Mesmo que o objectivo seja amansar muçulmanos mauzinhos e domesticar islamófobos mauzões, convém não esquecer que os autocarros que fazem realmente falta são outros

E, AGORA, EM CHICAGO:

Is God Dead? Or Just Not Riding the Bus?

"Dangling from the sides of Chicago public buses in recent days: large signs bearing the slogan, 'In the beginning, man created God'. Lo and behold, the atheist bus war that raged through London earlier this year has led to the opening of a front in the U.S. The Chicago ads were purchased this month (for a total of $5,000) by the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign. Despite Chicago's abundance of trains, the Indiana group preferred to buy ads that would appear on the outside of buses. 'That way, cars can see them. People on the sidewalks can see them, as the buses go zipping by', says Charlie Sitzes, 73, the group's spokesman. Apart from the predictable blogosphere chatter, Chicago has largely greeted the ads with a quick, curious look and then a shrug. While the media attention has drawn donations to the group from across the country, there are no plans to extend the ads' run beyond mid-June. 'You don't have to shake the believer tree too hard to get a discussion going', Sitzes says, adding, 'We've already won'". (aqui)

(2009)

EM NOME DA "MAIS VELHA ALIANÇA", DEPOIS DE

 SÃO NUNINHO, É FAZER CLAQUE POR SÃO TONI

Em directo do National Prayer Breakfast, em Washington, um guia de leitura do discurso de São Toni

Onde Tony Blair, olhando em plano picado sobre Jerusalém, consegue fazer a remix de meia dúzia das mais célebres ficções históricas, sem se rir:

"I spend much of my time in the Holy Land and in the Holy City. The other evening I climbed to the top of Notre Dame in Jerusalem. You look left and see the Garden of Gethsemane. You look right and see where the Last Supper was held. Straight ahead lies Golgotha. In the distance is where King David was crowned and still further where Abraham was laid to rest. And of course in the centre of Jerusalem is the Al Aqsa Mosque, where according to the Qur'an, the Prophet was transported to commune with the prophets of the past".

Ou "tirem-me o Dawkins da frente que um gajo já nem de autocarro pode andar em Londres descansado":

"Religious faith is assailed by an increasingly aggressive secularism, which derides faith as contrary to reason and defines faith by conflict. Thus do the extreme believers and the aggressive non-believers come together in unholy alliance".

Santa Cherie, a outra metade da Divina Sizígia

Para o que um pai ateu está guardado ou há profes que nunca é demais manter debaixo de olho:

"I remember my first spiritual awakening. I was ten years old. That day my father - at the young age of 40 - had suffered a serious stroke. His life hung in the balance. My mother, to keep some sense of normality in the crisis, sent me to school. My teacher knelt and prayed with me. Now my father was a militant atheist. Before we prayed, I thought I should confess this. 'I'm afraid my father doesn't believe in God'. I said. 'That doesn't matter' my teacher replied 'God believes in him. He loves him without demanding or needing love in return'".

...por outro lado, há "civil servants" que valem muito mais que o seu peso em platina:

"I recall giving an address to the country at a time of crisis. I wanted to end my words with 'God bless the British people'. This caused complete consternation. Emergency meetings were convened. The system was aghast. Finally, as I sat trying to defend my words, a senior civil servant said, with utter distain: 'Really, Prime Minister, this is not America you know'".

São Toni preenche o impresso de candidatura à beatificação mas sonhando, lá no fundo, com a canonização:

"I believe restoring religious faith to its rightful place, as the guide to our world and its future, is itself of the essence. The 21st Century will be poorer in spirit, meaner in ambition, less disciplined in conscience, if it is not under the guardianship of faith in God".

Um caso típico de "fala por ti" (porém, na circunstância, verdade, verdadinha):

"'Fear of God' means really obedience to God; humility before God; acceptance through God that there is something bigger, better and more important than you".

Tradução do inglês técnico - "naquele dia da cimeira dos Açores, eu tinha comido qualquer coisa que me caíu mal, foi isso":

"When I was Prime Minister I had cause often to reflect on leadership. Courage in leadership is not simply about having the nerve to take difficult decisions or even in doing the right thing since oftentimes God alone knows what the right thing is. (...) And it is in that 'not knowing' that the courage lies".

