What’s All that Talking on the Cell Phone About?

I once noted that a disproportionate number of calls on the cell phone in Italy seem to be to Mamma. This observation is consistent with an article I read that noted that the purpose of many such calls is to make the proper arrangements for the next meal.  With delays common on public transportation and frequent traffic jams, it is important to know when exactly when someone will arrive in order to have the pasta cooked in time, but not overcooked. Also if dinner is being prepared, it is good to know what everyone has eaten for lunch so the choice of food can be appropriate.

Death of a Transsexual Prostitute

I wrote recently about the politician who had to resign because of his dalliance both with a transsexual prostitute and illegal drugs. Well the prostitute was found murdered in a hotel room. I don’t know what will be the outcome of the investigation of this death, but you can sure that the average Italian will never, never believe anything about it except that the murder took place to stop the prostitute from making further revelations about this politician and/or other prominent people. 

The Right to a Job

The Italian Constitution Adopted after WWII contains a statement that Italy is a republic based upon labor. This represents the influence of the Communist Party at that time.  What does it mean? The government does not guarantee a job to all Italians as was done in Communist nations. Although it is difficult to fire a full-time worker in Italy, such workers still often lose their jobs, especially if a business fails. When a business is about to close and many jobs will be lost, there are often public protests by the workers. The goal is to get the government to intervene in some way.  (I am not talking here about big companies like Chrysler and General Motors – “too big to fail”) The government can hardly make an unsuccessful company into a prosperous one.  Often a buyer is sought who will keep the business afloat.  Now how can the government be more adroit than the owner of the company in finding such a buyer?  My guess is that the government makes concessions (tax or otherwise) to the prospective buyer, and these are not publicly disclosed.

The Demonstration

As I left my apartment one morning, I immediately encountered a large demonstration marching down my street.  The local high school students were protesting. I asked somebody against what were they demonstrating. The object of their ire was the education reforms of the national education minister.  Whereas workers who go on a one-day strike (common in Italy) lose a day’s pay, there is no disincentive to a strike by students. Meanwhile the Minister of Education in Rome could not care less about such local protests.

No More Long Lunch Break?

A cabinet minister suggested that Italy should do away with the long lunch break which detracts from economic productivity.  He suggested a short snack at lunch and then perhaps the work day itself could end earlier in the evening. In a nation where food, family (with whom lunch is often eaten), and friends (with whom also lunch is often eaten) are the supreme values, it is not hard to imagine the reaction to his suggestion. Doctors chimed in. One doctor said that Italians don’t eat a full breakfast (true). So if they eat a minimal breakfast and only a quick snack at lunch, they will be voraciously by dinner time. They will eat so much at dinner that obesity will increase as a problem.  Another doctor pointed out that the food value of a quick sandwich at lunch is not high.  So this proposal would lead to a less healthy diet for Italians. Is it any surprise that soon after he floated the idea, the cabinet minister was already backtracking about it?

The Crucifix in the Schools

I wrote recently about the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that the crucifix in the schools in Italy violates the European norm of religious freedom. Although the case was not brought to the Court by a Muslim family (The parents of the child in question are Finnish and Italian.), still this decision raised the issue of a changing Italy through immigration. Some quite predictably said “if immigrants don’t like out customs, they can go back where they came from.” Others, also quite predictably said “we aren’t going to let the European community change our national customs.”  The problem is, of course, that the immigrants aren’t going back to where they came from and it is inevitable that the European community will affect national customs. So the issue is how do we have to change and how do we best do it and what are elements of our tradition that are important to hold on to.  Change is already occurring and is unavoidable. 

The Breda Works

This is the major manufacturing industry in Pistoia. Breda makes railroad cars, subway cars, and buses for transportation systems throughout Europe and even in the USA. There are two kinds of headlines common in the local newspaper about Breda.  One announces a major new contract for cars or buses. The other announces that there are layoffs at the factory.  The problem is that this industry does not have a steady flow of work.  It responds to major contracts that do not come at a predictable rate. So when one contract ends, there is not necessarily another one ready to go.  A few years ago Breda merged with a similar company in Naples.  Of course, locals trace the problems of Breda to that merger. Thanks to the presence of the Breda works, Pistoia was heavily bombed in WWII.

