Dark forebodings and... today's troubles

[Nicola]

what is happening these days (and this summer) worldwide and, overall, in Italy
makes me remember something I saw this winter during the carnival parade at Viareggio:
this parade is, traditionally, full of social and political irony.

So, below, you can see a papier-machè statue representing a young lady with a crown made of the symbol of italian republic, hanging on the left hand a clown with the face of our prime minister. to this lady is conferred the title of Miss Crisis 2010... so you can understand why I've remembered her in these days...



Since I know , a little, the potential of Italy, and unfortunately I'm seeing all the bad that our political parties are doing (parties of any side, but overall the governement ), and how are they incompetent, I remember the big "moving statue" below:





it is a dinosaur's skeleton with the face of Berlusconi, many other dead people were dancing around and many last year's newspaper's frontpages were displayed all around. The title was "reXpubblica": the word "Rex" in latin means "king" and "Res Publica" in Latin was the "republic". So this "statue" means that there is sort of king in a republic that is powerfull as a dinosaur but it's so old and obsolete that is going to death, but its actions (represented by the newspapers' titles) bring to death all the others (the skeleton dancers that you can't see here, I captured these pectures too late, after the end of parade )


I hope that I'm not hurting the thoughts of anyone.. sorry if I do
I just want to show you this kind of art...

[shreds]

Well it beats riots that we had a few weeks ago.

Considered going out and doing a bit of reportage for a news/picture agency I am with at the time, but good thing I didn't as some of the other journo's and snappers were set upon and some lost their kit.

(Not that all Britain is like that, dont get the wrong impression, there are just some areas you have to consider carefully even on a bright sunny day)

[Nicola]

(Not that all Britain is like that, dont get the wrong impression, there are just some areas you have to consider carefully even on a bright sunny day)

I have a good impression of Britain, I've been in London and Cornwall some years ago, then in Northen Ireland and last year, in Scotland and I've had a good impression.
despite the advise of a guy in Belfast that told me "it wasn't a so safe zone /time". he found me walking at 4 am on sunday after a party in a friend's house...
But perhaps some areas of biggest cities, as London, are less safe.. I'm not so experienced about big cities

[Donald]

what is happening these days (and this summer) worldwide and, overall, in Italy

It is good that we can still see peaceful protest that, whilst delivering a very strong political and social message, can retain some humour and goodwill. Western society trumpets its desire to see democracy spread all over the world (so long as it's the type of democracy that's acceptable to us and our economic goals). One of the fundamental pillars and principles of democracy is the right to protest. Yet our governments are becoming more dictatorial in nature by controlling the type of protest that can take place and the form that the protest must take.

Interesting societal developments!

And it's good that there are people who can make excellent images of these protests. I like that picture.

[arith]

I think Berlusconi has cut taxes for the richest but cut services to the poor. It beggars belief where governments take away a generations hopes and aspirations to reward cheats and liars who caused the mess in the first place, and expect nothing to happen.

I think this art is very clever, but an American in Los Angeles recently got hassled by armed cops for painting a burning bank. Peaceful or not, the banksters will get you.

I like the perspective of the float, makes even more frightening. Cheers Nicola

[Nicola]

It is good that we can still see peaceful protest that, whilst delivering a very strong political and social message, can retain some humour and goodwill. Western society trumpets its desire to see democracy spread all over the world (so long as it's the type of democracy that's acceptable to us and our economic goals). One of the fundamental pillars and principles of democracy is the right to protest. Yet our governments are becoming more dictatorial in nature by controlling the type of protest that can take place and the form that the protest must take.

Interesting societal developments!

And it's good that there are people who can make excellent images of these protests. I like that picture.

Donald
i agree with your thought. I see very often, that when a protest is quite right to be joined by a large amount of people, and really peacefull, in a couple of days many "hot heads" (and I mean hundreds) coming from all europe, turn this protest in a battle field. So every political party, every newspaper talks about this protest as an "hooligan's meeting" and the right reasons to protest fall away from the attention of the media. After an hard police blitz, the issue is closed and who was protesting peacefully has lost is strenght and the media won't amplify his speech to the rest of the nation.

thank you for the appreciation! I have some other pics like that to post... one day!

[Nicola]

I think Berlusconi has cut taxes for the richest but cut services to the poor. It beggars belief where governments take away a generations hopes and aspirations to reward cheats and liars who caused the mess in the first place, and expect nothing to happen.

I think this art is very clever, but an American in Los Angeles recently got hassled by armed cops for painting a burning bank. Peaceful or not, the banksters will get you.

I like the perspective of the float, makes even more frightening. Cheers Nicola

the world is clearly in the hands of few lobbies and of not honest people.
just an example of this last kind of people that i've known a minute ago:
do you know how much is the average yearly income for a italian jeweller declared to the inland revenue? 14,500 euro
the half of a just graduated engineer (like me) at the first employement

[jambin]

I've heard many a person scoff at the Italian people for putting up with Berlusconi, and while I agree that he is a particularly nasty, vulgar little man who is out to get what he can for himself I can't help feeling that many other politicians around the World are of the same salt, the only difference being that they manage to hide it under an urbane veneer.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Here we have a kind of Berlusconi but my lack of courage citizen support him.I'm proud of you.