OPen samento

A few days ago, I participated in an online workshop about writing memories, organized by the City Hall of my home town – Seixal. At a certain step, I was challenged to write in a few minutes a short story under the theme “memory of a special laugh”. I confessed the surprise on the subject, but I managed to quickly rewind the memories until I stopped in a big and long laugh, aboard an airplane, on the aircraft ramp of Newark Airport in the United States.

It was the end of the 90s, when I had to travel from Lisbon to NATO Headquarters in the United States, which would require a transfer internal flight from Newark – New Jersey – to Norfolk – Virginia.

The TAP (Air Portugal) flight that would take me to Newark had a (very) late departure, compromising my internal connection to Norfolk. Irritated right at the start, I recalled the sarcastic interpretation of the acronym TAP – Take Another Plane.

Upon arriving in Newark, the inevitable was confirmed, my connecting flight had taken off a long time ago. The girl behind the Continental counter looked for a solution, and suggested a flight in the late afternoon. As I had someone waiting for me at Norfolk Airport, I pressed her for a faster solution. When she saw that I was frankly irritated by my lack of luck, and that I only had hand luggage to board, the girl discovered another flight, which was just about to depart, and assigned me a seat on that plane. I ran to the boarding gate as I realized that I was not the only passenger to answer the “last call” on that flight.

We boarded a minibus and were deposited at the doorstep of a twin propeller, with a maximum capacity of 19 passengers.

Upon boarding, I noticed that the first place on the right side was occupied by a blind man, who was accompanied by a guide dog lying at his feet.

The plane was filled with the last passengers to board. The door closed and the only flight attendant started demonstrating security procedures. At that point, the captain’s voice appeared on the loudspeakers announcing that the aircraft was too heavy, because it had been fueled for a longer flight. Thus, the pilot invited passengers to leave for the terminal in order to remove fuel, which is considered a long and dangerous maneuver.

After some time, there we were invited back to the Continental twin-engine. However, after tightening the seat belts, the pilot returned to the sound system and informed the passengers that the delay had an impact on the flight planning, and that there was a line of strong turbulence (cumulonimbus) on our route, so we should wait a few minutes on the ground until the control tower would inform us that the weather had improved. The pilot left the two engines rotating in order to respond immediately to a tower authorization. However, time was passing by and there was no news of weather improvements. My delay regarding my point of contact at destination was so great that I stopped worrying about it, and started to laugh at everything that was happening around me. To the left of my place a young man was exalted with great loudness because he was going to miss a job interview in Norfolk, behind him a lady of color, with a considerable volume, was also vociferating something that my level of English could not understand. The environment inside little Beechcraft started to be caustically fun.

As the aircraft was very small, hence the cockpit crew was perfectly aware of what was going on just a few meters behind. It was at that time that the commanding pilot returned to the sound system, with a very embarrassed voice, said:

– “Ladies and gentlemen passengers, it seems that the enroute meteorology is improving significantly, and the tower released us suggesting a slightly different route. However, now we have not enough fuel for this flight, so we will have to add some fuel to be safe and on schedule. I ask you to wait inside the bus which is on its way to our place, in order to avoid the inconvenience of a trip back and forward to the terminal. I promise that we will be brief and will leave shortly thereafter.”

I was already taking all that in a sportive way, and I laughed at everything and everyone. By my reckoning, by that time we should be landing in Norfolk – Virginia – and we were still on the Newark apron – in New Jersey.

When everything seemed ready to go, the most hilarious part occurred: – the blind man’s dog started to whine. The owner called the airhostess and told her that the animal had to go out to do its “needs”. Imagine what it would be like having a blind man walking a dog, on an aviation apron where several planes had propeller engines running. The pilot in command instructed Go on, the reluctant flight attendant to go for a walk with the animal on the back of Beechcraft. When she got close to my window, the animal stopped and crouched down to defecate.

At that time, the airhostess was approached by a ramp operator gesturing in exasperation with an exaggerated choreography. The man complained (we learned later) that “that” could not stay there because when our plane would increase its engines power the waste would “take off” and crash into the aircraft support gear parked behind our spot.

Inside the plane, everyone was delirious with the scene, leaning over the windows on my side of the plane. When the girl returned to the aircraft, she handed the dog over to the owner and came back out with a lot of “airsickness bags”. Then she returned back in, with an expression so disgusted that it looked like she was going to use one of the remaining bags herself. The bags with the “precious content” were stored in the cockpit and the plane door closed again.

