Constitutional Convention and Yellows for Chile

Many things have happened in recent months in the Constitutional Convention that began its work on July 4th, 2021.

It took three months to draft the General Regulations of the Convention and in the same month of October 2021 the constitutional debates began in the commissions created to deal with different issues.

In February, the Constitutional Convention approved an article of the new Constitution that declares Chile as a "regional, plurinational and intercultural State" during the vote they take to determine the norms that the Magna Carta will include.

"Chile is a regional, plurinational and intercultural State made up of autonomous territorial entities, within a framework of equity and solidarity among all of them, preserving the unity and integrity of the State," indicated the article approved by 112 votes in favor, 34 against and 2 abstentions.

The new article changes the definition of "unitary State" that is indicated in the current Chilean Constitution that was implemented in 1980, during the government of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).

The proposal exceeded 2/3 of the vote, the minimum required to be included in the draft of the new Constitution that must be voted on in a mandatory plebiscite in which the population of Chile will decide whether to approve or reject it. If rejected, the current Magna Carta approved in 1980 will remain.

The Convention also approved other paragraphs in which it defines the territorial organization of the State "in autonomous regions, indigenous territorial autonomies and special territories." It also promotes the "cooperation, integration and development" of the regions, and defines criteria for the creation of regional entities that will rule in those areas.

The constituents approved 10 articles dealing with justice issues; among them, changing the name of the Judiciary to Justice Systems, and another article that guarantees that all bodies and persons involved in judicial processes must ensure equality, parity, and a gender perspective. The latter has caused a lot of concern since it would be annulling the principle of equality before the law.

The Constitutional Convention began its task on July 4th, 2021 and has a maximum term of nine months, extendable for three more, to conclude its task of giving Chile a new Constitution.

Yellows for Chile

Since the voting began in the plenary session of the Constitutional Convention in Chile, a group of academics and former ministers, mainly from the Center Left, have reacted to some ideas that are quite far from what the majority of Chileans expected from this new project.

This group of personalities who has achieved growing support has even announced a movement, which they have baptized "Amarillos por Chile", managing to gather signatures and support, all from various positions in politics, education, culture and governments of different democratic tendencies. "The spirit that must prevail in the Convention must be that of dialogue, conversation, truly listening to those who think differently," they say in their letter, led by Cristián Warnken, the columnist and former television presenter.

Over time, it has been confirmed that some constituents support very radical ideas such as dissolving the three powers of the State (Executive, Legislative and Judicial) to create a Plurinational Assembly.

Said initiative contemplated excluding the following groups from the right to vote in the base assemblies: owners of large companies, bankers and speculators, the high hierarchy of the church, the officers of the Armed Forces and the management of large companies.

Fortunately, sanity prevailed and this idea was rejected by a large majority. However, there are many other initiatives that put our current republic at risk.

You might also be interested in: The Socialist Experience in Chile 

Yellows for Chile: a new movement is born made up of more than 70 personalities, including national prize-winners, academics, economists and former ministers of the Concertación (centre-left political group) organized in response to the danger of the "refounding" of Chile " right from the start".
"The great tragedies in our continent and in the entire world have occurred when we yellows have been silenced or have not raised our voice with sufficient conviction," says the founding document of this new citizen movement in one of its paragraphs.

The group's manifesto argues that there are refoundational spirits expressed especially in the Constitutional Convention. Faced with this, the subscribers suggest, it is necessary to raise "the voice" in favor of "dialogue and conversation."

"Many of the proposals that have emanated from the commissions and some of those that are already reaching 2/3 in plenary are turning on the alert signal among those of us who do not want the deconstruction of Chile, nor its dismemberment, nor its refoundation from scratch. ", they pose. "The spirit that must prevail in the Convention must be that of dialogue, conversation, truly listening to those who think differently."

They add that the yellows are "a silent majority in the country," who want "reforms, not revolution, not an inharmonious or biased Constitution, but a new balanced Constitution." That constitutional proposal, they argue, should move away from the "failed experiments of other Latin American countries." Instead, it should reconcile "order with freedom, change with stability, as one of our intellectual fathers of the country, Andrés Bello, dreamed and thought."

