El futbol, en un País como el nuestro, representa mucho más que un juego, que un deporte: es, para bien o para mal, un símbolo, un exponente de nuestros triunfos y fracasos y también, de nuestra idiosincrasia. Es además, un enorme negocio. Hugo Sánchez es, quizás, el peor técnico que ha tenido la Selección de México en muchos años, pero está allí porque es un acabado exponente de esa idiosincrasia y de lo que se mueve detrás del futbol en México.
Toda la estrategia y la lógica futbolística de Sánchez se concentra en dos principios: a esto hay que “echarle güevos” porque el técnico y por ende así debe serlo su equipo es muy “macho”. Allí acaba el planteamiento táctico y estratégico. Así Sánchez ganó con los Pumas dos campeonatos pero los dejó peleando el descenso; así el técnico boicoteó descaradamente a su antecesor en el cargo, porque argumentaba que era extranjero y no le ponía “las ganas” suficientes. Así insulta, grita, se mete a la cancha, intenta imponer por la fuerza, por los huevos, los argumentos que no puede aplicar su equipo, ante sus endebles planteamientos estratégicos. No es un ejemplo de caballerosidad, sino de patanería: pero así son los “machos”. Porque Sánchez disfruta que se lo reconozca como el “macho” y tiene razón: tiene las peores características del machismo. A la falta de preparación, la compensa con la “voluntad”, a la falta de sentido deportivo lo quiere compensar con la fuerza. Como todo buen “macho” oscila entre la masculinidad exacerbada y la debilidad por actitudes estereotipadas como femeninas: quiere ganar a como dé lugar, pero siempre justifica sus derrotas por causas externas y jamás asume sus errores, su responsabilidad. Como muchos “machos” de nuestro País se vanagloria de su supuesta virilidad, pero son incapaces de sostener un proyecto, o en su caso un hogar, de educar a sus hijos, de ser un ejemplo, de aceptar a las mujeres como iguales y en ocasiones como superiores.
En esa lógica es comprensible que a su xenofobia, una un acendrado malinchismo. El mismo Sánchez que exigía la renuncia de La Volpe por ser extranjero es el que a poco de vivir en España tenía un acento más castizo que el rey Juan Carlos. El mismo que se indignaba porque eran convocados jugadores nacionalizados (aunque alguno de ellos, como Gabriel Caballero, hubiera sido todo un ejemplo, dentro y fuera de la cancha para el futbol nacional) pero apuesta todas sus cartas a un jugador, Nery Castillo, sin duda talentoso, pero que ha pasado más tiempo en México en la reciente concentración de la Selección, que en toda su vida adulta previa, como si el acta de nacimiento fuera más importante que los sentimientos y el compromiso que se adquieren en la vida.
Sánchez, como hace un año López Obrador, prometía una existencia de prosperidad y bienestar, pero sin decirnos cómo lo lograría, pidiéndonos sólo que nos encomendáramos al rayito de esperanza que él decía representar. Sánchez prometió nada menos que el Campeonato del Mundo, pero no puede ganar la Copa de Oro. Si López Obrador para conseguir ese nuevo México, se limitaba a proponer lo mismo que había hecho el PRI hasta los años 80 y se rodeaba de priístas de bueno, dudoso y vergonzoso pasado, Sánchez termina recurriendo a Cuauhtémoc Blanco y otros jugadores que son el pasado, que están descartados, aunque fuera sólo por su edad, para el próximo mundial; no apuesta por los jóvenes y su esquema estratégico es tan confuso, que algunos como Carlos Salcido, prefieren tomarse vacaciones que ir a la Copa América. Pero ¿cómo apostar al futuro, cómo establecer un programa de trabajo, cómo recurrir a Giovanni de los Santos o a Carlos Vela, cómo establecer un proyecto estratégico, paso a paso, buscando un objetivo de mediano y largo plazo si todo se reduce a “echarle güevos” al asunto; si, además, todo se limita a ser condescendiente con los intereses que lo llevaron a ocupar el lugar que ahora ocupa?
Nadie niega que Sánchez fue un gran jugador, aunque no tuviera la técnica individual de un Rafa Márquez o aunque destacara como parte de esa maravillosa maquinaria que fue el Real Madrid de la quinta de Butragüeño. Pero también es verdad que Hugo, le hizo mucho daño al futbol nacional: es un hombre que como jugador, recurrió a la trampa (una faceta más de los güevos y el machismo inherente) al trampear con su fecha de nacimiento para poder jugar, con dos años más de lo reglamentario, un mundial juvenil, y, ello dejó a México fuera de un Mundial. Es un profesional que hace la apología del machismo, pero que cuando tuvo que hacer gala de su entereza, ya sea en Honduras o en el Mundial de Estados Unidos, simplemente falló: erró o no quiso jugar. Pero no acepta responsabilidades y siempre encuentra excusas, coartadas, agentes endógenos, complots que justifiquen su fracaso.
El echarle güevos y el machismo, un rasgo inherente a esa actitud, han sido dos de los grandes responsables de muchos de nuestros fracasos deportivos pero también, y ello es mucho más importante, de nuestros fracasos como Nación. No importa si hace 30 años, España, Corea del Sur o Irlanda, tenían un nivel de desarrollo inferior a México: ellos, a diferencia nuestra, planificaron, abandonaron los dogmas y transformaron su sociedad (y vaya que españoles, coreanos e irlandeses hubieran podido presumir de machismo y voluntad, léase güevos) y hoy tienen un nivel de vida muy superior al nuestro.
No necesitamos líderes paradigmáticos, ni visiones marcadas por un nacionalismo que se cree inédito y que es sólo anacrónico, ni tampoco machos que cumplan con ese destino autodesignado. Necesitamos de planificación y visión, necesitamos más de esa visión femenina que piensa en el futuro y trabaja cotidianamente para lograrlo. Casi un tercio de nuestros hogares son sostenidos, mantenidos, por mujeres, con hombres ausentes. Esos son los machos que, mientras tanto, le echan güevos para justificar sus fracasos y traumas.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
No spitting on the road to Olympic glory, Beijing say
BEIJING: For all the expectations and civic pride that Beijing has attached to being the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the event is a source of civic anxiety, too. What if traffic is terrible? What if the weather is bad? These are worries for any host city, but Beijing also has a few more:
What if foreign visitors are forced to navigate a minefield of saliva left by local pedestrians spitting on sidewalks? What if lines at Olympic events dissolve into scrums as local residents jump to the head of pack? What if Chinese fans serenade rival teams with the guttural, unprintable "Beijing curse"?
