explanations. These can be systematized as follows:  A lack of understanding of the core business of sport, i.e. sports performance, what determines it and what encourages it; hence the need to provide decision-makers with optimum knowledge of the mechanisms underlying sports performance,  The need for a systemic approach to all the components to provide as comprehensive and realistic a vision as possible of what sport is and to recall the different components of this highly complex activity. The decision-maker or manager would then be in a position to understand, design and implement sports ideas and projects, taking into account the different phases in the construction of performance. This approach would enable us to understand what is at stake in sport, as well as the factors that contribute to its development or, on the contrary, cause it to stagnate. The lack of satisfactory results would thus be explained. It is based on an understanding of  The essential element, physical exercise, which underpins performance  The determinants of sporting performance  Factors that promote performance  Sporting competition and its impact  The major foundations in the process of producing sporting performance  The limits of sporting performance  Sustainability of sporting performance  Africa's contribution to innovation in sports performance The performance is individual, the result is collective Each of us has, one day on a beach, tried to walk in the footsteps left by someone else. It's a very simple exercise, but no one ever succeeds, and for good reason:  A particular body type  A particular physical and mental potential  A particular rhythm of life  A different way of thinking  A distinctive character  A distinct culture In other words, in any approach to developing sporting performance, only innovation, while taking into account each individual's particular characteristics, can lead to performance. In this case, simply walking on a beach. This reasoning can no doubt be extrapolated to all fields. It is therefore imperative to define the element that underpins all sporting performance, i.e. physical exercise. We need to understand it and pinpoint its mechanism and components. This composite complexity provides us with information about what precisely is involved in the performance of any movement, its physiological dimension, its psychological dimension, its kinetics and its mechanics. As a result, we are faced here with the need to have recourse to scientific knowledge in all of these areas, and hence on what the basic professions in sport should be. This approach should determine political choices in management training, for example. What profile of managerial staff is really needed, and how many? What level of management do we really need to develop sport? It has to be said that the content of training for sports managers in many African institutions and universities is weak. This has an impact on the level of competence of those trained, and hence on their performance in the field. In many African countries today, more sports managers are trained than specialist technical staff. A real political inconsistency. Training in coaching must meet the real needs of sport in Africa for all levels of practice. Sport is an indivisible whole. Each level of practice requires specifically trained managers, with particular profiles and skills, but all must have a level of scientific knowledge such that they can measure the impact of their interventions. They must be able to understand the problems and provide solutions by applying their scientific background. Let's say straight away that physical exercise never takes place in isolation. It takes place in an equally complex environment, the impact of which is immeasurable. This environment is controllable in some respects and impossible to control in others.

Striking the perfect balance? Mastering academic demands while thriving in the personal life. 4939

Safaa Ouahid, 2 mon.
With the hustle of academia, it’s very easy to focus only on what’s next—a looming deadline, the next exam, or an upcoming conference. Before you know it, those academic demands can creep into every corner of your life, making it tough to separate “work time” from “me time.” That’s why setting boundaries is so important. Whether it’s not answering emails after a certain hour or taking a proper lunch break, clear limits protect your mental health and nurture your relationships. Making Time for What Matters: One of the best ways to balance your academic workload with a fulfilling personal life is by using solid time management skills. It goes beyond just buying a planner—you have to create a realistic schedule, set achievable goals, and regularly check your progress. When you block out specific times for studying or research, it frees your mind to fully enjoy your personal pursuits later. For example, I started writing down all my meetings, and deadlines on a simple calendar, then penciled in “personal time” for reading, relaxing, or a quick break. Having those scheduled moments made it easier to focus on my tasks when it was actually “work time.” Learning to Say “No”: Another challenge I faced was learning to set limits with people around me. In the past, I’d say “yes” to every study group or committee meeting—leaving little space for rest. But saying “no” is sometimes the healthiest choice you can make. If a project isn’t urgent or a meeting doesn’t truly need your input, it’s okay to pass. By politely declining, you protect your mental health and keep your workload manageable. Small Breaks, Big Difference: Taking short breaks was also a lifesaver for me. Even a five-minute walk or a quick chat with a friend can recharge your brain, especially when you’re buried in readings or writing papers. When I tried to power through for hours without pausing, I ended up feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. Now, I schedule small breaks throughout my day. Celebrating Small Wins: Finally, I learned the power of celebrating small milestones. After finishing a tough chapter or hitting a key research goal, I give myself a little treat—like a coffee date with a friend or a short break. Recognizing these small wins reminds me that progress comes in steps, not leaps. It also keeps me motivated for the next challenge. By honoring each success, no matter how small, I stay positive and energized, even when juggling academic deadlines and personal responsibilities.

Dialogue between Dame Tour Mohammed VI and Dame Tour Hassan... 5580

Aziz Daouda, 2 mon.
Chance has never done things so well. Strolling along the banks of the Bouregreg in Rabat the Moroccan Capital, probably alone, at a time when no one was moving, my friend Aziz Boucetta overheard a discussion he had never expected or imagined; a discussion between the Mohammed VI Tower and the Tour Hassan Tower... nothing less. At the first stammer of the discussion, I can imagine him stopping, taking out his old-fashioned journalist's notebook and forever recording the content of the words and ideas exchanged. A rare moment. Starting out as a shameful rivalry of the kind we used to know between Lmra Lbeldia (Traditional Moroccan Women) and Lmra Al3asria (moderne one), the discussion quickly moved up a gear, swaying with the wind between history and philosophy, until it reached peaks which, from time to time, seemed to be addressed to all of us, and sometimes more directly to our politicians or those who claim to be politicians. The two towers, gently, in a language imbued with wisdom and sometimes nostalgia, speak to us all to wake us up, those of us who pass by every day without ever giving a thought to this dialogue of the times. They are addressed to the world as if to say that if we are where we are today, it is certainly not our fault, but that we are working boldly to get back to where we were before, to regain our rightful place. We're not blaming anyone or settling any scores with anyone; but we're on our way back, with a firm step. We are certainly at the first step, but a firm and unflappable step. To do this, we need to fulfil certain conditions: seriousness and determination. Unfortunately, we also have to meet the conditions set by the unscrupulous squatters in politics and the economy. The leeches and fools should also leave us in peace. One day, if God lends me life, I will ask, friend Aziz to tell me in what language the two towers held this discussion and how they managed to talk and understand each other. But does he even know? Back then, the Tour Hassan Tower probably didn't speak anything like we do today... I wonder if the Mohammed VI Tower is more at ease in English or French? ...in Darija perhaps. Here yu have the link of the original article as published by my friend Aziz Boucetta, months ago. It is in French.
panorapost.com/post.php?id=44748

What I Learned in 2024 During My PhD (Beyond Academia) 6007

Anas Bedraoui, 2 mon.
When people ask what I’ve learned during my PhD, they usually think it’s all about science—reading papers, running experiments, gathering data. But honestly? That’s barely 20% of what I’ve learned this past year. The real lessons have nothing to do with lab work. It’s more about how you plan. I’ve learned to pause, think things through, and focus on long-term goals. Not everything needs a fast answer, and not every problem needs to be fixed right away. The best decisions come when I keep my emotions in check and focus on strategy. Waiting is tough. Progress can be painfully slow. But I’ve learned that good things take time. Getting frustrated doesn’t help—staying calm does. Spending hours working alone makes you figure out who you really are—what motivates you, what stresses you out, and how much you can handle before you reach your limit. Some tasks felt pointless—reading papers I wasn’t excited about or presenting when I wasn’t ready—but those things made me better. The things I dreaded the most taught me the most. I’ve also realized that communication is about more than speaking—it’s about making people understand. Breaking down complex ideas is just as important as knowing them. How you explain things shapes how people see your work. And thinking critically isn’t just for science—it helps you understand the world better, question things, and spot what others might miss. I stopped waiting to feel “ready.” Confidence doesn’t come from knowing everything—it comes from showing up, trusting what you’ve learned, and getting better each time. I’ve also started thinking of my future like a game of chess—every move counts. Emotional decisions don’t last, but careful ones do. I’ve learned you can’t force your way through everything. Sometimes, you need to know when to speak, when to listen, and when to take a step back. Being diplomatic doesn’t mean you’re weak—it means you’re smart enough to handle things without making everything a fight. These lessons weren’t in any textbook. They came from real moments—the tough ones, the quiet ones, and the ones that felt overwhelming. It’s more than learning skills—it’s understanding yourself and becoming stronger with every step forward. Still, you don’t have to figure everything out alone. When you seek advice from someone who knows you and genuinely wants you to grow, you can skip some of the slow, painful steps. They help you see blind spots and make your process faster and smoother.

