Nicolas Van Caillie’s Weblog


De la bêtise de Cinquante degrés Nord (1)

Le 23 novembre 2009, Éric Russon et ses chroniqueurs recevaient entre autre Micha Wald et Jonathan Zaccaï dans 50 degrés Nord pour la sortie du film « Les Folles Aventures de Simon Konianski ». L’émission d’Arte-Belgique allait nous offrir ignorance et lieux communs, le tout sur un plateau de télévision. Ce n’était pas la première fois, ça ne sera surement pas la dernière.

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Dans dix ans, plus d’activités, mais nous serons tous activés
30 novembre 2009, 5:26
Classé dans : Actualité | Mots-clefs: , , , ,

Après les prépensions et les restrictions légales pour y avoir droit, les patrons s’attaquent à nouveau aux fins de carrières en demandant simultanément un énième allongement du temps de carrière ainsi qu’une activation des chômeurs de plus de 50 ans.

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The Banlieues: a Matter of Respect and Recognition
19 novembre 2009, 2:11
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , ,

Only to speak about the banlieues, for us, I think it is a little bit improper. It’s hellish there, it is really the shit. Something has to be done, otherwise it will burst. Everybody knows that”.

We are in 1995; Vincent Cassel reacts after the end of the film-shoot of “Hate” (La Haine) – a Mathieu Kassovitz movie that takes place in a banlieue in riots. The French actor expresses what he feels after living, sleeping, eating in the banlieue while shooting. He understands the “malaise des banlieues”. Since then, nothing has really changed. It is maybe even worse today.

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Not Worse, Nor Better. The Haut du Lièvre Just Needs to Recover
19 novembre 2009, 1:41
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , ,

I tell you: it is some shit. It is not a neighbourhood, it is absolutely nothing,” nervously yells an elderly woman. Raja, a 25-year-old student at the University of Nancy, calls it Alcatraz. “When we were there, we had only one urge: to escape,” she says.

If I had to associate a word with it,” explains Zakkaria, a Nancy resident. “It is a word which disturbs me, a word rather negatively connoted, it would be “ghetto”. It is a cliché. You can go there whenever; it is no more dangerous than somewhere else.

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Culture Needs Local Work to Succeed
19 novembre 2009, 12:56
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , , ,

Slam poetry, classical poetry, improvisation theatre, and music were performed around one theme: the speech.  From April 28th to May 2nd 2008, the Festival “Sur un Plateau” had been taking place at the MJC of the “Haut du Lièvre” – Nancy’s local banlieue.

MJC’s (Maisons de la Jeunesse et de la Culture – Youth and Culture Centers) were created to bring youth and culture together.  On its side, the Festival “Sur un Plateau” (On a Plateau – due to the up-hill position of the neighborhood) was created and organized by students from the University of Nancy to bring the people from the city and its banlieue together, to build bridges, to help the city speak with its suburb and vice versa.

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When the Banlieue Does Poetry, You Get Some Slam
19 novembre 2009, 12:34
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , , , ,

Most of the time, urban forms of art come from US inner city areas better known as the ghettos. It develops there, it crosses the Atlantic Ocean, and then it settles in Europe. Hip Hop, Rap, Graffiti, name it. But each time, these forms of art are modified and tamed by European artists. It is especially true for slam poetry.

In the people’s slam, we bind ourselves and we rhyme because here we love where that rhymes and that lies. But if we splendidly lie to it, this is because we look there for a brightness of diamond verb. The people’s slam is a tiny and alive treasure with sight on the invisible. Simple.” Mourad, the master of ceremonies or MC, gives the start of the local slam session in Nancy (France) with these few rhymes.

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Hamburg Airport’s: Loud by Day but Quiet at Night
18 novembre 2009, 10:12
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , ,

A Compromise to Manage Noise Pollution

In these times when most people equate environment with climate change and global warming, noise pollution around airports is a hot-button issue. Unfortunately – like in most cases – people only care when they are touched by the problem. In the case of Hamburg, about 80 000 households, or almost 200 000 inhabitants, are directly affected by noise pollution generated by its airport.

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Brussels decided to not decide
18 novembre 2009, 9:58
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , , , ,

While more and more decisions regarding our everyday life are made in Brussels, the European Commission decided to not decide about noise pollution around Community airports – those having more than 50 000 movements per year and city airports. The Directive 2002/30/EC is inspired by the subsidiarity principle: each decision has to be taken by the local/regional authorities. This is an approach to solving noise problems on an ‘airport-by-airport’ basis.

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Gabriele Hartl leads Hamburg’s fight against aircraft noise pollution
18 novembre 2009, 9:48
Classé dans : Articles EitW - English | Mots-clefs: , , , ,

She goes and comes back from the desk to the computer like planes take off and land at an airport. “Do you know Leo?” she says. “It is my on-line translation “friend” from German to English.” She doesn’t master the English language but she tries to communicate her experience.

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Cité des artistes, rue Wiertz
18 novembre 2009, 9:20
Classé dans : Stage au Soir | Mots-clefs: ,
Lundi 3 juillet 2006
Quartier Léopold, des parcelles à l’abandon depuis vingt ans. L’Association du Quartier Léopold accule la commune d’Ixelles, propriétaire. L’AQL va demander un permis.

Ça y est, c’est fait ! L’Association du Quartier Léopold (AQL) et la « Fondation Ateliers d’Artistes sans Frontières » ont signalé leur intention de déposer une demande conjointe de certificat d’urbanisme auprès de la commune d’Ixelles. Au plus tard pour le 15 août. Cette demande concernera les dernières parcelles à l’abandon de l’îlot Vautier – Wiertz. Les numéros 21, 23 et 23A. Le but recherché est de mettre la commune face à ses responsabilités.

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