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In Canada congelamento delle armi




"Congelamento nazionale" della proprietà di un'arma e confisca della licenza per chi è coinvolto in atti di violenza domestica o molestie, come lo stalking. Questo il progetto di legge preannunciato da Justin Trudeau.

Il premier canadese intende così proseguire con la stretta sulle armi: "Non c'è alcuna ragione per cui qualcuno in Canada debba avere armi nella sua vita quotidiana, a parte quelle per la caccia e le attività sportive".

Trudeau prevede anche che i caricatori per le armi lunghe siano modificati in modo che non possano sparare più di cinque colpi, nonché il divieto di vendere o trasferire caricatori ad alta capacità: un modo per limitare la potenza devastante dei fucili semi automatici usati spesso nelle stragi.

 

"Dal giorno in cui entrerà in vigore, non sarà più possibile acquistare, vendere, trasferire o importare armi in Canada", ha detto il primo ministro in conferenza stampa con i giornalisti. "Dato che la violenza armata continua a crescere, è nostro dovere continuare ad agire", ha aggiunto. Se approvato, il provvedimento dovrebbe essere applicato a partire dall'autunno.


Il Canada ha già vietato due anni fa l'uso di armi d'assalto militare come i fucili AR-15 rifle usati dal 18enne Salvador Ramos nella strage di Uvalde, Texas, costata la vita a 19 bambini e 2 insegnanti.

 

Il Paese vide nell'aprile 2020 l'ultima strage legata alla diffusione delle armi da fuoco in cui furono uccise 23 persone nella Nuova Scozia. Il governo bandì, nelle settimane successive al fatto, circa 1.500 tipi di armi da fuoco, ma non è mai riuscito a fermare una crescente ondata di minacce e violenze in cui la pistola è stata usata in modo disinvolto.


Dagli Stati Uniti rimane costante il flusso clandestino di armi che quotidianamente preoccupa la polizia canadese. "Quello della violenza armata è un problema complesso - ha aggiunto il primo ministro - ma, al tempo stesso, semplice: meno armi vi sono nelle nostre comunità, più sicuri saremo tutti noi".


www.rainews.it

Grande scontro tra Qatar e Airbus. Ma forse poi ricominceranno a volersi bene…

(Simple Flying)

Airbus has won a legal battle to resell Qatar Airways' undelivered A350s, opening the door to a new customer swooping in for the produced widebody. So who could be in contention for the planes? From Lufthansa to Air India, several carriers have been rumored to be eying the jet.


© Provided by SimpleFlyingWhat Will Happen To Qatar Airways’ Outstanding Airbus A350 Orders?
Parked and stored

In two weeks, we will reach the one-year anniversary of Qatar Airways halting all Airbus A350 deliveries until the surface degradation issues are not acknowledged and resolved. Since then, the war of words has only devolved and is now headed for trial next year unless the two sides reach a settlement.

While the A380 has returned for added capacity, QR has been signing deals with Boeing instead. Photo: Airbus

However, it's not all bad news for Airbus. This week, the court allowed the European giant to resell A350s built for Qatar Airways to any new customers, saving millions in lost revenue. Now, Airbus is looking for airlines that either way to expedite deliveries or grow their operations quickly.
Lufthansa

Already an A350-900 customer, Lufthansa is currently considering it wants to add the larger -1000 variant to its fleet. The German giant has already said it is looking to take up Aeroflot's produced A359s, meaning that Airbus is likely to be pursuing a deal for the -1000s now.

Usually, airlines spend years analyzing which aircraft will suit their markets and then wait for even more to get a delivery slot from the planemaker. However, the pandemic means Lufthansa shed lots of widebody capacity, and Airbus suddenly has three jets ready to go and slots for 17 more in the future.

The A350-1000 would easily slot into Lufthansa's operations given the lack of pilot training needed. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Air India

Another potential customer for the 20 A350-1000s is Air India. Recently purchased by the Tata Group conglomerate, the carrier is in desperate need of fleet modernization and expansion to grow its international business. Airbus is hoping for a widebody deal in India too, with the plane recently making a tour of the country before potential customers (and Simple Flying staff!).

Airbus came to show off its A350-900 in Delhi and Hyderabad last week as it hopes to end Boeing's control of the market. Photo: Gaurav Joshi | Simple Flying

While a business case for the A350s at Air India is feasible, an important consideration is set-up time. Approval for a new aircraft type in the country could take a while and hiring fresh pilots and crews will be an expensive process. Given that the airline is still in the early phases of its turnaround, such a large order may not come at the right time.
A resolution

The most likely customer for Qatar Airways' undelivered A350s is.....Qatar Airways. Were a settlement to occur between the pair, these planes could easily be sent to Doha and back on track. While the relationship may be acrimonious right now, things can change quickly as both sides face mounting economic pressure from the struggle. For now, keep an eye out for Airbus' next move with these jets.

Mass killings: America malato terminale?


Dall'inizio del 2022 sino ad oggi 24 maggio sono 221 i morti ammazzati sotto il fuoco delle armi da assalto manovrate da fuori di testa che hanno potuto acquistarle senza problemi grazie alla assenza di leggi che, come nella maggior parte dei paesi europei, ne vietano la diffusione.

Di questi 221 morti 134 sono bambini e adolescenti.

L'ultimo massacro perpetrato da un diciottenne a Uvalde, un piccolo centro del Texas, ha coinvolto 19 bambini della scuola elementare e due insegnanti (al momento in cui scriviamo le cifre rimbalzano a conferma del caos in cui si agita la polizia locale e quella dello Stato)

Piangere su queste giovani vittime non serve perché l'opinione pubblica da tempo è atrofizzata di fronte alle morti violente che si verificano ormai a cadenze periodiche sempre più ravvicinate.

Il dolore di alcune decine di famiglie non sorprende più di tanto la generalità della popolazione che dopo il "poveretti!" di prammatica pensa bene di andare a cercarsi un film su Netflix.

Scattano invece violentemente i social di ispirazione repubblicana estremista che si scagliano contro i media liberali, i democratici e tutti quanti invocano leggi che finalmente delimitino la libertà di acquisto di armi, dalle pistole ai mitragliatori da guerra.

Le cornacchie della destra e dell'estrema destra americana vociferano affermando che, anche in questa luttuosa situazione del massacro alla scuola elementare della cittadina texana, è evidente invece il tentativo di mettere in discussione ancora una volta il noto Secondo Emendamento della costituzione americana che dal 1787 consente ad ogni cittadino di avere un'arma.

La popolazione americana è composta di 323 milioni di persone secondo l'ultimo censimento.

Su questi 323 milioni sono spalmati oltre 450 milioni di armi in larga maggioranza d'assalto.

Negli Stati Uniti è facile organizzare cortei che raccolgono migliaia di presenze e che sfilano brandendo cartelli nelle varie città, ma soprattutto a Washington, protestando contro questo, contro quello.

E' il caso della Corte Suprema che sta per cancellare la legge che ha consentito l'aborto in tutti i 50 Stati della Federazione.

È il caso delle manifestazioni di massa innescate dalla morte di George Floyd per colpa della stupida brutalità di un agente di polizia nei confronti di questo nero.

Le manifestazioni che si sono succedute in tante piazze americane intendevano riproporre l'antico problema degli Stati Uniti, ovvero lo scontro razziale tra bianchi e neri tuttora persistente eredità della guerra civile mai conclusa nel 1865.

Ma non ci sono manifestazioni di migliaia di persone che protestano per lo scandaloso fenomeno, tutto americano, dei mass killings, le uccisioni di massa, motivate da demenza, odio sociale, motivazioni personali (come ad esempio la perdita del posto di lavoro), volutta' di tanti giovani psicopatici che cercano, anche a costo della propria vita, di avere un effimero spazio sulle prime pagine dei media, e via dicendo.

Anche perché, diciamolo francamente, si prende posizione antagonista su tematiche fondamentali come l'aborto, l'assalto alla libertà del voto, lo scontro tra le minoranze etniche.

Ma nessuno vuole mettere a rischio il diritto personale di portare un'arma addosso.

E questo è un principio estremamente diffuso negli Stati Uniti ad ogni livello indipendentemente dalle differenze culturali, di pelle, di aggregazione sociale.

L'America è diversa da tante nazioni democratiche dove il possesso delle armi e' vigorosamente regolamentato. 

