Stories and News

Stories and News No. 1077 Sunday, March 4, 2018 in Italy we’ll have the political elections for the renewal of the two branches of the Parliament, Senate and House, in addition to consultations regarding the Presidency of the regions of Lazio and Lombardy. If we omit the Constituent Assembly’s election of 1946, with the women’s vote debut, the very first political elections after the fall of fascism took place in 1948, or precisely 70 years ago ... Once upon a time there was a democracy . For many, democracy is the vote . That is, the right to put a cross below or above the name or symbol, don’t be wrong, otherwise, no vote. And, for many it means no democracy. So, in countries where democracy was, which for many it’s just the vote, the candidates were usually divided into them , those ones and the others . In fact, despite the privilege, the possibilities for citizens were not so many. Consequently, it was not difficult to imagine the tale of the different average vote...

Stories and News No. 1076 In France an inquiry into incitement to racial hatred was opened by the State prosecutor's office after the selection of Mathilde Edey Gamassou to interpret Joan of Arc in the annual festivals of Orleans was greeted by racist insults from far right social media’s users. The girl, 17 years old, whose father is from Benin and her mother is Polish, was chosen among 250 girls. " Joan of Arc was white ", says one of the most shared post, " we are white and proud to be white, don’t change our history ". Yes right, let’s not change our history... The first man on earth was not a colour . He was the earliest, although he didn’t know it, although he didn’t understand it, but it was already too much, what being human would have entailed. The very first woman to set foot on this planet was not just a colour. She was the initial one, albeit ignoring it, even though discovering every day the weight and responsibility of being a woman, be...

The passenger By Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher Once again in the near future, every day more like the present... Hello, could I speak with Assistance? Hello sir, I’m the Help Software, serial number 1947376, please, tell me. Well, I have a problem with the system. Your name? It's a mess, look, I think I’m going to be crazy... Meanwhile, if you want to tell me your name... You know? I was one of the first to join the “total connection”. I suddenly thought it was a brilliant idea. Connecting all the machines used by us, from the mobile phone, of course, to the microwave oven, through the electric razor and the air conditioner. Sir, I am pleased about your approval, but I would need your name... Do you know that I was also interviewed on TV? Last year I was your most loyal customer. That was easy, my Wi-Fi never stops. My sincere compliments, sir, but without your data, starting with the name, I cannot... Of course, as soon as the phenomenon started to show up i...

Stories and News No. 1075 Almost 200 civilians , including women and children, were killed in Syria in dozens of airstrikes and bombings by forces loyal to Assad, specifically in eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, during two days of an aggression defined by Amnesty International a fragrant war crime accomplished on an epic scale. Despite yet another chapter of a massacre called war , it seems not affecting the leaders and many of the major press of the most influential and accountable nations in the world... When they talk about you. When they finally talk about you, up there, on dizzying, noble plans, even at the just above level, wait. Wait to rejoice. Stay safe, trust me. Remain inside the shelter of a wise disenchantment. As proof of that, here’s the following ballad of diversified examples, that is, advices. Where they talk about you, while in Syria you’re defending memory and heart, armed with nothing but heart and memory, your wounds and your own blood occupy the first ...

Stories and News No. 1074 What we know so far about the shooting in Parkland, Florida: seventeen people - among children and adults - were killed by a young man who entered a high school on Wednesday afternoon. Seven remain in critical condition and five were released yesterday. The suspect killer is the nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz and he was armed with a "legally" bought rifle . For the record , the mass shootings in the United States were 1,624 in the last 1,870 days , with 1875 dead and 6848 injured . No other country in the world, among the most developed nations, has a rate of violence that is roughly similar to that of the USA. It’s estimated that US citizens own about 265 million firearms … This is what we know and partly knew. But we more or less close spectators, more or less interested ones, what have we learned from that? What we learned. What we have learned from two world wars and hundreds as many, unspoken or exploited, planned and soon forgot...

Not for sale By Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher Once again in the future, maybe a not so far one... Hello, I would like to fill it up. A traveler? Yes I am, sure. First trip? Yes right... how did you get it? Your eyes. What do you mean? It's a classic, young friend, it's typical of you novices of global navigation to show that tender sparkle, still unremarkable. Is it a bad thing? No, not at all, don’t misunderstand me, it's just the way it is. I see. So, you said full, right? Exact. And you want to go far, don’t you? That's right... this is also typical? Very typical. And that’s the way it is. Good, I see you’re smart. Well, can we go? Here I am: are you ready? Yes. So, the western world is inhabited by honest and civil persons, fearful of the Lord and observing public morality. They are recognizable by a light skin, of delicate features, neat hair, as well as personal care and hygiene. They have common roots and traditions, sharing ...

