Liberation Day
This is April 25 and marks the date in 1945 when Italy was freed from German occupation. Of course, at the time of Second World War many Italians were still Fascists so that the “Liberation Day” was not a day to celebrate. Even today this is more a holiday of the Italian left than of the political right. It is said that at the time of the American Revolution, one-third of the people in the colonies wanted independence, one third were Loyalists to England, and one third were indifferent. So perhaps in the early years of the United States, the Fourth of July was not a day that all citizens celebrated in their hearts.
Although the Article Does Not Say So, I Think Alcohol May Play a Part in This Story
The female office worker who stunned tourists on Sunday by swimming naked in Rome’s famous Trevi fountain says she now regrets her unprecedented exploit. Roberta, 40, who said she took the plunge because it was so hot, instantly became a national news item thanks to the photos taken of her by onlookers with mobile phones.
“It was stupid and I’m sorry. Now I just wish people would forget about me,” the Milanese woman told Italian dailies, declining to give her surname. Roberta, who now risks being fined for public indecency, appeared surprised and rather scared by the attention her behavior had aroused. As she emerged from the waters on Sunday however she seemed supremely unconcerned, telling the policemen that were urging her out that “the water belongs to everyone”.
Roberta is only the latest person to make a media splash by frolicking in the waters of the Trevi fountain. But she is believed to be the first one to jump into the water naked. Swedish screen diva Anita Ekberg started the fashion for frolicking in the Renaissance fountain by doing so in the most famous scene of Federico Fellini’s 1960 cinema classic La Dolce Vita. Supermodel Claudia Schiffer did it in 1995 in an advert for Valentino. Keen to have her friends film her in the same glamorous act, a buxom young British woman did it early one summer morning last year and was severely scolded by a policeman.
Roberta, who was on holiday in Rome with friends on Sunday, swam about in the water and lazed on the sun-drenched white marble for about 15 minutes before police ordered her to dress and then led her away. The crowds of tourists visiting the elaborate Renaissance fountain applauded, cheered and immortalized the scene with their mobile phone cameras. The pictures were soon flying around the Internet and video footage was shown in national TV news. On Monday morning practically all Italian newspapers gave a page to the story.
Smile at a Muslim
I always go out of my way to smile at immigrants to Italy such as Muslims. I figure it is best for everyone that these people feel welcome. In Europe, as in the USA, there are many claims that Muslims, unlike other immigrant groups, will not assimilate into the larger society. Maybe it is true, but it is too soon to tell. The fact that they assimilate more slowly does not prove that they will never do so. Meanwhile it is in everyone’s interest that they do assimilate since they are not going back to their nations of origin. They are much more likely to fit in as good citizens if they are made to feel welcome.
Those Not So Carefree Italians
As I’ve mentioned before, the low state of Italian happiness seems to me to reflect in part the fact that Italians are chronic complainers rather than the actual reality. Here is recent news item. Forget sea, sex, sand and sensational cooking – Italians are the least happy people in Europe, according to a surprising new poll.
Cambridge University researchers analysed data from the annual European Social Survey, in which respondents were asked about a number of factors the pollsters thought crucial for individual happiness. These included reliability of friends, relations with neighbours, job security and satisfaction, and faith in institutions like the government and the police.
Italy came bottom, followed by two other countries popularly imagined as relatively carefree and sunny: Greece and Portugal. Danes, by contrast, apparently don’t give a hoot about their rather dodgy climate, topping the poll along with the even colder Finns. The Irish were up at the top too, despite having the most unpredictable weather in Europe.
Two Party System
There is a proposal in Italy to change the election law so as to favor the development of a two party system. At present there are two coalitions, but each is made up of several parties. Of course, the small parties oppose this change. The leaders of these small parties get interviewed each night on TV; in a two party system only two leaders would be on the news. Furthermore these small parties can hold the “balance of power” in a closely divided government. A two party system may or may not be better for Italy, but I don’t see it arriving soon.
An Amusing Story from the USA
While in the USA I had to drive from Gettysburg to a friend’s house in Annapolis, Maryland. I got driving instructions from Mapquest over the computer. As I entered Annapolis, however, at one point these instructions became ambiguous and I could not decide whether to turn left or right. I turned right to see if the next turn in the instructions would arrive at the stated mileage. It did not so I turned around. At this point there was a Fire house and I stopped to ask directions. Two firemen were playing horseshoes. As I approached one of them, at a distance of 10 yards, he said to me “Turn right at 7th stop light to go onto Forest Avenue.” I looked at my instructions and , sure enough, I wanted to get on Forest Avenue. How did he know where I was going?? It turns out that many people had the same problem that I did with Mapquest instructions at this point. So many stopped at Fire house, that the firemen knew my question before I asked it. The firemen had sent a message to Mapquest to correct the instructions, but with no success.
My Most Recent Short Article in the Florentine newspaper
Where lava flows
by Robert Nordvall
The only European nation with active volcanoes, Italy has Mount Etna in Sicily, Mount Vesuvius near Naples, and Stromboli, located on the island of the same name off the Sicilian coast. Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, causing only a few minor casualties. Film buffs will recognize Stromboli thanks toRoberto Rossellini’s 1950s film Stromboli, starring his lover Ingrid Bergman. The sight of red hot lava flowing from Stromboli was recently featured on Italian national news and, surprisingly enough, local residents appeared quite unperturbed by its latest sputtering episode.
While Italy is not notable for its number of volcanoes, it still has a prominent place in the history of volcanic activity. Probably its most famous eruption was that of Mount Vesuvius in 79 BC, which destroyed Pompeii. It killed, among others, the famous Roman author Pliny the Elder whose nephew, Pliny the Younger, wrote an accurate description of the tragedy. As a result, his name is now used to describe one of the nine types of volcanic eruptions, categorized by degree of explosiveness–the most violent variety is called “the Plinian”. Volcanoes are also classified by size and shape or according to the different kinds of activities they produce under the earth’s surface. Although Italy’s are among the most studied in the world, scientists have not reached complete agreement as to why the peninsula has so many varying specimens.
For those living near an active volcano, the most important question, however, is not why this particular mountain exists, but when, if at all, it will again have a serious eruption. Can eruptions be accurately predicted? The most obvious way to anticipate an imminent explosion is to observe a volcano’s activity on a daily basis, noting suspicious changes in the mountain’s “temperament”. Special monitoring devices measure escaping gases and the tilt of the entire mountain (a potentially important indicator) or nearby earthquake activity. Volcanic eruptions are often connected to earthquake activity. For centuries, observers have noted that animals often exhibit strange behavior immediately before an earthquake. Some researchers believe that animals perceive the ultrasonic wave generated by huge underground explosions or earthquake ruptures. Others think that animals may be responding to an increase in low-frequency electromagnetic signals generated by such phenomenon. Prediction of volcanic activity has become an especially important science in Italy, because active volcanoes are not far from populated areas