Stealing Gaza's gas reserves

While Western governments continue to cover up Israeli crimes, Gaza is being starved and bombed again. Why are we, Westerners, allowing it? That's so simple: Gaza could be one of the richest places on hearth if the development of the gas field off its coast would begin. The gas could also benefit the Palestinians of the West Bank whose electricity is bought from Israel at high prices. 

Unfortunately,  in late October, 2023, three weeks after Israel began its military attack on Gaza, Tel Aviv's  government issued 12 licences for gas exploration to six local and foreign companies. Obviously gas exploration off the Gaza coast violates international law. Easy to see that Israel is making a de facto annexation of Palestinian maritime areas. 

Glad to hear that some countries around the world refuse to surrender and accept injustice.

Day and night equilized

 

The spring equinox finally arrive this week, as from the 20th to the 21st of March day and night are equilized. From an astronomical poin of view the spring equinox Spring begins when the amount of sunshine is aproximately 12 hours. This happens when the sun crosses the equator from the southern emisphere to the northern emisphere. 

According to NASA, the equinox will occur at 4 a.m. on Thursday, 20th March, in the area located 6 hours behind the Greenwich Mean Time.

Many Judas-trees in the urban environment are already blooming. Those small deciduous trees show their beautiful pink flowers from late March to early May. In the language of flowers, the Judas-tree symbolizes betrayal.

Have a nice Spring season 🌺🌺🌺

EU-US full blown trade war

Since Trump got in office more than two months ago, he has been talking about restoring U.S.' manufacturing sector by rising tariffs on foreign goods. According to Trump's plan, tariffs can help boost production at home by making foreign goods more expensive. 

Obviously, if businesses were to make goods in the U.S., they wouldn't pay tariff for them. But if companies do as Trump asks, then the U.S.' government can't raise tariff revenue from them. Consequently America's public debt could rise, and American people could pay a high price for Trump's reciprocal tariffs. Not to mention of a country's ability to produce a particular good, such as wine, spirits, and food, at a lower cost compared to other nations. 

On the China front, while these measures may trigger concern over their economic impact, they are unlikey to undermine Beijing's long-term manufacturing dominance.

     Have a nice weekend!

Transatlantic partership or strategic autonomy

 

This morning the European Commission is launching a series of countermeasures to protect EU consumers from the impact of US tariffs of up to 25%. On March 12, the US imposed those tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium from European Union and other trading partners. 

That news reminds me a famous Heinz Alfred Kissinger's quote. As it is known, he was an American diplomat and political scientist, who also served as secretary of state. In 1968 he said: "It may be dangerous to be an America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal". 

Have nice Wednesday :-)

An empty suit and a Napoleon syndrome

On this sunny Sunday Italian newspapers show that we, Europeans, are at a crossroads in Europe history because of the insanity of two leaders: Macron and Starmer. Europe should not drag themself in Ukraine war, rather they should focus on diplomatic solution at any cost. The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, isn't snubbing anybody. She and other EU leaders are looking after their own people and their own coutries. They are not interested in helping weapons-makers to become richer by creating a never ending war in East Ukraine. 

I think some people pretend to forget that in 2021, before Russia's invasion, US & UK military drills took place three times on the Ukrainian ground, close to the Russian border. And now two European leaders want to do the same mistake. NATO troops in Ukraine for peace is an insane reasoning, as this was the reason the whole thing started. 

And last but not least, since yesterday Russians have been advancing sharply in the Russian region of Kursk. Consequently, I am sorry to see that Ukraine's sole territorial bargaining counter will disappaer soon, unfortunately. That's why Zelensky made a great mistake last week when he didn't agree on Washington ceasefire proposal. Last week at Washington' oval office he, the comedian, still had bargaing power. At present I am afraid Ukrainians have no choice but to lose Russian occupied territories. He will be judged by his own people. 

Brain drain

   

Since 2014 to 2024 more than one million Italians aged between 23 and 34 years have left their country.  It seems that  young  Italians think there is a lack of job recognition in their country, as they feel their skills are undervalued at home.      In this context, Italian government is trying to reverse the trend by incentivising the youth, as the brain drain is exacerbating Italy's demographic crisis. 

