A contaminated world

Ask chemical companies and they’ll deny. Everything. Their products are totally healthy. Like tobacco companies had been declaring for decades. Profits come first, health maybe…fourth? Something like that. Whereas there is a big difference: if you were smoking you were hurting yourself, while chemicals contamination is hurting all of us regardless, with no distinction. I’m even more worried now, though. Wherefore chemical industries are so much more powerful, second only to oil industries.

These cancer-spreading companies declare there are no proofs of links between their products and prostate cancer, breast cancer, obesity, infertility, genital deformities, diabetes or any other form of cancer. Exactly like tobacco companies were denying. Thankfully there are tons of proofs instead: look for yourself! So why is nobody intervening? Same old, same old. Outrageously powerful lobbies, like in every other area.

Yes, my posts were a little bit shorter before: but chemical industries are NO short in briberies. In the last 70 years 80,000 new chemicals have been synthesized and every year 4 billion of these carcinogens are released into the environment: we have NO defence, nowhere to escape. There are at least 46 of them into our bodies. We’re born pre-polluted, from the very beginning of our lives, directly from our mothers. Can you believe it?!

Millennials should be called the new chemically “connected” species, but not in the positive way you might first think. Born already connected to internet (a mother can monitor a newly born from her home) and already heavily polluted. Oh my, oh my!

Who exactly is warning us of above dangers? The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Endocrine Society, Britain’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the International Association of Doctors, the World Health Organization: I suppose they’re more than enough to be worried about.

The basic risk / problem is based on the fact that all chemical products should be tested for safety before being commercialized. Well, they are NOT. They’re supposed to be safe. Until proven otherwise.      

And even when proven otherwise, they are replaced with a similar product equally harmful. Business comes first. Absurdly, the situation is equally outrageous all over the world. Europe is just now moving toward testing chemicals before they go on the market: lobbies are extremely powerful. In America there is an identical situation.

Our only defence is to be informed. E. g. we can eat organic (it doesn’t have to be necessarily more expensive). For more help and practical examples (like not touching register receipts), have a look at: ewg.org.

I ended my post “Renewables” quoting: “There’s just one little detail: can our planet wait for lobby groups’ interests? Can your children wait?! When in 15 years time they’ll ask you why half of the population has some form of cancer due to pollution, what will you answer them? I suggest you to prepare your justification. Right now.”

Substitute the word pollution with chemicals. Or don’t.

It doesn’t actually change anyting.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Euroscepticism

Are we united? Will we be called (hopefully sooner than later) United States of Europe one day? Can we be compared to USA? Although I’m not convinced at all it would be a fair comparison. After all even America wasn’t unified until the end of the Civil War. To be completely honest I perfectly recall the controversy about the Confederation flag of just a few months ago, but if Americans say they’re now truly united, so be it. I strongly want to believe them.

We’re just newly born: at least give us the benefit of doubt. Europe wasn’t born in 1959, that (called EEC) was merely the idea of the future Europe to be. That date can’t be taken as a reference. According to me the first date coincided with the creation of a common European currency, the Euro (€), back to 1999. A big psychological change, paving the way for all the rest. Gradually we’re getting to “all the rest”: political and fiscal.

Ask to millennials and they’ll tell there’s no going back! Ask to elderly and they’ll tell there will never be a united Europe (or even it wasn’t due to be created at all). To foster a change of attitude takes a lot of time.

For the time being it’s an imperfect union: the financial crisis (started in USA, by the way, not here), the refugee crisis, even the terrorists “crisis”/attacks are a clear proof of it. But our direction is crystal clear, as a matter of fact we’re still accepting refugees, aren’t we? Look instead at what’s happening in America: they’re closing the door to them (so...are THEY really united? Ok…again, IF they say so).

We’re making so many mistakes, I give you that. We’re trying to maintain open internal borders while leaving the management of external borders to national governments: an enormous contradiction, especially in Greece so impoverished by austerity! (see my post “Austerity”).

Same mistake on the anti-terrorism front left up to national governments.

EU countries vary widely in front of major problems, and signs of strain are showing. The ideals are very strong, but it needs to reform itself to become less bureaucratic, to complete the single market in services and capital, to politically integrate. These are the main issues, not the three above which will be solved by solving the root problems.

This promise has been made over and over. “We’ll bring Europe closer to the people”. It’s far from getting closer, but THAT is the key for anything else and now they’re appearing to finally get it. Because in spite of what’s happening Schengen is holding, the willingness is holding. Someone is complainig it’s never been so bad: compared to what / when? World War II when we were killing each others’?

Nobody can argue, Europe is at a pivotal moment in its history: the biggest mistake would be not fighting populism. As a matter of fact I don’t see any Donald Trump’s populism around here. There is an increasing populism, but not at that level. I'm surely not going to argue about a possible Brexit: there's definitely too much political interference "over" there.

What’s my personal view of integration? When future generations will be asked who they are: Italians, Scandinavians, French, Polish? And they’ll answer: Europeans.

