martedì 28 ottobre 2008

Democracy needs an electorate aware




Churchill said that democracy has many flaws, but no one had yet invented a better system. The English statesman lived in a country that invented the modern democracy and practice it for many centuries. This is why English people have a very high civic and national sense. When they go to vote, make an informed choice. Assess the various candidates who are closest to their values and interests and if there isn’t full coincidence, vote for the least worst.

Compare this situation to what happens in Italy. You can say that the vast majority of Italians go to vote for ideology or ideals? It seems not. Count only the interest but not for everyone. The rich and wealthy classes know how to defend them even during the vote. But the poor are aware of their condition? Are they able to choose who should be most suitable to represent them?

The mass of Italians doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know of politics. It has passion for their football team. It believes in the new values of TV programs. Easy success, wealth at hand, eternal beauty. It is understandable then because when voting is easy prey of slogans and promises. And what about of ineradicable cronyism and influence of organized crime. There is hope that something can change quickly?

giovedì 23 ottobre 2008

Italy back to nuclar plants


The government has announced that within five years will put the first stone of a new nuclear plant (third-generation, such as those that many countries have from many years). In principle, one can agree.

But there are many doubts. Italy is a country where you can’t build incinerators to dispose of garbage and gasificators to import gas from other countries other than Algeria and Russia. All people want them as long as they are not located in their territory. So where they think to build nuclear plants?

And how long will it take? They say fifteen or twenty years. Meanwhile we continue to import oil. There is also a problem of nuclear waste that nobody knows what to do. We still have those produced more than twenty years ago pending destination. Meanwhile many countries are studying central of fourth generation, which does not produce nuclear waste.

Sooner or later they will achieve them and then what will we do. Dismantling those of the third generation and constructing the fourth. In biblical times and very high costs. Also it was thought that Italy has no uranium? We must import it, presumably at rising prices, and there is little uranium on earth and is intended to exhaust.
Many people forget that the only sources of clean energy, free and inexhaustible are the sun and the wind as frequently remind us the Italian Nobel Prize Rubbia.

lunedì 20 ottobre 2008

Olimpic Games needs new rules

The Olympic Games every four years let us admire some sports which TV regularly ignores. Fencing, rowing, shooting at flying, swimming, martial arts and others. In these disciplines often Italy gets good results with champions unknown to the general public. It would be desirable that at least the public TV knows them also after the games.

The Italian TV, who also has a satellite sports channel, could give space with a certain regularity to these sports. Would at the same time pleased to athletes who train hard all year with great passion and little economic compensation. Allow fans of these specialties to be able to follow events not otherwise available. It would also boost the knowledge and development of many different sports.

Of course the Olympics are not those of a time when were admitted only pure amateur. The world has changed and you can not go back. But there is a limit to everything. It can’t be put alongside athletes who live to win an Olympic medal as the highest aspiration with others who are on TV very often, earning millions of dollars or euros. Consider football and tennis. Ronaldino and Messi, Nadal, Federer, Wiliams sisters, Sharapova why go to the Olympic Games. Are they really interested in winning a medal? Who governs the games must have the courage to make some changes. Otherwise sooner or later we will see at the Olympics the Formula 1 and GP motorbike.

Another thing that is becoming scandalous is the purchase of athletes from some countries, such as various Arab Emirates and others. The African athletes are now on the market as in football. There is talk of naturalization that is that. An athlete in a few days from a country becomes citizen of another country. There was a case in the last Olympics. A meeting of women's beach volley between Russia and Georgia. The meeting was held regularly and ended with the victory of Georgia and great joy for all Georgians except for the Abkhazians and South Ossetians. Hugs and kisses at the end of the meeting, as practice, between the four players. The next day, however, the Russian Federation issued a press release to announce that their team had lost not against Georgia but against Brazil. In fact the two girls who wore the Georgian shirt were two Brazilian naturalized just before the Olympics.

