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The Middle East Peace Process
Hello my readers,
today I want to talk a little bit about politics. Yesterday evening I went to a meeting/discussion about the role of the EU in the Middle East Peace Process. There were a lot of experts from Jerusalem and Berlin, among them Ilan Mor, Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Israel in Berlin.
When the Gaza war on December, 28th 2008 outbroke, Israel had no other partners to call other than the EU. The American administration was in a period of transition after Obama´s election and Israel-Russia relationship have always been unstable, and sometimes frozen. Diplomats from the EU, Sarkozy above all, were very active in achieving a quick ceasefire. In the absence of a coherent strategy for the region, the EU should now evaluate new efforts and policies that aim to a long lasting peace. The role of the EU in the middle east peace process is therefore essential. The Union, and its member states, are the largest provider of food supplies and clean water in Palestine. It has also been a key actor in helping the building of Palestinian institutions and authorities. The yearly contributions to the region amount to € 1 bn, although some experts argue that the money needs to be spent more efficiently (Mauriel Asseburg 2009). The access to electricity and water remain a problem and the situation on the ground as a whole is deeply problematic. On June, 15th 2009 the European Council adopted the following conclusion: “The Council reiterates its commitment to the two-state solution with an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state, comprising the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel. The Council confirms that this constitutes a fundamental European interest.” It is then clear that the position of the EU closely goes hand in hand with the US Administration´s commitment to a two-state solution.
I think that the general opinion in Europe hasn´t got a clear idea of what is actually going on in that region. People at the meeting yesterday talked about terrorist attacks on the ground on a daily basis. No access to electricity and clean water.
Think about!!
Angelo
Financial crisis for dummies!
Hello everybody,
today I want to post a video that tries to explain with easy words what caused the ongoing financial crisis and the weakening of the global economy. For those of you who saw my presentation last Tuesday, will see many similarities with the video. Indeed, I was inspired by the work of these young analysts.
Here´s the link http://vimeo.com/3261363. It is really easy to follow, but at the same time the video covers all the aspects that caused the financial mess that is affecting our global economy.
Enjoy the video!!
Angelo
Balkans flavour
Dear all,
first of all, I want to thank all my readers that left comments on my page last week. I didn´t have much time to reply to all of you, but here I am. I´m back in Germany now, and I really have to focus my attention on my exams. I´m going to upload some of the best pictures I made in Belgrade. I must admit, at the beginning of my stay, I was a bit disappointed. But then, after a tour in the old town, I had to change my mind. Young people there are very friendly, especially with foreigners. And the communication was ok, most of them speak English, quite well I must say.
This is the burek, fried filled pastry very popular throughout the Balkans and in the middle-east. It is a kind of a pie filled with cheese, usually greek feta, minced meat, potatoes or veggies. I ate it empty and it was very tasty. You should drink it with yoghurt or Turkish Ayran.
Hard days…
Hello my readers,
How was your Saturday?? Have you followed my training schedule?? Saturday is usually the hardest day for marathoners. I woke up this morning, had a big breakfast and then put on my running shoes. It was hard, I admit. 16 kilometers in less than 90 minutes is a good time, but it needs to be improved. That was my today´s performance. What do you think?? Next week I am going to Belgrade. I´m staying there for 8 days, so I´m sure I´ll have the chance to do some sightseeing and take pictures which will go straight onto my blog page!! I also can´t wait to try Serbian food. Friends of mine told me to try Sarmale. A typical dish of old origin, very basic described: dumplings with meat and lot of fresh herbs. I´ll tell you more as soon as I get back home on June,10th.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best and stay fit!!
Angelo
Marathon Training
Hello everybody,
last week I posted an article about the BOSU ball. This week I´m going to tell you about the perfect training for first-time marathoners. First of all, you have to bear in mind that a constant training is needed (see “base“ in the schedule) and a pair of good running shoes is advisable, otherwise you can incur into serious knee injuries. I´m going to post a table/schedule for runners who don´t want to win the marathon (42 km or 26 miles), but just want to finish it. This year I was planning to run the marathon in Berlin, but unfortunately is already sold out. This means that I have to go to New York City in October 
Want to join??
There we go, here´s the most reliable schedule for first-time marathoners that I have found in the web (all numbers are in miles, just multiply by 1.6 if you´re not familiar with miles).
| M | T | W | Th | F | Sat | Sun | Total | ||
| Base | off | 4 | 4 | 4 | off | 10 | 3 | 25 | |
| Week before the marathon | |||||||||
| 1 | off | 4 | 4 | 3 | off | 13 | 3 | 27 | |
| 2 | off | 5 | 5 | 5 | off | 10 | 5 | 30 | |
| 3 | off | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 32 | |
| 4 | off | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 34 | |
| 5 | off | 5 | 4 | 4 | off | 18 | 4 | 35 | |
| 6 | off | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 37 | |
| 7 | off | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 40 | |
| 8 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 42 | |
| 9 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 45 | |
| 10 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 42 | |
| 11 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 45 | |
| 12 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 42 | |
| 13 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 45 | |
| 14 | off | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 42 | |
| 15 | off | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 45 | |
| 16 | off | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 35 | |
| 17 | off | 5 | 5 | 5 | off | 8 | 4 | 27 | |
| 18 | off | 4 | 4 | 3 | off | 3 | 26.2 | 14+race | |
So, what do you think??? Should we book a flight to NYC???
Haile Gebrselassie, winner of the Berlin marathon 2008 set the new world record 2:03:59
Take care
Angelo
The BOSU Ball
Good day to you all my fellow readers!!
Today I´m going to spend a few minutes writing about the BOSU ball and the BOSU excercises. This is a fitness device that I discovered some two weeks ago at the gym where I go. I´m taking a course there once a week and I swear, it gives you power . The name is an acronym which stands for “Both Sides Utilized,” a reference to the myriad ways a BOSU ball can be used (Wikipedia). For those of you who are interested in the BOSU “art”, here is a video that shows you how the whole thing actually works and what kind of exercises you can do with it. Some guys in the video are really crazy, so don´t try to simulate, unless you´re really fit…
But please, do not start using the BOSU Ball on your own at the beginning…You should be supervised by a trainer. Injury risk is VERY HIGH!! If you want to learn more about this new way of training, go to http://www.bosufitness.com .
Take care and stay fit!
Angelo
Weekend in Italy
Hello fellow readers,
I went back home in Bergamo for the weekend and I must say that I had a great time. There was a big feast in my family, the Holy Communion of my nephew. Family gathered together for lunch in a very relaxing and cosy restaurant on the top of a hill, close to the city Bergamo
. The area is very famous for its wines, just to name the most famous Valcalepino, grapes Chardonnay. At the moment I don´t have any pictures because I forgot my camera here in Berlin, so I had to use my sister´s one but she still hasn´t sent me all of them. So you´ll have to wait a while. Following a picture taken from a winery´s website…
In the meantime, all the best and have fun reading!!
Angelo
Санкт-Петербург
Hello there, I just wanted to add some more pics of Saint Petersburg. What a nice city, Russians call it “the door towards Europe”. It definetly is…if it wasn´t for the language, I think I could move there. You know what?? I forgot to put Saint Petersburg among the cities in my poll!!
There we go…
As you can see, the river (the Neve River) was completely frozen…It was damn cold at that time (it was in February when I wente to Russia)