The Future - Review and Concepts from the book: AI For Social Good (1) 5657

THEJEDI, 2 mon.
We begin from the end. I read the book AI For Social Good by Rahul Dodhia and I gained some interesting ideas from it which I want to elucidate with my own take. So, we begin from the end - the final chapter - not only because it is the freshest parts of the book within my mind as I read them the last, but also because most of its paragraphs had my highlights for the entire book. One of such paragraphs that is worth mentioning is Rahul’s take on how the future of AI should be embraced when it becomes more powerful than we currently know it, and more powerful than humanity could understand. “The advancement of AI forces us to re-evaluate what we value in being human. It pushes us to move beyond intelligence as the primary measure of worth”. Rahul makes the argument that as humans, we have always taken pride in our intelligence, and now we find ourselves at a point where we are creating minds that can become more intelligent than us. Rather than resisting the change, hoping for new careers from the change, or just adapting like we always do, there is a chance now for us to “re-evaluate what we value in being human.” This idea of using AI's advancement as an opportunity to re-evaluate our humanness gained more importance for me because in another section of the same final chapter on “The Future”, it said: “The information revolution inadvertently emphasized negative behaviors, as people found themselves ensnared by screens and engaging in rampant consumerism rather than being exclusively utilized for leisure. Free time was often channeled toward extending work hours”. This suggests that before the information age, somewhere before the 1980s, there were leisure hours which people spent wisely by visiting friends, doing hobbies, and generally performing more fulfilling activities than they are doing now. Going on social media in recent times also shows more people judging the 80s and 60s as some of the best times of their existence. People were generally happier in that era than they are now. If the information age made us lose general happiness, stable mental health, healthy work-life balance, a stronger world economy and a greater sense of contentment as a people, all for chasing more information, then AIs advancement offers us the opportunity to fix these things. If AI becomes more advanced, more leisure will be created because most jobs will be automated. Contrary to the information age, there will not be any value in seeking out more information and knowledge to stay ahead anymore. Rather, real and abundant leisure will be created. Looking on the brighter side of job losses, whatever those activities were in the 60s that made life more exciting, people would become unbridled from the constant thirst for information and do those things - and maybe life will have more meaning again.

2024, kenyans on top of the world in number of world records 5670

Aziz Daouda, 2 mon.
2 min read.
2024 was undoubtedly the year of the Olympic Games, with thrilling moments, unforgettable competitions, great performances and a great atmosphere. Paris couldn't have dreamed of anything better, especially given the remarkably exceptional support from spectators. The numbers were there, and so was the enthusiasm specially when speaking about athletics. The score of 198,350 points in the World Athletics competition of the year rankings is the best ever result for championship-type competitions. The American Trials were relegated to second place and the European Athletics Championships to third. But 2024 was also the year of world records par excellence. We thought 2023 would be an exceptional year, but not at all. 2024 was even better, with athletes from Kenya taking the lion's share, which is a credit to the booming African continent. The gold medal went to Sweden's Mondo Duplantis and his three pole vault records, as well as to the galactic American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, twice a repeat winner in the 400m hurdles this year. The two mega-stars also stood out for their record-breaking performances during Olympic Games competitions. In the women's marathon, Ruth Chepngetich smashed the world record in a mixed race, and Perez Jepchirchir in an women's race. In the 1500m, Faith Kipyegon was magical and in the 10,000m, the thundering Beatrice Chebet was just exceptional. One of the most unexpected world records of the year was set in the women's high jump by Yoroslava Mahuchikh (1.80m) from Ukraine, followed in the men's discus by Mykolas Alekna from Lithuania. More confidential but no less important were the world records set in the men's 35km walk by Japan's Masatora Kawano and in the mixed 4x400m relay by the USA team. Three world records were also set in the women's 2000m by Australian Jessica Hull, and in the men's 3000m by the overjoyed Norwegian Jacob Ingebrigtsen, who failed to break the 1500m record still held by the legendary Hicham El Guerrouj. Other records were broken in the road events, in the 5km and 10km by Agnes Ngetich, another Kenyan in a mixed race. In the road mile, the men's record was twice bettered by another Kenyan, Emanuel Wanyonyi, and by Elliot Giles from the UK. The half-marathon record was beaten by Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha. Other world records were also set in the indoor events, with the women's 60m hurdles twice set by Bahamian Devynne Charlton, a record to be equaled by American Tia Jones. The Dutchwoman Femke Bol also twice improved the world indoor record in the 400m, before going on to carry her country to the Olympic Games. In the men's 60m hurdles, American Grant Holloway is set to shatter the record in 2024. There were also three world records, in less conventional distances such as the 600m by Kenya's Mary Moraa, and the 300m with the world revelation, Botswana's LetsileTebogo, also voted best athlete of the year. The double-mile indoor record was also improved by Joshua Kerr, who is currently restoring Britain's reputation in the middle distance. In addition, there were 14 world records in the U20 category and six in the U18 category. These achievements perfectly illustrate the universal nature of athletics. Virtually every continent is represented on the list of new world records, with African dominance thanks in particular to athletes from Kenya.

