The Blackbird's Days

According to an Italian tradition that goes way back, 29th, 30th and 31st January are supposed to be the three coldest days of winter and they are called 'the blackbird's days' (i giorni della merla). They were - and still are - so cold that a ‘merla’ (a blackbird female), which in the past – as legend has it - used to have white feathers, was so cold and worried about his young chicks that could not find any better solution to warm up than going to land on a warm chimney.

They stayed there for three days, because the frost prevented them even to fly. Then fortunately February arrived. Pale as you like, but the sun was able to restore life and hope. The ‘merla’ and her chicks were then able to stretch, re-open their wings and fly away. The three days on the chimney, however, had produced a profound change in their plumage as it became black with soot, black without going back.From that day onwards all blackbirds were born black…

Keep warm!

HMD 2012

Every year on 27 January, the world marks Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). This day provides an opportunity for everyone to learn lessons from the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and subsequent genocides and apply them to the present day to create a safer, better future. On HMD we share the memory of the millions who have been murdered in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur in order to challenge hatred and persecution all over the world. On Holocaust Memorial Day 2012, people across the world will be choosing to make their voice heard by taking inspiration from the past and challenging the language of hatred, carefully considering how to use our voice and telling others how we feel in a way that does not harm or offend, whether speaking, online or in writing.

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

(Pastor Martin Niemoller)

Stop the RBS bonuses!

Dear friends across the UK,

In days incompetent Royal Bank of Scotland bosses want to pay themselves astronomical bonuses from our taxes! But we can stop these fat cats swallowing more cream.

Despite losing the bank £750 million in the last six months, RBS executives are spending a fortune lobbying the government and now want to get another £500m in bonuses! It’s a scandal at a time when cuts are biting all of us. But George Osborne heads up the body that will negotiate the deal. If we raise a massive public stink, the Chancellor could be shamed into rejecting RBS’s outrageous claim.

We don’t have long to stop this offensive corporate greed - RBS executives meet on Wednesday. Let's deliver a deafening 100,000 strong petition to Osborne to force a drastic cap on RBS bonuses and ban the use of our money to lobby the government.Click here to stop the great fat-cat rip-off, and then share this with everyone

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_rbs_bonuses_a/?vl

RBS’s crash in 2008 shook the global economy, and the British taxpayer had to step in with £45bn to buy most of the bank. Since then RBS’s management have sold off the best bits of the bank, sacked around 20,000 people, and refused to boost lending to embattled businesses. The share price has plummeted, and British taxpayers are currently £23bn out of pocket.

Shockingly, RBS’s arrogant executives still want to award themselves “performance” bonuses. It’s incredible, but the chief executive wants a repeat of the £6.8m he took in 2011, and the head of the investment banking division wants to cash in share options for over £5m.

Yesterday Cameron made vague promises about tackling unfair rewards, yet claims his hands are tied on RBS. The truth is that over 80% of the bank is owned by the British taxpayer through a company whose board reports straight to Chancellor Osborne. Let’s remind him that he is accountable to us, not the greedy gamblers at RBS.

(Petition and text from the avaaz.gov website)

Shocking!

(Image from repubblica.it)

I'm back...but I don't know for how long...

Happy New Year to you all! For some unknown reasons I cannot access my comments today or comment myself on my comments…Never mind. I haven’t been here for quite a long time. For the ones who care, I apologize. My Christmas time was not particularly eventful. I was rather upset because my parents did not come over to us and even more upset because I did not go to Italy. Never again. At least at Christmas, I want to be with the people I love, not here in the U.K. watching a dire Christmas TV. With the exception of Dowton Abbey, of course. And after that, the work started to pile up and the end of year’s accounts glooming. That's why I'm here today. Rather rambling about nothing and trying to get over a so-called writer's block than finishing my end of year's accounts!

I’ve just mentioned ‘writer’s block’ but I don’t know why. I’m not a writer and I’m not really blocked, I just don’t know what to write anymore. I'm not particularly witty (and I'm not fishing for compliments by the way!) like many of the fellow bloggers I usually read. Who on earth could be interested in my book or film reviews? You can read much more interesting (and better written) ones on the Net or in the hundreds of magazines and newspapers around…I could not host a photo blog, as my only means of taking photos is a medieval (brick) camera phone…Yes, I’m a mother but I’ve got enough problems with my kids without wanting to share them with my fellow mummy bloggers! Who wants to be reminded of what’s wrong with a spotty teenager after all!

Not to mention my fashion sense. Although I like clothes etc. thinking about my very imminent tax bill kills any temptation of going shopping (not even tackling the sales) and my already depleted wardrobe is constantly raided by my almost-teenage daughter. (FYI, I'm not that little, it's my daughter who's very tall!) What else is then left to me to write about? Just rambling and I’ve already done too much of it today. That’s why I might or I might not come back here. We’ll see. Ciaoooo!