thisweekinitaly.com

The Germans Join the English

In newsletter 424 I included the web sites for two articles from Great Britain (from Vanity Fair and The Economist) lamenting the state of Italy and criticizing its leader Silvio Berlusconi. Recently a major German magazine, Der Spiegel has joined the chorus. The English version of its long cover story can be found at http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,775092,00.html . People in Italy may disagree about Berlusconi, but the verdict of the international press is almost unanimous against him.

Front Page News

The two Italian newspapers I read daily gave front page prominence to the story of the auction in Australia that included a short , pornographic film from 1946 supposedly featuring the young Marilyn Monroe. The New York Times web site I view daily did not include this story, but I don’t know about other newspapers and TV in the USA.

Amanda Knox Case

I assume the media in the USA has noted that two experts appointed by the judge in the appeal case have suggested that the DNA evidence against Amanda and her boyfriend be thrown out because the police violated many international protocols in the collection of this evidence. Shades of the OJ Simpson case. The correspondent I saw on CNN International felt that the evidence would be suppressed, and Amanda would be released from prison. When he was asked when this will take place, he guessed September. The court will meet one more time in July and then adjourn for August. One basic fact is true – “Ain’t nobody getting a court order in August for release from prison in Italy.”

In the American press there have been many articles attacking the police investigation and trial of Amanda and her boyfriend. Some of this, at least, has been orchestrated by her parents as part of public relations campaign. Of course, it is not hard to find shortcomings in the Italian judicial system. This latest development is even more embarrassing for Italy. I think the judges here would like to get rid of this case as soon as possible. Furthermore, one person (Rudi, the African) has already been convicted so it is not an “unsolved” crime. Since the victim was not Italian and someone has been convicted, there is not the problem of upholding “the family honor” which is in the background in many Italian cases.

Italian Reaction to Norwegian Slaughter

On the night of this terrible event on national news an Italian expert on terrorism was interviewed. He was asked if the shooting that killed so many and bombing could have been the work of one person only. At this point, one did not have to wait for his answer. It was certain to be “no” because of the strong Italian propensity to see conspiracies behind any such happening. In fact, it may turn out that this was a plot of many people, but this was bound to be the initial reaction in Italy.

 The Siamese Twins

In Bologna two Siamese twins were born connected at the chest. The parents knew the two were connected before they were born but chose to continue with the pregnancy. The two have only one heart and one liver. The heart is not totally correctly formed. It seems that it is likely both will die if something is not done. Of course for whatever time they survive their life would be extremely constricted. The parents are considering an operation to separate them with obviously the heart and liver going to one of them. The other will die. Perhaps the one given the two organs will die too because the heart is not normal, but there seems to be some chance this child will survive. At first some Catholic theologians argued against separation because it would be taking a life of one twin when it was not absolutely necessary. Now the Archbishop of Bologna has accepted the idea of separation because he feels without it both will die. In such matters, the Italian press publishes the opinion of theologians and/or Church officials, but the average Italian, in such highly personal matters, defers to the wishes of the family, not the Church.

 Family Businesses in Italy

These types of businesses are much more common in Italy than in USA. I am speaking of manufacturing businesses. A friend of mine works for one, but now she fears it is about to close. One of the two owners died a few years ago, and the surviving owner has not made a success of running the company. Family businesses in Italy have two main positive features – they are small and flexible in responding to market needs and family members work very hard in their own business. There are however also disadvantages. These businesses tend to be undercapitalized. Continuity of good management is difficult when managers are chosen from the small family pool. As always, if the family starts to disagree, the battle becomes especially bitter.

 The Doctor’s Visit

I was visiting a friend who had just dropped a large rock on her finger while working in the garden. The finger was swollen and a bit discolored, but she could move it freely and had no pain. She called her doctor when the accident occurred. He said to put ice on the finger, and he offered to come to her house for a visit. She said that would not be necessary. Nevertheless, he did show up to look at the finger. He wrote an order for her to go to the Emergency Room the next day to get an X ray. People often comment upon the more bureaucratic atmosphere of a national health system, but in Italy the health system is also much more personal. By the way, there was a small fracture at the tip of her finger.