(2009)

DIZ TIAGO GUILLUL:

"Bacchanalia" - Auguste Levêque, 1866-1921

"Ainda Teixeira de Pascoaes, em São Paulo

'A bela Tarso, com palácios, escolas, teatros, fóruns e o seu deus tutelar, Sardanapalo; o deus da orgia, vestido de mulher. Lia-se, no seu pedestal, esta inscrição: Bebe, come e goza. O resto não é nada'. *

Dawkins, os autocarros britânicos, the whole lot... Na pasmaceira pagã mais antiguinha do mundo".

Não queria ser desagradável, mas parece-me um programa de vida francamente sensato e recomendável. Em versão pequeno-burguesa liofilizada e simplificada (a imprecação "moral" final ajuda a contextualizar melhor...), chegou-nos assim:

É só recuperar o espírito original da coisa na era de Sardanapalo. Ou de Rumi.

* citando o gnóstico mas lamentavelmente não carpocrático, Clemente

(2009)

BUS STOP (IX)

Génova, Itália

"Men who believe absurdities will commit atrocities" (Voltaire)

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction" (Blaise Pascal)

"If there are any gods whose chief concern is man, they can't be very important gods" (Arthur C. Clarke)

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (VIII)

Málaga, Espanha

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (VII)

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (VI)

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (V)

Albert Riba (Barcelona, 1947) preside la Unión de Ateos y Librepensadores (UAL) y es miembro del colectivo de Ateos de Cataluña desde hace 15 años. Este funcionario de la Seguridad Social, de una oficina de Moncada i Reixach (Barcelona), desprende satisfacción tras el éxito de la idea importada de Londres para poner anuncios a favor del ateísmo en los autobuses. La campaña empezará hoy en Barcelona con dos vehículos (el 14 y el 41) que circularán un mes con este mensaje: "Probablemente Dios no existe. Deja de preocuparte y disfruta de la vida".

Pregunta. ¿Por qué pensaron que la campaña de Londres podía cuajar también aquí?

Respuesta. Pensamos que había una necesidad objetiva de hablar del tema, de hacernos visibles. Que la gente tenía ganas de hablar del ateísmo ya fuera a favor o en contra. No nos ha sorprendido la buena acogida pero nos ha superado. Tenemos 3.000 simpatizantes aunque el núcleo activo es menor. En eso somos como la Iglesia Católica: muchos bautizados y pocos activos. Pensábamos reunir 6.000 euros, ya llevamos más del doble (13.000 ayer). La campaña se extenderá el día 26 a Madrid, Valencia y luego a Bilbao, Zaragoza y Sevilla.

Albert Riba

P. ¿Por qué es incompatible creer y pasarlo bien?

R. Nuestra campaña está dirigida a quienes no creen para que piensen que hay mucha más gente como ellos. El mismo Obispo de Barcelona ya dijo que era compatible y no vamos a desmentirle. La nuestra no es una campaña dogmática. Es bueno que se sepa en el trabajo, en los bares, que uno es ateo y que se puede seguir siendo amigo y tomar copas sin que pase nada. En Madrid, con tantas manifestaciones políticas, la gente necesitaba algo así. En un futuro se notará esta diferencia. Estamos recibiendo donaciones de toda España: desde 3 a 550 euros [las donaciones se centralizan desde la web busateo.org]. Todo el mundo nos dice que tiene ganas de ver el autobús en Madrid, Guadalajara o en su pueblo. Esto cambiará la realidad social en España.

P. Grupos religiosos han anunciado campañas para contrarrestar la suya. El Vaticano dice que es una campaña estúpida. Hay creyentes ofendidos...

R. Nos gusta que nos copien las ideas. Y lo del Vaticano, no tenemos por costumbre insultar. Es poco cristiano. No hay tantos ofendidos; lo que pasa es que gritan mucho. Discrepar es bueno... Pero el memorial de agravios sería inacabable. La última víctima de la Inquisición fue en 1863 en Valencia. No hace 2.000 años, sino 153.