About Humor, Memes, Memofacturing, and Humor Iq… 5199

Elmahdi Elbakkar, 2 mon.
3 min read.
I can’t unsee how big of a memes fan I am, I would recognize some classic memes from the first sight. I feel sorry for my friends as I flood them with many memes about almost everything. I keep quoting some famous memes. All these typical Gen Z activities made me realize something: everyone understands memes, they are universal. On top of that, they pass down messages efficiently as our average attention span is decreasing generation after generation due to the unlimited distraction sources. I can’t be the only one noticing these two essential points as marketing experts already did and are focused on leveraging the full potential of this new universal means of communication. The recent assassination attempt on Trump produced one of the most iconic pictures on the web. These pictures not only stayed in our pockets but made it to T-shirts as memes in almost no time. The memes industry paid the price of its success, the unlimited desire to monetize everything, saw us being surrounded by commercial memes based on a product, not an idea… Memes are ideas, not products. I made memes myself to express ideas on certain topics. I remember when our university decided to rebrand and change its logo. I found the design too simple for the announced duration of work compared to the old logo, it was super creative. A lot of people reacted to it and immediately grasped its meaning without me having to explain the meaning. We all agree that memes unveil a huge hidden potential. We can universally express ourselves: isn’t the dream of everyone? Isn’t that the most requested thing? Isn’t that the origin of generational conflicts? When thinking about writing this article, I did not intend to talk about memes only, but to detail mainly one notion: Humor iq. We usually see people posting memes and explaining the reference behind them, some people don’t get the idea initially but end up understanding it after the explanation, but some don’t get it at all. It’s not the case only with memes but with all humor content, making us think: Does understanding humor count as an intelligence type? We were all proud at a certain moment for making a funny joke or getting a meme, we can be prouder when googling the word “ Humor Iq” as the main idea appearing is the high correlation between the ability to produce humor and high intelligence. Humor, nowadays is audio-visual content, interfering often with more than two senses (recalling a previous taste or smell experience). Let us examine the 7 types of intelligence: - Linguistic intelligence - Logical-Mathematical intelligence - Spatial intelligence - Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence - Musical intelligence - Interpersonal intelligence - Intrapersonal intelligence Humor content has words, the choice of words matters. Brilliant humorists know how to choose the exact words that will make sense and, eventually the essence of the joke. Good speakers rule the world… Some memes are complicated and require a certain analysis to decipher their logic, as there are also other memes about complex topics, it goes both ways: the content and the structure. Complexity induces a certain logic requiring logical intelligence to decipher the structure and the content. Some humor content requires imagination as the humorist takes us into an adventure guided by his or her descriptions usually to set up a scene required for the joke being made. Spatial intelligence is essential for a better understanding. We can go all day finding relationships between Humor intelligence and the 7 types of intelligence. I am not trying to prove that humor understanding requires different types of intelligence nor prove that all types of intelligence form humor intelligence. I am speculating on the status of humor intelligence: is it a type of intelligence? Does Humor intelligence induce the other types? If what we said about humor, being a human creation, is true, then it is for all human creations like music, poems… For each type, we can define intelligence and link to the other types. Are there seven types of intelligence, is this framework valid to describe all types of intelligence? What is the case for the spiritual and natural aspects? Can we define a valid framework to reflect on intelligence? This reflection gave me headaches as I, like philosophers, seek generality in the description, a theory of everything, but like consultants, I end up realizing that within the general there is a pinch of specific. Frameworks are an effort toward englobing certain notions but personal interpretation is always necessary. Life tends to be mechanical and requires some spice, and humor is one of a good spice. Far from the intelligence and framework speeches, Humor is human before all, some things are worth being enjoyed rather than complicating them. “ Genius takes time and extraordinary effort “

Achraf Hakimi is not the 2024 African footballer... CAF disowned? 6262

Aziz Daouda, 3 mon.
4 min read.
We are the day after the African Football Awards ceremony. A ceremony celebrated with brio and above all experienced with a fast sublimated to the maximum in Marrakech... A ceremony that only Morocco, in its millenary way, is capable of delivering at a level bordering on perfection. It was a beautiful evening, in which the brilliance of Jalal Bouzrara at the height of his powers, and his slightly outdated but well-endowed team-mate, gave a good rhythm that was only occasionally disturbed by the turbulence of a President with his jacket unbuttoned, his stomach hanging out and his attire far from respectful of the occasion. Infantino himself was ill at ease, suffering at will from the galloping hands of a president who plays at being more African than Africans. His gaze and sometimes his grimaces betrayed his phlegm, letting the CAF President know that this was not the way to act at a ceremony that was being watched throughout the world, at least the African world. The room was packed and many of the guests were mechanically applauding the trophies awarded here and there to the best this or the best that. The impression on the other side of the screen was that of one of those television programs where a chauffeur de salle, an ‘ambianceur’, orders the well-sorted audience to applaud and to stop according to the timing chosen by the director. This is not to say that the winning individuals or teams were not entitled to receive the trophies that were awarded to them, but the way in which they were announced by stars or lesser stars was not always successful. Each time, there was an attempt to create suspense and surprise when there was no need for it. The evidence was there. Which team could we have chosen if not Côte d'Ivoire, who have delivered one of the most exciting African Cup ever? What other female coach could have won the award if not the courageous Lamia Boumehdi. There is nothing worse in such a context, for the sake of spectacle, than to overplay the surprise in the face of the obvious. Under such circumstances, at some point, boredom sets in and the audience becomes bored. The President of the CAF sensed this and once on stage, once again, he make thinly disguised excuses: I know we are late... He pretended to want to move quickly but ended up delaying things even more, much to the dismay of our friend Jalal Bouzrara who saw his driver being badly led. In fact, and this is perfectly understandable, everyone in the room, as well as all of us behind our screens, were waiting for just one moment: the announcement of the best African player of the year. It is the one and only trophy that is remembered years later and that marks such ceremonies and adds value to them. If it were to be announced at the start of the festivities, it is almost certain that the halls would empty very quickly afterwards. Marrakech was no exception. The suspense was maintained by musical choices that were no doubt debatable, if not by those who recommended them. To each his own. In an instant, the hall was transformed into a mosque and a silent cathedral. To each his own, but football brings everyone together around six liters of air. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived this time. Again, on behalf of the two football bosses present, the one from the world and the one from Africa, the name of the African Golden Ball for 2024 was announced, not without some formality. For a moment, there was a heavy silence before a few voices chanted Hakimi's name, and the number of voices grew. It was a cold shower for the Moroccan clan, but not the only one. CAF found itself disowned. The choice was not the right one. Not that the player chosen is undeserving, but Hakimi is undoubtedly more deserving for more than one reason, all of them objective. Questions then de facto arose. How is it that the Golden Ball did not go to a Moroccan following the Qatar World Cup in 2022. How is it that the 2023 trophy did not go to Bounou and, of course, how is it that the golden ball did not go to one of the Moroccan players who won bronze at the Olympic Games, in this case Hakimi, the imposing and effective leader of this team? This is where hypotheses and questions can be put forward. Do the voters have something against the Moroccan players? Do they not see them as sufficiently African, even though they are just as African as the others? Perhaps, and above all, some people, no doubt a minority but influencing the vote, are confusing the issue with what is happening here and there, to which some sub-Saharan Africans are victims. Doesn't the laborious, hollow and unfounded concept of the Maghreb encourage people to lump together all the inhabitants of North Africa, knowing that the leaders of certain North African countries have gone astray with unacceptable remarks about sub-Saharans and that others have acted in a rather inhumane manner towards poor people, forced against their will to migrate from south of the Sahara to the north in search of a better life. Words spoken elsewhere, abuses committed elsewhere, thousands of kilometers from the Kingdom of Morocco. These are only hypotheses that some will find inappropriate or unfounded, but they can be discussed and disproved if they are not verified. It is at this point that we should perhaps be quick to point out that Morocco is the North African country with the highest number of migrants, more than 148,000 in 2024, with an annual increase of 5.6%, a spectacular leap of 71.86% in just ten years. The Kingdom is a destination and transit country. It has put in place a genuine policy to support and integrate these migrant populations. The country is fully committed to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. It is for this reason that large numbers of migrants, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, are regularly regularized and enjoy the same rights as Moroccan citizens. That's all there is to it, just in case... In any case, this morning the Moroccans are rightly not happy and understand even better the anger of Venicius and Real Madrid. Hakimi richly deserved to win the 2024 African Golden Ball.