You Know You are a Regular at the Bi-Weekly Traveling Market in Pistoia When…

a customer tries to pay you for a garment rather than the vendor. This happened to me this week. I still am surprised occasionally to find new clothes from the USA at the used clothes stands that always have some new items too. This week I bought a new luxury shirt (Egyptian cotton woven in the Philippines) with the Nordstrom label for 3 Euro (not my size, but it made a nice gift). . There is obviously a worldwide trade in used clothes, and even some new items find their way into this exchange. I also saw, for the first time this week a stand advertising women’s clothes from the USA. These all appeared to be used. Clothes made in the USA are now of good quality because American firms have abandoned the low cost clothing market to China and third world nations.

Train Chaos

After church on Sunday, I went to train station to get a train back home to Pistoia. I noticed immediately on the board of trains leaving that there were a number of trains 2-4 hours late. This is very unusual. It turns out that there was fire at a major train station in Rome, and this threw the whole system into disarray. Fortunately for me the difficulty was for trains running on the north-south line from Milan to Rome. My train was on an east-west line. Nobody knows for sure how the fire started in Rome, but one hypothesis is that is it was started accidently by thieves robbing the control area of copper wire. Such thefts of copper are common in Italy.

 The News of Summertime

 In the summer, the news in Italy becomes “lighter” both in the newspapers and on TV. In the newspapers we can see all the shots of famous people in their bikinis at the beach taken be paparazzi. Of course the captions often contain comments about who is getting a little too fat. On national TV news one night the last three stories were about: the facilities of a youth hostel near Florence, the accommodations for dogs at some rest stops along the superhighways, and the renovation of an old castle city that has become a more attractive tourist destination.

Another Feature of Summer

Almost any city of decent size in Italy has some kind of summer music festival. I mentioned last week The Pistoia Blues that had Lou Reed this year. In my neighborhood I can see posters advertising the appearance of Elton John, Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz Orchestra, etc. in nearby cities. I went to a concert this week in Fiesole north of Florence. It featured the American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. She is a rather unique singer who uses her voice sort of as another instrument in the ensemble rather than something accompanied by the ensemble. The venue was the Roman amphitheater at Fiesole. There were no cushioned seats –just the stone risers that have been there for 2000 years. They do put a little padding on top. As the sun goes down over the Tuscan hills, you cannot find a more lovely setting for an event.

Michelle, My Michelle

 Readers of this newsletter know that I have been waiting for years for TV personality Michelle Hunzinger to discover finally that I am the right man for her. In addition to her appearances on Italian TV, she is a TV star too in Germany. This week she fired one of her personal bodyguards (You may recall she has been the target of stalkers.) because among his many tattoos was one that had the closed fist symbol of a German neo-Nazi group. I will be glad to affirm to her that I have no affiliations with such group so that I would cause her no public relations’ embarrassment (other than questions about her sanity).

 Italian Banks

 I have written about how Italian banks are not customer friendly and have antiquated bureaucratic methods. Now some good news. These banks are very solid and conservative. In the past 30 years in the USA there was a crisis in the Savings and Loan industry and later a crisis in the Banking industry. Both times the taxpayers had to pay to save the system. These types of crises have not and would not occur in Italy. I mentioned a few weeks ago the head of the Bank of Italy, Mario Draghi, who will be the new head of the European Central Bank. I mused that perhaps he learned some excellent qualities while studying in the USA; this was a bit in jest. He is a first class guy who represents the best of Italy. Unfortunately in Italy there is widespread distrust of and disdain for politicians. If you think that “all politicians are crooks” after a while it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Draghi has been in public service but not in politics directly; too few of the persons of his ability and character enter politics in Italy.