Support the initiative

There are also a number of economic figures who were authorities during the Concertación governments, such as former Finance Ministers Alejandro Foxley and Andrés Velasco; the former president of the Central Bank and former Minister of Economy José De Gregorio; and other former ministers such as Alejandro Ferreiro, Vivianne Blanlot, Ignacio Walker, Jorge Burgos, René Cortázar, Mariana Aylwin, Jaime Campos, Isidro Solís, Pedro García, José Joaquín Brunner and Enrique Krauss.

The list also includes representatives of Congress. Among them are the outgoing DC senator Carolina Goic, the incoming ex-DC deputy Andrés Jouannet, and former senators such as Soledad Alvear, Eugenio Tuma, Hernán Vodanovic and Fulvio Rossi.

The professor and poet Cristián Warnken Lihn comments that the group is made up mostly of people from the center and center-left, who do not want the country to be thrown overboard, but rather to make changes: but well done. This is not a political party, it is an open, citizen movement of very diverse people with no hidden agenda."

The following are excerpts from the "Amarillos por Chile" manifesto. The complete version can be reviewed at the end of this article, with the list of the 75 subscribers and their call for adhesions:

The denomination "yellow" emerged a long time ago in our country as an insult to those who were in favor of change, but in a gradual and responsible manner, and preferred the path of reforms to that of revolution, that of dialogue with those who think differently than the idea of ​​turning the political adversary into an enemy to be destroyed. In the midst of the refoundational euphoria that wants to start from scratch, it is usual for the voice of the yellows to try to be silenced, and radicalism and maximalism seem much more attractive than prudence and realism. But in the desire for social transformations, there is not only the impulse towards the impossible (typical of utopias), we yellows feel the passion for what is possible, which consists in doing things well done, achieving the necessary changes without destroying what is good, betting for a better future without thinking that you are starting from scratch.

The great tragedies in our continent and in the entire world have occurred when we yellows have been silenced or have not raised our voices with sufficient conviction (as in the face of the legitimization of political violence, for example), making us feel self-conscious before those who shout more and build a version of reality as a Manichaean story, dividing the world into good guys and bad guys and offering simplistic solutions to complex problems.

Many of the proposals that have emanated from the commissions and some of those that are already reaching 2/3 in plenary are turning on the alert signal among those of us who do not want the deconstruction of Chile, nor its dismemberment, nor its refoundation from scratch, but a new beginning that collects the best that we have all built together in these decades and improves in an efficient and intelligent way what needs to be improved.

For this, the spirit that must prevail in the Convention must be that of dialogue, conversation, truly listening to those who think differently.

In this sense, the attempt by some radicalized factions of the Convention to ignore, and even erase, a significant political sector of the country (the center-right), as the maximalists of that time tried to do in the 1980 Constitution, is a huge political mistake. We must not forget that this sector obtained a very important vote in the last legislative election and 44% in the presidential election. Can a viable Constitution be made without including or listening to that sector, as if it did not exist? Proposing an exclusive constitutional text that was not born from genuine dialogue and listening also to the minority would be a pyrrhic victory that would not ensure a long life for said Constitution and would only help to polarize the country even more.

The "yellows" have always existed. We are -so we believe- a silent majority of the country. We demonstrated in the recent presidential election and with our vote we forced the extremes to moderate. This country is -deep down- more yellow than it seems. He wants reforms, not revolution, not an inharmonious or biased Constitution, but a new balanced Constitution, that gathers the best of our own institutional tradition (and not the copy of failed experiments in other Latin American countries), that manages to reconcile order with freedom , change with stability, as one of our intellectual fathers of the country, Andrés Bello, dreamed and thought.

We yellows have decided to raise our voice to contribute to this fundamental crossroads of our political and institutional history. We are here to support any initiative that goes in the direction of balance, moderation, common sense, unrestricted respect for Democracy (without surnames), the Rule of Law, freedom and also the promotion of social rights, reforming and improving both the market and the state. And we will loudly raise our voice against any attempt to lead us down the wrong path to repeat failed refoundational experiments in all parts of the world. Against any type of enlightenment, we reaffirm our trust in the light of dialogue and reason, which made it possible for this country to exist as a country and for democracy to re-emerge after the long night of intolerance and dictatorship.

