Reverse Engineering

What is the global energy strategy but reverse engineering... Well nothing else I'd say. Economic forecasts from audit firm never got it right, so to gain and keep control you have to start from the solution and engineer your way to there.

Banks, from 2008 till today

What can we say? At least not that the truth was being unfolded. I just navigated through some news. Starting with this one, then I navigate from there, interested in bank stress tests because I never really understood how it work (I still don't and I need to resolve this one day). I realized that HSBC and Santander were to be noticed within the weak banks when you tweaked the input conditions (like, bad conditions but still). As I am a client at these banks I decided to look for myself and see what they said about the stress test. So I googleled "HSBC bank stress test" and saw a couple of strange strings from 2009 (following the 2008 Lehman Brother's crash). One of which was disclaiming so wikileak-type information (Assange might have close to these guys back then). Then it showed a couple of links, some of which where banned (by blogger itself). Others showed very amazing information and counter information on how American banks where heavily investing over their risk-based capital (up to 10 time for Goldman Sachs). That information was asked to be silenced by US Federal Reserves to avoid problem within the share holders. All that during recession and we all know what happened and what still happens. Now when you see that new information coming straight from the latest G20 committee. UK banks will have to get their shit together or else... obviously not said like this but the tone seemed pretty clear. One positive point is, eventually government are thinking of intervening into these multinational banks because it seems that in 3 years we are not learning from our mistakes. Good thing to hear also is that, because it depends on the country (at least banks can be contained), Brazil having strong conditions make that banks are healthy and not in position of breaking (for whoever can read portuguese, try this website).

Reality Check

Today's discussion with my colleagues, over lunch. It's not always that I have matching experience with people, usually where I am now (research center) I look very much like a big time traveler, that went to a lot of places and seen a lot of things. Back there in ops it was a different pictures, I looked more like a newby learning his place in the World. So yeah I heard a lot of stories, some are in this blog already, some other might not have their place in it (this can be revised). One of my colleague, which is now a good friend of mine actually had similar experiences. Not the same places nor the same experiences but that what makes it nice, the sharing is always interesting.
So we were talking about nothing and everything when came the subject of the work places and their images in the human pre-conceptions. We sometimes see people, friends, acquaintances going to work to foreign places for what it represents rather than what it really is. Best example are places like Barcelona, Paris or NYC. For new industrialized countries like South American or developing countries the image of Europe is idealized by it's life style and "joie de vivre" oftenly coming from broadcasting and enhancements of the experience by natives going abroad wanting to show that life is what it looks like on TV (it never is but they wont say it not to look bad or simply not to worry their own familly, but that how the cycle goes on). Seems like a total paradise and promise of a better future. Truth is it most of the time was like this, but not anymore and it is very easily debunkable by doing a "reality check" (term happily chosen by my buddy but very accurate): A brazilian thinks of Barcelona like it's a wonderful city, lots of culture, good food and nice weather. You make good money easier because of high employment and, well, it's Europe so it just cannot be bad. What you see on TV corroborates what your representation from the place is (oftenly travel documentaries or movies). You have not a good life where you live, so you decide to join the money and leave your place for this new TV fancied Barcelona. The example my friend gave had a good diploma but probably had very high expectations of what it would be like with her diploma in Barcelona. Result is, she is in Barcelona a waitress earning minimum wadge with a lawyer's degree. She argues that she would not earn that much money as a waitress in Brazil, true. Now she left at a time where Brazil was probably experiencing some difficulties but as now the economy is booming a lawyer's salary in Brazil would probably be much higher than in Spain where competition is fiercer. The problem was probably elsewhere and she never wanted to face it. Going to some other places looking for an El Dorado nowadays is overrated because El Dorado simply never existed and doesn't exist. If it does the counter part is heavy enough for you not considering it as one at all. The "reality check" will probably have her realized that she was better off in Brazil than abroad, but it might not have looked that glamorous. In Brazil being in Europe represents the quintessence of good taste and success (don't ask me why, European are desperate to look for an excuse to go work in Brazil, at least the Latin Europeans). It is very rooted within the culture of the country and in most layer of the society it is highly considerated (modest layer dream of it, wealthy layer insist on going there). A simple fact is Paris being the number 01 dream destination of all (or most of) Brazilian.

TBC

My corporate Dell is a shitbag (and I mean it!!)