Yes, I’m optimistic. Nevertheless, it takes time.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Thanksgiving

I’m deeply, sincerely sorry: I’m not American. So some of you might rightly argue: mind your own business, don’t mind ours. But I highly value all American people. I also must do some good with this blog, right? Otherwise, what’s the point? So, here I am. Sorry.

Thanksgiving: a peaceful pause of reflection dedicated to parents, family and friends. Remembering how it was first celebrated. Pilgrims back then were the refugees nowadays, they were starving and survived thanks to a local native Indian tribe. How everything has changed, hasn’t it? Time doesn't always change people for the better. Nowadays it’s all the opposite. Refugees face desperate situations and right now we’re turning them away (I’m saying “we”, not “you”). When they most need us. I’ve talked about refugees in my previous posts, more than one time. Poor, poor, miserable Europe. 

They’re people, not animals. THEY ARE NOT ANIMALS. One thing has been going on in Germany: refugees are giving back food to German homeless and giving flowers randomly to German people along the streets. That is Thanksgiving as the Pilgrims did in 1620.

Gratitude can change your lives. It already did centuries ago.

Now we want everything: success, achievement, money, status, a nice home, a nice job, a nice car. Things, things, things, things! But in reality small things and moments generate more satisfaction and happiness than large ones. Satisfaction comes from success, NOT happiness.

Happiness comes from practicing gratitude.

Gratitude to everybody and for everything you have. That you have now, not in your future. Whereas you know that happiness can’t be found outside you, but inside you. Use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to show gratitude.

What does it mean to live a good life? Do you feel a sense of disconnection? It might not be a bad thing, after all. Considering our crazy world. But the point is: do you like it? What do you do on Sunday? Do you work or consider it as a day of rest, as it should be? As our Lord command us. Is yours a merely material life, or at least a little bit spritual one? What’s your level of understanding and insight? If it’s only material, you’ll NEVER get the deep, true feeling of gratitude. You will never get the spirit of Thanksgiving.   

What is Thanksgiving? Being thankful. Again: what does it mean to live a good life? Do you live as if you’ll never die? You won’t hold it in your grasp forever. Be grateful to refugees. Reserve one more place at your table, as tradition. This time, just this one, for a refugee. You’ll feel happy.

And if you don’t do that, at least accept them.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Mass hysteria

I admired Hollande when he decided to take in 30,000 more Syrian refugees in spite of recent attacks. Wherefore the choice between security and liberty is a false one: if we lose liberty, there is no security. Over what?! One possible terrorist among 500,000 refugees? And even that one was most probably meant, conceived to create an anti-Syrian backlash.

I’ve already said it and now repeating it: the Caliphate strategy is to divide Muslims and non-Muslims and the success of it depends only on us, not them.

Stigmatize, categorize, dehumanize, spreading fear are not difficult to avoid, if you choose to be intelligent and fearless: over fearfulness we make bad decisions. After the Paris attacks our resolve to help refugees should be stronger than ever, not weaker. Not turning them away, but managing them. Properly. So far where governments have failed volunteers have stepped in: how long will it last “organized” like that? Volunteers are the real heroes, by far. Not someone else. Why don’t they provide humanitarian assistance instead of leaving it solely to volunteers?! They shouldn’t be pressured to act in that way, on the contrary it should be taken for granted according to our democratic values.

Governments are very well organized to help in emergency situations in developing countries, whereas are utterly unprepared in this case: but this has been an excuse for too long.

We should be grateful to refugees, because acting grateful itself can make us grateful according to Christians values, raising our happiness. And choosing happiness brings out the best of us: the opposite of what ISIS wants. See? We are SO much better than them! If we express gratitude, we will receive gratitude. One single terrible night in Paris must not, at all costs, diminish our sense of humanity and responsibility.

The hysteria surrounding the Syrian refugees is a victory for ISIS because the aim of terrorism is to scare governments and their population: capitulation to fear should be the first reaction to avoid. 2000 years ago there was another refugee, named Jesus. And there’s an ENTIRE Country made solely (well, let’s say 99%) by migrants. If we don’t learn from history, we’re so doomed.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

KEYWORDS: CALIPHATE, REFUGEES,

The Caliphate

The Paris slaughter produced one effect: ISIS cannot be allowed any longer to control territory on which it’s able to organize, finance, direct and plan its savagery.

President Hollande has demanded a NATO collective response. Probably that won’t happen because it would require forces on the ground and that would require a credible local ally (like in Iraq or Afghanistan), which there is NOT. But the only adequate measure is (also) military anyway. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the recent downing of a Russian passenger jet as well. It’s not a regional threat, it’s global. We already had money, technology, intelligence, military power and now international cooperation: the only thing remaining and most needed. ISIS itself has given it to us. Well done!

This level of evil cannot be allowed physical terrain on which to breed. More time cannot be allowed: it’s not enough to say ISIS will be defeated without a corresponding plan to do so.