This is our first statement, but it won't be the last. We want many Chileans who today feel politically orphaned to know that we Yellows are here and now, at this decisive moment in our history. We invite all free and democratic spirits to join this initiative without complexes, fear or mistrust. This is the time for courage, not cowardice or resignation.

Manifesto "Yellows for Chile"

Mario Waissbluth

For his part, academic Mario Waissbluth (professor at the University of Chile) mentions that the convention has exceeded the issue of indigenous rights, since this group is a minimal percentage of the population of Chile and it seems that the Constitution is designed only for them, where they are assigned excessive participation and rights.

This is exacerbated by the excessive representation of parties of the most radical left.

Along these lines, Waissbluth maintained that the "plan is to start making specific observations on specific articles of the Constitution and not only to criticize, but also to counter-propose."

"What we have agreed upon is that we are going to have a communications group, and a technical group that from now on will begin to analyze article by article, give an opinion and make a counterproposal and spread it through all the channels that we can".

At the time of publication of this article, the group has already achieved more than 22,000 adherents.

Source: Pauta, Amarillos por Chile and author's notes

Primary Elections in Argentina

 

The President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
at a press conference after Sunday's primaries (Photo: AFP)

Kirchnerism suffers an electoral catastrophe in the primary elections in Argentina

The candidates of the Government to Congress lose in all the most important districts, including the province of Buenos Aires, stronghold of Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

Kirchnerism has a lot to worry about. Its candidates to fight for a seat in Congress on November 14th have lost in primary elections in 18 of the 24 districts of the country, according to official results, including the province of Buenos Aires, a historic stronghold of Peronism and responsible for 40% of the votes to nationals.

The opposition, gathered in "Juntos por el Cambio", the coalition that brought Mauricio Macri to power in 2015, retains its traditional districts (the city of Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Córdoba), and wins in provinces that tend to be wayward to the right, such as Chaco, La Pampa, Tierra del Fuego, Misiones and even Santa Cruz, the political cradle of Kirchnerism.

In the primaries, only candidates are chosen, in this case deputies and senators, but as all Argentines are obliged to vote in them, the result is usually an advance of the final elections. That is why the coup has been extremely harsh, and its consequences still unpredictable, for the Government of Alberto Fernández.

The opposition victory places the mayor of the Argentine capital, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, in the race for the presidency in 2023.

Horacio Rodriguez Larreta

President Fernández admitted the opposition triumph along with the main candidates and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “We have not done something right so that people do not join us and all of us who are here listen to the verdict. There is a demand that we have not satisfied and that from tomorrow we will pay attention to it, ”he said.

Argentines participated this Sunday in an original electoral experiment, with the election of candidates in primary, open, mandatory and simultaneous elections. The PASO, as they are called, thus become a referendum of the official management. The Government was aware of the difficulties it was facing: the economy in tailspin, the product of three years of recession and the paralysis of the pandemic, and unforced errors by Alberto Fernández and his environment and the increasingly evident fights within the coalition, with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as the protagonist.

She expected, however, a narrow victory in the province of Buenos Aires and first place in the total sum of national votes. None of that has happened. Even with Peronism united. The map of the Argentine provinces has been tinted yellow, the color of Together for Change, and Peronism loses control of the interior of the country, the source of its power.

      

The results give a dimension of the catastrophe. In the province of Buenos Aires, with 97% of the polls scrutinized, the opposition coalition gets 38%, against 33.6% of the ruling "Frente de Todos". In Capital, the Macrismo got 48.3% of the votes, against 24.6% of Peronism. In the interior of the country, the Government has not fared better, even in traditionally Peronist districts such as La Pampa (48.8% against 38.3%) or Chaco (44.2% against 35.5%). The government candidates have only added more votes than their rivals in Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, Formosa, San Juan and Santiago del Estero.

The result elevates as leader of the opposition the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, who armed the election with his own candidates, to the detriment of the most radicalized sectors of the coalition, represented by Mauricio Macri.

The loss of the province of Buenos Aires and other traditionally Peronists was not even in the most pessimistic projections.

                                         

"The defeat is partly explained by economic reasons," says Eduardo Fidanza, director of the Poliarquía consulting firm. “The value of wages has deteriorated, inflation levels are intolerable and the Government has not been able to compensate with the management of the pandemic.

