EU to send observation mission for Bolivian constitutional referendum

EU to send observation mission for Bolivian constitutional referendum
2008-12-19 00:01:31

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission decided on Thursday to deploy an EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Bolivia to observe the Jan. 25, 2009 referendum on the ratification of the new constitution, following a request from the Bolivian electoral authorities.

"I hope the presence of the EU EOM will contribute to the transparency of the process and the enhancement of public confidence. I also hope the campaign for this referendum will allow a real discussion on the contents of the new constitution and help Bolivia's citizens to make a reasoned choice," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European commissioner for external relations and neighborhood policy, on Thursday.

The EU EOM will be led by Renate Weber, a Romanian member of the European Parliament. This is the second time that an EU EOM is being sent to Bolivia since 2006 when an EU mission monitored the elections to the Constitutional Assembly and the referendum on regional autonomy.

The EU EOM Core team will consist of the chief observer and six experts who will arrive during the last week of December. The team will accompany the whole process, until the official proclamation of results of the referendum.

The EU EOM will be completed by 22 long-term observers who will be deployed throughout all the departments of the country to follow the campaign period and pre-referendum preparations, as well as voting day and the post-referendum period. Some members of the European Parliament will join the EU EOM around the day of the referendum.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/19/content_10525795.htm

that everything will so ok they'll all go dancing. :)

they went there to oversee an election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y-x2fWKbmo

This is more my scene but I must confess, that when I can avoid it, I don't dance that fast these days and I'm sure not that energetic now : http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S2f9dFrvBr4&feature=related

Frankie Manning (born 26 May 1914)is one of the dancers and he still teaches even over here in the UK. He is the lovliest fella you could ever wish to meet.

they avoided getting wildly bruised and scraped just trying to LEARN how to do that. It's my guess you'd learn the steps very slowly then speed it up. Holy smokes.

Interesting learning one of the people moved to the U.K. Good for him. Sounds as if he has at least one good friend!

The Swedes went over to NY and found him in the mid '80's - he was working for USPS I think and they used a NY telephone directory to find him. They talked him into going over to Sweden and running a class. The UK's Jiving Lindyhoppers found Al Minns another one of Whitey's Lindyhoppers roundabout the same time and used him in a similar way. They are our heros and one of Frankie's original dance partners is still going strong too - Norma Miller. She's a youngster - only 89....lol.

Frankie gets imported here a few times a year. This is Norma & Frankie together.


Have a read though this some time to see what it was like back in the thirties : http://www.pbs.org/jazz/about/pdfs/Miller_Manning.pdf And here's Frankie teaching the Shim Sham - listen to him laugh !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjfM4Wrj9UI&feature=related

The film clip was pure performance style : nobody with any sense does aerials while social dancing - too risky ! These days I'm just as happy to dance to Frank Sinatra or Bobby Darin.

Seemed be doing just great, as well.

Some of them show him teaching whole groups of people at the same time. They look like they are having a lot of fun trying to learn the steps.

It's great to know the Swedish people got him back dancing again. Very cool!