Semne bune!

din ce in ce mai putine automobile pe strazi. dupa ora 19, orasul incepe ca niciodata in ultimii 10 ani, sa respire. cu fiecare zi, marile bulevarde si artere se curata. ce n-au reusit cinci ani de manifeste,  manifestari si ciclofarse, va reusi criza. vom intalni din ce in ce mai multe biciclete. e posibil sa revedem pegasi antici scartaind batraneste deasupra asfaltului. e posibil sa scoatem de la naftalina putinul bun simt ramas si creativitatea practica care ne caracteriza inainte de ’90. e posibil sa descoperim o scarita de valori.

(dragi biciclisti, stiti de ce prefera pietonii sa mearga pe pista de biciclete? pentru ca asfaltul turnat  acolo se poarta ceva mai  fin cu talpile lor. pentru ca simt nevoia de ordine intr-u haos de pietre, gropi si masini azvarlite pe trotuar.)

din ce in ce mai putine produse pe rafturi. din ce in ce mai putini oameni la casele de marcat, din ce in ce mai multa rabdare. ba chiar si zambete.  din ce in ce mai putine pungi de plastic. carrefour-ul a reusit sa faca ce n-au reusit cinci ani de umbre verzi, ambasadori de hartie, pungasi, etc.  sa redea punga de multipla folosinta romanului.

te-ai urcat vreodata intr-un autobuz gol? normal. urmatoarea intrebare vine natural:  si acum unde ma asez?  care-i cel mai bun loc? la care fereastra? de unde bate soarele (daca bate)? singur pe scaun? sau singur pe lume? dar parca nu-mi incap genunchii. sa ma asez pe scaune pereche? daca nu-mi convine persoana care se va aseza langa mine? hmm…nu mai bine stau in picioare? oare cum o fi mai bine?

altfel stau lucrurile cand in autobuz e un singur loc liber.

prea multe alegeri.  prea multe optiuni de customizare exterioara. prea putine eforturi de customizare interioara. pana acum.

semne bune criza are. voi ati observat vreunul? sau sunt eu nebun?

Mafia pe plus

ROME (AFP)–The Italian mafia, the country’s organized crime network and its biggest enterprise, has not been affected by the global economic crisis, a report by an Italian business association said Tuesday.

The mafia has a turnover of EUR130 billion – surpassing any other Italian enterprise in 2008 – and a profit approaching EUR70 billion, said the report by Confesercenti, a group of 270,000 businesses specializing in the tourism and service sectors. “Unlike other businesses, the mafia has been little affected by the international economic and financial crisis,” the report said.

That fact makes the mafia “even more dangerous,” said the association’s president Marco Venturi. He said the mafia could use the current weakness in other businesses and the uncertainty in the economy to boost its position. The mafia’s “huge financial resources allow it to carve out new chunks of the market, to profit from the lack of liquidity, to acquire real estate and businesses,” the report said.

The main revenue sources for the mafia are drug trafficking (EUR59 billion), racketeering (EUR9 billion) and usury (EUR12.6 billion). These are followed by arms trafficking (EUR5.8 billion), contraband (EUR1.2 billion) and prostitution (EUR6 million). According to the report, the mafia is heavily involved in housing construction, which accounts for 37.5% of its profits, as well as retailing and restaurants. Some 180,000 merchants were forced to take out loans at exorbitant rates from mafia clans this year. In September 2007, the Italian employers’ association, Confindustria, took a step in its fight against the mafia by excluding members who agreed to pay the ” pizzo,” a charge imposed on businesses by the mafia.

TRANSPARENTA. PROFIT. AFACERI PROSPERE. felicitari, domnule Berlusconi.