L'America che santifica la violenza dei grandi malfattori attraverso i suoi film, l'America dei videogiochi che stimolano la fantasia dei ragazzi all'uccisione, l'America del "no tresspassing" per cui se per sbaglio metti piede nel mio giardinetto sono autorizzato a sparare, l'America della violenza diffusa non può rinunciare al vantaggio di avere armi belliche che, come si dice, possono sempre servire.

Questa America è una nazione molto malata, in grande pericolo, terreno fertile per decine di milioni di suoi votanti che aspirano ad essere governati da un autocrate.

Questa America non ha la possibilità di far passare  leggi importanti che possano in qualche modo attenuare la diffusione delle armi perché i numeri in Senato sono 50 a 50 ma, per quanto riguarda i democratici, bisogna tener conto anche di due senatori che ce la stanno mettendo tutta per far naufragare i programmi di sviluppo del presidente Joe Biden.

C'è chi sostiene che questa malattia dell'America sia terminale.

Preghiamo Dio che la classe politica riesca a svincolarsi dalle pressioni suadenti delle lobbies imprenditoriali (vedasi ad esempio la National Rifle Association che distribuisce quattrini a repubblicani e democratici purché non rompano le scatole intralciando la produzione e la vendita delle armi. Tanto per fare un esempio).

Ricordiamo al nostro lettore che, dopo ogni mass killing, i negozi che vendono armi sono presi d'assalto dai compratori che si sottopongono a lunghe file in attesa di poter acquistare.

Ed anche questa, purtroppo, è America.

Oscar

_____________________________________________________

Ennesima strage con falcidia di bambini e insegnanti. Mitragliati a caso gli acquirenti di un supermarket. Ecc. Ecc. Ogni giorno o quasi, le cronache riportano episodi sconvolgenti.

Le autorità si sentono impotenti di fronte alla morale vigente e il secondo articolo della Costituzione.
E’ un problema di difficile soluzione, se esiste una soluzione, che richiede un totale ripensamento delle regole della nostra società’. I discorsi pronunciati fino ad oggi, secondo me, non affrontano il problema alla radice:
1) LA COSTITUZIONE fu scritta nel 1789 e, anche se rivista nel 1992, porta con se lo spirito di un Paese di frontiera. Ogni pioniere che doveva vedersela sia con i vari avventurieri fuorilegge, sia con i legittimi proprietari del terreno sul quale voleva stabilirsi, ogni pioniere, come dicevo, aveva la necessita di difendersi per se e per la sua famiglia. Giustissimo !
Ma oggi l’America non e’ piU’ un Paese di frontiera, la Costituzione ha superato la sua validità’ e, con grande sforzo e tanto buon senso, la si potrebbe modificare.
Ormai quelli che hanno arsenali nel closet di casa non si possono modificare, ma per le generazioni future si potrebbero istituire regole nuove, piu’ restrittive, come nei Paesi del resto del Mondo.
2) LA FAMIGLIA: uno dei primi rimedi a questa deformazione mentale e’ dovuta alla sopravvenuta mancanza di una istituzione come la Famiglia. Il senso di appartenenza ad un gruppo etnico e sociale regola i comportamenti dell’individuo. Oggi, secondo me, non si sente piu parlare di Famiglia, di affetti familiari, insegnamento dei genitori a modellare i giovani alle regole di una convivenza civile con gli altri. Il ruolo del Padre come esempio di rettitudine, onesta’ e sacrificio per il bene della Famiglia, e’ spesso deriso se non addirittura spregiato. Un buono sculaccione al momento giusto, puo’ rimettere sulla retta via un ragazzo preda degli ormoni giovanili.
3) l’ISTRUZIONE:
E’ evidente l’indirizzo a preferire una educazione tecnologica vista la grande dipendenza dai computer e tutte le possibilita’ che questi ci danno, nel bene e nel male. Benissimo! Ma che ne e’ dell’educazione classica dalla quale noi tutti abbiamo tratto insegnamenti vitali e basilari. Ripenso all’ Eneide per tutto quello che ha voluto rappresentare per il concetto di famiglia, col Padre Anchise, il figlio Ascanio e via cosi.
Ripenso all’Odissea con la sete inestinguibile di conoscenza, di avventura e d’amore e anche in parte, di lealtà’ verso il prossimo. E che dire di Dante, anche se in America non e’ molto conosciuto, con i suoi principi di base  come il “ Fatti non foste a viver come bruti “ ecc. ecc.
4) IL MILITARE:
Fare il militare oggi sembra quasi inutile. Non parlo dei super eroi dei fumetti o dei Film di Hollywood  alla James Bond o simili.
Parlo della Naia, la gavettta, la camerata con tuoi coetanei mescolati come quello dalla Louisiana insieme a quello del Connecticut, da Brooklyn con quello dell’Alabama. Cosi da farti conoscere le pecche e i meriti di ragazzi da altre zone del Paese per unirti in un afflato di appartenenza a qualcosa di più’ grande che non il cortile dietro casa e qualcosa che valga la pena di difendere. Questa esperienza dovrebbe anche darti un senso di umiltà’ e di rispetto.

Sicuramente persone più’ intelligenti di me e più preparate potrebbero aggiungere altri rimedi e sistemi per correggere questa nostra società’ cosi’ malandata.
Speriamo bene e che Dio ci aiuti !

Riccardo Bellucci


Eutanasia in Giappone per risolvere il problema di una popolazione che sta invecchiando velocemente

Cannes (France) (AFP) – A Japanese film-maker is shaking Cannes film audiences to the core with a dystopian vision of her country in which old people agree to be euthanised to solve the challenge of a rapidly ageing population.

"Plan 75" by Japanese director and writer Chie Hayakawa is based on a very real problem.

Japan is the most rapidly-ageing industrial society, a trend that is causing huge economic and political problems as a dwindling number of younger people must support a growing army of the old.

Close to 30 percent of Japan's population is over 65, the majority women, and that rate is expected to continue rising in coming decades.

In the movie, anybody over 75 is encouraged to sign up for a deal with the government by which they receive a sum of money in return for agreeing to be euthanised. A collective funeral is thrown in for free.

Slick ad campaigns and calls from people with soothing voices are part of the effort to get people to sign up. Handsome advisors list the small pleasures candidates could afford with the money. "You'll be able to go to the restaurant," says one.

"On the face of it, the government's Plan 75 is full of goodwill and friendliness and pragmatism, but in truth it is both very cruel and shameful," Hayakawa told AFP in an interview.

"The ageing of the population is not a recent problem, I've always heard people discussing it," she said.

"When I was young, a long life was considered to be a good thing, people had respect for older people. That's no longer the case," the 45-year-old director added.
'Cold and cruel'

"Plan 75", Hayakawa's first full-length feature film, is full of slow sequences with minimal camera movement.

"I wanted the images to be aesthetic and beautiful, as well as cold and cruel, just like the plan itself," she said.

Asked how close to today's Japanese reality her scenario is, Hayakawa quickly answered "eight out of 10".

She said she interviewed older people as part of her research for the movie, and discovered that many found merit with the idea of buying financial security with their willingness to end their life.

"It would alleviate the stress of wondering how they can survive once they are alone. Choosing the moment and the method of their death could be very reassuring," she said.

She said the approach would find support among the younger generations, too.

"If such a plan was on the table today, I believe that many people would accept it, even welcome it as a viable solution," she said.

"Most young people worry already what the end of their life will look like. Will their basic needs be met? Can they survive once they live alone? Can they afford to age?" she said.

Instead of blaming the government, Hayakawa said many young people were resentful of the old.

"They are frustrated and angry because they work hard to support the elderly, but they think that, when it's their turn, there may be nobody to support them," she said.

"What worries me a lot is that we're in a social reality that would very much favour such a radical solution," she said. "It's scary."

Hayakawa said her film did not presume to offer a solution to handling the age crisis. "But an honest assessment of where we are today would already be a key step," she said.

© 2022 AFP

Vittorio Feltri, un grande giornalista, forse perche' musicista, forse perche' ama gli animali...


