May 12, 2008
Clementina Forleo cacciata da Milano
E così, ridendo e scherzando (si fa per dire), la prima commissione del Consiglio superiore della magistratura ha deciso “a stretta maggioranza” di cacciare da Milano la gip Clementina Forleo. Il provvedimento, tuttavia, dovrà ora essere valutato dal plenum dell'organo di autogoverno dei magistrati. Il Corriere informa anche su come hanno votato i consiglieri Fabio Roia (Unicost), Letizia Vacca (Pdc) e Gianfranco Anedda (An), Livio Pepino (Magistratura democratica) e Mario Fresa (Movimento per la giustizia), nonché il presidente della Commissione medesima, Antonio Patrono. Interessante. Si spera in un ripensamento in extremis, ma senza farsi troppe illusioni.
Che fare coi fans di Travaglio Marco?
Che fare con Travaglio Marco? Se lo domanda Filippo Facci sul Giornale di oggi, e naturalmente ce lo domandiamo anche noi su WRH, ma senza chissà quale convinzione, solo per non essere da meno, diciamo, oppure perché un post ogni tanto—in italiano, poi, dopo tanti in inglese, ché poi i non anglofoni si stufano pure e smettono di leggerti—lo si deve pur dedicare a un soggetto siffatto.
Che fare dunque? Onestamente non ne ho la benché minima idea, ma questa grave lacuna, ho ragione di pensare, si spiega più con lo scarso entusiasmo di cui parlavo prima che con la pur non trascurabile complessità della questione, cui del resto Facci stesso, a bella chiusa, ha dato una soluzione più che plausibile, ipotizzando il rilascio di un “verbale” montanelliano in tutto e per tutto appropriato, se non propriamente elegante—ma il grande Indro, ch’era pur sempre il toscanaccio che sappiamo, non brillava certo per la delicatezza dei modi e delle forme verbali.
Il problema, tuttavia, potrebbe avere un risvolto parecchio più interessante: va bene il che fare con il Travaglio, ma non sarà il caso di domandarsi prima ancora come ci si debba comportare con i suoi fans, cioè con coloro ai quali vari conduttori televisivi dispensano così spesso e volentieri—con la certezza di “fare audience”—le apparizioni del guru (tanto da far venire a qualcuno l’incontenibile desiderio di cancellare dai palinsesti i loro programmi)?
Ebbene, qui una risposta credo sia molto più semplice darla: è assolutamente consigliabile non togliere a costoro il tanto desiderato prodotto editorial-propagandistico. Folle di telespettatori in crisi di astinenza, in siffatte patologie da consumo di sostanze diffamatorie, sono ancor più socialmente pericolose di soggetti allegramente strafatti. I proibizionisti, a modesto avviso di chi scrive, dovrebbero riflettere attentamente sugli effetti devastanti di un possibile giro di vite su questa delicata materia. A mali estremi, in certi casi, è meglio rispondere con rimedi moderatissimi.
Che fare dunque? Onestamente non ne ho la benché minima idea, ma questa grave lacuna, ho ragione di pensare, si spiega più con lo scarso entusiasmo di cui parlavo prima che con la pur non trascurabile complessità della questione, cui del resto Facci stesso, a bella chiusa, ha dato una soluzione più che plausibile, ipotizzando il rilascio di un “verbale” montanelliano in tutto e per tutto appropriato, se non propriamente elegante—ma il grande Indro, ch’era pur sempre il toscanaccio che sappiamo, non brillava certo per la delicatezza dei modi e delle forme verbali.
Il problema, tuttavia, potrebbe avere un risvolto parecchio più interessante: va bene il che fare con il Travaglio, ma non sarà il caso di domandarsi prima ancora come ci si debba comportare con i suoi fans, cioè con coloro ai quali vari conduttori televisivi dispensano così spesso e volentieri—con la certezza di “fare audience”—le apparizioni del guru (tanto da far venire a qualcuno l’incontenibile desiderio di cancellare dai palinsesti i loro programmi)?
Ebbene, qui una risposta credo sia molto più semplice darla: è assolutamente consigliabile non togliere a costoro il tanto desiderato prodotto editorial-propagandistico. Folle di telespettatori in crisi di astinenza, in siffatte patologie da consumo di sostanze diffamatorie, sono ancor più socialmente pericolose di soggetti allegramente strafatti. I proibizionisti, a modesto avviso di chi scrive, dovrebbero riflettere attentamente sugli effetti devastanti di un possibile giro di vite su questa delicata materia. A mali estremi, in certi casi, è meglio rispondere con rimedi moderatissimi.