Corporate contracts are probably the best way to sell out ll the dropped product, which is why one corporation can get a better deal on purchasing items "corporatively" (also I did start a reboot of my slow ass computer at that moment, I am handwriting this blog now). You can easily deduct that the quality goes heavily impacted. This is where I will share some of my experience, not only as an energy professional but also as ajust-arriving-senior employee (that after 5 years of industry right??). It all started 5 years ago (image blurring, my legs goes all moving and I have now a bad shirt and a stupid smile on my face.. gosh I'm a newby again!!), when I joined Schlumberger (SLB) I received a Dell computer (and a yellow fever shot) like 50000 other employees (not the YF shot, and not at the same time.. are you still following?). The computer is a standard SLB computer with a standard image consisting on a Microsoft (MS) Windows XP pro SP2, MS Office pro, Eureka mailbox and a McAfee AV (OMG). This is why you can distribute it to 50000 employees. It's all in there, you cannot mess around, you better go to work now! But that whole combination of "corporate" software proved (and still does) to be disastrous. Six months later the problems starts, when the system is not that clean, your computer is filled with cookies from notorious and less notorious sites, fragmented like champolion's rosetta. These corporate things don't really care about that, they will run using their necessary memory at whatever cost, even the cost of your work! So the AV would scan at anytime thoroughly using 100% of available memory so that I could lose my work confidently. As you know I was in a remote place so there is no IT support (on my own!) and calling would not solve because it meant sending the computer to the nearest available IT center from Pointe Noire: Paris!! I then decided I would manually kill the AV whenever it was poping up and working. That went up to 2 to 3 times a day as the image was configured so that the AV would reboot if killed (clever beast!). Next step has been to uninstall McAfee and switch for a free little but powerful AV (petit mais costaud!!) which was doing a great job, until.....

Until I discovered that deep burried within the realm of the company there was a group of anonymous yet powerful few that would protect the SiNET from the bad and the ugly:

 The Justice League of SLB intranet!! 

That day, when uninstalling McAfee, I became the bad and the ugly while uninstalling THE GOD OF CORPORATE ANTI VIRUSES. 

An anonymous email was sent to me warning that "someone" was running "an asset" without "protection", a dozen of other emails CC'd to me arrived on my mailbox showing the importance of the reaction my felony engendered. I was an outlaw, I felt the unbearable forces of righfulness and Close-To-God's mightyness. I was about to forget myself on my boxers!!

I never unsinstalled McAfee AGAIN and I do not wish to my worse enemy. But the problem has not stopped and has been recurrent independantly of the OS or the machine, the root of evil was embedded in the image developped between Dell, SLB and MS (my machine just switched off, 10 min for a motherboard not handling the docking station).

So what happens when you are reporting a computer problem? Well, when you report a problem on your machine to Dell, unless you litterally work across the street from their firm it takes up to 2 months to receive the new equipment and I am being air here! I know stories worse than mine. It is my second corporate Dell computer since I started the company and the problems survived al updates on the image, so they are everywhere (damn you justice league). On my latest battle with the Third Kind (the Electronic Kind), as if I hadn't enough, my computer start to slow down and I eventualy was unable to do any work. My first thought went to my old ennemy of always: McAfee-The-Devil, so I went on a holy hunt again and start to kill the application. That was without counting on.. you already know who I think of... yes, the Justice league of SLB Intranet striked again by implementing an immediate reboot upon killing.. policy: thy cannot stay without protection on the net!!! I was on the dark side, trying to ripp away the corporate justice, attacking them, keeping them busy. I was angry at them but then I realized the problem was not them (at least not anymore), it was deeper: it was hardware. This was a way deeper but nevertheless corporate problem.
You see it seems Dell makes its net by selling at low price a high volume of equipment that would also have a lower quality than the ones they sell to homes. It sounds easier to replace faulty items on a standard PC than on a customized one and items don't need that level of attention anymore. Mass production for mass sells for corporate uses trying to cut prices as a policy. The only thing that would be increase is After Sale Services (ASS). A normal PC you would sell to a home needs a more dedicated, nurturing ASS taking more time, needing more caring because the customers aren't computer literate. You want to sell equipments that work to avoid ever-long ASS requirements. Now corporation is different, they have a huge park of computer, hence dedicated IT personnel and Dell's ASS would deal with these pros and not the mere customer. Professional to professional ASS, you already know the needs so 1 ASS rep can attend much more at a time. So it does not matter so much if the equipment fails more, your dedicated ASS will deal with the situation. Eventually it is all about how Dell can make things integrated and cut down prices.
But here I am, slow computer with an apparent hardware issue. Our IT tries to help, but he is no ASS so he quickly propose "let's talk to the ASS!" "to whom?" "To dell!" "are they that bad?" "No they've got a good ASS"  "Wow they're that good?" "well I've seen better ASS" "What?" "What what?"...
My buddy said once when I was crying my problems at him I had 3 possible origins for that problem: the cables, the boards, the docking station. So basically as a researcher you try all possibilities one by one and pray it's not the motherboard.
So I changed the cables but the computer remained slow. I moved on to the docking station and waited 8 weeks to get the new one shipped. You know how corporation company work: you pass your order to the system, it goes from local to regional supply chain, from then the orders goes to Dell Global. This already took at least 4 weeks (oh yeah we're that good). Then Dell ships it back to us it takes 4 more weeks so if you sum it all I would have waited less by walking there taking my docking station and coming back home with it!
But nevermind I do have the docking station and my problems should be over. Well I did wait 8 weeks only to realize that it was the motherboard that was failing after 10-20 minutes of using the docking station. They probably extended tests at Dell, but the cards passing all the tests go for whole sale and the ones passing all the critical tests but not all the tests are reserved for corporations if the other boards all falty. If I had to go through all these problem for my personal Dell I'll be dead angry asking for a refund and going to buy an ASUS or (OMG!!) a Mac. But because I am in a corporation, laws of corporations are much more compliant with that sort of incident (or they understand each other because they all do the same).
Sweet Corporation Deals!!