Vittorio Feltri: «Se non vedo mia moglie Enoe in casa per un quarto d’ora urlo. I figli? Ho trovato lavoro a tutti»

di Candida Morvillo (Coriere della Sera)

Orfano di padre, ha smesso di andare a scuola alle Medie. Si è laureato lavorando, a 23 anni è rimasto vedovo con due bimbe neonate. E ora il tumore. Intervista a due voci (la seconda è della riservatissima moglie Enoe). Benvenuti in casa Feltri



Vittorio Feltri è nato a Bergamo il 25 giugno 1943, è direttore editoriale del quotidiano Libero. Qui è nel soggiorno della sua casa milanese

Vittorio Feltri mi accompagna nella visita guidata della sua casa con il cinismo che ci si aspetterebbe da lui, celebre per il sarcasmo e per i titoli strillati dei giornali che ha diretto. «Questa è mia la camera. Il segreto di un matrimonio riuscito sono le stanze separate». Guarda su, verso la scala. «Io ho separato anche i piani. Mia moglie Enoe dorme su». Quello che non ti aspetti è trovare appollaiati sulla testata del letto un gatto di peluche bianco e un porcellino di peluche rosa. Allineati sul camino: un gatto rosso, un pony bianco, un orso grigio, un gatto tigrato, un gufo, un leone e altre due bestiole non identificate. Chiedo: che ci fanno nella sua camera? Feltri fa spallucce, farfuglia che gli piacciono, che gli amici lo sanno e glieli regalano. Dirotta l’attenzione verso un plaid poggiato sul letto: «Qui dorme Ciccio, il mio gatto. La sera, mi segue. Si addormenta con me, si sveglia con me».

La cabina armadio è da rivista per gentleman ed è il suo orgoglio: «Compro tutto da solo, ho scarpe e abiti che hanno 30 o 40 anni, non ho mai cambiato taglia». Un avo di Ciccio compare nel ritratto di Feltri che campeggia in salotto, opera di Ulisse Sartini, artista del Papa. Sopra un divano, invece, c’è una scena di caccia inglese. I cavalli sono la passione di una vita: «Correvo al trotto, ho vinto delle gare e non ho mai usato il frustino. I cavalli, se li inciti con la voce, capiscono». Scuote la testa, intristito. «La gente non lo sa... Li frusta, li spaventa». Sospira. «Ne mantengo ancora due, vecchi. Sono diventati figli, non voglio sacrificarli». Casa Feltri rivela tenerezze e sentimentalismi inattesi: foto con Indro Montanelli al quale Feltri successe alla direzione del Giornale; foto di un’intervista giovanile a Giuseppe Prezzolini; foto di figli (quattro), nipoti (cinque), bisnipoti (due); Vittorio giovane che gioca a pallone, coi capelli al vento; una cartolina scritta nel 1943 dal papà per annunciare la sua nascita.

«È morto che avevo sei anni. Scriveva bene, vero? Era un impiegato, ma mi riconosco nel passo, nello stile». La moglie dirà: «Ultimamente, si commuove più facilmente». Lui: «Vero. Sì. Invecchiando». Si siede al piano, ricorda quando suonava nei pianobar («il pianista non era considerato come i cantanti, ma mi davano 50mila lire a sera, quando un bancario ne guadagnava centomila al mese»). Poi, suona Malafemmena: «Strimpello solo canzoni napoletane, la musica moderna non mi emoziona più».

Il tumore che ha scoperto di avere l’ha resa più sentimentale?
«Non è tutta ‘sta tragedia. Male che vada, crepo. Faccio ogni due anni una Tac e a me, che non ho niente di femminile, hanno trovato un cancro a una tetta. Mi è sembrata una presa in giro. Me l’hanno tolto, mi sono svegliato dall’anestesia, le due chirurghe mi hanno offerto champagne, mi sentivo bene e sono andato a lavorare senza tante storie».

L’ha rivelato per solidarietà a Fedez, malato anche lui, e l’ha fatto con spavalderia. Ha scritto su Libero : «Del mio tumore me ne sbatto». Poi, al Corriere , annunciando che lasciava il posto di consigliere comunale ottenuto con Fratelli d’Italia, sembrava più preoccupato. Ha detto: «Il cancro non è un foruncolo». Si aspettava che la lotta fosse meno dura?
«I primi quindici giorni sono stati difficili. Ho avuto qualche fastidio. Ora, devo fare la radioterapia, prendo pastiglie, ho sempre visite. Ma non sono un paziente, sono di più: pazientissimo. Faccio quello che devo, poi, vediamo».





Non è che ha usato la scusa del tumore per dimettersi perché in Consiglio si annoiava?
«Ho già la direzione editoriale di Libero, scrivo tutti i giorni e ora ho questo fastidio da curare, non ho tempo per un posto dove, peraltro, non ho trovato un ambiente accogliente: lì è tutta burocrazia, non c’è possibilità di confronti dialettici, è una noia terribile».

A Fedez, ha consigliato «affidati a tua moglie». È quello che ha fatto lei?
«Sì, perché, se non hai l’appoggio dalla moglie, ti senti solo, abbandonato, triste, non hai forza per reagire. Invece, il tumore va preso a pugni, aggredito. Io mi sono confidato, l’ho resa partecipe e lei ha reagito come una moglie e anche come una mamma. Mi è stata di grande aiuto. Il 15 giugno festeggiamo 55 anni di matrimonio». (Interviene Enoe, donna riservata, mai un’intervista, ma ora eccezionalmente presente, per lo più silenziosa. Dice: «Si affida troppo poco, non si confida, non vuole essere aiutato. Poi, qualche volta, lo fa e devo stare attenta a ciò che dico: può graffiare, come i gatti»).

Come dura così a lungo un matrimonio?
«Dura quando si riesce a trasformare il trasporto dell’inizio in una sorta di mutuo soccorso, aiutandosi a vicenda, e ad avere un affetto che vada al di là del sesso».



Lei non ha mai nascosto d’aver tradito.
«Non ho tradito, ho diversificato». (Enoe, in salopette da giardinaggio, non dismette il sorriso serafico).

Qual è la differenza?
«Che non ho mai odiato mia moglie e con le altre non ho mai parlato male di lei né ho pensato di lasciarla. E che, credo di averla sempre fatta stare bene, di averle dato autonomia finanziaria. Poi, se avesse diversificato anche lei, non vorrei saperlo, ma capirei».

Confessando la malattia, ha scritto che in sala operatoria, pensava a quanto era «bona» la chirurga. La dottoressa non si è offesa?
«Doveva offendersi se le davo della poco di buono. Siamo amici e sono felice di essere stato operato da due donne, mi fido di più delle donne in tutto».

Da qui a dirsi femminista quanto ce ne corre?
«Costituiscono una categoria che non mi piace, mi sembrano eccessivamente conformiste. Ciò non toglie che trovi le donne mediamente più brave di noi in ogni campo. Hanno avuto accesso al lavoro e all’università tardi e ora ci tengono a dimostrare a sé stesse e agli altri che si impegnano».


Feltri nella sua cabina armadio di cui va fiero come un gentlemen inglese

Con la parità come è messo? In casa, quanto ha aiutato?
Enoe: «Apparecchia, sparecchia. Adesso, molto di più. Prepara i sughi per la pasta. Ha un suo tocco speciale. Sa fare bene quelli napoletani. Aiutava anche quando i bambini sono un po’ cresciuti e sono tornata a lavorare».
Lui: «È stata vent’anni a Mediaset con un ruolo di responsabilità e nessuno ha mai saputo che era mia moglie».
Enoe: «Poi, un giorno, è passato Silvio Berlusconi, ha chiesto dov’era la moglie di Feltri e tutti mi hanno scoperta».

Feltri, l’anno prossimo, compie 80 anni. Che effetto fa?
«Brutto. Sono tanti. Però meglio invecchiare che morire giovani».

Di che cosa ha più paura ora: dell’età, della morte, della malattia?
«La morte non mi rallegra e soprattutto mi spaventa la modalità con cui arriva: la malattia, la sofferenza il letto, il confessore che viene a rompere. Però, più di tutto, mi fa paura la salute di mia moglie: se in casa non la vedo per un quarto d’ora, mi preoccupo».
Enoe: «Vero: non mi vede e urla come un matto».
Lui: «Temo che si sia sentita male. Fino al 2019, stava a Bergamo e io la raggiungevo il fine settimana, poi, da casa, erano usciti i figli, ci stavamo facendo anziani, ho voluto che venisse a Milano, ho comprato una casa col giardino anche qui».

