thisweekinitaly.com

Trip to USA and Germany

I will be in USA from September 27-November 4 and in Germany from November 4 until about November 12.  So there will be a hiatus in this newsletter.

Ancient Parents

In Italy there is the case of the 58 year old woman and her 70 year old husband who have an 18 month baby girl that the woman gave birth to through assisted fertility.  When the child was five mounts old the parents left her alone in a car for 30 minutes.  Apparently there have been other incidents of neglect.  The authorities have intervened and are attempting to take the child away from her parents and put her up for adoption. The news stories, however, concentrate upon the ages of the parents, not the alleged poor treatment of the child.  This kind of story highlights a conflict between two strongly held values – the importance of the family unit and the protection of children from mistreatment. My guess is that a couple who want to have a baby at such an age are a little bit goofy to start with.

What is New This Week with Our Good Friend Silvio  Berlusconi

Silvio has a small group of friends who procure for him young women to be “hostesses” at his parties and also it appears to provide services to him personally.  Recently the judges have been investigating whether a large payment from Berlusconi to one of these folks was in fact blackmail to buy the silence of the person in a legal case again Berlusconi for assisting prostitution.  Since neither Berlusconi not the person says it was blackmail, it seems hard to see how a criminal case can be made out of the payment. On the other hand this is not the first time Berlusconi has paid a lot of money to a “friend” who just happens to be in a position to have a lot of embarrassing knowledge about Silvio.

The relationship of Berlusconi and these young women is probably like that of Tiger Woods.  Before going to bed there is no agreement or even discussion of a price for services.  The woman simply knows that Berlusconi will take good care of her if he is pleased.  His recently published telephone conversations about his sexual excesses have made the news throughout the world.

Many Italians have said, with some good reason, that they don’t care about Berlusconi’s personal life, only about his performance as the nation’s leader.  So the fact that he is seen abroad as a bit of a buffoon with juvenile sexual tastes is not important.  Now, however, rightfully or wrongfully, there is a crisis of confidence abroad about the financial future of Italy.  In this loss of confidence, it is harmful for Italy to have a leader who has a negative reputation outside of the country.  So now his personal life has detrimental consequences for the nation of Italy.

As I’ve Said Many Times: in Italy When Something Bad Happens There Has  to be Somebody to Blame.

Six Italian scientists and a former government official are due to go on trial for manslaughter over the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila. (British newspaper article; I seen almost no coverage of this story in Italian media, maybe because of embarrassment)

The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the city and killed 309 people. Prosecutors allege the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake after studying hundreds of tremors that had shaken the city. The defense argues that there is no way to predict major earthquakes even in a seismically active area.

The case has attracted the attention of the scientific community. Last year, more than 5,000 scientists signed an open letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in support of the defendants.
The seven were members of a government panel tasked with assessing the risks after hundreds of low-level tremors had rattled the medieval city in the months before the earthquake struck. They issued a reassuring statement, while also saying that it was not possible to predict whether a stronger quake would occur.

They recommended stricter enforcement of anti-seismic measures, particularly in building construction. On the night of the quake, many people remained in their homes and died because of this advice, while others who had decided to remain outside in the street survived, says the BBC’s David Willey in Rome.

The prosecutors accuse the seven of “negligence and imprudence… of having provided an approximate, generic and ineffective assessment of seismic activity risks as well as incomplete, imprecise and contradictory information”.

The defendants, who include some of Italy’s most distinguished geophysicists, face up to 15 years in jail as well as paying more than $30m (£19m) in damages to plaintiffs in a separate civil case if found guilty.

Notes from Miss Italy 2011 Pageant

The winner was Miss Calabria. A few seeks prior to the event a guy predicted the winner would be Miss Calabria and now he wants to sue the sponsors of the Pageant saying it is fixed. Meanwhile, they can be celebrating in Calabria, maybe dancing in the streets.  Remember the immortal words of that classic American song, Mambo Italiano, “all you Calabrese do the Mambo like a crazy.”

The newspaper said that this year’s contestants were a bit heftier than in past years and also more scholastically studious.  As part of the presentation in Montecatini Terme, the TV coverage had  short segments on nearby Tuscan cities including Pistoia.