China's ruling Communist Party has never been very comfortable with the question, what if? While Olympic visitors will undoubtedly be greeted with ecstatic hospitality, local officials are worried about some local habits. So as Beijing is building new sports stadiums, subway lines, futuristic skyscrapers and public parks for the Games, city leaders are also trying to rebuild Beijingers.
Citywide campaigns are trying to curb public spitting, discourage public cursing and littering and also promote lining up. There is even a campaign to rectify the often hilariously bad English translations on signs and restaurant menus. Given that Chinese leaders regard the Olympics as a milestone event to showcase China to the world, they obviously do not want to be embarrassed.
"Public awareness of manners needs to be improved," said Wang Tao, the soft-spoken, exceedingly polite civil servant who has become a local celebrity for his efforts to curb public spitting.
Last week, the city commemorated "Queuing Day," an event held on the 11th of every month because the date symbolizes an orderly line. Volunteers wearing satin Queuing Day sashes shooed rush-hour commuters into lines at busy subway stations, while hospital administrators and a few city officials handed out long-stemmed roses to patients who stood in line to pay their bills or pick up medicines. Local news media swarmed the event.
"This is to encourage people," said Zhang Xin, 30, an expectant mother, clutching her flower as she left Beijing Hospital after her pregnancy checkup.
Chen Chunfang, one of the hospital administrators, summed up the purpose succinctly. "The Olympics are coming, and everyone wants to show their best," she said.
Beijing, of course, is a sophisticated city that is the cultural and political capital of China. Nor it is alone is being accused of public boorishness; some people have even accused, say, New Yorkers of occasional displays of foul language and unflattering public behavior.
Still, some Communist Party officials have publicly fretted that Beijing may not measure up. One delegate at the country's annual political meetings in March recommended heavy fines and a public education campaign to curb spitting, cutting ahead in line, smoking and foul language.
"They are stubborn diseases that stain the image of the capital city," Zi Huayun, the delegate, told the country's English-language newspaper, China Daily.
In fact, Beijing had already announced that people caught spitting in public before the Olympics could face fines up to 50 yuan, or about $6.50, hardly small change in China. Wang, the anti-spitting activist, said the Olympic spirit inspired him to begin his campaign. "I felt I must do something to contribute," he said.
He chose a very dirty task. Public spitting is a frequent practice in Beijing and even more common elsewhere in China. (The sinus-clearing, phlegmy pre-spit hawking sound is so common that one foreigner wryly dubbed it "the national anthem of China.") Health officials, worried about communicable disease, have long tried to curb public spitting, with limited success, given that many people do not consider it unacceptable behavior.
"I spent six months trying to figure out how to stop people from spitting," Wang said. "I first wanted to wipe their spit up myself, but just how much could I wipe? So I decided the best way was to ask the spitting person to stop."
He chose to begin in May 2006 in Tiananmen Square, which might qualify as an official venue if spitting were an Olympic event. "The first person I came across was a thin man, not very tall," Wang recalled. "I said, 'Mister, please wait a second!' But he walked away and I couldn't keep up."
His campaign has since gained momentum. He has attracted hundreds of volunteers for his group, known as the Green Woodpecker Project. They carry tissues, which they offer to people as an alternative to spitting on the ground, and try to convince the offender, usually male, to change his ways. Wang himself carries a small camcorder and posts spitting action shots on his Web site.
What if foreign visitors are forced to navigate a minefield of saliva left by local pedestrians spitting on sidewalks? What if lines at Olympic events dissolve into scrums as local residents jump to the head of pack? What if Chinese fans serenade rival teams with the guttural, unprintable "Beijing curse"?
China's ruling Communist Party has never been very comfortable with the question, what if? While Olympic visitors will undoubtedly be greeted with ecstatic hospitality, local officials are worried about some local habits. So as Beijing is building new sports stadiums, subway lines, futuristic skyscrapers and public parks for the Games, city leaders are also trying to rebuild Beijingers.
Citywide campaigns are trying to curb public spitting, discourage public cursing and littering and also promote lining up. There is even a campaign to rectify the often hilariously bad English translations on signs and restaurant menus. Given that Chinese leaders regard the Olympics as a milestone event to showcase China to the world, they obviously do not want to be embarrassed.
"Public awareness of manners needs to be improved," said Wang Tao, the soft-spoken, exceedingly polite civil servant who has become a local celebrity for his efforts to curb public spitting.
Last week, the city commemorated "Queuing Day," an event held on the 11th of every month because the date symbolizes an orderly line. Volunteers wearing satin Queuing Day sashes shooed rush-hour commuters into lines at busy subway stations, while hospital administrators and a few city officials handed out long-stemmed roses to patients who stood in line to pay their bills or pick up medicines. Local news media swarmed the event.
"This is to encourage people," said Zhang Xin, 30, an expectant mother, clutching her flower as she left Beijing Hospital after her pregnancy checkup.
Chen Chunfang, one of the hospital administrators, summed up the purpose succinctly. "The Olympics are coming, and everyone wants to show their best," she said.
Beijing, of course, is a sophisticated city that is the cultural and political capital of China. Nor it is alone is being accused of public boorishness; some people have even accused, say, New Yorkers of occasional displays of foul language and unflattering public behavior.
Still, some Communist Party officials have publicly fretted that Beijing may not measure up. One delegate at the country's annual political meetings in March recommended heavy fines and a public education campaign to curb spitting, cutting ahead in line, smoking and foul language.
"They are stubborn diseases that stain the image of the capital city," Zi Huayun, the delegate, told the country's English-language newspaper, China Daily.
In fact, Beijing had already announced that people caught spitting in public before the Olympics could face fines up to 50 yuan, or about $6.50, hardly small change in China. Wang, the anti-spitting activist, said the Olympic spirit inspired him to begin his campaign. "I felt I must do something to contribute," he said.
He chose a very dirty task. Public spitting is a frequent practice in Beijing and even more common elsewhere in China. (The sinus-clearing, phlegmy pre-spit hawking sound is so common that one foreigner wryly dubbed it "the national anthem of China.") Health officials, worried about communicable disease, have long tried to curb public spitting, with limited success, given that many people do not consider it unacceptable behavior.
"I spent six months trying to figure out how to stop people from spitting," Wang said. "I first wanted to wipe their spit up myself, but just how much could I wipe? So I decided the best way was to ask the spitting person to stop."
He chose to begin in May 2006 in Tiananmen Square, which might qualify as an official venue if spitting were an Olympic event. "The first person I came across was a thin man, not very tall," Wang recalled. "I said, 'Mister, please wait a second!' But he walked away and I couldn't keep up."