Javier Milei

From Together for Change, everything has been celebrations. The primaries also revealed the emergence of a right-wing force hitherto unknown in Argentina. The economist Javier Milei, defender of Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump, was the third force in the capital, with 13.6% of the votes.

Source: El Pais, Clarin & Infobae.

Constitutional Convention in Chile

This historic constituent process began on November 15th, 2019 when the majority of the political parties with representation in Congress reached an agreement to start the path towards an eventual new Constitution.

This implied a plebiscite so that the citizens, when asked "Do you want a New Constitution?", decide between two options: I approve or I reject to start this process of drafting the new Constitution and how the body that would draft it would be made up.

The Convention, made up of 155 elected members, will have 9 months to present a new constitutional text, which may be extended for 3 more months, in a single opportunity. In this way, in mid-2022, the country will experience a new exit referendum to approve or reject the new Constitution.

Plebiscite and its results

On Sunday, October 25th, 2020, the plebiscite that began this constituent process was held, which generated the following results:

78.27% of the citizens who voted in the Plebiscite, approved to start the process of drafting a new Constitution, while the body in charge of doing so will be the Constitutional Convention (made up exclusively of popularly elected members), which was imposed on the Mixed Convention option (made up of elected members and sitting parliamentarians) for 78.99%.

After the Plebiscite of October 25th, 2020, the election of the 155 members of the Constitutional Convention was held on May 15th and 16th, 2021, whose installation was finalized on July 4th, 2021.

Composition and remuneration

The Constitutional Convention was elected according to the same districts used for the election of Deputies (28 districts) and according to a proportional system. In that election, special rules were applied to facilitate the participation of independents and to ensure a gender balance between elected men and women. In addition, thanks to a constitutional reform, 17 seats were reserved for representatives of indigenous peoples.

The members of the Convention will receive a monthly remuneration of 50 monthly tax units (app USD 3,450), in addition to the allowances established in the Convention Regulations.

Organization and role

The Constitution states that the Convention will have a President and a Vice President, both elected by an absolute majority of the members of the Convention, as well as a technical secretary made up of people of proven academic or professional suitability. Then, it will be up to the Convention itself to establish the operating rules.

The exclusive purpose of the Convention is to draft and approve a new Constitution, so it cannot intervene or exercise any other function of other bodies or authorities.

In addition, in the drafting of the new Constitution, it must respect the character of the Republic of the State of Chile, its democratic regime, the final and enforceable judicial decisions, and the international treaties in force ratified by Chile.

It has been said that the new Constitution will be written from a "blank page." This means that the Convention must write a new constitutional text and not an amendment to the current Constitution.

Quorum of 2/3

The Convention must approve the norms of the new Constitution and their voting regulations, by a quorum of two thirds of its members in office, since the objective is to generate a high degree of consensus in the constitutional text that will be proposed to vote in the plebiscite of the year 2022.

The convention must draft and approve a proposed text of the new Constitution within a maximum period of nine months, counted from its installation, a period that can be extended for an additional three months, but only once.

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Exit plebiscite

Once the work of the Convention is concluded, it must deliver its proposal to the President of the Republic, who must call a new plebiscite, to be held sixty days after the call is published. In this plebiscite, suffrage will be mandatory and there will be a fine of 0.5 to 3 monthly tax units (app USD 35 to USD 210) for people authorized to vote and who do not. 

The vote will have the following text: "Do you approve the text of the New Constitution proposed by the Constitutional Convention?" Under the question raised there will be two horizontal lines, one for each of the voting options: "Approve" and "Reject".

Approval or rejection of the new Constitution

If approved: The President of the Republic must convene the Plenary Congress so that, in a public and solemn act, it is promulgated and sworn or promised to respect and abide by the New Constitution. Said text will be published in the Official Gazette within ten days after its promulgation and will enter into force on that date.

If rejected: The 1980 Constitution and its reforms remain (without prejudice to the reforms that the National Congress may incorporate as it has done so far).

Can the convention modify the 1980 Constitution?

Its function will be to draft a new constitution project and it will not be able to make changes to the current constitution.

As long as a possible new Constitution does not come into force, the 1980 Constitution will continue to function fully, without the Convention being able to deny it authority or modify it.

