Elena Karadjova

The Way...

2011-04-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

How beautiful this is...

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Elliot

A woman

2011-03-08T23:06:00.001-08:00

A woman's only human

You should understand.

She's not just a plaything,

She's flesh and blood

Just like her man.

Aretha Franklin

More lullabies

2011-02-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

Today I made a sweetest discovery - the CD compilation "Les plus belles berceuses du monde". This is an enchanting selection of loving lullaby tunes from Mali to Japan, bringing to your home a vivid image of a mother by the cradle in Rwanda, Congo, Senegal, Guadaloupe, Brasil, Korea, Cambodia and Japan and featuring different African languages as well as Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Hebreu, Russian, Polish.

Beautiful work of Didier Jeunesse and a powerful reminder how universal an experience motherhood is.

The case of Clint Eastwood

2011-01-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am once again shattered and moved beyond words. Just like its predecessors 'Million dollar baby', 'Changelling', 'Gran Torino' and 'Invictus', Clint Eastood's latest film 'Hereafter' is a complete and utter knock-out. It will break your heart into pieces and then will masterfully make you crave to heal and expand it. That's what it did to mine. That's what I suspect it will do to many others.

2011-01-15T05:17:00.000-08:00

Somewhere

2011-01-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

I love the way Sofia Coppola is telling the story in her latest film "Somewhere" - telling, suggesting, analyzing, insinuating or dissecting nothing but simply observing the story unfolding and her characters flowing through it. I truly enjoyed watching it with the same non-detached attitude.

It is a powerful stuff, not necessarily pleasant to watch, yet like most worthy things it would grab you only after you have left the salon and its effect wouldn't wear off for quite some time.

This film is as good as a meditation.

Somewhere... Anywhere...

Lullabies

2010-10-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

A list of tracks that I have found helpful in soothing and putting to sleep a baby, fascinated with music.

1.Mariana Ramos - Filha minha

2. Angelique Kidjo - Naima

3. John Lennon - Beautiful boy

4. Bebel Gilberto - Next to you

5. Beatles - Blackbird

6. Sade - Be that easy

7. Norah Jones - Come away with me

8. Елица и Стунджи - Пеещо сърце

9. Eels - Beautiful freak

Mama

2010-09-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

What have pigs got to do with it?

2010-03-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Amidst current financial turmoil and rising stock exchange speculations, economic pressure, social unrest, high-fly difficult political maneuvering and big games at stake with an almost certain hidden agenda, the modern term PIGS was coined.
Now, far from being an expert in finance and having turned down the world of politics quite some time ago, I have a simple question -would the new abbreviation stand for all of the above misfortunes or rather to more literally denote the better part of Europe (PIGS= Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain or in a more generous version PIIGS to take Italy on board)?
I was stunned to notice that my favourite media, the BBC, the exemplary voice of respect, precision and thoroughness, has opted for launching its quest for on-the-ground readers' opinions under the following title:
Europe's PIGS countries: Send us your experiences
Just an unflattering acronym as the article suggests? More that that, I would say - sheer and undisguised contempt of the rich towards the poor or at least a careless choice of expression.
But summer come, we will be there, PIGS, where else?

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-15T01:08:00.000-07:00

Couldn't wait to see Lewis Carrol' s world through Tim Burton's eyes but when I got back home last Fri having seen the film, there was no sparkle in my eyes.
And I didn't even know how to explain the lack of enthousiasm given the exuberant visual parade the production offers. It was all there - boundless imagination to give birth to unthinkable creatures, blinding colours and costumes, irresistibly mad Johnny Depp, ruthless Helena Bohnam Carter and beautifully sad yet determined Mia Wasikowska. Then what?
Perhaps it was the story. I never felt the curious, mind-tickling urge the original text bears, no pun, no ambiguity, no sweet craving and not a trace of this exquisite Englishness I have always felt in the book. It was rather a simplified 'Good versus Evil' story and as such purely one-dimensional in spite of the generous hi-fi 3D package.
Well, I will go back to the book, I guess and continue to love Tim Burton for Eduard Scissorshands.

Jabuticaba

2010-02-01T03:20:00.000-08:00

The Brazilian music triumphantly marched back into my life just a couple of years after it first took a prominent place in my heart.