Growth looks pretentious 4649

THEJEDI, 3 mon.
"That before we would get things to work perfectly, we would probably get things to work imperfectly" - wrote Nick Bostrom on Page 41 of his book Superintelligence. Growth looks pretentious. Whenever you do something new or different to what you are known for, you will appear to others as being pretentious. Even if people in your circle do not make you feel as such you might yourself doubt your prowess in the endeavor. Yet this is right where you want to be. The border between comfort and fear. Would you rather limit yourself to only the things you can confidently do or become pretentious and learn something new, grow and become your ideal person? Never become that person who comes from a village and attends a world class university only to still behave and think like his village folks. That person has not grown. That person has not learnt anything from their experience. That person fears to look pretentious whereas positive change is necessary for growth and advancement. To grow, you have to seek actively the person you want to become. Leave "pretentious" for society to regard it as such. Only you know who you are, where you come from and who you want to be. In a couple of years, you would have grown, while others would have been stuck in their comfort places.

Bashar Al Assad, in fact a snowman, not more... 4671

Aziz Daouda, 3 mon.
I wish, like everyone else, that the images and videos that have been plentiful on the net since the fall of Assad were fakes or extracts from horror films. They are unbearable to vomit. How can a human being in the 21st century pride himself on being a leader, a head of state in a country, and allow his security officials to subject his compatriots to such odious, cruel, degrading and dehumanizing torture? They were also degrading first and foremost for the narcissists who were inflicting the torments on other human beings, their brothers and sisters. What kind of man was this Bashar, this Assad, lion in Arabic. A lion is supposed first and foremost to protect and defend his own, but Bashar was in fact nothing more than a lion made of powdered ice, a little snowman with a Pinocchio nose, because at a height of almost two meters he was going to melt like snow. Two blows from a few armed men, no doubt none of them well-supported, were enough to make him flee like a rat that has inadvertently got in somewhere. This inadvertence lasted for almost sixty years, shared between him and his father, another bloodthirsty man who had worked hard and plotted relentlessly to extend this type of regime and the doctrine of his party: Baat to the whole region and even further afield. Humiliating, degrading, torturing and killing seem to be engraved in their genome. The father was a killer, the uncles were cruel, the relatives were bloodthirsty. They were all in the same boat. For sixty years, in prisons of absolute horror that not even Alexandre Aja, making the film ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, could have imagined, men and women have been flayed alive, crushed, pressed and crushed between two steel plates. Men and women were hanged to death from ropes with a very specific colour: red. Each and every person whose misfortune led them to the Saydanaya hellhole - and there must be others - had to undergo the welcoming ritual. A ritual documented in videos. These videos are undoubtedly a kind of victory over the executioners wearing the uniform of horror. They show human cruelty sublimated by madmen and murderers. These fools were undoubtedly themselves victims of the Assad system, which blocked every last vein of humanism in them and their generals. Victims probably, but victims who were complicit and accountable to justice. How could this bloodthirsty head of state, this madman, this extreme neurotic, and his henchmen, eat, sleep, shave in front of a mirror, reach out to people, talk about democracy, promise prosperity and peace to the people while knowing that every day that the good Lord did, young and old were kept in absolute darkness, underground, to the point of dispossessing them of their humanity, their reason and their raison d'être. How could a regime like this sit alongside others in international institutions, benefiting from a tolerance that today can only be described as indecent to say the least.

Trump, like a Roman emperor... 4377

Aziz Daouda, 4 mon.
During his campaign, candidate Donald Trump was hosted by Joe ROGAN in his famous Podcast, which is now more powerful than al large part of the mainstream media combined. That's where Trump confided the most, and that's where you have to go to understand his projected policies, both internally and externally. On this occasion, Trump said, in essence, “I'll be a dictator for a day, and the rest of the time, I'll be a Democrat”. By which he meant that, once installed in the 75.8 m2 office facing the White House Rose Garden, he would sign a lot of “Presidential Orders”. He's no stranger to this. He signed 53 in 10 months only during his first term. Presidential Orders are the decrees that a U.S. President can issue without reference to Congress. Although the procedure is not enshrined in the Constitution, it has always been used. As far back as 1793, George Washington used it to impose neutrality of the country in the conflict between France and England. It was under Franklin in 1862 that the procedure seems to have become a permanent fixture. Franklin D. Roosevelt is the president who holds the record, signing 3,700 of them. This didn't bother Americans too much, who trusted their president to get them out of the crisis and keep the country out of bankruptcy. More recently, George W. Bush signed 291 Presidential Orders. Congress remains in control of the situation, however, when it comes to funding and therefore the budget. For Trump, this won't be a problem. His loyalists have a majority in both chambers and are unlikely to encounter any difficulties. On January 20, he will show his devotion to the USA and put his commitments into practice, if only in part, by signing a multitude of documents of all kinds. Some of these will reach people's wallets the very next day. Like a true team captain, he will offer the people gathered around him ink pens from prestigious brand. Last time, there were as many pens as signed sheets. Trump has made it clear that he intends to put an end to wars and does not intend to wage or allow new ones. He also said he wanted to cut certain government bills, including those for the army. He was well aware that the great empires had all collapsed when their military spending had exceeded all comprehension. For him, the country spends too much on war and on the army. Will he really weigh in against the might of the Pentagon and its hidden motives. He's going to sack it boss. Buoyed by the swell in his favor in the recent elections, he intends to use this major advantage to rapidly influence the course of events. In his economic approach, his first priority will be to reduce the trade deficit. The Americans have a trade deficit with all the world's major economies: US$275 billion with China, US$152 billion with Mexico, US$72 billion with Japan and so on. A huge and rather unhealthy deficit. In alcohols and spirit beveradges alone, the deficit is 15 billion. He also wants to regain control of oil and gas production, and will heavily promote the exploitation of bituminous shist. He couldn't care less about the Paris agreements. He intends to reinvigorate certain industries, including the automobile industry, once the flagship of the American economy. To do this, he will need labor, which is increasingly scarce in the USA. While apparently opposed to immigration, he does have a solution. In short, he doesn't want any more stowaways, random intruders or those from the famous lottery. He advocates immigration based on skills and the country's needs. The president is convinced that this is the way the make this famous 'America first' a reality. Trump no longer wants to meddle in the affairs of other countries, but will nevertheless indirectly impact their economic policies through the introduction of rather high taxes on imports. And he's rather selective. His first target is China. He plans to apply chineese a rate of 60%. Mexico, on the other hand, will bear the brunt. A rate of 200% would be applied to the electric cars it exports to the USA. The Latin American neighbor has encouraged the establishment of Chinese companies manufacturing electric cars on its soil. These cars are then introduced into the USA under the NAFTA agreements signed in 1994 with Canada and Mexico. For the rest of the world, according to the customer, the rates would be from 10 to 20%. Another provision is also likely to disrupt the course of events: the 100% customs tax he wants to impose on imports from countries that do not use the US dollar in their international transactions. The BRIX is directly targeted. If Trump says he doesn't want a new war, now he's likely to declare a good one on a lot of countries at the same time. An all-out war. The very serious Centre d'Etudes Prospectives d'Informations Internationales -CEPII- estimates, for example, that these measures could lead to a fall in world GDP of around 0.5%. This is not insignificant given the rates achieved in almost all countries, barring exceptional cases. All countries exporting to the USA would so be affected. On the face of it, these measures will make it possible to relocate certain productive sectors to the USA, but with which workers, while at the same time he intends to expel almost 13 million people whom he and his followers consider to be too many on American soil. However, deportation is no easy task, and is likely to be very costly for the state whose money he claims to be defending. The operation would cost the American taxpayer some US$315 billion. In fact, what he would save or take with one hand, he may lose it with the other. It also remains to be seen how the American housewife will react. While the vast majority of them have punished the Democrats for inflation, all the measures mentioned above, and others still proposed, are likely to increase the cost of living. The average American who has become accustomed to paying USD15 for a shirt made in China is likely to have to pay more than USD20 for the same article...and that's not why he voted for Trump. In any case, the two months that separate us from the nomination of the 47th President of the USA are not going to be easy for the whole world. Economists and politicians are hard at work, calculators in hand. Both of them. There's no doubt that some of them are already preparing their response to the planned measures. The USA is not what it was fifteen or twenty years ago. It has lost much of its superb economic hegemony, and Trump may well learn this the hard way, or not. He'll still sign a bunch of Presidential Orders with his own hand on January 20, 2025, savoring his great triumph like a Roman emperor...

