Dear readers,
students are the soul of a university. They pay the fees, they take the exams, they fill up seminar rooms and lecture halls, they give us work. If they have problems, we must find solutions and we have to do this together, not just by having staff meetings and negotiations among managers and professors but sitting at a table and listening to the students.
I remember that when I was a student in Italy there were several cases when professors just did what they wanted, treating us badly, failing us in the exams for no reason at all, asking impossible questions and so on. We actually had no rights and no possibility to fight all this. In one specific case that some of my friends will surely remember, the names of the students who protested were given directly to the professor in question, making matters even worse.
At the university where I teach we have now a similar case, though the context and gravity of the situation are completely different. What makes things worse is that the teacher in question could now get a full permanent contract. Well, let's just hope they won't get it.
Anyway, I am going to tell students that if they have big problems with a teacher, there are a few things that they can do: inform the head of the language department, inform the students' board, inform the president and/or any person responsible for complaints and boycott the course. By doing this, they can really show their disapproval.
Moreover, there is often another problem in universities as in many other workplaces: the complicity and the partisanship among some colleagues who exchange favours and help each other instead of being honest and fair, indeed ignoring and causing problems instead of solving them. I hate this behaviour because it shows no respect for others. These people lie for each other and are false and selfish.
Well, enough of it now. Some good news before I close: tomorrow I'm going to Erfurt to see Supertramp in concert! A great comeback!
Have a nice weekend and stay tuned for other news or updates.
Bye for now,
Andrew
23 September 2010
11 September 2010
9/11, part 1
Dear readers,
today is the 11th September, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I'm publishing here the first part of a short story about 9/11. I still don't know how many parts there will be, possibly three. I'm still working on the second right now. I hope you'll like it. Stay tuned for the other parts.
New York, 11th September 2001
Paul finished his breakfast and turned off the TV. It was a very nice day but he didn't feel like going out yet. He sat on the armchair and went through a few documents he needed to look at before going to work. He lived and worked in New York.
He had worked at the Pentagon for many years, then in 2000 he came to work in New York, at the WTC 7. He did not even have to take the train to go to work, he lived a few blocks away and he loved to have a walk in the morning.
On that fateful day it was about 8:30 when he left his flat. He looked up to the sky: a wonderful day. He loved this weather: warm, clear sunny sky. He started walking towards the World Trade Centre, greeting the people he knew and met every morning: shop owners, postmen, cleaners, etc. Just as he was walking into the newsagent's to buy a newspaper, he heard a sound coming from the sky.
What the hell...
Having worked for the Pentagon for years, he recognized that sound immediately: that was a plane flying low over New York. He knew very well that no plane may fly so low over the city. Then, the explosion, from just around the corner.
He almost felt the earth shaking. And suddenly, he knew. He remembered all the conversations, all the documents he had had to copy, all the words he had overheard, all the reports he had gone through. In that specific moment, everything came back to him and he knew.
This is it. They have made it.
He went over to the next crossroads and he looked up for the World Trade Centre towers. Here they were. One of them was on fire.
Holy shit!
He did not know what to do. People were in shock, some were crying, some others were running away, others were just looking up. He stopped for a while, looking up at the gaping hole in the North Tower. Then he turned around and went into the first cafè he could find. As soon as he went in, he saw a group of people watching CNN. He joined them and listened to the first reports: it seemed a plane had hit the North Tower. Probably a twin-engine jet. That was exactly what he thought he had heard a few moments earlier. He listened to the news for a couple of minutes, then he decided to go to the World Trade Centre. He went out again and saw a colleague coming up the street towards him. It was Anne, one of the many secretaries in the WTC 7 building. She was walking slowly, tears in her eyes.
"Paul!" she ran to him and hugged him. "Have you seen that? How terrible! Think of all the people there!"
"I know. It's unbelievable. I was coming to work when I heard the sound of a plane coming. Then, the explosion. What are you doing here? Were you at work when it happened?" Paul asked.
She nodded. "Yes, I was at my desk when I heard the explosion. A the beginning I thought it was a bomb, but then somebody came into the office and told me that a plane had crashed into the North Tower. Most people immediately thought that it was a terrorist attack. Then they said that soon they're going to evacuate the building. Most of the management is still there but they want everybody to leave."
"I see. Well, maybe it's the right thing to do. Our building is just next to the two towers and debris may be falling. Well, Anne, now get out of here. I'll go and see if..."
He didn't manage to finish his sentence. He heard that sound again, louder this time. He looked up just in time to see the crash and the big explosion. People started screaming, crying, running away. Paul and Anne sat down on a bench along the pavement.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Anne screamed in shock. "Who the hell could do that? What the hell is going on?"
I know who.
"I don't know, Anne. Terrorists, I guess. Listen, I'll go and see if there's anyone at the office, there must still be someone there. You just..."
"No! Don't go, Paul!" Anne begged him. "You never know, maybe they'll attack again, it's not safe here..."
"Don't worry, I'll be right back. You just go and see your family. They'll surely be worried about you. I'm sure this is on every channel on TV, probably they've even seen the second plane crash live."
"Yes, you're probably right. Ok then, I'll go, but be careful! You should go home as well." She started walking down the road, turning round two or three times to him. "Take care!"
Paul waved her goodbye and then started to walk fast towards the World Trade Centre. While walking, he took his mobile phone and started calling all the people he knew that were in the towers to tell them one thing: get out of there! He managed to reach just a few of them while walking towards the WTC complex. Most of them had already got out. At a certain point, police stopped him.
"I'm sorry, sir, but you have to get out of here. We're evacuating the whole area..."
The policeman didn't manage to finish the sentence because Paul had taken out his ID card.
"Paul Winters, I work for the Pentagon, national security."
"Well, sir, be very careful, debris is falling from the building."
"Ok, thank you."
Paul went on towards the World Trade Centre. Now and again, he looked up to the towers. Debris was falling, people were jumping to their deaths.
Oh my God!
When he reached WTC 7 he noticed that they were evacuating the building. He saw some people he knew at the main entrance. One was Tom, one of his colleagues.
"Hey Paul, they were looking for you. Have you seen what happened? They're trying to..."
Paul was not really listening to him.
"Who's still up there?"
"Well, I don't know exactly, a few have left but other people have arrived. I guess they were CIA."
"Listen, Tom. I want you to help evacuate, tell everybody to get the hell out of here."
Tom looked confused at first. "Why, what's going on? You think it was a terrorist attack?"
Paul looked at Tom. He lowered his voice. "It IS a terrorist attack. It's not over yet. I'll go and see who is upstairs, they're already waiting for me, I guess."
Tom did not have time to reply because Paul had already left. He chose to take the lift. After all, this building was safe, at least as long as they were inside. He reached the 25th floor and went straight to the conference room. He knew they would be there. He got in and looked around. It looked like a control room: in one corner, one group were listening to some kind of radio, probably emergency services. On the main table a meeting was being held by one of his superiors. They were looking at some maps and plans. In another corner, two men were watching the news while working on the computer. Next to them, two or three people were destroying documents and papers. John Perry, one of the people sitting at the table turned round and saw him. He stood up and walked over to Paul, taking him out of the room.
"Hi Paul. Listen, there's no need for you to stay here, we are evacuating the building, soon we will get out as well. They're setting up another control room somewhere else. We'll need you there later at some point."
Paul tried to look calm and relaxed. "Why, what are you doing now?"
"Well, monitoring everything. It was a terrorist attack, the planes had been hijacked and flown into the two towers. We're in contact with the oval office and the defense, waiting for orders."
Well, exactly what he had expected to hear.
"Ok, I'll pick up a few things from the office. Let me know if and where you need me", he said.
"Sure, I will, I'll send you a message on your mobile phone. See you later then."
John turned round and disappeared inside the room again. Paul went over to his office and went straight to his desk and sat down. He needed to think carefully: what was he supposed to do now? It was too late to do anything now, the only thing he could do is tell people to get away from the WTC. He made some phone calls to people he knew would be in the towers or in the other WTC buildings. Fortunately, most of them had already got out. One or two were trapped on the higher floors.
He noticed that most of the documents he had copied or forwarded had been taken away. Probably, they had already been destroyed. He looked around: most desks were emtpy, everything had already been taken and destroyed. He sighed and stood up.
"Ok, let's get out of here", he said to himself.
He took the lift downstairs and got out of the building. His colleague Tom was not there anymore. Actually, nobody was there anymore, only a few policemen who were helping people evacuate. He started to walk away towards his flat, thinking back to the time when everything had started...
today is the 11th September, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I'm publishing here the first part of a short story about 9/11. I still don't know how many parts there will be, possibly three. I'm still working on the second right now. I hope you'll like it. Stay tuned for the other parts.
New York, 11th September 2001
Paul finished his breakfast and turned off the TV. It was a very nice day but he didn't feel like going out yet. He sat on the armchair and went through a few documents he needed to look at before going to work. He lived and worked in New York.
He had worked at the Pentagon for many years, then in 2000 he came to work in New York, at the WTC 7. He did not even have to take the train to go to work, he lived a few blocks away and he loved to have a walk in the morning.
On that fateful day it was about 8:30 when he left his flat. He looked up to the sky: a wonderful day. He loved this weather: warm, clear sunny sky. He started walking towards the World Trade Centre, greeting the people he knew and met every morning: shop owners, postmen, cleaners, etc. Just as he was walking into the newsagent's to buy a newspaper, he heard a sound coming from the sky.
What the hell...
Having worked for the Pentagon for years, he recognized that sound immediately: that was a plane flying low over New York. He knew very well that no plane may fly so low over the city. Then, the explosion, from just around the corner.
He almost felt the earth shaking. And suddenly, he knew. He remembered all the conversations, all the documents he had had to copy, all the words he had overheard, all the reports he had gone through. In that specific moment, everything came back to him and he knew.
This is it. They have made it.
He went over to the next crossroads and he looked up for the World Trade Centre towers. Here they were. One of them was on fire.
Holy shit!
He did not know what to do. People were in shock, some were crying, some others were running away, others were just looking up. He stopped for a while, looking up at the gaping hole in the North Tower. Then he turned around and went into the first cafè he could find. As soon as he went in, he saw a group of people watching CNN. He joined them and listened to the first reports: it seemed a plane had hit the North Tower. Probably a twin-engine jet. That was exactly what he thought he had heard a few moments earlier. He listened to the news for a couple of minutes, then he decided to go to the World Trade Centre. He went out again and saw a colleague coming up the street towards him. It was Anne, one of the many secretaries in the WTC 7 building. She was walking slowly, tears in her eyes.
"Paul!" she ran to him and hugged him. "Have you seen that? How terrible! Think of all the people there!"
"I know. It's unbelievable. I was coming to work when I heard the sound of a plane coming. Then, the explosion. What are you doing here? Were you at work when it happened?" Paul asked.
She nodded. "Yes, I was at my desk when I heard the explosion. A the beginning I thought it was a bomb, but then somebody came into the office and told me that a plane had crashed into the North Tower. Most people immediately thought that it was a terrorist attack. Then they said that soon they're going to evacuate the building. Most of the management is still there but they want everybody to leave."
"I see. Well, maybe it's the right thing to do. Our building is just next to the two towers and debris may be falling. Well, Anne, now get out of here. I'll go and see if..."
He didn't manage to finish his sentence. He heard that sound again, louder this time. He looked up just in time to see the crash and the big explosion. People started screaming, crying, running away. Paul and Anne sat down on a bench along the pavement.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Anne screamed in shock. "Who the hell could do that? What the hell is going on?"
I know who.