Moreover those killings occurred as hundreds of Muslim refugees from Syria are getting into Europe: they’re fleeing ISIS too. This increases the possibility of a spiral of religious violence against them. The final winning will come from hundreds of millions of Muslims living in peace who raise their voice in unison. Unity is now attainable because the Caliphate has become the enemy of everybody. Its territory is drawing back, its message totally wrong (why refugees are here?). But patience is needed, not rush.

The second goal will be to allow good non-ISIS Sunnis to create their own island of peace and decency, their own land. Otherwise everything else is pointless: once Evil is gone, Good must flourish instead, or Evil will be back. Defeating ISIS militarily wouldn’t be difficult, because it’s surrounded by deadly armed adversaries, all against it. But to keep it defeated, someone must rule its territories or else, it would come back. Kurds are a crucial ally but are only an ethnic minority and cannot govern afterwards.

One thing must be clear: this is not our crisis. Islam is in a state of crisis. Many aren’t getting this point.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Spying on who?!

Everybody is spying on everybody, by doing so it becomes widely accepted. Is it truly acceptable?! The excuse is terrorism: I wasn’t spying on you, I was spying on your presumed terrorists. Now the game is even more facilitated: many intelligence officials are saying that the terrorists in France communicated using encrypted services like WhatsApp. They have been warning about this threat for decades and so for decades nations are spying on each others’. But when did terrorists went dark? 30 years ago WhatsApp wasn’t around yet. Have they always been impenetrable to law enforcement surveillance? Maybe before they just used a generic “encryption method”,…it has to be encrypted, right? Maybe not.

Teenagers last month hacked into the AOL account of the director of the CIA. Every now and then there are spectacular data leaks: our data is so unprotected that even governments are hacked. And here it is the other issue: privacy. Weakening encryption would allow malicious hackers to spy on us, but the real point is that governments don’t like encryption because it impedes mass surveillance. I think instead that “honest” governments don’t need mass surveillance, wherefore there are other methods to get into potential terrorists’ phones and computers, more suited to serious counterterrorism. Because mass surveillance isn’t the only tool to use against terrorists. Governments can break into computers and phones’ doors left open, into other areas of computer weaknesses, where there’s no encryption: it has to be done house by house, phone by phone. Targeted surveillance: respecting our privacy.

Mass surveillance is not suited to analyze data of a very small number of people: it would be like finding needles in haystacks. I think instead they want to hide the somber truth: their failure. They had dossiers on some of the terrorists, but failed to connect the dots: that’s the reality. All the rest is just an excuse for not having identified the tracks.

Facts: many of the Paris attackers lived in the same area, even the same house. They didn’t need to text each others’ and even IF, they were speaking a Moroccan dialect police didn’t understand. Intelligence failed. Period!

This year files containing security information of more than 20 million Americans have been stolen by hackers: this is weaken encryption. I didn’t hear them calling for even weaker defence in that case. How strange!

Though, I’m recalling one thing: a website offering to download a software to decrypt WhatsApp. It must have been a fake, “probably”?

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Kids and terrorism

Yesterday I read a very worrying, disturbing, somber tweet: a twelve yrs old boy was talking about ISIS without getting the tragedy of it. Tweeting something like: stuff happens, so what? Which reminded me of a politician, by the way. I didn’t understand it. At all.

But then, considering how often we’ve seen the coverage of Paris’ attacks, I realized that for a kid could be possible to lose touch with reality. They’re home all day and that’s what they’re broadcasting 24/7. Unlimited TV time, all day long, as many kids. Eventually some of them consider it as the normality.

There’s a lack of communication with his parents, obviously. How to cope with this problem? Talking about it, first of all.

They live with us, not on any other planet. Nevertheless, if adults don’t comprehend, just imagine children. Why carry out an attack, if they were going to kill themselves afterward? Will they come back? Why killing innocent people? Were other children killed? Are we safe here? Will we die and who were the people who died? Very simple questions with very complicated answers to be fully accepted by youngsters. So complicate they should be handled by a psychoanalyst.

And I am not a psychoanalyst. But I thought about a couple of things. You can tell them about the tragedies of life, in general and according to their age. Teach them not to hate others because of terrorists: thank God they’re just a very small minority. Talk them about life, which is not simple at all. Teach them not to judge different people. First of all not to fear other religions: this has nothing to do with religion. Teach them what real terror is (wars), not what madness is.

Most of all: ONE thing they utterly must not do: watching these events on TV alone all day long. That’s not reality, that’s perversion. They’ll have plenty of time to learn about perversion, to learn about fearing a 5 years old refugee boy, to fear the need of having a home, to learn about our sinful world and atrocities of this world, to fear the dignity of starving people leaving their countries because of war, not because they’re terrorists as rendered on TV.