Italian Wealth

I‘ve written about the very high level (one of highest in world) of wealth per family in Italy. I’ve also written about the Italian propensity for saving which is seen as a source of this wealth. You can become wealthy by saving only if you have excess income above your needs. Salaries in Italy are not high. The Italian economy is hardly booming. So where do these savings come from? In a story on the NPR radio show Inside Europe that is produced in Germany one explanation was provided – Italians don’t pay their taxes.

Student Academic Records

 In the United States in the 1970s Congress passed a law (promoted by Senator Buckley of New York) that made student records confidential. They can be released to third parties only with permission of the parents for minor students or of the adult student himself or herself. The is no such law in Italy. In the school itself grades are posted for all to see. In the newspaper are printed the scores of local students on the high school exit exam.

 The Palio in Siena

At this famous race around the campo in Siena this year, one horse died and a jockey was injured in a collision in one of the trials. One of the turns in this short race is 95°. It is very dangerous. An estimated 50 horses have died in the preparations and the race itself since 1970. Animal rights groups oppose the race. After the death of a horse this year, Italy’s tourism minister questioned whether the race should be allowed to continue in its traditional way. Don’t look, however, for any quick changes.

 Keeping Track of Fido – Until the Very End

Here is a law concerning dogs in Italy which, of course, is far from universally obeyed. Each dog is to have an identifying tattoo or microchip. When the dog dies, the veterinarian issues a Death Certificate. Hey, you would not want that microchip removed from the corpse and perhaps inserted in an illegal immigrant dog!!

Maybe He Wasn’t a Very Nice Guy

A few years ago the daughter of a man was arrested and investigated for supposedly hiring two guys to kill her father. The story was that the hired assassins took the money but did not do the deed. The wife was also investigated for having been part of the plot. This week the guy was murdered – by his brother in law. Another example of the family violence I have noted many times.

 Cover Boy

 The May-June 2011 issue of American Bicyclist (membership magazine of the League of American Bicyclists) has a realistic (thus unflattering) photo of me on the cover. This introduces the article I wrote about riding in Italy with my new electric assist bicycle. The magazine can be downloaded at this site http://www.bikeleague.org/members/magazine.php . On page 2 there are a few remarks from the League President about me, and the article itself starts at page 16.

Correction

I incorrectly described the ploy of Silvio Berlusconi to get a law passed to solve a financial problem of one of his companies. I thought the law would reduce the amount of damages the company had to pay in a big lawsuit. Instead it was to defer the payment of damages (if any) until all appeals of the case had ended. In the USA if the party who has lost a lawsuit appeals the decision, it does not have to pay the winner until the appeals process is over. The entity against which damages have been assessed does have to post a bond to assure that it can pay the damages plus interest (if they are upheld) at the end of the appeal process. In Italy after the first part of the appeal, the loser has to pay the winner. If the damages are reversed on further appeal, the winner has to pay back the damages received to the loser.

Why this difference? Appeals can go on for so long in Italy that maybe the rule is to give the winner the damages within a reasonable time. The rule does have the effect of probably shortening the appeal process. The loser has no incentive to stretch out the process in order to avoid paying until the very end (and perhaps inducing the winner to take a lower settlement now just to get some money without going through in interminable appeal process). Having already paid the damages, the loser wants to get an appeal decision in its favor as soon as possible; the longer the appeal process goes on, the more possibility there is that the winner won’t still have the money to pay back the damages if the decision is reversed.

The slowness of the Italian judicial system is the source of a whole array of problems in Italy.

Pienza

 I visited again on a short bicycle trip this lovely town in southern Tuscany that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was rebuilt in the Renaissance as a “model city” at the direction of Pope Pius II who was a native of Pienza. It is beautifully maintained and there are no T shirt stores, souvenir shops, etc. The town is best known for its cheeses. We visited the convent outside of town where part of the film The English Patient was shot. We also visited the church in nearby Montepulciano that was shown as the site of the marriage in the film Under the Tuscan Sun. Some photos of Pienza and surrounding territory can be found at my web site at http://thisweekinitaly.com/about-this-blog/chistmas-in-pistoia-and-florence/pienza-2011. If you click on the thumbnail photo it will enlarge and also show the caption. If you click again on the enlarged photo, it will become a full screen picture.