His campaign has since gained momentum. He has attracted hundreds of volunteers for his group, known as the Green Woodpecker Project. They carry tissues, which they offer to people as an alternative to spitting on the ground, and try to convince the offender, usually male, to change his ways. Wang himself carries a small camcorder and posts spitting action shots on his Web site.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Sube lémur a microbús y ataca a hija del conductor
Paramédicos de la Cruz Roja del municipio de Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México, atendieron a una joven de 19 años de edad por heridas causadas por mordeduras de un lémur.
El animalito, de aproximadamente 50 centímetros de largo, trepó a una unidad de transporte de la Ruta 2, que esperaba el cambio de color del semáforo, en avenida 503 de San Juan de Aragón.
Al parecer el lémur buscaba refugio después de escapar del zoológico.
Minutos después de la medianoche, Javier de La Fuente, chofer de una unidad de transporte tipo microbús de la Ruta 2 que corre de la colonia Vergel a San Felipe de Jesús, en la delegación Gustavo A. Madero, paró por la luz roja del semáforo de la avenida 503, en las inmediaciones de la colonia San Juan de Aragón, delegación Gustavo A. Madero.
El lémur, de color café, subió por la escalera del acceso principal de pasajeros de la unidad de transporte, se refugió en la parte trasera, entre los asientos vacíos, ya que el chofer regresaba a su casa después de una larga jornada de trabajo.
Al llegar a casa, Javier escuchó ruidos raros y se percató del animal que se movía de un lado a otro dentro de la unidad, pero al avisarle a su familia, María Luisa, de 19 años de edad se acercó lo suficiente para que el lémur le mordiera la muñeca de lado derecho, ocasionando pánico.
El animal y la joven fueron trasladados a la unidad de emergencias de la Cruz Roja de Nezahualcóyotl, en donde personal médico curó a la joven.
El pequeño lémur fue sometido por paramédicos y encerrado en una oficina, donde minutos después, elementos del cuerpo de bomberos de la localidad lo trasladaron a un refugio.
Los lémures son una clase de primates conocidos como prosimios, originarios de la isla de Madagascar.
Su rasgo más llamativo es su cola peluda y siempre erguida, que en algunas especies tiene anillos grises y negros.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Police hope for rock magic in a year of big reunions
By BRIAN MCCOLLUM
Detroit Free Press
There weren't a lot of these reunions left.
It's all but a done deal: an upcoming tour for venerated rock trio the Police, more than two decades after the band bowed out at the height of its fame.
Buzz has been percolating for weeks, and things should start flying next month. The band is penciled in to play the Grammy Awards on Feb. 11, with an international tour announcement to follow.
If so, this is about as massive as it gets. The Police were the world's biggest band, selling out stadiums and dominating the global pop charts, upon their 1984 split. The trio's long refusal to bite the reunion bait has only made public appetite grow.
At first glance, the payoff seems great all around. Longtime fans get entertained again, young fans get their first glimpse, the band makes its cash, the tour industry gets a boost.
But just how wise is the act of the rock 'n' roll reunion? Old hands know it's fraught with a less visible peril: When you step back out to dust off your legacy, you risk getting it dirty in new ways.
After years of letting things lie, that's apparently a chance the Police are willing to take.
One thing is certain: The band's reappearance means we're running out of untapped blockbuster comebacks.
Beyond Pink Floyd -- abandoned by Roger Waters in 1983 -- the Police were the most significant holdouts still prowling the hallowed halls of rock mythology.
Or at least right near the top: Billboard reported last week that Van Halen -- with original vocalist David Lee Roth -- will also be heading out for a summer tour.
In the world of rock, 2007 is shaping up as Year of the Reunion. It's not just the quantity that stands out; remobilized old bands have dominated the summer concert circuit for years. It's the star power.
Beyond the Police and Van Halen, major reunion projects are on the way from such names as Rage Against the Machine, Genesis, Smashing Pumpkins and the Stooges.
The attendant hype for such comeback blitzes could be chalked up as another sign of contemporary rock's troubled times.
Sure, a Police or Van Halen reunion would have been big news at any point the past two decades. But in 2007, their likely domination of the pop-music conversation will starkly reveal a modern scene that can't match such wide-scale excitement.
Rock reunions have become rollicking business. The 1990s were the decade that turned rock nostalgia into an industry, with hell-froze-over reunions of bands ranging from the Eagles to Kiss.
Even the surviving Beatles got together to make music.
The summer season became the go-to stomping grounds for reconvened bands both major and medium, and VH1 joined the game with the popular "Bands Reunited," mustering the original lineups of new-wave hit makers like Berlin and A Flock of Seagulls.
In an age of entertainment-on-demand, summoning old favorites back into action has become just another public expectation.
"At the moment, we're looking at a very healthy year," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert trade magazine Pollstar. "The fact that we'll have new things to sell -- even if they're old new things -- is nice."
Still, Bongiovanni says he won't make predictions about specific tours: "The public often looks at these reunion tours as a one-shot opportunity, and they'll pay a premium to see that. But you never really know until you ask people to open their wallets."
The music annals are teeming, of course, with the magical reunions that can never happen in full: groups such as Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers and Nirvana, whose classic lineups have been splintered by death.
That's what makes the Police a special case -- one of the few larger-than-life bands whose members aren't just alive and kicking, but remain creatively active.
There aren't a whole lot of candidates left. On the pop side are ABBA and the '60s-era Supremes. Alternative rock has the Smiths and the Talking Heads. In classic rock are the Kinks, maybe Journey with Steve Perry.
Recurring rumors of a Police reunion had become a standard feature in recent years, getting extra fuel when the trio temporarily re-formed for its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For years we'd heard of the lingering animosity among Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
The three had seemed intent on sticking to their guns, letting history be history after the breakup that made the Police one of those pop-culture rarities: an act that went out on top.
And that gets right to that dim danger lurking at the core of the rock reunion: screwing up the legacy.
The trio's defiance in the face of what had surely been tremendous temptation -- financial and otherwise -- is one reason the band's credibility held up strong over time. Hitting the road means taking that reputation out for a spin, too.GO!
Detroit Free Press
There weren't a lot of these reunions left.
It's all but a done deal: an upcoming tour for venerated rock trio the Police, more than two decades after the band bowed out at the height of its fame.
Buzz has been percolating for weeks, and things should start flying next month. The band is penciled in to play the Grammy Awards on Feb. 11, with an international tour announcement to follow.
If so, this is about as massive as it gets. The Police were the world's biggest band, selling out stadiums and dominating the global pop charts, upon their 1984 split. The trio's long refusal to bite the reunion bait has only made public appetite grow.
At first glance, the payoff seems great all around. Longtime fans get entertained again, young fans get their first glimpse, the band makes its cash, the tour industry gets a boost.