May 10, 2008
Al blogger disperso
Nessuno, che io sappia, ha mai scritto un requiem per i blogs scomparsi. Né ho voglia di farlo io, ma un cenno, malinconico, mi sembra giusto farlo. Panta rei, certamente, però prenderne atto non è mai uno scherzo. Vai a sapere le storie, magari pure complesse, inestricabili. Creare un blog non è difficile, difficile è mantenere l’abitudine per anni, per questo molti mollano e, insalutati ospiti, lettori e scrivani spariscono nel nulla.
Oggi mi sono deciso a dare un’occhiata al blogroll—dopo un po’, lo confesso, perché il tempo è sempre maledettamente tiranno e uno non si può permettere di tenere dignitosamente aggiornato il proprio blog e nello stesso tempo di essere assiduo con quelli altrui, almeno noi che teniamo famiglia, un lavoro e una marea di cose da fare per tirare la carretta. Ebbene, che cosa ho trovato? Un’ecatombe. Quindici in meno, spariti nel nulla—due, addirittura, sono diventati “privati,” pensate un po’…, se ci penso mi vengono i brividi: il Web può perfino diventare un luogo “de noantri.” Teoricamente, chiaro, si sapeva già, ma poi vedere la messa in pratica … Altri, infine, talmente ripiegati su stessi e i propri famigli da non potersi più annoverare tra i titolari di blog pubblici. Wow, non mi ci raccapezzo. Eppure chissà quante buone ragioni, quante storie, appunto.
Volevo solo dire che ho cancellato … ciò che non c’è più. Ma solo per non immalinconirmi in futuro, cliccando verso il nulla, oltre che per offrire elenchi veritieri, cioè non fasulli, ai visitatori. Un pensiero commosso ai vecchi tempi, in ogni caso, mi sembra doveroso. Finché l’oblio non avrà fatto la sua parte fino in fondo, un posto nella memoria, per voi amici, ci sarà. Promesso.
God bless.
Oggi mi sono deciso a dare un’occhiata al blogroll—dopo un po’, lo confesso, perché il tempo è sempre maledettamente tiranno e uno non si può permettere di tenere dignitosamente aggiornato il proprio blog e nello stesso tempo di essere assiduo con quelli altrui, almeno noi che teniamo famiglia, un lavoro e una marea di cose da fare per tirare la carretta. Ebbene, che cosa ho trovato? Un’ecatombe. Quindici in meno, spariti nel nulla—due, addirittura, sono diventati “privati,” pensate un po’…, se ci penso mi vengono i brividi: il Web può perfino diventare un luogo “de noantri.” Teoricamente, chiaro, si sapeva già, ma poi vedere la messa in pratica … Altri, infine, talmente ripiegati su stessi e i propri famigli da non potersi più annoverare tra i titolari di blog pubblici. Wow, non mi ci raccapezzo. Eppure chissà quante buone ragioni, quante storie, appunto.
Volevo solo dire che ho cancellato … ciò che non c’è più. Ma solo per non immalinconirmi in futuro, cliccando verso il nulla, oltre che per offrire elenchi veritieri, cioè non fasulli, ai visitatori. Un pensiero commosso ai vecchi tempi, in ogni caso, mi sembra doveroso. Finché l’oblio non avrà fatto la sua parte fino in fondo, un posto nella memoria, per voi amici, ci sarà. Promesso.
God bless.
Facci e l'incontrovertibile
Secondo me Filippo Facci, a volte, è veramente forte. Il pezzo di oggi sul Giornale, per dire, è a mio avviso quintessenziale, nel senso che ha qualcosa a che fare con quell’essenza purissima, ottenuta mediante cinque distillazioni, che gli alchimisti ritenevano essere la sostanza intima e fondamentale di un corpo—il corpo in questione potrebbe benissimo essere il giornalismo polemico à la Montanelli, adattato naturalmente allo Zeitgeist.Dirò di più (o di meno, vai a saperlo): Facci, che ha il potere della sintesi, dà voce a un sentire tanto semplice quanto “incontrovertibile,” e lo fa con un linguaggio e uno schema logico del tutto adeguati allo scopo, che è quello di irridere le altrui défaillances rendendo pienamente ragione della miseria dialettica e della risibile superficialità dell’approccio alle questioni di cui le sue vittime (illustri o psedo-tali) tentano di occuparsi. Il tutto con un’immediatezza e una spontaneità disarmanti.
