Artician... A Serious
Alternative to DeviantART

.

.

I just opened a new
gallery on Artician.com !

You can find it here.
.

.
What's Artician?

It's is a community for creative professionals allowing artists, designers, photographers, and other creative individuals to build completely personalized portfolios. Artician.com is reshaping and innovating the creative web space for people around the globe. It provides an effortless way for anyone to create and manage a portfolio in a professional or personal environment.

Artician loves to promote creative talent by featuring individuals and their work to gain exposure and recognition. They offer extremely powerful portfolio management tools, and fully customizable profiles, along with a social twist to help creative professionals and freelancers build a strong content-oriented web presence.

Who is behind Artician?

A workforce consisting of 5 young talented and persevering web designers and developers:
.
Eric Zhivalyuk / Founder & CEO
.
Eric is a professional web designer, developer and internet enthusiast. He spends most of his time seeking out and developing new and exciting web-related project and ventures. Despite his hectic schedule and perpetual lack of sleep, he manages to dedicate much of his time and effort expanding the Artician Network. Eric is exceedingly motivated in his day to day work, and is known to have an unrivaled work ethic when it comes to doing things right. Eric continues to take upon new projects and clientele channeled through the company's corporate corner, Artician Web Development Studios. Eric specializes in creating high-end web projects that complement aggressive marketing, and innovative web services. Although Eric's everlasting enjoyment of web2.0, social networks, and other geeky stuff is pleasant, sitting in a chair for the last several years hasn't done his back any good. So, occasionally he'll enjoy a night out, away from all this "interweb" madness.

.
Henry Paradiz / Co-Founder
.
Henry has been working on the Artician platform since day one. With nearly a decade of experience in the industry of Information Technology and back-end web development, Henry has laid the internal foundation that supports Artician. He is attending Temple University for a Bachelors of Science in Information Science & Technology, and also teaches on topics of today's crucial web technologies. Henry is always five steps ahead of the game... We are still trying to figure out if he is actually a human.
.
Brandon Lis / Co-Founder
.
Brandon has been a part of the Artician Team not too long after it's conceptualization in 2006. He plays a major role in the day to day backend development and maintenance of Artician as well as the platform as a whole. Exceptionally knowledgeable in data handling and optimization, Brandon has been able to work through some of the toughest difficulties Artician had to face while handling vast loads of media and user data. Brandon works with PHP, MySQL, Javascript, and XHTML, but his knowledge far surpasses that of logical programming languages. Never afraid of a tough challenge, Brandon is constantly pushing improvements that will keep Artician running smooth for the long haul.
.
Chris Alfano / Server Architect
.
Chris mostly works behind the scenes on Artician Server Infrastructure. We call him the server nazi, but that's only due to his strict rules and regulations in maintaining clean and organized servers. Chris pretty much sits in a linux command terminal all day and talks to machines... No, really. Aside from that Chris is has a great handle on almost all aspects of systems design, development and implementation and is able to thrash up any task thrown his way. If it weren't for Chris, our servers would need to be rushed into surgery .
.
Daniel Gallegos / Community Development
.
Danny is profoundly involved with the community on an everyday basis. He communicates directly with Artician's users and acts as a representative for the things they want to see done. Feedback, support, and user relations are what keep Artician Developers in the know of where to head next. Along with community involvement, he also handles some minimal design work like creating pretty skins for Artician Userpages. Believe it or not, Danny also has super powers and is able to post 25 comments before you can blink your eyes.
.
.
In a blog post, Henry Paradiz explains Artician's policy towards "Free Speech" and "Censorship:

.
Artician's job is to provide creative individuals a way to present their work. It is not to police the Internet. We only remove content in any form for being spam, illegal in the USA (hey, our servers are here), or for Copyright Infringement.

We take the approach that we are more of a host rather then a police of content so we will not remove anything for simply being offense to a single person. If you have multiple Admins who can be the judge, jury, and executioner of kicks/bans you will see a situation in which the various volunteers (and/or paid staff) of a website begin to develop their own moral compass on whether or not something must be removed or not.

I believe that if there's simply a solid, rigid rule that no content is removed except for complete, defined, reasons (like above) then you will see less of this type of thing happening.

Then again, why should you believe what I say?