I had laughed so hard at what happened that my abdominal muscles hurt. But the special laugh only came when the pilot said we were number two to take off, right behind the aircraft that the Continental counter girl had originally suggested me; and I refused.

Há uns dias, participei num ateliê online de escrita e memória organizado pela Camara Municipal do Seixal. A dado passo, fui desafiado a escrever em escassos minutos uma curta história sob o tema “memória de uma gargalhada especial”. Confesso a surpresa no mote do desafio, mas consegui rebobinar rapidamente as recordações até parar numa grande e prolongada gargalhada, a bordo de um avião, na placa do Aeroporto de Newark nos Estados Unidos.

Estávamos no final dos anos 90, quando tive de me deslocar de Lisboa ao Quartel-General da NATO em Norfolk, nos Estados Unidos, com uma transferência de voos internos em Newark – New Jersey.

O voo da TAP que me levaria a Newark saiu deveras atrasado, comprometendo à partida a minha ligação interna para Norfolk. Irritado logo à descolagem, relembrei a interpretação sarcástica do acrónimo TAP – Take Another Plane.

Ao chegar a Newark confirmou-se o inevitável, o meu voo de ligação já tinha descolado há muito tempo. A moça que estava atrás do balcão da Continental procurou uma solução, e sugeriu-me um voo ao final da tarde. Como eu tinha alguém à minha espera no aeroporto de Norfolk pressionei-a para uma solução mais célere. Ao verificar que me encontrava francamente irritado com a pouca minha sorte, e que só tinha bagagem de mão para embarcar, a moça descobriu um outro voo, que estava quase a partir, a atribuiu-me um lugar nesse avião. Corri para a porta de embarque enquanto me ia apercebendo que não era o único passageiro a responder à “última chamada” daquele voo.

Embarcámos num minibus que nos depositou à porta de um bimotor a hélice, com uma capacidade máxima de 19 passageiros.

Ao embarcar, reparei que o primeiro lugar do lado direito era ocupado por um cego, que se fazia acompanhar por um cão guia deitado a seus pés.

O avião ficou cheio com os últimos passageiros a embarcar. A porta fechou-se e a única hospedeira de bordo começou a fazer a demonstração dos procedimentos de segurança. Nisto, a voz do comandante de bordo surgiu nos altifalantes anunciando que a aeronave tinha demasiado peso, porque havia sido abastecida com combustível para um voo mais longo. Desta forma, o piloto convidou os passageiros a sair para o terminal a fim de retirar combustível, o que é considerado uma manobra demorada e perigosa.

Passado algum tempo, lá fomos convidados a reembarcar no bimotor da Continental. Porém, após apertarmos os cintos, o piloto regressou ao sistema de som e informou os passageiros, que a demora tinha tido um impacto no planeamento do voo, e que agora havia uma linha de muita turbulência (cumulonimbus) no nosso trajeto, pelo que deveríamos aguardar no chão alguns minutos até a torre de controlo informar que a meteorologia teria melhorado. O piloto deixou os motores a turbinar a fim de responder de imediato a uma autorização da torre. Porém, o tempo ia passando e não havia novidades de melhorias meteorológicas. O atraso em relação a quem me aguardava no destino era tão grande que deixei de me preocupar, e comecei a rir-me de tudo o que se estava a passar em minha volta. À esquerda do meu lugar um jovem exaltava-se com grande sonoridade porque iria perder uma entrevista de trabalho em Norfolk, mais atrás uma senhora de cor, com um volume considerável, também vociferava qualquer coisa que o meu nível de Inglês não conseguia entender. O ambiente dentro do pequeno Beechcraft começou a ficar causticamente divertido.

Como a aeronave era muito pequena, a tripulação do cockpit estava perfeitamente consciente daquilo que se passava uns escassos metros mais a trás. Foi nessa altura que o piloto comandante regressou ao sistema de som, com uma voz deveras comprometida, e disse.

 – “Senhoras e senhores passageiros, parece que a meteorologia em rota está a melhorar francamente, e a torre sugeriu um trajeto um pouco diferente. Porém, agora temos combustível a menos para este voo, pelo que vamos ter de meter um pouco de carburante para estarmos seguros e dentro dos procedimentos.  Solicito que aguardem dentro no autocarro que está a caminho do nosso local, para evitar os transtornos de uma viagem para o terminal. Prometo que seremos breves e partiremos logo de seguida.”

