Pacific Science Center Membership Promo

Finally the voice of Italian scientists!

More than 600 professors and researchers signed a document against the nuclear
"inappropriate choice for many reasons, need to focus with decision on the solar
Energy, la soluzione non è l'atomo"
Appello degli scienziati ai candidati

Solo il solare può garantire all'Italia un futuro energetico sostenibile . Oltre seicento tra docenti universitari e ricercatori hanno sottoscritto un appello "ai candidati alla guida del Paese nelle elezioni politiche 2008" per chiedere che venga messa da parte tanto la tentazione del nucleare, quanto il ritorno al carbone . "In virtù della conoscenza acquisita con i nostri studi e la quotidiana consultazione della letteratura scientifica internazionale - si legge nel documento - sentiamo il dovere di informare la classe politica e il Paese riguardo the looming energy and climate crisis that threatens to irreparably compromise the health and well-being of future generations . "" All the experts - is continuing its appeal - consider it urgent begin a transition from the use of fossil fuels that other energy resources, so that it can be gradual. "

If many observers, especially in the economic and political, the answer to these problems is to retrace the path of nuclear power, scientists believe that the signatories of the document the use of the atom is a false solution. "We think - write again - it the nuclear option is not appropriate for many reasons : need for massive public funding , inherent insecurity of supply chain technology, difficulties in finding safe storage for nuclear waste , close connection between civil and military nuclear , exposure to acts of terrorism, growing inequalities between technologically advanced countries and poor countries , shortage of nuclear fuel. "

In contrast, the signatories of the call" who will lead the next government to develop the use of renewable energy, particularly solar energy in various forms that can be converted. "" The sun, in fact - remember - is a station unfailing service that sends to Earth in one year an amount of energy equal to ten thousand times the world consumption.

The full text and full list of researchers who have signed the document, sponsored among others by the teacher Chemistry at the University of Bologna, Vincenzo Balzani, can be found on www.energiaperilfuturo.it , the online campaign, where even ordinary citizens can sign the appeal. When a signatory is not the name of the Nobel Prize in Physics Carlo Rubbia, but just a few days ago in an interview to La Repubblica said the famous scientist positions are practically identical.

(from Repubblica.it, April 1, 2008)

Happy Retirement Wording

Satyagraha

" For me the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a child. I would be reluctant to kill a lamb for supporting the human body. I find more helpless a creature is, the more it the right to protection by man from the cruelty of other men. "
MK Gandhi

These days, as every year, thousands and thousands of lambs were slaughtered to provide the roast on Easter ... I think the quote is just one of the best written to commemorate Gandhi, exactly sixty years after his murder.

not know how to speak much of its strictly political role, which also was important and led India to independence. I like to remember Gandhi for his spiritual message, because I believe that this is the most important legacy that made the whole world. And besides, he considered all his political and social activities as a tool for the dissemination of truth and justice between all living beings.

Towards the end of his life a Western journalist asked hastily what was his message to the world. Gandhi was shocked by the question and his style, so brutally direct and simplistic. He stood in silence for a few seconds and then replied to head china, humbly and candidly: " My life is my message to the world ... Tiziano Terzani was wondering how
commenting on this fact, how many politicians today could answer that?

What was then this man's life, a life so exemplary that it is in itself a message? I think that the life of Mahatma ("great soul" as he designated the Indian Bengali poet Tagore, after their meeting) was that of a man who chose to embody the ideal of non-violence . In fact, a closer look, there's nothing else in his life. There is that non-violence.

But if you really want to understand Gandhi and his "message to the world", you say and think "non-violence" just like he did. He was the first man to have found a way to express a positive semantic negative concept. Non-violence, the glorious ideal of the whole spiritual tradition "heretical" in India, the Buddha and Mahavira on, namely the ' ahimsa "(" a "is equal to the negative particle" not "," himsa "means" violence "in Sanskrit), he becomes" satyagraha, "or" the power of truth, "something positive to say with force in the world. Something to live for.

Gandhi therefore believed that there was any truth. He believed that this truth was the law of brotherhood and love towards all beings . And that the way in which this truth is manifest in the world was justice. And was convinced that every man ought to behave according to this truth, and fight because this same truth prevail in the world. Everywhere and by all sentient beings, including animals. Nothing but this should be tried, I think, if you want to understand the "message" of Gandhi to the world. Nothing but the "power of truth."

The political battles were only the primary way that he had chosen to pursue his personal struggle for the "truth" is manifested in the world. In one of his writings confessed to consider his whole life as "an experiment with Truth", in a similar way, perhaps, that on which Leonardo da Vinci devoted his life to the experiments on the nature and its laws.
But his being a vegetarian was satyagraha, was to behave so as to uphold the truth, from her breakthrough in the world. His fasts to protest violence were satyagraha. Her dress of white cotton wool was satyagraha, because cotton had spun himself, and this was a symbol of self-government in India and the boycott of foreign colonialism and forced to imports. And of rural simplicity. His days of silence was mandatory satyagraha, for boycotting the noise giving peace to his mind and allowing the truth to possess fully.

One thing I rarely hear mention, is that Gandhi actually aspired to independence for India that went far beyond the politics of Britain. He wanted his country to find their own spiritual roots, practicing satyagraha, who returns to self-agricultural rural villages boycotting industrial development. He wanted to reach India's independence not only from Western colonialism, but also by way of Western thinking and living.

the end of his life before he was killed by a Hindu fanatic, Gandhi suffered a lot to see his country smembrarsi violentemente in 2 stati, e per motivi religiosi oltretutto. Era la fine del suo sogno di armonia e fratellanza tra musulmani e indù in un'unica patria. Forse fu un bene che la morte gli risparmiò almeno l'altra grande delusione: quella di assistere allo spettacolo di un paese portato a tutta velocità sulla stessa strada che i colonialisti appena vinti avevano tentato per 3 secoli di fargli prendere, cioè lo sviluppo industriale. Nehru, il suo figlioccio prediletto, e gli altri suoi collaboratori, avrebbero presto tentato - e sarebbero in parte riusciti nell'intento - di trasformare l'India in una Europa equatoriale.

La sera prima di quella in cui fu ucciso, disse ai suoi che se fosse morto per causa di una pallottola esplosa by one of his "brothers" and yet he had forgiven at that moment, clasping her hands to the Indian way and saying the name of God, then and only then could consider himself a person of integrity and consistent. The next day, the evening of January 30, 1948, to receive the crowd of his admirers after the evening prayer, Gandhi fell to the ground under the blows of Beretta (few people know that the weapon was a pistol of Italian make and ... Beretta Lombardia closed in mourning for a few days after the death of Mahatma) the Hindu fanatic Nathuram Godse, clasping her hands, and invoking his god: "He Ram" were his last words. "Oh God."

(by Francis)