Just talk to them with honesty and sincerity (don’t let them learn through perverted networks).That will be enough because they’re young, but understand everything: so much more than adults, wherefore they’re still pure.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Terror! (2nd part)

I wasn’t going to talk about it again. At least not for a few days. Today I am not going to post my usual daily “quote”, I’m really not in the mood. This afternoon I saw the identical obsession about Paris on the network I usually watch: I’m beginning to wonder how long it will last. I don’t want to minimize, on the contrary. But we must be very careful in not giving the wrong-headed responses to terrorism. I don’t mean France should withdraw from the international effort against ISIS, I don’t mean there aren’t peacemakers. But on the other hand it’s also wrong to exacerbate the problem declaring the only answer is tougher language, tougher action, even accusing refugees. The crisis must be alleviated, not aggravated.

Not because I’m saying it, but because we already know what happens if we follow that tragic path. Try to achieve total security (impossible) by eliminating all threats (impossible) only makes things worse. 9/11 = invasion of Iraq = a Country destroyed = tribal wars = total mess = rise of ISIS = Paris. Maybe written this way is clear enough.

Exploit terrorism, refugees and Paris for political gain, kill more civilians along the way to put it into practice, isn’t very clever: it just do wonders for terrorists, which are ALREADY thanking that particular network because it’s playing into their hands. Terrorism can’t and won’t destroy our civilization (as I said in part one), but global warming will! There are other issues to talk about. Thank God now the President is Obama and not “someone” else.

Again, not because I’m saying it (a poor nescient), wherefore the damage is already done: America is shutting doors to refugees, fear is spreading, proud traditions abandoned, generosity disappeared, international credibility lost, moral authority thrown away. Why?! It was once a nation of courageous people. Refugees don’t want to leave their Country, they have no choice and America is making them the enemy: have terrorists achieved their goals with just a fake passport stolen to a real, poor refugee? Oh my! Oh my! Is that easy?! Facts count, facts. Not speculations.

They want to divide the world between Muslims and non-Muslims. Between defenders and attackers of Islam. Whereas we are SO much better! 

What is the goal of terrorists, why do we call them that way? To inspire terror. I’M NOT terrorized. Parisians ARE NOT. Stop broadcasting terror 24/7: don’t let them win.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Terror!

Networks are so good at it. Why shouldn’t they: it’s their job. During the the last days one particular American network has been talking about Paris only (literally). Am I blaming it? No, wherefore it means the audience required it to do so. But it also makes me think, a lot. I can condone it, but only if there is a constant flow of real, new facts coming in (like sadly Saint-Denis this early morning). I mean, we’re animals with natural human reactions immediately responding, instinctively, to horror and terror. It triggers our number one surviving response: preserve our life. Gosh! Networks are SO good at it, most probably there are dozens of advisors behind them. And there you have exactly what the terrorists want. FIRST winning for them! Someone understands it, someone doesn’t, someone else like me understands but nevertheless is more or less obsessed with it anyway. But we’re only regular people “after all”, come on.

It’s worrying when politicians (see my post “Electoral promises”) declare publicly that this is an attempt to destroy our civilization. Voilà: DOUBLE winning for the terrorists! How can a politician be so brainless? How could ISIS destroy our culture, our values, our civilization? No Nation will ever be conquered by ISIS, not even Syria. President Holland is the master of all politicians, having said they’re “at war”. Against who?! A bunch of weak perpetrators? You declare war to a Nation not to a Caliphate, you don’t dignify it with the name of war. Voilà: TRIPLE winning for the terrorists! I admire John kerry, he has never used the word “war” and he defines ISIS merely as an “entity”, which IT IS, by the way.

I have a very open mind, but there’s a limit for everything. At least in front of such an act of terror, politicians should stop pretending to lead. They should be REAL leaders instead and maybe also returning to be real human beings. Like us: why does the way of conduct must always come from The People? I’ve been to Paris. I love it. I also loved when Parisians decided to return to normality Monday morning: what a beautiful response to terror from beautiful people of a beautiful Country.

Still, one particular network hasn’t got it yet.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Myanmar: future hopes

Democracy always prevails, it’s only a matter of time. It’s in our history because it’s in our DNA: we search for justice. By doing so good wins over bad. The evidence in Myanmar lies in a crushing electoral victory by San Suu Kyi and her party. The first election in 25 years. It happened back in 1990 but the military didn’t accept the result and we all know that San Suu Kyi was forced to house arrest: they didn’t dare to put her in jail, democracy was beginning to be accepted. It was just too early.

This time the military has indicated that it will not interfere. Though it will retain much of the power: the elections are just a beginning. Myanmar is still at the start of what will be a difficult transition from dictatorship to a democratic society. And there’s no guarantee whether it can be accomplished peacefully because her party will dominate Parliament but the military will control Interior, Defense and Border Control. A specific Constitution made by the military in 2008 guarantees them such power, while banning San Suu Kyi from becoming president: a provision aimed at excluding her from the nation’s top job.