"I don't know, Anne. Terrorists, I guess. Listen, I'll go and see if there's anyone at the office, there must still be someone there. You just..."
"No! Don't go, Paul!" Anne begged him. "You never know, maybe they'll attack again, it's not safe here..."
"Don't worry, I'll be right back. You just go and see your family. They'll surely be worried about you. I'm sure this is on every channel on TV, probably they've even seen the second plane crash live."
"Yes, you're probably right. Ok then, I'll go, but be careful! You should go home as well." She started walking down the road, turning round two or three times to him. "Take care!"
Paul waved her goodbye and then started to walk fast towards the World Trade Centre. While walking, he took his mobile phone and started calling all the people he knew that were in the towers to tell them one thing: get out of there! He managed to reach just a few of them while walking towards the WTC complex. Most of them had already got out. At a certain point, police stopped him.
"I'm sorry, sir, but you have to get out of here. We're evacuating the whole area..."
The policeman didn't manage to finish the sentence because Paul had taken out his ID card.
"Paul Winters, I work for the Pentagon, national security."
"Well, sir, be very careful, debris is falling from the building."
"Ok, thank you."
Paul went on towards the World Trade Centre. Now and again, he looked up to the towers. Debris was falling, people were jumping to their deaths.
Oh my God!
When he reached WTC 7 he noticed that they were evacuating the building. He saw some people he knew at the main entrance. One was Tom, one of his colleagues.
"Hey Paul, they were looking for you. Have you seen what happened? They're trying to..."
Paul was not really listening to him.
"Who's still up there?"
"Well, I don't know exactly, a few have left but other people have arrived. I guess they were CIA."
"Listen, Tom. I want you to help evacuate, tell everybody to get the hell out of here."
Tom looked confused at first. "Why, what's going on? You think it was a terrorist attack?"
Paul looked at Tom. He lowered his voice. "It IS a terrorist attack. It's not over yet. I'll go and see who is upstairs, they're already waiting for me, I guess."
Tom did not have time to reply because Paul had already left. He chose to take the lift. After all, this building was safe, at least as long as they were inside. He reached the 25th floor and went straight to the conference room. He knew they would be there. He got in and looked around. It looked like a control room: in one corner, one group were listening to some kind of radio, probably emergency services. On the main table a meeting was being held by one of his superiors. They were looking at some maps and plans. In another corner, two men were watching the news while working on the computer. Next to them, two or three people were destroying documents and papers. John Perry, one of the people sitting at the table turned round and saw him. He stood up and walked over to Paul, taking him out of the room.
"Hi Paul. Listen, there's no need for you to stay here, we are evacuating the building, soon we will get out as well. They're setting up another control room somewhere else. We'll need you there later at some point."
Paul tried to look calm and relaxed. "Why, what are you doing now?"
"Well, monitoring everything. It was a terrorist attack, the planes had been hijacked and flown into the two towers. We're in contact with the oval office and the defense, waiting for orders."
Well, exactly what he had expected to hear.
"Ok, I'll pick up a few things from the office. Let me know if and where you need me", he said.
"Sure, I will, I'll send you a message on your mobile phone. See you later then."
John turned round and disappeared inside the room again. Paul went over to his office and went straight to his desk and sat down. He needed to think carefully: what was he supposed to do now? It was too late to do anything now, the only thing he could do is tell people to get away from the WTC. He made some phone calls to people he knew would be in the towers or in the other WTC buildings. Fortunately, most of them had already got out. One or two were trapped on the higher floors.
He noticed that most of the documents he had copied or forwarded had been taken away. Probably, they had already been destroyed. He looked around: most desks were emtpy, everything had already been taken and destroyed. He sighed and stood up.
"Ok, let's get out of here", he said to himself.
He took the lift downstairs and got out of the building. His colleague Tom was not there anymore. Actually, nobody was there anymore, only a few policemen who were helping people evacuate. He started to walk away towards his flat, thinking back to the time when everything had started...
* * *
09 March 2010
Second Life
Hi everybody,
some years ago, while surfing the Internet, I came across the name "Second Life". I don't remember exactly how or where I saw it, but I remember that I visited the website and wanted to register, but I had to give my credit card details and maybe even pay a fee or something, so I decided not to.
In 2006 I joined a Beppe Grillo meetup group and while I was going through the different meetups in the world, I noticed the "Second Life Beppe Grillo meetup group". I was pretty sure that none of the Grillo meetup groups would be based in a virtual world where people would have to pay to get in. It must be now free of charge, I thought. I checked the website again and indeed, I could register for free.
Here's how it works:
First of all, you have to choose a name for your avatar. You can choose any first name you like but you have to pick a last name from a long list. Then, once you've registered, you have to install the software and that can be a big problem. Check the system requirements before installing it.
When you log in for the first time, you will find yourself in Help Island, a place where you can learn to use SL, how to fly and teleport, you can choose your clothes, appearance, edit your profile and so on. You can also do different tutorials on the basics of SL. Once you leave Help Island, you cannot go back. If you need help, you can go to other public help islands to learn and practice.
I must say, I was very disappointed at the beginning once I left Help Island (at the time it was called Orientation Island). There is no main place where all new residents go, no main hall where you can meet everybody, a kind of starting point. However, there are many of them spread around the Second Life world. I also thought that there would be a map and you could actually walk around or move from place to place. Not really. The SL world map doesn't resemble any normal real world map. It's just an enormous puzzle of land slots, some very big, other very small, a kind of patchwork. Basically, you have to know exactly where you want to go. Well, I had a place, the only place I knew of, which was the "Second Life meetup group". That was the other big disappointment. I thought I would find a place where there were public meetings, discussions, information and so on, as in all other Grillo meetups. Instead, it was utter chaos: there was no real calendar of events, many people were flying around, singing, listening to music, shouting, just having fun.
I attended a few meetings but after some time I just stopped going there. Basically, there was no real connection between this group of people in SL and the meetup world.
The main problem for me is that most people I met there (and I think a lot of people who regularly visit SL anyway) don't really use it as a means of communication, but as a real virtual world where they lead a second life, where they have a second identity. Many residents have property there, a job, daily activities and so on. Some have even changed sex in SL! So when you chat with these people you don't really get to know anything about them, but only about their avatars. This is anyway the impression I had and what I also read about it. I didn't really get to know anybody in SL, so I'm not talking by experience.
However, at the same time, I realized that this software was really a great technological breakthrough: here you can talk to people from all over the world, using video, chat notecards and voice, a world where you can recreate any kind of environment. You can organize meetings or conferences with many people at low or no costs. For example, every year I attend a big conference called SLanguages about teaching languages using online platforms or virtual worlds like SL, with so many people from many different parts of the world, connecting from the most different places like home, a hotel, a public place. This year it will take place at the end of May.
After some research, I also discovered that in SL there are many institutions helping people, for example people with disabilities or people who have gone through terrible traumas, like victims of violence or rape. It seems they are more able to talk about their experiences when they are on their own talking to a computer than in a self-help group or to a psychiatrist. There are also many institutions where you can go and attend courses, learn languages and many other things. There are many events every day, like live music concerts, conferences or just even meeting places with all kinds of people. So it's a great world that we can use for many different purposes.
I sometimes go to SL and walk around, looking at the different landscapes, visiting new places. I am probably going to start teaching languages there soon. If you are already a SL resident or want to join, well, let me know, we can meet there and have a chat :)
Bye for now,
Andrew
some years ago, while surfing the Internet, I came across the name "Second Life". I don't remember exactly how or where I saw it, but I remember that I visited the website and wanted to register, but I had to give my credit card details and maybe even pay a fee or something, so I decided not to.
In 2006 I joined a Beppe Grillo meetup group and while I was going through the different meetups in the world, I noticed the "Second Life Beppe Grillo meetup group". I was pretty sure that none of the Grillo meetup groups would be based in a virtual world where people would have to pay to get in. It must be now free of charge, I thought. I checked the website again and indeed, I could register for free.
Here's how it works:
First of all, you have to choose a name for your avatar. You can choose any first name you like but you have to pick a last name from a long list. Then, once you've registered, you have to install the software and that can be a big problem. Check the system requirements before installing it.
When you log in for the first time, you will find yourself in Help Island, a place where you can learn to use SL, how to fly and teleport, you can choose your clothes, appearance, edit your profile and so on. You can also do different tutorials on the basics of SL. Once you leave Help Island, you cannot go back. If you need help, you can go to other public help islands to learn and practice.
I must say, I was very disappointed at the beginning once I left Help Island (at the time it was called Orientation Island). There is no main place where all new residents go, no main hall where you can meet everybody, a kind of starting point. However, there are many of them spread around the Second Life world. I also thought that there would be a map and you could actually walk around or move from place to place. Not really. The SL world map doesn't resemble any normal real world map. It's just an enormous puzzle of land slots, some very big, other very small, a kind of patchwork. Basically, you have to know exactly where you want to go. Well, I had a place, the only place I knew of, which was the "Second Life meetup group". That was the other big disappointment. I thought I would find a place where there were public meetings, discussions, information and so on, as in all other Grillo meetups. Instead, it was utter chaos: there was no real calendar of events, many people were flying around, singing, listening to music, shouting, just having fun.
I attended a few meetings but after some time I just stopped going there. Basically, there was no real connection between this group of people in SL and the meetup world.
The main problem for me is that most people I met there (and I think a lot of people who regularly visit SL anyway) don't really use it as a means of communication, but as a real virtual world where they lead a second life, where they have a second identity. Many residents have property there, a job, daily activities and so on. Some have even changed sex in SL! So when you chat with these people you don't really get to know anything about them, but only about their avatars. This is anyway the impression I had and what I also read about it. I didn't really get to know anybody in SL, so I'm not talking by experience.
However, at the same time, I realized that this software was really a great technological breakthrough: here you can talk to people from all over the world, using video, chat notecards and voice, a world where you can recreate any kind of environment. You can organize meetings or conferences with many people at low or no costs. For example, every year I attend a big conference called SLanguages about teaching languages using online platforms or virtual worlds like SL, with so many people from many different parts of the world, connecting from the most different places like home, a hotel, a public place. This year it will take place at the end of May.
After some research, I also discovered that in SL there are many institutions helping people, for example people with disabilities or people who have gone through terrible traumas, like victims of violence or rape. It seems they are more able to talk about their experiences when they are on their own talking to a computer than in a self-help group or to a psychiatrist. There are also many institutions where you can go and attend courses, learn languages and many other things. There are many events every day, like live music concerts, conferences or just even meeting places with all kinds of people. So it's a great world that we can use for many different purposes.
I sometimes go to SL and walk around, looking at the different landscapes, visiting new places. I am probably going to start teaching languages there soon. If you are already a SL resident or want to join, well, let me know, we can meet there and have a chat :)
Bye for now,
Andrew
04 March 2010
Update
Hi everybody,
long time no post! Anyway, just an update for the curious: for Christmas I stayed at home and my mother came to visit me and we had great time here in Nordhausen. Then, after the end of the winter semester here at university, on 10th February I went on holiday. First I went to München to see Beppe Grillo: fantastic show! Then from there I went north, visiting a few cities including Strasbourg and Trier. Finally, on 25th I was in Bochum for a conference about quality in language teaching in universities. I finally came back home on 28th. Then ...
At the moment, I'm doing different things: first of all, I'm doing some research about teaching online and as I said in my previous post, I may soon start giving private lessons online. If you are interested, just contact me. I also would like to start teaching in Second Life. For those who don't know what that is, I'll publish a post about it in the next days.
