Last week the American magazine Times published his annual list of the world's most influential people. Among this 100 leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists and others, there is not the Pope. In Italy this news really created astonishment in many journalists, and many newspaper reported it on the first page. Among this 100 people indeed there are, for example, actors like George Clooney, politicians like Vladimir Putin or Barak Obama, tennis players like Andrea Agassi but also religious leaders like the Dalai Lama. Nothing strange if Vatican really took it bad. First of all, I want to say: it’s only a joke. It has not to be taken too seriously. Anyway, it inspired me to ask myself: is really the catholic church losing the enormous influence it has always had on the world, or at least on western countries? I think we can answer positively, and I think there is a main reason (not the only) that who lives in Italy can analyze better than people from other countries, being bombarded every day by mass-media with Pope’s speeches and news. In my opinion this reason is that, in a world wasted by terrible problems like wars, lack of food, social injustices, all problems mainly caused by human behaviour, in the last years catholic church and especially the Pope are more and more focusing their attention and their acting on the general problem of, as they called it, defence of life. What does “defence of life” means according to them? It includes some more specific topics, which are abort, artificial insemination, genetic manipulation. I am not a true believer (no more, from many years yet), but I know the Bible, and Christ teachings. I have always found in those teachings a high dose of humanism, that in my opinion contrast, for example, with the affirmation that life begins in the moment of the conceiving. In my opinion life begins with human experience, with the pain of the birth, not before, surely not with the first cell of the foetus. Anyway, one could also believe about this problem the same things the catholic church does, but is really this the biggest problem humanity has? The Pope seems to think so. And you?
@Matteo : I want to start with a sort of word joke : “newspaper’s list are not the holy Bible”. We are literally invaded by leader boards of any types, the most common are about sexiest people. This last type of list is very often full of old actress and actors that are for sure no more sexy and sometime neither were, at least in my opinion. This time the Times give to us a more serious list but as always questionable. I think that they didn’t include the Pope just to rise a dialogue among readers. Anyway I think that the catholic church is really losing influence on some country probably because they lost a little the contact with people. People act and think different than 100 years before and the church must deal with it. On the other hand, I think that in Italy the Pope is the most influential man.
In the last days oil’s price has increased over any previous historical value. Maybe oil is one of the most important good and its price is an indicator of the world’s economic health. However I wouldn’t like to discuss about the causes of this problem from the political or economic point of view but I would like to talk about the effects of this increase on the means of transportation. In Italy the freight transport on tyre constitutes the 70% of the total. Moreover car is the most used private mean. I think that soon track carriers are going again on strike because their work is really influenced by the oil’s price. So the new government should do something as soon as possible to reduce this issue. Moreover people should use more public transportation although to change custom of Italians seems very difficult. In fact public transportation isn’t quite efficient in many Italian cities, so people are motivated to use only their cars. Therefore I think a joint effort is necessary to resolve this problem: on one side the government have to work to control better the oil’s price and on the other side we have not to overuse our cars if we want really decrease oil dependence.
I think that it is not a big problem! I agree with Luisa when she says that Times is not the Bible!!! But it is very funny: among 100 leaders there is no place for the catholic leader! I have not see the Times list but I think that one can became a leader not only for the office he take but for the things he do. It is not sufficent became Pope but it necessary do what a Pope must do! Saying that I don't see that George Clooney is most important than the Pope but he is most famous because he do what the people want an actor to do! After all, it reflect common ideology, give the people ‘’ panem et circensem’’ ! When a big scientist die, you see a little review in journal, but when something happens to a big soccer player journal reserves the first page! Lisa
First of all I have to correct my post. The magazine was not “Times” but “Time”. If someone is interested in the list of supposed important people he can look for it on http://www.time.com/time/magazine. Talking about oil dependence, it is a dated problem we have to solve by different approach. - Consuming less resources is the first and more performing method we can use. Public means of transport can be a solution, even if they have to be more efficient, with two different meanings: they have to be more comfortable and on time, and they have to be more efficient from the energetic point of view (for example a diesel bus consumes and pollutes about so much as 200 private cars do!). - In the future we’ll have to use more and more renewable energy. The role of research is fundamental for this goal, that surely won’t be reached until many years to come. - In the next future we can shift from oil to other more largely available fossil fuels, such as coal, which also have the advantage of being well-distributed all around the world, therefore creating less geopolitical tensions.
Food waste on 'staggering' scale http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7389351.stm
I think that it is really incredible how mere economic interests lead to this. A lot of countries didn’t have enough food to survive, while we produce and buy more than the necessary. People probably put on their plate a great quantity of food just to feel reach and because they have learned it watching TV. Even in diet spots, we see people eat a lot or medicine that permit us to eat more without getting fat. The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) found that salad, fruit and bread were most commonly wasted and 60% of all dumped food was untouched. I think that the problem can be solve giving people information about this issue and explain what we need to be healthy.
The judgment of personality depends. It depends on the organization, attitude of questions, and randomness of answer-makers; not on the publisher. Sometimes, it depends on the publisher too... Anyway, there is no name of Pope on that list, its not a problem. Some bad comments sometimes brings out some good things, I realize that. The Pope, also the Grandfather, has a position, not the political, the position on our mind. We believe he push us to go through a good away. As these are not political posts, we always respect these persons. The world is mechanized, fast and all have the right to say his own ideas and ideologies. As a teacher can guide a student, a father guides his kids, Pope can guide a nation, afterall a religion. The government has some rules and regulations, but the Pope does not. He can express his ideas against the activities that are subversive to any nation, or international peace. I am agreed to Matteo; I am coating this words again; he says, "... in a world wasted by terrible problems like wars, lack of food, social injustices, all problems mainly caused by human behavior, in the last years catholic church and especially the Pope are more and more focusing their attention and their acting on the general problem of, as they called it, defense of life..."; the Pope has any speech on this context(?). A lot of lives sacrificed on war field, have you seen any speech from Pope(?), on the first or last page of newspaper . Sometimes they are leading a luxurious life and doing routine works, known as schedule. The Pope, the chief of catholic church, or Imam, the chief of Mosque, Brahman,the chief of temple, does a lot, at least they can express his speech as slogan for human wellbeing.
Many people are unaware that animal testing for household products and their ingredients is still allowed all over the world. This involves painful experiments to develop products such as bleach, washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, furniture polish and air freshener. There is a huge range of non-animal research techniques that, as well as being a more humane approach to science, can also be cheaper, quicker and more effective. These include cell, tissue and organ culture, micro-organisms such as bacteria, molecular research, studies with post-mortem tissues, computer simulations, population studies (epidemiology) and clinical research with human volunteers. Despite non-animal research techniques, currently around 38,000 animals are used for the toxicity testing of cosmetics every year within the EU. Many more animal tests are conducted outside the EU for cosmetics that are developed elsewhere, but sold in the EU. Many different types of animal experiments are used to test cosmetics. - the Draize eye test: where substances are dripped into the eyes of conscious rabbits - oral toxicity: where animals are force fed a substance once or repeatedly to see the toxic effects - skin irritancy: where a substance is smeared over the shaved back of a group of animals, usually rabbits or guinea pigs. The testing and marketing of cosmetics has been regulated by European legislation since 1976. The legislation (Council Directive 76/768/EEC) was amended for the 7th time in 2003. The 7th Amendment to the cosmetics Directive entered into force on the day of publication and must have been transposed into national law by the 11th of September 2004. The new Directive introduces a set of rules: - from September 2004 a ban on testing of finished products within the EU. - from September 2004, a ban on the marketing of cosmetic products and ingredients tested on animals outside the EU, where 'alternative' tests exist. Note that the 'alternative' tests mentioned here are not only non-animal tests, but also tests that 'reduce' or 'refine' animal test methods. This 'ban' is, therefore, far from complete as it only stops the use of a few animal tests
Unfortunately these rules had been postponed in 2009 and then in 2013. What do you think about this?
Two days ago I found an article on the BBC News internet site about the rubbish emergency in Napoli and in the whole Campania region. It said that "more than 1,000 tonnes of rubbish is [still] rotting on the city's streets" despite the extraordinary recovery plan started in January. Just in January, the European Court of Justice warned Italy not to infringe EU laws on waste, and now it is going to fine the Italian government. Moreover, day by day the situation is getting worse, since the temperature is increasing together with the terrible smell and the risk of disease.
Now in Italy there's a great hope in the new established center-right government, which has promised to solve the crisis in a short time. Do you think it will? Is the solution related to the political attitude of parliamentarians?
Finally, I have to notice how this emergency has suddenly disappeared from printed and on-line editions of italian newspapers during the last days of the election campaign. What do you think about the italian press? And which is the idea the other people in EU are forming about Italy?
I wondered about Which topic is the best to start a blog. There are so many topics but I wanted something I like, but that's not enough. It is necessary to choose a topic which can be appreciate (in positive or negative) by other people, a topic that spurs other people to answer and to take part to the blog. which are the guideliness to choose a topic? Which field are the best? Perhaps politics or religion and why not music or life (in general I mean young, life styles,...). If you want a topic to be always fresh (I mean fresh for more than a day :) ) you need a topic that doesn't deal with a little niche like what has happen today or yesterday even though it happened something very important. I mean, for example about politics now we can talk about the winner of elections but then in some months I think it's over, I don't think there are more blogs about elections of some years ago. And however how long has a blog to live? If you choose something more general as the topic of a blog perhaps people start to write and then loose the topic and start to talk about everything but the real topic. I read in the net two suggestion to start a blog: -Pick a very narrow topic. Nowadays even a blog specifically about Google is too broad: You are more likely to be seen as an expert in a narrow topic area.” - Make sure you have enough content to be able to keep the blog going.
I think the guideliness for choosing a topic could be: --The popularity of the topic. If you choose "my neighbours's guinea pig" perhaps you'll never have any competition I mean there will never be any other blog about this topic but this doesn't really mean that your blog will be the best on the contrary you'd probably be the only reader. --The availability of Content. you need to do a little research on your topic before starting a blog in order to see if you’ll be able to sustain it adding fresh content over a long period. One important thing is that the author(s) never run out of things to write. Many commercial blogs die very quickly for this reason!!.
I think there are many others guideliness to point out... for example: About motivation, passion, interest to start a blog... Please, add your own suggestions and experiences in choosing a blog’s topic.
I think we have to use less our cars but I think that to make it possible government has to improve public trasportation, starting from train. For example, I use train every day to go to Pisa and the train is always late. Sometimes trains are so late that my friends and me have to take our cars. We don't want to do this because we paid for our train season tickets and coming by car means spend other money besides arriving later! Besides trains are always crowd. Many people have to stand up for more then 40 minutes besides be pressed by other people.