P. ¿Qué diría a quien piensa que es una campaña frívola y que mejor destinar el dinero a Gaza?

R. ¡Son sólo 13.000 euros! Renunciaremos si los cardenales invierten en Gaza los 18.000 euros que, según la prensa, se gasta cada uno en su ropa para asistir a la elección de Papa. ¿Qué hacen con el dinero que les da el Estado? Parte de él fue para pagar las indemnizaciones por pederastia de la Iglesia de Estados Unidos. (El País)

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (IV)

Londres, Gower Street

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (III)

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (II)

Londres, Hyde Park

GAOB

(2009)

BUS STOP (I)

GAOB

(2009)

GOD'S AWAY ON BUSINESS (FOR GOOD) IN BARCELONA,

MADRID, WASHINGTON DC, AND ALL OVER THE UK

"La campaña para hacer publicidad en los autobuses urbanos de las principales ciudades españolas con el lema “PROBABLEMENTE DIOS NO EXISTE. DEJA DE PREOCUPARTE Y DISFRUTA LA VIDA” ha arrancado con fuerza. La Unión de Ateos y Librepensadores (UAL), organización promotora de la campaña, junto con Ateus de Catalunya, informa que en su primer día de funcionamiento ha logrado recaudar ya más de 1.000 € y que, de seguir a este ritmo, pronto podrá garantizar la presencia de autobuses con el lema de la campaña también en Madrid. La campaña se iniciará el próximo día 12 de enero en Barcelona, donde circularán dos líneas de autobuses de los Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona con la publicidad indicada. En los próximos días se darán a conocer los números concretos de las líneas de autobuses que pronto lucirán el eslógan “ateo”. Si la campaña sigue recaudando fondos al ritmo actual a continuación la publicidad se ampliará a dos nuevas líneas, y simultaneamente se pondrán también en marcha otras dos líneas de autobuses en Madrid, para extender después la campaña a otras ciudades.

La campaña cuenta con el apoyo de la British Humanist Association (BHA) que, con el respaldo a su vez del profesor Richard Dawkins, el conocido biólogo evolucionista autor de “El espejismo de Dios”, lanzó la campaña inicial en Londres con el objetivo de sensibilizar a los ciudadanos ateos, no creyentes y librepensadores en general sobre la necesidad de “hacerse visibles” para reivindicar los mismos derechos y libertades que se reconocen a los demás ciudadanos por el mero hecho de poseer o manifestar unas creencias religiosas. Desde entonces la campaña del “Bus Ateo” no ha dejado de extenderse por todo el mundo y, a partir de enero, finalmente llegará también a nuestro país. Los organizadores efectuarán una rueda de prensa la próxima semana en Barcelona, en el local de Ateus de Catalunya, para informar sobre el curso de la campaña. El día y hora de este acto se darán a conocer próximamente. Para más información sobre la campaña o para colaborar económicamente pueden consultarse las páginas web: www.busateo.org".

"'Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake', proclaims a new holiday ad from the American Humanist Association. Already appearing today in the New York Times and Washington Post, the message will soon be blazoned on the sides, taillights, and interiors of over 200 Washington DC Metro buses. It's the first ad campaign of its kind in the United States, and the American Humanist Association predicts it will raise public awareness of humanism as well as controversy over humanist ideas.

'Humanists have always understood that you don't need a god to be good', said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. 'So that's the point we're making with this advertising campaign. Morality doesn't come from religion. It's a set of values embraced by individuals and society based on empathy, fairness, and experience'".

"There will be four new atheist adverts running on London’s tube network from Monday January 12, featuring quotations from famous atheists:

“I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe that there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for other people” – Katharine Hepburn

“Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” – Douglas Adams

“I do not believe in a personal God and have never denied this but have expressed it clearly” – Albert Einstein

“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet” – Emily Dickinson

The tube adverts were revealed today at a Central London campaign launch by Professor Dawkins, Father Ted TV writer Graham Linehan, columnist and BHA President Polly Toynbee and philosopher AC Grayling. In addition, two large LCD screens (80 square feet and 40 square feet respectively) on Oxford Street (situated opposite Bond Street tube) will display an animated version of the atheist slogan. Ariane Sherine, creator of the Atheist Bus Campaign, says: 'You wait ages for an atheist bus, then 800 come along at once. I hope they’ll brighten people’s days and make them smile on their way to work'. (...) The buses will be running in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, Leeds, Newcastle, Dundee, Sheffield, Coventry, Devon, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Swansea, Newport, Rhondda, Bristol, Southampton, Newcastle and Aberdeen". (aqui)