Bebel Gilberto’s tunes have been on my lips most of the time since December and have made this unbearably long winter a tiny bit more tolerable. Ceu’s playful, girlish songs were equally impossible to resist. “Comadi” struck me immediately as the perfect sound illustration if a new version of “Dona Flor e seus dois maridos” is ever to be filmed. You can sense a great deal of Vadinho’s charm and Flor’s blossoming femininity in that song, can’t you?

And then yesterday it was once again Bebel’s turn with a song called “Jabuticaba”. When you hear this tender opening

“If I could name

A fruit for you

It would be jabuticaba’

you naturally get curious what sort of a romantic and inspiring plant that could possibly be.

And here is the answer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabuticaba

It is a Brazilian grapes tree or as the song goes on:

“Blue, black and small

On the outside

And soft and sweet within”….

A new jewel from Brazil

2010-01-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Bebel Gilberto’s smile on the cover of her most recent album ”All in one” says it all- “I am a woman in love with life and with love”! The grace with which this statement is made and reaffirmed throughout all the tracks is remarkable and contagious – within days after I purchased my own copy I had to rush back to the store for more as her stories, woven in warm tunes, made me long to share the treasure with some inspirational women.

And I see my enthusiasm is shared by countless of people all around the globe who have only too gladly succumbed to Bebel’s charms as I did. And how could you not love it? How could you not fall for such an effortless flow of joy, beautiful power and femininity? It just makes you feel like putting on your most beautiful clothes and favourite jewellery and reach out with your heart to truly and wholly merge with the enormity of Life, as All is One…

Bebel says she recorded it as it was who she was right now and on the other side I love it as I also feel it as a reflection of me right now! Muito obrigada!

The vocation thing

2009-12-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond - I so envy you guys for having the best job in the world! Any vacancies in Top gear for someone who has not used her driving license even once (so far)?;-)

2009-05-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

Ειμαι ευτυχισμένη

Blackbird

2009-03-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
take this broken wings and learn to fly!
All your life you were only waiting for this moment to arise!....

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free...

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night!

No one can beat the Beatles when it comes to inspiring. Need you, Blackbird!

The Durrell Villas

2009-02-27T04:36:00.000-08:00

The Strawberry-Pink Villa, the Daffodil-Yellow Villa and the Snow-White Villa - the Durrell houses are a far cry from being a mere background in the story. Their presence is truly vivid and captivating and one would say they are a palpable character on their own. Recreating that particular charm decades later must have been some sort of a challenge but the film crew has risen to it and it must have been such a pleasure of a house-hunting.
Yet nothing stays the same, life is going on and things change. None of us who are visiting Corfu on some sort of a pilgrimage could (and should not) expect to see that very same magic, unchanged, untouched.
Here is a link to Peter Harrison's beautiful text "The Corfu landscapes of Gerald Durrell" that follows the villas' "life after the Durrells":
http://www.geocities.com/durrelliana/cache1.htm?200916
Please share your views if you have visitied.

My family and other animals

2009-02-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

There are lots of us out there who dearly love the Durrell family and in particular its youngest member Gerry. There are lots of us who grew up inspired and enchanted by this boisterous and adventurous bunch of people or have turned to them for an extra dose of vitality later in life. This is a tribute to the Durrells' unique world that touched deeply so many and instilled genuine love for Corfu, Greece and life itself in many hearts around the world.
Please feel free to join us at the Facebook-based "My family and other animals" group and share your views and experiences and your love.

Yes, Minister's precious lessons

2008-08-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

The Golden Rules of the Civil Service

1. Never believe anything until it is officially denied.

2. Do not let a Minister know what everybody else knows.

3. Never set up an inquiry unless you know what the final results will be.

4. Many, many things must be done, but nothing must be done for the first time.

5. You can’t write a communique after you’ve had the meeting.

6. Life is so much easier, when Ministers think they have achieved something. Stops them fretting. No tantrums.

7. A good speech is not when we can prove he is telling the truth. It’s one in which nobody else can prove he is lying.

8. Ministers’ speeches are not written for the audience, delivering a speech is just a formality you go through to get into the papers.

9. A Minister's absence is a godsent. You can do the job properly for once. No silly questions, no bright ideas, no fussing about the papers.

10. The public doesn’t need to know anything on wasting public money, we are the experts.

11. There has to be some way to measure success in the civil service if we have to – by the size of our staff and our budget. By definition the big department is more successful than the small one.

