QUEDAS de Kalandula, Angola (Foto PB)

A glimpse of the world

THE World Press Photo (WPP) exhibition is back in town, having opened on Saturday in Casa Garden. It is a world class exhibition that is featured all over the globe and which has become a regular feature in Macau since the organizers Casa de Portugal (with Macau Foundation support) signed an agreement in 2009 with the World Press Photo Foundation to bring the event here.
It is a pity however that the exhibition has not yet become part of the cultural habits of the local public. When I visited yesterday, only a few photojournalism lovers were at Casa Garden, despite the large crowd that gathered in the neighboring Ruins of St. Paul’s. Maybe a larger promotion effort needs to be done by the organizers, because it hurts to see almost no attendance at an event that gathers such crowds in other places. I saw previous WPP editions in well-attended exhibitions held in Lisbon (initially at the Belém Cultural Center and later at the Electricity Museum) and at the emblematic Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.
(Read more here) 

Armstrong plays to his wife, Lucille

Big Jay McNeely, Olympic Auditorium, 1953 (tinha saudades desta foto, que comtemplei muitas vezes num bar de jazz em Lisboa)

Column: Talent is not a magic word

ONE of the measures announced by Chui Sai On in the 2014 Policy Address was the creation of a Talent Development Committee.
The idea behind the new committee, headed by the Chief Executive, is to “establish a long-term mechanism to provide more training opportunities either in the territory or abroad, aiming at enhancing general standards for the Macau population in terms of technical, academic and professional education.”
Talent” seems to be a buzzword for the local government. Chui Sai On was in Beijing last week to be officially appointed as Chief Executive. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Xi told him that the changes in Macau “require better work from the new administration.”
It seems that talent is part of the solution that Chui had prepared for Beijing: “Especially when it comes to the development of the economy, we put great emphasis on fostering talents and the sustainable development of a diversified economy. Eventually, we want Macau to achieve long-term prosperity and stability, as well as a comfortable life for all residents,” the CE stated.
(read more here)