Expensive Oil, Cheap equipment

I don't know how it is in other industries but, in mine there is like a motto: it must be economical (aka cheap). I may be a bit caricatural and extremist, but if you look at a particular segment of our industry it is totally turned towards that motto. Unfortunately I am talking about the field part, the extraction part of the industry, the one directly in contact with the oil, the field, environment and all what it means (aka Macondo disaster, just look for the spill containment technology at that time). Looking at a rig you can see that companies will look at building it the cheapest way, within the boundaries of the technically possible and the economically feasible, the human or environmental factor is not a priority into the equation unless governmental pressure. Security measures are written in blood because people wouldn't work on it or using it otherwise and also because it is safer, not the contrary. Our industry we don't work to create the value, we work to extract it so in a way it is for free. Aeronautics are workers creating a value, same for automotives or space commuters. Mining extract something that originally came out of pure luck. In Africa some countries have to import flower and eggs because the inhabitants are not stimulated to go to the field and harvest. They prefer the 8-12 hours of rig hours where they have less responsibility and the security of the salary rather than the never ending farmer prospecting and the varying income of an independent. I don't blame, I have that but governments should stimulate stability in order to diversify economy and get their country away from fragility. That's why we have so much accidents, a lot of them aren't divulged not to stimulate the media and give bad advertising.
To resume (but not to spit on production companies, some really show a different behaviour) the main difference between operating companies and service companies lies from the fact that the latter are delivering a value added where the earlier extract value without creating it. Where it becomes complicated is when within the same company you have also research or services. These people create value added hence the difference in philosophy (and a possible window of change). But the essence of the producing company is to get from the soil something that they have not created. The notion of property comes from the money and the odd you put into prospection in order to get the oil.

Denver Colorado yihaaaaaaa!!

J'ai toujours tendance a venir pas trop prepare pour les voyages. Probablement un instinct de fuite des idées préconçues. Me voila à Denver dans le Colorado et le pays des T-Rex. Toujours bluffé par la taille de leurs installations et mon admiration infantile pour les camions américains (ooo Optimus!!). Les rocky mountains sont vraiment jolies et me rappelent le ski.
En fait cette ville est preparee pour la neige, on se croirait autour de Perpignan avec les longues barrieres en bois pour arreter la neige en cas de vent. Vu que Denver est au pieds des montagnes (d'où le surnom Mile High City) mais aussi au bout de 1000 km de prairies le vent doit vous en décorner plus d'un. Le Colorado on dirait que c'est des plaines a perte de vue (depuis l'avion, ce qui impressionne) aux pieds des montagnes. Denver ne parait pas une grande ville, on arrive vite au centre.

Cette ville est à taille humaine et très propre. Elle a une forte histoire liée á l'exploration minière, l'or et la ruée vers l'ouest. Ancien outpost d'échanges entre la civilisation et le Wild Wild West. Moi qui voulait satisfaire ma culture personnelles je voulais faire les musées (histoire naturelle, musée du dollar puisse que Denver est une des villes qui sert de marché aux farmers du mid ouest...) mais j'ai fini par satisfaire les besoins des autres et j'ai passé ma journée dans un autre symbole de l'Amérique: les shopping malls (erfff!). N'empèche que Denver donne envie de prendre ses pompes de trecking et partir faire 50km dans la montagne. En plus Aspen est pas loin donc :-D.
Maintenant vous vous demandez ce que je suis venu faire à Denver? Non je ne suis pas partis en vacance, pas l'habitude de laisser ma femme à la maison à s'emmerder seule. Je ne suis pas venu faire un séminaire de rodéo (énormément de foire aux bébettes par là), j'ai assisté à une rencontre internationale de mon travail. Un peu les oscars du pétrole, une foire gigantesque du petrobiz ou tout le monde se regarde et montre comment il est beau et fort (avec une image comme ça comment voulez vous qu'on se foutte pas de votre gueule, non mais franchement!!). C'est comme les oscars du pétrole en gros. Des stands énormes avec des écrans dans tous les coins, des stands de display pour les nouveaux équipements. Il y en a pour tous les goûts! Les gars ont tellement de merchandizing que le dernier jour je suis allé faire mon shopping et j'ai faillis casser mon joli bag!!! mazette mazette 50 stylos, 4 tasses, 3 protèges bouteilles et 8 revues plus loins, il était temps de rentrer. Si vous êtes plutôt un NERD (ça arrive) vous pouvez suivre les présentations dans les salles annexes, près de 100 par jours sur les 3 jours, ça donne mal à la tête. Sinon  c'est un défilé de personalités locales du biz qui arborent leurs décorations que la conférence vous donne. Genre vous avez un badge, et puis un fagnon de présenteur si vous faites une présentation, et si vous avez plus de 30 ans de métier on vous en file un autre, vous pouvez être special guest (un autre..). Au total vous avez un tapis sur le sein gauche où on viens de vous acrocher le badge d'admission (si maman j'te jure, ils m'ont filé un rouleau entier!!). Sur la photo il y en a un qui a un petit bout de tapis taggé sur le sein (deuxième en partant de la droite) ça peux descendre assez bas. Je ris pas mal de tout ça mais j'ai beaucoup aimé quand même, c'est sympa de participer à un évènement comme celui-ci