Eu já estava a levar a coisa na desportiva, e ria-me de tudo e de todos. Pelas minhas contas, por essa altura já estaríamos quase a aterrar em Norfolk – na Virgínia – e ainda estávamos na placa de Newark – em New Jersey.

Quando tudo parecia pronto para seguirmos, ocorreu a parte mais hilariante: – o cão do cego começou a ganir. O dono chamou a hospedeira e disse-lhe que o animal tinha de sair para fazer “necessidades”. Imagine-se o que seria um cego a passear um cão, numa placa de aviação onde vários aviões tinham os motores a hélice a turbinar. Vai daí, o comandante de bordo deu instruções à relutante hospedeira para ir fazer um passeio com o animal, na parte de trás do Beechcraft. Ao chegar próximo da minha janela, o animal parou e agachou-se para defecar.

Nessa altura, a hospedeira foi abordada por um operador de placa, que gesticulava exasperado com uma coreografia exagerada. O homem queixava-se (soubemos mais tarde) que “aquilo” não podia ficar ali porque quando o nosso avião metesse motores os dejetos iriam “descolar” e esborrachar-se no aparelho parqueado no spot detrás.

Dentro do avião, toda a gente delirava com a cena, debruçados sobre as janelas do meu lado do avião. Quando a moça regressou ao aparelho entregou o cãozinho ao dono e voltou a sair com um monte de “sacos de enjoo”. Depois regressou com uma expressão tão enojada que parecia que ela própria iria usar um dos sacos sobrantes. Os sacos com o “precioso conteúdo” foram armazenados no cockpit e a porta do avião voltou a fechar-se.

Eu tinha rido tanto com o ocorrido que me doíam os músculos abdominais. Mas a gargalhada especial só veio quando o piloto disse que estávamos em número dois para descolar, logo atrás da aeronave que a moça do balcão da Continental me tinha inicialmente sugerido; e que eu recusei.

Hymn of the United Nations (with lyrics)

Eagerly, musician.
Sweep your string,
So we may sing.
Elated, optative,
Our several voices
Interblending,
Playfully contending,
Not interfering
But co-inhering,
For all within
The cincture
of the sound,
Is holy ground
Where all are brothers,
None faceless Others,

Let mortals beware
Of words, for
With words we lie,
Can say peace
When we mean war,
Foul thought speak- fair
And promise falsely,
But song is true:
Let music for peace
Be the paradigm,
For peace means to change
At the right time,
as the World-Clock
Goes Tick- and Tock.

So may the story
Of our human city
Presently move
Like music, when
Begotten notes
New notes beget
Making the flowing
Of time a growing
Till what it could be,

At last it is,
Where even sadness
Is a form of gladness,
Where fate is freedom,
Grace and Surprise.

UN Peacekeepers Day | Tribute

Beyoncé – I Was Here (United Nations World Humanitarian Day Performance Video)

United Nations Song

Shakira – Imagine (Live at the UN’s General Assembly 2015)

United Nations Peacekeeping Mission Song – For The Peacekeepers | Annefleur Bruin | TEDxAlcoi

United Nations Song – New World Order Behind Closed Doors

United | Playing For Change | Song Around the World

Keel – UNited Nations

The Portuguese legislative structure has a new entity “The military Veteran statute”. A long waited National recognition to all those that have engaged in overseas military operations in the service of Portugal. This Statute will embrace all those military that have fought in the years sixties/seventies (of the 20^th Century) in Angola, Guiné Bissau, Mozambique, East Timor, and the India possessions of Goa, Damão, Diu and Dadra e Nagar-Aveli; as well as all those that, since then, have, are or will be participating in overseas peacekeeping operations.

The benefits of this (new) statute – which is extended to the veterans’ widows – will be physically envisioned through an identification card (issued by the Portuguese Ministry of Defense) and a (official) pin, also issued by the Portuguese MOD.

According to the Portuguese Law 46/2020, the Veteran statute will be a guarantor of:

• The establishment of the Portuguese Former Combatant’s Day (9 April);
• Veterans’ free access to public transportation within urban areas;
• Free access to Museums;
• Free access to PTSD psychological/medical support;
• Exemption of payment of tax/fees in medical treatments in public Hospitals;
• Preference in the attribution of social accommodation in case of homeless veterans;
• Military honors in the funeral of the veteran, which will be entitle to use of the National Flag;
• Special dedicated area for veterans in the burial area of the cemeteries;
• State support for the repatriation of the veterans’ remaining (corpses) from the former overseas territories;
• Monetary subsidy in case of absence, or extremely low, revenue.