Secondly, here at the university we're busy trying to find new concepts and ideas for the language centre and our courses. For example, we may soon start offering students the possibility to take TOEFL and TOEIC, two international exams to test your level of English as a foreign language. We are also reorganizing the SLZ, the self-study lab. We will soon come up with a timetable and a program of events and tutorials.
Finally, I'm planning to go to Italy this summer and stay longer than usual as I have to finish my holidays for 2009 and start taking the ones for 2010. Of course, the cheapest way to spend long holidays for me is going to Italy! I'm also looking for something to do when I am there because otherwise it may get very boring for me, so if you have any work for me, let me know!
Ok, that's enough for now.
Take care.
long time no post! Anyway, just an update for the curious: for Christmas I stayed at home and my mother came to visit me and we had great time here in Nordhausen. Then, after the end of the winter semester here at university, on 10th February I went on holiday. First I went to München to see Beppe Grillo: fantastic show! Then from there I went north, visiting a few cities including Strasbourg and Trier. Finally, on 25th I was in Bochum for a conference about quality in language teaching in universities. I finally came back home on 28th. Then ...
At the moment, I'm doing different things: first of all, I'm doing some research about teaching online and as I said in my previous post, I may soon start giving private lessons online. If you are interested, just contact me. I also would like to start teaching in Second Life. For those who don't know what that is, I'll publish a post about it in the next days.
Secondly, here at the university we're busy trying to find new concepts and ideas for the language centre and our courses. For example, we may soon start offering students the possibility to take TOEFL and TOEIC, two international exams to test your level of English as a foreign language. We are also reorganizing the SLZ, the self-study lab. We will soon come up with a timetable and a program of events and tutorials.
Finally, I'm planning to go to Italy this summer and stay longer than usual as I have to finish my holidays for 2009 and start taking the ones for 2010. Of course, the cheapest way to spend long holidays for me is going to Italy! I'm also looking for something to do when I am there because otherwise it may get very boring for me, so if you have any work for me, let me know!
Ok, that's enough for now.
Take care.
23 November 2009
Latest news: work and more
Hi everybody!
Sorry for not writing for a long time. I've decided to change a few things in this blog and use it also to keep you updated about me and what happens around me here in Nordhausen and Germany. Furthermore, I've been working on one or two posts that I will publish soon here. One of them is about 9/11, but I don't want to anticipate anything, wait and see.
Let's start with some important news:
As some of you may already know, I'm part time now here at the FH Nordhausen and soon I'll be working privately as well. So, if anybody needs some help with English or Italian, feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help you. Don't worry, I won't be that expensive! I'm also going to try to start teaching online, so if there are any volunteers out there, please contact me. As I've never taught online before, I won't charge you for the first lessons!
There is, however, an important point: as I already have a well-paid job, I'm not going to do this private work only for the money but mostly because I love it and I want to do it. So, I'll do it in my own time. Therefore, I'm not going to accept any work with short-time deadlines.
If you want to contact me, you can do it through Skype (andrew25675), email (check my profile in this blog) or Facebook (.../andrew25675).
Let's go on with other news:
Sorry for not writing for a long time. I've decided to change a few things in this blog and use it also to keep you updated about me and what happens around me here in Nordhausen and Germany. Furthermore, I've been working on one or two posts that I will publish soon here. One of them is about 9/11, but I don't want to anticipate anything, wait and see.
Let's start with some important news:
As some of you may already know, I'm part time now here at the FH Nordhausen and soon I'll be working privately as well. So, if anybody needs some help with English or Italian, feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to help you. Don't worry, I won't be that expensive! I'm also going to try to start teaching online, so if there are any volunteers out there, please contact me. As I've never taught online before, I won't charge you for the first lessons!
There is, however, an important point: as I already have a well-paid job, I'm not going to do this private work only for the money but mostly because I love it and I want to do it. So, I'll do it in my own time. Therefore, I'm not going to accept any work with short-time deadlines.
If you want to contact me, you can do it through Skype (andrew25675), email (check my profile in this blog) or Facebook (.../andrew25675).
Let's go on with other news:
- Paul is back! On 3rd December I'm going to Berlin to see Paul McCartney live at the O2 World Arena! I'm sure it will be a great concert!
- After 15 long years, I've started playing the piano again! Last September I bought a Kawai digital piano and now and again I play it. I download sheet music and MIDI files from the Internet and I've learned to play some new songs now.
- On 10th February 2010, I'll be in München to see Beppe Grillo, he's giving a show there. After that, I'll go on holiday and I'll visit a few cities here in Germany and I'll end up in Bochum, where I'm going to attend a conference.
08 July 2009
G8, L'Aquila, July 2009
Dear readers,
here it goes again: the G8 in L'Aquila has started and the Italian police state is already in action to strike down whoever tries to express his opinion against it, and of course they will knock down whoever opposes the system, as we have seen in different occasions in the last ten years or more.
I honestly do not know who, when, where and how will organize protests and demonstrations during the G8 in L'Aquila, what I know is that there will be a lot of anti-riot police around and they will surely not just stand still there, just looking. They will do their job: beat and suppress the opposers. In fact, the right name for them would be riot police, because they are the ones who start the riots.
Anyway, we'll see. Maybe nothing will happen and everything will go well. Maybe people will follow Beppe Grillo's advice to stand back and laugh at the anti-riot police squadrons going around an empty city! Imagine the pictures in the news in the evening of people sitting at tables in bars around the city, having ice-cream and relaxing, looking and laughing at these policemen going around, not knowing what to do, who to beat! That would be fabulous! But we all know that will not happen. Possibly and hopefully, everything will be fine.
The most important thing is: whoever you are, whatever you do, never use any violence against anybody. Violence brings only other violence, it brings death, pain, sadness, anger, distress. It has no sense.
here it goes again: the G8 in L'Aquila has started and the Italian police state is already in action to strike down whoever tries to express his opinion against it, and of course they will knock down whoever opposes the system, as we have seen in different occasions in the last ten years or more.
I honestly do not know who, when, where and how will organize protests and demonstrations during the G8 in L'Aquila, what I know is that there will be a lot of anti-riot police around and they will surely not just stand still there, just looking. They will do their job: beat and suppress the opposers. In fact, the right name for them would be riot police, because they are the ones who start the riots.
Anyway, we'll see. Maybe nothing will happen and everything will go well. Maybe people will follow Beppe Grillo's advice to stand back and laugh at the anti-riot police squadrons going around an empty city! Imagine the pictures in the news in the evening of people sitting at tables in bars around the city, having ice-cream and relaxing, looking and laughing at these policemen going around, not knowing what to do, who to beat! That would be fabulous! But we all know that will not happen. Possibly and hopefully, everything will be fine.
The most important thing is: whoever you are, whatever you do, never use any violence against anybody. Violence brings only other violence, it brings death, pain, sadness, anger, distress. It has no sense.
07 June 2009
Always the same story...
Dear readers,
after a long break, here I am again. After watching one or two documentaries on You Tube about the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001, I have to say I am really happy of having taken that decision of leaving Italy forever a long time ago. A place where the citizen does not exist, where the state uses police forces, the media and money to control people and institutions, where most of the people accept the status quo anyway.
Those days in Genoa were terrible. Extreme violence, beatings, killings, insults, abuse of authority and many other crimes against simple individuals. Crimes that are usually committed in dictatorships, crimes that should never take place in any country in the world, but that were committed again in various situations in Italy, sometimes against single citizens, some other times against the masses, like in Naples, when people protested against the incinerators and rubbish dumps, or against the students who protested against the latest reforms on education. What makes things even worse is that all this comes from the police, from the people that should defend citizens against criminals, but in this case, who should defend people against the police?
One of the biggest problem is the complete lack of real and serious information. Many people don't have enough information to be able to take the right decisions, to have an objective opinion about what happens around them. The authorities take advantage of this to control people's opinions and actions, buy their votes, change laws for their own profit. In fact, the parliament is full of criminals, who only think about themselves and their parties.
Fortunately, I live now in a civilized country, where of course sometimes there is violence and of course crimes are committed, but it never comes from the government. I feel I can trust police forces here and I think I have all the information I need from the national and local media. Some politicians may be dishonest or corrupted, but at least I'm pretty sure that the ones in office are not criminals who have already been convicted.
Of course, there are also other personal reasons for my living here, but I think that the most important things in choosing the place one wants to live in are the respect of human rights and of the environment, honesty and respect in public life and good infrastructures for the people.
after a long break, here I am again. After watching one or two documentaries on You Tube about the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001, I have to say I am really happy of having taken that decision of leaving Italy forever a long time ago. A place where the citizen does not exist, where the state uses police forces, the media and money to control people and institutions, where most of the people accept the status quo anyway.
Those days in Genoa were terrible. Extreme violence, beatings, killings, insults, abuse of authority and many other crimes against simple individuals. Crimes that are usually committed in dictatorships, crimes that should never take place in any country in the world, but that were committed again in various situations in Italy, sometimes against single citizens, some other times against the masses, like in Naples, when people protested against the incinerators and rubbish dumps, or against the students who protested against the latest reforms on education. What makes things even worse is that all this comes from the police, from the people that should defend citizens against criminals, but in this case, who should defend people against the police?
One of the biggest problem is the complete lack of real and serious information. Many people don't have enough information to be able to take the right decisions, to have an objective opinion about what happens around them. The authorities take advantage of this to control people's opinions and actions, buy their votes, change laws for their own profit. In fact, the parliament is full of criminals, who only think about themselves and their parties.
Fortunately, I live now in a civilized country, where of course sometimes there is violence and of course crimes are committed, but it never comes from the government. I feel I can trust police forces here and I think I have all the information I need from the national and local media. Some politicians may be dishonest or corrupted, but at least I'm pretty sure that the ones in office are not criminals who have already been convicted.
Of course, there are also other personal reasons for my living here, but I think that the most important things in choosing the place one wants to live in are the respect of human rights and of the environment, honesty and respect in public life and good infrastructures for the people.
11 February 2009
Network
Dear readers,
today I would like to talk about the tube. No, not the London Underground! "The tube" can also mean television, the TV set. TV is or has been the most important means of communication, one of the most common mass media, maybe the most powerful tool ever. Fortunately, with the Internet boom, TV has lost a lot of its influence and power, but I guess it is still the most common means of communication.
The following text is taken from the film Network, a film made in 1976 about the power of TV. While you follow the text, you can watch the extract here but I suggest you watch the entire film. You can find it here: Google Video: Network. The film is fiction, of course but just change a few names and sentences in the text and it will perfectly fit the Italian context. Here is the text:
Edward George Ruddy died today!! Edward George Ruddy was the chairman of the board of the Union Broadcasting Systems and he died at 11 o'clock this morning of a heart condition, and woe is us, we’re in a lot of trouble!!!
So... a rich little man with white hair died. What has that got to do with the price of rice, right? And why is that woe to us? Because you people and 62 million of other Americans are listening to me right now. Because less than three per cent of you people read books. Because less than 15 per cent of you read newspapers. Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole and entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube.
This tube is the gospel! The ultimate revelation! This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers. This tube is the most awesome goddamn force in the whole godless world and woe is us if it ever falls into the hands of the wrong people and that’s why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died.
Because this company is now in the hands of CCA, the Communication Corporation of America. There’s a new chairman of the board, a man called Frank Hackett, sitting in Mr Ruddy’s office on the 20th floor, and when the 12th largest company in the worid controls the most awesome goddamn propaganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network.
So you listen to me. Listen to me. Television is not the truth. Television’s a goddamned amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a travelling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business.