Nello specifico di oggi, il Nostro ha sfiorato vette inviolate di comune sentire di noi gente comune (perdonate il bisticcio). Bella forza, si potrebbe dire: e che ci sarà mai di così sublime in tutto questo? Niente, se non il fatto, appunto, che è diventato talmente raro leggere e ascoltare uno che ragiona in modo così familiare (terra-terra) e, come dicevo, “incontrovertibile.” Come incontrovertibile è che Travaglio, purtroppo per lui, non è Lino Toffolo. E neppure Beppe Grillo.
May 9, 2008
Veltroni's Shadow Cabinet
Some posts ago I was talking about “Veltrusconi,” that “hyrcocervus”—a mythological beast, half-goat half-deer—to which Benedetto Croce scornfully compared Carlo Rosselli’s “liberal socialism,” though this time I would use the term without negative meaning. Well, Veltroni’s Shadow Cabinet should be ready to roll by tomorrow. This means that the new hyrcocervus— half-Berlusconi, half-Veltroni—is coming, but one of the two halfs has still to fight a long battle …From today's Il Foglio (the daily “Spiegazione” [explanation], to be used by foreign correspondents in Italy):
Opposition leader Walter Veltroni had announced that his shadow cabinet would have been ready within 48 hours hours of the official cabinet. And it is also well known how the leader of the Partito Democratico (PD) likes to stick to his pre-set schedule. Therefore by rights Shadow Cabinet should be ready to roll by tomorrow. The problem is that the leader of the PD also has to work out the new working structure of the entire party, a nightmareish challenge that is getting more complicated by the hour. On that chess board the final shape of the internal balance of the various competing wings of the new party, which will then remain unaltered until after the European elections of 2009: the party congress announced for this autumn is going to be about policy and will not look at the party administrative or power structure.Just as it happens with the formation of a real, proper government, Veltroni has to reinforce his internal majority – an axis forged with the former Popolari and the followers of the former Ds leader Fassino – without ending up as its hostage, carefully doling out roles and positions both within the Shadow Cabinet and the rest of the complex party administrative structure, which is still to be properly defined. (traslated by William Ward)
May 8, 2008
Will the cyclone weaken the junta?
From Newsweek (Web Exclusive):
What remains to be seen […] is the long-term impact the storm will have on Burma and its isolationist regime. The generals have held the country and its citizens in an iron grasp since seizing power in 1962. During 46 years of brutal rule and economic mismanagement, the people have at least had enough to eat—thanks to fertile land and a favorable climate. But now food prices are soaring and lines for gas are said to be stretching for miles in Rangoon in the wake of the disaster. The junta's vicious response to last year's protests—sparked by a rise in fuel prices—might have intimidated the long-suffering Burmese into accepting the current hardships. But some analysts feel the lack of assurance about basic necessities could trigger further resistance to the generals. "If they don't get enough proper assistance out in the next couple of days or weeks, the people will be very angry, and that anger might overcome their fear because they may feel they have nothing to lose," Win Min, a lecturer on Burmese affairs at Thailand's Chiang Mai University, told the German press agency DPA.
Italy's new government (updated)
Italy's new women ministers: Giorgia Meloni, Maria Stella Gelmini, Mara Carfagna, and Stefania Prestigiacomo [Reuters]
Here is Italy's 60th government since the proclamation of the Republic. The executive (see here a list of the ministers), lead by Silvio Berlusconi, is made up of 12 full ministers and nine without portfolio, for a total of 21, four less than the outgoing Centre-Left government of Romano Prodi. The ministers will be sworn today in the afternoon and a vote of confidence is expected in the Lower House on Wednesday.
----
UPDATE May 8, 2008 - 5:15 pm
Worth reading artcles:
> Times Online
> The Canadian Press
> BBC News
> Radio Netherlands
> Corriere della Sera (English ed.)
May 7, 2008
Why Italian Left is unfit to lead Italy
In today’s Il Foglio newspaper, Alfonso Berardinelli, one of Italy's leading literary critics and a contributor to Sole 24 Ore and Corriere della Sera, explains (see English translation here) why, in order to understand the new Italy that is being ushered in after the overwhelming victory of the Centre-Right coalition in the recent Italian elections, and even more so the conquest of the city of Rome, a brief meditation needs to be made on the nature of the “fundamental values of modernity.”