Travel Diary #3: Road trip in Madagascar 3865

Antoine, 4 mon.
For safety reasons and due to the roads/tracks conditions, we rented a 4x4 with a driver for our stay in Madagascar. What a great idea it was! You’ll understand why in a bit. Let’s start at the beginning. We stayed for two nights in central Antananarivo to discover the city and also rest a little. The city is located at an altitude of about 1,200 meters, and the streets are far from flat. After several weeks of safaris by car, our bodies were in dire need of some excercise. We explored the city on foot. And then, we hit the road. We met the rental agency manager on the morning of our departure, who informed us that the transmission in the car we were supposed to get was broken. So, we would have a car and a driver for the day, and our guide would meet us the following day. Off we went to Antsirabe. At lunchtime, to our surprise, we made a stop in a town known for... foie gras. Delicious! The next day, we met our driver, Georges. My son was having some digestive issues, thankfully, the main ingredient in all three daily Malagasy meals is rice. Georges suggested we spend the night at his aunt’s house in Miandrivazo, where we had Malagasy chicken soup for dinner. This chicken was raised outdoors, freely roaming the village streets. It was cooked in a broth with some ginger and rice. The next day, my son was completely healed. We continued driving to Morondava, a coastal town to the west, at the end of RN35. It was just a stopover before heading the next day towards Bekopaka. Unfortunately, after about an hour of driving, the car started emitting white smoke. So, we stopped and waited for a new car and driver, while Georges handled the necessary repair. The car’s turbo had broken. With our new driver, we headed towards the Kirindy Forest. Since we lost some time, it was impossible to reach Bekopaka before nightfall. That evening, we went on a guided tour of the forest to observe several species of nocturnal lemurs. The next morning, after a short tour to observe the diurnal lemurs with the same guide from the previous day, we headed to Bekopaka. The two river crossings were done by ferry. These ferries are essentially wooden motorized bridges that fit five vehicles side by side. The next day, we visited the Tsingy de Bemaraha, a UNESCO World Heritage site. These are sharp black limestone formations (due to oxidation) rising up to 700 meters high. The hike lasted about 4 hours and included parts of a via ferrata. The views were absolutely breathtaking. We then returned to Morondava, completing the 10-hour drive in one day. The following day, we reunited with Georges to continue our journey towards Belo sur Mer. We took the opportunity to go for a sailing pirogue ride. Two people navigate the pirogue: one manages the tension of the sail and paddles that serve as a rudder, while the other is at the front, handling the sail. The person at the front sits on a wooden plank connecting the pirogue to a counterweight about 10 cm wide. He seemed comfortably settled for the 3-hour journey to a small island in the turquoise waters where we had a picnic. To travel further down the west coast of Madagascar, we took a small detour inland through the town of Manja. On the dirt road, a small river crossing in the 4x4 had surprised our driver with its depth. The next day, we realized there was water in the reservoir. As we turned back, the steering axis broke. We ended up at the small restaurant we had just passed earlier. The method for getting there without a steering axis was rather amusing. While the driver was at the wheel, I walked alongside the car, manually turning the wheels of the 4x4 to steer it in the right direction. Once at the restaurant we met a driver who took us directly to the town of Ifaty. We canceled the further coastal towns to the north that required a functional 4x4. The road was asphalted, but there was no bridge yet to cross the river. The local pirogue operators took the initiative to organize a crossing service. Six pirogues, joined together by planks of branches nailed together, welcomed one car at a time. The pirogue operators, standing in the river as water level is low during the dry season, pushed the boats to the other side. A few days in Ifaty while waiting for a new car allowed us to rest a bit and go for a snorkeling trip. The corals and fish were beautiful. After this break, we got a new car and driver to take us to Isalo National Park. This park is made up of mountains in the middle of the desert, with a verdant canyon running between them. We did an 8-kilometer hike, in about 6 hours, allowing time for a swim in two waterfalls. We saw numerous species of insects and animals, including the famous ring-tailed lemurs. One particularly surprising insect we encountered was the stick insect, which is barely distinguishable from the branch of a bush. Without our guide, we would never have spotted it. The next day was a long drive to reach Ranomafana National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage site. We did another 8-kilometer hike the following day, which took us about 3.5 hours through its tropical rainforest. We only hiked in the secondary forest, as the primary forest is only accessible to the most adventurous who venture deep into the park for several days. These 3.5 hours were filled with new encounters. We observed five different species of lemurs, including the golden bamboo lemur, first identified in 1986 by primatologist Patricia Wright. At the end of the hike, we happened to meet her, accompanied by one of her students—what a coincidence! We chatted for a few minutes, and she mentioned the screening of her new documentary in the town of Ranomafana that evening. Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend as we had to head to Ambositra, about 3 hours north. After a night in Ambositra, we headed to Antsirabe. This time, we visited the surrounding area. We went to Lake Tritriva, a sacred lake for the Malagasy people. We could walk around the lake and swim in it. This lake is in the crater of a volcano and is about 140 meters deep. A legend says that Rabeniomby and Ravolahanta (the Malagasy Romeo and Juliet) committed suicide there. The next day, we returned to Antananarivo. During the long hours of driving throughout this road trip, withou our drivers and other people, we had the chance to discuss many aspects of Malagasy life including some politics. We learned a lot about the culture and also about the political life, which is far less glamorous than what is often depicted in the media. Despite hard lives and corruption, the people we met always had smiles on their faces and were never discouraged. Beyond the diverse landscapes, unique wildlife, and breathtaking flora, we had a wonderful human adventure. A long journey awaits us now for the next destination…

What If? 3755

THEJEDI, 4 mon.
The concept of work has always baffled me. That every day of a person's life, they get up and go somewhere to do something; sometimes different, sometimes repetitive. The understanding that it is ultimately towards a goal of either changing society, impacting lives and satisfying personal desires, both financially and in all other respects sometimes makes it make sense. So, what if every person belonging to some nation shared a common goal to make their country better and impact the lives of the people within that country while satisfying their personal desires that are tied to that nation. Would this be our common work? What if all Africans wherever they are in the world shared in the goal of making the continent better than it has ever been? An African living and working in the United Kingdom complained one day about how things are so bad in their home country. Then they were asked by a local that if things are so bad then why are they working in the UK instead and not in their home country. It was a casual question with no connotations of condescension, race or disgust, but a clear incomprehension of the reasoning that drove the decision to leave one's country to build another's. I have heard folks from many countries complain about their own countries. Africans complain, Europeans complain, Americans complain. The only people I have not heard complain are Asians by the way. This means that leaders are generally bad. So, what if we disregarded them anyway? The whole idea here is that each person has a lifetime. It lasts for a few years that even pass quickly before we could even catch it. Wherever you work within that time, wherever you put all of your energy, you build that place. You impact the lives of the people within that place, and you satisfy your personal desires tied to that place. If you complain about Africa while none of your life's work is in Africa, know that you are not getting satisfaction for all of your personal desires. What if you did some work in your home country today heh?