12. When a Minister starts running his department things are not going pretty well, actually they are going pretty bad. If we allow a Minister to run a department, in the first place there will be chaos, naturally, and second, which is much more serious, there will be innovations, changes, public debate outside scrutiny.

13. Principal secretaries who can’t occupy their ministers are threatened species.

14. If a document is never to be found out then file it.

15. If ministers get a grip on the job there is a real danger they might be right. One tells them that something is impossible and they dig out an old paper in which one had said it was easy - very tedious.

16. When we want ministers to sign something without asking questions, we have to wait until they are in a hurry and their concentration is weakest.

Standard Vocabulary and Best Administrative Practices

Justification on why things should not be done - The time isn’t right, the climate is unsuitable, the atmosphere is unfavourable.

If the message is to be positive and encouraging and imply on possible activities the following phrases should be used: in due course, at the appropriate juncture, in the fullness of time, when the moment is ripe, when the necessary procedures have been completed, nothing precipitate, of course.

All views will be taken into consideration at the appropriate time.

The matter is under consideration and if we feel so inclined, under active consideration, the difference being ‘under consideration” means we have lost the file, and “under active consideration” means we are trying to find it.

Approach for suppressing damaging reports and avoiding publication

In Stage 1 you give your reasons - you are pointing of the public interest and security considerations. You point out the report could be used to put pressure on the government and be misinterpreted. You say it would be better to wait for a more detailed study over long-time scale.

In Stage 2 you go on to discredit the evidence you are not publushing. You say it leaves some important question unanswered, much of the evidence is inconclusive, the figures are open to other misintepretations, that certain findings are contradictory and that some of the main concusions have been questioned.

In Stage 3 you state this is not a basis for a long-term decision - not sufficient information on which to base a valid assessment. Not really any need for a fundamental rethinking of policies. 'Broadly speaking endorses current practices'.

In Stage 4 you discredit the man who produced the report - say he is harbouring a grudge against the government or that he is a publicity seeker or that he used to be a consultant to a multiinternational company.

Standard excuses to deal with allegations

Excuse, used in Anthony Blunt case

There is a perfectly satisfying explanation for everything but security forbids its disclosure.

Excuse used for the comprehensive schools

Because of budget cuts, supervisory resources went beyond their limits.

Excuse for Concorde

It was a worthwile experiment, now abandoned but not before it had provided much valuable data and employment.

The excuse for the Munich agreement

It occurred before certain important facts were known and couldn't reoccur.

The charge of the light brigade excuse

It was an unfortunate lapse by an individual, which is now being dealt with under internal disciplinary procedures.

How to explain that documents are missing

This file contains the complete set of papers, except for a number of secret documents, a few others which are part of still active files, some correspondence lost in the floods of 1967 and the normal withdraw of papers, whose publication would have caused accusations of libel or breach of confidence or cause embarrassment to friendly governments.

When in situations where you can neither do something nor ignore it, apply the Rhodesia solution:

My attention has been drawn to information, which suggests possible irregularities under the X Act. (You suggest someone to do something) Evidence suggests there may be a case for further investigation to establish whether or not inquiries should be put in hand. (Then you smidge it all over) Nevertheless, it should be stressed that available information is limited and relevant facts could be difficult to establish with any degree of certainty.

The 5-step approach on dissuading a Minister from pursuing innovations

1. Your administration is very new and there’re a lot of things we are getting on.

2. (If he persists with the idea) Yes, minister, I quite appreciate the intention, certainly something has to be done, but are you sure this is the right way to achieve it?

3. (If he is still undeterred, shift your ground from how to do it to when to do it) - Now, Minister, this is not the right time for all sorts of reasons. We have tried this before and we have run into all sorts of difficulties – technical, formidable administrative problems, legal problems.

4. But minister, there will be a need for extra staffing, are you sure you will ever get it through the cabinet and the party?

5. (And finally) Now, minister, we are getting very close to the run up for the next general elections, are you sure you want to get this policy through?

Breaking grave news (leaving the office)

The relationship, which I might tentatively venture to…. has been not without some degree of reciprocal utility, and even occasional gratification, is approaching a point of irreversible bufurcation, and to be brief, is in the propinquity of its ultimate regrettable termination. I am on my way out.