Corporate Automation

Life in an office can be extreme. When the A/C is not properly functionning the temperature can be a real issue. Either X-cold or X-hot. No openable window is also a problem. We discovered that there was a way to overcome this problem, we called it HASTM, just like french links would pronounce the donkey (zee hass!). HASTM (a.k.a. Human Automation System, Trade Mark) is when you cannot have a proper automated control of your A/C (by temperature), you call the technician whenever you are that cold that you plan to bring pinguins to keep you warm or so hot that a sauna bathtub is a chilling thought. The technician then either shut down or start up the A/C, so you only need to bear 20 min of unbreathable atmosphere. Simple, efficient but not between lunch hours and breaks and you don't need to service that damn faulty temperature automated system you bought from a dodgy russian company for peanuts. You can call it "using the A/C technician to switch a button", we call it HASTM, it is more... corporate!

Carioca feature. Pt02 - Malandragem

Okayyyyyyyyyy now you saw my impressions after 6 months of Rio style. I have learned a bit more now and I'll tell you one thing first: I thought I was understanding, but now I can say I did not clearly understand what is malandragem. The one thing I know now is that I do not understand much more than before, but at least I know it.

Malandagem has it's root deep down Rio de Janeiro's book. The early mixing of the population, being the second most africainized of all Brazil (Salvador de Bahia is the first) has a lot to do with it. Malandragem is the attitude of urban survival and I do believe now you find it in a lot of places, just that the brazilian have given it a name. Maybe because here is it quite "romantic". We were explained by Mestre Toni Vargas (capoeira master that I deeply respect) that there were various type of malandro, his dad for instance was a snooker malandro. It involved a very neat appearance and master the pool. The idea was to bring people to bet against them and try whatever it takes to win, without loosing the confidence and the appearance of complete mastering. It's like a heist, but for everyday's life. So to come back to capoeira, you can find in old videos masters coming to the capoeira meeting in white suit and white hat coming to play. They are deceiving people, they will bring you to their favorite pitch and then win you over with their art.I believe that even what I write is just a part of malandragem as you must adopt it as a philosophy of life, a survival guide. It has survived up to date and the carioca have this feature as part of their way of life. One deviation would be people trying to profit from anything without really caring of their surroundings. They have a small circle of trust because they are trying to profit from anybody so the circle is always thinning out. These people are so busy trying to profit out of you and trying not to be used that it becomes their major activity. Being "malandro" is actually quite cool if you are able not to push it too hard, otherwise you end up not trusting people and loosing other's trust.

Carioca feature. Pt01 - Malandragem

I did start this post about 12 months ago after having spent 6 month in the cidade maravilhosa: Rio de Janeiro. I will just try to edit the first part, take the non sense out and leave it clear. The folowing post will be what I do think now, 12 months after. So it might be interesting... or not. You tell me!! So brace brace, cos we're going deep.


Last year: It's been a while since I wanted to talk about this. All brazilian sort of want to be malandro as a way of being (aka doing malandragem, doing things as a malandro or like a malandro would do) but you don't really have to be a carioca (carioca is the inhabitant of Rio de Janeiro) to be a malandro. But what on earth is malandro? who is malandragem? WTF am I reading this blog??? If this is what you are asking yourself, then you're in the good spirit, now let me drive you through my understanding after 6 months of living in the cidade maravilhosa.
Malandragem is not someone, but an act. Malandro is someone that practice malandragem. For what is malandragem, I think I will need to feed you with examples rather than trying to summarise the behavior. I first started to hear about it when I was learning capoeira (brazilian martial art, my "heroin fix" so as to say, but I quit being an addict, I am now afficionado, I switched my addiction to my wife...that's another subject, read the other blog). In capoeira when someone is called malandro it is almost a bliss, especially for us non brazilian because it meant you understood some of the essence of the game and you could deceave your playing partner, trick him and eventually sentence the "lethal blow" (2011 September me: dear God what am I writing!!). Dont worry, no gringo capoeirista has ever been lethaly hit when that was done, it's a bit exagerated, just to give a dramatic notion (2011 September me: gee, I an't giving the art any credit!!). Being malandro would be faking you got hurt during the spar so that the partner would slow down and the moment you see an opening from your patner's position then you can throw a move that would destabilize him (2011 September me: I hope the readers know about capoeira or they'll think they are reading chinese). There would be a lot of acting around, and it would go as far as mimicry to be able to deceave your patner. Playing tired, changing the pace of the game to fake tiredness.... all that is included into malandragem. You sort of want to take advantage of a situation over your patner to win. Poker can have that same philosophy, it's an art of tricks and fooleries. So when I was learning capoeira I was learning malandragem and it had an amazing function of teaching me human behaviors, my own limits and actually my own self towards the other. learning to impose myself, through malandragem. 