Berlusconi probably views the contestants in this event as potential bedtime partners.  In my old age I just wish I had a daughter like one of them.  I am certain, of course, that in 15 years my two granddaughters will be as beautiful as any of the contestants, and smarter than most of them. I just have to wait.

New Gelateria in the Neighborhood

An ice cream maker in Germany once told me that the Italian gelato may taste good but it is made with lots of chemicals, not natural ingredients.  Not true for the new shop in my neighborhood.   It lists its ingredients which are natural and grown in biologically pure locations.  A key point is that it uses raw, unpasteurized, milk.  This kind of milk can not be sold in some states in USA because of health concerns. I tried a sorbet which was tasty.  I doubt that I would be able to tell that natural ingredients were used rather than chemical flavorings.

New York Times Article About Government  Employment in South of Italy

This article talks of the excess governmental employment in the South that is used to support the economy there and assure political power through patronage.  This practice also is part of the reason why the South does not develop economically and is a drag on overall Italian economy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/europe/italy-austerity-plan.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25

Latest Ridiculous Show in Italian Politics

The smutty talk in Berlusconi’s telephone conversations is not the only ridiculous element in Italian politics this week.  The Northern League is headed by its founder Umberto Bossi who suffered a serious stroke a few years ago so that his continuing good health is always in question.   He has named his 22 year old son, Renzo, as his successor as head of the party.  This is the boy who took three tries to pass his high school exit examination.  Recently Bossi “baptized” his son as the future leader,  using the water of the Po river,  in a ceremony at a party rally.  (Believe it or not, Bossi brags at times about how “democratic” the League is.)  Of course the other senior leaders of the League have no intention of turning the party over to Renzo after Umberto leaves the scene.  They will find some ceremonial role for the son.  All this is so stupid that, as often in Italy, you don’t know whether  to cry or laugh.

The Italian Constitution

I’ve mentioned before that it is much longer than the American Constitution and probably theoretically more sophisticated.  I read an article recently in which some scholars discussed the Italian Constitution and its failure to serve as unifying element for the nation. Of course with Italy’s history of divisions, it may be too much to ask of a Constitution that it bring the nation together.  What I found most interesting in the article was a reference to James Madison, one of the key figures in the drafting of the Constitution of the United States.  Madison was a brilliantly pragmatic thinker.  Pragmatism unfortunately is not a strong point in the Italian character which is more attracted to philosophical purity and elegance.  So in Italy you are more likely to end up with something that looks great on paper but doesn’t function so well in the real world.

A Trip to Elba

I spent four days on a bike trip around the island of Elba off of the coast of Tuscany. Elba is most famous as the place to which Napoleon was exiled. It is a very popular vacation destination for Italians and others. The newsstands on Elba carry a large variety of German newspapers. It is off the beaten path, however, for most American tourists.

I and my riding partners waited until September to avoid the high tourist season. The terrain is rugged. The views are lovely. There are some exquisite beaches. It is not overbuilt with high rise buildings; hotels are everywhere but they are usually small family owned ones.

While changing my biking clothes on the side of the road, my wallet accidently fell out of a rear pocket of my biking jersey. When I got to the next town and realized it was gone, I was fairly sure that it had fallen out at that point. We called a cab that had to come from another town. We told the cab driver where we wanted him to take us to look for a lost wallet. In coming to get us, he had to pass the place where we wanted to look. He had the good sense, unasked, to stop at this point and look around. So when he arrived to pick us up, he already had the wallet in hand and the search ended quickly.

There are lot of cacti on the island and these have the prickly pear fruit on them. I picked up a couple of these fruit from the bottom of a plant. The problem is they are covered with very small thin hair like thorns that are hard to see, but not hard to feel when they stick in your hand and fingers. One of our group agreed to take on the “dangerous” task of peeling the prickly pear. It was very tasty. I see them in markets here. Perhaps the ones in the market have been processed somehow to remove the thorns before they are put up for sale.