(2009)

OMNIBUS

"Autocarro" (omnibus) de Paris, final do sec. XIX

Fui à procura do significado de "bendy-bus". Previsivelmente, descobri que se tratava de um "autocarro articulado". Mas descobri também várias outras coisas assaz instrutivas:

"The omnibus, the first organized public transport system, may have originated in Nantes, France, in 1826, when Stanislas Baudry, a retired army officer who had built public baths (run from the surplus heat from his flour mill) on the city's edge, set up a short stage line between the center of town and his baths. The service started on the Place du Commerce, outside the hat shop of M. Omnès, who displayed the motto Omnès Omnibus ('Omnès for all') on his shopfront. When Baudry discovered that passengers were just as interested in getting off at intermediate points as in patronizing his baths, he shifted the stage line's focus. His new voiture omnibus ('carriage for all') combined the functions of the hired hackney carriage with the stagecoach that travelled a predetermined route from inn to inn, carrying passengers and mail. His omnibus featured wooden benches that ran down the sides of the vehicle; entry was from the rear.

O primeiro "bus" motorizado do mundo:
uma "carrinha" Benz (Alemanha, 1895)

There is also a claim from the UK where in 1824 John Greenwood operated the first "bus route" from Market Street in Manchester to Pendleton in Salford. In 1828, Baudry went to Paris where he founded a company under the name Entreprise générale des omnibus de Paris, while his son Edmond Baudry founded two similar companies in Bordeaux and in Lyons. A London newspaper reported in July 4, 1829 that "the new vehicle, called the omnibus, commenced running this morning from Paddington to the City". This bus service was operated by George Shillibeer. In New York, omnibus service began in the same year, when Abraham Brower, an entrepreneur who had organized volunteer fire companies, established a route along Broadway starting at Bowling Green.

Um "bus" em Cúcuta, Colombia, 1920

Other American cities soon followed suit: Philadelphia in 1831, Boston in 1835 and Baltimore in 1844. In most cases, the city governments granted a private company—generally a small stableman already in the livery or freight-hauling business—an exclusive franchise to operate public coaches along a specified route. In return, the company agreed to maintain certain minimum levels of service—though one of these standards was not upholstery. The New York omnibus quickly moved into the urban consciousness. In 1831, New Yorker Washington Irving remarked of Britain's Reform Act (finally passed in 1832): 'The great reform omnibus moves but slowly'" (mais aqui)

(2008)

THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD

"Bendy-buses with the slogan "There's probably no God" could soon be running on the streets of London. The atheist posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and have been supported by prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins. The BHA planned only to raise £5,500, which was to be matched by Professor Dawkins, but it has now raised more than £36,000 of its own accord. It aims to have two sets of 30 buses carrying the signs for four weeks. The complete slogan reads: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life". As the campaign has raised more than anticipated, it will also have posters on the inside of buses as well. The BHA is also considering extending the campaign to cities including Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Professor Dawkins said: "Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride - automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children. Even on the buses, nobody thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side. This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think - and thinking is anathema to religion". Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the BHA, said: "We see so many posters advertising salvation through Jesus or threatening us with eternal damnation, that I feel sure that a bus advert like this will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air. If it raises a smile as well as making people think, so much the better". But Stephen Green of pressure group Christian Voice said: "Bendy-buses, like atheism, are a danger to the public at large. I should be surprised if a quasi-religious advertising campaign like this did not attract graffiti. People don't like being preached at. Sometimes it does them good, but they still don't like it". However the Methodist Church said it thanked Professor Dawkins for encouraging a "continued interest in God". Spirituality and discipleship officer Rev Jenny Ellis said: "This campaign will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life". She added: "Christianity is for people who aren't afraid to think about life and meaning". The buses with the slogans will run in Westminster from January". (BBC News via De Rerum Natura)

(2008)