...End of part 01, but personnaly I am not very impressed. I'll try in the next post to give you better impressions

And the world is...idle

I am coming across something I never thought could happen. Actually that stage is probably worse than overloaded: I am idle. It has been a while now, I used the free time it was giving me to prepare for my wedding but now I have to see it face to face. The function of research within a service company that has NOCs as client (sole, so far) is not the fast'n furious style where I have no life. On the contrary I have to learn that I can have a real life outside, made of activities and it also mean that I have to engage with my wife on a lot of things. It is cool actually, I quite enjoy that - I suppose - but I am not yet familiarized with the idea. I am chased by remorse after a day where I cannot measure the work I have done during the day. I used to sit in the morning with a pile of tasks as big as a mall and not leaving the base till I have walked it 250 time through to chase the boys and ask them to do stuff. I was asked to dostuff too, I had my short term, middle term, long term plans, weekly and quarterly report plus the EOMRs (End Of The Month Report) and all these tasks with abbreviations that make you feel like you're watching a tamil movie without subbs. I was staying 14h a day and piling for the next day, leaving the office my hears buzzing looking like a ghost: I had stuff to do. Now, if I have a meeting during the day I'm happy. I meet the client today, then he ask for a meeting next week to finish the task... what about tomorrow morning 6h30am???? sorry, got the kids, friends, movie to watch and my kid need a sister so we're busy and missy wont let me go back home so late at night. Not been able to measure your work is probably the most frustrating of all when you had the feeling of what you were doing during the course of a day. The first time I arrived I thought I would start my project the next, ignoring people's advice on not believing what they say about starting ASAP because we're in a hurry to get results. They did not tell me that in between would go the national bank holidays, Xmas, NYE, Carnival and their own birthday. Each delaying the whole process by a week, and Xmas/NYE/Carnival meant no potential work in between. So I have to learn to manage my free time to be ready when the pressure will quick in. Some experience that even after almost 18 month I am not fully mastering (meaning not at all).

I used to be in this world, I did a PhD so I know what research means, but when you do your PhD you have a goal, a deadline, a set of tasks pre-determined by your thesis coordinator and so on and so on. He, actually, knows how to manage the time that looks free but that you need to master entirely. Time is of the essence, to be more precise, of the issue. I have to learn to make the most out of the free time that I have to prepare myself for the quick and I never learnt it. I need to fill my day with apparently meaningless things that actually will easy up my world when I'll be doing the research and I cannot seek anybody's help because it depends on the way I organize myself. 

I think that, eventually, the goal of this period is to understand how to work when you do not have a set of tasks, but only a distant goal and no pre-defined roads to walk you through. I will have to develop that further because I think this is the answer to my late anxieties.

What Would We Do Like Google Does?

Just realized I did not publish at all in May, that wedding organization is just keeping me busy like nut!!! Been reading that book lately, from Jeff Jarvis. There are some stuff I will need to debate as in: Can we (really) apply this line of thought, this business model, to the energy sector, I mean the O&G one? I'm gonna prepare (if I have my 5 min within this cloudy organization of mine) some lines of thought and see if I can instal a debate (this meaning I would need to have readers actually following me!!). Stay tuned!

My World Factbook: Sudan

So it's like that ha!! Going to put a stamp on a country just by having spent 7 nights in the richest district of the city and silently avoiding 95% of the whole country... Well I really hope U guys wont see it like that, because it is the last thing I want you to think the next lines are going to be. In fact, I pride myself to not fall into preconceived ideas and always have the most candide mind when it comes into discovering people. I learnt that it usualy is the best way to make the most inexpected encounters. I would remember the day I spent 2 hours in the border of the ring in Caracas with 20kg of stuff and I had no notions of spanish, my english was never close to what it is now. Being in Caracas in 1999 meant some of the weirdest time of this country, minute kidnapping amongst other stuff (narcotrafficant wars in the city centre's street is another one). Then this taxi pulls over and invite me in. I do not hesitate and get in. I think I met with the kindest taxi driver of the whole face of South America that day. Unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much as I should have because I never recorded anything from him where I should have, except maybe for this sudden memory. But my jenuine mind did allow me to follow this man through the city till the airport as I needed to leave for France (my last day indeed). 48h later the worst draught in years touched the country and the airport was closed for weeks... my worldfact book of Venezuela. I think I am probably the one that will have the least preconceived idea while travelling. It does not mean I don't get into trouble but maybe one day I will make a full tribute to my lucky star by writing some of my stories and how I magically avoided troubles...

