Month: November 2011

But no comments.
Because of the English?

As usual, Italian political left disappoints even the most faithful supporter.

Of course, we all are very happy for the (temporary) end of the previous regime. And sure, comparing the new Ministries with the old ones, makes us sigh with relief.

But the teenager enthusiasm some political leaders shows for the new government, its team and its programme (that are quite a conservative team and programme indeed) do confirm the message we got several times already: left parties’ leaders don’t trust themselves to govern the country.

Why otherwise repeating with an idiotic smile that this solution was the only possible. There are no younger and more progressive experts in Italy? And why they don’t present any indication for possible policies avoiding squeezing the same people further, causing the clear impression that they just hope that ‘super Mario’ would not be too hard on the weakest. May be because he is a church man……

Even when they had a (possible) majority of voters, a sinking adversary and a favourable political (not certainly economic, though) situation, they succeeded in making any other option seem a preferable one.

Cravates d’Afrique stemmed from a double challenge.
During a travel in Burkina Faso I liked very much the local materials (les pagnes) produced in the country of the incorrutible human beings as a media to disseminate political and development programmes.
Those materials were very coloured and brilliant and it was quite difficult to employ them properly.
On the other hand, I started working in an organization where I was required to wear a tie, and I had no one.
Therefore, I searched the Yellow Pages (paper version, no google available yet) and I found a small atelier on the Prenestina road, where they were curious enough to accept to produce just two or three examples.
Then I produced more, I drawed a logo (a sage leaf) and a sticker

and with some friends we organised some gatherings to present the collections

Soon, other products came out, first of all the shopping bags: more elegant than the plastic ones, more handy because of the long handle and less bulky as one could fold it and put in the purse or in a pocket.

Later on, in Ivory Coast, the activity grew up and we tried to structure it better, more details in the dedicated website www.cravatesdafrique.com (first answer if you search by google: cravates and Afrique).

I don’t know why I was thinking to this bycicle that I would have liked to get but was too expensive. Searching the net I found some photos, I remembered it bigger, but it really was something different.
It was advertised on the magazine ‘Topolino’ and had something with the pedals, I don’t remember what.
Looking at the comments, it seems quite a generational milestone; in any case everybody confirms that it was very heavy and not really manageable.
One of the first product with an English name.