So if you want the truth, go to God. Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves. Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth. But, man, you’re never gonna get any truth from us. We’ll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell. We’ll tell you that Kojak always gets the killer, and that nobody ever gets cancer in Archie Bunker’s house and however much trouble the hero is in, don’t worry, look at your watch, at the end of the hour he’s going to win.
We’ll tell you any shit you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true. But you people sit there, day after day, night after night, all ages, colours, creeds. We’re all you know. You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here, you’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you. You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God’s name, you people are the real thing! We are the illusion!
So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now! Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of the sentence I’m speaking to you now. Turn them off.
today I would like to talk about the tube. No, not the London Underground! "The tube" can also mean television, the TV set. TV is or has been the most important means of communication, one of the most common mass media, maybe the most powerful tool ever. Fortunately, with the Internet boom, TV has lost a lot of its influence and power, but I guess it is still the most common means of communication.
The following text is taken from the film Network, a film made in 1976 about the power of TV. While you follow the text, you can watch the extract here but I suggest you watch the entire film. You can find it here: Google Video: Network. The film is fiction, of course but just change a few names and sentences in the text and it will perfectly fit the Italian context. Here is the text:
Edward George Ruddy died today!! Edward George Ruddy was the chairman of the board of the Union Broadcasting Systems and he died at 11 o'clock this morning of a heart condition, and woe is us, we’re in a lot of trouble!!!
So... a rich little man with white hair died. What has that got to do with the price of rice, right? And why is that woe to us? Because you people and 62 million of other Americans are listening to me right now. Because less than three per cent of you people read books. Because less than 15 per cent of you read newspapers. Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole and entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube.
This tube is the gospel! The ultimate revelation! This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers. This tube is the most awesome goddamn force in the whole godless world and woe is us if it ever falls into the hands of the wrong people and that’s why woe is us that Edward George Ruddy died.
Because this company is now in the hands of CCA, the Communication Corporation of America. There’s a new chairman of the board, a man called Frank Hackett, sitting in Mr Ruddy’s office on the 20th floor, and when the 12th largest company in the worid controls the most awesome goddamn propaganda force in the whole godless world, who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network.
So you listen to me. Listen to me. Television is not the truth. Television’s a goddamned amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a travelling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business.
So if you want the truth, go to God. Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves. Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth. But, man, you’re never gonna get any truth from us. We’ll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell. We’ll tell you that Kojak always gets the killer, and that nobody ever gets cancer in Archie Bunker’s house and however much trouble the hero is in, don’t worry, look at your watch, at the end of the hour he’s going to win.
We’ll tell you any shit you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true. But you people sit there, day after day, night after night, all ages, colours, creeds. We’re all you know. You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here, you’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you. You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs. In God’s name, you people are the real thing! We are the illusion!
So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now! Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of the sentence I’m speaking to you now. Turn them off.
10 February 2009
Die Wahrheit
Hallo zusammen,
ich habe gerade einen Zeitungsartikel gelesen, der die Wahrheit sagt. Natürlich, nicht in der italienischen Presse. Das würde fast ein Wunder sein. Nein, diesen Artikel habe ich in der Webseite des staatlichen öffentlichen deutschen Fernsehens, ARD tagesschau.de. Der Journalist Stefan Troendle schreibt einen Kommentar über Berlusconi. Die meisten Artikeln über Berlusconi sind normaleweise entweder nur ein Bericht ohne Kommentare (oft auch nicht der Wahrheit entsprechend) oder witzige Sprüche, lustige Bemerkungen usw. Sehr selten kann man ernste Kommentare oder richtige Zeitungsartikeln lesen, die die Wahrheit sagen. Lesen wir mal:
Fall Englaro zeigt Berlusconis Gefährlichkeit
Von Stefan Troendle, ARD-Hörfunkstudio Rom
Auch wenn man manchmal daran zweifeln mag: Italien ist ein Rechtsstaat. Und in Italien ist gestern Recht geschehen. Die 38 Jahre alte Komapatientin Eluana Englaro ist gestorben, vier Tage nachdem künstliche Ernährung und Flüssigkeitszufuhr abgestellt wurden. Grundlage für diese Form von passiver Sterbehilfe war ein Urteil des obersten italienischen Berufungsgerichtes.
Was allerdings irritiert, ist das absolut unrechtsstaatliche Verhalten des italienischen Regierungschefs Silvio Berlusconi, der monatelang Zeit hatte, ein Gesetz zur Patientenverfügung auf den Weg zu bringen. Aktiv wurde Silvio Berlusconi nämlich erst am letzten Freitag, als er urplötzlich von der Dringlichkeit des Falles Eluana Englaro überrumpelt wurde. Dann musste plötzlich ein Eildekret her, das Staatspräsident Giorgio Napolitano aufgrund dessen Verfassungswidrigkeit nicht unterschreiben konnte.
Problem mit der Gewaltenteilung
Dass es sich hierbei um eine Intrige handelt, wird noch deutlicher, wenn man die Titelseite der Berlusconi-Zeitung "Il Giornale" liest. Die erscheint heute mit der großen Schlagzeile "Sie haben sie umgebracht" - und kritisiert offen den Staatspräsidenten. "Er hätte es verhindern können, herzlichen Glückwunsch Napolitano" heißt es zynisch.
Berlusconi hat ein Problem mit der Gewaltenteilung in seinem Land, das ist klar zu erkennen. Er schreckt weder vor einem Angriff auf das Staatsoberhaupt zurück, noch respektiert er Urteile des höchsten Berufungsgerichtes, wenn ihm diese nicht in den Kram passen. Er kommandiert das Parlament, das auf seine Anweisung nach Belieben Gesetze einbringt und wieder zurückzieht, wie im Fall Englaro geschehen. Und noch etwas wird deutlich: Der Regierungschef kontrolliert fast das komplette Fernsehen und viele Zeitungen und er nutzt diese Macht schamlos aus. Niemand spricht über seinen Interessenkonflikt, den er - obwohl versprochen - nie gelöst hat.
Berlusconi regiert das Land nach Gutsherrenart. Er verhält sich wie ein Vespa-Fahrer mitten im römischem Verkehrschaos: rote Ampeln ignorieren, bei Stau einfach über den Bürgersteig fahren, und im Zweifel sind sowieso immer die anderen schuld. Dieser Mann, der außer Scherzen über US-Präsident Barack Obamas Hautfarbe auch gerne mal in aller Öffentlichkeit KZ-Witze erzählt (zuletzt geschehen am 17. Januar, ohne dass die italienischen Medien darüber berichtet hätten), ist nicht nur unmöglich. Er ist vor allem gefährlich. Gefährlich für die Demokratie, gefährlich für das Ansehen des Landes. Er hat nicht die Interessen Italiens im Blick, sondern nur seine eigenen.
Höfliches Übersehen ist die falsche Strategie
Silvio Berlusconi wird im Ausland gerne als "nicht ernst zu nehmender Spinner" unterschätzt, der nur durch regelmäßige Ausfälle auf sich aufmerksam macht. Ich glaube, das ist ein großer Fehler. Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen und das höfliche Übersehen des einen oder anderen Fauxpas sind genau die falsche diplomatische Strategie. Diesen Mann muss man ernst nehmen, man muss ihm genau auf die Finger schauen, man muss ihn kritisieren. Nicht zu vergessen: Italien hat dieses Jahr die G8-Präsidentschaft inne.
Was besonders schmerzt: In Sachen Eluana wurde Berlusconis Kurs von der katholischen Kirche unterstützt, wenn nicht sogar angeschoben. Natürlich kämpft die Kirche gegen jede Form von Sterbehilfe - das ist ihr gutes Recht. Dass sie dazu aber auch Allianzen mit Berlusconi eingeht, anstatt diesen offen für seine gefährliche Politik zu kritisieren, ist sehr schade.
Beim deutsch-italienischen Gipfel in Triest hat sich Italiens Ministerpräsident hinter einer Säule versteckt und fröhlich "Kuckuck" gerufen, als die Bundeskanzlerin vorbeikam. Leider haben viele Italiener immer noch nicht begriffen, was für einen Vogel sie da eigentlich gewählt haben.
Quelle:
● Fall Englaro zeigt Berlusconis Gefährlichkeit von Stefan Troendle für Tagesschau.de, 10. Februar 2008
ich habe gerade einen Zeitungsartikel gelesen, der die Wahrheit sagt. Natürlich, nicht in der italienischen Presse. Das würde fast ein Wunder sein. Nein, diesen Artikel habe ich in der Webseite des staatlichen öffentlichen deutschen Fernsehens, ARD tagesschau.de. Der Journalist Stefan Troendle schreibt einen Kommentar über Berlusconi. Die meisten Artikeln über Berlusconi sind normaleweise entweder nur ein Bericht ohne Kommentare (oft auch nicht der Wahrheit entsprechend) oder witzige Sprüche, lustige Bemerkungen usw. Sehr selten kann man ernste Kommentare oder richtige Zeitungsartikeln lesen, die die Wahrheit sagen. Lesen wir mal:
Fall Englaro zeigt Berlusconis Gefährlichkeit
Von Stefan Troendle, ARD-Hörfunkstudio Rom
Auch wenn man manchmal daran zweifeln mag: Italien ist ein Rechtsstaat. Und in Italien ist gestern Recht geschehen. Die 38 Jahre alte Komapatientin Eluana Englaro ist gestorben, vier Tage nachdem künstliche Ernährung und Flüssigkeitszufuhr abgestellt wurden. Grundlage für diese Form von passiver Sterbehilfe war ein Urteil des obersten italienischen Berufungsgerichtes.
Was allerdings irritiert, ist das absolut unrechtsstaatliche Verhalten des italienischen Regierungschefs Silvio Berlusconi, der monatelang Zeit hatte, ein Gesetz zur Patientenverfügung auf den Weg zu bringen. Aktiv wurde Silvio Berlusconi nämlich erst am letzten Freitag, als er urplötzlich von der Dringlichkeit des Falles Eluana Englaro überrumpelt wurde. Dann musste plötzlich ein Eildekret her, das Staatspräsident Giorgio Napolitano aufgrund dessen Verfassungswidrigkeit nicht unterschreiben konnte.
Problem mit der Gewaltenteilung
Dass es sich hierbei um eine Intrige handelt, wird noch deutlicher, wenn man die Titelseite der Berlusconi-Zeitung "Il Giornale" liest. Die erscheint heute mit der großen Schlagzeile "Sie haben sie umgebracht" - und kritisiert offen den Staatspräsidenten. "Er hätte es verhindern können, herzlichen Glückwunsch Napolitano" heißt es zynisch.
Berlusconi hat ein Problem mit der Gewaltenteilung in seinem Land, das ist klar zu erkennen. Er schreckt weder vor einem Angriff auf das Staatsoberhaupt zurück, noch respektiert er Urteile des höchsten Berufungsgerichtes, wenn ihm diese nicht in den Kram passen. Er kommandiert das Parlament, das auf seine Anweisung nach Belieben Gesetze einbringt und wieder zurückzieht, wie im Fall Englaro geschehen. Und noch etwas wird deutlich: Der Regierungschef kontrolliert fast das komplette Fernsehen und viele Zeitungen und er nutzt diese Macht schamlos aus. Niemand spricht über seinen Interessenkonflikt, den er - obwohl versprochen - nie gelöst hat.