But his argument isn’t merely theoretical: the specific target of his criticism is a Left, whose political leaders—despite many of them being perfectly decent human beings—frequently appear to be “too good for the electorate”, thus snobbish, presumptuous or hypocritical,” whereas political values are only credible “when they are physically interpreted by someone who obviously seems to represent the social strata with which those values are identified.” To tell the truth, this subject was previously and masterfully developed by Ernesto Galli della Loggia in a column published on May 3 in the Corriere della Sera, whose title was “The rebellion of the masses.” Unfortunately no English version has been provided by the Milanese daily newspaper (here is the original Italian text, just in case).
Furthermore, Berardinelli says that
This is, anyway, an article-interview packed with thoughts and observations, which is difficult to summarize in a few sentences. That’s why a thorough reading is highly recommended.
But his argument isn’t merely theoretical: the specific target of his criticism is a Left, whose political leaders—despite many of them being perfectly decent human beings—frequently appear to be “too good for the electorate”, thus snobbish, presumptuous or hypocritical,” whereas political values are only credible “when they are physically interpreted by someone who obviously seems to represent the social strata with which those values are identified.” To tell the truth, this subject was previously and masterfully developed by Ernesto Galli della Loggia in a column published on May 3 in the Corriere della Sera, whose title was “The rebellion of the masses.” Unfortunately no English version has been provided by the Milanese daily newspaper (here is the original Italian text, just in case).
Furthermore, Berardinelli says that
More than a victory of the Right, this was a defeat for the Left, which is unable to understand the physical nature of the city’s problems. Although I consider myself on the Left, I didn’t vote; I couldn’t have voted for Alemanno, but then neither could I vote for Rutelli. But here in Rome the electorate didn’t believe that Rutelli would sort out the city’s problems, whereas they were prepared to give Alemanno the benefit of the doubt.
This is, anyway, an article-interview packed with thoughts and observations, which is difficult to summarize in a few sentences. That’s why a thorough reading is highly recommended.
Birmania, disastro annunciato
Birmania, per gli operatori di "Save the Children" il 40% delle vittime sono bambini. Il ciclone, si dice e si scrive, non poteva essere evitato, d'accordo. Ma che dire dell'impreparazione? Semplicemente che ha avuto un ruolo determinante nel disastro (27.000 morti, 41.000 dispersi e più di un milione di senza tetto). Sul Corriere di oggi. Nella blogosfera si segnala il post di Enzo, di due giorni fa ma attualissimo (anche sul Foglio online).
'My Conversion from Islam to Christianity'
The Corriere della Sera newspaper (English edition) publishes today some excerpts from Magdi Cristiano Allam’s new book Grazie Gesù. La mia conversione dall'islam al cattolicesimo (Thank You Jesus. My Conversion from Islam to Christianity), Mondadori, which will be available in Italian in bookshops on May 9. Allam is a prominent Egyptian-born Italian journalist who distinguished himself for his articles on the relations between Western culture and the Islamic world. His harsh criticism of Islam and his support to Israel—he is also the author of a book titled Viva Israele (Long Live Israel)—made him a possible target of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists. That’s why Italian authorities have arranged for him a permanent police escort. He received baptism during the Vatican's 2008 Easter vigil service presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. (Allam will present his book at the Turin Book Fair on Sunday, May 11, in the Sala dei 500 at 3.30 pm.)
Non per sottovalutare i Massimi Sistemi ...
“Noi dobbiamo cercare di coalizzare, partendo dal livello locale, tutte le forze che si oppongono alla destra,” ha detto Massimo D’Alema, intervistato da Lucia Annunziata. E Christian Rocca ci ha fatto su, a ragione, un commento feroce. Ma io non me la sento di sparare su Max, e non certo perché ritenga che qualche buona ragione politica (nel senso nobile del termine) possa pur avercela. No, semplicemente lui cerca di sopravvivere politicamente, e lo spazio che gli si offre—magari non proprio su un piatto d’argento—è appunto questo, per quanto miserello, a mio modesto parere.Comunque, sopravvivere, per un politico di professione, è il primo comandamento, come sanno quasi tutti coloro ai quali, certamente, il buon Tennessee Williams non stava pensando quando scrisse questa cosa qui: “The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that's also a hypocrite!”