Large Sign in McDonald’s in Florence

It covers an entire wall of the restaurant. It features a smiling young woman. At the top is the McDonald’s logo and the phrase in small letters “I’m lovin’ it.” Then there are three very large words that fill much of the wall — “Taste, Choise, Enjoy.”

It’s Too Darn Hot

 We had our first heat wave this week – temperatures in the upper 90s. People often ask me, as a foreigner, what I think about the heat in Italy. I tell them it is certainly no hotter than I was used to in Chicago or Gettysburg in the summers. This doesn’t mean it is pleasant, but it certainly is not a negative factor of life in Italy compared to what I have been accustomed to.

Pistoia Blues

This three day music festival was last week. Probably the best known performer this year was Lou Reed. Every year there are complaints about people urinating in the streets. There were about 30 porta-potties in the concert area accessible only with a ticket. There were, however, only three porta-potties outside of this area; many who come do not enter the concert area because you can hear the music from the nearby streets. There were also a few bars open with a single toilet each. All in all the public urination problem is totally foreseeable and reoccurs every year.

 Italian Market Crisis

The Italian stock and government bond markets had a crisis last week as investor lack of confidence about Greece, Spain, and Portugal spread to Italy. Next to Greece, Italy has the largest debt in Europe in relation to its Gross National Product. Major bond rating agencies have been raising warning flags about Italy’s debt. I’ve written recently about proposals in Italy to cut the current budget deficit. As typical for such a plan in Italy it is a lot of nip and tuck with no structural reforms. The opposition of course had objections to the plan. Some members too of Berlusconi’s ruling coalition did not like some of the plan. To mollify them Berlusconi said that he, not Finance Minister Tremonti, would be making the final decisions. In fact, I think Berlusconi has full confidence in Tremonti, but his statement made it appear that Tremonti was in a weakened position. Investors in Italy and abroad have more confidence in Tremonti than in Berlusconi. So Berlsuconi’s remarks, made for internal political consumption, may well have helped trigger the crisis. The market crisis motivated politicians of all stripes to agree to pass the budget plan quickly.

Supporting the Children

In Italy the parental legal obligation to support children does not end when they reach adulthood. It continues until they are economically independent. In a recent case a man and his wife were divorced. An adult child lived with the wife and had a job, but not the kind of permanent job that was consistent with the child’s education and/or aspirations. The court ruled that the father must keep making child support payments to his ex wife for this child.

Berlusconi’s Cabinet

I have mentioned that the women in his cabinet are chosen in part, and not a small part, for their good looks. Berlusconi himself admits this. I’ve written often about one of these, Mara Carfagna. Recently she was married, and Berlusconi was a wedding attendant. (Meanwhile the politician with whom she had an affair announced his separation from his wife.) All this got me to thinking about the performance of the women in his cabinet. Often to me it seems as good as that of the men if not better. One reason is that some of the men are appointed as a political reward for their support, not because of their merit. When they are both cabinet ministers and members of Parliament, they get a double salary. These guys always seem more interested in their ongoing political careers than in the agency they head. The women in the cabinet are generally not long time professional politicians.

Balancing the Italian Budget

Because international bond rating agencies have expressed doubt about Italy’s financial future, the country has to cut the budget deficit to avoid a downgrading of its credit rating. A list of tax increases and expenditure cuts is being proposed. My favorite is this one – a cut in the pension amount of surviving widows in certain cases. This cut applies when a man over 70 marries a woman more than 20 years younger than he. The “evil” this is aimed at is marriages between a caregiver (called badante) and the elderly guy she is taking care of. The caregivers are almost always foreign ladies. You can view this proposal as stopping a practice that takes advantage of the elderly or maybe just see the marriages as a form of deferred compensation.