Will the next president be a member of her party or the military party? It doesn’t really matter wherefore the success of Myanmar’s democratic process will depend on the ability of working with the military, anyway. An alternative would be changing the Constitution which would require the 75% of Parliament that she doesn’t have. She is a bold woman, maybe be too much, very defiant, and has already declared she’ll be making all the decisions behind the scenes. Even more that the Constitution is very silly (translating: the military dictatorship is silly).

I admire her courage, hoping it will be enough. Myanmar will achieve a full democratic status, as I said it’s always only a matter of time. Whether

it’ll happen as a consequence of the new reality created by Sunday’s election remains to be seen. Plenty of international support will be needed. We can all do our small part on the social network, day by day, tweet by tweet. She needs YOUR help, not mine. Thank you.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

The "Islamic" State

So painful writing about it after Paris. But so necessary, wherefore the Islamic State must not win. When these horrible things happen, we have to speak. Have we failed? I don’t think so, because true Muslims are disgusted by recent mass shootings. Russia’s military intervention in Syria has had little success against ISIS (as I wrote in my previous posts). Their action has been costly, in the bombing of a Russian jetliner, in the indignation of Sunni groups (not surprisingly because in Russia there’s a large population of Sunni) and many nations against Putin’s policy which is supporting Assad (a Shiite) alliance with Iran. I predicted this in my post “Messy Syria”: this confusion is merely the beginning, wait and see if I’m wrong.

There’s only one positive thing: ISIS is now the common enemy, of everybody, literally. On this basis new negotiations can be discussed among otherwise enemy nations. Moreover, Putin might decide it’s better to find a face-saving transition for Assad now than later, without playing this conflict out on the battlefield with disastrous consequences.

America, on its side, is certainly not laughing: after having spent a trillion dollars to build the new Iraqi army, has to rely on 25,000 Kurdish fighters to defeat ISIS. In my view Syria will be partitioned after the Assad regime, as Iraq should be, but that’s another story. If Kerry’s diplomacy fails Assad will control part of the territory, various rebel groups will control the rest, together with ISIS. As I have tweeted so, so many times the fallen of Saddam Hussein’s regim created the basis of the Islamic State, but we’re where we are NOW: Iraq and Syria are full of angry people who hated dictators before and are looking for their political, cultural, religious definition now. AND also appalled by ISIS. Furthermore, they’re tribes, not real nations. It’s not difficult to understand how ISIS is thriving on this fertile messy ground.

I want to finish this post with a simple thought: we cry for Paris. Rightly so. Did you do the same for Beirut three days ago? Because if you didn’t, you are not getting what’s going on.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Electoral promises

So easy to be made. Potiticians: what’s their real job? What do they really do? My wild guess: jokes, fake promises, constantly caricaturing themselves, exaggerating people’s expectations. Easy liars merely oriented towards their careers, with just a few glorious exceptions.

There are no easiest lies than those people are desperate to hear: when you master this art, you ARE a politician, by definition.

They campaign in fantasies and poetry with easy promises, to be elected, and then govern based on personal interests and briberies. The lesser this is true, the more truly working, effective governments you can find. The more it turns to a somber reality, the more corrupt governments are in place: think as a reference to Scandinavian Countries as best examples of the former, compared to many southern Countries as their opposites.

Conveniently criticizing when they represent the opposition and even more conveniently changing ideas when it’s their moment to manage a nation. Tax-cutting plans “strangely” transformed in tax-adding realities. More investments in infrastructures implemented thanks to…bribes are quite “strangely” a constant.

ONE thing is always certain (has always been, at least): sooner or later a tax increase is coming our way, because there is no tooth fairy. Tell me it’s not true, please. Governments have to avoid the unmanageable (?) and manage the unavoidable (?): it takes a lot of money, if you haven’t realized yet.

Now you have the perfect picture of how I consider politicians.

I STRONGLY hope yours is different.

….Always humble,

Angiolino     

keywords: lobbying, politicians

The American dream

Which could be translated: the European dream. What Europeans once had and what Americans would like (more). Universal health care, higher minimum wages, aid to families, more aid to education, safer jobs, aid to our children. We’re expected to be offered solutions to what could be called our existential despair. Can a solution be offered to all that, nowadays? Death rates are falling steadily, yet there is a darkness spreading over part of our society. And we don’t really understand why. Is it correct to ask for more and more to our governments, just because some rights were once granted?

We’ve seen this kind of discontent in other times and places. For example, in the plunging life expectancy that afflicted Russia after the fall of Communism, where basically there were no rights left guaranteed of any kind. But it’s surprising to see it, even in attenuated form, in western countries where on the contrary there are still plenty of granted rights, though diminished. Were they too many before? Maybe. Do human beings tend to just sit and relax when stimulus are lacking? Maybe.

Suicide is way up, and so are deaths from drug poisoning and excessive drinking. Annoyed people or bored people? Rising suicides and overuse of opioids are known problems: while our society focus on prescription painkillers or good old alcohol, it’s not really news that there’s a drug problem.

•  

But what’s causing this epidemic of self-destructive behavior?