Constitution of 1980

After the Military Coup of September 11th, 1973, the Constitution of 1925 was suspended by the Government Military Junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet and a new institution was created. For this, a Commission for the Study of the New Constitution was appointed, made up of seven members.

The Constitutional Draft was delivered in 1978 for review and in 1980, after a second review by the Governing Board, a text of 120 permanent and 29 transitory articles was approved.

This Constitution was approved by a plebiscite on September 11th, 1980, although the absence of electoral records and the restriction of public liberties put the legitimacy of the results in question. Subsequently, on October 21st, 1980, the 1980 Constitution was promulgated and two days later it was published in the Official Gazette, although it would only enter into force 6 months after its plebiscitary approval, that is, on March 11th, 1981.

Constitutional reforms

They were turbulent years in our country politically and socially. Prior to the 1989 parliamentary elections, the Coordination of Parties for Democracy and the right-wing parties agreed on a package of 54 reforms to the 1980 Constitution, which was approved in a plebiscite on July 30th, 1989.

In addition, since 1990, the year of the return to democracy with the assumption of the presidency of Patricio Aylwin, there have been a series of reforms and modifications to this Carta. In fact, until October 2020, the Constitution has been amended 52 times, being modified 257 articles in total.

Source: Library of the National Congress of Chile and notes of the author.

CSA - Peaky Blinders - Birmingham gangsters

Blog Rating: 8.85 out of 10

In the wake of World War I in Birmingham, an industrial city in North West London, criminal gangs are waging a merciless war to control the black market, the liquor trade and gambling. Peaky Blinders, led by the Shelby family, whose thinking boss, Thomas (Cillian Murphy), a traumatized war hero, is a respected figure in the slums. But the Churchill government decided to clean up the city, sending a twisted cop from the Royal Irish Police (Sam Neill), who will soon make Tommy Shelby's arrest a personal matter.

Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby

The story, set in 1919, recounts the clashes between criminals, communist militants, members of the IRA and the police, who betray each other, associate or a combination of both.

The city shows mostly workers who live in slums, close to factories, where dirt, pollution and violence play leading roles.

The central character of the story, Tommy Shelby, is a formidable strategist who initially seems unemotional, a romantic, intelligent and highly charismatic gangster. As the leader of the family he is always in search of power and money, trying to extend his gang business to legal horse gambling. Cillian Murphy's performance as a whole is brilliant.

Peaky Blinders is also distinguished by its partly daring soundtrack that gives the story a modern and timeless dimension.

Peaky Blinders Soundtrack in Spotify 🔈

AGUNSA attends the first Car Carrier ship to call in the Bio Bio region

 

The arrival of the first car carrier to a port in the Bio Bio Region required two months of work and management by AGUNSA.

It is the MV Viking Sea, operated by the Hyundai Glovis shipping company, which will discharge 2,153 vehicles.

San Vicente Terminal Internacional (SVTI) received the first car carrier ship in the history of the Bio Bio Region ports. The ship has arrived in the area due to the congestion that is registered for this type of vessels in the port complex of San Antonio.

This type of operation could become frequent in the Bio Bio Region given the capacity of the ports and because a large number of new cars, vans and trucks that arrive in Chile are destined for the south central zone of the country.

Seeing that a large percentage of the cars that are discharged in San Antonio also reach the southern area of the country, there is a significant number of cars that go from Talca to Puerto Montt that, perfectly, could be unloaded in the area, although there is an apprehension of customers that there is no armed logistics and everything associated with the treatment of cars, that can be implemented.

The ports are capable of carry out a good operation, San Vicente is a very good alternative like Lirquén port.

AGUNSA's Regional Manager in Bio Bio also stated that his company is trying to deliver all its knowledge to the different terminals so that the Bio Bio ports can continue to be considered for the operation of Ro/Ro ships.

We have been in the business for many years, many years working with this type of car carrier vessel, so we can perfectly transfer our knowledge to the ports of the region and this is what we have been doing with Lirquén and San Vicente so that our clients make the decision to operate in the area.

What we want is that our clients have berth upon arrival and hopefully they can discharge their cars and that they be delivered as soon as possible to the car dealers.