I think the first thing to do is improving public transport. I think that, in this way, people will be more pleased to use public transport.
It's necessary that both people and government work together to solve the problem of transportation in order to reduce the "oil (fuel) dependence". Government has to deal with the increase of oil’s price too and try to control its price better.
The Italian rubbish emergency: I think that the solution is the population in fact in Campania there isn’t the recycling custom (media have talked so much about this) moreover they are opposed to incinerators. The government can do much: first build incinerators and differed garbage disposals and second start off with teaching the right behaviour
Which topics are perfect to start a blog? Choice a topic is a natural thing; everyone is keen about something, for example I read so much about animal concerns. Clearly if a blog has a long life is better, but in my opinion the revolution starts from each of us so if for me a topic is significant I 'must' begin because a topic, now, is uninteresting but afterward…
I would like to give you my opinion about the oil dependence of our Country but more in particular about the energy context....
I think that the problem in our country is the lack of energy decisions from our governing boards (right or left, present and past..)... the governing boards don't think to plan the energy production in agreement to the energy demand (or in agreement to the trend of energy demand!!) but we try to manage the "emergency" situations...and this leads up to a increase of all price, not only for transports....
Probably, we have to start to think at the energy problem (such as related topics as environment, transport, etc) in an European framework….and to manage them really in a European context….for instance, following an European energy plan….
And I think also, that we have to leave the oil for poor Countries, in order to enable them to follow a development using quite simple technologies…even if I hope that this countries follow a more conscious develop than us…where concepts as recycle and “saving” are taken at the basis….
What can I tell you...... well, I'm not a true believer too.... better, I believe in God, but I don't agree with many Church's positions.
Maybe I don't know so many things about Bible....better, I'm quite sure of this thing, but thinking of what I know, of what I read.... well, I usually see a big difference between the message you read into Bible and what the Church say.
I agree with Laguna when she said that the Church have lost the contact with people. The world goes on, while they remain at the same point! elisa
I wouldn't call it an emergency, because it's a known issue that is just getting worse and worse every year and has now reached its climax; better, let's hope it has reached, so it's going to decline from now on. But I'm not sure it will, 'cause we need to find both temporary solutions, to solve the actual crisis, and long-term solutions, to avoid things to happen again in a few years (or even next year), but every possible remedy is cut by protests of people not willing to collaborate and share part of the solution; such protests, moreover, have often turned in a sort of guerrilla, and one could argue they were fueled by hidden powers which are taking advantage of the present status and don't want to stop.
Oil issue... mmm... it's a very serious matter! Since 2004 I have begun monitoring the oil price. I remember the price in the 2004 was around $30per barrel, and today it's over $120. I'm very worried and I expect the price will rise over $150 at the end of the year. The issue is the economical system accepted by all industrialized countries. According to this policy the economical value of a country has to increase for each year more than the previous one, this means an exponential economical growth and so an exponential growth of the energy consumption. All kind of primary energies in our world are not available as they are in nature, but we need to transform or convert them into better forms in order to use them. This process needs money because it wastes energy. Oil is today the most widespread energy used in the world for two reasons: it is less expensive than other energy sources and it is very easily transportable. But today the reserves are almost depleted and we are not able to find a real alternative to oil because for several years all technological research investments have been focused on the oil depending sectors (electrical power plants, transportation systems,...) But the game will be up as soon as the oil price will be comparable to one of other kind of energy, like the electrical energy generated by wind or solar. This is the future, but not too much distant!! What we can do now? We are obliged to save energy, not for an ethical reason, but only for curbing the costs! We have to change the way we are used to live! If we can, we have to use the bicycle instead of the car! … … For almost all people this can seem a philosophical theory, but these are only some thoughts of a hopeful energy saving engineer!
I think it heavily depends on what kind of blog do you want. I mean...some people consider a blog, a sort of diary. In this case, I think there isn't a perfect topic to start, because the blogs represent you and your life. The blog become a virtual diary where you can post your ideas, thoughts and whatever you want. I think it's usefull after a long working day as personal vent. Instead, if you're interested in something that could involve a large number of people, I thinks that up-to-date problems like politic situation, the increasing of costs... are the best choose. In any case, probably everything that has written with feeling is a good choice.
In fact, we have to try a solution to save energy...the increase of pubblic transport (more and more efficient systems of transport) or the use of bycicle could be a good idea...
for instance, if I don't make a mistake, in the Netherlands and problably also in Belgium, industries give some benefits to poeple that go to work using bycicle and the state built km and km of bycicle path..
probably, for the italians it sounds strange...get up in the morning and take a bycicle for about 15 or more kiliometers and then start to work (8 hours...). ..we are quite lazy...but we have to try to do something..
...the use of the bycicle is usefull for our money (minus oil consumption...) for the environment but in particular for our health...
About oil dependence i think that we have to undertake three way: energetic saving with the consumption optimization, use of renewable energy: photovoltaic, biomasses and aeolian are partuculary indicated for the italian territorial features, and finally integration of the energetic demand with some forgetted fossil combustible like carbon. The finest way, in my opinion, is the utilization of renewable energy baecause the energetic saving could lead to downsize our "way of live" , on the other side the utilization of fossil combustible give environmental problem (the famuos greenhouse effect)and in the case of carbon is upmarket. Renewable energy are efficiently utilized in land like sweden where about the 60% of the energy demand is mantled by "green energy" that, whitin 2020, have to mantle the 80% of the demand yielding to the energetic country's indipendence.
Religion comes from 'religere', a latin word meaning 'legare', to link. Before any answer at your question can be given, let me try to clarify (to my self, at least) the differences between Faith and Religion. Faith is a gift, something you have, which allow you to establish a connection between you and the God. The Religion defines rules to encode the Faith within certain behaviours. The Church is a line between the earth, you, and the heaven, God. Clearly this is a simplification, but, independently from the God existence, this is how from polytheistic religions, that's to say from a personification of various gods (the sun, the rain....), humans have came to monotheistic religions. This is a simplification, fundamental to rule people, but this is another story. Among rules the Religion decided, the defence of life is surely an hot topic. The Church manages the dead of the people: it is able to guide you, during the pass-over, so that you can reach the Heaven and so on. It manages the whole life of a person, being he believers or not. Finally, it tries to manage the birth, too. The power on birth means the complete control over all the life. In my opinion, there is no fear of eugenetic or something else, but only the control over the boundary condition of life. This is a mad comparison, but try to imagine that the life of a person is a temporal evolution from the birth to the dead, in which the initial condition, the birth, drives the evolution to the final condition, the dead. By the way, catholic Church is not losing influence. Even from John Paul II, some newspapers said the the churches were empty and the squares filled by people. So there are many and many people who believe in catholic church, but they believe in their way !
First of all, it is not only a Campania problem. Early rubbish will invade also central and northern regions. Then, like all other important problems in Italy, it derives from two reasons: the inadequacy of the politicians and the uncaring attitude of all of us. I’ve studied this problem for a quite long time, as a chemical engineering, even from a scientific point of view, with approaches such as “life cycle assessment”. So, I can give you just a pair of indication (without boring, I hope!): - Complete recycling is often impossible and in every instance counterproductive. Recycling processes could sometimes cause more pollution than, for example, disposal or incineration. - Incineration is not the evil. In Italy, 5% of the dioxins are produced by waste incineration plants, 40% by diesel car and even 30% by wood burning in house hearth! And if you think that incineration plant gaseous emission are ejected in the atmosphere at perhaps 100 m of height, while cars and hearths release dioxins on our faces... - All civilized world uses incineration. In Japan, for example, landfilling doesn’t exist. And they live longer than any other people in the world. I have never heard of a case in which a municipal solid waste combustion plant (MSWC) caused particular problems of health to population. On the contrary, I heard of garbage dump having caused health problems. - Finally, it’s easy to inspire terror in people minds. But do we really have to trust in Pecoraro Scanio and friends? Or we’d do best to trust in scientists and engineers that studied the problem?
An important news online says that a third of employees have been to work with a hangover while more than one in 10 has been drunk at their desk. I don’t understand as it’s possible; the alcohol reduces the abilities so you can’t make the normal work. The people who drink during their work, said that alcohol affected their performance or mood. The Dr. Douglas Wright, from Norwich Union Healthcare said that the alcohol and the workplace often do go hand in hand. I don’t know nobody that drinking during their work. And you? What do you think about???
@Elisa : OT despite my nickname ends in 'a', I am not a girl :D My real name, which is Andrea ends in 'a' too :) /OT
@ALL : Did you know that we are extracting oil in Basilicata? Despite of this we pay for a barrel as it came from the moon. Although our oil is not enough, I think that we may pay more than Arabian people but much lesser than other countries.
@Manuela, Oil dependence Dear Manuela, I completely agree with you when you say that we should use more the public transportation. I would only add some issues. The problem is not only the lack – and delays – of this kind of transportation. A more important issue is that we gained, for example with cars, a sort of independence: with a car we are not dependent from the “clock”, we can decide at last minute what to do, we don’t need to plan anything in advance, etc. The problem could be shifted to the search of a non oil dependent way of transportation, without affecting people’s freedom.
@Matteo Bientinesi I would like to reply only on one issue of your post. I think that the solution is not consuming fewer resources; I don’t mean that we are free to waste resources, but we cannot forget the advancement in science and technology, that contribute to the improvement of our life.
I think that the absence of the Pope from the Time's annual list is not an issue that could be explained with the losing of influence of Catholic church. The polemic reactions had by the Vatican, that have defined the list as "perplexing", mainly are linked to the measure with which the list have been created. This is only the opinion of a magazine, that have to sell its copy to the people and, as such, maybe it prefers to promote other kinds of person, for example, some important character of the actual "show-biz"...
Do you feel safe at home? Nowadays it is quite common to hear about house-lifting; moreover armed assaults are very common. Everybody used to close the door using the key, to park the car inside the garage, etc. Last but not least I read on one of the today’s newspaper that the thieves burgled a flat in Brescia are now out of the prison. Last year those guys, after a series of armed assaults, were arrested. I would like also to add that they were not Italian citizens. Now, one year later, they are free and still in Italy. Why don’t send them back to their former country?
Security issue has influenced last Italian election. I hope that this time they'll made something real to solve the problem. I think that we need more policemen and less bureaucracy.