The violent cessation of Yugoslavia brought to the discussion forums concerned with “crisis resolution” some lessons that, apparently, we insist on not learning.

Economic difficulties generate social dissatisfaction, which leads to the emergence of rowdy leaders, with fiery speeches, which open space for the confrontation between the institutional power and popular masses.

This is true both in developed countries and in those considered to be in the so-called third world category. If the social conflict is supported by nationalist or ethnic-tribal differences, everything becomes far more complicated. Any student of the subject knows that it is much more painful and expensive to engage in the remediation of a regional conflict than it is in the timely commitment to resolve a localized dispute at the start.

The Yugoslav conflicts (1992-1995) should have taught us that:

– If not solve at the start, internal conflicts tend to move quickly into serious problems, with international consequences (migration, importation of the same problems within the borders of the hospitable country), difficult to handle latter in the developing process;

– The political, humanitarian and/or military response to such crisis must be fast, flexible and coordinated / cooperative, with the capacity to deploy and remain in the intervened territories for long periods of time. Organizations with strong logistic supplier branches (such as the military), become a major player in such theaters;

– The course of action in a “Coalition” mode, where several countries come together to resolve a crisis, should be encouraged involving as many countries as possible;

– The five countries with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (China, , France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Russia) will have to commit not to halt the resolution process and to sponsor an international mandate (with proper Rules of Engagement) empowering the Coalition forces on the ground to act accordingly;

– Regional international institutions (OSCE, NATO, EU, AU, etc.) should strive to resolve the conflicts in their respective areas of influence;

– The resolution of problems at the place of origin avoids the spillover of those problems beyond the intervention borders.

“If we don’t go to their place and help them, their problems will end up at our doorstep, endangering us!”

However, it will never be too much to remember that “Humanitarian Aid” is a poor substitute of “Human Rights”. Humanitarian Aid is a fieldwork, done by people dedicated to supporting and assisting the most needed, in a selfless and neutral way. It should not be confused with the political activity required for the implementation of Human Rights, which requires (not neutrality) impartial and robust decision-making, in order to implement the internationally accepted rules of Human Rights and the necessary “call to responsibility” of those who violate it.

In this last aspect, there’s another registered (but little learned) lesson: -The absence of Humanitarian Aid causes conflicts, but when it is distributed in a less rigorous way, it tends to prolong armed conflicts; because it often ends up in the wrong hands, increasing exponentially all sort of illicit profits and interests in continuing the conflict.

A dissolução violenta da ex-Jugoslávia trouxe para os fóruns de discussão preocupados com a “resolução de crises” algumas lições que, aparentemente, teimamos em não aprender.

As dificuldades económicas geram insatisfação social, a qual potência o aparecimento de líderes conflituosos, com discursos inflamados, que abrem espaço para o confronto entre o poder instituído e as massas populares.

É assim tanto em países em desenvolvidos, como nos que são considerados em vias de desenvolvimento ou nos do chamado terceiro mundo. Quando a conflituosidade social tem suporte em diferenças nacionalistas ou étnico-tribais tudo se complica. Qualquer estudioso da matéria sabe que é muito mais penoso, caro e penalizante a resolução de um conflito regional do que o empenhamento atempado na resolução de um diferendo localizado.

Senão vejamos:

– Os conflitos internos tendem a transitar rapidamente para graves problemas com consequências internacionais (migrações, importação dos mesmos problemas para dentro das fronteiras do país hospitaleiro);

– A resposta humanitária ou militar tem de ser rápida, flexível e coordenada/cooperada, com capacidade de destacar e permanecer nos territórios intervencionados por períodos de tempo longos;

– A modalidade de atuação em “Coligação”, onde vários países se juntam para a resolução de uma crise, deverá ser encorajada envolvendo o maior número de países possível;

– Os cinco países com assento permanente no Conselho de Segurança das Nações Unidas (China, Estados Unidos da América, França, Reino Unido e Rússia) terão de se comprometer em não travar o processo de resolução e patrocinar um mandato internacional para as forças vivas no terreno poderem atuar em conformidade;

– As instituições internacionais regionais (OSCE, NATO, EU, UA, etc.) deverão empenhar-se na resolução das respetivas regiões de influência;

– A resolução dos problemas no local de origem evita a importação dos mesmos para além das fronteiras intervencionadas.