So there I was in Sudan for 7 days. I did arrive late night without luggages (German efficiency in demo in Frankfurt Airport) and a bit tired after 18h hours of flight. I guess I ain't that young and 3 continents in 2 days are not as easy as it was. Onces I went out of the airport, and after experiencing the first acts of small corruption (having a tendency of damaging a lot the local economy) I got my driver to bring me to the hotel. From then I start to do something evil and which nobody should do when travelling if they really want to meet the people: I did compare!!! with Angola and other west African countries. Comparing is bad in many ways and usually leads to racism (but I was tired, and I was comparing the local infrastructure, so it wasn't so bad after all). I still have the feeling Sudan has a better organisation than western African countries anyway, but now I cannot really explain rationally why.
First Sudan fact, it is full of Chinese: well it isn't too hard to understand as the oil is exploited mainly by them and China bought Africa in general. Good side is that I experienced the best Chinese food ever there.
Second Sudanese fact, sharia law is not like it appears to be, at first at least. I mean the country by itself is a religious controversy (till July at least), North is Muslim while the South is Christian making the Islam law variably applicable (so you could see woman fully covered and other with their hair out, like in "the West". I believe the lower layer of the Sudanese society is much more under the sword of the sharia than the rich centers of Khartoum.
Third Sudan fact, Khartoum is expensive like any African capital getting their revenue from the oil. It makes it characteristic from country with a non diversified economy, like the oil economy. There is nothing else so all needs to be imported. Schooling is not the priority so the quality of professionals is not high, apart from petroleum engineers (say) so it's complicated to find qualified man power and agriculture hence price rising.
Now for a lighter note, I never realized how it would be to live near a mosque, well I found out...they are really good alarm clock, precise to the second and it never fails to wake you up. So my days were starting early and finished early.


In my next post I'll show some fun stuff I saw (tutus, taxis and more...)

To Be Continued...

Là c'est sur, je suis pas au Brésil... :-)

J'ai ouvert mon compte blogger pout vérifier un truc, et j'ai voulu aller sur ma page principale. Je l'ai trouvée comme ça:

Donc là tu te dis... euffffff, ou je vais là??? Les petits inconvénients pour un européen ignorant face aux régionalisations de l'internet...

Et maintenant je me retrouve avec les vieilles joies de l'Afrique, les stress des vols de retour que tu n'es pas sur de prendre à cause des prix... vive SLB!!

Sudan... and time goes by

I am on a blitz visit to Sudan that has been decided last minute and it is my first Muslim country and US embargoe'd. My feeling is that after just this short period that country lives under different principles. The end of the winter is pretty dry and not that warm. I mean you're pretty much surrounded by desert so don't expert a lot of humidity. A lot of what we have in the West is just not here at all. Leaving in a religious country sure takes what we can call priviledges out. Internet is limited, you do not find most of the US trade marks, yet you drink Coca Cola and I saw a Levi's store. I found small similarities to what I saw in West Africa: a lot of chinese, sand , dust and Toyotas everywhere. Apart from that it seems you are in a totally different place here. The country is big, so what happens in the southern border of the newly created South Soudan or Darfour doesn't come in Khartoum. Now the first time I step foot outside the airport I was strucked by the amount of nice looking cars, not that expensive but well maintained. Probably the fact that Muslim culture doesn't have what we can call the "money-is-bad" complex from the Christians. Yet according to my collegue, even for a chinese it is complicated as you do not have much of a life here and believe me chinese can live on far less than us to be happy. In a certain way we are too assisted and leisure orientated but that's our culture, it comes as far as the roman empire.  The feeling I had when I was cruising the street was more of peace and calm, like the sound of the wind blowing around carrying the wind. It is probably an impression of mine, like preconception or else, but it seems things were more spiritual, philosophical or religious, I could not really tell exactly but there was something I like whistling around these streets. Just like these picture of desert nomads feeling the sandy wind blowing. My impression is of course not the best one around, I mean it's my second day and I stay absolutely idle for 1 entire day as my suitcase was forgotten in Frankfurt thanks to zee german efficiency!! So no clothes for the past 2 days, I did buy my toothpaste on the only supermarket that seems more like a convenient store (obviously sudanese people go to open market, not supermarket). Couldn't get a book (well that's part of my faults, and also zee germans that did not announce they were about to close the flight) cos the embarking was closing so I'm left with TV and listening to the muezzins calling the devots to pray. Talking about Muezzins I heard the one next to the staff house nearly at all calls he made at night, that really doesn't help you out to sleep. 

So that's my first stop to the easternest part of the world I have ever been to...

ER Bahia style

Yesterday was a bit weird. My step father suffered a athma attack and we had to bring it to hospital. We had plan to go to the street carnival (Salvador in February man... it´s unmissable) but we had to change our plans last minute. As an ex officer of the brazilian Air Force he had a special hospital with a cover plan and everything. But the man was down, like real down with breathing problems and else. So we arrived there rushing cos the treatment is simple but you need to give it quick. Arriving there, nobody... or barely.  Then you say ok, wont be long till we admister the treatment. But then after giving his ID they said he had to wait for the decision council to approve the injection... and my step father hardly securing himself... surreal. Then we wait... and wait... and wait..(advertizing spots.... hemorrhoids, headaches medications on TV WTF??? they don't have anything better to show it's carnival for sake!!!). Then they said ok, he can get the holly injection. Now for the nurse, where is she?? going inside the hospital looking for her. Right... now @ least we can get my step dad in. Then what... aah found her and oooh great, the medic is with her. That was emergency for you, after 35 min waiting (we were the only one in the emergency that night) we could get him the injection. Hurray!!! Man I don´t wanna come there with a deadly wound otherwise I know I´m cooked.