Stories and News No. 1073 Eight years ago, Phyllis Omido 's son died by lead poisoning through breastfeeding. Since then, she has become Kenya's leading anti-pollution activist and has been threatened, even arrested and forced to hide. After gaining the accountable factory’s closure with her NGO, Center for Justice, Governance and Environmental Action, she will bring her battle to court once again in order to get the right compensation for family members victims. A world of victims... Thank you, mother . Thank you for what you did. Thank you, really, for what you do. But above all, thank you for what you wanted to do and some denied it. Because that’s where I live. They exiled me right in what’s missing, and in what’s still possible, I will have my revenge. Listen to me, now. Listen to the voice that knows better than any other what losing means. Mine is an existence that shatters day after day. I’m the leaves turning yellow every year more. I’m the water tha...

Stories and News No. 1072 Don’t believe us. Don’t believe us, in that day of the future, always too far away, that will come, I’m sure it will do. The fateful moment when, astonished before yesterday's events, and especially the following day, you will ask us: were you fascist? Yes, one of us will answer. He will tell you that he was a fascist because he loved his country, but he will explain that country is just an idea, a dream of a proud nation, that loves its children and puts their destiny and their security in front of everything. He will add that he was a fascist and gratified of it, without fear of asserting it openly in front of the invader. He’ll swear that he have always shown respect for the institutions and solidarity with the public forces committed to defending the common thing, precious container where to protect and serve culture and traditions whose roots sink directly into the soil. You will show understandable perplexity, listening not to the man of t...

Alone By  Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher In a possible future, early in the morning... Tell me, John, what's the problem? Doctor, yesterday I went to one of those places... Who are you talking to? Shut up! What did you say to me? No, doc, I was not referring to you, but to her ... Who? As I said, I went to one of those new clubs that opened out of town... You’re such an idiot, John! How can you allow him to insult you like that? I told you to shut up, fuck! Don’t be rude, unless you're one of those who like rough love. In this regard, I immediately tell you that with me it doesn’t work, Johnny honey. Please, doctor, help me, she never stop talking... and never sleeps too! Tell me what happened, John. Simple, doctor, as you well know, it’s at least ten years since the last human being connected to the neighbor has been isolated. From that moment, each one of us lives in his own head, literally, protected from it, I would add. Absolute peace reigns on earth...

Stories and News No. 1071 According to some of the foreign press , observing the priorities of Italian political debate, there are serious problems to solve , impossible to ignore. Unforgettable, unless you want them to grow further, until becoming unsolvable. You know what I'm talking about, don’t you? I start from the very first one, but it could have been taken for granted, just reading the headlines and listen to the preferred topics by the main candidates to lead Italy from next March . I refer of course to that fetid tumor, in the form of an organ now accepted and assimilated, which earns every year 150 billion euros . Consider randomly an Italian leader among the next possible prime ministers, visit their social page, their twittering profile or their official website and you will find at the top of their priorities the best recipe on how to eradicate this chronic cancer . In any case, although you obviously understand what it is, it’s always better to call things b...

Stories and News No. 1070 In 2013 a seabird settled on the uninhabited island of Mana, north of New Zealand, probably attracted by the immovable replicas, a sort of statues, which had been placed there by the officers involved in the conservation of the species ( video ). They used the sound of birds played through solar energy speakers in an attempt to create a colony in the scientific reserve made immune to harmful organisms. Only a few weeks ago, the animal, renamed Nigel, had been joined by three members of its species. However, Nigel failed to make friends, dying today. Alone among the different . You could be born this way and, despite the sentence of departure, unleashing heart and intellect to change the screenplay and above all the final personal story. You could win. You could also unfortunately lose. Getting to become at most just the same as someone else. Of the different ones. Or… Alone among the equals . In this way you could start traveling and climbing...

S P A M By Alessandro Ghebreigziabiher First announcing messages sound . I cannot take it anymore, Jenny. What are you talking about, Paul? That damn spam, every morning I find the emails full of this absurd garbage, including remedies on how to improve my performance in bed and the usual millionaire inheritance from the other side of the world. And you call it problems? You can’t imagine what tragedy one of my students is living at home. Yet he has always a smile for everybody... Why is he laughing? Is he stupid? No, he has a gift. What would it be? The ability to play down even in the worst situations. But if someone fails even in the smallest ones... Don’t act like a teacher with me, please. Second announcing messages sound . Here it is... other spams arrived just now, do they hate me? It's not a personal thing, Paul, they send them randomly. What? Arbitrarily to everybody, genius. Thanks prof. Anyway, listen to this, I’ve got the same many times. Apparen...

Storie sulla povertà: quando i poveri ci vedono (Stories about poverty: when poor see us) When the poor see us. When the poor begin to see, they widen their gaze and discover the essential as the outline. Because everything now fits, every fragment of the picture, the most unfair too, it will find meaning... Don't forget to subscribe and like, thanks!