But just how wise is the act of the rock 'n' roll reunion? Old hands know it's fraught with a less visible peril: When you step back out to dust off your legacy, you risk getting it dirty in new ways.
After years of letting things lie, that's apparently a chance the Police are willing to take.
One thing is certain: The band's reappearance means we're running out of untapped blockbuster comebacks.
Beyond Pink Floyd -- abandoned by Roger Waters in 1983 -- the Police were the most significant holdouts still prowling the hallowed halls of rock mythology.
Or at least right near the top: Billboard reported last week that Van Halen -- with original vocalist David Lee Roth -- will also be heading out for a summer tour.
In the world of rock, 2007 is shaping up as Year of the Reunion. It's not just the quantity that stands out; remobilized old bands have dominated the summer concert circuit for years. It's the star power.
Beyond the Police and Van Halen, major reunion projects are on the way from such names as Rage Against the Machine, Genesis, Smashing Pumpkins and the Stooges.
The attendant hype for such comeback blitzes could be chalked up as another sign of contemporary rock's troubled times.
Sure, a Police or Van Halen reunion would have been big news at any point the past two decades. But in 2007, their likely domination of the pop-music conversation will starkly reveal a modern scene that can't match such wide-scale excitement.
Rock reunions have become rollicking business. The 1990s were the decade that turned rock nostalgia into an industry, with hell-froze-over reunions of bands ranging from the Eagles to Kiss.
Even the surviving Beatles got together to make music.
The summer season became the go-to stomping grounds for reconvened bands both major and medium, and VH1 joined the game with the popular "Bands Reunited," mustering the original lineups of new-wave hit makers like Berlin and A Flock of Seagulls.
In an age of entertainment-on-demand, summoning old favorites back into action has become just another public expectation.
"At the moment, we're looking at a very healthy year," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of concert trade magazine Pollstar. "The fact that we'll have new things to sell -- even if they're old new things -- is nice."
Still, Bongiovanni says he won't make predictions about specific tours: "The public often looks at these reunion tours as a one-shot opportunity, and they'll pay a premium to see that. But you never really know until you ask people to open their wallets."
The music annals are teeming, of course, with the magical reunions that can never happen in full: groups such as Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers and Nirvana, whose classic lineups have been splintered by death.
That's what makes the Police a special case -- one of the few larger-than-life bands whose members aren't just alive and kicking, but remain creatively active.
There aren't a whole lot of candidates left. On the pop side are ABBA and the '60s-era Supremes. Alternative rock has the Smiths and the Talking Heads. In classic rock are the Kinks, maybe Journey with Steve Perry.
Recurring rumors of a Police reunion had become a standard feature in recent years, getting extra fuel when the trio temporarily re-formed for its 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For years we'd heard of the lingering animosity among Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers.
The three had seemed intent on sticking to their guns, letting history be history after the breakup that made the Police one of those pop-culture rarities: an act that went out on top.
And that gets right to that dim danger lurking at the core of the rock reunion: screwing up the legacy.
The trio's defiance in the face of what had surely been tremendous temptation -- financial and otherwise -- is one reason the band's credibility held up strong over time. Hitting the road means taking that reputation out for a spin, too.GO!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sincronía perfecta en Alemania
El equipo mexicano de nado sincronizado obtuvo ayer el primer lugar en el Abierto de Alemania al sumar 89.167 unidades en la rutina técnica, con miras al Mundial de Australia y a los Juegos Panamericanos de Río de Janeiro, Brasil.
Las mexicanas, dirigidas por la entrenadora Olga Asseva, se afianzaron en el sitio de honor desde el inicio de su presentación en el certamen.
Nara Falcón, Isabel Delgado, Mariana Cifuentes, Evelyn Guajardo, Nuria Diosdado, Jerusalem Aguirre, Yamileth Melo, Luvina Quemaine, Alayne Mijando y Ofelia Pedrero consiguieron 44.167 unidades por mérito técnico y 45,000 puntos por impresión artística para ocupar el primer lugar.
La segunda plaza fue para el conjunto de Bielorrusia con 84,500 unidades -42,500 técnico y 42,000 artística-, mientras que el tercer lugar fue para República Checa con 77.667 (39,500 por mérito técnico y 38,167 de impresión artística).
En las preliminares de rutina libre, México se ubicó en el segundo lugar con 87.251 puntos, detrás del seleccionado griego, que acumuló 89,833
Las mexicanas, dirigidas por la entrenadora Olga Asseva, se afianzaron en el sitio de honor desde el inicio de su presentación en el certamen.
Nara Falcón, Isabel Delgado, Mariana Cifuentes, Evelyn Guajardo, Nuria Diosdado, Jerusalem Aguirre, Yamileth Melo, Luvina Quemaine, Alayne Mijando y Ofelia Pedrero consiguieron 44.167 unidades por mérito técnico y 45,000 puntos por impresión artística para ocupar el primer lugar.
La segunda plaza fue para el conjunto de Bielorrusia con 84,500 unidades -42,500 técnico y 42,000 artística-, mientras que el tercer lugar fue para República Checa con 77.667 (39,500 por mérito técnico y 38,167 de impresión artística).
En las preliminares de rutina libre, México se ubicó en el segundo lugar con 87.251 puntos, detrás del seleccionado griego, que acumuló 89,833
Friday, January 26, 2007
Competitividad - Sergio Sarmiento
Davos, Suiza.- Con motivo del Foro Económico Mundial, el Gobierno de Macedonia, una de las repúblicas surgidas de la desmembrada Yugoslavia, ha empezado una fuerte campaña de promoción entre los inversionistas que han acudido a Davos.
En un anuncio publicado en el diario Financial Times, Macedonia manifiesta con orgullo que cuenta con el impuesto fijo más bajo sobre utilidades, 10 por ciento; con el impuesto más reducido sobre la renta, 10 por ciento; con el impuesto más pequeño sobre utilidades reinvertidas, 0 por ciento; con un registro rápido de compañías, 3 días; con una mano de obra abundante y competitiva, que gana un salario promedio bruto de 370 euros al mes; con un acceso sin barreras a un gran mercado, Europa, de 650 millones de consumidores; con estabilidad macroeconómica y 3.1 por ciento de inflación; con excelente infraestructura, en un país de internet inalámbrico de alta velocidad.