The Mandalorian (2019-)

Blog Rating: 9.15 out of 10

The Mandalorian is one of the last members of a warrior cult, who makes his way across the galaxy as a bounty hunter. His religion is his weapons and armor, he never takes off his helmet in front of others.

His new mission consists of recovering a specimen that turns out to be a baby, with which he develops a relationship of care in the sun and in the shade.

Pedro Pascal as the Mandalorian

Definitely a very good series that manages to capture all the essence of Star Wars, with a credible and lovable character for his values ​​behind the action of each adventure.

Gina Carano as Cara Dune 

A true space western with a bounty hunter who meets new characters in each episode with just the right action to keep you interested and entertained.

The protagonist is allowed to develop the more human side of him, especially in the paternal relationship that he develops with baby yoda.

An adequate amount of resources and weapons that he adds in each chapter that make it similar to a game where the protagonist gains experience and advances stages.

Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett

The fact that the worlds are less elaborate than any of the films, allows us to know other unknown aspects of the different forces that act.

Misty Rosas as Kuiil & Frog Lady

Another novelty is offered at the end of each chapter, in which the black backgrounds are replaced by beautiful illustrations with the most important scenes from the recently completed chapter.

The Mandalorian is a true ray of hope for the Star Wars franchise, as it shows that the universe continues to offer potential for gripping stories as long as they focus on small, engaging side stories.                               

Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon

TIGER (Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot) by Hyundai

TIGER (Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot) is the newest UMV designed to function as a mobile science platform.

TIGER is completely autonomous and can even be paired with a UAV to place it in remote locations or charge batteries.

Once on the ground, TIGER's wheel and leg system allows full 360-degree directional control and all-wheel drive.

If it encounters extreme terrain, it can use its walking ability to overcome obstacles and get your supplies to your destination.

Based on a modular platform architecture, its features include a leg and wheel locomotion system, 360 degree directional control and a range of sensors for remote observation.

The vehicle is being developed by Hyundai Motor Group's New Horizons Studio in association with Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar.

Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)

He was born in Lucca, Tuscany, on November 22nd, 1858. Son of Michele Puccini and Fortunata Magi. He was the sixth of seven brothers, as a child he hated music. However, he came, like Bach, from a family of musicians. Then he learned to play the organ like all the Puccini who were organists and chapel teachers in the cathedral of Lucca.

When he was 6 years old his uncle Fortunato incorporated him into the chapel choir and as Giacomo continually detuned, he declared that he had no aptitude for music. Then he studied organ where he obtained very good results taking over the position of his father as organist and chapel teacher of the cathedral of Lucca.

City of Lucca, Italy

In 1878 he traveled to Pisa to the presentation of the Verdi opera, Aida, where he was so dazzled that he decided to leave his post as organist and dedicate himself to composing operas. He was then 20 years old. Later, thanks to a pension from Queen Margarita, Puccini was able to study at the Milan Conservatory.

During his stay in Milan as a student, he had to subsist in the bohemian environment. Puccini was poor and lived in a dingy attic, where he managed to cope with his poverty with the help of the optimism that his youth gave him. Someday he would write an opera that would remember the hungry dwellers in the garrets and translate their sufferings into beautiful songs. A story very similar to his magnificent opera La Boheme.

City of Milan (1880)

In 1883, encouraged and protected by Ponchielli, he finished his first opera "Le Villi" about the peasants from the German black forest. He presented him to a contest in which his friend Pietro Mascagni also participated, but Puccini's work did not even get an honorable mention. On the contrary, the work of Mascagni won, it was "Caballeria Rusticana". Later Le Villi was released and with great success.

In 1889, he finished his second opera "Edgar", but the script was deficient and received numerous criticisms.

In 1893, Puccini began composing Manon Lescaut, inspired by the novel of the same title written in 1731 by the French abbot Prévost, which narrates the love relationship between a courtesan and a knight. Puccini would thus turn the love story into a dramatic opera, in which the psychology of the protagonist -as would be the case in his mature works- La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly and La Fanciulla del West.

La Boheme

After two years, in November 1895, he finished composing La Boheme. Reunited with his friends, Puccini spoke to them: "Gentlemen, I have the honor of introducing you to Mimi, the girl who sold her body for a few dresses and a carriage. But she is immortal, because she loved with a heart capable of reaching the sacrifice. I'm going to play you the scene of death, which I just finished. " When they heard the music, his friends couldn't hide their emotion. "You will also be immortal with Mimi" commented one of them. Puccini smiled. "Maybe" he said.