Berlusconi regiert das Land nach Gutsherrenart. Er verhält sich wie ein Vespa-Fahrer mitten im römischem Verkehrschaos: rote Ampeln ignorieren, bei Stau einfach über den Bürgersteig fahren, und im Zweifel sind sowieso immer die anderen schuld. Dieser Mann, der außer Scherzen über US-Präsident Barack Obamas Hautfarbe auch gerne mal in aller Öffentlichkeit KZ-Witze erzählt (zuletzt geschehen am 17. Januar, ohne dass die italienischen Medien darüber berichtet hätten), ist nicht nur unmöglich. Er ist vor allem gefährlich. Gefährlich für die Demokratie, gefährlich für das Ansehen des Landes. Er hat nicht die Interessen Italiens im Blick, sondern nur seine eigenen.
Höfliches Übersehen ist die falsche Strategie
Silvio Berlusconi wird im Ausland gerne als "nicht ernst zu nehmender Spinner" unterschätzt, der nur durch regelmäßige Ausfälle auf sich aufmerksam macht. Ich glaube, das ist ein großer Fehler. Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen und das höfliche Übersehen des einen oder anderen Fauxpas sind genau die falsche diplomatische Strategie. Diesen Mann muss man ernst nehmen, man muss ihm genau auf die Finger schauen, man muss ihn kritisieren. Nicht zu vergessen: Italien hat dieses Jahr die G8-Präsidentschaft inne.
Was besonders schmerzt: In Sachen Eluana wurde Berlusconis Kurs von der katholischen Kirche unterstützt, wenn nicht sogar angeschoben. Natürlich kämpft die Kirche gegen jede Form von Sterbehilfe - das ist ihr gutes Recht. Dass sie dazu aber auch Allianzen mit Berlusconi eingeht, anstatt diesen offen für seine gefährliche Politik zu kritisieren, ist sehr schade.
Beim deutsch-italienischen Gipfel in Triest hat sich Italiens Ministerpräsident hinter einer Säule versteckt und fröhlich "Kuckuck" gerufen, als die Bundeskanzlerin vorbeikam. Leider haben viele Italiener immer noch nicht begriffen, was für einen Vogel sie da eigentlich gewählt haben.
Quelle:
● Fall Englaro zeigt Berlusconis Gefährlichkeit von Stefan Troendle für Tagesschau.de, 10. Februar 200809 February 2009
Democracy
Dear readers,
what is democracy? Being a language teacher, I believe in the conservation of the original meaning of words. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek and means exactly "government of the people" (demos = people; kratos = rule, strength). Actually, that is a bit too general. What does it really mean? Well, basically, it is a system where the people have the power to choose, to take decisions and govern. Taken literally, this system does not exist, it is just theory. In practice, it is totally different. What we have had in the world in everyday life since world war II can hardly be defined as "democracy", in any part of the world. I would like to show you what democracy really is. The following are the main principles of democracy. I took them and translated them directly from the website Officina Democrazia which is an appeal to all Italian citizens who believe in these principles. My previous post contains the same text in Italian but I felt I needed to translate it for the ones who do not speak Italian, as these are maybe the most important principles we should fight for. Here they are:
A - The sovereignty belongs to the people, who should be able to exercise it in a direct and appropriate way. The popular sovereignty can be delegated, provided the right of the people to the change or removal of the delegation. In particular, the legislators must not legislate on themselves, their powers, the ways they can be elected, the relations between their power and other powers, without going through the consent, directly expressed, of the will of the people.
B - Decisions taken under the will of the people, directly expressed, may be amended only by the will of the people.
C- All citizens should be encouraged and enabled to responsibly and effectively control the actions of the delegates.
D - Indifference and isolation must be fought by encouraging participation in all forms of aggregation and association. They are precious means in our society, because through them the people experience social life and democracy. All initiatives for the logistic and material support of all forms of association are therefore supported, provided they respect the universal human rights.
E- The powers of the state control organs in civil and economic life must be consolidated and made effective.
F - Free and independent information must be pursued and defended. The governing bodies of public media shall be appointed by popular election rather than through party nomination. The private monopolies should be prevented in all fields and particularly in the media.
G - The highest transparency in political life and in the sources of funding of political parties, associations, movements, and the media must be achieved.
H - Easy access to knowledge and the freedom of the Internet should be preserved and promoted.
I - The "collective good" must be pursued. The "collective good" is what corresponds to the greatest welfare of the community in respect of the environment in which that community lives.
L - The choice of candidates in elections is up to the citizens and not to parties or other organizations. The representatives should be and feel responsible only to the citizens.
M - No citizen can be a candidate if in a state of conflict of interests, or subject to prosecution for offenses affecting the collective or public interests or convicted for such crimes.
N - A constant attention and openness to new proposals, to criticisms, to competence and merit must be guaranteed within the political organizations in public institutions with attention to the rotation of office and setting limits to reeligibility and to the duration and overlapping of mandates
O - We must constantly look for consent and be ready to share, through the constant confrontation of wills and ideas while respecting the views of minorities, with the absolute commitment by all to pursue the common good and to see the vote as extrema ratio.
P - All fundamental human rights must be protected and respected.
Q - All of these objectives should be pursued only by peaceful and non-violent means.
what is democracy? Being a language teacher, I believe in the conservation of the original meaning of words. The word "democracy" comes from the Greek and means exactly "government of the people" (demos = people; kratos = rule, strength). Actually, that is a bit too general. What does it really mean? Well, basically, it is a system where the people have the power to choose, to take decisions and govern. Taken literally, this system does not exist, it is just theory. In practice, it is totally different. What we have had in the world in everyday life since world war II can hardly be defined as "democracy", in any part of the world. I would like to show you what democracy really is. The following are the main principles of democracy. I took them and translated them directly from the website Officina Democrazia which is an appeal to all Italian citizens who believe in these principles. My previous post contains the same text in Italian but I felt I needed to translate it for the ones who do not speak Italian, as these are maybe the most important principles we should fight for. Here they are:
A - The sovereignty belongs to the people, who should be able to exercise it in a direct and appropriate way. The popular sovereignty can be delegated, provided the right of the people to the change or removal of the delegation. In particular, the legislators must not legislate on themselves, their powers, the ways they can be elected, the relations between their power and other powers, without going through the consent, directly expressed, of the will of the people.
B - Decisions taken under the will of the people, directly expressed, may be amended only by the will of the people.
C- All citizens should be encouraged and enabled to responsibly and effectively control the actions of the delegates.
D - Indifference and isolation must be fought by encouraging participation in all forms of aggregation and association. They are precious means in our society, because through them the people experience social life and democracy. All initiatives for the logistic and material support of all forms of association are therefore supported, provided they respect the universal human rights.
E- The powers of the state control organs in civil and economic life must be consolidated and made effective.
F - Free and independent information must be pursued and defended. The governing bodies of public media shall be appointed by popular election rather than through party nomination. The private monopolies should be prevented in all fields and particularly in the media.
G - The highest transparency in political life and in the sources of funding of political parties, associations, movements, and the media must be achieved.
H - Easy access to knowledge and the freedom of the Internet should be preserved and promoted.
I - The "collective good" must be pursued. The "collective good" is what corresponds to the greatest welfare of the community in respect of the environment in which that community lives.
L - The choice of candidates in elections is up to the citizens and not to parties or other organizations. The representatives should be and feel responsible only to the citizens.
M - No citizen can be a candidate if in a state of conflict of interests, or subject to prosecution for offenses affecting the collective or public interests or convicted for such crimes.
N - A constant attention and openness to new proposals, to criticisms, to competence and merit must be guaranteed within the political organizations in public institutions with attention to the rotation of office and setting limits to reeligibility and to the duration and overlapping of mandates
O - We must constantly look for consent and be ready to share, through the constant confrontation of wills and ideas while respecting the views of minorities, with the absolute commitment by all to pursue the common good and to see the vote as extrema ratio.
P - All fundamental human rights must be protected and respected.
Q - All of these objectives should be pursued only by peaceful and non-violent means.
Officina democrazia
Cari lettori,
volevo informarvi su qualcosa che ritengo sia molto importante: sono venuto a sapere dell'esistenza di un appello per la difesa e lo sviluppo della democrazia sul sito Officina Democrazia con l'intento di riunire tutti i cittadini che condividono lo scopo di salvare e difendere la democrazia. Qui vi riporto i punti principali. Vi pregerei di leggerli attentamente e di andare sul sito per ulteriori informazioni e, se siete d'accordo con i punti e gli intenti dell'appello, per apporre poi la vostra "firma". Ecco i principi fondamentali:
PRINCIPI FONDAMENTALI:
A - La sovranità appartiene al popolo che deve poterla esercitare in modo diretto, per quanto possibile ed opportuno. La sovranità popolare può anche essere delegata, fermo restando il diritto del popolo di modifica o revocabilità della delega. In particolare va impedito che il legislatore possa legiferare su se stesso, sui suoi poteri, sulle forme della sua eleggibilità, sulle relazioni tra il suo potere ed altri poteri, senza passare attraverso il consenso, direttamente espresso, della volontà popolare.
B - Decisioni prese in virtù della volontà popolare, direttamente espressa, possono essere modificate solo dalla volontà popolare.
C- Tutti i cittadini devono essere incoraggiati e messi in condizione di svolgere responsabilmente ed efficacemente la funzione di controllo dell’operato dei delegati.
D - Vanno combattuti l`indifferenza e l`isolamento tramite l`incoraggiamento alla partecipazione ad ogni forma di aggregazione e di associazione. Esse, infatti, rappresentano una ricchezza per la società, in quanto per il loro tramite le persone fanno esperienza concreta di vita sociale e di democrazia. Vanno, pertanto, promosse tutte quelle iniziative volte al sostegno logistico e materiale di tutte le forme associative, purché non in contrasto con il principio del "massimo bene aggregato" e dei diritti universali dell`uomo.
E- Vanno potenziati e resi efficaci tramite poteri effettivi tutti gli organi di controllo dello stato, della vita civile ed economica.
F - Va perseguita e difesa l'informazione libera e indipendente. Gli organi dirigenti dei mezzi di informazione pubblici vanno designati mediante elezione popolare e non attraverso nomina partitica. I monopoli privati vanno impediti in tutti i campi ed in particolar modo in quello della informazione.
G - Va conseguita la massima trasparenza nella vita politica e nelle fonti di finanziamento dei partiti, delle associazioni, dei movimenti, e dei mezzi di informazione.
H - Va favorita la facilità di accesso al sapere, va conservata e favorita la libertà di internet.
I - Va perseguito il "bene collettivo" e va affermato che esso non è il « vantaggio del partito », del « gruppo » o del « movimento » e tanto meno quello personale. Il "bene collettivo" è quello che corrisponde al maggior benessere della comunità in rispetto dell'ambiente in cui quella comunità vive.
L - La scelta dei candidati alle elezioni, spetta ai cittadini e non ai partiti od ad altre organizzazioni. I rappresentanti devono essere e sentirsi responsabili soltanto verso i cittadini.
M - Non devono poter essere candidati cittadini in stato di "conflitto d'interesse", oppure soggetti a procedimenti penali per reati lesivi degli interessi pubblici e collettivi o condannati per questi reati.
N - Va garantita all'interno delle organizzazioni politiche nelle istituzioni pubbliche, una costante apertura ed attenzione a nuove proposte, alle critiche, al ricambio dei ruoli, al limite temporale dei mandati, al limite alla ripetibilità degli stessi, alla loro non sovrapponibilità, e l'attenzione alla competenza ed al merito.
O - Occorre costantemente mirare al consenso ed alla condivisione, mediante il costante confronto di volontà e di idee nel rispetto delle opinioni delle minoranze, con l'irrinunciabile impegno da parte di tutti a perseguire il bene comune e ad intendere il voto come extrema-ratio.
P - Vanno difesi i diritti fondamentali dell'uomo.