Esta es la competencia a la que los mexicanos nos estamos enfrentando actualmente para atraer inversiones productivas. Pero ¿qué podemos proponer nosotros que pudiera competir con lo que ofrece Macedonia? ¿Un sistema fiscal complicado e inequitativo? ¿Un impuesto sobre utilidades de 28 por ciento, más 10 por ciento adicional de reparto a los trabajadores, lo que da un total de 38 por ciento? ¿Un Impuesto Sobre la Renta para las personas físicas de 28 por ciento sin que los contribuyentes reciban a cambio servicios gubernamentales? ¿Un proceso de registro de una compañía que puede llevarse semanas o meses? ¿Un sistema laboral que permite que cualquier sindicato emplace a huelga a una empresa antes incluso de contratar trabajadores?
Macedonia es hoy uno de los países más pobres de Europa. Pero tras leer sus anuncios dirigidos específicamente a los grandes empresarios y altos ejecutivos que acuden a Davos me queda claro que no lo será durante mucho tiempo. Con estas políticas, en 15 ó 20 años estaremos hablando del milagro de Macedonia. Y los medios de comunicación estarán llenos de reportajes acerca de que la vieja tierra de Filipo y Alejandro Magno ha vuelto a ocupar un papel importante en el mundo.
Es verdad que el Foro Económico Mundial se ha convertido en un escenario mediático en que las empresas y los gobiernos del mundo buscan hacer labor de relaciones públicas y presentar su lado amable y humanitario. Pero detrás de las luces, las cámaras y los micrófonos, persiste ese propósito fundamental de Davos: que es presentar información a los principales inversionistas del mundo.
El año pasado Davos fue escenario de un intenso trabajo de relaciones públicas por parte del Gobierno de la India para atraer la atención de las grandes empresas del mundo. El trabajo de los funcionarios chinos para buscar inversiones para su país ha sido intenso y bien coordinado desde hace años. El hecho de que China se ha convertido ya en el destino preferido de las inversiones de manufacturas en el mundo no ha significado que los funcionarios chinos dejen de hacer su trabajo de promoción. Macedonia apenas está empezando a recorrer ese camino, pero dadas las condiciones que está ofreciendo es inevitable que llame la atención.
Esta semana se dieron a conocer las cifras del desempeño económico de China en 2006. El crecimiento del Producto Interno Bruto se fijó oficialmente en 10.7 por ciento. Los funcionarios de ese país, sin embargo, muestran preocupación porque la inflación, que había permanecido en 1.5 por ciento durante la mayor parte del año, repuntó y alcanzó 2.8 por ciento en diciembre. La economía china, por otra parte, se está desacelerando: a mediados de 2006 llegó a tener un ritmo de expansión de 11.5 por ciento, de manera que el 10.7 por ciento de todo el 2006 o el 10.4 que se estima para el 2007 son una disminución. Hay razones para estar preocupados, dicen los funcionarios chinos que han participado en Davos.
Ojalá los mexicanos tuviéramos estos motivos de preocupación. ¿Qué puede ofrecer el presidente Felipe Calderón cuando participe hoy en Davos? ¿Un crecimiento de 4.6 por ciento y una inflación de 4 por ciento? ¿Dificultades burocráticas y sindicales para crear empresas? No sorprende que nos estemos quedando atrás de otros países con los que competimos.
Muchas naciones han hecho reformas que les han permitido ser más competitivas. Pero el pasado ya da igual. Lo relevante es saber qué vamos a hacer a partir de ahora. ¿Qué podemos ofrecer a los inversionistas del mundo para competir, ya no con China o la India, sino cuando menos con Macedonia.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Mexico's sweet film success inspires Sundance
PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Even before they heard their countrymen had garnered a dozen or so Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, the Mexican contingent at this year's
Sundance Film Festival was brimming with confidence.
Together "Babel" and "Pan's Labyrinth," by Mexican directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and
Guillermo del Toro, won 13 Oscar nominations -- giving the Mexican film industry its biggest boost to date on the other side of the border.
"In another period, you had the Italian directors all over and then the French directors, and I think it is now the Mexican directors," said Mexican filmmaker Patricia Riggen, 36, after her premiere at Sundance, the leading U.S. festival for independent film.
"It is just going to grow. The audiences and studios are realizing there is talent and good stories and everybody likes them."
Riggen's "La Misma Luna" (The Same Moon) received a rare standing ovation at Sundance. The film about a mother and child separated by the U.S.-Mexico border is not in competition, but is expected to walk away with a big distribution deal.
Riggen lives in Los Angeles, but other Mexicans at Sundance believe staying in Mexico City is a key to their distinctive work.
"Human nature in Mexico City is stronger and more raw and I think that is reproduced in Mexican cinema," said Guillermo Arriaga, the Oscar nominated screenwriter of "Babel" and producer of "El Bufalo de la Noche" (The Night Buffalo) in competition at Sundance.
Arriaga, who also wrote "Amores Perros and "21 Grams," said that environment spurs him to create films with "guts and balls" -- the qualities he most desires in his work.
"Buffalo" is a tough film to watch as tormented young lovers destroy their lives and those around them. It is based on Arriaga's novel of the same name, drawn from his years as a university professor, and stars the popular Mexican actor
Diego Luna working with a cast of unknowns.
LONG-AWAITED ATTENTION
The Mexican directors and writers have built a tight-knit film community that is prone to take risks and bet on raw talent.
Four years ago, Arriaga brought Venezuelan-born Jorge Hernandez Aldana to Mexico to co-write and direct "Buffalo," his first long feature film, after seeing a short feature he had done at a festival.
"As the Mexicans gave me so much support when I arrived, I feel the need to fight for Mexican filmmaking," said Hernandez Aldana, 37, who is now a naturalized Mexican citizen.
He believes the plethora of Oscar nominations for Mexico is not a sudden phenomenon, but rather the result of several years of excellent productions that did not get much exposure in the United States.
Gonzalez Inarritu's "Amores Perros" in 2000 and
Alfonso Cuaron's "Y Tu Mama Tambien" in 2001 got the ball rolling.
"What we needed was more attention from the world, and that is what we are getting now," Hernandez Aldana said.
But not only directors and writers were celebrating the rise of Mexico at Sundance.
Mexican actors played major roles in two U.S. feature films in competition, "Padre Nuestro" (Our Father) about the dog-eat-dog life of immigrants in New York City and "Trade," a look at the trafficking of children as sex slaves from Mexico to the United States.
"Doors are opening for the major talent of Latin America to cross over to the United States," said Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez who plays acclaimed supporting roles in "La Misma Luna" and "Padre Nuestro."
"I think it will be a great year for Mexico."
Sundance Film Festival was brimming with confidence.
Together "Babel" and "Pan's Labyrinth," by Mexican directors Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and
Guillermo del Toro, won 13 Oscar nominations -- giving the Mexican film industry its biggest boost to date on the other side of the border.