I would like to give my opinion about the new Italian Government. My opinion doesn’t regard the political point of view, everybody has a specific idea about that. But I think there’s a general important question to bring up: what do you think about the age of some of our new ministers ? and about their job ? For example, we have a showgirl to defend traditional, family values. Furthermore, our new minister for Education is only 34 years old, and there are many other young men and women into new Government. I’m a bit slighted about it. I think they are roles where experience, diplomacy, authority have to put in evidence. Probably these qualities are not so diffused in our society, independently from the age. But it’s not correct to give these kinds of examples. In our society when you are 30 years old normally it’s not so easy to have a permanent employment, or a good salary. And a young minister doesn’t have particular qualities or merits: he has only token a quick short cut. Last of all I think this is not only a formal problem, but it shows the real low consideration of our politician men for equity and meritocracy values.
As far as we know in big company is strictly forbidden to work under alcohol effects. We think that is nearly impossible to work fine when drunken at least in normal employs. A common place is that rock stars did their best performance when drunken or worse..... Moreover it is unsafe for you and the others to do some action when not sober. Do you trust a drunken surgeon? Do you feel safe to drive after five beers?
I think Catholic Church is losing influence also because of its frequent "invasion" in political aspects of life. Maybe Vatican should remember what Jesus said about the separation between political and God-related issues. People are smart enough to feel this problem and to react leaving churches. But I think they are also enough smart to mantain their faith.
Refer to: "TO WORK AND DRINK!!! IT'S POSSIBLE???? " We think that this is not much possible, especially in Italy where there is not a common use to alcohol. Probably in a country where there is the use of alcoholics is more common, this is a possible situation. In any case, drinking alcoholics during the working hours is a bad thing, because it influences the performance in a negative way.
Dear Martina, Did you listen to the young boy from Verona killed by some italian coetaneuous guys for a futile reason?? Do you want send them at home?....remember their home is Italy....
In our opinion the problem is not the provenance..all of us are foreigners....it depends by the point of view!!!
Articles in newspapers and magazines are often focused on "foreigner's bad actions": it increases hostility....but real data, coming from official organisms said that the biggest fraction of crime happens into domestic context....
We think that alcohol must be restricted in the working zone, as alcohol reduces the mental ability to do normal work activities, in particular jobs such as banking, transaction of money, and some sophisticated technical activities. Not only these, alcohol reduces the physical ability in some cases, e.g., driving heavy vehicles or maintenance of heavy machineries etc. In contrast, in some places where the ambient temperature is very low, i.e., - 40 degree, like Russia, physical-working people are allowed to drink in that place of work for gaining more temperature in their bodies; and the persons working cleaning very rough places just like toilets and drains, or cleaning dustbins are allowed to drink alcohols and related drinks too. But its a social problem that involves a part of their families as wife, children and some other dependents. What you think!!!!! Do you like to drink in working place?????!!!!
It depends....the really question could be : "to work and drink a lot: it's possible?"
there're many situations during the work day where you can drink (without passing limits) and work without any kind of problems. For example , at lunch or after lunch if you take a laced coffee. Obviously if you drink a lot you can't work but you can't do anything in general. So the real question is: to drink or to drink a lot? In the former case, probably everyone drink at work, in the latter I think that the question hasn't got any sense (when you're drunk you can't do anything!!!).
We agree completely with you about the use of public means of transport. Expecially in Italy, we are used to move with owner car for to do everything:to the work, to the cinema, to the sea.... So, people is free to move wherever and whenever. In order to increase the use of public transport we have to reorganize our way of living. We need to arrange our movements and dates according to bus, metro, or train time schedule.
I would like to reply to Matteo about the incineration. Maybe it is not the evil, but neither the panacea. I'd like to say that the inciniration is a painful necessity. The problem in Campania isn't whether to make the incinerator or not, but where, when and how do it. I would prefer to speak about the elimination of the package and, in general, on the reduction of the rubbish.
About the oil dependence I think it’s not possible to remove this problem only with individual choices. It’s necessary to have good laws and new strategic plans. Environmental problems are not so easy to solve in our society: if you use the bicycle instead of the car you show a good ethical behaviour, and really we need to reduce the number of cars on roads, but actually we have to find more concrete and determined solutions.
Dear Alessio, first of all I would like to tell you that foreign people may have different habit. I just want to tell you that it is quite common in eastern countries, such as Russia or Bulgaria, to start drinking alcohol even at breakfast. This may be caused by different reasons, e.g. cold weather conditions, absence of entertainment, etc. Anyway I agree with Laguna about the fact that I will not trust any drunk people at work. In addition I cannot stand drunk driver. The alcohol limit for driver should be set to ZERO, as in many foreign countries.
Of course people should limit (I would also say avoid...) alcohol consumption during job time, but how Martina said, this is not so obvious and easy in many cultures. I experienced this kind of situation in Germany, where many professors and researchers (and students too) have a Bavarian breakfast (literally translation) at 11.00 am. How you could imagine, this kind of meal is not exactly the best in job time. You usually drink one or two 0.5 l beer eating sausages. I'm sure they are not drunk because a liter beer is nothing for a Bavarian, even without eating, but in many job you need to be at 100% of your capabilities, and you wouldn't be so in such cases. I think that, even if it is a habit due to the specific country culture, in many jobs alcohol should be strictly prohibited (and in many cases things work like this).
It's late, it's English course time, but I wanted to write some words about the "oil dependence" topic, which has became, in many comments, the "Italians transport habits" topic. I would suggest a more general view of the problem, focusing on how are relationships between Italian people and things which belong to everybody. In this way, maybe even the rubbish problem could have the same base. I think that Italians don't feel common problems and things as THEIR problems and things. Using every day a car for 1 km is something that can be comfortable instead of waiting for a bus, riding a bicycle or simply go by foot. Therefore many people, just thinking to their convenience, would choose the first option making a choice that is not the best one for the community. (I will continue later..., too late)
We must admit we experienced being drunk at work, at least according to some of your comments. In fact, sometimes we had an after lunch drink during, for example, project meetings or holiday lectures, and so on. One of the authours of this post (he'd like to keep anounymous) is able to drink about a pint of wine without being drunk: we mean, without loosing his brain capacities and still being able to work and being productive. The metabolism of alcoohol varies according to body's health-state, mass, tiring, and so on, so you cannot fix a treshold in every condition. E.g., Policemen, usually, look at you to see if you are really drunk, and just after that they use the alcooholic test to get evidence of it.
It's common habit to think that the way of dressing influences the salaries of people. A static by the USA Today newspaper says that 56% agree. We think that this kind of issue depends on the field you're working in. For example at the University there is no need to dress in a particular way except for special occasions like meeting,... There are also some works like bricklayers or pipefitters who need not to dress in suit and tie for clear reasons.
But for example, in other work places like television, banks and so on, it's mandatory to wear well-dressed. In these cases you can even loose yuor work or be downgraded if you don't dress as your boss wants.
We think that it's not so easy to evaluate real effects of alternative energies on the environment. First of all, greenhouse emissions are not a form of pollution, like for example hydrocarbons emissions or NOx emissions. So the increase of CO2 should be not so dangerous for people.
Then, some more accurate well-to-wheels analysis still need to be carried out. For example, in the case of hydrogen, we have to consider its whole generation process. Indeed, it can be obtained using oil-produced electricity or by some gas chemical reactions, which might generate a greater pollution than the use of conventional oil fuels.
We both disagree with your last comment about the need to consume more and more resources in order to improve our life. For many reasons, especially for pollution, we maybe should reduce our energy consumption without radically change our life style. Nowadays in rich countries a lot of resources are used for not so fundamental employees, while poor countries don't have enough energy for basic life needs. For instance, till about 10 years ago, air conditioning was not so common, while nowadays it has become a standard accessory of our houses and offices. Moreover these resources usually are imported from those countries that have not enough power to use them by themselves. Advancement in technology should not just improve our life quality but also help to reduce the weight that our develop represent for the world and for human health.
We think that the safe issue deals with justice policy. The main problem in Italy is that nobody really pays for its crime. It leads to an increasing immigration of criminals who find in Italy a "prison-free" country...Law is too ambiguous to be applied and trials take too long time; so smart lawers can vindicate criminals...At the end of the days, people feel allowed to do justice by itself.
I agree with Elisa and Filippo when they say that the issue of safety deals with justice policy. In fact the inefficiency of the Italian judiciary system encourages many people to do justice by itself. Today I have heard that the new Italian government is preparing new laws to control the immigration and to improve safety. I think it’s merely one step toward the resolution of the problem because it isn’t only caused by the clandestine immigration. We need to have confidence that lawbreakers, both Italians and foreigners, are punished for their actions.
hi everybody. there's no doubt that being drunk when you perform some critical work which concerns personal safety, as driving or using mechanical machinery is obviously a very stupid and dangerous thing. it has been proven that alchool affects our capacity of reaction. there are people which tell they are not drunk even if they have assumed a huge quantity of alchool. that's true, reaction to alchool is personal and varies a lot among people. but i think that as alcohol can affect our sensitivity it also can affect our judgements, including knowing if we are really drunk or not. you can think you are still ok after having drunk two beers if you are in the disco and you're talking with your friends, but this does not implies that you are able to drive in the same conditions.
there are some other kinds of work in which alchool is not a direct issue. for example, actors, performers of varius kind, speakers do not harm anyone if they do their work after drinking two or three Mohitos. in my opinion this does not imply that they're doing the rigth thing, even if they tell that alchool helps them to feel ok with other people. in fact, this habit can lead to a very sad and problematic situation in which you cannot do without your drink. so, instead of being troubled with public speaking, public performing and so on, you can easily find yourself troubled with a serious dipendence.
finally, i think there is really no difference between alchool and other substances which alter conscience and brain functioning as cocaine and other drugs. issues with alchool are to be treated as common addiction to illegal drugs. but alchool is more dangerous because is socially accepted and tolerated by our law.
Personal experience from a work place. Thank you Sara because your topic touch the reality of being employed in a office. In my opinion the way you dress in a work place is important because it is responsible of the way you look like; also height and beauty could help in your career and the way you are dressed do too. The place where I work is nice because it has a sort of University-like environment where, as you said, people can dress casually. My boss doesn't say anything about clothes. But here special occasion and meeting are not exception and I can assure I can breath in my office a different atmosphere when my dresses are smart, a sort of bigger consideration. I hate when people judge by appearance but it affects real life here in a work place. In my opinion, women are much more involved in this terrible mechanism because we have to be certainly good engineer but also stylish, professional and, in few words, perfect; for sure other working contest are much worse.
I have posted a joke, please feel free to comment on it.
God created the donkey
and said to him. "You will be a donkey. You will work untiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years." The donkey answered: "I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years" God granted his wish.
God created the dog
and said to him: "You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend. You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years. You will be a dog. " The dog answered: "Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years. " God granted his wish.
God created the monkey
and said to him: "You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years " The monkey answered: "To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years." God granted his wish.