There is the old joke about the country bumpkin who goes to a fancy restaurant and sees “hors d’oeuvre” on the menu. He declares “I’d like some of those horse odors.” Well on a menu on Elba in four different languages, I saw this on the English version “Italian Mixed Horse D’oeuvre.”

A Little Lesson in Cross Cultural Differences

I was talking to an Italian friend recently returned from a tour in the USA. She told me about an incident on a flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. One member of her tour group did not like the seat she was assigned in the center of a row. She became even more unhappy when a very fat lady sat next to her. (Of course, the flight is only 55 minutes.) She demanded to be moved. Since all economy class seats were filled, a move would have required somebody else to exchange with her. She was told that the door was closed and the plane ready to take off – no seat changes were possible at this point. She continued to complain and said she couldn’t get enough air. When she could not be calmed, the stewardesses called two security persons to come on board. They told her to calm down or she would have to leave the plane. This did not help so they started to remove her. At this point either she scratched one of the security men on the arm or her bracelets did so. She was removed, and the plane took off. She had to catch up with the tour later.

There were vacant seats in First Class. In Italy she would have been moved to First Class to stop the commotion. She probably thought that making a big fuss in USA would have the same result. Wrong.

Pistoia’s Library

I’ve written of the location of this facility in a beautifully renovated industrial building; it is the largest public library in Tuscany. It also has an excellent range of services and programs. I noticed recently an interesting little pamphlet outlining the various resources in this library about 9/11 (nonfiction books, fiction books, films). Not surprisingly a number of the nonfiction books dispute the official explanation of what happened and why. I guess there is not much of a market for a book that accepts the official account of such an event. As often noted, Italians especially are very loath to accept the official explanation of anything.

Post Script on Recent National Budget Adjustment Passed in Italy

I wrote about the difficulty the majority had in coming up with a plan that satisfied its members. Of course the opposition was against the plans proposed by the majority. In all the iterations of the plan, however, one feature was supported by all the parties and by the citizens. In fact, I never heard any criticism of this feature. It was to cut the number of members in Parliament (which both sides promised to do in the last election campaign), cut the fringe benefits of members of Parliament, and cut the pensions of members of Parliament. How much of this non-controversial proposal survived in the final plan – zero.

At the Tailor’s

At the market I will often buy a pair of pants or jacket one size too large or one size too small and have the tailor adjust it to my size. You can always take in a garment that is a little too big. To take out a garment a little too small, there has to be extra material in the seams. Sometimes this is not clear if there is a lining in the piece covering the seams. Recently I bought a new sport coat, a little too small, for $5. I told the tailor to make it bigger if possible. If not, I figured the $5 would not be a great loss. Fortunately she was able to enlarge it, but in addition to taking out the seams, she moved the buttons a little make it even slightly larger around the body. This is an example of the kind of nice refinements you often get with work done in Italy.

Language Woes

The news had the story of the new owner of a fruit and vegetable stand in Treviso in northern Italy. The owner is from Sicily. He had two problems after he opened his stand: (1) the common names for some fruits and vegetables are different in Treviso and Sicily and (2) the dialect of Treviso was hard for him to understand. So he had to hire a clerk from the local community so somebody could have the necessary verbal interactions with the customers.

Measuring Mussolini

At this year Venice Film Festival, a lifetime achievement award was given to Italian director Marco Bellocchio. In honor of this event a TV channel showed his 2009 film Vincere. This film showed the historical story of a woman who claimed to be Mussolini’s first wife and her son whom she claimed was his legitimate heir. He disowned them both. The woman was put in an insane asylum where she ultimately died. The son, who never stopped claiming Mussolini as his father, also ended up dying in an insane asylum. The film said that Benito destroyed all the records of this marriage and of the birth of the child.

It got me to thinking about an appraisal of Mussolini. He was intelligent, Although he had some foolishly grandiose ideas, he did not have insane obsessions as Hitler did. Many Italians are quick to note that he did some good things for Italy during his time in power. Of course he then led Italy into the greatest catastrophe of its history, World War Two. One can argue about the balance of the plusses and minuses for Italy of his reign. What I think is less controversial is the fact that he was an evil person. I don’t mean that he simply had faults, as we all do; I mean that on balance he was a bad human being. People who can’t see this are blind to the obvious .