Ho detto “per un politico di professione,” non parlo di «statisti», che in Italia, come si sa, sono una variazione sul tema piuttosto unica che rara. Per questo lascerei perdere. Malinconica conclusione? Direi di sì. Ma tant’è.
May 5, 2008
Oh Meme!
Man of Roma tagged me for this meme (as another 'victim' said, “blame him for this!” ).
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
Apart from the americanism of calling it ‘theater’ rather than ‘cinema,’ which initially wrong footed me a bit, it was ‘300.’ Stunning effects, great fighting, great visual. I liked it.
2. What book are you [re]reading?
Emerson in His Journals. Lots of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s scattered thoughts, a mine of information about his backstage life, emotions, and feelings.
3. Favorite board game?
None really. They're all just a waste of time, in my very personal opinion …
4. Favorite magazine?
Not crazy about magazines. Usually I almost only read the on-line editions of Newsweek, Time, The Spectator, The Economist, and, in Italian, L’Espresso and Panorama.
5. Favorite smells?
The smell of bread baking, which, as I once heard, “like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” A reminder of my childhood, and, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest aromas on earth.
6. Favorite sounds?
Sea waves, I have no doubt about that. Furthermore, harpsichord, piano, sitar, flute.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
Feeling gulty for not being productive …, for not being able to keep up with something.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Listening to radio and tv news reports.
9. Favorite fast food place?
McDonald’s and Pizzerias.
10. Future child’s name?
No child foreseen in the future.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?
… spend my time reading (studying) and travelling all over the world.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
No never (this is the most crazy question that I have seen so far today …).
13. Storms - cool or scary?
Cool. Unless you are just in the middle of one of them.
14. Favorite drink?
Martini (cocktail).
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
See answer to question 11.
16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
Yes.
17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Let me copy Man of Roma’s answer: “I cannot think of it. I would never dye my hair.”
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Rome, Venice, Treviso, San Francisco, London.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
Soccer, horse-riding.
20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Man of Roma maintains a great blog covering a wide range of cultural and historical topics. Whenever I am fed up with national and international political issues I get there and find a place where I can finally breathe again, away from the hustle and bustle of today's hectic and restless world.
21. What’s under your bed?
Couldn’t tell. Dust?
22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Let me copy Man of Roma again: “Yes, but next time I would not repeat some mistakes made in this lifetime.”
23. Morning person, or night owl?
Night owl.
24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Sunny side up.
25. Favorite place to relax?
Along the seaside, watching sea-gulls and listening to the sound of waves washing up the shore. But woods and mountains are also very suitable places.
26. Favorite pie?
Sacher-Torte.
27. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Fruits (any).
28. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
No idea, really.
I tag Wog Blog, Valerie, Nullo, Carlo Felice, Angelo.
1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
Apart from the americanism of calling it ‘theater’ rather than ‘cinema,’ which initially wrong footed me a bit, it was ‘300.’ Stunning effects, great fighting, great visual. I liked it.
2. What book are you [re]reading?
Emerson in His Journals. Lots of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s scattered thoughts, a mine of information about his backstage life, emotions, and feelings.
3. Favorite board game?
None really. They're all just a waste of time, in my very personal opinion …
4. Favorite magazine?
Not crazy about magazines. Usually I almost only read the on-line editions of Newsweek, Time, The Spectator, The Economist, and, in Italian, L’Espresso and Panorama.
5. Favorite smells?
The smell of bread baking, which, as I once heard, “like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight.” A reminder of my childhood, and, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest aromas on earth.
6. Favorite sounds?
Sea waves, I have no doubt about that. Furthermore, harpsichord, piano, sitar, flute.
7. Worst feeling in the world?
Feeling gulty for not being productive …, for not being able to keep up with something.
8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Listening to radio and tv news reports.
9. Favorite fast food place?
McDonald’s and Pizzerias.
10. Future child’s name?
No child foreseen in the future.
11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?
… spend my time reading (studying) and travelling all over the world.
12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
No never (this is the most crazy question that I have seen so far today …).
13. Storms - cool or scary?
Cool. Unless you are just in the middle of one of them.
14. Favorite drink?
Martini (cocktail).
15. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
See answer to question 11.
16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
Yes.
17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
Let me copy Man of Roma’s answer: “I cannot think of it. I would never dye my hair.”