According to Eurostat, nine member states reported salaries above the EU average standing at € 37,863. And in six EU countries (Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Germany) average salary was above € 50,000. Finland, France and Sweden are also ranked above the EU average of € 37,863.

         

Many young Italians also look for better wages in Switzerland, which is not an EU member state. Furthermore, some Switzerland's cities, such as Zurich, Basel and Geneva, allow for a confortable lifestyle.

Have a nice 1st weekend of March! ⛅ 

Nightlife in historic neighborhoods

Since the beginning of this winter many young people have been gathering in the historic centre of the town, every Friday and Saturday, on the night. As usual people meet to wind down, socialise, and sip away on cheap drinks. Consequently, historic centre's citizens call to protest against unchecked wild movida and the opening of new fast food shops in the old medieval squares and alleys. 

In the historic centre of many Italian towns, such as Turin, Rome, and Milan, the coexistence between nightlife and the rest's expectations of residents represents a very big issue to deal with.

The goods new is that on Sunday, in the early morning, the same square shown in the above photo was not polluted with rubbish, bottles and other waste. It was probably cleaned by the people who run fast food shops, coffees, and wine shops. 

Some people who love hanging out their underwear clothes live in the historic part of the town :-) LOL

Have a nice month of March!  

Stability into China-US relations

Since the US government took office, more than a month ago, International public opinion has been believing that Washington-Beijing communication has lost momentum. At the moment many signals show the ambivalence in Washington about China-US relation. On the one hand, the US continue to spread the “China threat” rhetoric. On the other hand, the relevant information just proves the importance of stable Washington-Beijing economic and trade relations to the United States.

The US administration knows that the tariff war would not bring tangible benefit to American consumers. Not to mention of the effect  related to the stock market, as it is no coincidence that since late January S&P 500 index has decreased by 3%. According to data, during the previous trade war launched by the US in 2018, most of Washington’s costs from tariffs on China hit American businesses and concumers.

The importance of maintaining stability between Washington and Beijing is related to the fact that trade war and tariff war have no winners. That’s an undeniable fact, as injecting new vitality into China-US relations would contribute to global stability. 

Out of season

This  morning I went shopping at the supermarket, athough I often choose to buy fruit and vegetables from smaller retail shops or local farmers. On the 22nd of February there were red and yellow peppers on the shelves. They seemed made of plastic.

I'm afraid that in the near future consumers in the EU can't indentify which fruits and vegetables are in season when. 

Not to mention of grapes, which I used to eat from late August to early October. It's better to eat such fruit in Summer, as high water content of grapes can aid hydration and contribute to skin health.

Season-specific foods are not only fresher but also denser in terms of nutrition.

Unfortunately, I have just seen green and purple grapes at the supermarket today 🤨 ... as mentioned in my previous post, published on the 1st of February, I had already seen grapes at the supermarket in Winter when I went to Dublin,  Edinburgh and London in the previous years.  

In addition to this, fruit and vegetables' prices are still rising, as inflaction has surged ahead in the first month of the new year. Actually, inflaction in euro area in January 2025 increased by 2.5% compared with the same month in 2024. 

While this month of February is still rainy, mimosa trees are already blooming here on the 42nd parallel.

    

Have a nice weekend ⛅

Images of February

                                                        

Most trees are still without leaves, and the weather is cloudy in mid-February. In the meanwhile, the province North Rome was hit by a flood yesterday.

There was damage to crops.

The highway has now been reopened.

In this context, it seems people are more aware of flood hazards, as many small building located close to the rivers have been demolished. The photo below was taken before the flood. 

Have a nice Valentine's day!