J+268: Tout nouveau tout beau... un joli petit apartement

Oui c'est enfin arrivé, on y croyait plus, mais vraiment plus. Pourtant nous avons signé et maintenant nous sommes propriétaires de l'appartement que nous avons acheté le 18 Janvier dernier. 18 Janvier... 14 Octobre, 38 semaines et 2 jours... un poil prématuré le bébé, mais très bien portant, 3 pièces, 3 SDB, une véranda avec vue sur le Christ rédempteur (et la favela de Santa Marta, mais t'y peux rien c'est Rio). Pour l'histoire, la favela de Santa Marta c'est là où Michel Fils de Jacques, Beillonnecé et Alicia Clés ont enregistrés leurs vidéos, donc c'est très pacifié. Et puis bon à Rio même dans les toilettes tu trouvera une favela donc t'y coupera pas, tu les verras tes petites baraques de jardin sur les collines. On est en train de finir de peindre, bientôt les photos...

On a eut Coluche nu pour les présidentielles, ils ont le clown Tiririca comme député..

J'aime assez dire que la France et le Brésil ont beaucoup de similarités, comme celle de voir Rio de Janeiro comme Paris il y a 20-25 ans. Même type de vie chaotique, beaucoup de fourmillage, des marchés partout, vendeurs de rue, pas autant de contrôles sanitaires qu'il devrait. Une vie trépidante la nuit, une vraie fête et relativement dangereux si tu ne fais pas attention. Ça me rappelle les chansons de la Mano qui parlent de Paris la nuit. Bref maintenant ce sont les élections au Brésil et comme tout le Monde peux le voir (il semble que le Brésil prenne une place de moins en moins périphérique dans les médias européens), la dauphine de Lula est en ballottage et à São Paulo il y a un clown, Tiririca, qui a eut 1.3 millions de voteurs avec un slogan incroyable: « Vote pour Tiririca, ça ne pourra pas être pire que maintenant » ou « Que fait un député ? La vérité, c’est que je n’en sais rien, mais votez pour moi et je vous le dirai ». Et ça marche!! Dans ce liens je vous mets pèle mêle une actrice porno (1569, le vote du plaisir... tout un programme), la femme poire (en rapport à ses mensurations et des courbes qui sont vertigineuses pour les standards brésiliens), un anciens boxeur (« on va leur en mettre plein la gueule »). Tiririca me rappelle Coluche, dans le sens ou le gars a utilisé la dérision et que lui aussi est victime de pression, ce qui indiquerait qu'il serait une réelle menace. Comme quoi les schémas se répètent.

Dilma et les présidentielles au Brésil

Dilma, candidate Partit Travailliste et successeur de Lula, a une coiffure très impressionnante (au moins 3000 euros) qui donc vaut au moins une dizaine de salaires minimums. Elle ne s’emmêle pas, même par vent force 7, vient équipé avec airbag, sécurité des lobes renforcée, four microonde et nanoémetteur-récepteur satellite et GPS la met en permanente communication avec Lula (quand tu vois la taille du pot, tu te dis que c'est du géostationnaire pas moins!!). Ainsi ou qu'il soit il peux écouter les questions des candidats concurrents et faire les réponses pour qu'elle ne montre pas son coté fantoche mais tout de même hyper en ligne avec la pensée lulesque "companheira, tu tens que falar que...". Donc en fait c'est pour ça que quand on lui pose une question elle répond toujours à la précédente. Quand elle dit qu'elle est désolée pour ce que le gouvernement a fait et que cela ne se reproduira plus, c'est que Lula est dans un tunnel, la réception est coupée. C'est beau la technologie non?
Demain j'essaierais de vous montrer des spots TV de la fameuse heure électorale. Un must!!

J+244: Maintenant je le sais, on l'aura pas à temps

La nouvelle est tombée il y a quelques jours, l'ex-proprio va nous livrer l'appartement avec 5 jours de retard MINIMUM... mais comment me direz vous? Comment diantre est-ce que j'autorise ce morpion, cette blatte à rester parmis les 4 murs de ma félicité?? Bon, déjà, les lois brésiliennes sont protectrices, donc en fait t'as pas trop trop le droit de virer les gens manu militari le jour ou tu files les tunes. Mais l'argent on lui a filé il y a un mois déjà me direz vous... bon, c vrai, et ça me fait mal d'y penser, mais on c un peux fait gentiment oingter le fessier par la notaire qui (au Brésil) est rémunérée par la vente. La salope (oui!!) voulait vendre l'appart le plus vite possible et la vendeuse (avocate) lui faisait une misère. Du coup nous...ingénus, innocents, angelots sortis des paradis perdus de Dieu... on s'est fait oingter le fessier. La (ex) proprio a fait un scandale pour que soit enlevé une motion sur le contrat qui est que si l'appartement est livré avec du retard il y aura une pénalité de 1000R$ par jours, soit 400 euros jour. Elle nous juré qu'ellle ne voulait que sortir, et comme elle avait aussi fait 1-2 menaces de virer l'appart de la vente et que même avec la pénalité elle réussirait à revendre l'appart plus cher. Bref, elle me piquait mon premier versement pour une période indéterminée jusqu'à ce que la justice réussisse àme le récupérer (et pas forcément entièrement) et en plus revendait l'appart et nous on avait plus la possibilité de chercher un autre parce que plus d'argent pour le premier versement... coup de pute!!! Donc on s'en remet à la "bonne foi" de la (ex)  propriétaire et on attend...on attend...on attend. Et on va encore attendre un peu puisse que l'appart qu'on aurait du avoir fin septembre va nous être remis avec 5-10 jours de retard. Moi en ce moment les cariocas je les ai un peu trop sur le pif... et bien sur autour de mon ongan fessier...(g plus l'orthographe pour ma crème... va falloir que je cherche ça...)