The answer is simple: because I am a student of history. I know what Free Speech is. I know what Censorship is. I know the exact definitions of capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism, and I definitely know what a police state is. I also would like to think that I have a pretty decent grasp of how human nature works. With that being said, as long as I am part of the development team: I will continue to promote an atmosphere of intelligent debate, equal rights, and the freedom to say what you want without retribution on the part of the staff.

On top of this my world view is shaped not only by my knowledge of history but also from my background. I was born in Ukraine in 1987 under the former Soviet Union. Today, I'm an American citizen with extended family members in Germany and Israel as well as the United States. Even today though, despite having all my education in the US (school to college), I still speak to my grandparents in Russian. I can honestly say that because I know history, despite having been only 4 years old when the USSR collapsed, I am eternally grateful for that fact. And because I know all of this, I am tolerant of views that are contrary to my own, even if I disagree.

Having said all of this, it might be a good time to end this blog entry but there's still something I need to point out.

Artician has areas that are considered "public" and there's also that which is considered "private". For this reason while we may not delete an artwork submitted, we might decide to unlist it from Browse, Explore, or any other public listing. Likewise we might remove a forum post or thread if it offends specific people. This is because these areas are public and also because in public we need to show some restraint in provoking random visitors. On your own subdomain, however, you represent yourself and as such should be responsible for the content. So as long as it's not Spam, Illegal, or Copyright Infringing we will continue to tolerate it even if we disagree with it's content. Because removing your digital voice is like denying you to your digital habeas corpus."
.
.
And in his answer to an email from me asking if Artician and DeviantArt were connected, Henry Paradiz wrote:

"Artician is not affiliated with DeviantArt in anyway however we are not strangers to each other. None of our staff have been able to avoid DeviantArt in our use of the Internet over the past decade - especially with the amount of time we spend on the Internet. I was only 15 when I made my DeviantArt account. I'm not an artist or a designer by any means but I did have many friends, both in real life and online, who were regular DeviantArt users. The founder of Artician (and the designer of all that you see) was simply looking to make a small community, similar to Depthcore back when Artician originally started in 2005.

I later met Eric in 2006 while we both worked at a local gaming lan center. I decided to help him make a few changes to the site. This was August 2006. At the time we knew no AJAX at all. Our ability to deal with large complex problems was minuscule but as we kept pushing we learned and developed our own skills. In fact in the course of the 2.5 year development cycle that we have had so far we have done more work in the last year then in the first 1.5 years. Not out of lack of time or effort but simply because the problems and solutions we encountered over time led us to become even better and better web developers. About a year ago we also had a new member join the development team.

The original intent of the site wasn't to be a DeviantArt competitor. We simply made decisions as we progressed and redid things that had a high influence from DeviantArt but not more so than other large sites on the Internet. The many sites from which we drew our inspiration is as diverse as the way we three use the Internet. Facebook, Digg, Slashdot, Last.FM, and various small sites just to name a few.

Our goal now is to cater for two types of creative individuals. Both the professional who simply wants a quick portfolio without knowing web design but don't want random people commenting on their gallery. Or the young or social artist that wants to be in the middle of the community interaction. In the coming weeks we'll implement a number of features that will allow people to be as inclusive or exclusive as they want to be. At some point soon we will implement a new feature for Pro members that will allow them to link a domain to a portfolio . That will be a feature in the Artician subdomain portfolio but without any Artician branding and fully customizable for a true Professional portfolio."
.
.
Yeah... that sounds jolly good! I really believe Artician.com will be a serious rival to DeviantArt.com in the very short-term...
.

Go Artician, GO!

.

.

Contest on Censorship

.

"Breaking Restrictions" by Mohamed El Mahdy

.

By No More Ignorance

.
It's supposed that The Internet has evolved to become an increasingly important platform for advocates who wish to express their opinion freely and to work toward the development of democracy.

It's a medium that provided opportunities for everyone to participate, discuss and debate issues that concern them. Unlike other media where the information flow is unidirectional - from the government to the masses - the Internet allowed a multi-way communication process giving the chance for anybody to air their opinions and views on issues affecting them.

But now, things didn't seem to go that smoothly... as, websites turned to enjoy the so called "Internet Censorship", according to their own rules, opinions, and decisions.

In this contest, We're asking for artworks works with "Censorship" theme... Artworks that expresses our refusal to these actions... asks for a complete freedom of expression within our profiles, blogs and websites.

.