Q - Tutti questi obiettivi vanno perseguiti con soli mezzi pacifici e non violenti.
volevo informarvi su qualcosa che ritengo sia molto importante: sono venuto a sapere dell'esistenza di un appello per la difesa e lo sviluppo della democrazia sul sito Officina Democrazia con l'intento di riunire tutti i cittadini che condividono lo scopo di salvare e difendere la democrazia. Qui vi riporto i punti principali. Vi pregerei di leggerli attentamente e di andare sul sito per ulteriori informazioni e, se siete d'accordo con i punti e gli intenti dell'appello, per apporre poi la vostra "firma". Ecco i principi fondamentali:
PRINCIPI FONDAMENTALI:
A - La sovranità appartiene al popolo che deve poterla esercitare in modo diretto, per quanto possibile ed opportuno. La sovranità popolare può anche essere delegata, fermo restando il diritto del popolo di modifica o revocabilità della delega. In particolare va impedito che il legislatore possa legiferare su se stesso, sui suoi poteri, sulle forme della sua eleggibilità, sulle relazioni tra il suo potere ed altri poteri, senza passare attraverso il consenso, direttamente espresso, della volontà popolare.
B - Decisioni prese in virtù della volontà popolare, direttamente espressa, possono essere modificate solo dalla volontà popolare.
C- Tutti i cittadini devono essere incoraggiati e messi in condizione di svolgere responsabilmente ed efficacemente la funzione di controllo dell’operato dei delegati.
D - Vanno combattuti l`indifferenza e l`isolamento tramite l`incoraggiamento alla partecipazione ad ogni forma di aggregazione e di associazione. Esse, infatti, rappresentano una ricchezza per la società, in quanto per il loro tramite le persone fanno esperienza concreta di vita sociale e di democrazia. Vanno, pertanto, promosse tutte quelle iniziative volte al sostegno logistico e materiale di tutte le forme associative, purché non in contrasto con il principio del "massimo bene aggregato" e dei diritti universali dell`uomo.
E- Vanno potenziati e resi efficaci tramite poteri effettivi tutti gli organi di controllo dello stato, della vita civile ed economica.
F - Va perseguita e difesa l'informazione libera e indipendente. Gli organi dirigenti dei mezzi di informazione pubblici vanno designati mediante elezione popolare e non attraverso nomina partitica. I monopoli privati vanno impediti in tutti i campi ed in particolar modo in quello della informazione.
G - Va conseguita la massima trasparenza nella vita politica e nelle fonti di finanziamento dei partiti, delle associazioni, dei movimenti, e dei mezzi di informazione.
H - Va favorita la facilità di accesso al sapere, va conservata e favorita la libertà di internet.
I - Va perseguito il "bene collettivo" e va affermato che esso non è il « vantaggio del partito », del « gruppo » o del « movimento » e tanto meno quello personale. Il "bene collettivo" è quello che corrisponde al maggior benessere della comunità in rispetto dell'ambiente in cui quella comunità vive.
L - La scelta dei candidati alle elezioni, spetta ai cittadini e non ai partiti od ad altre organizzazioni. I rappresentanti devono essere e sentirsi responsabili soltanto verso i cittadini.
M - Non devono poter essere candidati cittadini in stato di "conflitto d'interesse", oppure soggetti a procedimenti penali per reati lesivi degli interessi pubblici e collettivi o condannati per questi reati.
N - Va garantita all'interno delle organizzazioni politiche nelle istituzioni pubbliche, una costante apertura ed attenzione a nuove proposte, alle critiche, al ricambio dei ruoli, al limite temporale dei mandati, al limite alla ripetibilità degli stessi, alla loro non sovrapponibilità, e l'attenzione alla competenza ed al merito.
O - Occorre costantemente mirare al consenso ed alla condivisione, mediante il costante confronto di volontà e di idee nel rispetto delle opinioni delle minoranze, con l'irrinunciabile impegno da parte di tutti a perseguire il bene comune e ad intendere il voto come extrema-ratio.
P - Vanno difesi i diritti fondamentali dell'uomo.
Q - Tutti questi obiettivi vanno perseguiti con soli mezzi pacifici e non violenti.
12 December 2008
Energie rinnovabili nella provincia di Macerata
Cari lettori,
torno a scrivere in italiano in quanto l'articolo che riporto riguarda Macerata: chi vuole installare impianti per l'uso di energie rinnovabili, potrà ricevere degli incentivi dalla provincia di Macerata e coprire circa un terzo della spesa. Trovo che questa sia una grande notizia in quanto si dà la possibilità a privati cittadini di usare risorse non inquinanti e naturali come il sole o il vento per produrre energia. Ovviamente, bisogna poi vedere se questo progetto funziona, ma per quanto riguarda le energie rinnovabili, sono molto fiducioso. Ecco l'articolo:
MACERATA - Arrivano nuovi incentivi da parte della Provincia di Macerata per lo sviluppo e la diffusione delle energie rinnovabili. E’ in pubblicazione in questi giorni, infatti, un nuovo bando che prevede l’assegnazione di contributi per complessivi 400mila euro a privati (famiglie, associazioni senza scopo di lucro, liberi professionisti) che in edifici di loro proprietà installano impianti fotovoltaici, impianti solari termici, pompe di calore.
Le domande di contributo debbono essere presentate entro il 31 dicembre al settore Ambiente tenendo conto di quanto specificato nell’avviso pubblico consultabile anche sul sito internet della provincia di Macerata alla voce “bandi”.
“Con questo nuovo intervento, che qualifica l’azione della Provincia nel campo energetico", sottolinea il presidente della Provincia, Giulio Silenzi, "sale a circa 1 milione e mezzo di euro negli ultimi tre anni l’impegno dell’amministrazione provinciale. Lo consideriamo un investimento importante per l’energia pulita che porta benefici in termini di risparmio sulla bolletta energetica di famiglie e piccole imprese, ma anche utilità sul piano ambientale”.
Il contributo previsto è di circa un terzo della spesa (35%) con dei massimali che sono stati così determinati: 2.000 euro per il solare termico; 8.000 euro per impianti fotovoltaici e per pompe di calore del tipo geotermico; 3.000 euro per pompe di calore del tipo aria-acqua.
Il bando prevede la possibilità di chiedere finanziamenti, fino a 10.000 euro, anche per impianti “micro-eolici” (potenza non superiore a 20 kw e altezza inferiore a 20 metri). Oltre che per nuovi impianti si può beneficiare del contributo anche per impianti realizzati dopo il 1 gennaio 2008.
Tratto da:
● Macerata: incentivi a chi installa impianti termici su Gomarche.it, 11 Dicembre 2008
torno a scrivere in italiano in quanto l'articolo che riporto riguarda Macerata: chi vuole installare impianti per l'uso di energie rinnovabili, potrà ricevere degli incentivi dalla provincia di Macerata e coprire circa un terzo della spesa. Trovo che questa sia una grande notizia in quanto si dà la possibilità a privati cittadini di usare risorse non inquinanti e naturali come il sole o il vento per produrre energia. Ovviamente, bisogna poi vedere se questo progetto funziona, ma per quanto riguarda le energie rinnovabili, sono molto fiducioso. Ecco l'articolo:
MACERATA - Arrivano nuovi incentivi da parte della Provincia di Macerata per lo sviluppo e la diffusione delle energie rinnovabili. E’ in pubblicazione in questi giorni, infatti, un nuovo bando che prevede l’assegnazione di contributi per complessivi 400mila euro a privati (famiglie, associazioni senza scopo di lucro, liberi professionisti) che in edifici di loro proprietà installano impianti fotovoltaici, impianti solari termici, pompe di calore.
Le domande di contributo debbono essere presentate entro il 31 dicembre al settore Ambiente tenendo conto di quanto specificato nell’avviso pubblico consultabile anche sul sito internet della provincia di Macerata alla voce “bandi”.
“Con questo nuovo intervento, che qualifica l’azione della Provincia nel campo energetico", sottolinea il presidente della Provincia, Giulio Silenzi, "sale a circa 1 milione e mezzo di euro negli ultimi tre anni l’impegno dell’amministrazione provinciale. Lo consideriamo un investimento importante per l’energia pulita che porta benefici in termini di risparmio sulla bolletta energetica di famiglie e piccole imprese, ma anche utilità sul piano ambientale”.
Il contributo previsto è di circa un terzo della spesa (35%) con dei massimali che sono stati così determinati: 2.000 euro per il solare termico; 8.000 euro per impianti fotovoltaici e per pompe di calore del tipo geotermico; 3.000 euro per pompe di calore del tipo aria-acqua.
Il bando prevede la possibilità di chiedere finanziamenti, fino a 10.000 euro, anche per impianti “micro-eolici” (potenza non superiore a 20 kw e altezza inferiore a 20 metri). Oltre che per nuovi impianti si può beneficiare del contributo anche per impianti realizzati dopo il 1 gennaio 2008.
Tratto da:
● Macerata: incentivi a chi installa impianti termici su Gomarche.it, 11 Dicembre 200808 December 2008
Some good news: German academy offers green energy knowledge to 14 countries
Dear readers,
as you may have noticed, it's sometimes very hard to find good news in newspapers and online. Most articles are about crime, financial crisis, corruption, gossip and so on. Now and again, I find an article giving good news. From now on, I'll try to publish here some good news that I find online.
The following article is about a series of seminars and conferences about renewable energy technologies that will take place in Germany. The German Renewables Academy is going to share a lot of knowledge with engineers from all over the world, especially from developing countries. I believe this is very good news, because I think it is very important to share our knowledge with these countries and help them develop their own projects and improve life standards.
Germany is sharing its renewable energy and energy efficiency expertise with developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. The German Renewables Academy said this week that it has invited engineers and key players from 14 countries to learn the lessons gleaned from its own booming green energy industry.
More than 800 applications have already been received by the academy, which will be hosting one-week introductory and advanced seminars at its Berlin training centre from this month until June 2009. Follow-up training will be provided throughout 2009 via online courses and one-to-one consultations.
"The program is aimed at participants who can apply the acquired knowledge in the best possible way in their careers," said Berthold Breid, founder and chief executive of the academy. It is hoped the seminars will allow participants to share details of green energy projects in their own countries.
The scheme is part of the academy's Transfer Renewable Energy and Efficiency (TREE) scholarship, which is part-funded by the German government. The TREE website says its objective is to "facilitate the transfer of know-how in renewable energies, energy efficiency and climate protection, for decision makers, high potentials and engineers from developing and emerging countries".
Thanks partly to heavy investment in its solar and wind power industries, Germany has become a key player in green technology, vying with the US for the crown of global cleantech hub.
Fedex recently revealed plans for a solar-powered hub in Germany, and earlier this year German industry sealed one of the biggest ever wind power supply deals when energy giant E.ON agreed to buy 500 wind turbines from engineering conglomerate Siemens.
Source:
● Germany academy offers green energy knowledge to 14 countries by Adam Vaughan for BusinessGreen.com, Monday 8th December 2008
as you may have noticed, it's sometimes very hard to find good news in newspapers and online. Most articles are about crime, financial crisis, corruption, gossip and so on. Now and again, I find an article giving good news. From now on, I'll try to publish here some good news that I find online.
The following article is about a series of seminars and conferences about renewable energy technologies that will take place in Germany. The German Renewables Academy is going to share a lot of knowledge with engineers from all over the world, especially from developing countries. I believe this is very good news, because I think it is very important to share our knowledge with these countries and help them develop their own projects and improve life standards.
Germany is sharing its renewable energy and energy efficiency expertise with developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. The German Renewables Academy said this week that it has invited engineers and key players from 14 countries to learn the lessons gleaned from its own booming green energy industry.
