European politics

With all domestic votes from Italy's election counted, Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left bloc won the lower house vote but has failed to secure a majority in the Senate. Control of both houses is needed to govern. A protest movement led by comedian Beppe Grillo won 25%, but the centrist bloc led by current Prime Minister Mario Monti came a poor fourth, with about 10%.
The Senate is split between left and right, causing more anxiety in the eurozone. There may be an attempt to form a wider coalition to govern the country but it is unlikely to survive.
The election has come at a pressing time for not only the eurozone but Italy itself. They are amid a deep recession and tough austerity measures.

The rest of the EU are worried that a stable government cannot be formed from the results and that another election will be in needed within months. This could in turn lead to paralysis for the country's economy like seen in Greece. Greece itself has a wide range of elected political parties, from far-right Greek nationalists to Marxist-Leninist communists. This growing split in the electorate's ideology hasn't been seen in Europe for years. With Europe in such a weak state, many voters are turning to more extreme policies to provide solutions to their country's problems. With trying times, radical action is sometimes needed...political history can show us that.

In France, the Constitutional Council rejected a 75 per cent upper income tax rate to be introduced in 2013 in a setback to newly elected Socialist President François Hollande’s push to make the rich contribute more to cutting the public deficit. The fact that politicians are proposing such drastic measures is refreshing to see, especially when that's what their supporters want. With mass rallies and populations expecting a real change, the time for the people of Europe to have their say is upon us!

Valentine's Day

As you all know today is Valentine's Day. This is the second year running I have been single on this day but that is not the reason why I am cynical about this holiday. Even when I have been in relationships, I have ever been keen to celebrate. I feel the whole day has become materialistic and over the top. Who do I blame for this...yes, America, you. You shouldn't feel like you have to spend money to be romantic and show your love how much you care for them. After all, every day with your partner should be a special one.

Valentine's Day dates back to pagan and Roman times but some say was first romanticised by Chaucer.
The earliest surviving valentine is a 15th-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orléans to his wife, which commences.

Je suis desja d'amour tanné
Ma tres doulce Valentinée...

At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

Poets have been writing Valentines and love poems for centuries. One of my favourites is A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns:

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.

  

Maybe your Valentine this year would appreciate a heartfelt handwritten poem over a box of chocolates or flowers. Every woman loves a true gentleman and romantic gesture.

I have to end this blog on a comical note however, as I always think of this Simpson's episode on Valentines:

 

Aw poor Ralph!

You could also send this card if your Valentine is anything like me

 

 

The Syrian Conflict

In a week that saw over a hundred dead men pulled from the Alpecco river, President Obama announcing $155 million in aid to the Syrian rebels, and possible retaliation against Israeli air strikes, the conflict in Syria was again all over the news with no real end in sight.

Syria has an interesting history with countless conquests and re-conquests, empires rising and falling, and people flourishing and vanishing. No wonder it is so hard to understand what exactly is best for the Syrian people when the people themselves are divided and the West, Russia and the Middle-East all have some stake in the country.

I came across a very good article by Malik Al-Abdeh about his understanding of the Syrian revolution. Check it out: http://syriaintransition.com/2012/03/01/how-i-understand-the-syrian-revolution/
Malik is an excellent independent journalist and his blog aims to offer as true a picture as possible of what is happening in Syria and why.

Whatever your opinion is of what is occurring in Syria, I think you have to remove yourself from your or our Western perspective. Whether military intervention will happen, I don't know, and whether or not it is the right choice doesn't matter as, the forces causing it would do it regardless. I just hope the death toll of civilians will not increase and that some sort of stability will transpire so that a peaceful outcome will result in democracy and human rights for the whole Syrian population.

Onesies!

When you hear the word 'onesie' does your mind instantly think of a garment designed to be born by infants?

Most probably, yet onesies are becoming a new fashion trend.

My cousins bought me one of Christmas

Snazzy eh?

I have to admit I have worn a onesie before! It was on rugby tour and we had to dress as babies/toddlers. Not my favourite costume theme but come the end of the night, passing out in my tent in my comfy onesie was a blessing.

People are even having onesie parties...looks fun.

You can get so many different onesies now, from American flags to zebras

Hello sexy

I'm sure there's one for you.

It's you again!

I have been on a bit of a movie marathon of late and one guy keeps popping up in the films. Who is this guy...the one and only Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

He plays cop John Blake in The Dark Night Rises

the sexy Joe in Looper, which is a better movie than I thought it would be

Abraham Lincoln's son Robbie in the epic Lincoln

I have to say I think he is a great actor and he's obviously been a busy bee. His upcoming comedy Don Jon's Addiction which he wrote, directed and starred in has just received great reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. There's no stopping this guy! He's definitely come a long way from playing Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Locked out of heaven

I don't usually follow the music charts, let alone like most of the songs, yet I have to admit that I do like Bruno Mars' current song - Locked out of heaven. This song has been no.1 on the US Billboard charts for 4 weeks which I think deserves some congratulations as it's a great upbeat song and has a funky bass line which is always a winner in my book.

I have to point out that I think the reason why I like this song is that it reminds me of several The Police records. Check these out and see if you agree.

Kisses on the end of txts

One of the bizarre things I have noticed while being back home in the UK is that British people put kisses on the end of their txts whilst their Canadian counterparts do not. Has anyone else noticed this I wonder?
You may think this is a weird subject but I find it quite intriguing. Is their some sociological or psychological factor behind this?
If you are unsure what I am talking about altogether, let me explain. Whilst txting friends, family or even partners in the UK, most people always end the txt with a kiss in the form of an X or x. What I have found on this trip is that more people are putting several kisses (xxx) as a sign of loving endearment. With unlimited txt packages most people don't care how long their txt is so a few extra characters on the end of their message doesn't matter but what really do these kisses mean. I remember when I was a young teenager and you would see how many kisses or any at all a boy would put on his txt to you. For some reason we thought the presence of a kiss would symbolise that he liked us romantically.
Nevertheless, what I have found in Canada is that people in general don't put kisses on the end of their txt. Why I am not sure.

I now try and stop myself putting kisses on my txts whilst in Canada but sometimes it's just habit. Maybe us Brits are more liberal with our love and affection for each other, after all a kiss is free to give and the best things in life are free!