My life in the wild wild west (of Europe)

If you are looking for the thrill of paying an average price for regular services, being charged for any added value the service may offer and being humiliated and/or diminished in the process you need to become a fan of the Easy Group in Europe. (Easy Jet, Easy Hotel and Easy Money at the end) a UK based business idea, being awfully successful with the easyeverything internet cafes in the 90´s.

Last week I went to Amsterdam for a work trip of on week and tried the EasyJet experience / nightmare.

We booked a flight for two people that was 270€ with a 20kg suitcase, no food included and only one piece of hand luggage. We checked ourselves in online and arrived to the Airport 2 hours in advance for checking the luggage after a 20 minute line. One the passenger beside us had a problem because she had her passport but did not bring her other ID, so she lost her ticket, no refund and could not fly to her destination even having her passport, that was her problem the Easyjet employee claimed.

We go to the gate and find that all the drunks, party weekenders, noisy cheap tourists, and eurotrash available in town gathered there to flight with us and with some other terrified first timers. Waiting in the gate we noticed that our boarding pass had no seat number, so we would have to fight with other passengers to get a decent seat or even be seated together with your travel companion. quite awful but as we are supposed to pay low, then I guess we need to suffer a bit, you pay either with money or with dignity.

During the boarding announcement the flight attendant specified that no more than one piece could be carried, no personal computers, no handbangs, no shopping, no purses, no nothing or a charge of 50€ (do not know if this is legal) would apply. Most passengers managed to put their purse, computer and handbag in one bigger bag and even a couple got a trash bin bag to put it all together and squeeze it to fit the maximum size. Ok passport and ID check again, justin case we could charge or leave someone else, but wait! there is Speedy Boarding! Some smart passengers have paid 20€ extra to their ticket price for jumping th line and having 1 or 2 extra minutes to enter the plane first and get a decent seat, now we know why there are no seat numbers...to be able to sell them!

No problem, but the next thing: the plane has to ¨taxi¨ from the lsat end of the airport for around 20 minutes to able to tae off. In the meantime advertisements in our seats, sell us the sandwich and try to make us obey on buying an awful menu. How could I get to enjoy anything at those ridiculous prices? These people never heard about value for money.

Next Post: the real nightmares: of course at Easy Hotel.

Tales about superheroes and political oppression

Freedom in the 21st century has taken a complex meaning . The notion of power at all levels has become a matter of money and capacity of manipulation, causing a distortion in our minds and changing the meaning of justice, security and wellbeing.

Citizens still believe in the possibility of a fair system that will provide and protect shelter, education and security for the people of a country while the system itself changes the other way around being ruled by the logic of markets and consumption. The notion of nation has changed drastically since the fall of ideologies and the end of cold war in the 80´s. Corporate and business mindsets set the logic of governments and states.

Some interesting facts to understand this logic may be

The creation of new countries during the 90´s in the balkans as a result of the war for the drug dealing industry entering Europe from Asia.
Local multimillionaires and family dynasties looking for absolute power in their regions, controlling companies, politics, foundations, law and banks.
New absolutism / nationalism and cultural segregation as a tool to make the masses create new political orders via ¨democracy¨.

Independence and nationalism are frequently mixed terms . Some regions believe the more nationalistic and radical they become the more possibilities of becoming a nation they have. but is that really independence or does it become a form of isolation and endogamy?

Nationalistic movements have been seen in the future with catastrophic results, when pushing the limits of cultural identity into cultural exclusion and segregation. Perhaps a way of developing a strong identity and being mentally independent is being more open to the internal diversity and understanding our own culture is not a set of rules imposed by a government or a group, but the recognition of internal common interests, purposes and talents.

Independence may not have anything to do with those we think of as our enemies or what they have done to us in the past, but with building a future and a culture that are inclusive and organic inside.

Here is a list of regions and communities currently claiming independence across Europe my big question is what is their approach to the notion of independence?

Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh De facto state: Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Government-in-exile: Azerbaijan — Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Belgium Flemish Region Proposed state: Wallonia France Bosnia and Herzegovina ; Republika Srpska Proposed state: Republika Srpska, Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Proposed state: Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, AP Western Bosnia Proposed state: AP Western Bosnia Croatia Secessionist movements Republic of Serbian Krajina Proposed autonomous county/region: Istria County Cyprus De facto state with partial de jure recognition: TRNC Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Czech Republic Moravia Political parties: Moravané (EFA member) Denmark Faroe Islands Proposed state: Faroe Islands Finland Åland Proposed state: Åland, Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi France Secessionist movements Basque Country Proposed state: Euskadi or Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Brittany Proposed state: Brittany, Corsica Proposed state: Corsica or Italy, County of Nice, Gradual and eventual secession, Brittany Political party: Breton Party Georgia Abkhazia (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization), De facto state: Republic of Abkhazia Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti, Proposed autonomous area: Javakhk autonomous region. South Ossetia De facto state: Republic of South Ossetia Germany Bavaria Italy Padania Proposed state: Padania, Aosta Valley, Piedmont , Lombardy, Insubria, Trentino, South Tyrol, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Emilia, Romagna, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Sardinia, Southern Italy Lithuania Samogitia Macedonia Illyrida Moldova: Transnistria and Gagauzia Montenegro Sandžak, Bay of Kotor — Kotor, Ulcinj, Serbs of Montenegro, Herceg Novi, Pljevlja. Netherlands Frisia Norway Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi Poland Upper Silesia Portugal Madeira, Azores Romania Székely Land: Székely autonomy initiatives Russia North Caucasus: Adygea Chechnyan Proposed state: Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia-Alania^[, Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia Proposed state: Caucasian Emirate (claimed successor to Ichkeria), Circassia Proposed state: Circassia, including all regions historically included in Circassia and/or inhabited by Circassians (note: this includes Adygea as well as large parts of Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachey-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai, and Stavropol' Krai), Balkar and Karachay peoples. Other regions in Russia : Tatarstan Proposed state: Tatarstan, Idel-Ural, Kalmykia, Udmurtia Proposed state: Udmurtia, Siberia, Karelia Proposed state: East Karelia or reunification with North Karelia and South Karelia and the formation of united Karelia, Ingria Proposed state: Ingria (comprises Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast), Chuvashia Proposed state: Chuvashia, Komi Republic Proposed state: Komi Republic, Mari El Proposed state: Mari El, Mordovia Proposed state: Mordovia, Bashkortostan Proposed state: Bashkortostan Serbia Northern Vojvodina; proposed autonomous region: Hungarian Regional Autonomy, Sandžak [12] Proposed state: Sandžak , Preševo Valley, Kosovo De facto state: Republic of Kosovo. Spain Areas in Spain with separatist movements: Basque Country (autonomous community) and Navarre (Main article: Basque nationalism) Proposed state: Basque Country (greater region) – Euskal Herria, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, known alternatively as Valencian Country(Main articles: Catalan independentism, Catalan nationalism and Valencian nationalism), Civil Organization: Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Sobirania i Progrés, Plataforma pel Dret de Decidir, Cercle d'Estudis Sobiranistes, Deu Mil en Xarxa per l'Autodeterminació, Advocacy groups: Catalunya Acció, Free Catalonia, Moviment de Defensa de la Terra, Cercle Català de Negocis. Galicia Proposed state: Galician Republic, Andalusia (Main article: Andalusian nationalism), Proposed state: Andalusia, Aragon, Proposed state: Aragon, Asturias (Main article: Asturian nationalism), Proposed state: Socialist Republic of Asturias, Cantabria Proposed state: Cantabria, Canary Islands ), Proposed state: Canary Islands, Castile Proposed state: Castile, León Proposed state: País Llïonés – Leonese Country (Conceyu Xoven) Civil organisations: Ciudadanos del Reino de Leon (CCRRLL), Ciudadanos Zamoranos (CCZZ) Sweden Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi , Scania Proposed state: Republic of Jamtland Liberation movement: Jamtish Republican Army or JRA Switzerland Internal secessionism Jura Turkey Proposed state: Kurdistan Ukraine Crimea United Kingdom Cornwall Proposed state: Cornwall, England Proposed state: England Proposed autonomous area: England, Gibraltar Proposed state: Gibraltar, Guernsey Proposed state: Guernsey, Isle of Man Proposed state: Isle of Man Advocacy groups: Celtic League, Northern Ireland Proposed state: Ulster Proposed state: Ireland Militant organisations: Irish Republican Armies Advocacy group: Celtic League, Scotland Proposed state: Scotland De facto state: Sealand, Wales Proposed state: Wales, Celtic League, Wessex Proposed autonomous area: Wessex Advocacy group: Wessex Constitutional Convention, Yorkshire Proposed autonomous area: Yorkshire Advocacy group: Yorkshire Ridings Society