Measuring Berlusconi

Berlusconi came to power as a highly successful man from outside politics who, with a good majority in Parliament, would be able to implement major reforms in Italy. He clearly spelled out what these reforms would be. He has failed to change Italy significantly.

Some say his intentions were good, but the entrenched power of the bureaucracy and political elite in Italy was so strong that he could not overcome it even with his Parliamentary majority. A little side argument here is that the world wide economic crisis also inhibited his ability to make some changes.

Others say Berlusconi entered politics only to protect his own financial interests and to avoid going to jail. He never intended to make sweeping changes.

Of course the important point is not what were his intentions, but what has been the result of his time in power. For Italy the result has been little change.

Solving Italy’s Deficit Problem

I’ve written recently about the proposals in Italy to shrink the budget deficit for 2013 as requested by the European Union. This step was also needed to overcome market jitters about Italy’s debt. Unlike the USA, where the Republicans and the Democrats can in effect block each other’s plans because each controls one of the houses of Congress, in Italy the ruling Berlusconi coalition has a majority in both houses of Parliament. It should be able to pass a plan over the objections of the opposition. Nevertheless, this ruling coalition was for a month unable to come up with a plan acceptable to all its major components. A plan that satisfied all of Berlusconi’s constituencies, was not acceptable to the European Union, the central banks, and the market. A plan serious enough to satisfy these three groups had elements that were politically unacceptable to at least part of the ruling coalition. The plan changed almost daily. In short, the problem was that Berlusconi no longer had effective control over his own coalition. With the crisis growing daily, finally a plan had to be passed regardless of the objections from within the majority.

For the first time a jail sentence can follow tax evasion in Italy – if the evasion is over 3 million Euro and more than 30% of the person’s or business’ total income. The idea of finding tax evasion through the method of imputed income doesn’t seem to exist in Italy. On the news there was an estimate of what level income it would take for a person to buy and maintain a yacht of a certain size or a high end luxury car. The story noted that there are far more of these yachts and very expensive cars in Italy than they are people who report that level of income.

The Effects of Old Age

After I wrote last week musing if my weakness as a bike rider could be attributed to drugs I take called beta blockers, some folks sent me information about how such medicine prevents the heart rate from accelerating which, of course, can be limiting if you are doing serious exercise. Others, however, who take no drugs, wrote to report that in old age you simply get constantly weaker. In the long run it doesn’t matter. I am able to do what I enjoy doing with the electric bike – at least for now.

Almost all electric bikes in Pistoia are the heavy utilitarian models used primarily for riding around town. This week I saw, for the first time, another high quality electric bike (better than mine) , a Ducati made by a major motorcycle company in Italy. The owner, like me, is an elderly man. He lives out of town and has a bit of climb to get to his home village. He opened his shirt to show me the scar where the doctors had done heart surgery. So like me his switch to something easier has a medical reason.

A Miracle

This week one of the three major unions in Italy called a one day general strike of its members to protest certain government policies. I’ve noted before that these one day strikes are one of the sillier aspects of Italian life – they accomplish nothing. Well they do give workers a day of vacation. For this reason they are held on a Monday or a Friday to stretch the weekend. The miracle ?? This strike was on a Tuesday.

Drownings

A friend told me that drowning are more common in Italy than in the USA because fewer Italians know how to swim. I was unable to find statistics to verify this claim. What is true is that stories of drowning are common in the media in summer. Recently I saw one about five young children who had drown this summer at swimming pools. All the pools were privately owned pools (open to public) that apparently have no legal obligation to post a lifeguard. In the USA a pool might well have a lifeguard, legally required or not, to protect against lawsuits claiming negligence of the owner in case of injuries. There are lots of lawsuits in Italy, despite the high costs and very long delays, but it seems that in Italy it is not as easy to claim “negligence” as it is in the USA.