China's increasing power

(Photo courtesy by Stefano Gazzano)

Since early 2000s China has been increasing its economic power, technological strenght, and national defense capability. Not to mention of Beijing's significant role in global politics. For example, in 2024 China showed its considerable role of being a reliable peacemaker between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

(Photo courtesy by Stefano Gazzano)

Furthermore, China and India have recently agreed to carry out active interaction at all levels on bilateral and multilateral opportunities, powerfully built strategic communication, and enhance mutual political trust. I am so glad to hear such a great news, as in terms of international politics it means that unipolarism will not exist anymore. It's easy to see that the only country that owns military basis in more than 80 states around the world will be compelled to share its power.

(Photo courtesy by Stefano Gazzano)

The fact that Beijing is now hit by Trump tariffs on steel and aluminium leeds me to think that the US is challenging China using many tactics, including economic restrictions and military encirclement.

Sovereignity and dignity of all countries do not have to be subordinated to the hegemonic countries' investment management companies.

Pigeons on a cold morning

 

This morning, on a cold Wednesday (2°C), many pigeons stood on the power line while they were enjoying the sun.

It seems that all electrons stay in power line and out of the birds body. 

Eating seasonally

 

I like eating seasonally in winter, as I think we haven't to lose the beauty of the nature. The problem is that some veggies available at the grocery are not in season, and this may disconnect us from the roots of local and sustainable eating. Unfortunately I saw such a reliance on convenience also outside my country. For example, while I was visiting Scotland, England and Ireland I saw tomatoes, aubergines and green grapes in February at the Tesco Superstore.🍅🍇 But why we, humans, force to grow when it is not its natural time to grow ❓

Not only are in-season veggies healthier but they taste better too. In addition to this, our body specifically need vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we can't find in veggies and fruits out of season. For example, we need Vitamin C and antioxidants in winter. Furthermore, from an environmental point of view, fruits and veggies out of season are shipped from far away. And not to mention of premature harvesting.

Have a nice month of February  ... with in-season fruits and veggies 😃

Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek

There are clouds of uncertainty over financial markets this week, as new China-based AI start-up, DeepSeek, has been showing its rapid innovation. It seems that DeepSeek can operate at a lower cost than American AI models.

On monday stocks of high-powered chip manufacturers, Nvidia and other American technology giants,  decreased due the fact that debates have been fueling over the economic and geopolitical competition between US and China in developing AI technology.

This means, in my humble opinion, that we are not yet in a unipolar world completely ruled by the 0.05% richer people.

Seen from aircraft in 1943

I've just got these two old black & white photos, which a friend of mine, Stefano, found through the web. The two aerial photographs, as seen from aircraft, were taken on the 14th of May, 1943 during an aircraft bombing on the port of Civitavecchia, 70 km north from Rome. 

Billows of smoke rose as explosions occurred in the Civitavecchia's port and its surrounding urban area.

After the WWII the old medieval castle, located close to the port, was repaired

and nowadays tourists can enjoy it. 

Playgrounds

 

There is no doubt that we can do more to improve our neighborhoods. If I were a mayor or local authority administrator, I would build more playgrounds in the town. More and more people are aware of the importance of green areas and playgrounds in neighborhoods. 

According to the Higher Institute of Environmental Protection and Research, Italy records a worrying increase in land consumption. 

Actually Italy's biggest towns, like Rome and Milan, are the most affected by overbuildings of large infrastructures, such as car parks and other paved areas. 

The last picture below shows a Christmas decoration that hasn't been removed yet.

Those colorful railway carriages could be placed in a playground, as kids would enjoy getting on and off  🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃 My son saw those old railway carriages in the Milan's railway workshop.

Have a nice weekend :-)  ❄

15 months of war

After 15 months of war in Gaza, a ceasefire was achieved. That's a great news! The agreement has been ratified by Israeli government early this morning after meeting for more than six hours. Israel-Hamas ceasefire will take effect on Sunday morning.

I don't know if the above photo is a fake. It shows Israeli soldiers, all women, taking a selfie close to the rubble's battlefield.

Anyway, the fact that Israel and Hamas have agreed on a cease fire is a great news!

Billions $ dollars spent to maintain the establishment

During the last weekend more than 200,000 Romanian people gathered in Bucharest to stand up for their democracy. They demand their country back after the corrupt establishment canceled democratic elections. Romanians are demanding the resignation of Klaus Iohannis, who is illegally occupying the position of president of Romania, as well as that of the entire government. 