"In another period, you had the Italian directors all over and then the French directors, and I think it is now the Mexican directors," said Mexican filmmaker Patricia Riggen, 36, after her premiere at Sundance, the leading U.S. festival for independent film.
"It is just going to grow. The audiences and studios are realizing there is talent and good stories and everybody likes them."
Riggen's "La Misma Luna" (The Same Moon) received a rare standing ovation at Sundance. The film about a mother and child separated by the U.S.-Mexico border is not in competition, but is expected to walk away with a big distribution deal.
Riggen lives in Los Angeles, but other Mexicans at Sundance believe staying in Mexico City is a key to their distinctive work.
"Human nature in Mexico City is stronger and more raw and I think that is reproduced in Mexican cinema," said Guillermo Arriaga, the Oscar nominated screenwriter of "Babel" and producer of "El Bufalo de la Noche" (The Night Buffalo) in competition at Sundance.
Arriaga, who also wrote "Amores Perros and "21 Grams," said that environment spurs him to create films with "guts and balls" -- the qualities he most desires in his work.
"Buffalo" is a tough film to watch as tormented young lovers destroy their lives and those around them. It is based on Arriaga's novel of the same name, drawn from his years as a university professor, and stars the popular Mexican actor
Diego Luna working with a cast of unknowns.
LONG-AWAITED ATTENTION
The Mexican directors and writers have built a tight-knit film community that is prone to take risks and bet on raw talent.
Four years ago, Arriaga brought Venezuelan-born Jorge Hernandez Aldana to Mexico to co-write and direct "Buffalo," his first long feature film, after seeing a short feature he had done at a festival.
"As the Mexicans gave me so much support when I arrived, I feel the need to fight for Mexican filmmaking," said Hernandez Aldana, 37, who is now a naturalized Mexican citizen.
He believes the plethora of Oscar nominations for Mexico is not a sudden phenomenon, but rather the result of several years of excellent productions that did not get much exposure in the United States.
Gonzalez Inarritu's "Amores Perros" in 2000 and
Alfonso Cuaron's "Y Tu Mama Tambien" in 2001 got the ball rolling.
"What we needed was more attention from the world, and that is what we are getting now," Hernandez Aldana said.
But not only directors and writers were celebrating the rise of Mexico at Sundance.
Mexican actors played major roles in two U.S. feature films in competition, "Padre Nuestro" (Our Father) about the dog-eat-dog life of immigrants in New York City and "Trade," a look at the trafficking of children as sex slaves from Mexico to the United States.
"Doors are opening for the major talent of Latin America to cross over to the United States," said Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez who plays acclaimed supporting roles in "La Misma Luna" and "Padre Nuestro."
"I think it will be a great year for Mexico."
Rare shark of the deep snapped
A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.
The Awashima Marine Park, south of Tokyo, was alerted by a fisherman at a nearby port on Sunday that he had spotted an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.
Marine park staff caught the 1.6-metre-long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times.
The shark appeared to be in poor condition when park staff moved it to a seawater pool where they filmed it swimming and opening its jaws.
"We believe moving pictures of a live specimen are extremely rare," said an official at the park. "They live between 600 and 1000 metres under the water, which is deeper than humans can go.
"We think it may have come close to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters," the official said.
The shark died a few hours after being caught.
Frilled sharks, which feed on other sharks and sea creatures, are sometimes caught in the nets of trawlers but are rarely seen alive.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Arrasan Babel y El laberinto del fauno con nominaciones al Oscar
El mexicano Alejandro González Iñárritu es el único hispano que opta a la categoría de mejor director
El Universal Online
Babel, el drama multicultural del mexicano Alejandro González Iñárritu, recibió siete postulaciones al premio Oscar, incluyendo a mejor película, mejor director y mejor actriz de reparto tanto para la mexicana Adriana Barraza como para la japonesa Rinko Kikuchi, mientras que El laberinto del fauno, del también mexicano Guillermo del Toro, se alzó con seis.
Por su parte, la española Penélope Cruz fue nominada a mejor actriz por su trabajo en Volver, película que no fue incluida en el rubro de mejor película extranjera; y Children of Men, del mexicano Alfonso Cuarón, recibió dos candidaturas, en los rubros de guión adaptado y edición.
El musical Dreamgirls encabezó la lista de candidatas de la Academia, con ocho nominaciones, pero sorpresivamente no fue incluida en el rubro de mejor película, tras ser considerada por la crítica como una de las favoritas para dicho galardón.
Babel también fue nominada a mejor edición, musicalización (del argentino ganador del Oscar Gustavo Santaolalla) y mejor guión (del mexicano Guillermo Arriaga).
Además de ser postulada a mejor película de lengua extranjera, El laberinto del Fauno se medirá en las categorías de dirección de arte, dirección de fotografía, maquillaje, musicalización y guión original.
Otras nominadas a mejor película son la saga del crimen organizado The Departed, el espectáculo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial Letters From Iwo Jima, la comedia Little Miss Sunshine y la crónica de la crisis real The Queen.
El anuncio fue dado a conocer esta madrugada en el teatro Samuel Goldwyn de la Academia de Ciencias y Artes Cinematográficas (AMPAS) y los ganadores se conocerán en la ceremonia del 25 de Febrero en el teatro Kodak de Hollywood.
El Universal Online
Babel, el drama multicultural del mexicano Alejandro González Iñárritu, recibió siete postulaciones al premio Oscar, incluyendo a mejor película, mejor director y mejor actriz de reparto tanto para la mexicana Adriana Barraza como para la japonesa Rinko Kikuchi, mientras que El laberinto del fauno, del también mexicano Guillermo del Toro, se alzó con seis.
Por su parte, la española Penélope Cruz fue nominada a mejor actriz por su trabajo en Volver, película que no fue incluida en el rubro de mejor película extranjera; y Children of Men, del mexicano Alfonso Cuarón, recibió dos candidaturas, en los rubros de guión adaptado y edición.
El musical Dreamgirls encabezó la lista de candidatas de la Academia, con ocho nominaciones, pero sorpresivamente no fue incluida en el rubro de mejor película, tras ser considerada por la crítica como una de las favoritas para dicho galardón.
Babel también fue nominada a mejor edición, musicalización (del argentino ganador del Oscar Gustavo Santaolalla) y mejor guión (del mexicano Guillermo Arriaga).
Además de ser postulada a mejor película de lengua extranjera, El laberinto del Fauno se medirá en las categorías de dirección de arte, dirección de fotografía, maquillaje, musicalización y guión original.
Otras nominadas a mejor película son la saga del crimen organizado The Departed, el espectáculo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial Letters From Iwo Jima, la comedia Little Miss Sunshine y la crónica de la crisis real The Queen.