I figli sono quattro: due vostri e due gemelle nate dal primo matrimonio, con sua moglie morta di parto.
«Avevo 23 anni e non sapevo dove sbattere la testa. Ho cercato di individuare una nuova moglie. Lavoravo al brefotrofio di Bergamo, portavo le gemelle con me, Enoe faceva la maestra lì. L’ho studiata, mi sembrava adatta, ci ho messo sei o sette mesi a convincerla a sposarmi. Ho fatto la scelta giusta».

Lei quanto si è occupato dei figli?
«Ho trovato lavoro a tutti e a tutti ho regalato un appartamento».

Intendevo da piccoli.
«Non ho mai dato uno schiaffo, mai fatto una predica, ho cercato di dare il buon esempio. Con loro è cresciuto anche il figlio della sorella di mia moglie, ragazza madre. Gli ho voluto bene come un figlio mio».

Il terzogenito Mattia, direttore dell’ HuffPost , si rifiutò di ospitare un intervento di Laura Boldrini critico nei suoi confronti. Ha apprezzato?
«L’intenzione sì, ma ho pensato che avesse sbagliato. Gli ho detto: dovevi pubblicare e chiedermi la replica. Faccio il giornalista: ero in grado di rispondere».

Sua nuora Annalena Benini, anche lei giornalista, attaccò un pezzo di Libero e lei, rispondendole a mezzo stampa, non fu tenero. Avete fatto pace?
«L’ho mandata a quel paese e, da allora, non l’ho più vista».
(Enoe: «Non dire così: ogni tanto, viene. Non di frequente, anche perché tu non hai un bellissimo carattere»).

Da dove le arriva questo carattere «non bellissimo»?
«Ho avuto una vita che mi ha messo il lubrificante addosso. Orfano di padre, ho smesso di andare a scuola dopo le medie. Ho fatto il vetrinista, l’impiegato, il pianobar, ho preso il diploma e la laurea studiando da solo e lavorando. Sono rimasto vedovo, come dicevo. Quando hai tante sfighe, ti abitui a reagire con forza e con violenza».

Si è sempre professato ateo, la malattia l’ha riconciliata con la fede?
«No, non sono anticlericale, ho amici preti, devolvo l’8 per mille alla Chiesa Cattolica, ma non credo nell’esistenza di Dio. Però, quando guardo Ciccio, il gatto, a volte, penso: solo Dio poteva farlo così bello».

L'incapacità di un ragazzo/a di 15 anni di comprendere il significato di un testo scritto

"La dispersione scolastica implicita, cioè l'incapacità di un ragazzo/a di 15 anni di comprendere il significato di un testo scritto, è al 51%. Un dramma, non solo per il sistema di istruzione e per lo sviluppo economico, ma per la tenuta democratica di un paese. I più colpiti sono gli studenti delle famiglie più povere, quelle che vivono al sud e quelle con background migratorio".

Lo ha detto Claudio Tesauro, Presidente di Save the Children Italia aprendo i lavori di "Impossibile" la quattro giorni di riflessioni e proposte sull' Infanzia e l'Adolescenza. Per Tesauro in Italia esiste "una crudele 'ingiustizia generazionale' perché la crisi ha colpito proprio i bambini. Non solo 1,384mila bambini in povertà assoluta (l dato più alto degli ultimi 15 anni) ma un bambino in Italia oggi ha il doppio delle probabilità di vivere in povertà assoluta rispetto ad un adulto, il triplo delle probabilità rispetto a chi ha più di 65 anni".

ll presidente di Save The Children ha ricordato inoltre, che "più di due milioni di giovani, ovvero 1 giovane su cinque fra i 15 e i 29 anni, è fuori da ogni percorso di scuola, formazione e lavoro. In sei regioni, il numero dei ragazzi e delle ragazze Neet ha già superato il numero dei ragazzi, della stessa fascia di età, inseriti nel mondo del lavoro. In Sicilia, Campania, Calabria per 2 giovani occupati ce ne sono altri 3 che sono fuori dal lavoro, dalla formazione e dallo studio. Dati che - ha sottolineato - fanno a pugni con la richiesta del mondo produttivo".

Intervista ad una grande scrittrice italiana: Maria Rosaria Petti

43 mila persone morte in strada negli USA nel 2021

DETROIT (AP) — Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the roads after the coronavirus pandemic forced many to stay at home.

The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. Exacerbating the problem was a persistence of risky driving behaviors during the pandemic, such as speeding and less frequent use of seat belts, as people began to venture out more in 2021 for out-of-state and other road trips, analysts said.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America faces a crisis on its roads. The safety administration urged state and local governments, drivers and safety advocates to join in an effort to reverse the rising death trend.

“Our nation has taken a dangerous and deadly step backwards in traffic safety and impaired driving,” said MADD National President Alex Otte, who urged strong public-private efforts akin to the seat belt and air bag public safety campaigns of the 1990s to stem reckless driving. “More families and more communities are feeling the crushing magnitude of this crisis on our roads.”

Preliminary figures released Tuesday by the agency show that 42,915 people died in traffic crashes last year, up from 38,824 in 2020. Final figures will be released in the fall.

Forty-four states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had increases in traffic deaths in 2021 compared to the previous year, led by Texas, California and Florida. Posting declines were Wyoming, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Maryland and Maine. Rhode Island’s figures were unchanged.

Americans drove about 325 billion more miles last year, 11.2% higher than in 2020, which contributed to the increase.

Nearly 118 people died in U.S. traffic crashes every day last year, according to the agency’s figures. The Governors Highway Safety Association, a group of state traffic safety officials, blamed the increase on dangerous behavior such as speeding, driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs, and distracted driving, as well as “roads designed for speed instead of safety.”

The combination, the group said, “has wiped out a decade and a half of progress in reducing traffic crashes, injuries and deaths.”

Deaths last year increased in almost all types of crashes, NHTSA reported. Crashes occurring during out of state travel jumped 15%, compared to 2020, many of them on rural interstate roads or access roads off city highways. Fatalities in urban areas and deaths in multi-vehicle crashes each rose 16%. Pedestrian deaths were up 13%, while fatalities among drivers 65 and older rose 14%.

Fatalities involving at least one big truck were up 13%, while motorcycle deaths were up 9% and deaths of bicyclists rose 5%. Fatalities involving speeding drivers and deaths in alcohol-related crashes each were up 5%.

Government estimates show the rate of road deaths declined slightly from 2020. Last year there were 1.33 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared with 1.34 in 2020. The fatality rate rose in the first quarter of last year, but declined the rest of the year, NHTSA said.

Traffic deaths began to spike in 2020. NHTSA has blamed reckless driving behavior for increases during the pandemic, citing behavioral research showing that speeding and traveling without a seat belt have been higher. Before 2020, the number of fatalities had fallen for three straight years.

Deputy NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff, the Biden administration’s nominee to run the agency, said the roadway crisis is urgent and preventable. “We will redouble our safety efforts, and we need everyone — state and local governments, safety advocates, automakers and drivers, to join us,” Cliff said in a statement. “All of our lives depend on it.”

Buttigieg pointed to a national strategy unveiled earlier this year aimed at reversing the trend. He said earlier that over the next two years his department will provide federal guidance as well as billions in grants under President Joe Biden’s new infrastructure law to spur states and localities to lower speed limits and embrace safer road design such as dedicated bike and bus lanes, better lighting and crosswalks. The strategy also urges the use of speed cameras, which the department says could provide more equitable enforcement than police traffic stops.

In Tuesday’s statement, the department said it opened up its first round of applications for the program, which will spend up to $6 billion over five years on local efforts to cut crashes and deaths.

The Transportation Department is moving in the right direction to stem the increase in deaths, but it will take years for many of the steps to work, said Michael Brooks, acting executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety.

NHTSA, for instance, has regulations pending to require electronic automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection systems on all new light vehicles, and to require automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks, he said. Automatic emergency braking can slow or stop a vehicle if there’s an object in its path.

The agency also is requiring automakers to install systems that alert rear-seat passengers if their safety belts aren’t buckled.

“Responding to this is difficult,” Brooks said. “It takes a lot of work on a lot of different strategies to address these issues. They’ve got a lot of work on their hands.”

