Tight Chest When Cold

150 years of national unity gains and losses

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of national unification we should ask ourselves two simple questions .

The first: What is that from 1861 to now we think it was more than betrayed the ideals of the Risorgimento?

The list is short:
1. the South was the big penalized, whatever someone has wanted to turn it into a huge colony of human resources, and natural materials for the industrialization of the center-north. If you still experience the Southerners as traitors and even the Savoy Garibaldi, the reason is this: the chronic lack of land reform in favor of the rural populace, the clear subordination of the needs of agriculture to industrial.

2. National unity and industrial process meant to say off of a social system based on private capitalism no alternative whatsoever, that capitalism will ensure that the economic miracle of the belle époque and consumerism fifties and sixties, but also to banditry, emigration, the abandonment of land, the massive penetration of capitalism in the countryside (and thus the formation of monocultures for markets and at the end of any experience of consumption and village communities).

3. The development of private capitalism, then the first competitive monopoly (with the support of the State), resulted in a irreversible destruction of the natural environment in the sense that it was decided to privilege the " production of industrial goods" rather than " reproduction of natural assets (to our imposed by force has run the country the idea of \u200b\u200b"consume" as many goods as possible).

4. The centralization of political power in the Roman capital, has greatly embarrassed the uses, customs, traditions, local languages \u200b\u200band regional, as well as the autonomy of local communities and local authorities (which now seeks to recover, without calling into question the capitalist development of the country, through the idea of \u200b\u200b"federalism" which, incidentally, seems to proceed in parallel with an acceleration of the political process towards a presidential republic).

5. The permanence of a "state Vatican "made it impossible effective legal and political separation between church and state, an affirmation of the secular state, a truly democratic formulation of the constitutional provisions relating to freedom of conscience and religion (Article. 7, for example, would simply be eliminated).

The second question: What is that from 1861 to today has developed more pro-democracy social, cultural and political?

1. After World War II has developed the welfare state (school, health, social security, assistance, etc..), But has begun progressively dismantled since the early eighties and especially after the collapse of the so-called "real socialism ", of which the welfare state in Western countries constituted a kind of "mimesis". It does this without realizing that the inevitable outcome of pure liberalism have, to date, two world wars, separated by decades of brutal dictatorship, and where he has not set the political dictatorship (eg in France or England) was only because it still benefited from the old colonial empires, that is a dictatorship of the economy.

2. The battles conducted from the labor against capital (years Winds, Resistance and the sixties and seventies) have certainly helped to improve the living conditions of workers, but these gains are gradually decreasing, mainly due to the fact that global capital is leading to the relocation of the West, where labor cost is minimal.

3. The woman has certainly increased awareness of their own gender diversity to be enforced in the relationship with the man, but Italy remains a country far behind other countries in Northern Europe. Especially the Italian woman is unable to intervene in the representation that you give the media (TV, cinema, paper and print advertising).

4. E 'increased sensitivity to consumer issues , but it is still very strong economic hegemony of the producers. The consumer sees the manufacturer as an enemy to fight because the producer sees the consumer as a "chicken plucking".

5. E 'significantly increased interest in environmental issues for organic produce and environmentally friendly ones, but overall this does not detract from the dominant trend, which is based on plunder and waste of natural resources, and this illusion that science and technology should always be able to solve their own problems, but also in the mistaken perception of causing minimal damage with our bad behavior, not to mention the irresponsibility with which we assign to others or to future generations the task to correct our failures.

6. E 'increased sense of belonging to a European community , but we are still far from having a common European identity. Member States continue to move separately and do not want to give the European Parliament real powers. Religions, especially the Roman Catholic, significantly inhibit the formation of a European secular. Europe continues to be perceived as a plus, and often useless oneroso.Probabilmente But the thing that is lacking in conscience of Italians is the meaning of democracy or secularism, which, although certainly we lack more than elsewhere in Europe.

E 'rather than an awareness of what Italy has done in the world. We know nothing of how our country is moving abroad. We do not know what to produce, what to buy, how to do it, which has relations with all countries on earth. Especially do not know what are the international linkages that determine our health.

Brent Everett = Brent Corrigan

Japan, the economy of the disaster: the butterfly effect

Last Friday, the quake of 8.9 Richter scale that devastated the northeast Giappne has waved the skyscrapers of Tokyo a few moments before the bag shut , however, influencing the performance. Sure, the Nikkei index futures on lost three points, but despite not yet know the tsunami, the construction sector already made quite a leap high, with the actions of some of the most construction companies hit that recorded to over thirty percent. When

Tokyo closed and the news from Japan have spread throughout the world, stock markets have begun to behave schizophrenic, with Wall Street, as a matter of good last time zone, which observed that even a appreciation of the yen. The reason? Capital Japanese - ie yen in fact - that go home for the reconstruction .
And just to complicate the overall picture, the price of oil fell all markets while that of gas rose . For the first, concern over the setback of the economy of Japan, the third largest consumer in the case the second, on the contrary, it is expected that Japan will use them more likely to compensate for the reduction of nuclear energy available.

The unpredictable and cynical stock price, however, reveals at least two truths .
First : paper economy (read " finance) and real economy are interlaced through thousands of links to the most inscrutable. According
: the human and social disaster coupling earthquake-tsunami could have unexpected results , the medium to long term, for the Japanese economy reeling and the global whole. In

fourth quarter of 2010, the GDP of the Rising Sun had recorded a contraction of 1, 3 percent . Today, many analysts believe the boom (re) construction trainer as Japan's economy was already in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Chinese growth, in short, with a difference. Wall

addition, construction and infrastructure, although the smell of bubble, housing demand is still driven by a multitude of pressure to improve their standard of living. In Japan instead, with the violence of nature , unfolds the capital: the destruction becomes opportunity for a new process of accumulation and may appear after all, a few eye capitalist, a good news.