La Boheme's script is based on a novel by Henry Murger. It is the story of hungry young bohemians who lived in the Latin Quarter of Paris. Puccini's opera was simple and human and he knew how to turn a humble theme into noble melodies. When it was premiered at the Regio Theatre in Turin, on February 1st, 1896, it was not very well received, however two years later it was definitively imposed.

Tosca

The writer Luigi Illica presented Puccini with Tosca's script so that he could put music on it, to which he refused. Illica then gave it to another musician, however Puccini became obsessed and claimed the script from the writer. Finally, on January 14th, 1900, Tosca was premiered at the Constanzi Theatre in Rome, with great success.

Madama butterfly

In 1902, Puccini started the composition of Madama Butterfly, whose plot is based on a John Luther Long novel, dramatized by David Belasco. The librettists were Illica and Giacosa, friends of the musician who had previously written the librettos for Tosca and La Boheme. The new play premiered on February 17th, 1904, at the La Scala Theatre in Milan.

Elegance, attractiveness and wit made Puccini irresistible to many women. One of them, Elvira Bonturi left her husband forever and lived with Giacomo for 18 years. When her husband passed away, she legally joined the composer. The couple lived in Monza, where their son Antonio was born and in 1890 they moved to Milan. Puccini, even when married, was not without romantic adventures, he loved his wife but this did not prevent him from meeting other ladies when the opportunity presented itself.

But her partner Elvira was a very jealous woman, that's how in 1908, after spending their summer holidays together in Cairo, there was an authentic family drama. For no apparent reason, Elvira began to feel terrible jealousy of Doria Manfredi, a young woman who worked years ago at her house as a servant. The idea that Doria and Giacomo were lovers obsessed Elvira, one day fired her and threatened to kill her.

Prey to despair Doria committed suicide by taking poison. A doctor, at the request of his parents, examined the body and certified that she was a virgin. The Manfredi filed a complaint against Elvira and was found guilty. Looking for a way out of the problem, Puccini compensated Doria's family, who dropped the charges and his wife was able to save herself from prison.

The latest success and decline.

On December 10th, 1910, La Fanciulla del West was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, under the direction of the brilliant and controversial Arturo Toscanini and with the performance of the most famous tenor of the moment: Enrico Caruso. It was the last work of Puccini's period of maturity, and it was a resounding success. Also known in English as The Girl from the Far West, this three-act opera was based on a libretto by Carlos Zangarini and Guelfo Civinini.

The action of La Fanciulla del West takes place in a mining area of ​​the western United States, during the gold rush, in 1850. Despite the success of the premiere, this opera was forgotten. Although it dramatically suffers from certain flaws, it is a masterpiece for its original, even bold, harmonic language and imaginative and brilliant orchestration. The so-called "bandit's aria" -Chélla mi creda libero e lontano- constitutes a true anthology piece.

The autumn in Puccini's life was warm, but without great events. The best of his musical harvest had already been collected. At the age of 67, when he worked in Turandot, an exotic and modern opera that told the story of a beautiful and cruel Chinese princess, the musician had to interrupt his work, suffering from a throat condition.

The doctors who recognized him verified that he had a cancerous tumor. He was attended by the best specialist in Europe, radio treatments were applied, obtaining good results. He was improving from his ailment, when he suddenly died of a heart attack in Brussels on November 29th, 1924. His mortal remains were transferred to a family pantheon in Torre del lago.

Last Tribute

Turandot, which was completed by Franco Alfano, premiered at the Scala in Milan on April 25th, 1926. It was a memorable night. All intellectual Italy was present. The opera was performed that day without the final scene added by Alfano. The orchestra was directed by none other than Arturo Toscanini. When the last note composed by Puccini was sounded, the lights in the room went out and in the dark and in the most moving silence, these words of Toscanini were heard: "Here ends the music of the teacher" (according to others: "Here the teacher died"). Then the light came on again and the public paid the last tribute to Puccini with a huge ovation.