International FXC Federation

INCLUSIVITY AND INTENSITY GO HAND IN HAND IN FXC - FIREBALL EXTREME CHALLENGE™

Ryan P. Smith
Correspondent

Washington D.C. May 16th, 2022

Traditional “team sports” can feel a lot less collaborative in practice than their name would imply. All too often, pro teams are dominated by arrogant showboats who monopolize games, giving future generations of athletes the toxic sense that it’s either greatness or failure, domination or stagnation. But this does not have to be the case! It is possible for sports to unite communities, model effective teamwork toward shared goals, and empower a new generation of mature, conscientious citizens.

Such is the vision behind Fireball Extreme Challenge™ (FXC™), an exhilarating all-gender sport built from the ground up on the principles of cooperation and mutual respect. Launched in 2018 and spearheaded by a diverse team of entrepreneurs, FXC™ is a two-squad ball game marked by elegant simplicity: points are awarded exclusively for passes completed between teammates, no one is permitted to hold the ball for more than two seconds at a time, and all participants must remain in constant motion. This design is a triple win: the sanctity of passing means ball-hogging behavior is replaced with real collaboration, the simplicity of the rules makes FXC™ easy to intuit and playable just about anywhere at next to no cost, and the constant cardio it demands is an excellent means of improving physical fitness.

The ease with which Fireball can be played relates to another of its foundational pillars: inclusivity. Barriers to entry have long plagued recreational sports, with those living in poorer neighborhoods around the world put upon to acquire expensive equipment and seek out specialized facilities. All that is required for a game of FXC™ is a midsize rectangular space to serve as a court and a compact FXC™ ball to pass around. The intuitive rules are readily communicated across cultures–already, the sport has taken root in Italy, Spain, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and it’s now making further inroads in Argentina, Chile, Cyprus, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA.

Gender is also no object. Regardless of one’s gender identity, they can join their friends for a pickup game secure in the knowledge that they’ll be able to contribute just as much as anyone else present. Making the sport all-gender was a guiding principle from its inception, as women’s athletics have too long been sidelined in favor of the supposedly “more exciting” achievements of their male counterparts. All of the world’s leading sports authorities continue to segregate women into separate leagues, which are never given the financial backing or airtime their all-male counterparts enjoy. In line with its broader mission of bringing people together and fostering collaboration, then, the creators of Fireball developed their new sport to ensure that competitors of all genders would be able to compete on the same level, enabling everyone to share equally in triumphs on the court. There’s no doubt FXC™ provides a serious workout to all involved, but what matters most is team chemistry and selflessness.

























FXC’s emphasis on inclusivity and collaboration makes it a perfect fit for school athletics programs worldwide. A sport that incentivizes young people to better understand their peers and work in harmony to achieve common goals is one that aligns perfectly with the overall mission of schools to empower those attending to become responsible, rational citizens understanding of and responsive to one another’s needs. By the same token, FXC™ is an excellent point of entrance for kids into the wider world of team sports—its positive ethos ensures that those who subsequently pick up football, baseball, etc. will bring to those games the compassion, respect, and level-headedness they need.

On a less heady level, FXC™ is simply great exercise, demanding of its participants constant movement about the court as well as nonstop passing, engaging multiple muscle groups and ensuring no one is left standing around listlessly. Prior to its official launch in 2018, FXC™ was a stamina training regimen for athletes in other disciplines, which tells you all you need to know about its athletic rigor. And then there are the logistical benefits of FXC™: simple rules, simple gear, an all-gender design. It’s no wonder that FXC has found a home in city schools across Mexico and Italy—and that’s just the beginning. If you’re an educator or school administrator interested in bringing FXC™ to your students, we would love to hear from you!

In the months and years ahead, FXC™ has big plans to ramp up its outreach and bring the sport’s signature blend of uplift and excitement to new corners of the world. As with any outreach campaign, a key means of raising the profile of Fireball Extreme Challenge will be simple word of mouth—if you would like to be a part of the movement, drop FXC™ a follow on social media and help us share the latest updates. And if you’re interested in a long-term partnership or are looking to bring FXC™ to an upcoming event (we offer sustainably sourced balls and gear tailor-made for the sport), feel free to contact us directly.

FXC™ represents both a revolution for inclusivity in sports and a return to the roots of intense yet amicable competition and mutual respect underpinning some of the world’s most beloved athletic events, such as the Olympic Games. It reminds us of the power of sports to bring us together, brighten our days, and show us what’s possible when we come together to realize a collective dream–all while delivering fantastic exercise and a fierce competitive spirit. FXC™ burns bright with possibilities: of connection, of collaboration, of compassion. It’s the future of sport and the sport of the future!

www.fireballsportfederation.com


*****


Ryan Patrick Smith graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Science, Technology & Society and now writes for the World Bank’s Connect4Climate team and is a longtime contributor to Smithsonian Magazine. In his free time, he enjoys screenwriting, moviegoing, and crossword puzzle construction.

Gli americani stanno impazzendo per le auto elettriche, nonostante il calo del settore



Car and Driver


Electric Cars' Turning Point May Be Happening as U.S. Sales Numbers Start Climb
Sebastian Blanco 

© Bill Clark - Getty ImagesEVs are still far from mainstream, but a 60 percent rise in new-EV
 registrations is definitely a sign they're getting closer.
Mass-market electric vehicles have been available in the U.S. for over a decade, but we’ve only seen small, incremental changes in sales for most of that time.
In the first three months of 2022, though, EV registrations shot up an astonishing 60 percent even as the overall market was down 18 percent.

With great EV sales comes great charging station responsibility, and figuring out how to offer public charging options to all of these new EV drivers is an ongoing concern.

American car shoppers seem to have discovered the electric car. After a decade of slow but steady sales growth, electric vehicle registrations in the U.S. shot up 60 percent in the first quarter of 2022 even as overall new car registrations dropped 18 percent. It’s the latest indication that domestic EV acceptance may have turned some important but invisible corner recently.

The sharp increase in electric-vehicle registrations at the start of this year meant that the EV share of the overall market hit a historic 4.6 percent. While places like Norway—where over 86 percent of all new vehicle sales were electric in March—may laugh at that number, EV advocates know that change happens slowly, then all at once, or something like that.

One big reason we’re seeing more EVs in people’s driveways is the explosion in exciting new models, from the Ford F-150 Lightning to the Kia EV6 to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Experian calculated that there were 158,689 new EV registrations in the first three months of the year. The big winners were EVs from Tesla (up 59 percent to 113,882 new registrations), Kia (up more than eight-fold to 8,450) Ford (up 91 percent to 7,407) and Hyundai (up more than 300 percent, to 6,964), according to Automotive News. These plus other EV sales (the Nissan Leaf and the Volkswagen ID.4 were both in the top 10) meant the segment grew to that 4.6 percent record, which means that a total of 3.4 million new cars were registered last quarter.

More EVs on the road might seem like good news, but some people see danger ahead, particularly when it comes to public charging. Despite the fact that most EV charging happens at home, this isn’t a solution for everyone, which means public charging needs to be readily available for some to keep raising the number of EVs sold. The age-old chicken vs. egg story remains alive and well in the EV charging infrastructure world, with a story in the Los Angeles Times last month saying that DC fast-charging station operators need eight to 10 charge sessions a day to turn a "decent return," but if you also need to have enough fast-chargers available so that drivers don’t face too many waiting times. Finding the balance, especially with EV sales surging, could prove difficult.

Supply-chain problems plaguing the auto industry may have an impact on which cars are being sold, given that some automakers have to make production decisions about which models to build or not build based on the supply of semiconductor chips or other components in short supply. If you’ll allow a bit of speculation, the fact that EVs command more attention from the public and the higher starting prices for many EVs could be two potential reasons for automakers to prioritize EVs over internal combustion engine vehicles. Automotive News notes that it and Experian used registration data to get a clearer picture of EV sales in the U.S., since, for example, Tesla does not release sales figures. Other industry analysts have slightly different figures for EV sales at the start of 2022, but they all show major increases compared to last year. Cox Automotive’s estimate of the EV market share for the first quarter of 2022, for example, was 5.2 percent compared to 2.5 percent in 2021. Whatever the exact numbers, something’s certainly happening out there.Looking to purchase a car? Find your match on the MSN Autos Marketplace

Mistero Elon Musk: mandare in pensione il presidente a 70 anni

Non è detto che l'acquisto preannunciato di Twitter per la bazzecola di 44 miliardi di dollari possa essere arrivato alla fase finale.