Le Brésil vu par la France

Dernièrement au Brésil se déroulent les élection présidentielles pour élire le successeur de Lula qui en 8 ans de bons et loyaux services a pas mal fait évoluer le Brésil. Bénéficiant d' une ouverture économique de Henrique il a su profiter de ce starter économique pour faire partir la machine à consommer brésilienne (et elle marche plutôt bien). Le polémique système bancaire lui aussi réformé lors de la précédente présidence a montré son énorme potentiel protecteur et sa résistance lors de la branlée économique mondiale de 2009. Les USA maintenant réforment (parait-il) leur système bancaire et le basent (parait-il) sur le modèle brésilien. En gros, ils ont de l'avance et de plus ils ont la chance d'être assis sur une richesse minière folle et ils savent l'exploiter, ce qui fait la grande différence avec les autres pays émergeants ou en VDD. Le résultat est que le Brésil n'est plus un pays émergeant mais bien un pays industrialisé. Il lui reste cependant quelques faiblesses et incertitudes qui fait que ce n'est pas encore si fondé que les USA ou l'Europe. Les pays du type BRIC qui depuis la crise de 2009 sont en train de grandir très fort (regarder la Chine qui est le plus gros moteur) ont tous le même stigmate un peu fragile mais à la croissance économique saine. Maintenant comme tout pays nouveau et anciennement colonisé il lui reste (le Brésil) une trace historique et quasiment biologique qui ne partira qu'avec le temps et l'éducation. Les favelas, bidonvilles, sont la trace de la colonisation et ancien écart de classe que Lula a combattu avec succès puisse que sa plus grande victoire est probablement la quantité impressionnante de personnes ayant évolué vers une classe sociale supérieure: il y a moins de pauvres au Brésil et plus de classe moyenne, ciment d' une société stable "classique". Ceci est parallèle avec le recul de la faim au Brésil (Article "Le Monde"), autre bataille de Lula. L'épisode malheureux d'un hélico qui est tombé à Rio le lendemain de la victoire de Rio pour les JO de 2016 a fait partie d'un baptême que le Monde a fait au Brésil en retransmettant l'info en grande pompe, montrant le Brésil sur un jour dangereux et belliqueux, alors que ces idiot de flic que foutaient-ils à tourner autour d'une favela du Nord de Rio sachant que les gars allaient riposter? Le plus drôle c'est que les riposteurs ne voulaient pas abattre le bébé parce que ça allait donner une bonne justification pour la police de pénétrer et pacifier la favela (ce qui fut fait). Il y a un "accord" entre la police et les trafiquants disant que si les trafiquants sortent pas des favelas, les policiers ne rentrent pas (en plus bien sur de la corruption facile des policiers mal payés...autre sujet, autre post). Bref, en France, le sentiment est que les favelas et la violence au Brésil se calme, ceci dans l'Article du Courrier International. Mais ce qui est amusant c'est que toutes les favelas en question sont à Rio. Hors les favelas il y en a partout: Rio, Sao Paulo, Recife, ... et vraiment le phénomène de la favela est culturellement et physiquement enraciné dans le pays mais leur pacification ne se fait pas tant que ça de façon homogène. Le principe est connu de gens qui construisent de façon sauvage et sans validations urbaines parce que le logement est cher et le travail mal payé, donc vous cherchez à construire près de là ou vous travaillez (maisons bourgeoises, industries...) et voilà 5 ans plus tard vous avez une favela!! Mais il y en a tellement que maintenant le pays ne peux pas les démobiliser et construire des logements communautaire à la place, ou va-t-on mettre les habitants?? Par contre certaines favelas voient l'arrivée de l'eau, l’électricité (tu me diras heureusement pour eux) et même des impôts sur l'immobilier alors que les logements ne sont même pas viabilisés par l'urbanisme!!! (du délire) En fin de compte l'image n'est jamais aussi rose quand elle est regardée de l'intérieur, mais il est vrai que la violence baisse. On entend parler de tourisme de favelas (genre tu prends un bus et tu vas te balader dans une favela.. un truc de dingues pour te donner l'impression que tu vas voir des vrais gens pauvres), certaines favelas voient l'arrivée d'agences de voyages et des projets multimillionnaires s'implantent pour sortir les habitants de cette pauvreté/violence. Il faudrait pouvoir assister à certains film comme 5x favelas, un vrai regard sur la vie dans une favela. Maintenant bonne nuit à vous, il est minuit ce vendredi et ma belle me regarde avec insistance... pas bon de les faire s'impatienter...