Author: mc7858attitude

As bad as I can criticise national weaknesses and flaws, I still am an Italian, sharing with my fellow countrymen those same limits as well as the many strengths.
Living abroad, I don’t suffer for the distance, and when coming back I am stricken first from the many things not working properly than from the evident beauty and richness of this country.
Fact is that the positive factors seem stemming from nature, climate and ancient culture and history, while the shortcomings are a straight product of ours, contemporary inhabitants.
Probably this kind of extreme self-criticism is part of the problem.  We seem to be more ready to complain about our own faults than to contribute to their overcoming.
Italy for me is the language, the food, the history.  And, probably first of all, the genius represented by Giulio Cesare, Leonardo, Michelangelo but also Armani, Rivera, Caruso, Pertini and probably Al Capone.
And Italy is the landscape, so varied and intense, made of natural forces and human labour: a Pino Loricato, the Colosseo, Tuscany countryside, Positano, Venezia, Dolomiti Mountains.
Giorgio Gaber states in one song: I don’t feel as to be an Italian, but by fortune, or by force, I am one.

thanks to http://noizkrew.deviantart.com/art/Italian-Flag-158235515

A nice specimen of melo annurco, I would have liked to let it grow as much as it could, but it would have been too difficult to get the fruits, afterwards.

Thanks, Mr Landini, for recalling to Mr Monti and to all Italians that using the difficulties of FIAT workers (without mentioning the discrimination, the promises of investment not kept, the betrayed guarantees that the special system proposed for Pomigliano wouldn’t be extended to the other factories) for launching his own electoral campaign, while still being a ‘technical’ premier, is not a very elegant action.

Of course, we would appreciate that the right in Italy would be that one of Mario Monti.

A right that we wouldn’t like, wouldn’t vote but from which we shouldn’t expect subversive actions as from the actual one. Even because, apart from personal interests or confuse ideas, there is not a lot the right should not be happy already with the actual system. Monti could just perfect the overall control that (bad) finance and money power have got on the political and institutional scene in Italy (and in Europe).

But he arrived at the government solemnly affirming that he would not have run for the successive elections, and we are tired of people not doing what they say.

In any case, we are sure that Mario will not explicitly take part, that’s not his style (and probably is not in his interest now). He will not deny, will show up where he shouldn’t (as in the PPE summit) will meet with the church, the industry people, the usual suspects and will let other doing the dirty job. Ready to get the results afterwards.

We would have expected more. May be we still do.

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.