Silvio’s Latest Play –Another Section of the Budget Modification Bill

As if often the case (even in the USA) when there is a “must pass” bill before the legislature, politicians try to attach unrelated amendments to get some special desire. One of Berlusconi’s companies had a judgment against it, now on appeal, for 750 million Euro. Berlusconi tried to sneak into the budget bill a little section that said in such types of law suits damages cannot exceed 10 million Euro . His Finance Minister and some of the major members of his coalition in Parliament claims to not have known that this little item was inserted – maybe true, maybe not. When the insertion was discovered, Berlusconi had it withdrawn. He said is it was to protect Italian citizens from such outrageous judgments. The guy is a pure scoundrel.

The latest article in the British media to skewer Berlusconi is in Vanity Fair http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/07/silvio-berlusconi-201107

For an excellent summary of Italy and its problems today, go to the web site of The Economist magazine. Find the special report in the June 11, 2011 issue titled “Oh for a new risorgimento” at http://www.economist.com/node/18780831

A lot of the comments in the report echo what I have been writing over the years.

Understanding Islamic Practices

I very rarely see a Muslim woman with her face covered in Italy, but head scarves are very common. At the street market I saw one such lady looking through some clothes. At the same time she was breast feeding her child with an exposed breast. I have nothing against public breast feeding. I have nothing against head covering; some Christian sects have the women wear little caps. I just wonder whether the rationale for the head covering is one of modesty, and if so, how does this square with an open, exposed breast?

“Crying Cockles and Mussels, Alive, Alive Oh”

Many of us know this line from the old Irish ballad, Molly Malone. In Italy by law mussels can be sold only if they are alive at the time they are cooked. Otherwise there are health risks. Recently the police raided a lot of stands selling mussels near the beach that were cooking them after they were dead –who knows how long. There are rules too about where mussels can be raised. The police also sent divers down to destroy illegal mussel beds. As I’ve noted, food safety is big item in Italy.

New Eyeglasses

I wrote recently about an optical shop that had always adjusted my eyeglasses for free. I needed new glasses. In the USA I could get a pair for about $250 and up. Still I went to this shop to get my new pair that cost me $666. I have been getting my glasses at Wal Mart in USA. The lenses were fine but the “Made in China” frames were of low price and low quality. They needed constant adjustment and after three years pretty much self destructed. Now I have designer frames, “Made in Italy” – far from the most expensive ones to be sure.

The Fourth of July Celebration in Florence for American Community and Italian Friends

This used to be held at a villa and park out of the city. When I last went it was sort of a civic event with games (including softball) , entertainment, booths by civic organizations of interest such as voter registration booths, English speaking churches, English newspaper, etc. The food was free. Now it is in a park in Florence and is more of a commercial event. Almost all the booths are people selling things. Nothing is free. It runs from 6 to midnight on two evenings. I was not impressed.

It was a bit of an adventure getting there. A friend told me to take the number 14 bus from the train station. I confirmed this fact when I bought my bus ticket. On the bus however the driver did not know where the park was. Another driver was there who did not know either. Then one said “you have to take the 14B bus.” Now the bus schedule shown at the stop did not have a 14A and a 14B. The bus I tried to get on just said 14. Still I got off and waited and sure enough a 14B arrived. The driver on this bus said he knew where the park was and would notify me when we got there. He did so, and another passenger who had asked the same question and I got off the bus. The park where he stopped had no activity at all in it. We found a lady who told us how to find the right park (about a third of a mile away), and we walked there. It appears when we got there that in fact the 34 bus might have been the best one to take. Wrong instructions can happen anywhere, but believe me, the risk is greater in Italy.