Molti intralci burocratici e perplessita' da parte di quelli che hanno finanziato largamente nel corso degli ultimi anni quella che viene considerata anche dal giovane Elon Musk "l'unica vera piazza politica e sociale ancora aperta negli Stati Uniti".

I primi a adombrarsi alla proposta di acquisto del genio di origine sudafricana sono stati i democratici a cominciare da Joe Biden che non ha mai amato il cinquantenne Elon Musk che a sua volta non ha nascosto il suo scarso gradimento per l'attuale presidente americano che oltretutto, quando deve parlare di automobili, cita solo GM, Ford, Chrysler e mai Tesla. 

Al contrario i repubblicani  si sentono ringalluzziti per l'affermazione fatta da Elon Musk ovviamente su Twitter che, una volta al comando della macchina sociale si precipiterà a annullare la cancellazione dell'account di Donald Trump fatta a seguito dell'uso farneticante di Twitter prima, durante e dopo l'ultima campagna presidenziale.

Qualcuno poi erroneamente si e' lanciato a ipotizzare che l'acquisto di Twitter da parte di Elon Musk possa preludere alla candidatura presidenziale di questo Leonardo da Vinci dei nostri tempi.

Ipotesi questa assolutamente improponibile dato che la costituzione impedisce la presentazione di candidati che non siano nati negli Stati Uniti.

Basta ricordare la campagna di bugie orchestrata per anni da Donald Trump contro Obama che sosteneva essere nato in Kenya.

Oppure che Arnold Schwarzenegger, attore ma soprattutto buon governatore della California, avrebbe potuto essere un ottimo candidato repubblicano.

Nei prossimi giorni la matassa Twitter verrà dipanata.

Per candidarsi alla presidenza degli Stati Uniti bisogna aver compiuto i 35 anni di età e avere risieduto permanentemente per almeno 14 anni in America.

Secondo Elon Musk occorre non solo avere il limite di ingresso dei 35 anni ma anche modificare la costituzione facendo uscire di scena il presidente una volta superato il limite dei 70, considerando che questo incarico istituzionale può essere gestito per quattro-otto anni solo da persone in perfette condizioni psico fisiche.

Nel 2024 Joe Biden avrà 82 anni e Donald Trump avrà superato i 78 anni.

Elon Musk ha rivoluzionato tra lo scetticismo generale il mondo dell'automobile che grazie a Tesla è ormai orientato alla produzione di massa solo di autoveicoli elettrici.

Elon Musk ha rivoluzionato il mondo dell'astronautica, tra lo scetticismo generale e l'ostruzionismo della NASA e delle corporation che lavoravano nel settore, facendo del suo Space X una sorta di ascensore automatico per i collegamenti con la stazione spaziale.

Elon Musk e' concentrato sul suo sogno di portare l'uomo su Marte (lui compreso).

Con l'acquisto di Twitter chissà che cosa vorrà ora fare il genio d'America.
Oscar
_______________________________________


© TheStreetElon Musk Makes a Choice for 2024 Presidential Election
__________________________________________________
E come sarebbe bello, caro Oscar, se Musk si portasse su Marte (per farcelo rimanere) anche Trump!
Alep   Roma

Trump vende il suo hotel a Washington DC

Trump sells D.C. hotel lease to Miami investment group
Record-setting price will allow Trump to pay off $170 million loan to Deutsche Bank. The property will become a Waldorf Astoria hotel.

By Jonathan O'Connell

Donald Trump is leaving Pennsylvania Avenue again.

The Trump name at the former president’s D.C. hotel — on facade signs, linens, bar napkins and coasters — is set to be removed after the sale of his government lease for the property to CGI Merchant Group for a record-setting $375 million.

Miami-based CGI Merchant is partnering with Hilton to turn the Pennsylvania Avenue property into a Waldorf Astoria hotel, ending a more than five-year run in which the hotel became a power center in Trump’s Washington and a symbol of how he mixed business and politics like no other president in history.

“We took a dilapidated and underutilized government building and transformed it into one of the most iconic hotels in the world,” said the president’s son, Eric Trump, in a statement Wednesday. “We are incredibly proud of what we accomplished.”

With Trump in office, the hotel served as both a central gathering place for Republicans and a background for mass protests opposing his presidency and policies. After signing a lease with the General Services Administration for the property in 2013, he hung an enormous blue-and-white banner on Pennsylvania Avenue: “TRUMP,” it said, “Coming 2016.” Construction was finished almost as his presidential campaign wrapped up, and the hotel opened within weeks of his election win.

Government ethics experts decried his willingness to promote his candidacy alongside his business. During the week of his inaugural, his Presidential Inaugural Committee spent about $1 million on ballrooms and meeting spaces at the hotel. That prompted a lawsuit from D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, which was finally settled May 3 of this year, clearing the way for the deal to close.

Calls for the lease to be revoked or for Trump to divest himself of his real estate assets grew louder after he entered office and foreign leaders, corporations and Republican politicians booked rooms and parties at the hotel as part of their efforts to curry favor with Trump.

Trump held on to the lease despite a series of lawsuits and constitutional challenges led by Democratic leaders. The GSA — through the final months of President Barack Obama’s second term, the entirety of Trump’s own term and more than a year of President Biden’s — never took action against Trump despite a clause in the lease barring any “elected official of the government of the United States” from deriving “any benefit” from the arrangement.

Many embassies and associations refused to book events at the hotel, causing the property to pile up millions of dollars in losses over four years, according to financial documents Trump’s company provided to the government and released by the House Oversight Committee in October 2021.

But Trump’s supporters — whether tourists in MAGA caps or senators raising campaign money — flocked to the hotel and its expansive lobby bar. At the steakhouse in back, Trump’s private lawyer set out a nameplate, “Rudy Giuliani, Private Office.” In a room upstairs, Giuliani and his team plotted the outreach to Ukraine that would lead to Trump’s first impeachment.

Holding on to the contract will now afford Trump an enormous payday. Trump won the lease deal from the GSA after committing to spend $200 million developing the property. Critics scoffed at the price, which was far higher than other companies were willing to pay.

Now his $200 million bet on the property — like many of his bold political gambles — will pay off, probably delivering him a profit of more than $100 million, hotel experts said, even after accounting for the $170 million loan to Deutsche Bank he must pay off, the operating losses he incurred and a complex revenue-sharing agreement with the government.

The profits come as the result of a willingness by CGI Merchant, whose investors include celebrity athletes Alex Rodriguez and Floyd Mayweather, to pay a number higher than some hotel analysts say is likely to reap a profitable return.

“We are thrilled to partner with our friends at Hilton to bring the Waldorf Astoria brand to an iconic landmark in the nation’s capital and look forward to working closely together to have a lasting and positive impact on the Washington, D.C. community,” said Raoul Thomas, CEO and founder of CGI, in a Wednesday statement.

“Hilton is committed to serving any guest, for any travel need they have, anywhere in the world, and we’re thrilled to partner with CGI to expand our presence in the nation’s capital,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton, in a statement.

By every measure, the $375 million price is a record for Washington. Hotels are priced on a per-room, or “per-key,” basis. In Washington, the high-water mark came in 2016, when the Capella Hotel Georgetown — now the Rosewood hotel — sold for about $1.3 million per key, according to industry data. At $375 million for 263 guest rooms, the proposed Trump sale would come to about $1.43 million per key, 10 percent higher than the Capella sale, despite the requirement that CGI pay the government a base rent of more than $3 million annually.

“Today’s sale is the latest in a long line of questionable deals, conflicts of interest, and constitutional violations involving former President Trump and his Washington, D.C. hotel,” said House Oversight Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) in a statement.

Questa poi: Xi Jinping potrebbe dimettersi


Rumors swirl that China’s Xi Jinping will step down amid harsh COVID lockdowns

Experts doubt reports of coup, but also see signs of discontent

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a commendation ceremony for role models of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Great Hall of the People , Friday, April 8, 2022, in Beijing. Xi on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, promoted the ... more >

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times - Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Rumors circulating in China and among overseas Chinese social media are claiming Chinese President Xi Jinping, under fire for draconian COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere, will step down from power.

The rumors followed a meeting last week of the Party Politburo Standing Committee, the collective leadership group that rules China. They were traced in part to a Chinese-language YouTube video May 4 by Canadian-based blogger appearing under the persona “Lao Deng.” Details of the video quickly spread to social media outlets in China but were quickly censored.