18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
Rome, Venice, Treviso, San Francisco, London.
19. Favorite sports to watch?
Soccer, horse-riding.
20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Man of Roma maintains a great blog covering a wide range of cultural and historical topics. Whenever I am fed up with national and international political issues I get there and find a place where I can finally breathe again, away from the hustle and bustle of today's hectic and restless world.
21. What’s under your bed?
Couldn’t tell. Dust?
22. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Let me copy Man of Roma again: “Yes, but next time I would not repeat some mistakes made in this lifetime.”
23. Morning person, or night owl?
Night owl.
24. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Sunny side up.
25. Favorite place to relax?
Along the seaside, watching sea-gulls and listening to the sound of waves washing up the shore. But woods and mountains are also very suitable places.
26. Favorite pie?
Sacher-Torte.
27. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Fruits (any).
28. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
No idea, really.
I tag Wog Blog, Valerie, Nullo, Carlo Felice, Angelo.
May 1, 2008
The warm air of May evenings
This blog isn’t, by no means, “for Catholics only,” but since it’s May, the month which is both named for and dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, I thought that it would be appropriate to post this literary tribute …
—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which is Above
The mood of springtime informs the church's interior; nature's blossoming, the warm air of May evenings, human gladness in a world that is renewing itself—all these things enter in. Veneration of Mary has its place in this very particular atmosphere, for she, the Virgin, shows us faith under its youthful aspect, as God's new beginning in a world that has grown old. In her we see the Christian life set forth as a youth- fulness of the heart, as beauty and a waiting readiness for what is to come.
—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which is Above
April 30, 2008
Give to Prodi what is Prodi's
Though I have never been too soft with him, I think it’s important to give praise where praise is due, and not just because he is about to leave politics.
Vladimir Putin personally tried to tap the outgoing Italian Prime Minister to become chairman of South Stream, a new pipeline project by Russian gas monopolist Gazprom to link Russia to Europe. Mr. Prodi was "flattered" by the offer, his spokesman said, but won't be available.
[...]
Mr. Prodi leaves politics, for good he says, with his dignity apparently beyond the reach of the Kremlin's wallet.
April 29, 2008
Earthquake in Rome
So they lost Rome to the invaders—“the black tide,” as Democratic Party candidate mayor Francesco Rutelli used to put it in his last, unsuccessful calls to arms to his fellow citizens. And now not only will Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives rule Italy—after their overwhelming victory on April 13-14 national election—but they will also rule the Eternal City. A former Rome mayor—he ran the capital for between 1993 and 2001—Rutelli was also deputy prime minister and culture minister in the outgoing centre-left government led by Romano Prodi. Which makes the defeat all the more painful.A former youth leader of far-right Italian Social Movement—the now defunct party from which National Alliance was born, which in turn is now part of Berlusconi's People of Freedom party—, Gianni Alemanno, the new mayor of Rome (see profile here), took 53.6 per cent with a remarkable turnaround after an initial ballot in which he had taken 40.7 per cent and his competitor 45.8.
“We have carried out a true political miracle,” said Alemanno when he started his victory speech in the Capitol Square. And there is no doubt that this is so, and that Berlusconi’s “enthusiastic thank you to the voters in Rome” for “this historic victory of Alemanno, for the first time making the People of Freedom leader of the Italian capital” couldn’t be more justified. “This success—he added—completes our victory on April 13-14 and is stimulating for the commitment expected of the government of Italy in a period that is not easy from an economical point of view, and there for even more exciting”. Once more, there is no question about that.
Paradoxically, Berlusconi is hailing the victory of a man who is the exact contrary of the kind of politician of which both Silvio Berlusconi and Walter Veltroni (as well as Rutelli himself) are highly representative—Alemanno is no eloquent and inspiring speaker nor a consummate political performer with the ability to empathise with ordinary people, he does not look like he is that concerned with cultivating his own image. He has also won praise, even on the centre-left, for his low-key, moderate style. Even his education profile—he has a degree in environmental engineering—seems to go against the mainstream, suggesting much more a technocratic rather than a mediatic approach and phenomenon. And that’s why, perhaps, he won, or better still Rutelli and Veltroni, that is the outgoing mayor of Rome, lost.