More than 800 applications have already been received by the academy, which will be hosting one-week introductory and advanced seminars at its Berlin training centre from this month until June 2009. Follow-up training will be provided throughout 2009 via online courses and one-to-one consultations.
"The program is aimed at participants who can apply the acquired knowledge in the best possible way in their careers," said Berthold Breid, founder and chief executive of the academy. It is hoped the seminars will allow participants to share details of green energy projects in their own countries.
The scheme is part of the academy's Transfer Renewable Energy and Efficiency (TREE) scholarship, which is part-funded by the German government. The TREE website says its objective is to "facilitate the transfer of know-how in renewable energies, energy efficiency and climate protection, for decision makers, high potentials and engineers from developing and emerging countries".
Thanks partly to heavy investment in its solar and wind power industries, Germany has become a key player in green technology, vying with the US for the crown of global cleantech hub.
Fedex recently revealed plans for a solar-powered hub in Germany, and earlier this year German industry sealed one of the biggest ever wind power supply deals when energy giant E.ON agreed to buy 500 wind turbines from engineering conglomerate Siemens.
Source:
● Germany academy offers green energy knowledge to 14 countries by Adam Vaughan for BusinessGreen.com, Monday 8th December 2008
05 December 2008
Let's make this a better world... why the world won't change...
Dear readers,
everybody would like to change the world. All of us would like to live in a better society than the one we live in, all people would love to have peace on earth, food and water for everyone and so on. Why is that impossible? How a great bluesman once used to sing, "everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die". In other words, everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change. In fact, the most common human fault is selfishness.
I think the world will change only after millions of people forget their own needs, wishes and problems to inform and help others. Only changing ourselves will enable us to change the world, and anyway that would take hundreds of years.
However, there are many people in the world who already do this: they forget their own needs to think about other people. I believe most of them do it on a fulltime basis, but there are also many who do it during their free time. The most important principle is, as Michael Jackson said, "...if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make the change...".
I also had joined a group of people who fight for a better world, but I left it when I realized that most of it was just talk and frustration. When it was time to come together and speak about what could be done and how, share ideas and information, organize events and actions, the usual three or four actually showed up and all turned to dust.
Why is all this so difficult, if not impossible? Because in our society now we have too much for ourselves, too many possibilities, too many rights, too many freedoms, basically, too much of everything. We don't appreciate life anymore, we always want more, we want to have the best performance with the least effort. Of course, many people are not like that, but most of the people who have the power to change things are so, especially politicians and business people. After all, even the ancient Greeks told us that politics is corruption, but as Sting said, "history will teach us nothing".
What should we change in the world anyway? Basically, everything. First of all, introduce renewable energy sources as the only options for the future and stop destroying our environment but even the fear of a climate catastrophe does not stop politicians and tycoons to finance and build monsters like coal power stations and incinerators. Secondly, design and make products that have a very long life cycle and buy and consume local products. Then, reorganize the school system, social services, judicial system and most important, think more about the future. Many other things should be changed but I think nothing will ever change, at least not in the next few centuries. Obama? Maybe a starting point, maybe not.
However, hope is the last to die and of course, the show must go on.
everybody would like to change the world. All of us would like to live in a better society than the one we live in, all people would love to have peace on earth, food and water for everyone and so on. Why is that impossible? How a great bluesman once used to sing, "everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die". In other words, everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change. In fact, the most common human fault is selfishness.
I think the world will change only after millions of people forget their own needs, wishes and problems to inform and help others. Only changing ourselves will enable us to change the world, and anyway that would take hundreds of years.
However, there are many people in the world who already do this: they forget their own needs to think about other people. I believe most of them do it on a fulltime basis, but there are also many who do it during their free time. The most important principle is, as Michael Jackson said, "...if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make the change...".
I also had joined a group of people who fight for a better world, but I left it when I realized that most of it was just talk and frustration. When it was time to come together and speak about what could be done and how, share ideas and information, organize events and actions, the usual three or four actually showed up and all turned to dust.
Why is all this so difficult, if not impossible? Because in our society now we have too much for ourselves, too many possibilities, too many rights, too many freedoms, basically, too much of everything. We don't appreciate life anymore, we always want more, we want to have the best performance with the least effort. Of course, many people are not like that, but most of the people who have the power to change things are so, especially politicians and business people. After all, even the ancient Greeks told us that politics is corruption, but as Sting said, "history will teach us nothing".
What should we change in the world anyway? Basically, everything. First of all, introduce renewable energy sources as the only options for the future and stop destroying our environment but even the fear of a climate catastrophe does not stop politicians and tycoons to finance and build monsters like coal power stations and incinerators. Secondly, design and make products that have a very long life cycle and buy and consume local products. Then, reorganize the school system, social services, judicial system and most important, think more about the future. Many other things should be changed but I think nothing will ever change, at least not in the next few centuries. Obama? Maybe a starting point, maybe not.
However, hope is the last to die and of course, the show must go on.
09 November 2008
Another victim of the Italian judicial system
Dear readers,
here it goes again. Another victim of the system. This is the testimony of a mother who has lost her son. I've watched the video and read the text of the interview, yet I still cannot believe it. A young man with no criminal record, arrested, locked up in a maximum-security prison without anyone being allowed to speak with him or contact him in any way. He died three days later. According to official sources, he committed suicide. I cannot believe that such things can happen in a country that claims to be democratic. The truth is, this is not a democratic country. Here's Ornella Gemini's report:
"My son was arrested in Cattolica on 19 June 2008. Since that day I was never again able to see him nor speak with him. He was arrested and when I was eventually allowed to see him, what I saw was an experience that I don’t wish on any mother! My son was arrested for an alleged offence and he was in protective custody. The word custody says it all! They should have given my son back to me standing on his own two feet, just as he was when they took him away. Instead, from the moment of his arrest, everything became more complicated and nothing was ever the same again. I was told that he had been arrested and taken to the Rimini prison, and that he was only transferred to the Sollicciano (FI) Prison the following day because they needed him there to be questioned by the magistrates. The first statement is false: my son was never in Rimini. My son was arrested and his first stopover in jail was in Sollicciano at 19h 45. He was arrested in Cattolica, having been called by the mother of the owner of the firm for which he worked because her son had been arrested the night before. She had asked him to go and see the attorney in order to find out what was happening.
My son, the one who was acting in total good faith, the one who made no attempt to escape, but went directly to this attorney in Cattolica, was arrested the moment he came downstairs and went through the door. From that moment on, he was allowed no further contact with his family. In the prison admission report from the Sollicciano prison, we see that he told them that he had an attorney and that he had telephoned his family, but I received no such telephone call from Sollicciano. It is also stated that his mother should be contacted in case of need or any other eventuality. In other words, me. Why then was I not contacted? I only found out about the events on the following day. I was told that he had been transferred. All good and well, and thus began the telephone calls putting pressure on me in an attempt to get me to change attorney. I tried to find out the name of the company’s attorney in order to find out what was going on because, at that moment, my entire world was collapsing around me! Everything was escaping me. So I telephoned the company’s attorney, a certain Mr. Marcolini, who was the person that had originally told me that Niki had been arrested, however, not even he knew anything. We had to wait for the police interrogation in order to find out precisely what my son was being accused of. I wanted to move to San Marino because I live in Avezzano, but the attorney told me: “No Madam, you won’t be allowed to see him or speak to him in any event because he has been placed in solitary confinement for three days”. Therefore, we would only be able to find out precisely what he had been charged with on Monday morning, once he had been questioned. Meanwhile, pressure was being put on me to change attorney, but I refused, asking “Why?” By that Sunday I couldn’t stand it any longer. I went to the attorney’s office, spoke with him and I mentioned the fact that perhaps a telegram should be sent to Niki, suggesting that he change attorney. Marcolini told me not to worry about it because when a prisoner is in solitary confinement, he is not even able to receive telegrams. Why, instead, was another telegram delivered to him? A telegram that I only got to see a few days ago (November 2008 - Ed). It stated that: “You must appoint attorney so and so..” Must! It was an order. Well, during those three days my son changed his attorney, appointing the one whose name appeared in the telegram. Meanwhile, Marcolini had been recused.During the course of the interrogation, this new attorney came down and told me that, at that time, Niki should exercise his right to say nothing, just as the others had done but, instead, he was talking. The attorneys I had brought along left at this point, while I stood around waiting outside. After a while I saw the armoured Police van moving in to pick up my son and I ran toward the vehicle. All I wanted was to see my son. We understood each other perfectly and a single glance would have been enough. I wanted to say to him: “Don’t worry Niki, I’m here”. However, those officers in the police van pushed me away with needless violence. They told me: “Go away, otherwise we’ll arrest you too, you must remain at least twenty metres away from the police van”. Then I saw my son exit the building, he turned towards me and they proceeded to turn his head the other way. Who had they arrested? A 26-year old young man with no criminal record! He had never before been in trouble with the law. Never! This was the first time ever! What would have been so bad about allowing him to look at me? This was the last glance we ever exchanged. I then waited for this new attorney, a woman, and I asked her: “What did Niki say? What happened?” She answered me as follows: “Niki wanted to talk, stating that he wanted to collaborate because he wanted to get out of there. So I let him talk. I asked him to explain to me precisely what was going on”. She then said: “Madam, I need to examine the case since I was only appointed the other day …”. That was precisely what the company attorneys that I had spoken to told me would happen. Clearly she could not have known this … I also had some clothes to take to the prison because Niki had taken nothing with him. I again appealed to the lady attorney saying: “try to see whether I can speak to him even just for a moment and even with you present, I don’t care how. I also have some clothes for him”. The attorney tried her best, however, I found out that 48-hours notice had to be given even for the clothes to be accepted in a super-prison. My question is WHY? Why was my son taken to a super-prison? First offence, no previous criminal record. There is no way that my son would have committed suicide in any event, but even less so without leaving me something in writing. Nothing makes any sense here! If this was such a major investigation, precisely what role did the telephone service providers play in this matter? Why were they never mentioned? They are mentioned in the arrest warrant. In addition to the Internet sites, a job that my son was very good at, he had also been involved in the deals with the telephone service providers. But how come their names were never even mentioned in the newspapers? And why was no application submitted for a rogatory to be held in San Marino? In other words, I go into a thief’s house, I arrest the thief but I don’t bother to look for the loot. Does this seem right to you? The rogatory was necessary in order to seize the computers that could perhaps help to explain precisely what was actually going on. Why did this not happen? Twenty days after my son’s death, I sent my husband and my brother-in-law to talk to the owner of the apartment in San Marino where my son had been living. It turned out that the apartment had been totally cleared out. Not even a single one of my son’s socks was left behind. I was not even able to lay my hands on something that smelled of my son. So, who was it that was so keen to clear out that apartment? Perhaps the seventeen other people arrested, whose situation could have been aggravated? Or perhaps someone who was afraid that they could land up in jail because of the information stored on those computers? They disappeared with everything! Everything! I didn’t even get back the keys to my own house. How am I supposed to defend him? How am I supposed to try to make head or tail of what happened when I have nothing left? What am I supposed to do? Please help me, I can’t do it alone! The person that sent the telegram and the person that burgled the apartment, do we know who they were working for? It costs very little to arrange these things. What I