Innovation 3501

THEJEDI, 4 mon.
Is there really anything that is new under the sun anymore? Maybe you should take a moment and think about that question for your personal opinion before you read what I think. Some people hold the view that everything that humans could do or are doing these days have been thought of (even in the smallest way) by either other ancient humans, or by very recent humans, but there is nothing new to make or no newer ways to make anything anymore. Contrary to that, I ask this question: "do we have newer problems?" If indeed the world does not face newer problems, then only would I agree that there are no new things under the sun. Because we only innovate to solve problems and so long as there are problems that have no ancient roots, we will always need and have innovation. From climate change and environmental degradation, digitization of economies i.e. bit-driven economies, globalization where continents and regions are more reachable and have changing policies, increasing mental health rates, unemployment increases etc., we cannot hide the fact that there are now problems that many thinkers of old never fathomed would exist. These problems demand ideas. They demand thinkers to figure out means to resolution that do not negatively affect the population. These problems demand innovation.

Congratulations Mr Donald Trump, 47th President of the United States of America 3504

Aziz Daouda, 4 mon.
Trump is now the 47th President of the USA, after having been the 45th. It's a new and interesting development. During his first term, he broke with what the world had become accustomed to from the USA. He even went so far as to make contact with Kim Jong-Un, supreme leader of Pyongyang and of more than 26 million North Koreans. His relationship with Putin was marked by respect, and China was able to trade with him without ideological difficulties. His philosophy is basic: USA first. Anything that serves his country's interests is welcome. In his mind, there are no allies, only economic rivals, not even the Europeans. NATO is a heavy burden for him, and defending anyone is none of his business. He'll say to the Europeans, you want NATO to defend you, pay up. European leaders, intervening in scattered order, came begging for his blessing and protection, to no avail. All they got was disdain, if not humiliation. Merkel and Macron know all about it. World leaders, Europeans and others stayed up late on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, and watched helplessly as the USA's most atypical president was re-elected. The man who turned all North American electoral habits on their head. Many of them had a headache, a very bad one indeed. Most of them had secretly hoped for Kamala's election in the hope of a political and strategic continuum, that of the Democrats, embodied by Biden. They will be jostling to offer their congratulations: Congratulations Mr. President. Trump knocked out Kamala and his $2.8 billion campaign fund, while he, despite Elon Musk's boundless support, didn't raise more than $1.8 billion. Kamala's forced and cartoonish smile wasn't enough. Having never lost an election in her life, she didn't even have the courage to address her supporters on the election night. Kamala couldn't shake off Biden's tainted image. It has stuck to her. The economic success of his mandate wasn't enough; neither was the $1,000 billion invested in infrastructure. American housewives, young executives and blue-collar workers alike held him responsible for the decline in their purchasing power, and let Kamala know it at the ballot box. It's not totally untrue. The inflation that has raged around the world is largely due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, which the Biden administration has kept going with its generous arms and ammunition aid to the man who went straight from a TV series to a presidential mandate in a country that is, to say the least, bizarre since it broke away from the USSR. Wasn't there room for negotiation, particularly if we had revived the Minsk agreements, signed under the aegis of the Europeans, led by Germany and with the blessing of the Americans? That's all Putin wanted. The tensions stirred up with China also helped in this inflationary crisis that impacted the whole world, with catastrophic consequences for small economies and the 8 billion people on earth. Kamala paid for this, but also for the fact that her words were confusing and that, instead of presenting a plan for the future of Americans, she merely dug her own grave, getting bogged down in the rhetoric that Trump deftly lured her into. Her advisors and communicators failed to grasp the trick. On January 20, just after the pleasure of celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve; victorious, Trump will deliver his sermon. Between now and then, he'll be fine-tuning his plans and putting together a team of loyal followers. He doesn't want to relive the first term and its defections from his team. And he'll be a strong 47th President of the USA, unopposed in the US Congress, his party having won a majority in both houses. The Supreme Court will also be his. He'll have the upper hand. There's more in the world than only Europe and China, or India and Russia, there's also Africa. In his previous term of office, he didn't even look at it. Biden, on the other hand, paid attention to what was happening on the black continent, and to the growing intrusion of Russia, India, Turkey and, above all, China. He saw this as a threat to American interests and began to act to counter it. He accused his rivals of exploiting African resources without fair compensation. He called for greater justice in a partnership that respected the dignity of Africans. Biden will even organize a U.S.-Africa summit and shake hands with African leaders as no U.S. president before him has done. Not even Kenya's Obama. Joe made Kenya a strategic partner and received the Kenyan president on a state visit, a privilege no African leader had enjoyed for over forty years. He spoke of integrating Africa into the global market, facilitating the mobilization of capital to finance major projects. 55 billion will be mobilized for this purpose. Among other projects, the Lobito Corridor railroad line will be financed, integrating Angola with its Benguela line and linking it with Zambia and the DRC. Africans and Europeans alike have legitimate questions about the place Donald Trump will reserve for them in his foreign policy, especially his economic policy. Many were undoubtedly hoping to take advantage of Kamala's skin color and her origins... But that's not knowing the mentality of Americans of all origins. The ones who should be worried are the Palestinians. Trump is all about Israel. After all, he's the president who moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. No president before him had the courage to do so. Netanyahu must have followed the American elections closely and slept very well that night. Despite his unconditional support, Trump will seek to restore peace in the Middle East. Does he seek to impose a lasting solution: probably. He would like history to remember that. But at what cost to the Palestinians? The consequences of October 7 are likely to harm them in more ways than one. In Trump's mind, they'll make up for it. In any case, the day after the election, the price of oil fell drastically and the dollar recovered. For Moroccans, Trump is adored. This is the American president who solemnly recognized the legitimacy of the Cherifian Kingdom's sovereignty over its southern provinces, and who will no doubt speed things up even further. As for our friend Zelenski, there's a good chance that the play will be over for him this time.

XR The Moroccan Association As An Intergenerational Lab : Giving Moroccan Children a Voice in Scientific Research 3295

Dr. EL Mostafa Bourhim, 4 mon.
SPARK (Scientific Project for Active Researchers Kids), which we have worked on for two years, holds a special place in our hearts. We believe that "good research is research with children rather than on children". As the first Moroccan intergenerational lab where children and adults are equal as active researchers, XR The Moroccan Association plays a significant role in bridging the "research divide" and reducing the generational "disconnect." Our experience shows that children are fully capable of developing their own ideas and collaborating within a cooperative inquiry group to understand their world and find practical solutions. XR The Moroccan Association believes that scientific research is not reserved for adults, but is a right for every Moroccan child, in alignment with Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The results speak for themselves: these children have published scientific articles on esteemed international platforms such as SCOPUS and Google Scholar. These publications are not just educational projects but address important, real-world issues, broadening their perspectives and boosting their self-confidence. They have also presented their work at renowned conferences held in Cambridge, India, and Washington, showcasing their research on an international stage. Through SPARK, we do not aim to create the best child researchers in the world but rather the best child researchers for the world. Our message today: science is a knowledge construct built on intergenerational exchange of ideas and collaboration. There are no valid reasons—and zero benefits—for restricting this expression in society. It is essential that all generations contribute to scientific research, as each age group brings valuable insights and experiences that enhance our understanding and innovation. By fostering this intergenerational exchange, we can create a richer, more inclusive scientific community that benefits everyone. The path to innovation is through intergenerational research cooperation! These efforts will culminate in a ceremony honoring the child researchers on November 16, 2024, at the Cultural Center Settat at 15:00 PM, in conjunction with International Day of Children’s Rights on November 20. This event will not only celebrate their achievements but also serve as a call to all to support this new generation of young scientists, encouraging more children to follow this path. For more information about articles by the child researchers: RAYAN FAIK : https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8OqkR9MAAAAJ&hl=fr&oi=ao MISK SEHBANI : https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5MwJX1YAAAAJ&hl=fr&oi=ao KHAWLA BETTACHI: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DJvyfQ0AAAAJ&hl=fr&oi=ao
xrm.ma/kids-researchers/

