Justice, at last. Well, let's see if and how this will work but so far it's enough to place a grin on my face. Wondering if somebody heard my daily cursing along that of thousands who lost their sleep, as my thought especially goes to those working the night shift. At any rate, here it is: starting today, land-line numbers owners can add these to a registry and avoid being hassled for commercial proposals, surveys and whatever soliciting. I can't stand quitting what I'm doing just because somebody promotes a certain phone operator, or wants to know if there's any apartment for sale in my area or if I like pizza.
Such registry website will be activated within hours and I can't wait to put my name on it!
Hopefully, next time the phone will ring for a good reason.
UPDATE:
Nearly three months after signing-up and, hard to believe, it works. -grin-
Monday, January 31, 2011
Flat screen indeed
Beautiful HD. The thing is not stupid itself, but look what’s in it. As flat as somebody wants us to be. What are you watching? Big Brother? A bunch of idiots sobbing on a remote island? Sunday’s fake studio brawl or the ubiquitous political confrontations? A ball thrown or kicked across a field? Rocky XXXIV? New singing idols? Live feed from war and disaster zones? Enough of autopsies and crime scenes. It doesn’t really matter as long as you promise and prove to become alienated in the short term. Be a good buyer of tons of nasty products. Fatter food. Pills for anything. The wonder crossover and state-of-the-art wireless plans. A flatter brain, that’s what you need.
An endless zap quest for decent stuff through hundreds of dumb channels. As if thumb routine exercise would be a healthy practice.
Enough. Turn it off for good.
But I’m happy, as the climax of stupidity has been reached and things can only get better. Question is: when? Meanwhile, open a good book or turn on the favorite music.
Whatever makes you think.
An endless zap quest for decent stuff through hundreds of dumb channels. As if thumb routine exercise would be a healthy practice.
Enough. Turn it off for good.
But I’m happy, as the climax of stupidity has been reached and things can only get better. Question is: when? Meanwhile, open a good book or turn on the favorite music.
Whatever makes you think.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Invaluable loss
Just saw a frightening TV report. Wow, Italy. The small fertile land of our grandfathers. In between 1990 and 2005 alone, the 21% of its territory went lost to concrete. That's more than one fifth of it. Arable land gone forever, lost at a rate of 940 equivalent soccer fields per day. The funny thing is that the 40% of such lost ground was "non-building" land by law in the 70s. But laws can be changed, eh? Business is business for somebody. Yet I have to see a report for the years 2005 to 2010 but that will be horrible for sure. In recent years, productive agricultural land has been converted to photovoltaic. Food prices have dropped to unsustainable levels for farmers, hence the new energy business soaring at an increasing alarmingly rate. Our hunger for electricity can't quench our stomachs. Can't eat silicon wafer semiconductors, but I don't want to eat Chinese tomatoes either. Love them, but solar panels should be put off the ground to allow growing something underneath. I've seen it, then it's possible.
EcoSunday
Air quality can be bad in Torino if winter weather conditions - basically thermal inversion and the absence of precipitation and wind - don't help dispersing the pollutants produced by industry, heating and vehicle exhausts. Although large portions of the city are heated through a district heating system, that is hot water piped from local power plants, motor traffic is an obvious major source of dangerous compounds and particles joyfully playing at nostrils level. Public transit can play an essential role and it's not so bad in this town, but currently used by a mere 23% of urban commuters. The 67% of them use their car and the 5% use a motorcycle.
This said, why does the City Council dictate a total motor traffic ban on selected Sundays? This coming Sunday will be one of these. Statistic data from past experiences show that this measure is totally useless. Despite the ban, the quantity of authorized circulating vehicles is not much different than that moving around on a normal, typical Sunday.
Personally, I'd love to see a re-humanized, empty city at all times. Conversely, the majority of citizens shout their angry voice even against occasional Sunday bans (from 10AM through 6PM). Same chorus of complaints occurs when certain city streets are converted to pedestrians areas. Walking? Cycling? This is considered as stupid. Rather than understanding the serious health risks posed by pollution, people feel deprived of their freedom for an eight-hour period of time. They can't wait to start their engines again. They love being imprisoned for hours in traffic jams inside their costly toys.
A well deserved punishment.
This said, why does the City Council dictate a total motor traffic ban on selected Sundays? This coming Sunday will be one of these. Statistic data from past experiences show that this measure is totally useless. Despite the ban, the quantity of authorized circulating vehicles is not much different than that moving around on a normal, typical Sunday.
Personally, I'd love to see a re-humanized, empty city at all times. Conversely, the majority of citizens shout their angry voice even against occasional Sunday bans (from 10AM through 6PM). Same chorus of complaints occurs when certain city streets are converted to pedestrians areas. Walking? Cycling? This is considered as stupid. Rather than understanding the serious health risks posed by pollution, people feel deprived of their freedom for an eight-hour period of time. They can't wait to start their engines again. They love being imprisoned for hours in traffic jams inside their costly toys.
A well deserved punishment.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Fuel boycott
Nobody ever wants to pay "too much". Period. But when too much is too much?
Many agree that fueling up is painful in Italy and I join the chorus, but the real issue here is tax. Let's try to understand the picture.