_{(the above logo was found on Wikipedia)}
.

This Contest is dedicated to !BenHeine
He is our guest of honour For this contest.

So if you like Ben's work,
then please spread the word!

If you are against internet censorship,
then please spread the word!

.

.
>>> See all the submitted works <<<
.
Contact No More Ignorance
to submit your works at: No.More.Ignorance@gmail.com

.
Below are
some other
political pieces
I received from
friends and
supporters
(Thank u all!)

.

Cival Einstein

.

Deviant Dreaming
.
By thepoetryman

Too dirty! Too ungodly!
Too iconic, like some unthinkable
Beast leaping out a child’s throat,
Wielding its claws as switchblades
(Or bullets or bombs),
Planting red lips upon the sleeping,
Bringing innocence to its knees.

Too much, God damn it!
Too rich! Too immeasurable
Like a pedophile’s rancid erection
Penetrating a child’s flaccid faith
Etched within youth’s center;
They’ll choose not to speak of it-
A secret... censored between fleshes.

A voice hollowed out,
Suppressed like a fearless work of art.
Too dirty! Too ungodly! Too iconic!
Who needs such art, such temptation?
(Flesh without cover)
Can’t have the commoners thinking such
Rigid ideas, might cause a mutiny…

Let us have cockle shells
And other silent dreamings;
Not essentials like art and reflection.
No! Too difficult! Too insurmountable;
A child’s dream or a mother’s breast.
Best keep such things under wraps,
Hidden where they belong.

Too filthy! Too profane!
Too iconic like some naughty child
Jumping out the belly of a beast,
Wielding his mind as a paintbrush
(Or a pen or a dance),
Moving his thoughts over the nobility
Bringing them to their knees.

© 2008 mrp/thepoetryman

.

Stoff
.

.
My Dreams Are Here
.
Image above and poem
below by Peter S. Quinn
.
My dreams are here in earthly stay
Like corrode on earth to go
In years to come as it all may
Some be lost like others grow

Each dream in roots of desolate
In all their wordless to give
This and that in pleasures made
And futures new to live

Go away! Go away! No-More-Ignorance
Go away! Go away! Give each of us a chance
We are together to bring art out
Love and peace is what it is all about
We artists of every nation
Bringing our love with anticipation
We don't require any Censored Theme
All we want is true art in its mainstream
Let's sing together now for our peace
And making our dreams coming through to please
Let's give hope when there's a cloudy sky
Be alive and true without asking why

Bliss of touching and feelings found
My guessing with moments on
Times that were and are around
When later I will be gone

My flowers given and taken
With ascend to carry age
When heart-strings are re awaken
That gave my roses their weight

Go away! Go away! No-More-Ignorance
Go away! Go away! Give each of us a chance
We are together to bring art out
Love and peace is what it is all about
We artists of every nation
Bringing our love with anticipation
We don't require any Censored Theme
All we want is true art in its mainstream
Let's sing together now for our peace
And making our dreams coming through to please
Let's give hope when there's a cloudy sky
Be alive and true without asking why

No time shall break my seeds to thrive
And grow its bouquet's blossom
When I'm dead I'll still be alive
In the whole lot my work is from

My flowers given and taken
With ascend to carry age
When heart-strings are re awaken
That gave my roses their weight

That gave my roses their weight!
Go away!
We aren’t going to take it anymore

Go away!
We aren’t going to take it anymore

.

Allan Mc Donald

.

Tik Tik Tik

.

Nerosunero

.

Derek Easterby
.

Willem Rasing
.

"Censorship" by K. O'Connell

.

Fed up With

Food Additives
.
© 2009 - Ben Heine
.

High resolution version of this image

(for printing purposes) available HERE
.

Avoiding Food Additives ?

By Ashely Gordon

How long does it take you to do the weekly grocery shopping: 20 minutes, 45 minutes, two hours? If you fall into the latter category, I’d guess that you are one of those conscientious but wildly frustrated people who read the labels trying to determine what food additives they are feeding themselves and their family.

Frustrated, because there are at least 1,000 potential additives in our food, most of them man-made concoctions listed under a bewildering array of chemical names.

Their functions are equally various, ranging from bulking, thickening, foaming gelling and glazing to raising, emulsifying and anti-caking. Some, like preservatives, anti-oxidants and acids serve a useful purpose in some foods. Others, such as colourings and flavour enhancers are purely cosmetic.