The blogger, citing what he said was a senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) security source, said a “coup” was launched against Mr. Xi at the meeting of senior party leaders in Beijing. According to blog, Mr. Xi was forced to step aside but will stay in place until a major party meeting later this year.

Mentre il Cybertruck, super strombazzato di Elon Musk è ancora di là da venire, Ford invece quatto quatto ha sconvolto il mercato con la presentazione del suo F-150 Lightning


Ford's electric F-150 Lightning is a better version of America's best-selling truck
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN

The Ford F-150 Lightning may be the best pickup truck the company has ever made. All it took was making it completely electric, something that, not long ago, might have seemed off-brand for a traditional truck company like Ford.


© Courtesy Nimai MalleFord F-150 Lightning 2022 charging

Newer automakers have so far led the way on electric trucks. Tesla in 2019 revealed the prototype for its futuristic, electric Cybertruck but still hasn't put it into production. Rivian came out with its electric pickup, the R1T, which won the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the Year Award. But the electric pickup truly hit the mass market last month when Ford started production on the F-150 Lightning at its famous Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan.

It's quick and powerful, and it drives better than any F-150 I've been in before. All that, and it does stuff you never imagined a truck would do, like provide workspace that also functions as a drinks cooler under the hood. (The front storage compartment is watertight and has drain plugs.) It can even power your entire home for days if you need it to.

This is a real truck, not a toy for campers and not a weird design exercise. It's now in production by a company that already knows how to produce vehicles in big numbers. Ford has plans to make 150,000 of these trucks a year, which is equal to about 20% of all the F-series trucks Ford sold last year. The Ford Lightning is an all-electric version of the best-selling truck in America. To learn what truck owners really want and need Ford had only to talk to its own customers. This wasn't delving into foreign territory. I recently got to drive several versions of the truck under vastly different scenarios at a two-day event around San Antonio, Texas.

In the fundamentals, this new F-150 doesn't veer too far from its siblings. At a glance, if you don't notice the charging port on one front fender and the fake charging port on the side, you might not notice it was anything but another F-150. Besides that, it has some extra lights running across the nose of the truck and across the tailgate, plus the grille has no holes on it. As I drove through the south Texas countryside I wondered how many people in the all the other pickup trucks around me realized how different this one was from theirs.

The F-150 Lightning has no engine in the front. Its huge boxy hood instead covers a massive storage space. To drive home the point, at the event in Texas, Ford representatives filled one with ice and served cold drinks from it. There are plugs in the storage space to power and to charge electronics, along with more plugs in the bed of the truck.

With one electric motor driving the front wheels and another the back, full-time all-wheel-drive is standard in every version of the Lightning. That includes a stripped down work truck with few amenities, a range of 230 miles, 426 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque, and a starting price around $40,000. That isn't very different from the price of a four-wheel-drive V8-powered F-150 XL work truck which has a similar 400 horsepower and only 410 pound-feet of torque.

This is a real work truck that isn't positioned as a luxury piece of camping equipment like, say, the Rivian R1T. As with other F-150 models, of course, the Lightning can be had with luxury levels of amenities and prices reaching six digits.

I spent some time in Lightning pickups towing heavy trailers and carrying heavy loads on highways and on narrow curving country roads. The truck does these things very well and can, in fact, accelerate up a highway on-ramp pulling a 5,000-pound trailer with remarkable ease. (The truck can tow up 10,000 pounds, according to Ford.) Electric motors provide instant response with smooth acceleration and are, of course, virtually silent.

The thing that surprised me the most, though, was just how much more nicely the Lightning drives than gas-powered F-150s. That's largely due to the improved weight balance that comes having heavy battery packs spread out between the front and back wheels rather than a big engine under the hood. The Lightning also has independent rear suspension, rather than a stiff solid rear axle like other F-150s do, so a bump on the side doesn't immediately affect the other side. This, combined with the smooth power delivery of electric motors that never need to shift gears, make the Lightning a remarkably civilized highway cruiser. It's also very quick -- especially for a full-sized truck -- when the accelerator is pressed.

Off-road, climbing perilously steep, muddy trails, the Lightning proved, again, remarkably capable. That may not be surprising given that the trail was one selected by Ford to show off the truck but, to Ford's credit, the truck I drove clambered up slippery rocks with the same tires as the ones I drove on the Interstate. Electric motors, with their smooth and quick power delivery to whichever wheels can use it, are ideal for slippery work.

Besides doing all the things gas trucks can do but better and faster, the Lightning offers a number of bonus capabilities. First, there's that huge "frunk," or front trunk, with plugs and lights inside. Then there's the fact that, when plugged into a home charger, it can automatically provide back-up power to the house if there's an outage. That's in addition to the fact that it can also run power tools at a worksite.

Of course, towing and hauling (and accelerating hard while towing and hauling) uses a lot of electricity. Without hauling a heavy load, an F-150 Lightning can go 230 or 320 miles on a charge, depending on what size battery pack the customer orders. Hard work eats into the truck's range by about the same amount that it depletes a gas truck's driving range, according to Ford.

However, gas trucks can go farther on a tank to start with -- the V6-powered F-150 can go up to 520 miles, according to the EPA -- and filling a tank takes less time than recharging a battery. That will be a serious issue for some buyers. Most pickup owners probably drive much less than 200 miles on a typical day, though, and could easily recharge overnight. The only problem now is that The Lightening will be tough to get for customers who did not previously place an order. Ford has stopped taking orders from retail customers due to high demand.

Much of what's great about the F-150 Lightning will probably also be great about future EV trucks, like the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the Ram 1500 EV. The smooth performance and ample power are largely inherent to electric drive systems. But the F-150 Lightning marks a real turning point in America's long love affair with pickups.


© Courtesy Nimai MalleThe Ford F-150 Lightning looks only subtly different from gas-powered versions.


© Courtesy Nimai MalleWith full tiime all-wheel-drive, the Ford F-150 Lightning proved to be capable off-road.

La Camera dei Deputati degli Stati Uniti si riunisce per esaminare il problema degli ufo

Congress to Hold First Open Hearing About UFOs in 50 Years

Two Pentagon officials will testify at a hearing about UFOs next week.

By Jason Koebler
May 10, 2022 


A House subcommittee will hold a hearing next week about UFOs, the first open congressional hearing about UFOs in more than 50 years.

“Congress hasn’t held a public hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UFO’s) in over 50 years,” Andre Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, tweeted Tuesday morning. “That will change next week when I lead a hearing in @HouseIntel on this topic & the national security risk it poses. Americans need to know more about these unexplained occurrences.”

The hearing will be held Tuesday, May 17 in front of a subcommittee of the House Intelligence Committee, which is chaired by California Rep. Adam Schiff. Schiff told the New York Times that the committee is holding the series to explore “one of the great mysteries of our time and to break the cycle of excessive secrecy and speculation with truth and transparency.” Two current Pentagon officials will testify at the hearing.

After the New York Times published an article about the existence of a Pentagon UFO project called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) in 2017, government disclosures about UFOs have come repeatedly. Last year, the Pentagon released a report about its UFO program that detailed 143 sightings of aerial objects that could not be explained between the years of 2004 and 2021. That report was considered to be pretty underwhelming because much of the information had previously been disclosed, and a lot of the report simply sought additional funding for the Pentagon. But a classified version of that report was obtained earlier this year by government transparency organization The Black Vault, which appears to have far more interesting details about the potential nature of UFOs.

Since then, Motherboard and other outlets have obtained hundreds of pages of reports and research on futuristic technology funded by the government under the AATIP and a related program called the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Application Program. The Barack Obama Presidential Library has also said it has thousands of pages of UFO documents.

ELON Musk: "Se dovessi morire in circostanze misteriose"


ELON Musk concerned fans after he wrote a chilling post on Twitter about dying "under mysterious circumstances."

Musk took to Twitter and said, "If I die under mysterious circumstances, it's been nice knowin ya."

1The tech mogul shared a concerning message on TwitterCredit: Getty

People took to the comment section to address the world's richest man's concerning post.

"No, you will not die. The world needs you to reform," one user said in the comments.

"Why would you even play like that?" another worried fan said.

This comes just minutes after Musk fired off a couple of tweets about apparently receiving a chilling message in the Russian media.



"The word 'Nazi' doesn't mean what he seems to think it does," Musk said and attached what appears to be a translation from a Russian media outlet.