Finally God created man ...
and said to him: "You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth. You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."
Man responded: "Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little, give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused.
" God granted man's wish
And since then, man lives 20 years as a man , marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back.
Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him, so that when he is old, he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.
Do you think that the Democratic Party can win the US presidential elections in November?
During this period in the news are reported the strong battle for Democratic Party nomination between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, but have they either the possibility to win in November? In other words, are US people really ready to have a woman or a black man at the White House? I don't know if they are ready. I think that in USA exists a political class with a strong power that wouldn't accept any of the two pretenders, even if the Democratic Party would have the majority of electors. And you what do you think about?
I am posting a letter. there are a lot of computer related students in our course, can you give the answer in favor of Bill!!! Gates!!! (Mr. Bill Gates, the owner of Microsoft. if not possible, at least, enjoy it!!! If it don't make a laugh, make a copy and paste on your microsoft word document, and then sent it to your recycle bin.
Enjoy it!!!
Letter is from Banta Singh of Punjab to Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft
Subject: Problems with my new computer
Dear Mr. Bill Gates,
We have bought a computer for our home and we have found some problems, which I want to bring to your notice and kind consideration.
1. There is a button 'start' but there is no 'stop' button. We request you to check this.
2. We find there is 'Run' in the menu. One of my friends clicked 'run' he ran up to Amritsar ! So, we request you to change that to 'sit', so that we can click that by sitting.
3. One doubt is whether any 're-scooter' is available in system? I find only 're-cycle', but I own a scooter at my home.
4. There is 'Find' button but it is not working properly. My wife lost the door key and we tried a lot trace the key with this ' find' button, but was unable to trace. Please rectify this problem.
5. My child learned 'Microsoft word' now he wants to learn 'Microsoft sentence', so when you will provide that?
6. I brought computer, CPU, mouse and keyboard, but there is only one icon which shows 'MY Computer': when you will provide the remaining items?
7. It is surprising that windows says 'MY Pictures' but there is not even a single photo of mine. So when will you keep my photo in that.
8. There is 'MICROSOFT OFFICE' what about 'MICROSOFT HOME' since I use the PC at home only.
9. You provided 'My Recent Documents'. When you will provide 'My Past Documents'?
10. You provide 'My Network Places'. For God shake please do not provide 'My Secret Places'. I do not want to let my wife know where I go after my office hours.
Regards,
Banta
Last one from me to Mr Bill Gates :
Sir, how is it that your name is Gates but u are selling WINDOWS?
Nowadays we can say that almost surely the democratic candidate will be Barack Obama, and this is yet an important result. From a sociological point of view we can observe that in the USA usually only a low percentage of population take part in the election, and Obama can lead to vote some categories such as Afro-Americans and young people that typically don’t use to do it. From a more practical point of view, I’ve read in some articles by NYT that Obama is collecting a huge amount of money for his presidential campaign, while Mc Cain has some problem to recover funds. It is obvious that in such an immense country as USA is, money is essential (even only to move around!). Maybe this is not proper, but this is true. The real problem, in my opinion, is: if Obama will become president, will he succeed in changing American foreign policy as he’s now claiming? This question and who will win the American election is of fundamental importance not only for the USA, but for all of us too.
I think the story is quite fun and perhaps under some aspects to be true, but I think it's too pessimistic. Parents love their children and even if sometimes there can be some arguments between them, parents love to grow up their children. However it's not always that beautiful because there are problems but nothing is perfect. I think that not all marriages are a failure where a person think to be a donkey. Many marriages show happy couples where each one help the other one. Also in this case we have to talk about divorce but it's better to live all the life far from all other people or try to relate with other people even if there can be some problems? In the last I knew many grandparents who are respected and loved from their sons and their grandsons, however there are some granparents who are left alone... However the story is quite fun I knew it but it's always funny to hear it again :)
Hi all, here am posting a joke about success of marriage life, hope you all will enjoy it.
THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE Once upon a time a married couple celebrated their 25th marriage anniversary.
They had become famous in the city for not having a single conflict in their period of 25 years.
Local newspaper editors had gathered at the occasion to find out the secret of their well known 'happy going marriage'.
Editor: ' Sir. It's amazingly unbelievable. How did you make this possible? '
Husband recalling his old honeymoon days said: ' We had been to Shimla for honeymoon after marriage. Having selected the horse riding finally, we both started the ride on different horses. My horse was pretty okay but the horse on which my wife was riding seemed to be a crazy one.
On the way ahead, that horse jumped suddenly, making my wife topple over. Recovering her position from the ground, she patted the horse's back and said 'This is your first time'.
She again climbed the horse and continued with the ride. After a while, it happened again. This time she again kept calm and said 'This is your second time' and continued.
When the horse dropped her third time, she silently took out the revolver from the purse and shot the horse dead !! I shouted at my wife: 'What did you do you psycho. You killed the poor animal. Are you crazy?' ..
She gave a silent look and said: 'This is your first time!!!'.'
I think that inefficiency of Italian judiciary system could be produce a great damage for our society, because people feel allowed to do justice by itself. So Italian Government must give a concrete signal of power and control. It’s not that easy to take restrictive measures against clandestine immigration, but probably it’s the lesser of evils, to avoid social disorders and sources of conflict between Italians and foreigners.
Hi Chaitanya! I just read your joke about success of marriage life, it’s great! I got married last September, and everybody was joking on me because of percentage of divorces in Italy: now I can answer that I exactly know the secret for a happy going marriage! I’ll keep in mind this joke and I’ll tell it to my husband ;-) bye!
Hi all! For everybody who is interested in Caribbean dancing, and in particular would like to learn salsa: I know there is an evening course just started, hold in Pisa at the Leopolda terrace, every Wednesday at 21.30. I tried last Wednesday, and even if I’m not good at all, it was very funny!
About marriage and things like that Long long time ago there was a Sufy master. He was very old. One day God decided to call him to heaven and he started dying piece by piece. When he was closer the death than the life, one of his disciple asked him why he never got married. The master simply said that he always looked for the perfect woman. This is why he travelled around and around. Another disciple, the, asked him if he did fund the perfect woman. The Sufy smiled. Yes, he answered. One day found her. She was perfect. The first disciple asked why they did not get married. What better than a perfect man and a perfect woman married. The Sufy said that he asked her as wife but she answered that she was looking for the perfact man.
I think it is a bad mistake to attribute totally the fault of social disorder and crimes to immigration. Moreover, this false believe is mainly caused by media, which give a lot of importance to that crimes that are committed by strangers. Another issue is that for a politician and for all of us is simpler to accuse people from other countries than our neighbours and our social and judiciary system. All problems are complex. Semplification in this field can only create hate without solving nothing.
I think there are many stereotyes also around marriage and many of the funny stories (thank you mithu, it was cool) are based on them. Trying to face the topic seriously, I think marriage has become so popular in these jokes mainly because it has a great importance in women's and men's lifes but at the same time it has been for many years a non-completly free choice. Especially in catholics cultures many peolpe were (and are) in some way forced by social situations or physical persons to marry even if they were (are) not so sure. In my opinion, that's the reason why there are so many unhappy couples and why so many men and sometimes women are unfaithful. I think and hope that in nowadays society people are more free to live with a person they like and these stories will become just funny.
About Italian rubbish Emergency Few months ago (before Italian political election) i red an article on the BBC web site about Campania rubbish problem, in it it was written: "Italian politicians can't solve the problem of rubbish recycle even if they are able to recycle themselves".NO need to argue isn't it? We send garbage to Germany,and we buy electric power derived by the garbage disposal. It's time to wake up,we need to change our mentality. Have u never red "l'Internazionale?"(the most importan foreign newspaper's articles about the world and a section dedicated to Italy)some time there is to be ashamed!
Ok, but what is the wise's frist time? When a new family born, the components are two, so everyone has a last chance. Some marriage ended well, other endures for all life! When the frist years are spent, love and passion became natural affection (in the best cases) I don't belive in eternal love when it is consumed.... I don' t belive that two persons can live togheter not beeing tired! Ah!Probably next year i'll get married!!!!!
I don’t think that the marriage is the "love’s tomb" as a lot of people says but I think that other factors “kill” the love causing the increase of divorce’s percentage. Some of these factors are the routine and the isolation. In fact after the marriage the couple tend often to abandon personal interests, friends and hobbies. So when the passion and the enthusiasm for the new life’s style are faded, holding together can become very difficult. Moreover there are more problems to tackle in a marriage than during the engagement: paying taxes and billings, making grow the children etc.. and if the relationship isn’t quite healthy it can finish. So I think that in the marriage everyone should find a compromise among personal interests and the partner’s needs. Other important aspects are a good communication and the trust: without them the marriage can’t work. Well, I think there are other important aspects to have a good marriage but I don’t want to bore you... I add only that my cousin married on Monday: she tossed her bouquet… and I have got it… my engaged isn’t very happy…
I have been working in tertiary education and foreign language teaching for over 16 years. My professional areas of interest are Language Awareness, Tandem learning, Learner Counselling, Cross Cultural communication and language learning in multimedia environnments including Second Life.
74 comments:
Why is the catholic church losing influence?
Last week the American magazine Times published his annual list of the world's most influential people. Among this 100 leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists and others, there is not the Pope. In Italy this news really created astonishment in many journalists, and many newspaper reported it on the first page. Among this 100 people indeed there are, for example, actors like George Clooney, politicians like Vladimir Putin or Barak Obama, tennis players like Andrea Agassi but also religious leaders like the Dalai Lama. Nothing strange if Vatican really took it bad.
First of all, I want to say: it’s only a joke. It has not to be taken too seriously. Anyway, it inspired me to ask myself: is really the catholic church losing the enormous influence it has always had on the world, or at least on western countries?
I think we can answer positively, and I think there is a main reason (not the only) that who lives in Italy can analyze better than people from other countries, being bombarded every day by mass-media with Pope’s speeches and news. In my opinion this reason is that, in a world wasted by terrible problems like wars, lack of food, social injustices, all problems mainly caused by human behaviour, in the last years catholic church and especially the Pope are more and more focusing their attention and their acting on the general problem of, as they called it, defence of life.
What does “defence of life” means according to them? It includes some more specific topics, which are abort, artificial insemination, genetic manipulation. I am not a true believer (no more, from many years yet), but I know the Bible, and Christ teachings. I have always found in those teachings a high dose of humanism, that in my opinion contrast, for example, with the affirmation that life begins in the moment of the conceiving. In my opinion life begins with human experience, with the pain of the birth, not before, surely not with the first cell of the foetus.