All food additives are supposed to be government-certified as safe for human consumption within maximum daily intake levels. Fine in theory, but less so in practice. The European Union, for instance, assigns a number to each additive, together with the letter E, indicating that it is approved for human consumption. The Codex Alimentarius, established by the UN and World Health Organization in 1963, uses the same numbers but says nothing about health or safety.

In Canada and the U.S., we put no numbers on the labels but do require that the actual name of the additive be listed, not just a brand or generic term, such as food colouring or preservatives. Either way, names or numbers, the information – if you take the trouble to look it up on the Internet– is likely to be rife with claims and counterclaims about health and safety.

Food additives are generators of big money and dirty politics, and nothing makes the case better than artificial sweeteners.

Other than sugar of lead, which was used by the Romans with fatal results, saccharine was the first artificial sweeter. Originally synthesized in 1879, it was later shown in lab tests to cause brain tumours, and eventually banned from foods in Canada in 1977.

A U.S. ban was in the works, but then headed off by an American Congress under pressure from food industry lobbyists. With sweetening power 300 to 500 times that of sugar, there were huge profits to be made, both from manufacturing saccharine and using it to replace sugar in dozens of different foods.

Cyclamate was briefly a candidate to replace saccharine, but then outlawed as a carcinogen by the U.S. in 1970. (Cyclamate and saccharine are banned as food additives in Canada but still available directly to consumers as tablets or powders.)

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) was next up. Discovered in 1965, it was linked to possible brain cancer, and in 1980 a special U.S. Food and Agriculture Administration panel recommended that it not be approved. Quick to the rescue, President Ronald Reagan appointed Arthur Hill Hayes, a friend of the food sweetener industry as the new FDA Commissioner, and ergo: Aspartame was approved in 1981.

While Aspartame remains the food sweetener of choice (along with Acesulfame K/ Sunette, Sweet One and Sucralose/Splenda), the battle of the studies continues, some claiming a link to cancer, others not. Some researchers go so far as to link Aspartame with the rise in the incidence of brain tumours in the U.S.

There’s a saying amongst writers that applies to food additives: when in doubt, leave it out. While abstaining entirely from food additives is a very difficult, task here are some prime candidates to avoid:

BHA and BHT – antioxidants linked to cancer and banned in California and a number of countries.

Sodium nitrate – long used as a preservative in meats, turns with cooking into the potent carcinogen, sodium nitrite.

Olestra – a fat substitute linked to cancer, heart disease and blindness.

Finally, eat simple. The greater the degree of processing in foods, the greater the likelihood of food additives.

--------------

--> This article appeared on www.squamishchief.com
--> Visit this site: "The Food Intolerance Network" (by Sue Dengate)
--> Also check out this exhaustive list of food additives

.

Nuclear Threat

.

© 2009 - Ben Heine

.

High resolution version of this image
(for printing purposes) available HERE

.

Nuclear Proliferation 101,
Courtesy of Pyongyang

.

By John Metzler (*)

.

UNITED NATIONS — The political choreography was perfect — an American president visiting majestic Prague and setting out an ambitious plan for nuclear non-proliferation. An East Asian dictator, defying world opinion, firing off a ballistic missile just hours earlier. And the UN Security Council, gathering in urgent session, discussing, but not quite condemning, the rogue state with even a slap on the wrist.

President Barack Obama’s speech at the storybook Prague Castle aimed high in soaring rhetoric but was punctured by the announcement that half a world away from the medieval spires of Prague, a North Korean dictator had, as planned, tested a long range missile. Flying over Japan, the Taepodong-2 rocket capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, was fortunately a dud, falling short of expectations but still raising the specter that the enigmatic Kim Jong-il will try again and thus continue to hold East Asia hostage to his nuclear saber rattling.

While President Obama painted the grand if Pollyannaish picture of a world without nuclear weapons, he was acutely aware of the growing risk from rogue states and black market atomic bomb technology being a clear and present danger. The U.S. while reducing nuclear arms in parallel with such states as Russia, remains committed to counter the risk from terrorist groups such as Al Qaida to who are “determined to buy, build, or steal a bomb.”