Veltroni, in fact, has never been one to shy away from the spotlight. So, when in January 2006 the then mayor made his official announcement of first Rome Film Fest, his opponents argued that his devotion to culture had come at the expense of attention to more pressing issues, such as pollution, crushing traffic problems, a sprawling periphery, a large inflow of illegal immigrants—and related public safety issues—as well as the upkeep of the city’s monuments, to name but a few. I guess Romans must have thought that way, too. I think they consequently voted for change.
Alemanno campaigned on the same issues that helped Berlusconi defeat Prodi in national elections pledging to reinforce law and order and crack down on crime and illegal immigrants. Rutelli and his allies tried to deprive these proposals by playing the card of anti-fascism, of the upcoming “black tide,” but this time Romans didn’t trust them.
The day after the earthquake, commenting on the results of the second ballot, Walter Veltroni wrote in a note that
the defeat of Rome will ask for, starting in the coming hours, a serious analysis involving all, thinking about the difference in national and local results. I believe the political climate in the country has had its impact on local elections, particularly regarding security.
Let’s hope the upcoming analysis will actually be serious and all involving. Let’s also hope that Veltroni will successfully face his internal opponents. He may have made some mistakes, but he is still the best choice for the Democratic Party. Which says it all.
April 28, 2008
To be Columbus
“ Though I do not find much attraction in the seaman yet I can discern that the naval hero is a hero. It takes all the thousand thousand European voyages that have been made to stablish our faith in the practicability of this our hodiurnal voyage. But to be Columbus, to steer WEST steadily day after day, week after week, for the first time, and wholly alone in his opinion, shows a mind as solitary & self-subsistent as any that ever lived. ”—Ralph Waldo Emerson [from his journals, Jan. 7, 1833], in EMERSON IN HIS JOURNALS,
selected and edited by Joel Porte, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachsetts) - London (England), 1982.
selected and edited by Joel Porte, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachsetts) - London (England), 1982.April 26, 2008
Tibet: a turning point?
The day after Chinese state media announced Beijing's promise to renew dialogue on the Tibet issue, namely that government officials would meet soon with an envoy of the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama welcomed the news. “Basically talk is good,” he said. Yet he felt the necessity of adding one second later that anything other than “serious discussions”—aimed to find out “what is the cause of this problem and how to solve it”—would be fruitless and “meaningless.”Does he suspect that Beijing is planning the meeting solely to appease international concern ahead of the Olympics? Well, actually the suspect would be justified, given that even today China's state media was accusing the Dalai Lama of conspiring to turn world opinion against China. This after the Dalai Lama denied some hundreds times the Chinese claim that he supports separation of Tibet by saying every time he-only-wanted-autonomy, though obviously a genuine and complete one—as provided for in the Chinese constitution itself, but remained “on paper” only—to preserve Tibetan unique culture and traditions. “We really need an arrangement of full protection of Tibetan language and culture,” the Dalai Lama said at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, some days ago.
Yet, perhaps this time China is taking the matter seriously. Why? Because Beijing is afraid—more afraid than ever before. And this, as Sandro Magister puts it, because of one of the new phenomena of this era, namely “the passage to militant politics—and even to armed action—of a religion like Buddhism, traditionally defined as contemplative and identified with pacifism.”
It is a passage that is situated within today's general evolution of all the religions toward a stronger impact on the public stage. For Christianity and Islam, this evolution is before the eyes of all. The events of recent months show that Buddhism is no exception. First Burma, and then Tibet, have been the most evident theatres of the passage of Buddhism from quietist positions and support for the status quo to an action of critique and transformation of society, even confronting heavy repression.
But if in Burma the methods selected were nonviolent, in Tibet something different is happening. The rebellion is being expressed sometimes with a devastating force that takes aim not only at the hated Chinese, but also at those Tibetans who seem to be favored by the modernization promoted by the government of Beijing.
In addition, since not all of the Buddhist organizations supporting abroad the cause of Tibet embrace solely nonviolent methods (the so called “Middle Way” theorized by His Holiness himself) as proved by the difficulties facing the Dalai Lama in securing observance for his pacifist instructions (see also the Statement to All Tibetans, issued on April 5), Beijing might be worried about losing a moderate, “gandhian” interlocutor, whose endless patience is well-known.
That is why we might have come to a turning point in the history of Tibet.
April 25, 2008
Tibet, the orphaned Country
Is Tibetan independence autonomy a lost cause? If not, what should its supporters do to win it?
Here is an interesting point of view.
Here is an interesting point of view.