"From the testimony of the captured commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Dmitry Kormyankov, it turns out that the internet terminals of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite company were delivered to the militants of the Nazi Azov Battalion and the Ukrainian Marines in Mariupol by military helicopters," Musk's post reads.

"According to our information, the delivery of the Starlink equipment was carried out by the Pentagon."

"Elon Musk, thus, is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment. And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult - no matter how much you'll play the fool," it continued.

It appears that Musk's "die under mysterious circumstances" tweet may be a response to the threatening message he received.

"You're making enemies all across the globe for doing the RIGHT THING!" another fan commented. "Keep it up & stay safe!"
Russia spying on Starlink

This comes after Elon Musk warned Ukrainians using the emergency satellite internet he gifted that there is a "high" chance Russia will try to spy on them.

The billionaire donated a truckload of dishes to the war-torn country, which has seen its communications battered by Russian forces.

But the Starlink owner has alerted Ukraine to "use with caution".

"Important warning," he tweeted.

"Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high."


Starlink uses thousands of satellites in space to beam internet back down to Earth, instead of traditional cables on the ground.

Mr Musk offered to help after receiving a desperate plea from Ukraine's deputy prime minister.

Mykhailo Fedorov - who is also Ukraine's Minister for Digital - said Starlink has been a key part in keeping emergency services connected and saving lives. (The SUN)

Differences between Formula 1 and Formula E


Leonardo Herrera (Bolavip)

When talking about car competitions, without a doubt the most important is Formula 1, which has attracted the attention of the public car fans for decades. However, a few years ago a category appeared that is similar to Formula 1 in many aspects, but has its differences: Formula E. Here we tell you the main differences between both.


© Norbert Nickel and Norbert Nickel/Getty ImagesDifferences between Formula 1 and Formula E

Formula 1, often referred to as the "Great Circus" is one of the oldest competitions and undoubtedly the most emblematic of motorsports worldwide. The first season took place in 1950 and ever since it has delighted speed fans around the world with its iconic Grands Prix and extraordinary champions.

Formula E is much more recent (here we have the first difference between the two competitions, Formula 1 is older): the first season was 2014/2015, so the category is not even 10 years old. Of course, this is not the only difference, but there are many more. Here we leave you other differences between Formula 1 and Formula E. What are the main differences?

The differences are several, especially in the technical aspects where we are not going to delve. Here we will simply limit ourselves to the most notable differences between the two Formulas

1) The first is the one that perhaps many already know: Formula 1 engines use gasoline as fuel, while Formula E engines are fully electric.

2) The dimensions of the cars are different. A Formula 1 car is around 4.8 meters long, while a Formula E car is 20 centimeters longer.

3) The calendar: in Formula 1 we have 23 Grand Prix and except for the United States, which has two GPs (the Miami GP and the United States GP), in the other Formula 1 host countries only one Grand Prix is run. Formula E has 16 e-Grands Prix, and it is common for there to be more than one at the same venue.

4) In general, Formula E races last about an hour, while in Formula 1, the competition usually lasts about two hours.

5) The tires used on the 18-inch Formula E are designed for all types of weather. Drivers may not use more than four new rear tires and four new front tires per event.

For Formula 1 there are five types of tires: soft red, medium yellow, hard white, green intermediate for rain and blue for heavy rain. Non-wet tires are also divided into ranges from C1 (hardest) to C5 (softest).

6) In Formula E, the pit stops will have a quick battery charge in less than 30 seconds and tire changes in the same time. In Formula 1, pit stops have an average stop of 2.5 seconds, where there is only a change of tires (or the wing if necessary).

7) In Formula 1, the qualifying sessions are divided into three: Q1, Q2 and Q3, in which the drivers are eliminated depending on their times, until reaching Q3 where the top 10 are decided and the poleman is the one who makes the best time. In Formula E, qualifying is head-to-head elimination duels. It begins with a group stage in which 11 are divided into each depending on their position in the world drivers' championship. The first four of each group advance to the round of 16, then to the quarter-finals and so on until reaching the final, in which the winner will be the one who starts in pole position.

8) There is also a difference in weight: a Formula 1 car can weigh between 790 and 795 kg, while Formula E cars weigh 840 kg.

9) The costs of a Formula E team are around 25 million euros (just over 26.3 million dollars). A Formula 1 is undoubtedly much more expensive: currently a budget cap has been imposed, so that no more than 145 million can be spent.

10) Differences in the duration of the calendar: the first race of this 2022 Formula 1 season was in March and will end in November, while Formula E started in February and will end in August, of course this has to do with the fact that he has 7 e-Grand Prix fewer.

Perché Elon Musk ha speso 44 miliardi di dollari sull'unghia per acquistare Twitter?

Prima di leggere l'articolo del Sun, provate a rispondere a questa domanda:

Perché l'uomo più ricco del pianeta si è cimentato nell'acquisto di Twitter, il social network più diffuso nel mondo?

Elon Musk ha pagato 44 miliardi di dollari per fare cosa?

Tutti i media repubblicani hanno applaudito questa operazione, perché?

Elon Musk non va molto d'accordo con l'attuale Casa Bianca.

Più volte ha contestato il fatto che il presidente Joe Biden abbia menzionato nei suoi discorsi sull'economia americana soltanto General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, senza mai citare Tesla, numero uno a livello planetario nella produzione di auto elettriche. Insomma è noto che tra Joe Biden e Elon Musk non corre buon sangue.

Donald Trump ha il suo account bloccato su Twitter. Non è improprio pensare che il nuovo proprietario di Twitter darà il via libera all'ex presidente americano, consentendo di di gestire alla grande la prossima campagna di mezzo termine o meglio ancora le elezioni presidenziali del 2024.

A meno che Elon Musk, tanto per divertirsi, non voglia presentarsi come candidato alla Casa Bianca tra due anni.

Altrimenti, ma chi gliel'ha fatto fare a questo Leonardo da Vinci dei nostri tempi, di buttare 44 miliardi di dollari in Twitter?

Dovete ammettere che non si tratta di un quesito di poco conto.
Oscar
_____________________________________________
(The US Sun)
FALSE CLAIMS
What did Elon Musk say about Donald Trump on Twitter?

Nikki Main

ELON Musk has rebuffed circulating claims that he purchased Twitter at the request of former President Donald Trump.

The billionaire purchased Twitter on April 25, 2022, for $44billion, making the social media platform a private company


2Elon Musk refuted claims that Donald Trump told him to purchase Twitter
Why did Elon Musk purchase Twitter?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the richest man on Earth and used his fortunes to purchase Twitter in April.

He hopes to make bolster free speech on the platform and in a statement, he called it "the bedrock of a functioning democracy."

Musk said during a TED interview he believed there should be “an inclusive arena for free speech,” adding, “Twitter has become kind of the de facto town square."

His comments raised the question if former President Donald Trump, who was banned from the platform after the January 6 Insurrection in 2021, will be reinstated under Musk's ownership.

Musk did not confirm if Trump's Twitter account would be reinstated, but he said the platform should "be very cautious with permanent bans."
What did he say about Donald Trump?

David Nunes, the boss of Trump's media platform Truth Social, claimed that Musk had purchased Twitter at the request of the former President, a claim that Musk has since denied.

In an appearance on Fox Business Network, Nunes said, "President Trump, basically before Elon Musk bought it, actually said to go and buy it because the goal of our company is really to build a community where people are in a family-friendly, safe environment."

Nunes added, “That’s why we encouraged Elon Musk to buy it because someone has to take on these tech tyrants.

"Donald Trump wanted to make sure that the American people got their voice back and that the internet was open and that’s what we are doing.”

Musk responded to a New York Post article that documents Nunes's claim that Trump was behind Musk's decision to buy out Twitter.

"This is false," Musk wrote. "I’ve had no communication, directly or indirectly, with Trump, who has publicly stated that he will be exclusively on Truth Social."

2Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44billionCredit: Reuters
Will Donald Trump return to Twitter?

The question has remained if Trump will return to Twitter if the ban on his account is lifted under Musk's management of the company.


However, Trump said he has no inclination to return to the social media platform and will instead remain on his own Truth Social platform.

“I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth,” Trump told Fox News while negotiations for Musk to buy the platform were underway.

He added, “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.”



According to Trump, Truth Social has brought in "millions of people" and said the response to his app has been that it is "much better than being on Twitter."

He added, "The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter."