Oops!

Mi trovate qui, You'll find me here, je suis là!: Un anno per sbagliare tutto

Happy Olympics!

To anyone who (like me) is going to watch the Olympics opening ceremony today (in half an hour to be precise): Beijing Olympics

JUNE 4TH 1989

We all know the image of the man standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square. We do not know how many died on that day and the following. We do not know how many died in prison nor how many are still in prison. (read: "Tiananmen activists must be released" on Amnesty.org) To celebrate this 19th anniversary I signed the Amnesty International petition against internet censorship in China.
Four years ago, I was preparing with a friend our study trip to Beijing. On the 4th June, we talked about the little the world (and us, as part of it) knew about the Tiananmen facts (read about on bbc.com), and we wondered whether something could change in five years time. One year still has to go, but for the moment nothing has significantly changed, except for the fact that I do not have contacts with that friend anymore.
I know that we won't celebrate the 20th anniversary with truth and I am convinced that as long as freedom of expression in China is not granted, there is no hope for the 30th.
I'll try to retrace my friend T. I am sad and happy at the same time every time I think of China and I think that he, as many others who "crossed" my Chinese experiences, understand my feelings.
Sad 19th anniversary, Tiananmen Square.

Sesso, droga e Urbi et Orbi

Sono grande lettrice di ricette e di encicliche. Le ricette preferiscono tenerle per me ma le encicliche -riportate religiosamente dai maggiori quotidiani italiani (vai all'articolo di Corriere.it ) - vanno condivise: "La sessualità rischia di diventare «una droga che vuole assoggettare il partner ai propri desideri e interessi, senza rispettare i tempi della persona amata»."
E io che pensavo per sentire un vecchio paragonare sesso e droga ci si dovesse rivolgere a Keith Richards! Ah, sono così ingenuamente ventesimo secolo!

12 March 2008: Cyberdemos against internet censorship

I protest in China, Tiananmen Square.

Participate
For a more extensive reading: Handbook for bloggers and cyberdissidents
For general information: Reporters sans frontieres

Lesotho, Ben and I

What do you know about Lesotho?

Sincerely, until this morning the only thing I knew was that Lesotho on my map is a green spot on a pinkish territory: Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa. But then my friend Benedict XVI met the Ambassador of Lesotho. He seemed to know more than me about the country: I became jealous and I decided to look for some information:
Lesotho has a very small population (a bit more than 2.500.000 inhabitants) with a very high HIV rate: 25% of the adult population is HIV positive. (UNAIDS)

Life expectancy is less than 35 years. (CIA World Fact book )

Try to think about it: at the age of 35 many Italians are newlyweds, or still live with their parents delaying their adult life... They are not wrong: they have almost 50 years in front of them...

In Lesotho at the age of 35 you are a survivor.

Read this :
“For women aged 18–19 years, less than 10% are HIV-positive, but by the time they celebrate their 22nd birthday, 30% will have acquired HIV, and by the time they reach 24 years, almost 40% will have been infected. For a large proportion of young women in Lesotho, delaying sex seems simply to be postponing eventual HIV infection (NAC and UNAIDS, 2006).”

These are the reasons why I think that –especially talking about a country like Lesotho- when you say that abstinence is the only way to fight HIV/AIDS, you are a CRIMINAL. You sacrifice human lives for dogmas.

In the hope that he is simply misinformed, I leave here some links for him:
UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org/en/
UNAIDS/WHO AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2006
Human Rights Watch: HIV/AIDS and human rights

By the way, Ben:
“The male latex condom is the single, most efficient, available technology to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.” UNAIDS
I translate for you: the only way to fight HIV/AIDS is the use of CONDOMS!

Scusate

Scusate l'assenza. E le poche parole.

Da La Stampa di oggi:

"L’aborto e la sperimentazione sugli embrioni costituiscono la diretta negazione dell’atteggiamento di accoglienza verso l’altro che è indispensabile per instaurare durevoli rapporti di pace" Il Papa.

MA FAMMI IL PIACERE!!!!!!


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