Barack Obama Wins the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize

President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Nobel Committee said in Oslo.

What is my view here?

Well, I could sum it up using these two comments posted on the NYTimes article:

1) “President Obama is presenting the same two wars in the exact same way as President Bush. These people showed disdain for Bush , but now show loving affection for Obama — though there is no difference on either front of war. This is straight out of Orwell:
“War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength”. ” – Janice Johnson

2) “The Nobel Peace Prize should be a reward for actual accomplishments, and not just talk. [...] Honestly, what has he done for world peace yet? His accomplishments are nothing but talk, and often the wrong talk. Grandstanding to the Arab world at the expense of Israel, for example, has only resulted in a hardening of Arab intransigence. Waffling on Afghanistan has yielded even more bloodshed. No concrete progress has been made by President Obama in the crucial areas of climate control and environmental protection. Even his healthcare plans have been stymied. In fact, Obama is looking more and more like Jimmy Carter (another Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose much praised efforts actually led to more belligerency and less peace) every day. Finally This kind of award will allow the President to rest on his laurels, instead of really getting down to work.” – Larry Abramson

As the Nobel Committee said in Oslo, “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”, Obama has indeed made efforts to a world without nuclear weapons. (➞ embedded video)So, technically speaking, he completely deserves the price, as the USA resolution in the UN is the proof of Obama’s intentions to a shared commitment to the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world. It is still unclear whether the peace dove really will disarm the world, or the American troops will. Fact is, that still not all of the countries, such as China and Russia have expressed their commitment to this goal.

Alfred Nobel

On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes, the Nobel Prizes. As described in Nobel’s will, one part was dedicated to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.

I think Obama is on the right way to do so, but only time will tell if he really is the man Alfred Nobel might have awarded.

Welcome ‘09

Hi! Long time not heard, what? 
 
Well, I’ve been very busy in the last day and toady I finally found time to ‘maintain’ my blog. 

First of all, I’d like to inform you that I succeeded in achieving an average page view of my this blog of 9 per day! 
Ok, it’s not much, but I recently started blogging and since I don’t offer any services and this is just to waste some time and entertain my friends and family, it’s obvious that my page is not famous.  
 
Anyway, my site had a visitor boom with the article about the spy-shots of the Mercedes-Benz I took on my vacation in Barcelona, Spain. In that week, this site got over 3.000 views! Incredible! 
 
I also posted a tutorial in two languages about a way to use the iPhone 3G as Internet source on a computer. 
That brought me about 300 views. I’m pretty satisfied, it was just an occasion to get some feedback.  
 

Fred (Christmas version)

So, finally I wrote again and it’s time to do some – what facebook and twitter call – ’status update’. 
Well, on December 27 I’m going up north to a small village in northern Italy where I have friends and sort of parents. Then, on New Year’s Eve, I’ll go visit my girlfried who’s currently skiing in the French Alps. I can’t wait to celebrate the new year with her. Then I will snowboard there until my return to Rome in January 6, ‘09. 
These are my plans – now unveiled to you readers. It’s time now to prepare all those christmas gifts, GOTTA GO and hurry!!! 
 
Have all a Merry Christmas!!! May your wishes turn real and all your problems fade into solutions, your sadness into happiness (wow, I feel poetic). 
If I don’t post anything this year, HAPPY NEW YEAR in advance!!! 
Greetings from Rome 
Fred

Mercedes-Benz Spy-Shot (Barcelona, 27/10/08)

I took these pictures in Barcelona while in vacation. From the shape and the lights, I guess that it’s a Mercedes S-Class. It has 2 exhaust pipes and different rims. Maybe the AMG version? I personally don’t know, we’ll see in the next autoshow…

PS: why do they test a benz in barcelona, spain??

 

Mercedes-Benz spy-shot (Barcelona, 27/10/08)

BTW:

All rights reserved to me, Federico Lentini, who took the pictures on 27/10/2008. Faces and plates are blured for privacy reasons, I don’t know any of the persons in the photo. www.federicolentini.tk

iPhone – Ultimate

Ok, guys, I’m holding my new iPhone 3G in my hands, and EVERYTHING is working at the moment!
But, of course, something must be wrong, right? Right. It’s black.. Not that I’m racist, but white looks definitely better. But, it’s an iPhone. And it works – till now.
Stay tuned…

iPhone – Update

It went better than I thought! The guy told me that next week I’ll hold the new one in my hands. And, I can continue to use the “defect” one until then! (Btw, it works just GREAT as phone, but it has no wifi… which makes it kinda useless…)

I’ll keep you updated!