Yet given the Obama Administration’s planned military cutbacks in anti-missile defense research and development, such hopeful dreams are directly challenged by a nightmare of North Korea’s nuclear reality. Precisely the sort of nuclear threats by North Korea, Islamic Iran or someday perhaps Pakistan threaten America, as well as Japan and the European Union. Thus in this setting, the speech could be viewed as Kafkaesque.

Indeed Pyongyang’s challenge has less to do with North Korea’s current capability but with the intent and aspiration; and its inspiration to radical regimes elsewhere.

North Korea already has nuclear weapons, and the regime is working on the rocket technology to deliver them. Japan is seriously threatened by this and thus has taken particularly strong diplomatic moves in the UN Security Council to slap sanctions on Pyongyang regime.

In 2006 responding to Pyongyang’s rocket firings and nuclear tests, the UN Security Council passed two binding resolutions #1695 and #1718 which forbade North Korean “not conduct any further nuclear tests or launch of a ballistic missile.”

Despite the robust rhetoric from the Obama Administration both before and after the missile test, “Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished…the world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Now is the time for a strong international response,” the response remains tepid.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later scolded that North Korea’s test had “It’s a provocative act that has grave implications.” She advised a forceful UN response.

But back at Turtle Bay in New York, both the People’s Republic of China and Russia played interference and blocked the Security Council discussions from going further offering the sonorous advice that the missile only put a satellite into orbit, let’s not overreact, and in the words of Beijing’s delegate take a “Cautious and proportionate” response. Eventually the Council may make a pro-forma declaration

Still the multilateral Six Party talks in which both South and North Korea are joined by China, Japan, Russia and the USA in discussing a nuclear free North Korea probably remain the best diplomatic path ahead, though Pyongyang will use the test as leverage in the stalled negotiations.

Pyongyang’s missile plan to launch a satellite (portrayed as a glorious scientific victory in communist media) has more to do with internal regime mobilization as it does with bullying East Asia.

In the bizarre political hagiography of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the missile test is clear and logical; it offers a political benediction to the regime, the Kim Cult, and the military. Kim Jong-il has just been “re-elected” by proclamation in the Supreme Peoples Assembly in Pyongyang as dictator. This period constitutes the celebratory Loyalty Festival, between Dear Leader’s Jong-Ils birthday in February and that of the deceased Great Leader Kim Il-Sung on 15 April. The moribund Marxist state needs rallying points, through both domestic mobilization and international brinksmanship. Rebuffing Japan and the U.S. is grist for Pyongyang’s propaganda mill.

It’s crucial that the USA, South Korea and Japan stand firm against North Korea’s latest provocation. It’s ironic that President Obama’s speech was made in Prague, after all the capital of the Czech Republic, a country whose name has been synonymous with the tragic legacy of appeasement. History must not be allowed to repeat itself, this time in the Far East.


(*) John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for WorldTribune.com.

-----------

--> This article appeared on worldtribune.com
.

Sebastian Kruger
at Work

.

Two photos I took during an international Sebastian Kruger workshop a couple of years ago. He was making a fast painting/caricature of Richard Wagner. See more photos of this event at this link.

And here is Sebastian's website.
.

Mathieu Chedid
.

© 2009 - Ben Heine

.

High resolution version of this image
(for printing purposes) available HERE

.

Mathieu Chedid (also known as -M-) is a French rock singer-songwriter and also an accomplished guitar player.

Mathieu Chedid is of Lebanese descent through his paternal grandmother. He is the son of French singer Louis Chedid, and the grandson of the Egyptian-born French writer and poetess of Lebanese descent Andrée Chedid who has written lyrics for him.

Chedid took an interest in music at an early age, notably with Julien Voulzy and Pierre Souchon, the sons of Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon. Together they formed a few short-lasting groups such as Mat Mat (Checkmate Checkmate), Les bébés fous (The crazy babies) or Les poissons rouges (The "red fish," a French phrase equivalent to the English "goldfish"). In order to jump-start his career, he didn't hesitate to collaborate with a number of artists, both on stage and on his albums. He has collaborated with NTM, Sinclair and Billy ze Kick. He also performed a duet with his father entitled T'as beau pas être beau in 1978, and has played as the opening act for Texas concerts. Recently, he has collaborated with Sean Lennon on the song "L'éclipse," which is a French remake of Lennon's song "Parachute." Chedid contributed vocals, lyrics and instrumentals.