El anuncio fue dado a conocer esta madrugada en el teatro Samuel Goldwyn de la Academia de Ciencias y Artes Cinematográficas (AMPAS) y los ganadores se conocerán en la ceremonia del 25 de Febrero en el teatro Kodak de Hollywood.
Monday, January 22, 2007
¿Otro seguidor de Babe? Caballo se cree perro
En Reino Unido, un pony que fue criado con perros labradores cree que éstos son sus padres y hasta corre por palos y se los lleva a sus dueños. Este caso se suma al de "Rolo", la oveja que también se creía can.
Se trata del pequeño Rory, quien fue abandonado en el Santuario de Caballos y Ponis de la ciudad de Essex un día después de que su madre lo rechazara. El personal lo cuidó con devoción y él se hizo muy amigo de los perros, de quienes obtuvo algunos de sus raros hábitos: recoger palillos, atajar frisbies y tomar agua de sus bebederos.
Sue Allery, directora del santuario, afirmó que "como era muy pequeño, él conoció a los perros más que a los caballos. Ellos corren juntos por alrededor". Además, añadió: "Mi marido compró un frisbee y lo tiró cruzando el campo. Rory salió justo después que los perros y ha comenzado a recoger ramas y palillos para que se los arrojemos".
Finalmente, Allery señaló el motivo de la confusión de Rory: "Él ama a los perros porque tienen su mismo tamaño, él cree que es un perro. Eventualmente, se irá de aquí con los otros caballos y ponis".
Se trata del pequeño Rory, quien fue abandonado en el Santuario de Caballos y Ponis de la ciudad de Essex un día después de que su madre lo rechazara. El personal lo cuidó con devoción y él se hizo muy amigo de los perros, de quienes obtuvo algunos de sus raros hábitos: recoger palillos, atajar frisbies y tomar agua de sus bebederos.
Sue Allery, directora del santuario, afirmó que "como era muy pequeño, él conoció a los perros más que a los caballos. Ellos corren juntos por alrededor". Además, añadió: "Mi marido compró un frisbee y lo tiró cruzando el campo. Rory salió justo después que los perros y ha comenzado a recoger ramas y palillos para que se los arrojemos".
Finalmente, Allery señaló el motivo de la confusión de Rory: "Él ama a los perros porque tienen su mismo tamaño, él cree que es un perro. Eventualmente, se irá de aquí con los otros caballos y ponis".
Friday, January 19, 2007
Extravagant Tail
From SpaceWeather:
Last night "motorists in Bloemfontein, South Africa, stopped to look at a strange 'bush fire' on the horizon," reports photographer Gerrit Penning. "It turned out to be the extravagant tail of Comet McNaught!"
Even experienced astronomers have never seen anything like it--a sweeping fan of comet dust visible to the unaided eye despite city lights and twilight. Jamie Newman sends this picture from Auckland, New Zealand:
Frequently asked questions: What makes the tail glow? Comet dust shines by reflected sunlight. Why is the tail curved? Because it traces the curved path of the comet's orbit around the sun.
The tail curves so much and stretches so far that it actually leads all the way back to the northern hemisphere where streamers can be seen glowing faintly in the western sky after sundown. "I wasn't really expecting to see anything," confesses Nejc Ucman of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, "but I went to a nearby hill tonight, looked west, and there it was!"
This marks the fourth night in a row that observers have spotted the comet's tail in northern skies. Dan Laszlo of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society saw it on Jan. 17th and offers this advice: "Find the darkest sky you can and look west between one and two hours after sunset. A site where you can see zodiacal light would be best."
Last night "motorists in Bloemfontein, South Africa, stopped to look at a strange 'bush fire' on the horizon," reports photographer Gerrit Penning. "It turned out to be the extravagant tail of Comet McNaught!"
Even experienced astronomers have never seen anything like it--a sweeping fan of comet dust visible to the unaided eye despite city lights and twilight. Jamie Newman sends this picture from Auckland, New Zealand:
Frequently asked questions: What makes the tail glow? Comet dust shines by reflected sunlight. Why is the tail curved? Because it traces the curved path of the comet's orbit around the sun.
The tail curves so much and stretches so far that it actually leads all the way back to the northern hemisphere where streamers can be seen glowing faintly in the western sky after sundown. "I wasn't really expecting to see anything," confesses Nejc Ucman of Novo Mesto, Slovenia, "but I went to a nearby hill tonight, looked west, and there it was!"
This marks the fourth night in a row that observers have spotted the comet's tail in northern skies. Dan Laszlo of the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society saw it on Jan. 17th and offers this advice: "Find the darkest sky you can and look west between one and two hours after sunset. A site where you can see zodiacal light would be best."
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
National Society picks 'Pan' as best picture
Hollywood Reporter
Guillermo del Toro's imaginative fable "Pan's Labyrinth," set amid the rise of fascism in 1940s Spain, was voted best picture of 2006 by the National Society of Film Critics during the group's annual meeting Saturday at Sardi's Restaurant in New York.
The Spanish-language film, a Picturehouse release, prevailed in the voting over Cristi Puiu's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," which came in second, and Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima," which placed third.
With a membership that includes 58 critics from around the country, with 45 of them taking part in the voting, the National Society uses a weighted balloting system, and "Labyrinth" pulled ahead of "Lazurescu" by three points. "Labyrinth" scored 34, "Lazarescu" claimed 31 and "Letters" followed with 29.
Del Toro did not receive best director honors, however. That distinction went to Paul Greengrass for helming the docudrama "United 93." Greengrass earned 21 points, while del Toro and "The Departed's" Martin Scorsese tied for second place with 15 points each.
The critics' group, which dedicated its 41st annual awards to the memory of the late Robert Altman, named Forest Whitaker best actor for "The Last King of Scotland." But Whitaker eked out that victory; on the initial ballot, he and Peter O'Toole, who stars in "Venus," tied with 54 votes apiece. A tiebreaker, determined by those present at Sardi's, gave the win to Whitaker by a 9-8 vote. Ryan Gosling, of "Half Nelson," finished third with 37 points.
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Echoing many other critics' groups, the National Society decided that Helen Mirren was its choice as best actress for "The Queen" -- she earned a commanding 94 points. Laura Dern ranked second for "Inland Empire" with 32, followed by Judi Dench for "Notes on a Scandal" with 25.
Mark Wahlberg earned best supporting actor honors for his cop in "Departed," with Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children") and Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine") the runners-up.
Although 20th Century Fox is promoting Meryl Streep as a best actress contender for her role in "The Devil Wears Prada," the National Society instead hailed her as best supporting actress for her performances in "Devil" and "A Prairie Home Companion." Runners-up were Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls") and Shareeka Epps ("Half Nelson").