“I’ve Got A Ticket to Ride”

Another line from an old song. I did not have a ticket on the bus trips I wrote about last week. I did not have one on a train trip this week. Why? I got to Florence station at 9:30 pm. The machines that sell tickets for cash have been out of order for weeks. The machines that require credit cards were working, but I had no card. The ticket windows were all closed. The tobacco stand that sells tickets was closed. You cannot buy a ticket on the train. Thus, it was impossible to buy a one. The conductor checks for tickets about 1/3 of the time. So I got on, and luckily was not asked for my ticket. If I had been, I would have explained what happened and refused to pay the fine.

Italians as Savers –A Personal History

I was talking to a friend who was born and raised in Great Britain, but married an Italian man and has lived in Italy during her adult life. After WWII, the British railway system recruited workers from Italy. Other European nations such as Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium did the same thing. My friend’s father went to England with a one year contract and the understanding that if the company was satisfied with him, his contract would be renewed and he could bring his family to England. He worked very hard the first year taking overtime, holiday, and Sunday shifts whenever possible. He then brought his family to England. ( If any were unhealthy, they could not have come. Great Britain already had a national health system and did not want immigrants who would burden the system.) After a few years he had saved enough to buy a house and went to the bank for a loan. The bankers could not believe he had saved so much money in such a short time. They were suspicious that he might be involved in illegal activities (after all he was from southern Italy). After investigating further, they finally gave him the loan.

Surprise

At the last minute I had to cancel (delay) my visit to the USA. Although this was unfortunate (It is not because of a big problem.), it does mean that there will not be a hiatus in my newsletter.

A Few Corrections

Donna Leon, whom I mentioned last week, is an American author who lives in Venice, not a British one. The reason it takes three months to get a replacement bank book is not a bank policy but a 1932 Italian law. Don’t ask me the rationale for the law in 1932 or in 2011.

End of Year Scholastic Tests

I have mentioned that in Italy there is an exit examination from high school that must be passed to get a diploma. If you don’t pass it (It can be retaken.), you get only a certificate of attendance. There are national exams also at other points during the school career. One of these this year (I can’t recall the grade level) had a series of essay topics from which to choose. One was to comment upon Andy Warhol’s famous quotation that “in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” The others were similarly pithy. I think most American school students would be hard pressed to write a decent essay on such a topic. The arts of writing and speaking are more emphasized in the Italian school system. Of course, the Italian style of writing is much different than the American. The famous correction of American English teachers , “wordy, ” would be much less used in Italy.

The Perils of Young Job Seekers and Employment Promises in Italy

Young people rarely get a “permanent “ job in Italy. Instead they have a series of temporary appointments under which they have no contractual rights. Again and again I hear of a young person who is told, for example, “we will pay you Euro 1000 for each of the first three months” only to discover that the pay is lowered after the first month. Another frequent situation is the promise to move from a temporary to a “permanent” contract after six months if the employer is satisfied. At the end of six months, the young person is told that the work is satisfactory and he or she can stay but only with another temporary appointment. The underlying problem is that in Italy “keeping one’s word” is simply not a high social value. This issue extends far beyond the employment of young people.

Mario Draghi, New Head of Central European Bank

Italians are proud that the new head of the Central Bank will be the current head of the Bank of Italy, Mario Draghi. Italians are quick to point out fellow countrymen who are famous elsewhere such as the head of Chrysler (who, although Italian, was raised in Canada) and many outstanding Italian scientists. These scientists often do there work in other countries that better support research. I will turn the tables here and point out that Draghi got his Ph.D. at MIT. So it may well be that some of his excellent personal qualities come from familiarity with another culture.

His predecessor at the Bank of Italy had to resign because of behavior that was not illegal, not untypical for Italy, but nevertheless not of the ethical level desirable for the leader of the Bank of Italy. In general the level of ethical behavior expected of public officials is lower in Italy than in the USA and Great Britain. Of course, public officials do unethical things everywhere, but expectations do have some effect.