want to know is who gave the order to get my son to change attorney. Who gave the order to have the apartment cleared. I want to know who is behind it all! We cannot keep hiding behind monsters speaking of names. Are there any existing recordings of tapped telephone conversations? When a telephone call goes from one number to another, it means that there are two people speaking on the line. If you and I talk to each other, then why am I the only one that gets arrested? Nevertheless, by mid July these excellent suspects were still at work, doing precisely what they had done before. My son, instead, has been lying under two metres of soil since 24 June. The Solliciano prison medical officer, Doctor Franco Corleone, stated in an interview with La Repubblica that he had spoken with the prison governor who, in turn, had told him that just after the exercise period – and here it is important to understand the timing because the exercise period lasts from nine-thirty to ten-thirty – when my son had just made use of the opportunity to grab a breath of fresh air, he had then, according to the official verdict of suicide, gone back to the bathroom and hung himself. In that same interview, Franco Corleone added that: “You know, Niki had already shown signs of psychological collapse when he changed attorneys”. Dear Doctor Corleone, that was no sign of psychological collapse. He was ordered to change attorney. He would not have done so of his own accord. What did Doctor Franco Corleone say to the prison governor? Why did the autopsy show that death had occurred at 10, while the “118” emergency services were only called out at 11:15. Does that mean that you could have saved him? Could he have been saved? Believe me, absolutely nothing tallies! The prison gave me the archived records, but I ask myself, how can you archive something when nothing tallies? Just the day before his death, my son had asked to be placed in a cell with other Italian inmates, preferably non-violent ones. What does this tell you? Did he want to stay alive or not? In my opinion he did, otherwise he would have said “Put me with whomever you wish”. I know precisely what he would have done had he really wanted to commit suicide. The statements made by Niki’s two cellmates also don’t tally. One apparently asked the other: “Where is Niki?” and the other apparently answered: “He went out for some exercise”. In the other cellmate’s deposition, in response to the same question, he answers: “Niki went to the bathroom to wash his clothes”. I have to ask myself precisely where Niki actually was? Furthermore, there is also another statement from one of the prison warders, in which he states that: “Niki spoke to me. He appeared to be quite relaxed. He asked me “When are they going to question me again?” according to the warder, this questioning session took place at 10. The exact time that my son apparently died. I have to ask myself when exactly did this warder talk to my son? And where, because it is not specified? I appeal to all you journalists out there. Don’t concern yourselves with the idiotic news reports that we hear on a daily basis on the television, rather act like serious journalists. Stick your heads into these prisons. Reading through the “Prison Information” booklet, I discovered that all sorts of things can and do happen during the exercise period, since all of the cells are open and inmates have access to cells other than their own. My son was supposedly in custody. Who was looking after him? "
Ornella Gemini
Source:
● Niki is no longer with us by Ornella Gemini for Beppe Grillo's Blog, 9th November 2008
here it goes again. Another victim of the system. This is the testimony of a mother who has lost her son. I've watched the video and read the text of the interview, yet I still cannot believe it. A young man with no criminal record, arrested, locked up in a maximum-security prison without anyone being allowed to speak with him or contact him in any way. He died three days later. According to official sources, he committed suicide. I cannot believe that such things can happen in a country that claims to be democratic. The truth is, this is not a democratic country. Here's Ornella Gemini's report:
"My son was arrested in Cattolica on 19 June 2008. Since that day I was never again able to see him nor speak with him. He was arrested and when I was eventually allowed to see him, what I saw was an experience that I don’t wish on any mother! My son was arrested for an alleged offence and he was in protective custody. The word custody says it all! They should have given my son back to me standing on his own two feet, just as he was when they took him away. Instead, from the moment of his arrest, everything became more complicated and nothing was ever the same again. I was told that he had been arrested and taken to the Rimini prison, and that he was only transferred to the Sollicciano (FI) Prison the following day because they needed him there to be questioned by the magistrates. The first statement is false: my son was never in Rimini. My son was arrested and his first stopover in jail was in Sollicciano at 19h 45. He was arrested in Cattolica, having been called by the mother of the owner of the firm for which he worked because her son had been arrested the night before. She had asked him to go and see the attorney in order to find out what was happening.
My son, the one who was acting in total good faith, the one who made no attempt to escape, but went directly to this attorney in Cattolica, was arrested the moment he came downstairs and went through the door. From that moment on, he was allowed no further contact with his family. In the prison admission report from the Sollicciano prison, we see that he told them that he had an attorney and that he had telephoned his family, but I received no such telephone call from Sollicciano. It is also stated that his mother should be contacted in case of need or any other eventuality. In other words, me. Why then was I not contacted? I only found out about the events on the following day. I was told that he had been transferred. All good and well, and thus began the telephone calls putting pressure on me in an attempt to get me to change attorney. I tried to find out the name of the company’s attorney in order to find out what was going on because, at that moment, my entire world was collapsing around me! Everything was escaping me. So I telephoned the company’s attorney, a certain Mr. Marcolini, who was the person that had originally told me that Niki had been arrested, however, not even he knew anything. We had to wait for the police interrogation in order to find out precisely what my son was being accused of. I wanted to move to San Marino because I live in Avezzano, but the attorney told me: “No Madam, you won’t be allowed to see him or speak to him in any event because he has been placed in solitary confinement for three days”. Therefore, we would only be able to find out precisely what he had been charged with on Monday morning, once he had been questioned. Meanwhile, pressure was being put on me to change attorney, but I refused, asking “Why?” By that Sunday I couldn’t stand it any longer. I went to the attorney’s office, spoke with him and I mentioned the fact that perhaps a telegram should be sent to Niki, suggesting that he change attorney. Marcolini told me not to worry about it because when a prisoner is in solitary confinement, he is not even able to receive telegrams. Why, instead, was another telegram delivered to him? A telegram that I only got to see a few days ago (November 2008 - Ed). It stated that: “You must appoint attorney so and so..” Must! It was an order. Well, during those three days my son changed his attorney, appointing the one whose name appeared in the telegram. Meanwhile, Marcolini had been recused.During the course of the interrogation, this new attorney came down and told me that, at that time, Niki should exercise his right to say nothing, just as the others had done but, instead, he was talking. The attorneys I had brought along left at this point, while I stood around waiting outside. After a while I saw the armoured Police van moving in to pick up my son and I ran toward the vehicle. All I wanted was to see my son. We understood each other perfectly and a single glance would have been enough. I wanted to say to him: “Don’t worry Niki, I’m here”. However, those officers in the police van pushed me away with needless violence. They told me: “Go away, otherwise we’ll arrest you too, you must remain at least twenty metres away from the police van”. Then I saw my son exit the building, he turned towards me and they proceeded to turn his head the other way. Who had they arrested? A 26-year old young man with no criminal record! He had never before been in trouble with the law. Never! This was the first time ever! What would have been so bad about allowing him to look at me? This was the last glance we ever exchanged. I then waited for this new attorney, a woman, and I asked her: “What did Niki say? What happened?” She answered me as follows: “Niki wanted to talk, stating that he wanted to collaborate because he wanted to get out of there. So I let him talk. I asked him to explain to me precisely what was going on”. She then said: “Madam, I need to examine the case since I was only appointed the other day …”. That was precisely what the company attorneys that I had spoken to told me would happen. Clearly she could not have known this … I also had some clothes to take to the prison because Niki had taken nothing with him. I again appealed to the lady attorney saying: “try to see whether I can speak to him even just for a moment and even with you present, I don’t care how. I also have some clothes for him”. The attorney tried her best, however, I found out that 48-hours notice had to be given even for the clothes to be accepted in a super-prison. My question is WHY? Why was my son taken to a super-prison? First offence, no previous criminal record. There is no way that my son would have committed suicide in any event, but even less so without leaving me something in writing. Nothing makes any sense here! If this was such a major investigation, precisely what role did the telephone service providers play in this matter? Why were they never mentioned? They are mentioned in the arrest warrant. In addition to the Internet sites, a job that my son was very good at, he had also been involved in the deals with the telephone service providers. But how come their names were never even mentioned in the newspapers? And why was no application submitted for a rogatory to be held in San Marino? In other words, I go into a thief’s house, I arrest the thief but I don’t bother to look for the loot. Does this seem right to you? The rogatory was necessary in order to seize the computers that could perhaps help to explain precisely what was actually going on. Why did this not happen? Twenty days after my son’s death, I sent my husband and my brother-in-law to talk to the owner of the apartment in San Marino where my son had been living. It turned out that the apartment had been totally cleared out. Not even a single one of my son’s socks was left behind. I was not even able to lay my hands on something that smelled of my son. So, who was it that was so keen to clear out that apartment? Perhaps the seventeen other people arrested, whose situation could have been aggravated? Or perhaps someone who was afraid that they could land up in jail because of the information stored on those computers? They disappeared with everything! Everything! I didn’t even get back the keys to my own house. How am I supposed to defend him? How am I supposed to try to make head or tail of what happened when I have nothing left? What am I supposed to do? Please help me, I can’t do it alone! The person that sent the telegram and the person that burgled the apartment, do we know who they were working for? It costs very little to arrange these things. What I want to know is who gave the order to get my son to change attorney. Who gave the order to have the apartment cleared. I want to know who is behind it all! We cannot keep hiding behind monsters speaking of names. Are there any existing recordings of tapped telephone conversations? When a telephone call goes from one number to another, it means that there are two people speaking on the line. If you and I talk to each other, then why am I the only one that gets arrested? Nevertheless, by mid July these excellent suspects were still at work, doing precisely what they had done before. My son, instead, has been lying under two metres of soil since 24 June. The Solliciano prison medical officer, Doctor Franco Corleone, stated in an interview with La Repubblica that he had spoken with the prison governor who, in turn, had told him that just after the exercise period – and here it is important to understand the timing because the exercise period lasts from nine-thirty to ten-thirty – when my son had just made use of the opportunity to grab a breath of fresh air, he had then, according to the official verdict of suicide, gone back to the bathroom and hung himself. In that same interview, Franco Corleone added that: “You know, Niki had already shown signs of psychological collapse when he changed attorneys”. Dear Doctor Corleone, that was no sign of psychological collapse. He was ordered to change attorney. He would not have done so of his own accord. What did Doctor Franco Corleone say to the prison governor? Why did the autopsy show that death had occurred at 10, while the “118” emergency services were only called out at 11:15. Does that mean that you could have saved him? Could he have been saved? Believe me, absolutely nothing tallies! The prison gave me the archived records, but I ask myself, how can you archive something when nothing tallies? Just the day before his death, my son had asked to be placed in a cell with other Italian inmates, preferably non-violent ones. What does this tell you? Did he want to stay alive or not? In my opinion he did, otherwise he would have said “Put me with whomever you wish”. I know precisely what he would have done had he really wanted to commit suicide. The statements made by Niki’s two cellmates also don’t tally. One apparently asked the other: “Where is Niki?” and the other apparently answered: “He went out for some exercise”. In the other cellmate’s deposition, in response to the same question, he answers: “Niki went to the bathroom to wash his clothes”. I have to ask myself precisely where Niki actually was? Furthermore, there is also another statement from one of the prison warders, in which he states that: “Niki spoke to me. He appeared to be quite relaxed. He asked me “When are they going to question me again?” according to the warder, this questioning session took place at 10. The exact time that my son apparently died. I have to ask myself when exactly did this warder talk to my son? And where, because it is not specified? I appeal to all you journalists out there. Don’t concern yourselves with the idiotic news reports that we hear on a daily basis on the television, rather act like serious journalists. Stick your heads into these prisons. Reading through the “Prison Information” booklet, I discovered that all sorts of things can and do happen during the exercise period, since all of the cells are open and inmates have access to cells other than their own. My son was supposedly in custody. Who was looking after him? "
Ornella Gemini
Source:
● Niki is no longer with us by Ornella Gemini for Beppe Grillo's Blog, 9th November 2008
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