Generous social programs have created a culture of dependency and despair. Sweden gives its poors far more aid than any other Country, yet a majority of Swedish children are now born out of marriage. You see a somewhat similar pattern across all western regions. Life expectancy is high and rising where social benefits are highest and traditional values weakest. So why the discontent? What about a materialist explanation?

The overall view is that the inability to reach a better lifestyle is probably behind this: the more you expect to improve, the more economic setbacks hit harder. So let me ask you a question, which applies to Europeans as well: what did the founders of the American dream have in their pockets? Nothing.

….Always humble,

Angiolino Opinion

Bye-bye hot dog

Sorry, this is a bit long, but I am a bit angry.

Our eating habits are changing and if you ask me, changing for the better. Of course food companies are struggling to keep up. Step by step we’re learning a basic concept: we are what we eat. It’s easy to make fun of people obsession with gluten, but more and more studies are correlating this allergy to poor quality / processed food.

Slowly getting rid of tricky advertisement, we are turning away

 

products created by big food companies. We don’t want anymore artificial colors and flavors in cereals, for example. We want to limit antibiotics in chickens. No more artificial dyes in macaroni and cheese. No more dubious, strange emulsifiers. We want simple and easy-to-understand ingredients like fresh milk from local farms, cocoa beans, cream, sugar…. natural ingredients.

This reflects a new reality: consumers are walking away from most iconic food brands. Big food manufacturers are reacting by cleaning up their ingredient labels, acquiring healthier brands and coming out with a prodigious array of new products. Whenever possible, organic products.

Food companies are moving in the right direction, but it won’t be enough to save them. If they are to survive changes in eating habits, they need a fundamental shift in their approach. NOT just a façade (turned to organic labels).

The food movement over the past couple of decades has substantially altered consumer behavior and reshaped the competitive landscape. They want more and more healthy products, no more sodas, replaced by water. Orange juice, a drink once seen as an important part of a healthy breakfast, is now more correctly considered a serious carrier of free sugar, stripped of its natural fibers. Sales of packaged cereals, also heavily sugar-laden, are down over 25 percent since 2000, with yogurt and granola taking their place. Frozen dinner sales are down. Sales at McDonald’s have been on a downward spiral for nearly three years (I can’t be happier): we want healthy food.

To survive, the food industry will need more than its current bag of tricks. There is a consumer shift ongoing: there was a time when consumers used to walk through every aisle of the grocery store, but today much of their time is being spent in the perimeter of the store with its vast collection of fresh products, raw produce and fresh prepared foods. Sales of raw fruits and vegetables are also growing.

For consumers today, packaged goods equals the image of foods stripped of their nutrients and loaded with sugar. Also, decades of deceptive marketing have left large food companies with brands that are fast becoming liabilities (I can’t be happier for this too).

Food companies can’t merely tinker. For food companies to have any hope of survival, they will have to make bold changes in their core product offerings. Companies will have to drastically cut sugar, process less, go local and organic, use more fruits, vegetables and other whole foods. Develop fresh offerings. Just recently processed meat has been declared highly carcinogenic (rightly so! Excuse me!).

McDonalds needs to do more than use antibiotic-free chickens. The back of the house for its 36,000 restaurants currently looks like a mini-factory serving fried frozen patties and french fries. It needs to look more like a kitchen serving freshly prepared meals with locally sourced vegetables and grains.

This require a complete overhaul, major organizational restructuring and billions of dollars of investment, but these corporations have the resources. It may be their last chance.

The message is: WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. For the time being, bye-bye hot dogs.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

So be it!

The dark and the night scare especially the side of us that wants to think, make decisions, think about the past…

The night reminds us that beyond our reasoning there’s a dark realm, uncontrollable.

The night frightens us: the more we are controlled, the more we are reasoners.

Try saying to yourself: “I am not my thoughts, I am not the one who thinks, I don’t have to fulfill the decisions about my life…”

Forsaken to mysterious forces of darkness and say:

“Come what may!”

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Arab springs

There was a time…of high hopes: the so called “Arab springs”.

Only one succeed though, Tunisia. An example of Muslim democracy that especially young people like, therefore it’s genuinely democratic respecting human rights but also allowing Islam values some space. It’s the winning political system formula.

It wasn’t easy as Islamists were asking for greater power. Democracy is fragile, the economy depends on tourism: recent terrorist attacks at Bardo museum and Sousse aren’t helping. So its success story isn’t a fairy tale, transitions to democracy are always marked by bitter struggles: only in retrospect you can speak calmly about them. (And it might not be over yet).

Having said this, Tunisia has indeed some advantages. It has existed as a political entity for 3000 years (from the times of Carthage), is (almost) entirely Sunni: hence Iraq’s tribal wars didn’t occur here.

There were already strong political and administrative institutions, the military was restricted and nonpolitical.

Intelligently Ghannouchi’s party compromised with the old guard, which has lost the election but it’s still very powerful.