Anyway, one could also believe about this problem the same things the catholic church does, but is really this the biggest problem humanity has? The Pope seems to think so. And you?
Thanks Matteo for being the first to use our blog! Let's see what the others have to say now.
@Matteo : I want to start with a sort of word joke : “newspaper’s list are not the holy Bible”. We are literally invaded by leader boards of any types, the most common are about sexiest people. This last type of list is very often full of old actress and actors that are for sure no more sexy and sometime neither were, at least in my opinion. This time the Times give to us a more serious list but as always questionable. I think that they didn’t include the Pope just to rise a dialogue among readers. Anyway I think that the catholic church is really losing influence on some country probably because they lost a little the contact with people. People act and think different than 100 years before and the church must deal with it. On the other hand, I think that in Italy the Pope is the most influential man.
Oil dependence
In the last days oil’s price has increased over any previous historical value. Maybe oil is one of the most important good and its price is an indicator of the world’s economic health. However I wouldn’t like to discuss about the causes of this problem from the political or economic point of view but I would like to talk about the effects of this increase on the means of transportation. In Italy the freight transport on tyre constitutes the 70% of the total. Moreover car is the most used private mean. I think that soon track carriers are going again on strike because their work is really influenced by the oil’s price. So the new government should do something as soon as possible to reduce this issue. Moreover people should use more public transportation although to change custom of Italians seems very difficult. In fact public transportation isn’t quite efficient in many Italian cities, so people are motivated to use only their cars. Therefore I think a joint effort is necessary to resolve this problem: on one side the government have to work to control better the oil’s price and on the other side we have not to overuse our cars if we want really decrease oil dependence.
I think that it is not a big problem!
I agree with Luisa when she says that Times is not the Bible!!!
But it is very funny: among 100 leaders there is no place for the catholic leader!
I have not see the Times list but I think that one can became a leader not only for the office he take but for the things he do.
It is not sufficent became Pope but it necessary do what a Pope must do!
Saying that I don't see that George Clooney is most important than the Pope but he is most famous because he do what the people want an actor to do!
After all, it reflect common ideology, give the people ‘’ panem et circensem’’ !
When a big scientist die, you see a little review in journal, but when something happens to a big soccer player journal reserves the first page!
Lisa
Errata corrige and my opinion on oil dependence
First of all I have to correct my post. The magazine was not “Times” but “Time”. If someone is interested in the list of supposed important people he can look for it on http://www.time.com/time/magazine.
Talking about oil dependence, it is a dated problem we have to solve by different approach.
- Consuming less resources is the first and more performing method we can use. Public means of transport can be a solution, even if they have to be more efficient, with two different meanings: they have to be more comfortable and on time, and they have to be more efficient from the energetic point of view (for example a diesel bus consumes and pollutes about so much as 200 private cars do!).
- In the future we’ll have to use more and more renewable energy. The role of research is fundamental for this goal, that surely won’t be reached until many years to come.
- In the next future we can shift from oil to other more largely available fossil fuels, such as coal, which also have the advantage of being well-distributed all around the world, therefore creating less geopolitical tensions.
Food waste on 'staggering' scale
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7389351.stm
I think that it is really incredible how mere economic interests lead to this. A lot of countries didn’t have enough food to survive, while we produce and buy more than the necessary. People probably put on their plate a great quantity of food just to feel reach and because they have learned it watching TV. Even in diet spots, we see people eat a lot or medicine that permit us to eat more without getting fat. The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) found that salad, fruit and bread were most commonly wasted and 60% of all dumped food was untouched. I think that the problem can be solve giving people information about this issue and explain what we need to be healthy.
The judgment of personality depends. It depends on the organization, attitude of questions, and randomness of answer-makers; not on the publisher. Sometimes, it depends on the publisher too... Anyway, there is no name of Pope on that list, its not a problem. Some bad comments sometimes brings out some good things, I realize that. The Pope, also the Grandfather, has a position, not the political, the position on our mind. We believe he push us to go through a good away. As these are not political posts, we always respect these persons. The world is mechanized, fast and all have the right to say his own ideas and ideologies. As a teacher can guide a student, a father guides his kids, Pope can guide a nation, afterall a religion. The government has some rules and regulations, but the Pope does not. He can express his ideas against the activities that are subversive to any nation, or international peace. I am agreed to Matteo; I am coating this words again; he says, "... in a world wasted by terrible problems like wars, lack of food, social injustices, all problems mainly caused by human behavior, in the last years catholic church and especially the Pope are more and more focusing their attention and their acting on the general problem of, as they called it, defense of life..."; the Pope has any speech on this context(?). A lot of lives sacrificed on war field, have you seen any speech from Pope(?), on the first or last page of newspaper . Sometimes they are leading a luxurious life and doing routine works, known as schedule. The Pope, the chief of catholic church, or Imam, the chief of Mosque, Brahman,the chief of temple, does a lot, at least they can express his speech as slogan for human wellbeing.
Cosmetics Testing
Many people are unaware that animal testing for household products and their ingredients is still allowed all over the world. This involves painful experiments to develop products such as bleach, washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, furniture polish and air freshener.
There is a huge range of non-animal research techniques that, as well as being a more humane approach to science, can also be cheaper, quicker and more effective. These include cell, tissue and organ culture, micro-organisms such as bacteria, molecular research, studies with post-mortem tissues, computer simulations, population studies (epidemiology) and clinical research with human volunteers.
Despite non-animal research techniques, currently around 38,000 animals are used for the toxicity testing of cosmetics every year within the EU. Many more animal tests are conducted outside the EU for cosmetics that are developed elsewhere, but sold in the EU.
Many different types of animal experiments are used to test cosmetics.
- the Draize eye test: where substances are dripped into the eyes of conscious rabbits
- oral toxicity: where animals are force fed a substance once or repeatedly to see the toxic effects
- skin irritancy: where a substance is smeared over the shaved back of a group of animals, usually rabbits or guinea pigs.
The testing and marketing of cosmetics has been regulated by European legislation since 1976. The legislation (Council Directive 76/768/EEC) was amended for the 7th time in 2003. The 7th Amendment to the cosmetics Directive entered into force on the day of publication and must have been transposed into national law by the 11th of September 2004. The new Directive introduces a set of rules:
- from September 2004 a ban on testing of finished products within the EU.
- from September 2004, a ban on the marketing of cosmetic products and ingredients tested on animals outside the EU, where 'alternative' tests exist.
Note that the 'alternative' tests mentioned here are not only non-animal tests, but also tests that 'reduce' or 'refine' animal test methods. This 'ban' is, therefore, far from complete as it only stops the use of a few animal tests
Unfortunately these rules had been postponed in 2009 and then in 2013.
What do you think about this?
The italian rubbish emergency.
Two days ago I found an article on the BBC News internet site about the rubbish emergency in Napoli and in the whole Campania region. It said that "more than 1,000 tonnes of rubbish is [still] rotting on the city's streets" despite the extraordinary recovery plan started in January. Just in January, the European Court of Justice warned Italy not to infringe EU laws on waste, and now it is going to fine the Italian government. Moreover, day by day the situation is getting worse, since the temperature is increasing together with the terrible smell and the risk of disease.
Now in Italy there's a great hope in the new established center-right government, which has promised to solve the crisis in a short time. Do you think it will? Is the solution related to the political attitude of parliamentarians?
Finally, I have to notice how this emergency has suddenly disappeared from printed and on-line editions of italian newspapers during the last days of the election campaign. What do you think about the italian press? And which is the idea the other people in EU are forming about Italy?
Which topics are perfect to start a blog?
I wondered about Which topic is the best to start a blog. There are so many topics but I wanted something I like, but that's not enough. It is necessary to choose a topic which can be appreciate (in positive or negative) by other people, a topic that spurs other people to answer and to take part to the blog.
which are the guideliness to choose a topic?
Which field are the best? Perhaps politics or religion and why not music or life (in general I mean young, life styles,...). If you want a topic to be always fresh (I mean fresh for more than a day :) ) you need a topic that doesn't deal with a little niche like what has happen today or yesterday even though it happened something very important. I mean, for example about politics now we can talk about the winner of elections but then in some months I think it's over, I don't think there are more blogs about elections of some years ago. And however how long has a blog to live?
If you choose something more general as the topic of a blog perhaps people start to write and then loose the topic and start to talk about everything but the real topic.
I read in the net two suggestion to start a blog:
-Pick a very narrow topic. Nowadays even a blog specifically about Google is too broad: You are more likely to be seen as an expert in a narrow topic area.”
- Make sure you have enough content to be able to keep the blog going.
I think the guideliness for choosing a topic could be:
--The popularity of the topic. If you choose "my neighbours's guinea pig" perhaps you'll never have any competition I mean there will never be any other blog about this topic but this doesn't really mean that your blog will be the best on the contrary you'd probably be the only reader.
--The availability of Content. you need to do a little research on your topic before starting a blog in order to see if you’ll be able to sustain it adding fresh content over a long period. One important thing is that the author(s) never run out of things to write. Many commercial blogs die very quickly for this reason!!.
I think there are many others guideliness to point out...
for example: About motivation, passion, interest to start a blog...
Please, add your own suggestions and experiences in choosing a blog’s topic.
I think we have to use less our cars but I think that to make it possible government has to improve public trasportation, starting from train. For example, I use train every day to go to Pisa and the train is always late. Sometimes trains are so late that my friends and me have to take our cars. We don't want to do this because we paid for our train season tickets and coming by car means spend other money besides arriving later! Besides trains are always crowd. Many people have to stand up for more then 40 minutes besides be pressed by other people.
I think the first thing to do is improving public transport. I think that, in this way, people will be more pleased to use public transport.
It's necessary that both people and government work together to solve the problem of transportation in order to reduce the "oil (fuel) dependence". Government has to deal with the increase of oil’s price too and try to control its price better.
I would like talk about two topics:
The Italian rubbish emergency: I think that the solution is the population in fact in Campania there isn’t the recycling custom (media have talked so much about this) moreover they are opposed to incinerators. The government can do much: first build incinerators and differed garbage disposals and second start off with teaching the right behaviour
Which topics are perfect to start a blog? Choice a topic is a natural thing; everyone is keen about something, for example I read so much about animal concerns. Clearly if a blog has a long life is better, but in my opinion the revolution starts from each of us so if for me a topic is significant I 'must' begin because a topic, now, is uninteresting but afterward…
Well done, guys! Keep up the good work and we will talk about it all tomorrow in class!
Oil dependence...
I would like to give you my opinion about the oil dependence of our Country but more in particular about the energy context....