Despite this, the United States will continue to make us dream... 3314

Aziz Daouda, 4 mon.
The world holds its breath. We are only’ a few hours from the American presidential elections. Those that will impact our lives for at least four years. No matter who the white house tenant is, he or she will be the greatest influencer in the world. Every day at the office will be made decisions that will impact the lives of all. The office that George Washington had wanted elliptical seems to be like this for a view of everyone, without any obstructive angle. The United States has thus placed itself at the center of the world. The white house is not just the oval office and the home of the president and his family. Other influencers, more or less known exercise their power there. They are advisers, secretaries of state, journalists or simple friends. All kinds of journalists have offices there and spend their days scrutinizing information, weighing on decisions and provoking them, especially when they face the President in person. He too obeys the dictate of the press and fears its omnipotence. Power in the US is not just the White House. Not far from there throne the Congress with a gerontocracy to give you cold sweats. Some of the Congressmen may go so far as to lose their Latin but hold much to the power conferred on them by the oldest constitution in the world. They appear to be the reincarnation of those who imagined and drafted the constitution. There was a Jewish Moroccan among the authors, by the way. Some’s have no knowledge and skill in out of what gives the millions of dollars that allow them to sustain themselves. They have no idea of geography or history and even less of the cultures of other peoples. They are Americans and therefore the best and the smartest and arguably the most powerful. They can make decisions to shake the world. No matter, in the evening, they will doze without seeing or understanding what’s would their decisions have caused. Old people are not alone. There are also young people, boys and girls who make their teeth. Many are from’ immigration but are against it. The US needs it for growth, but it doesn't matter. They are Mexican or Cuban of origin but do not want new Cubans or Mexicans. All make laws on subjects that only a minority understands. They denounce tyranny in the world but do not measure the one that they exercise on this same world. They defend human rights but do not realize that their army and companies may flout them every second. They are the best and the others are may be just ignorant barbarians. On January 6, 2021, Africa lost the primacy of contested elections. The outgoing president challenges the results a bit like those African opponents whose statements after counting votes can easily be imagined. A real coup d’etat. The United States will lose its brilliance in front of the world. The Capitol, the house of the people is stormed. Enlightened people rise to the rank of mentors and saviors of the democracy. Some Americans think that democracy is in danger and that it is up to them to defend it. Many find that their system is gangrenous and sick. Many have become aware that something must change but have no choice but to suffer. Albert Arnold Gore paid the price. Kind as he seemed, he had agreed to lose to the worst presidents the US would have, just to save the system. His features betrayed him. Not far away you have the’ other center of power: The Supreme Court of the USA. The designers of the system thought that with this institution they would spare the USA any kind of abuse. They could not imagine the type of humans who would succeed them. Those who by “micmacs” will seek to divert this institution and impose friends to support their drifts. The Court will decide according to the winds and the will of the one who presided over the appointment of this or that judge. On the eve of the elections these three symbols of the great American democracy are barricaded. Security has installed barriers and almost barricades. They are afraid of the illuminated man who to contest the results will come to immolate himself, of the fanatic who gun in hand may shoot some innocents, of the people convinced by the one or the other of the candidates to come to save democracy. The US is afraid of Americans. Not far away, the Pentagon seems to be quietly scrutinizing what is happening. The deep state is peaceful. Not much moves here. It looks like no one want to disturb the rest of the tenants of Darlington. This’ is where the big decisions would be made in case of problems. The tour would be incomplete without mentioning the tens of thousands of lobbies who scrutinize the situation, smiling. Regardless, they are only concerned with tilting decisions in favor of those who finance them. In caulked offices, feeding and feeding their prey in upscale restaurants, have them pounded in recommended bars. A power for which no one has voted. Around a meal or a glass one can seal the future of the people and why not of the entire humanity. Weapons, tobacco, medicines, chemicals are never far from the Capitol. Never American campaign had resembled that of today. Both candidates fell to the lowest. Insults are common. Infamous rhetoric and unbearable slanderous remarks resound on both sides. Even universities no longer escape violent ideological confrontations. Radicality does not seem to bother anyone; on the contrary, it is well nourished by the words of the candidates and their henchmen. Elon Musk and other stars are there to influence who with millions who with millions and forced smiles. It’s really funny to see their forced and caricatural smile. In any case, the show is both fun and alarming to the point of asking us the question of whether the’ system was not at an end. No matter who is going to occupy the Oval Office, the United States will remain the United States and all will carefully watch over who will govern them and rule us by ricochet for at least four years. I have a dream, Martin Luther King said. The pastor will eventually be killed. Today, not far from the White House, the Capitol, the Congress, the Supreme Court and the Pentagon, dozens of people are creating the slab and their children, at an increasingly early age, are killing each other with war weapons. Washington is no longer the chocolate city. It’s one of the cities where the social gap is most pronounced. It’s the Fifth deadliest city in the United States. Despite this, the United States will continue to make us dream...

A richer world athletics, but not for all... 1403

Aziz Daouda, 5 mon.
Has world athletics suddenly become richer, or is it just trying to be fairer in the distribution of financial income, particularly in the share it gives to athletes? In any case, the news for the next few years seems to confirm a major flow of money into athletics, with the athletes as the primary beneficiaries. It also seems that the recently launched projects and new competition formulas are very attractive and of great interest to promoters and advertisers. Historically, this has been the case since the 80s, when under the control of the revered President Primo Nebiolo, the man who revolutionized athletics, the IAAF was a pioneer in deciding to grant bonuses to athletes at world championships. It also began to pay grants to national federations for the preparation of their athletes. In fact, it distributed the income generated by world competitions as fairly as possible. Forty years later, World Athletics (the new name for the IAAF) announced athlete bonuses at the last Olympic Games in Paris. One day, the IOC will have to review its financial policy and come to the realization that, at the heart of the money it collects, there is a show whose actors are the athletes, and that any service that generates profits must benefit its actors first. I'm one of those who believe that the IOC should start paying bonuses to winners as soon as possible. Today, it seems that the most important annual competition in athletics, the “Wanda Diamond League”, will be increasing its athlete bonuses in 2025, thanks to a significant increase in resources. The amounts involved will be higher than in previous seasons. The promised increase will apply to both individual competitions and the overall prize money paid out at the annual finals. For its part, World Athletics, which had already increased the prize money reserved for athletes at world championships in 2022, is now proposing a new formula for annual competition, which it now calls the “Ultimate Championships”. The competition would begin in 2026 with a prize fund of 10 million USD. The winners of each event would receive USD 150,000. Also arriving is the new world league, Grand Slam Track (GST), founded by legendary American sprinter and former 400m world record holder Michael Johnson. This competition will make its debut in April 2025. The GST, which will see the world's best male and female runners compete, offers 262,500 USD in prize money at each of its four meetings, each winner receiving 100,000 USD. The Athlos, an event organized in New York by Alexis Ohanian (husband of Serena Williams), has also recently been launched. This women-only competition carries a prize of 110,500 USD per race, with 60,000 USD going to each of the winners. European athletics has also seen a real shake-up, with the launch at this year's European Championships in Rome of gold crowns worth 50,000 EUR, awarded to the best result per event group. These awards were won by 10 renowned athletes: Warholm, Ingebrigtsen, Duplantis, Fabbri, Erm - Bol, Battocletti, Elkasevic, Mihambo and Thiam. In addition, for 2025, outdoor competitions organized under the aegis of European Athletics will be endowed with even higher prizes: EUR 75,000 for silver, EUR 30,000 for bronze and EUR 12,000 for the challenge. Athletics thus seems to be back on its feet financially, no doubt as a result of the healthy performances of its ever-improving athletes and increasingly spectacular competitions. At the same time, these new formulas risk widening the gap between the different regions of the world, particularly when it comes to continental competitions. While Asia and North America have the capacity to keep pace, Oceania and South America a little less so, Africa seems far from being able to generate the financial flows needed to organize major championships and pay athletes bonuses. It's not a question of will, or even less of competence. Rather, it is the economic context that is decisive. At the 2018 continental championships in Assaba, Nigeria, Africa beat Europe to the punch by attempting to pay bonuses of 3,000 USD to the winners of the various events. Unfortunately, the project came to nothing. The Confederation of African Athletics is likely to find it difficult to attract the best African athletes to these competitions if it does not align itself with what is happening elsewhere. As far as athletics one day meetings are concerned here too, the gap is likely to widen even further. Formulas in Europe and North America will severely handicap the attractiveness of competitions elsewhere, particularly in Africa. Only time will tell what will really happen...very soon indeed. In the end, it's the athletes who will be more fairly rewarded for their efforts and sacrifices. And that's undoubtedly a great step forward for the world...