McDonald’s at the Train Stations

At the main station in Florence there is a McDonald’s.  There is also a cafeteria restaurant and a sandwich stand.  If you want only a sandwich, the food at McDonald’s is better than the Italian sandwich stand.  As I’ve noted before, Italian sandwiches are quite uninspiring—a definite low point in the Italian cuisine. In the train station in Wiesbaden Germany that I recently passed through on my way to visit my son and his family there is a grand variety of food choices.  Among them are stands with a delicious and appetizing array of German sandwiches, far better than those in Italy.  There is also a McDonald’s.  I’ve explained why one might choose to eat at McDonald’s in the Florence station, but it makes no sense to do so in Germany.

Silvio the Womanizer

A friend gave me an article from Vanity Fair (Sept. 2009) about Berlusconi and his many lady friends.  Among the items noted was that one of his female cabinet ministers (all of whom look like former models) was once a topless dancer and then scantily-dressed TV hostess.  This kind of thing barely raises an eyebrow in Italy. Why?  There are probably many reasons.  Here is one. In Italy all politicians are looked upon with disrespect. If you asked “how can a government appoint an ex topless dancer to a top post?”, the reply might be “would you prefer a lifetime professional politician who has filled his pockets with public money for decades?” There is, of course, a third possibility – a career civil servant or outside expert who is very knowledgeable about the subject of this ministry.  This type of person is rarely appointed in Italy.

On my block on the other side of the street, there is a closed restaurant that is moving to a different location. Close to it there is a shop of vending machines distributing drinks, candy, snacks, sandwiches, etc. The newest food vendor (not yet open) is called American Fast Food.

When a health reform bill passed the U. S. House of Representatives, it was big news in Italy. Some Italians seemed to think that this was a final decision. Italy too, however, has a bicameral legislature in which both houses must pass a bill for it to become a law. So the next step in the process is easy for Italians to understand. In Italy, though, as far as I can tell, the bills voted on in the two houses are identical. You don’t have the American situation where the houses pass different versions of a bill, and there has to be a committee from both houses to reconcile the two bills and come up with one that both houses will accept.

If I had to characterize the marital situation of top male political leaders in the USA, here might be a set of categories:

1. Single (never married, divorced, or widowed)

2. Still married to first wife

3. Married to wife who is not first wife and may well be younger than he

4. Married to wife who is not first wife and who is much younger than her

5. Married to wife who is not first wife and who is much younger and looks like a model or movie star.

Let’s just say that category number 5 is much more common in Italy than in the USA. Of course the couple may be simply living together and not married; this too is more common among political luminaries in Italy than in the USA.

The latest example of category 5 is a guy named Brunetta, a cabinet minister. He is so short that his nickname is “the dwarf.” He is not just short: he is ugly. He has never been married, but now says he may marry his current fiancÈ, a tall blond babe. This is a strong example of the Henry Kissinger’s saying that “power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”

Bus Service

Bus service around Pistoia is quite good. I don’t think that bus services are expected to be self-sustaining: I assume they get tax money. Buses may run a little late, but in general they are more timely than trains. You have to be a little careful, however, because, whereas a train will never the leave the station early, a bus sometimes does arrive a few minutes before its scheduled stop. Nobody takes tickets on a bus. Perhaps a ticket taker on the bus would not be cost effective. You stamp your ticket in a machine. Many passengers don’t stamp a ticket in the machine. An employee can get on at times to check if people have tickets. I’ve only seen this once. I’m told that at the start of the school year, this check is done more frequently to be sure that students buy their long-term special tickets. The driver can sell you a ticket (at a higher price than a regular ticket), but the driver doesn’t collect them. Who knows why?

Given the strong emphasis in Italy on children and their welfare, it is surprising that on Italian broadcast TV there are very few programs of quality for children. Of course, there are the usual cartoon and animation shows, but little with an educational emphasis. Some channels via satellite have more educational programs, but the offerings on regular TV are quite drab.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a murder that was captured on a video surveillance camera in Naples. There was a clear image of the killer. I asked how long it would take to capture him. The answer was about three weeks.

If you watch news on TV, it is amazing the number of stories that show a public meeting (called by a government office, a political party, an association, etc.) where some current issue is being discussed. There is a panel of experts or politicians at the front of the room. The news will include a few quotes by the panelists. A year later little or nothing will have changed concerning the subject of the discussion. If talk equaled power, Italy would rule the world. If talk equaled money, Italy would buy the world.