I think that the problem in our country is the lack of energy decisions from our governing boards (right or left, present and past..)... the governing boards don't think to plan the energy production in agreement to the energy demand (or in agreement to the trend of energy demand!!) but we try to manage the "emergency" situations...and this leads up to a increase of all price, not only for transports....
Probably, we have to start to think at the energy problem (such as related topics as environment, transport, etc) in an European framework….and to manage them really in a European context….for instance, following an European energy plan….
And I think also, that we have to leave the oil for poor Countries, in order to enable them to follow a development using quite simple technologies…even if I hope that this countries follow a more conscious develop than us…where concepts as recycle and “saving” are taken at the basis….
What can I tell you...... well, I'm not a true believer too....
better, I believe in God, but I don't agree with many Church's positions.
Maybe I don't know so many things about Bible....better, I'm quite sure of
this thing, but thinking of what I know, of what I read.... well,
I usually see a big difference between the message you read into
Bible and what the Church say.
I agree with Laguna when she said that the Church have lost the contact
with people. The world goes on, while they remain at the same point!
elisa
@Andrea, about rubbish "emergency"
I wouldn't call it an emergency, because it's a known issue that is just getting worse and worse every year and has now reached its climax; better, let's hope it has reached, so it's going to decline from now on.
But I'm not sure it will, 'cause we need to find both temporary solutions, to solve the actual crisis, and long-term solutions, to avoid things to happen again in a few years (or even next year), but every possible remedy is cut by protests of people not willing to collaborate and share part of the solution; such protests, moreover, have often turned in a sort of guerrilla, and one could argue they were fueled by hidden powers which are taking advantage of the present status and don't want to stop.
The student protests began in April 1968. In May the "rive gauche" burn and one mounth later the De Gaulle gouvernement collapses. Meanwhile, the Prague Spring, the assassination of MLK, the war in Vietnam, the "cultural revolution" in China, Valle Giulia in Italy say that the world will never be the same.
40 years later, what is the legacy of the "May 1968"? The conservatives attack the 1968 as the responsible of the moral crisis of our society. But, in which way the rebellion against the parents of the 1968 is relevant with the individualism of the new generations? How close are the French students that said "Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible (Be realistic, demand the impossible) and the (not so) young people that live with their parents until they are 40? Beyond the celebration, rediscover 1968 means analyize ourselves thinking about the failure of our generation in writing history. The "short century" is over and we are sat on its ruins. The rebellion could be a good way to walk toward the future. Happy birthday 1968.
Oil issue... mmm... it's a very serious matter! Since 2004 I have begun monitoring the oil price. I remember the price in the 2004 was around $30per barrel, and today it's over $120. I'm very worried and I expect the price will rise over $150 at the end of the year.
The issue is the economical system accepted by all industrialized countries. According to this policy the economical value of a country has to increase for each year more than the previous one, this means an exponential economical growth and so an exponential growth of the energy consumption. All kind of primary energies in our world are not available as they are in nature, but we need to transform or convert them into better forms in order to use them. This process needs money because it wastes energy. Oil is today the most widespread energy used in the world for two reasons: it is less expensive than other energy sources and it is very easily transportable. But today the reserves are almost depleted and we are not able to find a real alternative to oil because for several years all technological research investments have been focused on the oil depending sectors (electrical power plants, transportation systems,...)
But the game will be up as soon as the oil price will be comparable to one of other kind of energy, like the electrical energy generated by wind or solar. This is the future, but not too much distant!! What we can do now?
We are obliged to save energy, not for an ethical reason, but only for curbing the costs! We have to change the way we are used to live! If we can, we have to use the bicycle instead of the car! …
… For almost all people this can seem a philosophical theory, but these are only some thoughts of a hopeful energy saving engineer!
About: Which topics are perfect to start a blog?
I think it heavily depends on what kind of blog do you want. I mean...some people consider a blog, a sort of diary. In this case, I think there isn't a perfect topic to start, because the blogs represent you and your life. The blog become a virtual diary where you can post your ideas, thoughts and whatever you want. I think it's usefull after a long working day as personal vent.
Instead, if you're interested in something that could involve a large number of people, I thinks that up-to-date problems like politic situation, the increasing of costs... are the best choose.
In any case, probably everything that has written with feeling is a good choice.
In fact, we have to try a solution to save energy...the increase of pubblic transport (more and more efficient systems of transport) or the use of bycicle could be a good idea...
for instance, if I don't make a mistake, in the Netherlands and problably also in Belgium, industries give some benefits to poeple that go to work using bycicle and the state built km and km of bycicle path..
probably, for the italians it sounds strange...get up in the morning and take a bycicle for about 15 or more kiliometers and then start to work (8 hours...).
..we are quite lazy...but we have to try to do something..
...the use of the bycicle is usefull for our money (minus oil consumption...) for the environment but in particular for our health...
About oil dependence i think that we have to undertake three way: energetic saving with the consumption optimization, use of renewable energy: photovoltaic, biomasses and aeolian are partuculary indicated for the italian territorial features, and finally integration of the energetic demand with some forgetted fossil combustible like carbon.
The finest way, in my opinion, is the utilization of renewable energy baecause the energetic saving could lead to downsize our "way of live" , on the other side the utilization of fossil combustible give environmental problem (the famuos greenhouse effect)and in the case of carbon is upmarket.
Renewable energy are efficiently utilized in land like sweden where about the 60% of the energy demand is mantled by "green energy" that, whitin 2020, have to mantle the 80% of the demand yielding to the energetic country's indipendence.
Religion comes from 'religere', a latin word meaning 'legare', to link. Before any answer at your question can be given, let me try to clarify (to my self, at least) the differences between Faith and Religion.
Faith is a gift, something you have, which allow you to establish a connection between you and the God. The Religion defines rules to encode the Faith within certain behaviours. The Church is a line between the earth, you, and the heaven, God. Clearly this is a simplification, but, independently from the God existence, this is how from polytheistic religions, that's to say from a personification of various gods (the sun, the rain....), humans have came to monotheistic religions. This is a simplification, fundamental to rule people, but this is another story.
Among rules the Religion decided, the defence of life is surely an hot topic. The Church manages the dead of the people: it is able to guide you, during the pass-over, so that you can reach the Heaven and so on. It manages the whole life of a person, being he believers or not. Finally, it tries to manage the birth, too. The power on birth means the complete control over all the life. In my opinion, there is no fear of eugenetic or something else, but only the control over the boundary condition of life. This is a mad comparison, but try to imagine that the life of a person is a temporal evolution from the birth to the dead, in which the initial condition, the birth, drives the evolution to the final condition, the dead.
By the way, catholic Church is not losing influence. Even from John Paul II, some newspapers said the the churches were empty and the squares filled by people. So there are many and many people who believe in catholic church, but they believe in their way !
The Italian rubbish emergency
First of all, it is not only a Campania problem. Early rubbish will invade also central and northern regions.
Then, like all other important problems in Italy, it derives from two reasons: the inadequacy of the politicians and the uncaring attitude of all of us.
I’ve studied this problem for a quite long time, as a chemical engineering, even from a scientific point of view, with approaches such as “life cycle assessment”. So, I can give you just a pair of indication (without boring, I hope!):
- Complete recycling is often impossible and in every instance counterproductive. Recycling processes could sometimes cause more pollution than, for example, disposal or incineration.
- Incineration is not the evil. In Italy, 5% of the dioxins are produced by waste incineration plants, 40% by diesel car and even 30% by wood burning in house hearth! And if you think that incineration plant gaseous emission are ejected in the atmosphere at perhaps 100 m of height, while cars and hearths release dioxins on our faces...
- All civilized world uses incineration. In Japan, for example, landfilling doesn’t exist. And they live longer than any other people in the world. I have never heard of a case in which a municipal solid waste combustion plant (MSWC) caused particular problems of health to population. On the contrary, I heard of garbage dump having caused health problems.
- Finally, it’s easy to inspire terror in people minds. But do we really have to trust in Pecoraro Scanio and friends? Or we’d do best to trust in scientists and engineers that studied the problem?
TO WORK AND DRINK!!! IT'S POSSIBLE????
An important news online says that a third of employees have been to work with a hangover while more than one in 10 has been drunk at their desk.
I don’t understand as it’s possible; the alcohol reduces the abilities so you can’t make the normal work.
The people who drink during their work, said that alcohol affected their performance or mood.
The Dr. Douglas Wright, from Norwich Union Healthcare said that the alcohol and the workplace often do go hand in hand.
I don’t know nobody that drinking during their work. And you? What do you think about???
@Elisa :
OT
despite my nickname ends in 'a', I am not a girl :D My real name, which is Andrea ends in 'a' too :)
/OT
@ALL :
Did you know that we are extracting oil in Basilicata? Despite of this we pay for a barrel as it came from the moon. Although our oil is not enough, I think that we may pay more than Arabian people but much lesser than other countries.
@Manuela, Oil dependence
Dear Manuela, I completely agree with you when you say that we should use more the public transportation. I would only add some issues. The problem is not only the lack – and delays – of this kind of transportation. A more important issue is that we gained, for example with cars, a sort of independence: with a car we are not dependent from the “clock”, we can decide at last minute what to do, we don’t need to plan anything in advance, etc. The problem could be shifted to the search of a non oil dependent way of transportation, without affecting people’s freedom.
@Matteo Bientinesi
I would like to reply only on one issue of your post. I think that the solution is not consuming fewer resources; I don’t mean that we are free to waste resources, but we cannot forget the advancement in science and technology, that contribute to the improvement of our life.
I think that the absence of the Pope from the Time's annual list is not an issue that could be explained with the losing of influence of Catholic church.
The polemic reactions had by the Vatican, that have defined the list as "perplexing", mainly are linked to the measure with which the list have been created.
This is only the opinion of a magazine, that have to sell its copy to the people and, as such, maybe it prefers to promote other kinds of person, for example, some important character of the actual "show-biz"...
Do you feel safe at home?
Nowadays it is quite common to hear about house-lifting; moreover armed assaults are very common. Everybody used to close the door using the key, to park the car inside the garage, etc. Last but not least I read on one of the today’s newspaper that the thieves burgled a flat in Brescia are now out of the prison. Last year those guys, after a series of armed assaults, were arrested. I would like also to add that they were not Italian citizens. Now, one year later, they are free and still in Italy. Why don’t send them back to their former country?
@Martina
Security issue has influenced last Italian election. I hope that this time they'll made something real to solve the problem. I think that we need more policemen and less bureaucracy.