I, Claudius - Imperial intrigue at its finest (1976)

Blog Rating: 8.90 out of 10

                          

I, Claudius - Emperor and God, produced by the BBC in 1976, based on the novel by Robert Graves.

The series recounts in detail all the conspiracies of the Roman imperial family from the reign of Emperor Augustus to the end of the reign of Emperor Nero. The characters lie, cheat, manipulate, poison and kill in search of power.

                          

Derek Jacobi as Claudius

The story is told from the point of view of the elderly Emperor Claudius, who, on the threshold of his death, makes his final statement to the entire family. In short, he sits in his study and writes his memoirs.

Old, fragile and under the premonition of his own death, Claudius, ruler of the Roman Empire, decides to write the story of his life. Reconstructed from the memory and stories of others, the story already begins with events before his birth, and in the course of the plot a net is deployed tied in three strategic points: intrigue, betrayal and death by accident. If you think your family is bad, you haven't seen anything yet.

George Baker (Tiberius)

The Mater Familias Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus, is the center of all evil. With the help of manipulation and poison, she knows how to turn everything and everyone around. She is the smartest, but she is certainly not the only bad apple in the imperial family. Her son Tiberius is tough and her great-grandson Caligula is a maniac. Good family members are exterminated one by one. Only the lame Claudius escapes because he consciously stays on the surface and increases his clumsiness. Members of his crime family do not see him as an opponent in the ongoing struggle for power.

Sian Phillips (Livia)

The optical design of the series was extraordinarily spartan; although there are always nice little details to admire, in general, the staging is very unspectacular. Obviously, the creators here were one hundred percent theater-oriented. Some of the sets are so small that apart from a few paper-mâché pillars, a chandelier and black curtains, only the actors can be identified. There are no external recordings at all.

John Hurt (Caligula)

The BBC-produced series contains enough material to keep viewers intrigued throughout its thirteen episodes.

Although viewers today are much more demanding than they were forty years ago, the fact that the entire series was shot in the studio does not detract from the quality. The only thing that can be said to the detriment is that the series is a bit slow at times.

   

The Pillars of the Earth - Power struggles in 12th century England (2010)

Blog Rating: 9.05 out of 10

This series is based on the best-selling book by the well-known British writer Ken Follett, in which he tells the story that describes the entire process of building a cathedral in the English city of Kingsbridge. Ken Follett engages his protagonists in intrigues, allowing them to experience the violence and despotism of those times and reward them for their faith and devotion.

In 1135, King Henry I of England died, leaving no successor. As he only had illegitimate children, as his only legitimate child was killed in a shipwreck, it sparked an endless dispute over the crown. Meanwhile, a bricklayer with his pregnant wife moves through the fields in search of work.

Ian McShane as Waleran Bigod

Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell) is a builder and is looking for a job. With his pregnant wife and his two children, he wanders through the Shiring area when they meet the witch who lives in the forest, Ellen (Natalia Wörner). His son Jack (Eddie Redmayne) is calm and very skilled with his hands. When Builder's wife dies at the birth of the baby, Tom places it in the grave, where a monk picks it up and takes it to Kingsbridge. Local prior Philipp (Matthew MacFayden) wants to rebuild the old cathedral, where Tom takes over the work.

Mathhew Macfadyen as Philip

At the same time a war of succession begins in England between the sons of the deceased king. Stephan (Tony Curran) and Mathilda (Alison Pitt) fight each other in battle, and the church through Waleran Bigod (Ian McShane) eagerly joins in. Nothing works without the approval of the clergyman, who looks out for his own interests, and the construction of Kingsbridge Cathedral is constantly delayed. As a result, the work continues for decades, leaving Tom Builder, Prior Philip, and his assistants more than once with problems that seem impossible to solve.

Evil church servants, bloody battles, intrigue, sex, and tragedy are featured in abundance throughout the series.

Eddie Redmayne as Jack

In this interesting story, the obnoxious bishop of the church, Ian McShane, stands out above all, who portrayed his devious character in an extraordinarily compelling way. But the good guys Matthew Macfadyen or the red-haired Eddie Redmayne dominate their roles with great success. There are also household names like Rufus Sewell and Donald Sutherland, who also contribute to the success of the story. A very well accomplished work...simply unmissable.