Meet Penny...

In my most recent package, I was sent "The March of the Penguins." Thanks Mom! I have always been a sucker for those cheesy romantic movies.. And this is no exception. (Not that this is a cheesy movie.) I actually througholy enjoyed watching it. This is a true love story, in that it follows the mating rituals of the emperor penguin, one of the most resilient animals on earth.


The Synopsis:
Each summer, after a nourishing period of deep-sea feeding, the penguins pop up onto the ice and begin their procession across the frozen tundra of Antarctica. Walking in single file, they are a sight to behold. Hundreds converge from every direction, moving instinctively toward their mating ground. Once there, they mingle and chatter until they find the perfect mate--a monogamous match that will last a year, through the brutal winter and into the spring. During that time, the mother will birth an egg and then leave for the ocean to feed again. The father will stay to protect the egg through the freezing blizzards and pure darkness of winter, which would be deadly to practically any other species. Finally, with spring, the egg hatches and the baby penguins are born. Mothers return from the sea to reunite with their families and feed the starving newborns, while the fathers are finally relieved of their protective duties after months without food.

The film is remarkable in its story, which is narrated by Morgan Freeman, whose dignified voice gives the penguins the grave admiration they deserve. But even more incredible is its photography, which shows the penguins hunting underwater, sliding on the ice, and in the midst of "kissing." A story of love and more strikingly, survival, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS is any eye-opening and educational experience.

Rent it. Buy it. I don't care...Just watch this wonderful documentary film.

Getting (No) Satisfaction

(From the Sofia News Agency)

Individuals know, as a rule, how to tackle the future. The country, as a rule, does not. Defying worrying overhaul of the constitution, thorny EU road and economic doldrums, the Bulgarian is a survivor. Yet an unhappy one.


Take this week's European Quality of Life Survey. It shows Bulgarians to be European leaders in home ownership (nearly 85% own their own home without a mortgage), yet one of the least satisfied people on the continent. Reminds me of a poster that hangs on the wall against my desk. The "Perfect European Should be" - humorous as a German, sober as an Irish, controlled as an Italian, humble as a Spaniard... Aware of all the prejudices, revelations and sarcasm that the poster depicts, a recent brainstorm with my colleagues generated a "genius" new entry - "Satisfied as a Bulgarian".

How come Bulgarians' arduous search for satisfaction ended up in a dozen square meters of private floorage? Is it the lack of community and identification that makes us so sad? We turn our eyes to Brussels only to see that after this week's proposal for enforcement of the judicial safeguard clause, we will have restricted freedom at the new home of our big European family. "Make yourself at home, but stay away from the garden, " was Brussels's message. There is nothing shameful about not being satisfied. But we will have to look further than properties and international allegiances for getting there.