Porém, nunca será demais recordar que a “Ajuda Humanitária” é um fraco substituto dos “Direitos Humanos”. O trabalho de campo de todos aqueles que se dedicam a apoiar e assistir os mais necessitados com Ajuda Humanitária, de uma forma abnegada e neutral, não deverá ser confundido com a atividade política e às tomadas de decisões imparciais, mas robustas, em prol dos Direitos Humanos, contra aqueles que violam as regras internacionalmente reconhecidas.

Neste último aspeto, uma das lições registadas (mas pouco aprendida) é que a ausência de Ajuda Humanitária provoca conflitos, mas, quando esta existe e é distribuída de forma pouco rigorosa, tem a tendência de prolongar os conflitos armados, uma vez que essa ajuda acaba muitas vezes nas mãos erradas, potenciando lucros ilícitos e interesses em continuar com o conflito.

Today, 27DEC2020, it’s elections day in the Central African Republic (CAR). Unfortunately, yesterday, armed terrorist groups launched attacks targeting the Central African defense and security forces and United Nations peacekeepers in Dékoa (Kémo prefecture ), and in Bakouma (Mbomou prefecture). As a result, three (3) Burundi peacekeepers lost their lives on the line of duty.

Several members of the CAR Defense and Security Forces were also killed in this outrageous attack, was  perpetrated by the so called” Coalition of Patriots for Change” (CPC), which, in close coordination with former President François Bozizé, is trying to prevent the holding of peaceful elections on Sunday, December 27, causing the forced displacement of populations.

We honor the 3 blue helmets that have fallen in the line of duty; they shall not be forgotten.

O International Peace Institute – organismo independente de avaliação e lições aprendidas em ambientes de resolução de crise e manutenção da paz – liberou um estudo sobre as missões de Apoio à Paz de países europeus em África, onde Portugal é apontado como uma excepção positiva na forma como a Europa se tem vindo a empenhar nas operações de manutenção de paz (peacekkeping).

High-Impact Portuguese Contribution to MINUSCA … “Most European states contributing to peacekeeping in Africa have deployed high-end, low-risk capabilities for short periods of time. This is evident in Mali, where European states have favored capabilities such as peacekeeping intelligence, special forces, and air assets. An exception is the Portuguese quick-reaction force in the Central African Republic—seen by many as “the best case” of a European contribution—which has been more willing to use force and does not have an end date for its deployment. The UK has also adopted a different approach in South Sudan, deploying more modest capabilities that it then handed over to non-European countries.” …

The Portuguese quick-reaction force (QRF) deployed to MINUSCA in 2017 was presented by many interviewees as “the best case” of a European contribution to peacekeeping. It initially consisted of a company of 160 troops—paratroopers and
commandos—reinforced by 20 additional personnel after one year (an ambulance with two doctors and three nurses as well as some intelligence and civil-military cooperation officers). As a QRF, the unit can only be deployed for up to thirty days at a time in any given location in CAR — because of heavy wear and tear on vehicles, weapons, and other equipment — followed by thirty days of rest and recuperation. This was an issue for the mission at the beginning but has since become understood and accepted. Given that MINUSCA does not have the ability to move vehicles by air, all movements are done by road using “light” Humvee-like vehicles (five tons compared to the ten–twelve-ton armored personnel carriers that have limited mobility, especially in the rainy season). It typically requires two to four days’ drive to reach the area of operation.

Like other European TCCs, Portugal, after years of peacekeeping experience in Angola, Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, and Lebanon, had been busy with NATO operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unlike most European TCCs and Canada, however, Portugal does not seem reluctant to use force. Its QRF has become engaged in firefights most of the times it has been deployed inside CAR. Also, Portugal has not provided an end date for its deployment to MINUSCA and sees its simultaneous engagement with the EU training mission in CAR (with fifty staff officers, including the brigadier general) as an incentive to remain (public praise of the Portuguese QRF by the UN has also helped). Finally, the Portuguese QRF—the only European unit in the mission with the exception of a Serbian level I hospital—has also shown that it can work with non-European TCCs
to prepare for operations, including Senegalese attack helicopters (for air-ground operations), Bangladeshi special forces, and Nepalese and Rwandan troops. This makes the QRF more effective and its posture more robust.

Spending the Christmas season in a mission area, away from the loved ones, is always something difficult to endure. However, someone has got to do it and we always have some creativity to overtake difficulties.

I wish a Merry Christmas to all sailors, airmen, soldiers, police agents and civilian personnel serving in EU/NATO/OSCE/UN and all sort of NGOs around the World peacekeeping and crisis response missions.

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