What's wrong with this world

No I won't be attempting you give you a comprehensive answer to that.  This is just to hook up with the recent post appealing for help for our helpXer who had all her kit stolen out of our caravan.  First of all thank you everybody for your offers of help and support.  Unfortunately, for reasons I don't really want to speculate about on a public blog, our helper has left in rather acrimonious circumstances, not really cooperating with any efforts to help her.  I have therefore had to refuse any of your kind and generous offers.  But thank you again, I was touched to hear from total strangers, who don't even normally comment on my blog.

In the meantime it has come to my attention that there has been quite a spate of small crimes committed in the area.  A number of our immediate friends and aquaintances have had their houses and/or cars broken into.  At the same time in England kids have taken to the streets for several days in a free for all rioting and looting extravaganza.  What's going on?  Have you noticed or heard of an increase of crime where you are?

Here is my take on the story.  What those looters stole or even the damaged they caused, without of course wanting to condone any of it, is peanuts compared to what speculators and stock brokers have looted from the markets!  Our whole system is based on greed and greed only.  These bankers are no more than large scale thiefs and robbers, helping deplete natural resources.My fellow blogger Jeremy puts it much better than I could.

I also loved the quote of my money-less friend Mark Boyle, who said:

I love the way that we call people who break into chainstores 'looters', yet the rest of us law abiding citizens get to loot the entire planet and are deemed peaceful. Instead of H&M, read rainforests. Instead of JD Sports, read oceans. Instead of Tesco, read soil. If you want to see a looter, look within, we're all looters. Just some are culturally normalised.

 We live in a consumerist society where what you have defines who you are and if you have nothing you are nobody.  We are bombarded with adveritising telling us what we must have.  The politicians keep telling us the economy must grow so we must spend, spend, spend.  According to this ethos we only contribute to society by spending and buying consumer goods, thus at the same time depleting the world's resources.  

But as the gap between haves and have-nots is ever widening, those who don't have the means to buy all those glitzy new gadgets, the latest car, the newest fashion accessory will inevitably find other ways of obtaining them.  And as they see those criminals at Wall Street and in the City, the big company bosses and corrupt politicians get away with murder, they feel they haven't got much to loose.

They won't fix the system by locking up 12 year olds for stealing a bottle of wine, but by radically changing to a fairer more just, not to mention DEMOCRATIC system.  All those guys giving their lives in Lybia and Syria aledgedly fighting for democracy.  What a rude awakening they'll have when they find out there's no such thing...

But enough of the ranting.  It's been boiling hot our way, so physical labour has been off the schedule for a while.  Thus I've had some time to rant a bit.  But now the sweat is starting to drip on my keyboard so I better stop.  

 

Oh but one more thing:  I'm now the proud foster parent of Foster, the Ducklet all the way over in Ohio.  Check out my "sister's" blog here.

 

Farmer Heiko's latest adventure with Mr. Monsanto

Bad Luck Strikes Again

After the landslides in winter and the hailstorm last week we again face ourselves with another disaster.  This time caused by humans though.

Until today I have always felt we were living in a relatively low crime area.  In our village we routinely leave the key in the front door, even when taking the dog out for a walk.  I have repeatedly forgotten to lock the car, even leaving the windows open for a few days on the village car park.  But today we found that you shouldn't let your guard down, because there's always some opportunist out there.  We were on this occasion not the victims ourselves though, but one of our helpXers, which makes us feel particularly bad.

We are currently having two young girls staying in our caravan on our land helping us with some work in exchange for some free lodging.  While we were all working a few terraces lower, not having locked the caravan, one of the girls, Diane from France, had all her belongings stolen in broad daylight yesterday morning.  Her rucksack with everything.  The Carabinieri aren't interested.  They're just saying come back Monday morning!  

This is Diane a few days ago lifting some potatoes:

Diane was at the beginning of a trip of a lifetime.  She had planned to stay 2 weeks with us followed by another 2 weeks in Italy and a few months in India.  She luckily had her passport and cards on her, but lost a considerable amount of cash as well as all her clothing and various other personal things.

Those of you who know us and/or have been following this blog for a while, know we don't have any money.  Neither are we or Diane insured.  However we feel responsible for this, as she was staying as our guest.  I'm asking any of you please (!!!), to give this young woman back her confidence in humanity.  If it is at all within your means donate something for her, so she can continue her travels.  Every little would help.  Please be in touch, send us an e-mail (heikover@libero.it) if you can help in any way.