Peter Morgan earned the best screenplay award for his work on "Queen." The runners-up were William Monahan for "Departed" and Eric Roth for "The Good Shepherd."
For best cinematography, the voters singled out Emmanuel Lubezki for "Children of Men." Runners-up were Guillermo Navarro for "Pan's Labyrinth" and Zhao Xiaoding for "Curse of the Golden Flower."
Davis Guggenheim's environmental tract "An Inconvenient Truth" was chosen best nonfiction film, with "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Shut Up & Sing" the runners-up.
David Lynch's "Inland Empire" earned a citation as best experimental film, with the group calling it a "a magnificent and maddening experiment with digital video possibilities."
The group presented its Film Heritage Award to Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film "Army of Shadows," which was released for the first time in the U.S. last year by Rialto Pictures.
It also offered a Film Heritage Award to the Museum of the Moving Image "for presenting the first complete U.S. retrospective of French filmmaker Jacques Rivette."
David Sterritt was re-elected chairman of the group for this year.
Guillermo del Toro's imaginative fable "Pan's Labyrinth," set amid the rise of fascism in 1940s Spain, was voted best picture of 2006 by the National Society of Film Critics during the group's annual meeting Saturday at Sardi's Restaurant in New York.
The Spanish-language film, a Picturehouse release, prevailed in the voting over Cristi Puiu's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," which came in second, and Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima," which placed third.
With a membership that includes 58 critics from around the country, with 45 of them taking part in the voting, the National Society uses a weighted balloting system, and "Labyrinth" pulled ahead of "Lazurescu" by three points. "Labyrinth" scored 34, "Lazarescu" claimed 31 and "Letters" followed with 29.
Del Toro did not receive best director honors, however. That distinction went to Paul Greengrass for helming the docudrama "United 93." Greengrass earned 21 points, while del Toro and "The Departed's" Martin Scorsese tied for second place with 15 points each.
The critics' group, which dedicated its 41st annual awards to the memory of the late Robert Altman, named Forest Whitaker best actor for "The Last King of Scotland." But Whitaker eked out that victory; on the initial ballot, he and Peter O'Toole, who stars in "Venus," tied with 54 votes apiece. A tiebreaker, determined by those present at Sardi's, gave the win to Whitaker by a 9-8 vote. Ryan Gosling, of "Half Nelson," finished third with 37 points.
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Echoing many other critics' groups, the National Society decided that Helen Mirren was its choice as best actress for "The Queen" -- she earned a commanding 94 points. Laura Dern ranked second for "Inland Empire" with 32, followed by Judi Dench for "Notes on a Scandal" with 25.
Mark Wahlberg earned best supporting actor honors for his cop in "Departed," with Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children") and Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine") the runners-up.
Although 20th Century Fox is promoting Meryl Streep as a best actress contender for her role in "The Devil Wears Prada," the National Society instead hailed her as best supporting actress for her performances in "Devil" and "A Prairie Home Companion." Runners-up were Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls") and Shareeka Epps ("Half Nelson").
Peter Morgan earned the best screenplay award for his work on "Queen." The runners-up were William Monahan for "Departed" and Eric Roth for "The Good Shepherd."
For best cinematography, the voters singled out Emmanuel Lubezki for "Children of Men." Runners-up were Guillermo Navarro for "Pan's Labyrinth" and Zhao Xiaoding for "Curse of the Golden Flower."
Davis Guggenheim's environmental tract "An Inconvenient Truth" was chosen best nonfiction film, with "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Shut Up & Sing" the runners-up.
David Lynch's "Inland Empire" earned a citation as best experimental film, with the group calling it a "a magnificent and maddening experiment with digital video possibilities."
The group presented its Film Heritage Award to Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film "Army of Shadows," which was released for the first time in the U.S. last year by Rialto Pictures.
It also offered a Film Heritage Award to the Museum of the Moving Image "for presenting the first complete U.S. retrospective of French filmmaker Jacques Rivette."
David Sterritt was re-elected chairman of the group for this year.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The roof at B.C. Place stadium has collapsed.
The fabric roof fell into the empty stadium shortly after noon today.
The cause was not immediately determined, Vancouver has suffered all morning from a combination of bitter cold, strong winds and heavy sleet.
The roof is held up by air pressure, so even a tiny tear in the fabric could cause the roof to collapse. The stadium is home to the B.C. Lions football club, and its construction was completed in 1983.
B.C. Place Stadium, the world’s largest air-supported domed stadium, holds more than 60,000 seats and is covered by Teflon-coated fibreglass fabric that is 1/30 inch thick but stronger than steel.
Until today, B.C. Place was the world’s largest air-supported domed stadium covering 10 acres in all, with a circumference of 760 metres (2,500 feet), according to the stadium's website.
There are two layers of fabric with a four-foot space between them.
When it snows, like today, hot air is supposed to be pumped between these layers to melt 12 centimetres of snow per hour.
The total thickness of each layer of roofing material is only 1/30 inch (0.85 millimetres).
Electric-powered fans keep the air pressure inside the stadium at a higher level than the air outside. There are no beams in the roof -- extra air pressure is the only thing that supported the roof.
If the fans were turned off and the doors shut, it would take four to six hours to deflate the roof -- but spectators today said the roof collapsed within minutes.
As well as being home field to the B.C. Lions football team, the stadium has used for concerts, trade shows and concerts.
It has hosted Queen Elizabeth, Pope John Paul II, Prince Charles and Lady Diana and Bill Clinton.
The Rolling Stones, U2, The Three Tenors, Pink Floyd and the Beach Boys have played there.
The stadium was slated to play a prime role in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games as the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Arrestan a chino por presunto robo de pieza de nacimiento
Un turista chino fue detenido al pretender huir con la pieza de un pastor colocado en uno de los nacimientos que se exhiben en avenida Paseo de la Reforma, con motivo de las fiestas decembrinas y de Año Nuevo,
Zhwo Su Vang Kuizhen, ciudadano chino de 45 años de edad, fue detenido en la esquina de Paseo de la Reforma y Río de la Plata, colonia Cuauhtémoc, cuando escondió entre sus ropas una artesanía de la muestra de nacimientos que ahí fue instalada.
Uno de los organizadores advirtió la intención del oriental de llevarse la obra sin pagarla y pidió el apoyo de dos policías, quienes realizaban su recorrido de vigilancia terrestre por la zona.
El extranjero fue detenido antes de que pudiera escapar con la obra y se le encontró entre sus ropas la figura de un pastor, con valor de alrededor de 200 pesos, y fue puesto a disposición de la 61 agencia del Ministerio Público.
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