My Media Career in Italy

I’ve been interviewed twice in the local newspaper. I write occasional articles for The Florentine, English language newspaper. Recently I began reading the news in English once a week on a local radio station. The most important recent development is the one-minute commercial I have made promoting Pistoia for local TV stations. You can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BVSp3DChms The English translation is at the end of this newsletter.

What Unites Italy?

This was the questions asked to the citizens on the street on the TV news of the Day of Italy’s celebration of Unification. Answers included: food, taxes, the national anthem, the flag, soccer, and nothing… I was surprised that the national anthem and flag were even mentioned because they are not prominent in Italy. I’ve always felt that an easier question for an Italian to answer is “Why are you proud to be Italian”? Here Italy’s history and artistic patrimony are often mentioned.

Slight Improvement on the Train

I wrote recently about sitting on a train that was not departing on time and finally figuring out that the train had been cancelled. I noted that there was no announcement over the train’s PA system that it was not leaving. Well the same thing happened again, but this time, after 20 minutes, there was an announcement that the train was cancelled.

Making Public Opinion Known

In the book I wrote about last week, slow –life in a tuscan town, the author discusses the Italian penchant for large political public demonstrations in the center piazza. I’ve described these before as “politics as theatre” in Italy. Anyway when the author tells an Italian friend that these are much less common in the USA, the Italian replies “you invented the idea of democracy. How do you show the government what you think?” An answer to this question is that Americans write and send e mails to their representatives. Americans respond to public opinion polls which politicians read. Most importantly, however, Americans sometimes (not often) “throw the rascals out” by voting against them at the ballot box. The Italian electoral system is set up so that even though the majority power may shift from one coalition to another, still almost all of the politicians are safe in office. If a politician loses his seat in the national Parliament, he is quickly put in another post in the party or in a regional government. Politics is a lifetime occupation. In short, for politicians in Italy, the large public demonstrations that are meant to send them a message can be pretty much ignored.

A Crooner in the Library

This was the name of an event I attended at the library of the British Institute of Florence. American pianist/singer Glen Gapaldi put on an early evening songfest (with free cocktails) of classic American popular music. A lovely setting. There was one problem, however. Glen was ill and his voice diminished. The piano was drowning out the singing. He wasn’t using a microphone. It was suggested by an audience member that he do so, but apparently the sound system in this room was not set up for this type of presentation. The piano was a baby grand with the lid up. One obvious way to balance better his voice and the accompaniment was to close the top on the piano. I thought there must be some reason unknown to me why this was not being done. Finally I suggested it to the lady in charge, and it was done. The improvement was noticeable. I was treated by her and a few others as if I was a modern Al Einstein for having suggested this brilliant idea.

Disc Golf Italy

Disc Golf is golf played with a Frisbee. It has lots of players throughout the world, but is essentially unknown in Italy. A friend of mine has stated Disc Golf Italy that is affiliated with the international professional disc golf association. This weekend we are hosting the first professional tournament in Italy at the nearby Montecatini Gold Club. You don’t have to play disc gold on a regular golf course because it does not require trimmed fairways and manicured greens.

Script in English of my commercial (Please excuse the distortion of the facts at the start – advertising is never totally honest.

My name is Bob Nordvall. I was a university teacher in Boston. Eight years ago I came to Pistoia as a tourist and decided to settle here. Do you know why?

Because Pistoia is: arts and culture, energy, rhythm, passion, fashion, exciting night life

And then the shopping. Here everything is made to measure. There is: the care for details, the love of work, the kindness, the professionalism, the smile.

This is Pistoia. The real shopping.

The Commercial and Nature Center of Pistoia Come see us.

Coffee Table Book about Pistoia

slow –life in a tuscan town is the title of an elegant and fascinating book (http://www.ediblelosangeles.com/Site/node/316) by American artist Douglas Gayeton in which he draws a portrait in photos and words of his time in Pistoia. The title draws its inspiration from the Slow Food movement that began in Italy. Gayeton also has a web site (http://www.gayeton.com/photoworks/) that includes some of his photos of Pistoia.