Running to Abetone

This was the week of the annual race from Pistoia to Abetone, about 32 miles. Pistoia sees snow once every few years; Abetone is a ski resort. So you can guess the inclination of the road from here to there. Almost 700 runners took part and the winner, no surprise, was from Kenya with a time of three and one-half hours. I saw one of my neighbors the day before the race and noted that he looked to be wearing running clothes. I asked if he was participating in the race tomorrow. He said “no” he had done this one time, and once was enough. I could not resist commenting that one only had to read about the race and the terrain to conclude that zero times might be enough.

Also this week at Abetone, the mayor of Aspen, Colorado visited to discuss a proposal that the two cities become twin cities. At the Ski World Championship of 1950 in Aspen, skiers who trained at Abetone won four medals. I did a quick translation job into English for a friend of the remarks of the Abetone mayor on this occasion. So if the Aspen paper reports on the event, they will using my words. The mayor from Aspen actually fits in quite well in Italy – he is about 80 with a wife 30 years younger.

“Power is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac “

This famous quotation of Henry Kissinger might be used to explain the young women around Silvio Berlusconi, but Silvio showers them with money and gifts. So for him money is the aphrodisiac. A better example of power as an attraction for women is his cabinet minister Brunetta. Brunetta’s nickname is The Dwarf. He is not only short, he is unattractive. Still he is marrying a tall, blond, young babe. Maybe he is a brilliant conversationalist or an exemplary human being, but I’m doubtful.

Americans may recall that a few years ago when the Governor of Maryland was getting married, he and his bride issued a list of wedding presents they would like; this led to a lot of criticism. Brunetta and his fiancé have done the same thing. It is not just a general list, e.g. a coffee table, a fine set of kitchen knives, etc. Instead the list shows exact models with product numbers, photos, and prices. I doubt that this will raise much of a stir in Italy.

Lobbying

There is a big discussion now in Italy about the activities of a person who might be called an “influence peddler” of access to important government leaders. Another way to look at him ( a little less accurate) is that he is a lobbyist. Whereas in the USA, lobbyist is a recognized and regulated occupation, this is not so in Italy. Of course these activities go on in Italy too, but not in the open. My guess (only a guess) is that for Italians theoretically lobbying is an “anti-democratic” activity so it is wrong to recognize it legally. In the USA it is seen as an unavoidable aspect of democracy.

Italian Sense of Style

Sometimes there is certain style in clothes of short duration so that an item in that style can be easily dated. Other styles, however, change more slowly. I can tell that man’s sport’s coat is around 20 years old, but it is difficult to determine if it is 2, 4 or 5 years old. Maybe this is easier in women’s clothes. Italians can tell such things. They can say “that is from about three years ago.” It is not that the clothes change radically from year to year, it is simply that Italians are very well attuned to the subtle shifts in style.

Becoming a True Italian (1001 Rationalizations for Dishonest Behavior)

Last Sunday I went to the train station to catch train to go to church in Florence. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a large crowd about to board the bus to Florence. Sure enough it was a train strike day, and no trains were running. This was the last bus to get to Florence before church started. I had no time to buy a bus ticket (the driver was not selling them) , so I just got on the bus without a ticket. After church I went to train station to see if possibly there was a train running to Pistoia. One was listed with a 20” delay; I would have bet immediately that this train eventually would be cancelled. I went across the street to bus station to discover next bus was at 2:30. I noticed that the ticket office at bus station was closed so I would have to buy a ticket from the driver. As I again returned to train station, as expected, the train to Pistoia had been canceled. The waiting room at the station was closed for remodeling. So I returned to church to wait until it was time to catch the bus. When I got to bus station, I discovered that the driver wasn’t selling tickets –one had to go to a different ticket office a block away. I had only 5 minutes. I hurried to other office, but there was a long line. So I raced back to bus and again got on (just in time) with no ticket.

So I cheated the bus company both going and coming back. We did have corporate confession as part of our church service so perhaps my first sin was already forgiven when I committed the second.