For all those reasons it's now a truly democratic Country.   

Let’s wish all the best to this Arab "summer": plenty of clever choices, but it also needs at least a touch of good luck.

So good luck indeed! To this bulwark, beacon, point of reference, mentoring democracy to the entire Arab world. A Country of great hopes!

….Always humble,

Angiolino

What you're able to do

Again and again. Always the same question.

We’re obsessed with it: what contributes to happiness, what IS happiness?

All the things you’re already able to do well.

During your normal, regular, daily, simple life.

That’s happiness.

Or at least one of the most beautiful parts of it.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Learn from everybody

Try to be attentive to all the encounters you have during the day: the taxi driver, the colleague, the waiter… Be receptive, think that you can learn something from everyone.

If the mind is open and watch what happens, every experience teaches us something.

Thus, at any time, even our brain is new, as that of a child.

Never stop growing.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Change skin

We are wrong about us. We think we know ourselves….Do we? Yes, we could: but do we get to?

This depends on the fact that we grow ourselves forward and up, we change all the time, we get rid of old bark, change skin every spring…becoming more and more young, always ahead, higher and stronger pushing vigorously our roots deeper and deeper into the depths but simultaneously shake the sky in an embrace more and more loving, more and more large, sucking more and more thirsty its light with our branches and our leaves.

Growing like trees is a difficult thing to understand, difficult as life!

We are not going in just one direction, but up and down, everywhere, to the outside and towards our intimate parts.

Our lives, so unpredictables.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Why do we perfume?

Awaken your life energy.

If you feel tired, renew your energy with a perfume….Choose a natural essence that you like and place one drop on the wrists and the base of the neck.

Close your eyes for a moment and let the aroma penetrates into you, through your nostrils….

Hence odorous molecules come to the oldest part of your brain, activating the ancestral energies that will help to regenerate the body and mind.

Never forget we’re (thinking) animals.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

People. NOT animals

They are running away from wars, in places like Syria, or escaping sub-Saharan poverty and authoritarian regimes. No refugees should have to make such choices, nevertheless here they are: people, not animals, running away from wars. Their children didn’t even choose. They’re still not understanding what’s happening to them. Poor little creatures.

If they had the courage to leave everything behind, they’ll have the strength to resettle again. Is there a law to define where humanity must begin or end? Is there a law to define the illegal crossing in Europe? Laws are made by us: fallacious human beings.

Romans conquered the whole Europe, probably weren’t stupid: directly from them might come the idea to use migrants to populate semi-abandoned villages which are depopulating fast. Europe is aging, Italy is aging. Nobody is saying it would be easy: would villagers welcome them? Who would pay for their accomodation? But also the advantages would be obvious: Italy fragile territory could be taken care of.

They’re not animals, but people offering something in return. Not claiming benefits, but workers contributing to fix things.

Italy already has Albanian, Greek, French, Slavic, Arabic and German spoken all over its territory. Cultural differences can be overcomed.

History, geography, economy and our people need them!

This example could / should be followed everywhere in Europe.

They are not animals: one day we’ll be proud of them.

….Always humble

Not acting

Many wouldn’t agree (of course not considering real, factual life problems).

Wherefore it’s always a rush: for jobs, money, families….even holydays, as far as it seems absurd.

The truth is you can be happy not acting.

A great amount of rhetoric could be spent on this point.

One thing only is worth saying: it’s your soul disposition that creates your joyousness.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Moving to cities

I idolise where I live: in a very, very small town. Am I an exception?

There are more than 5 million people moving to cities every month, rising disparity and inequality in urban areas. So why are all those people going there? To properly handle urbanization is not an easy task: it can trap people into poverty since everyone must have access to services and opportunities necessary to build the prosperous future they’re looking for.

It all comes down to poverty, at the most basic levels: having running water, paved roads, street lighting, heated houses, safer streets. Theorically urbanization has the potential to increase prosperity but in reality rising inequality and exclusion threaten to derail the progress. Are cities fostering jobs and opportunities? Are we building them in the correct way? Is the whole concept sustainable? Can cities expand and expand limitlessly? All those question have one answer: no.

Not because I (a nescient) am stating it, wherefore there are 1 billion “urban” poor who live in informal / decadent slum settlements. Something different HAS to be done. Obviously. We can discuss about public transportation, increasing jobs (?), improving basic services, increase community participation in decision making and what else?

My take? One day we’ll be obliged to realize that maybe (just maybe) we need more but smaller cities.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Return to yourself

There are minds wondering, seeking the truth, striving to solve problems generated by the essence of things and phenomenoms.

If a man thinks and reasons well, it doesn’t matter which path he follows in wishing the truth of heart, striving to see the problems set by life. He inevitably comes back to himself: to find a possible solution he must first understand what is his place in the world around him.

Without this knowledge he will not have a focal point in his research. The words of Socrates: “know yourself” last for those who seek true knowledge and being.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Blaming America

Who else if not Obama, Americans, America? Same old, same old…from same old people (actually just one) with esthetic interventions (ooppsss!).  