I would like to give my opinion about the new Italian Government. My opinion doesn’t regard the political point of view, everybody has a specific idea about that. But I think there’s a general important question to bring up: what do you think about the age of some of our new ministers ? and about their job ? For example, we have a showgirl to defend traditional, family values. Furthermore, our new minister for Education is only 34 years old, and there are many other young men and women into new Government. I’m a bit slighted about it. I think they are roles where experience, diplomacy, authority have to put in evidence. Probably these qualities are not so diffused in our society, independently from the age. But it’s not correct to give these kinds of examples. In our society when you are 30 years old normally it’s not so easy to have a permanent employment, or a good salary. And a young minister doesn’t have particular qualities or merits: he has only token a quick short cut. Last of all I think this is not only a formal problem, but it shows the real low consideration of our politician men for equity and meritocracy values.
@Alessio S.
ABOUT : To work and Drink
As far as we know in big company is strictly forbidden to work under alcohol effects.
We think that is nearly impossible to work fine when drunken at least in normal employs.
A common place is that rock stars did their best performance when drunken or worse.....
Moreover it is unsafe for you and the others to do some action when not sober.
Do you trust a drunken surgeon?
Do you feel safe to drive after five beers?
by Laguna and Vanessa
@Matteo, about the Catholic Church
I think Catholic Church is losing influence also because of its frequent "invasion" in political aspects of life. Maybe Vatican should remember what Jesus said about the separation between political and God-related issues. People are smart enough to feel this problem and to react leaving churches. But I think they are also enough smart to mantain their faith.
Refer to: "TO WORK AND DRINK!!! IT'S POSSIBLE????
"
We think that this is not much possible, especially in Italy where there is not a common use to alcohol. Probably in a country where there is the use of alcoholics is more common, this is a possible situation. In any case, drinking alcoholics during the working hours is a bad thing, because it influences the performance in a negative way.
Giulio and Elisa.
Dear Martina,
Did you listen to the young boy from Verona killed by some italian coetaneuous guys for a futile reason?? Do you want send them at home?....remember their home is Italy....
In our opinion the problem is not the provenance..all of us are foreigners....it depends by the point of view!!!
Articles in newspapers and magazines are often focused on "foreigner's bad actions": it increases hostility....but real data, coming from official organisms said that the biggest fraction of crime happens into domestic context....
so, what do you propose? ...
by manuela & barbara
We think that alcohol must be restricted in the working zone, as alcohol reduces the mental ability to do normal work activities, in particular jobs such as banking, transaction of money, and some sophisticated technical activities. Not only these, alcohol reduces the physical ability in some cases, e.g., driving heavy vehicles or maintenance of heavy machineries etc.
In contrast, in some places where the ambient temperature is very low, i.e., - 40 degree, like Russia, physical-working people are allowed to drink in that place of work for gaining more temperature in their bodies; and the persons working cleaning very rough places just like toilets and drains, or cleaning dustbins are allowed to drink alcohols and related drinks too. But its a social problem that involves a part of their families as wife, children and some other dependents. What you think!!!!! Do you like to drink in working place?????!!!!
TO WORK AND DRINK!!! IT'S POSSIBLE????
It depends....the really question could be : "to work and drink a lot: it's possible?"
there're many situations during the work day where you can drink (without passing limits) and work without any kind of problems. For example , at lunch or after lunch if you take a laced coffee.
Obviously if you drink a lot you can't work but you can't do anything in general. So the real question is: to drink or to drink a lot?
In the former case, probably everyone drink at work, in the latter I think that the question hasn't got any sense (when you're drunk you can't do anything!!!).
Gianni-Lisa
@Manuela and Barbara
Oil Issue
We agree completely with you about the use of public means of transport.
Expecially in Italy, we are used to move with owner car for to do everything:to the work, to the cinema, to the sea....
So, people is free to move wherever and whenever.
In order to increase the use of public transport we have to reorganize our way of living. We need to arrange our movements and dates according to bus, metro, or train time schedule.
.....to be continued......
Antonio and Alessio
The italian rubbish emergency.
I would like to reply to Matteo about the incineration. Maybe it is not the evil, but neither the panacea. I'd like to say that the inciniration is a painful necessity. The problem in Campania isn't whether to make the incinerator or not, but where, when and how do it. I would prefer to speak about the elimination of the package and, in general, on the reduction of the rubbish.
@didonato, about oil dependece
About the oil dependence I think it’s not possible to remove this problem only with individual choices. It’s necessary to have good laws and new strategic plans. Environmental problems are not so easy to solve in our society: if you use the bicycle instead of the car you show a good ethical behaviour, and really we need to reduce the number of cars on roads, but actually we have to find more concrete and determined solutions.
@alessio s. and laguna
To work and Drink
Dear Alessio, first of all I would like to tell you that foreign people may have different habit. I just want to tell you that it is quite common in eastern countries, such as Russia or Bulgaria, to start drinking alcohol even at breakfast. This may be caused by different reasons, e.g. cold weather conditions, absence of entertainment, etc. Anyway I agree with Laguna about the fact that I will not trust any drunk people at work. In addition I cannot stand drunk driver. The alcohol limit for driver should be set to ZERO, as in many foreign countries.
@Giovanni
I don't agree with people have got high performance car! You know what I mean!
Work and drink ...
Of course people should limit (I would also say avoid...) alcohol consumption during job time, but how Martina said, this is not so obvious and easy in many cultures. I experienced this kind of situation in Germany, where many professors and researchers (and students too) have a Bavarian breakfast (literally translation) at 11.00 am. How you could imagine, this kind of meal is not exactly the best in job time. You usually drink one or two 0.5 l beer eating sausages. I'm sure they are not drunk because a liter beer is nothing for a Bavarian, even without eating, but in many job you need to be at 100% of your capabilities, and you wouldn't be so in such cases. I think that, even if it is a habit due to the specific country culture, in many jobs alcohol should be strictly prohibited (and in many cases things work like this).
It's late, it's English course time, but I wanted to write some words about the "oil dependence" topic, which has became, in many comments, the "Italians transport habits" topic. I would suggest a more general view of the problem, focusing on how are relationships between Italian people and things which belong to everybody. In this way, maybe even the rubbish problem could have the same base. I think that Italians don't feel common problems and things as THEIR problems and things. Using every day a car for 1 km is something that can be comfortable instead of waiting for a bus, riding a bicycle or simply go by foot. Therefore many people, just thinking to their convenience, would choose the first option making a choice that is not the best one for the community.
(I will continue later..., too late)
@sara...
.. about the topic...
anyone can choose a topic does not mean that anyone should !
From ratatouille
Drunk at Work
We must admit we experienced being drunk at work, at least according to some of your comments. In fact, sometimes we had an after lunch drink during, for example, project meetings or holiday lectures, and so on.
One of the authours of this post (he'd like to keep anounymous) is able to drink about a pint of wine without being drunk: we mean, without loosing his brain capacities and still being able to work and being productive.
The metabolism of alcoohol varies according to body's health-state, mass, tiring, and so on, so you cannot fix a treshold in every condition. E.g., Policemen, usually, look at you to see if you are really drunk, and just after that they use the alcooholic test to get evidence of it.
Cheers!
Riccardo DG and Francesco P
Dress can affect size of paycheck?
It's common habit to think that the way of dressing influences the salaries of people.
A static by the USA Today newspaper says that 56% agree. We think that this kind of issue depends on the field you're working in. For example at the University there is no need to dress in a particular way except for special occasions like meeting,... There are also some works like bricklayers or pipefitters who need not to dress in suit and tie for clear reasons.
But for example, in other work places like television, banks and so on, it's mandatory to wear well-dressed. In these cases you can even loose yuor work or be downgraded if you don't dress as your boss wants.
Do you agree?
Martina and sara
About the oil dependence...
We think that it's not so easy to evaluate real effects of alternative energies on the environment. First of all, greenhouse emissions are not a form of pollution, like for example hydrocarbons emissions or NOx emissions. So the increase of CO2 should be not so dangerous for people.
Then, some more accurate well-to-wheels analysis still need to be carried out. For example, in the case of hydrogen, we have to consider its whole generation process. Indeed, it can be obtained using oil-produced electricity or by some gas chemical reactions, which might generate a greater pollution than the use of conventional oil fuels.
Giovanni and Andrea.
@Martina about oil dependence
We both disagree with your last comment about the need to consume more and more resources in order to improve our life. For many reasons, especially for pollution, we maybe should reduce our energy consumption without radically change our life style. Nowadays in rich countries a lot of resources are used for not so fundamental employees, while poor countries don't have enough energy for basic life needs. For instance, till about 10 years ago, air conditioning was not so common, while nowadays it has become a standard accessory of our houses and offices.
Moreover these resources usually are imported from those countries that have not enough power to use them by themselves.
Advancement in technology should not just improve our life quality but also help to reduce the weight that our develop represent for the world and for human health.
Matteo e Riccardo
@Martina about safe:
We think that the safe issue deals with justice policy. The main problem in Italy is that nobody really pays for its crime. It leads to an increasing immigration of criminals who find in Italy a "prison-free" country...Law is too ambiguous to be applied and trials take too long time; so smart lawers can vindicate criminals...At the end of the days, people feel allowed to do justice by itself.
Elisa e Filippo.
I agree with Elisa and Filippo when they say that the issue of safety deals with justice policy. In fact the inefficiency of the Italian judiciary system encourages many people to do justice by itself. Today I have heard that the new Italian government is preparing new laws to control the immigration and to improve safety. I think it’s merely one step toward the resolution of the problem because it isn’t only caused by the clandestine immigration. We need to have confidence that lawbreakers, both Italians and foreigners, are punished for their actions.
@alessio et al. :)
about "drinking at work"
hi everybody. there's no doubt that being drunk when you perform some critical work which concerns personal safety, as driving or using mechanical machinery is obviously a very stupid and dangerous thing. it has been proven that alchool affects our capacity of reaction. there are people which tell they are not drunk even if they have assumed a huge quantity of alchool. that's true, reaction to alchool is personal and varies a lot among people. but i think that as alcohol can affect our sensitivity it also can affect our judgements, including knowing if we are really drunk or not. you can think you are still ok after having drunk two beers if you are in the disco and you're talking with your friends, but this does not implies that you are able to drive in the same conditions.
there are some other kinds of work in which alchool is not a direct issue. for example, actors, performers of varius kind, speakers do not harm anyone if they do their work after drinking two or three Mohitos. in my opinion this does not imply that they're doing the rigth thing, even if they tell that alchool helps them to feel ok with other people. in fact, this habit can lead to a very sad and problematic situation in which you cannot do without your drink. so, instead of being troubled with public speaking, public performing and so on, you can easily find yourself troubled with a serious dipendence.
finally, i think there is really no difference between alchool and other substances which alter conscience and brain functioning as cocaine and other drugs. issues with alchool are to be treated as common addiction to illegal drugs. but alchool is more dangerous because is socially accepted and tolerated by our law.