Talking about security question marks

There are certain items of confidential information, which while in theory might be susceptible of innocent interpretation, do nevertheless contain a sufficient element of ambiguity, so that were they to be presented in a less than generous manner to an uncharitable mind, might be a source of great embarrassment and even hazard, were they to impinge upon the deliberations of an office of more than usual sensitivity.

The 4-word trick

There are 4 words you have to work into a proposal for the minister to accept it:

Quick, simple, popular, cheap

Equally, there are 4 words to be included in a proposal if you want it thrown out: complicated, lengthy, expensive, controversial. And if you want to be really sure that the minister doesn’t accept it you must say “the decision is courageous”.

Tips for addressing superiors

Minister, you are a striking genius!

Very polished performance, minister, gracious and said absolutely nothing, very professional.

When you are asked for a straight answer – Well, minister, if you ask me for a straight answer, then I should say that as far as we can see, looking at it, by and large, taking one time with another in terms of the average of departments, then in the final analysis, it is probably true to say that at the end of the day in general terms, you’d probably find that, not to put too fine a point on it, there wasn’t probably much weight in it in one way or the other (as far as one can see at this stage).

Was this Yes or No? Yes and No, minister!

When you mean No - I am fully seized of your aims and I will try to put them into practice. To that end I recommend that we set up an interdepartmental committee with fairly broad terms of reference so that at the end of the day we will be in a position to think through the various implications rather than rush prematurely into precipitate and ill-conceived actions which might well have unforeseen repercussions.

Tips for Ministers

Blurring the issue is one of the basic ministerial skills. Others are delaying decisions, didging questions, juggling figures, bending facts anbd concealing errors.

You are strongly advised not to ask a direct question. It might provoke a direct answer.

How to respond to the media when asked if you are planning to stand

On previous occasions, general acceptable answer has been “While one does not seek the office, one has pledged oneself to the service of one’s country and if one’s friends were to persuade one that was the best way one could serve, one might reluctantly have to accept the responsibility, whatever one’s private wishes might be.”

Standard reply for a TV appearance

I’m glad you asked me that question because it is a question a lot of people are asking because a lot of people want to know the answer. And let’s be quite clear about this without beating about the bush – the plain fact of the matter is that it is a very important question indeed and the people have the right to know.

A possible promotion in a ministerial reshuffle calls for a particular combination of talents – lots of activity but no actual achievement.

Definitions and Interpretations

Brussels – a place full of dedicated men, all bearing the heavy burden of travel entertainment.

Confidential – classification that means the document won't be in the papers until today.

Controversial decision - a decision that alludes votes.

Courageous decision – one, which might cost the re-election.

Cover up – it is a responsible discretion exercised in the national interest to prevent unnecessary disclosure of eminently justifiable procedures, in which untimely revelation could severely impact the public confidence.

Cynic - what an idealist calls a realist.

Diplomacy – a word we use as euphemism for ‘appalling cynicism’.

Elbows - the most important thing in the politicians’ armoury.

Ministers – people who have a lot of dazzling qualities, including enviable intellectual suppleness and moral maneuvrability. Unlike civil servants, ministers are selected completely at random by prime ministerial whim in recognition of dubious services rendered or to avoid appointing someone of real ability.

Original and imaginative - two of the most damning criticisms in the civil service.

Restricted - classification that means the document was in the papers yesterday.

Right away – Rome wasn’t built in a day, these things take time.

Tiny mistake – spending 75 000 pounds on a roof garden. Big mistake - letting people know about it.

Riddle

How can a 7-storey building be a top secret?

Answer: When there is a will, there’s a way.

Elena Karadjova

A compillation based on the BBC’s “Yes, Minister”

Yes, Minister!

2008-08-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

Some time ago (as always, better late than never) I discovered the sophisticated, though occasionally stinging humour of the BBC’s “Yes, Minister” series featured during the 80s in the UK. I found it a brilliant political satire and an amazing source of inspiration and comfort for those of us who earn their cash as civil servants and whose working energy is dedicated to “spending endless hours circulating information that isn’t relevant about subjects that don’t matter to people who are not interested.” It occurred to me that I might try to summarize the valuable advice and the messages of the text and structure it in a way that would help implement its timeless wisdom into our daily routine and thus improve the latter substantially.
For everyone involved in the administrative world and practices I hope the attached text will be a useful guiding tool in facing the diverse challenges of this prestigious occupation. The rest of you will, hopefully, find this a pleasant distraction and a nice break during a hard working day!

Aug 2006