At the Doctor’s office

At my doctor’s office I noticed something strange on the wall. It was a large poster advertising a diet medicine. In general diet medicines are a fraud. Why would a doctor promote one? I asked the receptionist about it. She told me to read the ingredients on the label on large bottle pictured on the poster. They were “eat less sweets, exercise more, eat less fat foods, etc.” The poster was part of a national campaign by the Health Department. The receptionist told me that it was effective. Many people thought it was for a real medicine and eagerly read the label.

A Little More of the Same from Naples

The nightly news had a very clear video recording of a guy killing a shop owner in Naples. Of course after the killer fled, people just walked by the dead body on the sidewalk. There was a clear, frontal, image of the killer: still it took two days for him to be identified. We can now wait to see how long it will take to capture him. There were complaints that the video should not have been broadcast because it presented Naples in a highly negative light. In fact, there are many positive things about Naples, a beautiful city, but the lawless climate of violence in parts of Naples is undeniable.

A Story of Tax Honesty

In Italy when you buy anything, by law you have to get a receipt. The cash registers are monitored by the tax police. If you become a regular customer, you may begin to receive service without the receipt. At the restaurant, you will get just a little hand-written bill to pay. Obviously, your purchases are no longer being reported to the tax man. A friend in Rome, in discussing this phenomenon, reported that at one elegant bar near his home, he still always got a receipt even though he was a regular customer. A rare case of true tax honesty? He then saw in the news that the place had been seized by the government as a Mafia money laundering operation. When you are laundering lots of money, you don’t want to get in trouble for not giving receipts to customers.

The Twists and Turns of True Love

Here is best local story of the week in the newspaper. A local woman is suspicious of her husband and hires a private detective to tail him. Next she falls in love with the detective, and they have an affair. The detective eventually breaks off the affair. The woman, however, is obsessed with the detective and begins “stalking” him, primarily through an endless number of letters in the mail. The detective finally complains to the police who issue a warning to the woman to stop the “stalking” or face being arrested. Meanwhile we hear nothing about the poor husband whose suspicious behavior started this whole chain of events. At this point we are a bit sympathetic with him even if he did have a mistress.

A Death in Prison

A woman political terrorist committed suicide in prison soon after the final affirmation of her life sentence for taking part in the murder of a prominent political scholar. The newspapers were full of stories about psychiatric reports showing her fragile mental health. I assume these were made as part of the appeal process, probably to argue for a reduced sentence for her. Without speaking to the quality of these reports, in Italy (maybe in the USA too) it is no problem to get a doctor or other expert to sign a statement that the moon is made of green cheese if this is what you need for a legal case.

What was almost totally missing in Italy in the response to this case is what a typical American would say. “She was sentenced to life in prison. She told her friends that could not bear the thought of spending so much time behind bars. So she killed herself. Well she saved us the cost of keeping her in prison for a number of years.”

By the way, the woman never would have spent all her life behind bars, probably 15-20 years.

On the Train

At 1:05 pm I boarded a train due to leave at 1:08 for Pistoia from Florence. At 1:25 the train had not departed. This in itself is not highly unusual. I noted, however, that nobody was boarding the train as it sat in the station. A bad sign. So I went to check. Sure enough the train was now due to leave at 2:08 (The 1:08 train had been cancelled.) This change was probably announced over the loudspeaker at the station, but you can’t hear such announcements when you are already on the train. Of course, no announcement is made over the loudspeaker system of the train itself (if it even has such a system).

Style and Politics in Italy

The web site of a major Italian national newspaper has a “photo of the day” feature. On Sunday it featured a picture of Barack Obama in a casual outfit. The title “Obama, The Look for Saturday.” With all the foolishness surrounding a President in the USA, I hope in the USA we don’t look at our political leaders as fashion models.

The Crucifix Displayed in Public Schools

This perennial topic bounced into the news this week with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that such a display violated freedom of religion. Italy will pay no attention to the decision. Most simply stated for many Italians freedom of religion does not imply separation of church and state or a state that is neutral toward various religions. In criticizing the decision I noted that Berlusconi had a crucifix in his hands. Samuel Johnson once said “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” In Italy this should be changed to “religion is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

Vaccinations for the Flu

Vaccine is available in Italy, and vaccinations are taking place. Still on the news every night there are doctors who are not recommending vaccination to their patients and doctors who are. I don’t know if this same level of disagreement among the medical profession exists elsewhere too. Of course, in Italy I don’t know if you could find any idea with which everybody agrees.