The democratically elected president of Romania, Kalin Georgescu, is supported by more than 70% of the population. Along the streets of Bucharest there are only Romanian flags. No EU flags, No US flags and No Ukraine flags.

It easy to see that the establishment can't cancel elections because they don't like the candidate for whom people voted. That has nothing to do with democracy. It seems the same movie as we already saw when other democratically elected presidents in Europe were overthrown. 

Obviously, the globalist media system, enslaved by the international corporate elite, hasn't mentioned that news. This is the end of democracy in the EU.  

1 million asylum-seekers annually

In September 26, 2015, George Soros published a plan where he firstly said very clearly that EU institutions have to accept at least one million asylum-seekers annually.  He, secondly, said that adequate financing is critical. In this perspective, he proposed to issue long term Euro bond for financing the migration crisis and the migrant social and welfare taking care when they arrive to the EU. Obviously he and other billioners would be the buyers of those long term Euro bond. That was (and still is) a way to put more money into the pockets of richer people. Actually, it is not a coincidence the fact that George Soros is a pioneer of the hedge-found industry. 
Mr. Soros also said that safe channels must be established for asylum-seekers starting with getting them from Greece and Italy to other EU countries, such as Austria, Hungary, Germany, etc. 
To sum up, illegal and unchecked immigration, which we have seen in EU since 2015, is not an accidental fact known to have happened. On the contrary, it's a plan. It's a plan which is going on. And it was written. It was published. It is known. 
This explains how EU institutions are working and how George Soros was able to captive the main position of EU institutions in order to execute the plan. 

            (I took the above photo last year at Rome's main railway station) 

In the meanwhile, brainwashed people thought that who disagrees on human trafficking and unchecked immigration was a fascist. If we, EU people, were really interested in helping migrants who leave their poor countries, we would create special economic zones to attract investment and generate jobs in Africa. On the contrary, with the aim of allowing richer people to become richer, some EU governments had been stealing  human resources from the African continent. 

The good news is that since the new government took office in Rome, illegal and unchecked immigration in Italy decreased by 60%.

Trump-China relationship

It seems Trump have recently mellowed a little on China. The strongest economic and military power in East Asia is central to the business interests of the uncoming US President's friend, billionaire Elon Musk. The latter will also have a role in the administration as soon as Trump takes office.

                                                   (Photo courtesy by Stefano Gazzano)

In the meanwhile, two weeks before Biden leaves office, The US State Department has informed Congress of a planned $ 8 billion weapons sale to Israel. The weapons package would add to a record of at least $ 17.9 in military aid that the US has provided Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza on the 7th October, 2023. 

Last year Professor Emeritus of political sociology at Sonoma State University, Peter Phillips, wrote: "It is in the self-interest of the weapons makers to lobby their governments for the continuation of high level of military spending on weapons, using deterrence as a false rationale". 

Gambrinus Coffeehouse

My first post of the new year is dedicated to the historic coffeehouse Gambrinus. 

Founded in 1860, the Gambrinus is a historic coffehouse in Naples (South Italy). It is located in the historical hearth of the town, close to one of the world's oldest opera houses. In addition to breakfast's coffee & pastry and ice cream, the Gambrinus Coffehouse also offers lunch.

That old coffee shop in Naples was named misteriously after the patron saint of beer. The Irish dramatist, Oscar Wilde, and the French writer, Guy de Maupassant, went to Gambrinus to taste coffee. 

If you were to go to Naples in South Italy, you could visit the oldest coffee shop of the town. As an alternative, you could have a spritz at a less popular place.

Thanks to the strocke of genius of two young entrepreneurs, locals and tourists can enjoy a spritz at the borough market.

I spent New Year's Eve in Naples, where I enjoyed its lovely atmosphere.

On the way back from Naples I met a cute dog while I was catching the train at the railway station. That beautiful creature was looking after the luggage. 

Have a great new year 🥂