Social and Economic issues in Israel and Italy

Social and economic issues in Israel: Akko Haifa and Elsewhere

What I have noticed that disturbs me and astonishes me is how people react to the security measures. Now don’t get me wrong it’s a good thing the security is needed what makes me cringe is the fact that when these mother get searched when going to pick up their kids from school, or when people go to the mall or grocery shopping, they accept the fact that they will get searched as part of the deal part of the package bargain. Security is needed at this extent and I understand that. How do these people feel about this do they accept it as they move about their daily chores? Or is there something else inside of them something called hope and faith that one day they will be able to grocery shop without fear.

Will one day they be able to hear silence and peace in the air instead of bombing at the Ghaza strip? How must it feel to be in a country that is endlessly killing other people? How must it feel to live next to a country that is killing your people the same way? I don’t know. I don’t know. Still through it all they make it through the day saying Salaam and smiling and nodding even though they don’t really understand what you are saying. I think this is the faith and hope shining through. I think it is more than just making it through the day to go onto the next. I think it is love. I think it is love for life and love for just being love. Love doesn’t have to come in kisses and hugs it can be through a smile it can be through the lady behind the corner of a street market giving my brother free candy, love can come as friendship... it doesn’t really matter how it comes as long as it is there.

In Israel some other problems that they are facing as you probably already know is religious. As a Bahai I went at one point in time to go and visit Akko which houses some religious sites such as the prison “The Most Great Prison” also known as The Prison of Akko. Akko used to be a prison city. But now is a place where Bahais do not dwell for fear. In fact we are not allowed to venture into the heart or the center of Akko but instead stay on the outskirts. Religious fanatics do not take kindly as to our being in the city.

When there is religious conflict you can find religious unity as well a good example of two different religions getting along when these religions have clashed in the past they are now getting along and working in harmony. For instance there is a place that is holy for two different religions: Judaism and Christianity. Instead of fighting over this holy land “the cave of Elijah they manage it together in peace and harmony. The Jews manage and own the upper cave and The Christians manage and own the lower cave.

Social and Economic issues in Italy: Pisa, Venice and elsewhere

In Italy the problems that the populace are facing as a whole is economic. When the government switched to the euro after being on the lira the prices of living doubled. Housing costs twice as much, food costs twice as much, and everything doubled the problem however is that the salaries did not double. A 30 year old with a college degree makes 1,200 euros a month. Southern Italy is impoverished due to geography and the inability to produce its own products. Because northern Italy prospers while southern Italy's economy fails, the government raises the taxes to help support southern Italy. This sounds like here when the government wants to fix something they raise the taxes, so no biggee. That is what I thought. But the lowest tax bracket is 45% ouch. Say for instance there is a family of four; two parents, two kids. If both of the parents are working all the family actually has to themselves at the end f the month is 1,080 euros (note this does not include the house mortgages) If the family were to go out to dinner once during the month with their allotment of 1,080 at 20 euros a piece they would spend 80 euros leaving them with only 1,000 euros left. So now you can fully understand the gravity of the situation. Within Italy several different places are suffering for different reasons one place that right now is flourishing but isn’t as strong economically as it used to be is Pisa. Pisa used to be a booming port city where goods could come and go. Italy tends to flood a rather awful lot. So anyways, Pisa was flooded and with the flood came a lot of silt. This silt ended up ruining the port so that no longer could ships come and go with goods to transport. Many people in Pisa depended on the port so people lost their jobs and their homes. Then the bell tower of the Pisa cathedral began to lean. (It is common fallacy that the leaning tower of Pisa was built as political stand, the bell tower is just detached) and people, mainly tourists rushed over to Pisa in order to see this amazing leaning building. The tower is going to fall the fact that the tower will fall is indisputable. When the tower falls tourists will no longer be attracted to viewing this monument, and people will lose their jobs and homes and Pisa will once again need a miracle to bring it back to profitable.