Then there are those acquired by marriage. Africans always excel in this. Often they fall in love with blond Nordic and married them. In these cases are not the wives who become African, but the Africans become Nordic wearing their sweaters in stadiums. Italy does its part in this. We had a player like Fiona Mei, born in England of Jamaican parents and married to former Italian athlete Mei, known when she raced under the symbols of the Union Jack. Is in activities the Cuban Magdeline Martinez Italian by wedding. In the national women's team of volleyball plays the Cuban Aguero married in Italy. The Aguero, great champion, has already won two Olympic gold medals with the team of his country, Cuba. The same applies to the German Josefa Idem, married with his Italian coach, who has participated in seven Olympics, racing the first two times under the flag of Germany and in the subsequent five were the Italian jersey. For these cases I have a question. If they get divorced, an event not uncommon, for which country will they compete? Will we continue to beat them even if they choose to return to compete for their original country?

mercoledì 15 ottobre 2008

The land is hungry and thirsty



Millions of people on earth suffer from malnutrition and die of hunger, while others fall ill million for excess food. The answer would be to redistribute resources more efficiently. But it is neither simple nor easy.

Absurd for agricultural products available worldwide in theory would be sufficient to feed everyone, rich and poor. In fact most of these products are used to feed cattle for slaughter. To feed the herds using 50% of cereal products. An area of developing countries, amounting to seven times the area of Europe, is grown to feed livestock herds of Europe. Add that in recent years increasingly extensive territories have been converted to the cultivation of cereals for the production of biodiesel, defeating the increase in productivity of crops produced with the use of seeds of plants genetically modified.

Prof. Veronesi, convinced vegetarian, argues that it's all the fault of the steak. Drastically reducing the consumption of meat, not only prevent many serious diseases, but it would leave a large quantity of men cereal. The argument is convincing but does not erase the suspicion that although shared and implemented by many, is able to solve a problem of enormous dimensions.

We must rely on science and research. The aim of course is always to increase agricultural products. But there is another serious obstacle. The scarcity of water on earth is for personal use and for irrigation. Each year fall on earth 110 thousand km. cubes of water, but much is lost to evaporation. It remains available to only a tenth. Unfortunately not uniformly. There is too much in some places and little or nothing in others.
Furthermore, it appears excessive consumption for the breeding of livestock. Also Prof. Veronesi stresses the need for about 2 thousand litres of water to produce one kg. of bread and some 15 thousand litres to produce the same amount of beef.

On the other hand, environmentalists focus on the fact that 40% of water available is lost in the pipeline and that the first problem is the recovery of this water. Scientific research follows other routes. As the seawater desalination is too expensive because it consumes too much energy, are developing research to the selection of plants capable of living with a degree of salinity high enough, as well as plants that can survive with a quantity of water much lower than normal. Some results have been achieved in the laboratory.

Others have found materials that can first filter the sea water and then evaporate, thus reducing energy consumption and to involve both the use of energy from renewable sources like wind and sun.

As we see efforts to resolve two issues vital to humanity are many and various directions. Over time the science will certainly seek other solutions coming just hours imaginable. For our part we must be aware of the situation and perhaps make a small contribution by eating some steak less (not forgetting our health) and making most efficient use of water available to us.

lunedì 13 ottobre 2008

The municipality of Rome changes the story





The Sept. 20 was using the anniversary of the breach of Porta Pia, who ended the reign of the Popes time. In recent years was only the Radical Party to hold a celebratory event in Rome. This year, the leaders decided that the event would be in London.

In Rome, the ceremony was organized by the new municipality. There was attended by the deputy mayor with the tricolour band and some priest with the stole. But where is the news? Here it is. The radicals reminded the event that led Rome to be the capital of Italy and commemorated the 46 dead "Bersaglieri" (Italian soldiers). The deputy mayor of the new junta of Rome has commemorated the 16 gendarmes of the Pope dead at the same time appointed one by one.

What seemingly minor has a precise meaning. In this wave of right, to those who want to erase the "Resistenza" have been joined others who want to erase the“Risorgimento”. I hope that the party of “Lega” doesn’t wake up to ask to cancel the wars of independence of Italy against Austria.

venerdì 10 ottobre 2008

Italy is split in two



Italy is split in two. The rich getting richer and the poor increasingly poor. This process, which brings Italy to South American countries, has greatly exacerbated with the entry into force of the Euro. The new European currency certainly has a lot of merits, but was a disaster for many Italians.