Nell ' immediate, it is expected, however, a contraction of the economy . Some factories are closed, the reduced production the slow communications. An ironic fate for the inventors of the Toyota of just-in-time , the idea that to accede to the demands of a fickle market and finished, we should not keep goods in stock , but to circulate it to the maximum speed and efficiency to get there, where there is demand before and better than others.
Today there is no market for circulation, and if there were, it would not be anywhere. We must lick their wounds and then, slowly, again. Reconstruct, in fact.

Maybe some stores' Fuller would serve to counter another emergency already see that. And here the effects are global . The destruction, especially the tsunami , has dealt a severe blow to production of rice, of which Japan is one of the largest consumers worldwide (9 million tonnes ). Finite stocks, Tokyo will import massively, giving further impetus to the price of commodities and to ' food inflation, children of global warming and global speculation.
is because of this economic link earthquake that rhymes with intifada, tsunami with bread riots.

is said, in chaos theory, that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can trigger a hurricane in Japan. Today, in the opposite direction, a earthquake in northeastern Japan can make a boat landing African migrants in Lampedusa .

Gabriele Battaglia

Tight Jaw Swollen Gum

Nuclear? tuttapposto!

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan cause for dismay. The reactions can not be that of solidarity and support to the Japanese people affected by this tragedy.

In this tragedy there is an event that speaks directly to Italy: they are the consequences of accidents in nuclear power plants. Have not yet clear all the consequences, including the reluctance of the government. It 's a fact that the incidents were, however, hour after hour, more and more serious, until the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and the release of radioactivity to which for now do not know the exact severity.

The Italian government has resorted to a vote of confidence to re-introduce nuclear power in Italy should reflect the light of events in Japan.
The Italian government should decide to suspend the nuclear program, or at least until a blocking implementation of the forthcoming referendum that aims to erase the law 99/2009, awaiting the verdict of the voters.

So far the government has shown to be afraid of the referendum and prefers to throw out the window of € 300 million just to avoid a successful referendum. This can be done to coincide with local elections a referendum to save 300 million, but the Executive knows that nuclear power has been approved by parliament alone imposing it by a vote of confidence and that the majority are still against it.

The nuclear option has been made under pressure from the Italian and international lobby's business relies on the nuclear deal, in defiance of the outcome of the referendum of 1987, with rates up to 80% who spoke out for leaving the nuclear power.
There is first a matter of democracy. Can a parliament like this, more blackmailed by a vote of confidence, overturning the vote of the citizens?

At this point the end of the next referendum abrogation must be used to stop the crazy choice of the government to return to nuclear power plants in Italy and to dispel a public good like water. There is an obvious synergy between the referendum to ensure that water remains a public good and what to block the nuclear option.
reach the quorum in the referendum is the most difficult to overcome, so the fact the Government has chosen to boycott the vote.

to vote and contribute to the quorum is a good antidote to the alienation election that for two decades is affecting our country. Because the nuclear
be secured? First of all, for reasons of cost. Enel has tried to show that nuclear power should, but it also told bales on the real cost of building new power plants. In 2009, Enel said that a new central EPR would cost three billion euro. Faced with the explosion of the costs of prototypes Finnish and French had to raise the figure to four billion. In fact, the real cost is now eight billion euro in Central Europe. With these costs is not possible to produce electricity at prices lower than current sources, they will be even greater.

is not even true that Italy would be energetically more autonomous, because we import almost everything, certainly the most sophisticated technologies and fuel. In addition, the nuclear fuel is available for several decades, just as oil and other fossil fuels. 200 entrepreneurs as they said, before signing Pasquale Pistorio, investing over 30 billion in nuclear power plants for the first 4 would mean de facto blocking investments in energy saving and renewable.

Italy does not have the resources to do everything. Enel confirms that he has sold part of its renewable energy to reduce its debt and then throw in expensive nuclear adventure.
Nuclear power plants are enormous concentrations of investments and thus business with any concerns arising. While energy saving and renewable energy is spread over thousands of investment professionals and disseminated.

Nuclear power is dangerous. The disposal of radioactive waste has not been resolved in any country in the world. Add to this the problem of nuclear waste from power plants accumulatea abandoned and the sites where they are built. There are
waste that will release radiation for tens of thousands of years, some types for hundreds of thousands. Building the central condemning future generations to live with the dangers and consequences of these choices for times greater than those of known human history.

This is the worst gift that current generation can do in those to come.
After Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, there is now a serious accident in Japan. Not to mention many other incidents, fortunately less serious news which are hidden. For example, in France there have been 19 accidents in the first two months of the year.
The dangers are not represented only by accident. The power plants release radiation during their normal operation, as shown in various investigations. The latest research was carried out in Germany and found in areas close to nuclear power plants, an increase of 2.2 times of leukemia in children.

advantage of the Libyan crisis and rising oil prices the nuclearists returned to the attack by failing to say that nuclear power plants are not the solution, because even the most optimistic among them admit that before 2020 will not come into operation. Up to 2020 we do?

In fact the solution of energy problems is on energy saving and renewable energy because it does not depend on international events, because they can be introduced quickly, with more limited investment and employment results 15/20 times more nuclear. The Government, as is known, is doing the opposite and thus risk undermining the development of renewable energy to promote the nuclear adventure. Just pointing

on energy saving and renewable energy could be ready for the events of 20/20/20 agreed with Europe.
If the Government, as is likely, it will ignore all the precautionary principle will require the reinforcement of the mobilization to reach the quorum and win the referendum on nuclear power, as well as the public good on the water.