April 23, 2008
Pope Benedict's revenge
I am convinced that the question of justice constitutes the essential argument, or in any case the strongest argument, in favour of faith in eternal life.
So wrote Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi (Saved by Hope). Well, as Vaticanist Luigi Accattoli noted on his blog (in Italian) the day after the Encyclical was issued, it is always striking a pope who says “I am convinced.”My first thought was: how can such a disarmingly gentle, kind and sensitive man be perceived as “just” a chilly intellectual, the fierce intendant, if not the aggressive guardian of Catholic orthodoxy, a kind of cross between Torquemada and Dr Strangelove? And sometimes—by Muslim extremists as well as by many within the ultra-secularist European establishment itself—as a sort of instigator of religious hatred!
But three years after his elevation to the papacy, thanks his most visible excursion into the limelight since then, namely the first papal trip to America, that perception of him has turned out to be false or, as Gerald Baker noted in last Friday’s Times, “as far from the reality as it is possible to be.” “What was missing—he writes—was an understanding of Benedict’s remarkable capacity to use words to speak to the emotional part of the human brain.” Yet,
[s]hortly before he became Pope, Benedict told a congregation: “Christianity is not an intellectual system, a collection of dogmas, or a moralism. Christianity is instead an encounter, a love story, an event.”
This idea of faith as a love story — God’s love for his people, and our love for Christ, the human face of God — is what Benedict seems to want us to understand as the defining theme of his papacy. His first encyclical was not on birth control or gay marriage, but on what many considered the somewhat surprising subject of the simple divinity of human love, including the sanctity of erotic love. This emphasis on the centrality of love to the human condition is so at odds with the caricature of the doctrinal vigilante, endlessly lecturing on the perils of sexual intemperance, that it requires us to think hard about the very nature of religion’s role in modern life. It is a useful counterweight to the popular secular view that religion is the root of all human discord.
Three years ago, as John Paul II was laid to rest under St Peter’s, his extraordinary and epoch-changing ministry at an end, a reporter turned to one of his colleagues and said, with evident feeling: “There goes one heck of a story.” But the story, as it happens, lives on, Benedict has opened a new chapter and if people would only listen they might find it has a surprising ending.
For a full account of the papal journey to the U.S. check the following links (to Sandro Magister’s website):
> The Pope's First Day in the U.S. - Against Sexual Abuse, and for America as a "Model of Positive Secularism"
> The Pope's Second Day in the U.S. – Benedict XVI Lays Down the Guidelines for the Bishops
> The Pope to U.N.: "The human person is the high-point of God's creative design for the world and for history"
> The Pope's Third Day in the U.S. - With Catholic Educators, Other Religions, Jews
> The Pope's Fourth Day in the U.S. – Benedict XVI Explains Why Christians Are So Divided
> The Pope's Fifth Day in the United States. - The Homily in the Heart of Manhattan, and the Meeting with Young People
> The Pope's Sixth Day in the U.S. - The Prayer at Ground Zero, and the Last Homily "in this land of freedom"
April 21, 2008
Law and order?
“If you look at the figures, Rome is one of the safest cities in Europe, ” said center-left candidate mayor of Rome Francesco Rutelli, at a campaign rally on Sunday. But soon after he felt the need to add that “unfortunately this is not enough and doesn't satisfy anyone. That's why we're here and we want more security.” Why?First of all, personal security isn’t just a Rome issue, as shown by the two rape cases—both involving foreign victims—which happened over the weekend, namely that of an American student near a Milan nightclub and that of a student from Lesotho on the outskirts of Rome. In both cases foreigners—an Egyptian and a Romanian—are being held, and one of them was caught in the act.
In the second place, fears over crime and illegal immigration boosted the Northern League’s vote at last week's general election, doubling and tripling its haul, above all in front-line towns where local prosperity is undermined by thefts and burglaries. “We’re the only ones who talk unashamedly about law and order,” said Roberto Mura, the Northern League’s secretary for the province of Pavia, in Lombardy.
In the third place, center-right candidate for mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno is campaigning that the weekend rape cases were evidence Italy has been too soft on immigrants. “For too long illegal immigrants and nomads have been considered untouchable in Rome,” he said.
So, crime and immigration have been pushed to the top Italy's political agenda. Which is perhaps the best way to escape from becoming victims of our own fears. Paraphrasing a well-known quote, the best way to try to escape from a problem is to face it.
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