When they entered into force the new notes and coins, who could immediately apply the change one thousand Liras = 1 Euro. And who could? Of course, all self-employed.

I remember a small episode that immediately showedme the extent and severity of what was happening. Near the home there is a market and stalls. There is a small vendor, who passed the time screaming "a thousand liras per piece, only a thousand." On Jan. 2 of 2002, I invested the shriek of the lord "one euro a piece, only one euro." I understood immediately that my income of the employee had been halved in 24 hours.

In this way have adapted very quickly even public bodies acting on rates and dealers, such as highways, sold mostly to individuals.

The government didn't made any control and very few people were aware of what was happening. The government extoling the virtues of euro. Monetary stability and low interest rates. When the mortgage rate rose and the price increase has made clear the collapse of fixed-income classes, the game was done.

giovedì 9 ottobre 2008

The program of Italian TV




The Italian TV has become tiny. Tv films 20-30 years old. Films of the second and third category recycled 2-3 times. Programs and quiz with poor content. On the air only to be towed to the news. Serious music, culture, historical insights, journalism investigation absents. It is possible to save just some nature documentary.
In the summer, the level goes down even more. Perhaps they think people go on vacation and it don't watch TV. And those who remain at home? Punished twice. Many people can’t afford a vacation at the seaside, mountains or travel abroad. And they must also see shows miserable.

All people agree that the situation is tragic. Of course I agree too. Although I must confess that these programs ultimately lead me to a good situation. When I turn on TV, often I fall asleep on the sofa. If I'm in an armchair it causes to me distraction and chases my fantasies. It is not too bad.

The only thing that really bothers me is the advertising. The volume increases suddenly and sometimes I wake up abruptly. Among other things, I don’t understand why with a higher volume they may be more convincing. At last I have a question: do advertisers know that there is the remote control button to lower the volume, an other one to remove the volume or to change channel?

Nuclear power and biodiesel may not serve




The latest news of energy totally green are the algaes which have advantages over all other sources. They are cheap and grow well in arid lands in special containers. Do not produce waste, even clean water and air. So are safer of nuclear, whose radioactive waste is a problem still unresolved.
Private leaders have already begun to invest in the early establishments. From Israel to Hawaii, the United States and China. Even Italy is at the forefront in this field. The Enea, a government agency, is piloting the production of energy from algae. The first central already designed not only produce biodiesel but also large amounts of hydrogen. This one is considered the perfect fuel, but so far has a serious handicap, its production requires a lot of energy more than what is generated.
Algaes have also the virtue to absorb carbon dioxide. Finally, algaes grow particularly well in waste water, making it the perfect natural filter for harmful discharges.
The Italian Ministry for economic development knows these things. So why so much emphasis and haste in proclaiming the construction of new nuclear power stations.
Perhaps they think that the effect of a good announcement is better than the weighting and the study of all possible solutions that research available to us.

Why people don't talk more over "CASTA"




The book "La Casta", that is people rich and with many privileges, has been a great success in Italy. Were sold over a million copies. Probably 2-3 million of Italians have read it. They have spoken at length in newspapers and in radio and television debates. This was only a few months ago. And now what happened? Absolute nothing. Many people speak of miracles of the government. Of garbage in Naples and the surrounding area, Alitalia, the law "Alfano", the justice reform, fiscal federalism. And what about the casta. Someone took some small measure to begin solving the problem? Not at all.

Salaries, pensions and privileges of all the highest institutional bodies. The Presidency of the Republic, Parliament, the Constitutional Court. Regions, provinces, municipalities and mountain communities, which have cheerful spending. A lot of consultants and service companies with the only aim of creating seats.

And what the unions say? Almost nothing. The Governement should raise pensions and salaries, the Euro epic, control rising inflation and the fiscal drag? Certainly they will, as soon as possible, calmly.

And the Italians? At least those who pay taxes and can not escape? They arranged. Postpone major purchases. Go hunting for deals in supermarkets and make purchases on the stalls. UNTILL WHEN?