Chedid performs and records under the stage name -M-. As a character, -M- is noted for having a mysterious nature, which he emphasizes by wearing flamboyant clothes, and styling his hair into the shape of an M. This character is the dominating motif in his live performances, music videos, and album art. The vivid and often whimsical imagery they use often relates to the themes of love, and the letter M. The name itself comes from Chedid's first initial, but it is also identical in pronunciation to the French word "aime".

--> Official website: qui2nous2.com
.

Obama's Magic
.

© 2009 - Ben Heine

.
(High resolution version of this image, for
printing purposes, available here)

.

He Is a Real
Magical Man

By Peter S. Quinn

He is a real magical man
Walking down the magical span
Making so much magical for everyone’s treat

Not everything needs to be true
Though it’s going to be like it seems too
In its way on every walking street

Magical man, please have a try
There is deep and there's blue sky
Magical man, make your own magical plan

He’s exited for what he is
Reaching the earth in watery bliss
Magical man, never reaching your own feet

Magical man keeps on flying
Go all the way in your trying
Bringing it all up into reality
In magic’s for all to see

Not everything needs to be true
Though it’s going to be like it seems too
In its way on every walking street

Magical man please has a try
There is deep and there's blue sky
Magical man, make your own magical plan

He is a real magical man
Walking down a magical span
Making so much magical for everyone’s treat

.

Pope and Condom
.

© 2009 - Ben Heine

.
(High resolution version of this image, for
printing purposes, available here)

.

Without Using
a Condom

By Peter S. Quinn

(The Pope holds in his hand a condom
and is about to give a speech on its use.
People are waiting with anticipation below):

"What would you do what would you really say?
If I gave permission to use one like this
Would you consider or just walk away
Life is a wonderful key in its bliss

Oh I get by without ever trying some
Oh I get high I know where babies are from
I'm going to continue without the condom

What would you do when love is at first sight?
Would you just worry or be all alone
Live without a concern on to the light
Life is pleasure and its own steeping-stone

Yes I get by without using the condom
Because I know where all babies are from
I'm going to continue without trying some

Do I need to put it on?
No I do not have a penis
Do I need to try it on?
No there is no need for this

Would you consider following my ways
Just make it always happening to you
Follow your love whatever it all pays
Being uncertain what might become true

Oh I get by without ever trying some
Oh I get high I know where babies are from
I'm going to continue without the condom

Do I need to put it on?
No I do not have a penis
Do I need to try it on?
No there is no need for this

Yes I get by without using the condom
I'm going to continue without trying some
No I get by without using the condom
Because I know where all babies are from
Without using the condom…"

(Some women are heard saying,
as His Holiness leaves the balcony:
I guess he is right! Yes, he is right!
Why aren’t all men born like this!)

(Parody to "With A Little Help From My Friends")

.

* * *

.

A Pope who seems fallible

By Peter Popham

On his first pontifical visit to Africa this week, Pope Benedict XVI set off another storm of controversy when he said that condoms were not only not the solution to the continent’s Aids crisis but that they actually “make matters worse”.

On his first pontifical visit to Africa this week, Pope Benedict XVI set off another storm of controversy when he said that condoms were not only not the solution to the continent’s Aids crisis but that they actually “make matters worse”.

It was just the latest in an endless succession of high-profile gaffes that have made the brainiest pope of modern times also by a wide margin the most accident-prone.

In previous pratfalls the Bavarian theologian has welcomed back into the Church a bishop who flatly denies the existence of the Nazi gas chambers, refused to sign UN declarations on the rights of homosexuals and the disabled, denied the possibility of inter-religious dialogue after praying in a mosque, insulted Muslims en masse, and failed to mention the Jews while visiting Auschwitz.

Benedict’s gaffes are becoming as frequent and predictable as Silvio Berlusconi’s. And while Joseph Ratzinger has never cultivated the image of clown and raconteur so dear to the Italian PM, there is something else that the two men share: they wait for the grand occasion, when the world is hanging on their words, to drop their peculiar bombshells.

It was always going to be interesting to hear what Berlusconi had to say, standing alongside Russia’s President Medvedev, about newly-elected President Obama. Berlusconi picked that moment to say that Obama “has a good tan”. He chose the spotlight of a joint press conference to tell President Sarkozy, sotto voce but audibly, that Carla Bruni was his personal gift to the Frenchman.