Fred and his white iPhone 3G

iPhone 3G + Murphy’s Law

Hi!

Yesterday, I thougt I could have been another lucky and haappy iPhone user in this world, but I soon realized that I was not. So, my dad went to a Vodafone store to buy me the iPhone. I was 99% sure that the iPhone would not have been available, because it’s always “out of stock” and you have to order it and wait some weeks. But, to my great surprise, he called me, saying that there are still 3 iPhone 3G’s left (White). So, he bought it, I opened the package and started setting up the phone. It worked, I wrote some SMS’s. But, I did the great mistake to fall into apple’s trap of “updates”. Theoretically, updated should make your device work by fixing bugs. In this case, it screwed it up, and now I have a WiFi-less iPhone… The wifi chips does not work anymore. But, I thought, ok, I have 7 weeks to return the device or 2 years to make it repair by  Apple. Well, I’m sitting at my dad’s PC in his office and I’m waiting for the store to open to get my phone replaced. From what I heard in the last hours, I will either have to call the “guardia di finanza” to convince the guys at vodafone that they HAVE to inform Apple, or I will get a new one and everything will be ok, although I can hardly imagine this will happen. Probably they will just send it to Apple, then I’ll wait 2-3 weeks to have it back. I already sold my iPod Touch and I’m starting to observe a whole new land by watching out of my window in the train for 45 mins every day… Man this is damn BORING!!!

So, first happy about having a brandnew iPhone 3G in my pocket (which I’m waiting for since about 2 years), but hit again by Murphy’s law:

“Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way”.

Amen

PS: Check this out: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=561080 

Screenhot of iPhone WiFI issue

Fred the business man

Initially my plans were to attend the business course in London, which I did, and then to do the internship at Lamborghini. Things changed (just read my previous posts), so I ended by traveling across Europe, alone. What a business man! That’s a good start for a good career.

First, I went to London by Plane, July 1. Then I took the plane home the 15th. The 17th, I had to take the train to Bologna for Lamborghini, but then it was all screwed up and (me and) my family decided to visit friends in Calabria (southern Italian coast). Three days after, we drove near l’Aquila for one night. Then finally back home, just in time for our traditional stay in Borghetto di Borbera (northern Italy), aka B’Ghetto. Of course I didn’t hang out there for a month, NO, I was told that I would be visiting an ex-schoolmate in Frankfurt, Germany. So, again, I took  the plane to Frankfurt, alone, standing up at 3AM… I stayed there for 4 days. This was July. (I forgot to say that I went to Bologna for 2 days, again alone, by train.) I don’t mention that I’m alone because I’m cool, I do, because I was bored!! I had to wait HOURS alone sitting somewhere, waiting for my plane or train.

It didn’t end there, we went to “Valle d’Aosta”, a region in the mountains, where the Mont Blanc is, the tallest mount in Europe (4848 meters, about 16.000 ft). We spent 3 nights camping. It was so hot in the entire Italy and we sufferd the coldest summer ever, about 2℃ (36 F) during the night, it was so damn cold, it was hard to go to the toilets and wash hands. The fact is that the guy of the camping said that it would be about 10-15℃ (50-60 F), so we didn’t bring winter clothes… But it was fun, though, I was on highest place in Europe, on the mountain, looking over the continent. And the last day we went to an adventure park where we had to climb on ropes, 18 meters (60 ft) over the ground (a forest), from tree to tree. Amazing. 

Now I’m here, in B’Ghetto, counting the days for a 18-year-old-surprise-party for a good friend aka Doggy Tom, in my place. It will be fun, I can’t wait to see his face!!

That’s all folks!

UPDATE: Tom liked the surprise! We went swimming at midnight in total darkness in a more or less warm water, it was awesome.

Fred

Why Lambo and not Trenitalia

What do you expect from the title? A funny story? In a way it is, but not for me, and it’s not even a story!

