Stories and News

Today no stories and news. This year I stop here. I'm tired, this 2010 was very tiring and stressful, especially the last three months, but raising my head and looking around, just beyond my nose, I realize that I am still a very lucky man. On the other hand, to write a post per day, plus his Italian version, without earning a penny, it takes time. I am sorry, I do not always have enough of the latter to publish articles that are at the same level of the attention that I received, and I apologize for this. As they say, I do what I can. Anyway, I hope that my stories have given you something, regardless of my intentions. I always thought that the stories are of all of us, because everyone can read something no one else can see. Not even the author. At this point, I suppose you're wondering the meaning of the title. That is simple: I do not believe that everyone deserves the best wishes. It is said that at Christmas we're all better people. That is false. Indeed, all the sco...

Stories and News No. 294 Today, the 21st of December 21, 2010, is a day that will certainly be remembered for some reasons. For example, many of you will know that 1:33 a.m. in the U.S. (at 5:33 by the UT-Universal Time) the last lunar eclipse of this year has started, ending at 5:01, again for the United States watch. But today is also the winter solstice, when the axis of rotation of the Earth reaches its farthest point from the Sun. The coincidence of the two events makes today the darkest since 400 years. In fact, the same phenomenon dates back to December 21, 1638. In the dark, among other things, we sleep. When we sleep, we often dream. And when we dream, sometimes we are lucky enough to get a good dream. I dreamed that with the moon even Berlusconi disappeared. And here is… The Story: In the middle of the night of this December 21 I woke up upset. The moonlight was gone. The moonlight was gone and with her the moon itself. However, I had no fear. I have never been really afra...

Stories and News No. 293 "Keep your sons at home, in the manifestations there are potential killers" is today shot . Yesterday’s one , in relation to recent and especially next protest marches, was: "We need preventative arrests." Who is the author of these pearls of wisdom? A: Sergeant Garcia (From Zorro) B: Inspector Clouseau (au revoir to the great Blake Edwards) C: The Italy former Minister of Communications, currently group leader in the Senate of Berlusconi’s People of Freedom, Mr. Maurizio Gasparri I only say that he is the least intelligent of the three, I leave the answer to you. For me, I have learned over the years that in situations of particular tension, less intellectually endowed and especially poor in terms of management of the instincts people are the first to stand out. It is not a good stand out, of course. I am not talking of unquestionably reprehensible violence during last protests. I refer to foaming at the mouth persons who loose control and...

Stories and News No. 292 Last night Italian political talk show Annozero has shown once again what kind of people are governing my country. While I saw an angry and foaming at the mouth middle-aged man ranting against a guy that could even be his son – I do not wish him that, and I remembered for a split second that he was the Italy Minister of Defense , I immediately felt the desire not only to be in another part of the world, but in another time too. So I imagined me twenty years in the future, watching with my kids a terrible video of one of the worst periods of our history and hearing their question: "Daddy, how did you send such man to the government?" The thing that gnaws at me is that I will endlessly repeat that I have always voted against. For him it was my government, as it happens today in the rest of the world. Well, I think that the wise sofa’s teachers may know why so many people are mad here… The Story: Once upon a time there was a fascist and a coward. The...

Stories and News No. 291 Seeing what it is happening in Italy, especially at the level of those who decide for the people, I once again - so just not since now… have the feeling that these so-called leaders are thinking at all except to citizens, the persons who pay their salaries and above all their privileges. At the end of the game, who is still the political center of the Italian universe? When will the theme in the parliamentary contest be in no way linked to the interests of Silvio Berlusconi? I often hear people saying that the problem is not Berlusconi, but the Berlusconism, which has spread throughout the country, Left and Right. Well, I say no! I do not accept it. I am sure and I bet my life that there are millions of good people in this country that have nothing to do with this crap. Martin Luther King said that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people. So that is the...

Stories and News No. 290 We make pictures of the facts, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said. I think it is true more than ever looking at the visual story of what happened yesterday and that perhaps is happening in Italy since immemorial time. What I am talking about is before our eyes every day, in a lot of moments which many of us have become accustomed to. It is normal and normality is seen in the news as anything but for what it actually represents. So it becomes background noise, the background scenery, the background desktop of our personal monitor. The problem is that when it starts to show brutal violence and irrepressible hatred sooner or later the time comes that the boundaries break and that background becomes our one and only world. At that point it is too late to move and breathe a sigh of relief because once again we are not victims. We can no longer change the channel. There is no longer a Facebook to retreat to. From Wikipedia , a civil war is: a war betw...

Stories and News No. 289 In the end everything is accomplished. Berlusconi and his friends survived by three crucial votes. In detail, while 311 votes were for the no confidence motion, 314 deputies remained loyal to the premier. Loyalty is a valuable quality in a party built around an absolute leader. Until you prove to be loyal you are in, otherwise you are a traitor or worse. For my part, I am convinced that this famous December 14 did not reveal anything new. The only real response that I was waiting for was the Constitutional Court opinion on the legitimate impediment immunity law. There Silvio risks much more than a confidence vote. Since it has been moved to January 11th, my expectations towards the outcome of these votes are dropped dramatically. I think that the demonstrations of total rejection and condemnation of thousands of people who have taken the streets today all over Italy are much more significant... However, I ever dwell with great interest the reactions of the...

Stories and News No. 288 Between today and tomorrow a great part of Berlusconi’s present and especially future are on the table. Our whole country does too, given the state of dependence we are by the power of the Italy Premier. The Prime Minister spoke for about half an hour and, as usual, has said many things. One day I read somewhere that when the man of power is speaking in public, there is always someone in particular who are sending his own words. Even if we listen to an institutional and ecumenist monologue, there is always a preferred destination. In my humble opinion, the meaning of Berlusconi’s speech to the Senate is reduced to his invitation for a deal . Who is this invitation to? The Story: "Honorable senators, as you could hear, as you can see, our position is clear, and at this point who has more responsibility have to show it. For my part, I consider as my responsibility not to overlook any possibility of dialogue with the opposition. It is my responsibility re...

Stories and News No. 287 I read that English students took to the streets in recent days to protest the threefold increase in tuition fees by the conservative government led by Prime Minister David Cameron. In particular, I also read that Charles and Camilla were attacked while they were in the car. The latter was daubed with white paint and hit by stones, leaving fortunately unharmed the two and their driver. The news and especially the video are around the world. The thing that puzzles me more is, as usual, the press comment, the authoritative newspapers which should also authoritatively reflect about the reasons for the situation. Most of the British media - among the many the Telegraph , the BBC and the Daily Mail , are in a choir on this one question: why did the police and security officers allowed the protesters to reach the Royal car? That is a sensible query, but, in my humble opinion, there is another question that interests me most, which is apparently incredibly ob...