As of today, the prices at the pump in Italy are the following:
Gasoline = 1.50 Euro/liter (7.60 US$/USgallon)
Diesel = 1.38 Euro/liter (7.00 US$/USgallon)
Total tax is 58% on gasoline and 51% on diesel. Tax weight is therefore:
0.87 Euro/liter (4.39 US$/USgallon)
0.70 Euro/liter (3.56 US$/USgallon)
I do understand "some" tax but this is a rip-off to me. Furthermore, I feel a naturally growing itch as I hardly see where my tax money is being put. No wonder I'm using the bicycle as much as I can.
Boycott oil now!
Many agree that fueling up is painful in Italy and I join the chorus, but the real issue here is tax. Let's try to understand the picture.
As of today, the prices at the pump in Italy are the following:
Gasoline = 1.50 Euro/liter (7.60 US$/USgallon)
Diesel = 1.38 Euro/liter (7.00 US$/USgallon)
Total tax is 58% on gasoline and 51% on diesel. Tax weight is therefore:
0.87 Euro/liter (4.39 US$/USgallon)
0.70 Euro/liter (3.56 US$/USgallon)
I do understand "some" tax but this is a rip-off to me. Furthermore, I feel a naturally growing itch as I hardly see where my tax money is being put. No wonder I'm using the bicycle as much as I can.
Boycott oil now!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Torino vs. Detroit
The comparison between the two "twin" cities is interesting albeit difficult.
I've spent enough time in Detroit to build my own opinion. Imagination efforts for those who have never seen both places are insufficient to confront Detroit and my hometown Torino, but bringing it down to the concept of "Motor Cities" there are notable historical similarities, among which we can find the growth and welfare revolving around the automotive industry, and the relevant social impact due to consistent immigration.
The collapse of the automotive market underlines how impossible is for Michigan to convert its almost-exclusive economy. Most of the assembly plants are closed and abandoned, and the industrial parks of the supply chain are dramatically deserted.
Those who could, have left already. The entire area is devastated as well as hope and it's not surprising that the GM Orion Plant workers have signed-off the agreement through which they accept the hourly wage of $17 and $28 - for new hired and existing workers respectively. The agreement also includes benefit cuts to health insurance and other. Such agreement appears like an insult bringing the employer/worker relationship back to feudal times, but it's the only feasible solution for those who can have a job again.
There would be a lot to say but I'm not discussing the causes, the missed alternate policies or the consequences of such a step behind that, tonight, is going to hit the news at FIAT Mirafiori (Torino) plant. The workers will vote and the prize at stake is that if "YEA" will prevail, FIAT will invest 1 BEuro into the plant and keep it alive. On the other hand, a "NAY" result will dictate the plant shutdown.
"YEA", although the Mirafiori facility won't produce high volumes, would give hope to its 5,500 direct workers plus around 85,000 in the supply chain located in the Italian northwest region. This would anyway set a precedent for the retrogression of many other work contracts, an epoch-making change.
The hard times are coming, not just in Detroit.
"NAY" would be worse. Like the Irish Potato Famine had moved masses in mid XIX century and the Dust Bowl - which laid the foundations of the Great Depression - had forced hundred of thousands to relocate, the disappearing of automotive jobs in Italy - FIAT is the largest domestic industrial company - will have huge consequences.
Let's find a spot on the toy planisphere on which to put our finger before moving over. Hard to find one.
We have too much and ought to seek a simpler life.
I've spent enough time in Detroit to build my own opinion. Imagination efforts for those who have never seen both places are insufficient to confront Detroit and my hometown Torino, but bringing it down to the concept of "Motor Cities" there are notable historical similarities, among which we can find the growth and welfare revolving around the automotive industry, and the relevant social impact due to consistent immigration.
The collapse of the automotive market underlines how impossible is for Michigan to convert its almost-exclusive economy. Most of the assembly plants are closed and abandoned, and the industrial parks of the supply chain are dramatically deserted.
Those who could, have left already. The entire area is devastated as well as hope and it's not surprising that the GM Orion Plant workers have signed-off the agreement through which they accept the hourly wage of $17 and $28 - for new hired and existing workers respectively. The agreement also includes benefit cuts to health insurance and other. Such agreement appears like an insult bringing the employer/worker relationship back to feudal times, but it's the only feasible solution for those who can have a job again.
There would be a lot to say but I'm not discussing the causes, the missed alternate policies or the consequences of such a step behind that, tonight, is going to hit the news at FIAT Mirafiori (Torino) plant. The workers will vote and the prize at stake is that if "YEA" will prevail, FIAT will invest 1 BEuro into the plant and keep it alive. On the other hand, a "NAY" result will dictate the plant shutdown.
"YEA", although the Mirafiori facility won't produce high volumes, would give hope to its 5,500 direct workers plus around 85,000 in the supply chain located in the Italian northwest region. This would anyway set a precedent for the retrogression of many other work contracts, an epoch-making change.
The hard times are coming, not just in Detroit.
"NAY" would be worse. Like the Irish Potato Famine had moved masses in mid XIX century and the Dust Bowl - which laid the foundations of the Great Depression - had forced hundred of thousands to relocate, the disappearing of automotive jobs in Italy - FIAT is the largest domestic industrial company - will have huge consequences.
Let's find a spot on the toy planisphere on which to put our finger before moving over. Hard to find one.
We have too much and ought to seek a simpler life.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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