I was waiting in the Bologna train station since 8.20 AM. My train to Rome should have been departing at 10.47. First thing: 4 trains to Rome went before mine and I couldn’t take them because according to my ticket, I had necessarily to take no. 9431. Ok, I waited. Then I went to the platform. My train came and I got in. After Florence, the ticket-controlling lady came and “caught” me being in the wrong train! But I wasn’t the only one, some other passengers had the same issue. We had to pay 8€ each for this law infringement. What happened? When the train arrived, they changed the number on the displays at the station – about 1 minute before. The destination remained the same (Roma Termini) and it was the right time, but the number changed from 9431 to 9491! So, everybody waiting there for several minutes like me should have noticed the change, but they didn’t and we all entered the wrong train. We protested, so that in my cabin we three passengers just payed 8€ in total. Our right train was late and the train we took was late as well, but came to the time the other train should have come without being delayed! What a coincidence…

Trenitalia punished us not only with a delayed train (which is really annoying),  but we also had to pay those who committed the error. Isn’t it just ridiculous? (“Bella Italia”, now you know what I mean – I mean, these things seem to happen only in this country…)

So, you all, GAL! (not “Get a Life”, but “Get a Lamborghini”!). It’s reliable, you are flexible and as fast as hell and you can’t be late! It costs you about 1000 tickets (gas included).

Think about it, and remember: Bella Italia!! Pizza, Pasta, Gelato, Mamma, Mafia, Ferrari…

Lamborghini (finally)!

When Rodrigo drove me to Lambo, I asked him if I would see a Reventón that day. Remember: Only 20 cars will be built for min. 1 million Euros!
He said probably not. Guess what happened! I saw 5 different Reventóns!!! 25% of all Rev. ever built!!!

If you search on YouTube, there are so many engine sound videos, but there ain’t ONE SINGLE Rev. I was so lucky: first I took about 40 pics of that car, then the owner arrived. I don’t say more, just watch the video below!! I’m the first one posting such a video!!! Damn cool!!!

Despite that, I counted about 300-350 Lambos, awesome! about 250 were either brand new (2008), or still under construction. All lambos are handmade. I had the exclusive chance to visit the secret parts of the factory, where they build the engine, chassis, seats etc. It was strictly forbidden to take cellphones and cameras; I recommend everyone to visit Lamborghini, they show you some parts of the factory as well! (4 Reventóns in 4 different construction statuses, just the skeleton, with engine, with tires and lights and almost ready to hit the streets!)

So, in few words, WOW.
It was 100% worth the money and the effort to get there.

Btw, I forgot to mention that my train had a delay of about 40″ that morning and I lost my train to Sant’Agata, so Rodrigo picked me up in Bologna. He was very nice!! He gave me some Lamborghini gifts, too, it was a real pleasure to be there. Thus, I’d like to thank: Rodrigo F. for everything (taking care, responsibility, time, availability, lunch etc), Lorenzo A. who helped me getting in touch with Rodrigo, Manfred Kessling for proposing the whole thing and last but not least, my buddy BigDan for teaching the love for supercars (and much more).
Thanks, grazie, danke!!!

Unfortunately I will go back home tomorrow morning… It was definitely a great experience and I hope do the internship next year!

(mini) Update:
I heard Ferraris and Lamborghinis racing during the night, because my window is on the side of the main street!

Check out my webgallery

 

MY VIDEO! 

(sorry for the bad quality… It’s YouTube’s fault, I swear!)

In the train to the supercars!

Guess what?! I’m in a Eurostar train to Bologna, really! Unless I am dreaming right now, or under drug effects, I would say that I could eventually see some Lamborghinis in a few hours. Now it should work for sure – that’s what Rodrigo F. (the guy from Lamborghini) wrote me in an email yesterday, but it wouldn’t be too unrealistic, if he called me within the next minutes talking about insurance stuff and the law… I have the address of my Bed & Breakfast, where I’ll stay one night, but I have absolutely no idea about how to get there! No WiFi, no Google Maps… Know why? Because I don’t have an iPhone! Because f*****g TIM and Vodafone have extremely high monthly fees you have to pay if you want that “multitouch calling-able iPod”. So, no GPS, no 3G. But I bet you don’t care, so let’s leave this apart…

Anyway, I hoped the guy woud pick me up with his LP640 Murciélago, but he wrote that he was coming with his old car. No further details. Maybe a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class? Old BMW 320d? Or 1978 Fiat 500? Don’t panic Fred, you will see many good cars, it will have been worth spending (or either throwing away, depending on the next hours) 100,70 bucks for the train ticked and 50€ for my night our there!

 

UPDATE: 

It was a black Audi A3. Not bad. Audi bought Lamborghini in 1998, so every employee has to use Audis.

Read my next post please, I will tell you everything! Fact is: It was AWESOME!