“This is war”, he always says that. Wherefore according to him “peace is an anomaly, a fragile state of equilibrium that is exceedingly diffucult to sustain”. What kind of logic is that?!

Oh yes…I was forgetting he’s a semi-dictator (some of you might ask why semi).

But he has taken this logic a step further by claiming that “the only way to maintain peace is to actually wage war”. HE IS allowed to say that. When Alexander Galich sang the same thing in his songs was kicked out of the Country….of course they can’t do THAT with him.

Now, apart from being totally illogical (I have to be polite), it’s self-evident that the strategic purpose of his war is…only war itself. But it’s not working.

He tried with Ukraine, but America didn’t intervene and THANK GOD Obama isn’t directly engaging now in Syria (the American President was beginning in a different, intelligent way, but then...)

To convince everybody each year he puts on an affair lavishly catered at Kremlin’s expense, called the…Valdai Discussion Club (to discuss or to dictate?), which is basically just a junket. Probably the first person he wants to convince is himself.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t take his view a step further.

Another one.

By the way, thanks to Russian military intervention, ISIS is quickly gaining ground in Syria: IT’S A FACT. Have you understood who I’m talking about? Putin tops Forbes most powerful people list this year: but for the wrong reasons.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Stop thinking

You realize that you don’t like anything: marriage, home, work, friends… But instead of intervening you spend time wondering what’s wrong, what’s the reason and how it happened.

As a person in a cage you don’t flee and contrariwise wonder and discuss the materials that make up your immaterial prison.

Stop thinking and find your liberty.

From time to time, repeat this sentence: “it’s up to me how I feel while it’s not up me to fix things, I have to listen to how I feel inside me meanwhile I have nothing to tell me”.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

"Newly single"

In the good old days the meaning of “newly married” was supposed to last. Apparently not anymore. Not to mention a 50 percent divorce rate.

It’s not all that bad, plenty of jokes when the doctor asks if you’re sexually active, or like: 7 billion people in the world and I’m still alone? Wishing you could marry food… and down to not being able to get anyone (even with drunk standards), weirdos are in relationships and you aren’t, getting friendzoned, wishing you were somewhat dateable. The worst is the fear of being scared you’re going to die alone.

Oh my…oh my… So, so many FAKE problems!

Imagine a child starving in Africa how is (sincerely) laughing now! At you!

Who’s poorer? Probably us, not him. Inside.

Don’t you ever think (please): they don’t deserve me (even YOU aren’t believing that), I’ll find someone someday (is it compulsory?), I’m too picky (flowers?), my wedding “has” to be amazing (you already are), I won’t have kids (how about those with divorced parents?), I’ll be always lonely: go out! Don’t you have legs?!    

Let me summarize it for you, in just one single point: one day, when you’re married, you’ll wish you were single. We’re never happy, one way or another.

So don’t complicate your life, just live it, wherefore the day you close the curtain, you’ll be laughing about it.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

The meaning of life

What is the meaning of our existence, of the existence of all living beings in general? Knowing how to respond to such a question implicates religious feeling.

Therefore asking the question has NO logical sense either.

Whoever considers his life and the life of his loved ones meaningless, not only is unhappy, but incapable of living.

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Germany's doubts

After the initial euphoria…there are always doubts. It’s like that throughout, so why should we be surprised? Has Angela Merkel gone too far on her policy of free trade and open borders? Has she lost touch with reality and common sense? Maybe it’s just too much, all together: euro crisis, refugee crisis, Ukraine crisis, global capitalism not working anymore (due to greed, NOT because of the system). Politicians are not handling all these problems very well, let’s face it, at least that’s the general impression.

Certainly mine!

THE People, wrongly or rightly, is always right. Wherefore they get angry: winter is approaching, are there “decent” accomodations for all the refugees? You can’t put them in tents, like in other Countries, so they’ll have angry Germans (municipalities are already struggling) with irate, discontent refugees.

I admire Ms. Merkel. But is she so sure Germany can manage that influx so rapidly? The point is not the percentage of them compared to locals, as instead many continue repeating, the crucial point is time. Basically, people have needs (from both sides), which in those cases will not be satisfied if the rush continues. It’s getting darker and colder and not because winter is coming.

Populist parties are ready to bite like rabid dogs (see my post “Populism”): many Germans will easily fall for the seduction of it.

So sad…. History repeats itself. Will it be merely for the time being?

….Always humble,

Angiolino

Look at the seed

An experienced gardener can tell what kind of plant will come from a seed.

A doctor is not an expert if can tell only what is visible from any lout.

A gardener knows how to differently grow his plants.

A doctor should know how to look at the patients’ diseases, the origin and the development.

A real doctor is studying universal diseases that were in the past and will in the future, to proper know your single disease.

If he can cure only the symptoms and not the causes…he is not YOUR doctor.

But somebody’s else.

….Always humble,

Angiolino