Getting into Medical School

In the United States very many students enter college planning to go to medical school later. During the four years of college their numbers radically decrease as students change their plans or do not obtain sufficiently high grades to be feasible candidates for admission to medical school. About 44% of the over 40,000 applicants to medical school each year in USA are accepted to at least one institution. In Italy, you begin the study of medicine immediately after high school. So it is as if all the students interested in medicine at the end of high school in the USA were immediately applying to medical school. There are 90,000 new Italian high school graduates interested in being admitted to the study of medicine and 15,000 places for them at the universities. Naturally the universities have a special admission test for these students in order to select those admitted. In general in Italy it is more common for students to follow the profession of their parents than in the USA, but with these numbers doctors in Italy can not easily get their children into the study of medicine.

Give That Boy Some Bright Orange or Striped Prison Outfit to Wear

Many clothing brands put their logo on their items. For men clothes the most famous are the Ralph Lauren Polo Player and the Lacoste Alligator. In a sense the customers provide free advertising for these companies. Some people refuse to be a “walking billboard” and won’t buy clothes with a logo on them. This week the Italian press reported a case where the company did not want the free advertising. Lacoste has asked Norwegian police officials to no longer allow the mass killer there to wear his Lacoste shirt to his court appearances where he has been photographed by the press. The Italians are, of course, always alert to the fashion angle of any story.

Sad Update

I wrote recently about the case of the Siamese twins joined at the chest and the plan to separate them if possible. This led to some moral discussions because in the separation, one would die for sure. Unfortunately they both died before there could be an attempt to separate them.

Disqualifying Beauty Contest Aspirants

In 1984 in the USA Vanessa Williams was crowned Miss America. Then some nude photos of her surfaced, and she was forced to give up her title. These pictures were later published in Penthouse magazine in an issue that sold out. Now three contestant in the Miss Italy contest this year have been disqualified from further participation, two for some lingerie photos for which they posed, not naked. You can view these at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2034298/Miss-Italy-contestants-thrown-contest-sexy-photoshoot.html and decide if the Italian contest officials are being too severe. Remember that Italians always accuse Americans of being too Puritanical. Of course these photos, although not pornographic, may violate the Miss Italy rules. By the way this year the Miss Italy competition is taking place in nearby Montecatini Terme.

Tear it Down

This week a building in my neighborhood was demolished. This is a rare sight in Italy. Obviously when there is an earthquake and buildings become unsafe, they are torn down, but structurally sound buildings (occupied or deserted) are not usually taken down. I don’t how much this is a matter of culture and how much it is a matter of the laws regulating such activities. In Detroit, where the population has declined by 50% over the past few decades, many deserted buildings are being demolished. I heard on the radio from the USA that now some banks are agreeing to the demolition of houses in foreclosure where there is little hope of selling the dwelling. Such a solution to the problem of deserted buildings would not be possible in Italy.

My Translation Project –First Step in a Larger Plan

Near my house is a pizza and grilled meat restaurant run by a couple and the brother of the wife in the couple.  The husband is an American from Massachusetts; his wife and her brother are Italian.  The wife studied languages and speaks excellent English. Her brother is a bike racer and writer as well as a cook.  The brother last year published a novel, La Voce del Buio (The Voice of Darkness) which I, of course, read.  I thought it had an inventive plot and suggested that he at least see if anyone would want to make a film from it.  The first step was to produce a short summary of the characters and story.  He did so. This is what I am now translating in cooperation with his sister.  After this is done, we will see about ways to get this item into the hands of knowledgeable people who can make an informed judgment about its film possibilities.

Italian Schizophrenia about Air Conditioning

New cars in Italy have air conditioning.  Stores and restaurants are often air conditioned. Houses, however,  even new ones, do not come with central air conditioning. (In houses air conditioning at the most is room units) The big divide is in the office where the workers argue whether or not to turn on the air conditioning even when outside it is over 100°.  There is still a substantial number of Italians who think that cold air is bad for you.  They have the same idea about ice. I think the “anti-air conditioning” group is declining in numbers and ultimately will lose the battle.  Until then the disagreements continue.