Free people in a tapestry of rules 1014

THEJEDI, 5 mon.
I quote Ralph Waldo Emerson's saying that "do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail". In doing so, I am telling you that there are men no smatter and no dumber than us who have been here before and by the things they have said, they knew - in that time - that whatever rulebook and pattern that was written for life - go to school, learn our ways, speak our tongue, do this work, find a companion, have some fun, leave some kids behind, grow old, die - these rules were conjured by some persons before them. Steve Jobs in an interview (find link attached to this story), said that once you discover one simple fact that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that are no smarter than you, and you can change it, influence it, poke at it and something would actually pop out at the other side, then you would have discovered the most important thing in life. I have known the very lowest points of life. I have doubted about tomorrow. And I am not clear of life's tribulations. But it took these things for me "to shake off this erroneous notion that life is just there, and I am just going to live in it". Shun evil, be kind, be obedient, listen to reason and be humble. But never for once think that you are not free to carve a good path and lead others on it.
youtu.be/kYfNvmF0Bqw?si=xXxFwpCb...

Vinicius'Jr. paving stone: moving World Cup form Spain... 1673

Aziz Daouda, 6 mon.
2 min read.
The recent statement by Vinicius Jr., Real Madrid's best player, concerning the awarding of the World Cup to Spain continues to provoke strong reactions. He basically said that the 2030 World Cup should be played in another country if things don't improve, and that he is often the victim of racial insults in Spain. ‘I hope that Spain will learn not to insult people because of their skin colour. If things don't change by 2030, the World Cup should move on. ‘If the players don't feel safe from racism, it's hard to play,’ he told CNN in essence. The power of the chosen media is well interwoven with that of the word of one of the best-known players on the planet. He has thus embarrassed the whole Spain, aware of the star power he enjoys and knowing full well that the opinions of top sportsmen and women have an impact and can affect institutions and countries. Has he thought carefully about the possible or probable consequences of his remarks before embarking on such an adventure: the consequences for his club, which is working with FIFA to make the renovated Santiago Bernabeu the venue for the World Cup Final? This statement sounds like a warning that black sportsmen in Spain are fed up, and perhaps even a sign of revenge. Venicius Jr. surely knows that his comments will not be well received by fans of sport and Spanish football in particular, but he is making it clear that in Spain you can be insulted in a racist way in sport as well as in everyday life... It's a real problem for society. Vinicius Jr. took the precaution of qualifying his remarks by not saying explicitly and categorically that Spain was a racist country, but rather ‘a country where you can suffer from racism’. Nevertheless. Everyone understood that he simply meant that Spain is a racist country where players of colour do not necessarily feel very comfortable; otherwise why did he go so far as to ask FIFA, in a barely attenuated manner, to think before awarding the 2030 World Cup to Spain? Spain is in a three-way bid with Morocco and Portugal to host the centenary edition of the World Cup. It won't be long before comments like these create a rift between those who will rise up and reject them out of hand and those who will rally behind Vini... Let's bet there won't be many of the latter. One thing is certain: this will not be without consequences... even for Real Madrid, who will no doubt be thinking about how to calm things down before taking a decision on the player's future with the club... Some people have already gone ahead and dismissed the Brazilian's comments, pointing out that the most adored players in Spain at the moment, and particularly in the Spanish national team, are LAMINE YAMAL AND NICO WILLIAMS, and they are not white... Isn't this a way of discrediting Vinicius Jr. with a touch of irony? Will the Madrid striker's comments have helped to silence insults and unpleasant and inappropriate comments in the stands of football stadiums in the future? Only time will tell. What is certain is that it has sparked a real debate throughout a Spain that breathes nothing but football... It will have made some people ask serious questions about their behavior in tolerating or participating in acts of a racist nature in Spain and beyond. The player's words spread like wildfire across Spain and the world in the space of a few hours, demonstrating the power of the voice of top sportsmen and women. FIFA will no doubt be hearing about this, but not to the extent of going along with the player's idea of not giving Spain the World Cup if the situation does not change before 2030. Let's hope that things really do change. Every one will then say Thanks Vini.
music.youtube.com/watch?v=-E1N_k...

The Gods only forge the Great. 1187

EL MONO MAS GRANDE, 6 mon.
One day in deep meditation the Biggest Ape met an unborn boy. The boy was alone, scared and deeply disturbed. When he saw the Biggest Ape he ran towards him, heavy tear drops running down his cheeks. - "I saw my future!" cried the boy, kneeling in front the Biggest Ape. - "And?" grunted the Biggest Ape. - "It's horrible!" screamed the child in terror. "It's all treasons a many, strife, pain and suffering, for 20 years from the moment I hit 5." - "What happens, after 25?" Inquired the Biggest Ape. - "I don't know, I was too scared to keep looking." - "Come." said the Biggest Ape. He took him to the top of a mountain, to a secret doorway that leads deep into the earth. For many hours they walked in silent darkness until they heard the sound of metal pouding against metal. They pressed on for a few minutes entering the biggest forge the boy has ever seen. At the center a solitary figure, a big burly man, shirtless, with a long grey beard was pounding a huge piece of metal with a gigantic hammer. He was very hairy, reminding the boy of the Biggest Ape. The man raised his eyes at the Biggest Ape and nodded, the Biggest Ape nodded back and motioned the boy to move closer. -"This is going to be a magnificent sword", whispered the Biggest Ape. "fit for a God". Then gesturing to his left he pointed to a heap of scrap metal. "There are all the metal pieces that could not withstand the hammering and the tempering. They broke, they *abandoned*" . The boy was fascinated. The Biggest Ape placed is right hand over the boys eyes, completely covering his face. The little man let a scream, opening his mouth in astonishment. -"What did you see?" -"I saw the most perfect man, the man beyond man. I saw temples, and statues erected of him centuries after his death. I saw his name on paper and walls for Millenia." -"That sword is being made for him. And that man is you". Then looking at the pile of scrap metal, the deep voice of the Biggest Ape echoed in the forge: == "The Gods test everybody, but only forge the Great." == -"I understand", replied the boy. Thus Spake Apathustra.