A personal recount of a life within Berlin, Venice and the EU

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Il quadro dipinto da Censis e Istat per l'Italia appare durissimo da digerire


Dall'articolo apparso online su Lettera43
"C'è dunque oggi in Italia una «pericolosa povertà di progettazione per il futuro, di disegni programmatici di medio periodo». Prevale una dinamica d'opinione messa in moto da quel che avviene giorno per giorno. È la vittoria della «pura cronaca», che si vede nella «disarticolazione strutturale» del nostro sistema: vincono come al solito l'interesse particolare, il soggettivismo, l'egoismo individuale e non maturano valori collettivi e un'unità di interessi."

Friday, December 04, 2015

My top 5 albums for 2015

The Districts
Vijay Iyer Trio
Beach House
Protomartyr
Ryley Walker

Comments:
All 5 from the US
All 5 from the East


Friday, October 16, 2015

Signs of my neighbourhood's gentrification increase

1. Parking becoming more and more difficult at night
2. This morning saw at least 2 brand new Defenders (Landrover) within 10 minutes
3. The number of coffee-related drinks you can order any given bar; as if coffee, espresso, cappuccino and latte macchiato were not enough
4. At least one renovation going on in very block
5. Prams prams prams



Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Signs of a creeping, pervasive privatisation of Everything

A tentative draft list:

- Citizens cleaning up streets
- Parents creating their own kindergarten
- European citizens saving migrants and refugees's lives
- European citizens helping migrants and refugees in general
- Social start-ups trying to solve problems the State does not anymore
- The rethoric of " We can do it" which sounds a lot like capitalistic self-reliance
- The inflation of the prefix "self"
- The use of social media data for commercial purpose
- The growing sense of necessity of working pro-bono or voluntary to get a job
- The Self-production of more and more services
- The commercialisation of art in all its forms
- The growing costs of education at all levels
...
 

Thursday, July 09, 2015

Justice will not be made, ever.

Just to put few circumstances in perspective:

(1) it is a piece of news from yesterday that "Mr." Berlusconi actually bought Italian deputees so that the government by his only real political challenger, Mr. Prodi, would fall.

(2) Given the length in the proceedings and in the first trial, due primarily - please note - to the fine tactics of the "best" Italian lawyers he can afford paying because to the immensity of his wealth and also due to the sclerotic judicial system he did not even dare reforming in the almost 10 years he spent as PM, the sentence will never be applicable i.e. he will not spend a single day in jail.

(3) That screams for injustice and social revolt from every possible perspective.

(4) It is beyond my understanding that people do not go on the streets, boycott all his media empire or stop voting his accolytes and supporters (shares of votes for his scandalous club-wanna-be-party dimished lately, though steadily >10% nationally).

(5) Given all that, it feels more and more difficult to ever think to go back to such a neurotic, self-condescending, culturally biased, disillusioned, filled-with-double-standards, unable-to-ever-bounce national community currently going under the name of Italian Republic.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Thursday night in Dundee

Yesterday night a concert
Dean Owens played: link
Few thoughts that came to my mind while listening to it
Never take part in a meet-up of old school mates
Never criticise without being constructive
Never spend a week without smiling
Never forget that I long for the seaside
Elliott Smith rules

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Also a good lesson

Dear .....,
The videos have been sent almost two weeks ago, with a much greater speed than any of the feedbacks you ever provided, included the 7 working days delay you needed to send a reimbursement form, which btw you promised (quote) you will have sent the next day (end of quote).
The length/quality in the delivery by the Italian mail service is something I have no control over, as much as the way you don´t talk to each each other at EIUC, an institution with less than 30 workers and biased email communication.
Let me also assure you that you will not need so much time for the videos, as long as you intend to produce them in a quality as poor as the one of Mudar´s interview, if that ever can be a relief for you sudden growth of hastiness.
I am sure that irrespective of all this you have received your salary regularly over the months: well you might need to wait for the mail.
Also a good lesson.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Sunday afternoon: 12 - 14 °C water temperature

#liepnitzsee

A photo posted by Marco Baldan (@mmkakou) on

Saturday, May 09, 2015

Saturday afternoon

#swim #schlachtensee

A photo posted by Marco Baldan (@mmkakou) on

Monday, May 04, 2015

Long term effects of watching "Sounds and silence", a documentary on ECM´s founder, Manfred Eicher

This guy never laughs while his label will make you cry. I finally found a way to sum it up. Extract from an e-mail I sent today.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Crossing

That spooky moment when you read a tweet about an artist likened to P.J. Harvey, at the same time your podcast on Itunes plays one song by that artist and you wonder whether you are listinening to Harvey´s new track... FYI Artist: Mourn Feed: Pitchfork Podcast: KEXP song of the day