Likewise, Pope Benedict picked his first trip to Africa to drop his condom bomb. Given the huge amount of flak the Church has received from Aids campaigners over the years for its failure to endorse the use of condoms in any circumstances, even within a marriage in which one partner is infected, this was not a subject that the pontiff could ignore.

Nor was it one on which there was the slightest likelihood that the Pope would change his mind. “God’s rottweiler”, as he was known during the 28 years when he advised Pope John Paul II on theology, is not for turning. But this is also the Pope who has told close colleagues that he sees his mission as, " protecting the integrity of the faith and conveying the message that Christianity is joy”. This is the Pope whose only encyclical so far in his four-year reign was on love – and yes, that includes sexual love.

A Pope, in other words, who seems to understand the need to project the positive aspects of faith, and to have some thought for the feelings of those affronted or disappointed by his hugely predictable views. And yet who repeatedly, at moments of great expectation, finds ways to injure the feelings of millions of people. His “make matters worse” comment immediately provoked a flood of criticism. Alain Fogue, an Aids campaigner in Cameroon, said: “The people will not follow what the Pope is saying. He lives in heaven and we are on earth. To claim that condoms ‘aggravate’ the problem of Aids goes totally against all the efforts made by the Cameroonian government and other actors involved in the struggle against Aids in Cameroon.”

Such remarks were foreseeable. Less predictable, and a great deal more worrying for the Vatican, were the stark denunciations from France and Germany. Eric Chevalier, of the French foreign ministry, said there was “enormous worry about the consequences” of the Pope’s comments for the struggle against Aids. “France expresses its very strong disquiet about the consequences of Benedict XVI’s declaration,” he said. In Berlin, Ulla Schmidt of the health ministry, responded bluntly: “Condoms save lives, as much in Europe as in other continents.”

Elizabeth Pisani an epidemiologist who has criticised international charities for their approach to combating Aids in Africa described his claim as “a shocker”. Attacks from the highest levels are becoming another feature of Ratzinger’s gaffes. And they get results. When Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel took the Pope to task over his rash re-admittance of the schismatic Society of Saint Pius X, including the British Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson, his first response was an angry, “none of your business”.

In a seven-page letter to all Catholic bishops the Pope showed he was still smarting from the attacks, including those from inside the Church. “A discussion of such vehemence,” he admitted, “had not been experienced for a long time.” But when it became clear that at least some of those re-admitted preserved the anti-Semitic views espoused by the Church up until the second Vatican Council, the Pope took the trouble to re-rebuild his bridges to the Jews.

That is the other repetitive feature of the Pope’s attacks of foot-in-mouth: his eventual willingness to back down. During a learned discourse to theologians at his old university in Germany in 2006, Benedict quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor as saying that Mohamed brought, “things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. For several weeks the papacy became the Islamic world’s punchball of choice. And, as in the Williamson affair and the Auschwitz blunder, eventually the Pope climbed down. And that in itself is an unedifying sight.

While the concept of papal infallibility is widely misunderstood, and certainly does not apply to off-the-cuff remarks to journalists, it is damaging to the great prestige of his office when the Pope has to eat his words. But he often does it, eventually, and with a will. Why does a Pope of such great intellectual gifts, whose published works are hailed by many who disagree with his doctrinal positions as works of sensitivity and illumination, make so many mistakes?

One answer may be that Pope Benedict XVI is notoriously shy, and while he goes through the papal motions gamely enough, he has never developed any relish for the grand theatre of the Church. In an intimate setting – presiding over an outdoor Mass at Ephesus in Turkey in 2006 for example, before a few dozen people – he came across as warmly paternal. But when the whole world is watching, he seems to lose the plot.

Close observers of the Vatican claim that a lot of it is down to his solitary style of governing: so sure is this Pope of his great powers that nobody can over-rule his decisions. “He’s shut up in his study,” one cardinal said off the record. “He’s a theologian, not an executive. A great theologian may not necessarily have his finger on the pulse of reality.”

--> This article appeared on independent.ie

PS: I have nothing against Ratzinger, this is just a joke :)

.

VISAS, What a Pain !

.
© 2009 - Ben Heine

.

(High resolution version of this image, for
printing purposes, available here)

.
An illustration I made for "Gavroche" (a French magazine based in Thailand) and that illustrates the difficulties to get a Visa for French people who live in Thailand' (work permit, tourist Visa to extend...) or for Thai people to go to France.
.