Dress can affect size of paycheck?
Personal experience from a work place.
Thank you Sara because your topic touch the reality of being employed in a office.
In my opinion the way you dress in a work place is important because it is responsible of the way you look like; also height and beauty could help in your career and the way you are dressed do too.
The place where I work is nice because it has a sort of University-like environment where, as you said, people can dress casually. My boss doesn't say anything about clothes. But here special occasion and meeting are not exception and I can assure I can breath in my office a different atmosphere when my dresses are smart, a sort of bigger consideration.
I hate when people judge by appearance but it affects real life here in a work place.
In my opinion, women are much more involved in this terrible mechanism because we have to be certainly good engineer but also stylish, professional and, in few words, perfect; for sure other working contest are much worse.
Barbara C.
Hi everybody
I have posted a joke, please feel free to comment on it.
God created the donkey
and said to him.
"You will be a donkey. You will work untiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass,
you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."
The donkey answered: "I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"
God granted his wish.
God created the dog
and said to him:
"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend. You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years. You will be a dog. "
The dog answered: "Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years.
" God granted his wish.
God created the monkey
and said to him:
"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years " The monkey answered: "To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years."
God granted his wish.
Finally God created man ...
and said to him:
"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth. You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."
Man responded: "Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little, give me the 30 years that the donkey refused,
the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused.
" God granted man's wish
And since then, man lives 20 years as a man , marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back.
Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him,
so that when he is old, he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.
Do you think that the Democratic Party can win the US presidential elections in November?
During this period in the news are reported the strong battle for Democratic Party nomination between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton, but have they either the possibility to win in November?
In other words, are US people really ready to have a woman or a black man at the White House?
I don't know if they are ready. I think that in USA exists a political class with a strong power that wouldn't accept any of the two pretenders, even if the Democratic Party would have the majority of electors.
And you what do you think about?
@ Laguna
I’m really sorry! I was quite undecided about writing “she” or “he” ……I had two chances…. and obviously I failed!!!!! :-)
see you!
elisa
I am posting a letter. there are a lot of computer related students in our course, can you give the answer in favor of Bill!!! Gates!!! (Mr. Bill Gates, the owner of Microsoft. if not possible, at least, enjoy it!!! If it don't make a laugh, make a copy and paste on your microsoft word document, and then sent it to your recycle bin.
Enjoy it!!!
Letter is from Banta Singh of Punjab to Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft
Subject: Problems with my new computer
Dear Mr. Bill Gates,
We have bought a computer for our home and we have found some problems, which I want to bring to your notice and kind consideration.
1. There is a button 'start' but there is no 'stop' button. We request you to check this.
2. We find there is 'Run' in the menu. One of my friends clicked 'run' he ran up to Amritsar ! So, we request you to change that to 'sit', so that we can click that by sitting.
3. One doubt is whether any 're-scooter' is available in system? I find only 're-cycle', but I own a scooter at my home.
4. There is 'Find' button but it is not working properly. My wife lost the door key and we tried a lot trace the key with this ' find' button, but was unable to trace. Please rectify this problem.
5. My child learned 'Microsoft word' now he wants to learn 'Microsoft sentence', so when you will provide that?
6. I brought computer, CPU, mouse and keyboard, but there is only one icon which shows 'MY Computer': when you will provide the remaining items?
7. It is surprising that windows says 'MY Pictures' but there is not even a single photo of mine. So when will you keep my photo in that.
8. There is 'MICROSOFT OFFICE' what about 'MICROSOFT HOME' since I use the PC at home only.
9. You provided 'My Recent Documents'. When you will provide 'My Past Documents'?
10. You provide 'My Network Places'. For God shake please do not provide 'My Secret Places'. I do not want to let my wife know where I go after my office hours.
Regards,
Banta
Last one from me to Mr Bill Gates :
Sir, how is it that your name is Gates but u are selling WINDOWS?
..........M. A. H. Mithu...........
@ Cristina about US presidential election
Nowadays we can say that almost surely the democratic candidate will be Barack Obama, and this is yet an important result.
From a sociological point of view we can observe that in the USA usually only a low percentage of population take part in the election, and Obama can lead to vote some categories such as Afro-Americans and young people that typically don’t use to do it.
From a more practical point of view, I’ve read in some articles by NYT that Obama is collecting a huge amount of money for his presidential campaign, while Mc Cain has some problem to recover funds. It is obvious that in such an immense country as USA is, money is essential (even only to move around!). Maybe this is not proper, but this is true.
The real problem, in my opinion, is: if Obama will become president, will he succeed in changing American foreign policy as he’s now claiming? This question and who will win the American election is of fundamental importance not only for the USA, but for all of us too.
I think the story is quite fun and perhaps under some aspects to be true, but I think it's too pessimistic. Parents love their children and even if sometimes there can be some arguments between them, parents love to grow up their children. However it's not always that beautiful because there are problems but nothing is perfect. I think that not all marriages are a failure where a person think to be a donkey. Many marriages show happy couples where each one help the other one. Also in this case we have to talk about divorce but it's better to live all the life far from all other people or try to relate with other people even if there can be some problems?
In the last I knew many grandparents who are respected and loved from their sons and their grandsons, however there are some granparents who are left alone...
However the story is quite fun I knew it but it's always funny to hear it again :)
Hi all, here am posting a joke about success of marriage life, hope you all will enjoy it.
THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE
Once upon a time a married couple celebrated their 25th marriage
anniversary.
They had become famous in the city for not having a single conflict in
their period of 25 years.
Local newspaper editors had gathered at the occasion to find out the
secret of their well known 'happy going marriage'.
Editor: ' Sir. It's amazingly unbelievable. How did you make this
possible? '
Husband recalling his old honeymoon days said:
' We had been to Shimla for honeymoon after marriage.
Having selected the horse riding finally, we both started
the ride on different horses.
My horse was pretty okay but the horse on which my wife
was riding seemed to be a crazy one.
On the way ahead, that horse jumped suddenly, making my
wife topple over. Recovering her position from the ground,
she patted the horse's back and said 'This is your first time'.
She again climbed the horse and continued with the ride.
After a while, it happened again. This time she again kept
calm and said 'This is your second time' and continued.
When the horse dropped her third time, she silently took out
the revolver from the purse and shot the horse dead !!
I shouted at my wife: 'What did you do you psycho. You
killed the poor animal. Are you crazy?' ..
She gave a silent look and said: 'This is your first time!!!'.'
Husband: 'That's it. We are happy ever after. '
I think that inefficiency of Italian judiciary system could be produce a great damage for our society, because people feel allowed to do justice by itself. So Italian Government must give a concrete signal of power and control. It’s not that easy to take restrictive measures against clandestine immigration, but probably it’s the lesser of evils, to avoid social disorders and sources of conflict between Italians and foreigners.
Hi Chaitanya! I just read your joke about success of marriage life, it’s great! I got married last September, and everybody was joking on me because of percentage of divorces in Italy: now I can answer that I exactly know the secret for a happy going marriage! I’ll keep in mind this joke and I’ll tell it to my husband ;-)
bye!
Hi all!
For everybody who is interested in Caribbean dancing, and in particular would like to learn salsa: I know there is an evening course just started, hold in Pisa at the Leopolda terrace, every Wednesday at 21.30. I tried last Wednesday, and even if I’m not good at all, it was very funny!
About marriage and things like that
Long long time ago there was a Sufy master. He was very old. One day God decided to call him to heaven and he started dying piece by piece.
When he was closer the death than the life, one of his disciple asked him why he never got married.
The master simply said that he always looked for the perfect woman. This is why he travelled around and around.
Another disciple, the, asked him if he did fund the perfect woman.
The Sufy smiled. Yes, he answered. One day found her. She was perfect.
The first disciple asked why they did not get married. What better than a perfect man and a perfect woman married.
The Sufy said that he asked her as wife but she answered that she was looking for the perfact man.
About social order...
I think it is a bad mistake to attribute totally the fault of social disorder and crimes to immigration. Moreover, this false believe is mainly caused by media, which give a lot of importance to that crimes that are committed by strangers. Another issue is that for a politician and for all of us is simpler to accuse people from other countries than our neighbours and our social and judiciary system.
All problems are complex. Semplification in this field can only create hate without solving nothing.
about marriage (and stereotypes)
I think there are many stereotyes also around marriage and many of the funny stories (thank you mithu, it was cool) are based on them. Trying to face the topic seriously, I think marriage has become so popular in these jokes mainly because it has a great importance in women's and men's lifes but at the same time it has been for many years a non-completly free choice. Especially in catholics cultures many peolpe were (and are) in some way forced by social situations or physical persons to marry even if they were (are) not so sure. In my opinion, that's the reason why there are so many unhappy couples and why so many men and sometimes women are unfaithful. I think and hope that in nowadays society people are more free to live with a person they like and these stories will become just funny.
About Italian rubbish Emergency
Few months ago (before Italian political election) i red an article on the BBC web site about Campania rubbish problem, in it it was written: "Italian politicians can't solve the problem of rubbish recycle even if they are able to recycle themselves".NO need to argue isn't it? We send garbage to Germany,and we buy electric power derived by the garbage disposal. It's time to wake up,we need to change our mentality. Have u never red "l'Internazionale?"(the most importan foreign newspaper's articles about the world and a section dedicated to Italy)some time there is to be ashamed!
THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE
Ok, but what is the wise's frist time?
When a new family born, the components are two, so everyone has a last chance.
Some marriage ended well, other endures for all life!
When the frist years are spent, love and passion became natural affection (in the best cases)
I don't belive in eternal love when it is consumed....
I don' t belive that two persons can live togheter not beeing tired!
Ah!Probably next year i'll get married!!!!!
THE SUCCESS OF MARRIAGE
I don’t think that the marriage is the "love’s tomb" as a lot of people says but I think that other factors “kill” the love causing the increase of divorce’s percentage. Some of these factors are the routine and the isolation. In fact after the marriage the couple tend often to abandon personal interests, friends and hobbies. So when the passion and the enthusiasm for the new life’s style are faded, holding together can become very difficult. Moreover there are more problems to tackle in a marriage than during the engagement: paying taxes and billings, making grow the children etc.. and if the relationship isn’t quite healthy it can finish.
So I think that in the marriage everyone should find a compromise among personal interests and the partner’s needs.
Other important aspects are a good communication and the trust: without them the marriage can’t work.
Well, I think there are other important aspects to have a good marriage but I don’t want to bore you...
I add only that my cousin married on Monday: she tossed her bouquet… and I have got it… my engaged isn’t very happy…
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