venerdì 25 febbraio 2011

i bambini sono il nostro futuro

i  bambini sono il nostro futuro aiutiamoli con l'esempio e con iniziative ad avere una cultura legata ad uno sviluppo sostenibile.... è un bel pianeta la terra.... l'unico che abbiamo, teniamola da conto

lunedì 14 febbraio 2011

il financial time: il solito giornale sovversivo e politicizzato.....


Arrivederci, Silvio

Published: February 13 2011 20:22 | Last updated: February 13 2011 20:22
Seven years ago Silvio Berlusconi’s doctor described the Italian prime minister, then 67 years old, as “technically, almost immortal”. At times the billionaire media mogul appears politically almost indestructible as well. But just as the good doctor’s remark contained more than a touch of exaggeration, so Mr Berlusconi’s political career is certain one day to come to an end. It would be best for his nation, and for the European Union, if that moment arrived now rather than later.
A Milan judge is expected to rule this week on whether Mr Berlusconi should stand trial on charges of paying for sex with an under-aged nightclub dancer and using his power to free her from a prison where she was held on suspicion of theft. There can be few democracies where a prime minister caught up in such an affair would not tender his resignation to spare his government and country difficulties while he sought to clear his name. But as the tale of Ruby the Heart-Stealer is teaching us, this is not Mr Berlusconi’s style.
By remaining at his post, he ensures that Italy’s name will continue to be dragged through the mud under the relentless spotlight of the international media. He ensures that his centre-right coalition government, with its lack of a reliable parliamentary majority, will be distracted from its tasks and incapable of vigorous action at a time when Europe’s sovereign debt crisis is far from over. Lastly, he ensures that the EU looks foolish and hypocritical in delivering lectures to Egypt, Tunisia and other non-European countries on how to govern themselves when it contains such a supreme example of misgovernment at its heart.Mr Berlusconi calls himself a victim of persecution by leftwing prosecutors and judges bent on reversing the electorate’s verdict and overthrowing him in a judicial coup d’état. His complaint has merit only in the sense that his centre-left opponents, a jumble of ex-communists, progressive Christian Democrats, Greens and others, are so weak that the courts often look like the real opposition. Nonetheless Mr Berlusconi’s departure need not present a problem: Italy’s centre-right could easily find a replacement in its ranks.
Italy has numerous fine public servants, ranging from Giorgio Napolitano, its head of state, to Mario Draghi, its central bank governor. They do honour to their country and represent the Italian nation at its best. Mr Berlusconi does not, and his refusal to do the right thing and step down is nothing short of shameful.

giovedì 10 febbraio 2011

abuse of power

Berlusconi faces prosecution amid a squalid sex scandal; he has long humiliated himself and debased his office.... I soliti destabilizzatori? no il times di Londra

sabato 5 febbraio 2011

My Speech at the graduation day

Dear MPM students,
Dear Parents
Dear relatives
Dear friends and colleagues
It a great privilege and honor to be here with you today….This is not the end of a journey but just an important step of your professional carrier. When we kicked off the program we agreed it had to be a simulation of the working place and I asked you to consider  yourselves part of a learning organization, to be  actively  involved in the program, and you did it,  you were able to provide value to your classmates and to the program. I am really thrilled to share this moment with you and your loved ones today.
I know you are dying to get the degree and to start the celebration and the party so I will be brief and straight to the point. 
First of all some credits:  I would like to thank all the colleagues that joined the program and put their knowledge and enthusiasm in it.  I really appreciate the willingness they have to serve the MPM cause.
I would  like also  to thank once again prof. Borgonovi for his guidance and his support…. The MPM is  the outcome of his vision and his visionary approach to public management.
How couldn’t I give the credit to ASIA and JO the true heart and soul of the program….They are super, they are able to supervise three MPM programs at the same time: the graduating students (you), the actual students in class  and the prospective students and this not just for MPM but for the Mihmep too: fascinating….
you are great and I own you a lot.
I have also to thank another person, it is really a blessing to work with her, thanks to MPM I did not just find a colleague, I found a friend and the next MPM director:  thank you Monica……     
Now what’s next? Well, the next stop is planet earth, and I do really mean that, the world has to be your oyster, in fact I have another mission for you, actually  a mission that is threefold:
First Serving the community:
During the MPM program you discussed cases  on economic development, on management of NGOs, on law and public management and many other subjects. The MPM has its mission but this does not necessarily mean that the MPM  is  just a mission driven program. The MPM is a values driven program and one of them is the principle of serving the community: to create and deliver public value and a fairer society. As we discussed in class there is no economic development without social development and these days events in northern Africa clearly state this point. Serving the community means being able to generate positive externalities, positive spill overs able to generate benefits for everybody.

Accountability
The second mission statement I would like to highlight is “accountability”, we have discussed intensively in class the meaning of this word. Being accountable means being a person  able to fulfill her/his duties, able to be in charge and be recognized as someone that never let others down. A civil servant has to be accountable towards her/his citizens, an NGO/IO worker has to be accountable on the effectiveness of the funds spent and the outcomes of his/her projects.  My sincere hope is that you could all be considered trustworthy people…I think a good citizen has to be worthy of trust.

Future
What about it? The future is unpredictable by definition (if we were able to predict it we would not be facing  the actual crisis, Enron, and many other issues). I am mainly done with my speech but I would like to conclude it with two final messages related to the future:
The first  message is the following: the MPM is about managing the public sector, is about providing public value, is about managing tax payer’s money to create a better society….. I have I dream that each of you is able to fulfill this major task:  Leave this world a little better  than you found it…..
And the second message is linked to the overall spirit of the master where the “bottom line” is not a goal but a constraint, where the idea is that this is a small world after all and mainly it is the only one we have……. So…..I do really hope the following thought will never be addressed to you: 
“Only when the last tree has been cut down; Only when the last river has been poisoned; Only when the last fish has been caught; Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten”.
Thanks