Author: mc7858attitude

The one point my mother was very sensitive to (and very inflexible with) is hair.

Notwithstanding the actual state or length of my thatch, a reference to it has always been the first remark at any reunion.

As a reaction, I stopped using and actually owing a comb at the age of 14, and I never regretted it.

In Cambodia, I thought being finally free to let grow my hair without nasty comments and recurring injunctions.  But people in the village felt concerned too and started calling me “Sok wegn” meaning Long Hair.

Then, a progressive whitening and rarefaction process started and is still going on.

I wouldn’t mind to end up with a semi bold head, which to me entail a certain degree of respectability and wisdom. 

It was not a simple election that one held yesterday in Catalunya.

Mr Mas tried to take advantage of the nationalistic impetus to make people forget the very strong austerity measures and the very bad situation of public finance in the region.

Once again, Catalans showed their democratic stature, confirmed not to be simple to cheat, and did put things in their place, strongly penalising Mr Mas party and pushing up the movement that has always advocated for independence.

How would now Mas be able to implement his restriction policies without counting on the friendly support of the very centralist Popular Party needs to be seen.  Those who play with the fire do generally get burned.  Let’s hope that the flames don’t spread …..

Fascinating country.  Open people, not what one would have expected. And very interesting meetings.  I just missed going around freely in the town/country.

There is a very simple and effective reform to change elections and democracy all over the world.
And the most interesting point is that this reform can be implemented by anyone and do not need long negotiations among parties or interminable procedures in parliamentary committees.
One just has to vote for a woman.
That may change parliaments and might change our democracy.
I know, being a woman is not a guarantee of making things better. And not all women are the same.
But men had their chances, and did not do very well.
Tomorrow I will go to the polling stations and I will vote for as many women as I can indicate in the ballot. As I did since my first vote, many years ago.

Of course, they gave it to Kissinger too.

But it is quite a satisfaction, anyway.

I did the mare monti trekking in Corsica. Part of it, but already something challenging after so many years…
Everything went well…
Next time to Nepal ….

In Italy an environment minister should be a subversive.

Someone trying (calmly and step by step but firmly and without wavering) to inverse the prevalent approach to development in our country.

Someone indicating, with small but meaningful actions, a way over the myth of eternal production growth.

Now this Mr Clini seems to be the wrong person at the wrong place.

Not happy of keeping supporting the nuclear option before and after Fukushima, he is lobbying for the interests of the steel industry against the preoccupations for health and security of the workers and the population.

Of course, there could be some grounds in that position, but that is not the environment ministry position indeed, and does not reflect the priorities and vision we would expect from a person (and an ‘expert’ person, in this case) holding that post.

Solution is always the same: handing in resignation as soon as possible.

… and I have taken this photo

together with some more