Blame in on the Beta Blockers

As I’ve noted,  with my electric bike I now enjoy climbing to the high hill towns around Pistoia.  I recall, however, that I used to go to these towns on a regular bike – just seven years ago before my dissection of the aorta and orders from the doctor not to get fully out of breath.  Now it is still an effort  to climb to them with the electric assist; in 10 miles I used  up 2/3s of my battery power. Was I that strong of a rider seven years ago or just such a weak cyclist now ? Seven additional years and a few extra pounds should not make that much of a difference.

For a possible explanation I need to go back to an incident 25 years ago.  I took a 110 mile bike ride with my dear friend Bob Fredrickson. Near the end he ran out of gas and limped to the finish of the ride.  He was embarrassed and immediately sought to explain his exhaustion.  He had run a five kilometer race the day before, but he settled on the explanation that he was taking drugs called beta blockers, one of whose effects was to inhibit the release of adrenalin.  The next Saturday was Commencement at Gettysburg College where Bob and I worked.  The faculty, of which Bob was a member, donned their academic robes and then processed  from a starting point to a place in front  of the Commencement stage. When Bob arrived  Dave Cowan, a fellow faculty member who had heard about the bike ride, said “Are you processing with the faculty today Bob, or did you take you beta blockers?”   I absorbed the lesson not to blame failure on beta blockers.

Now, 25 years later, I am wondering “was Bob Fredrickson correct”? Can beta blockers be the cause of my decline?  I’m ready to accept it.

Solving the Deficit Problem – Idea 2,461

Like the USA and many other nations, Italy is seeking ways to bring its financial house into order.  I’ve written recently about some of the proposals to raise revenue or cut expenses.  Today the headline announced an idea of one of the government ministers “Calderoni proposes tax on tax evaders.”  I did not read further.  This idea seems  to be a loser from the very start. The next day an article announced the idea was “technically impossible.”

In the USA a favorite ploy for a politician proposing an expensive new program is to say the costs will be paid by savings through cutting government waste.  Cutting government waste is a good idea, but seldom, if ever, does it generate the savings to pay for the idea proposed.  In Italy the favorite revenue strategy is to go after tax evaders to increase tax receipts.  When you hear this in Italy,  you can be sure that the proposal, if adopted,  will increase the deficit

At the Serravalle Jazz Festival

This year was the 10^th edition of this event in nearby Serravalle-Pistoiese.  An enjoyable event in a lovely setting.  A few observations:

– They had  a stand that makes bomboloni, large sugared donuts.  The line was long and production was slow.  The large pan in which these were fried makes only 10 at a time.  They must be served warm.  In the USA, a supply would be made in advance and kept in a warming oven or heated in a microwave before being given to the customer.  This would be cheating in Italy – they have to be warm direct from the pan.  So get ready to wait a long time.  The donuts were  tasty.

–  In one of the groups playing was the City Council member for Culture from Pistoia.  In Italy the local council members are assigned specific areas – security, finance, roads, etc. Even in a small town, one of these areas is culture.  Culture is simply more important in Italy than in the USA.  I read recently a short biographical sketch of Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate of the USA.  She was a brilliant student from a family of modest means.  It was expected she would enter one of the law, medicine etc. and forge an exemplary career.  When she announced she wanted to be a poet her family was surprised, bemused,  and probably a bit disappointed.  In Italy, the family would have been proud of her choice.

– We have all been at events where an announcement has been made such as “will the owner of  a Blue Buick Regal with New York license plate number K 45 217 please move the vehicle immediately or it will be towed because it blocking a fire lane.” At the Festival an announcement  was made about cars that had to be moved to avoid towing – not one car but about eight.

– There was a temporary outdoor restaurant on  Festival grounds. I went there to eat with two friends.  As we sat down I said “don’t expect fast service.”  My food came in decent time, but it took an hour for that of my friends to arrive.  I’ve noticed before that these temporary outdoor restaurants, run by amateurs from a local organization, multiply the ordinary Italian inefficiency to a noticeable extent.

– Maybe the high point of the event was the appearance of famous Italian jazz pianist Renato Sellani.  He is now in his 80s and hunched over.  In his prime, as well as being a soloist, he accompanied American jazz giants who came to Italy such as Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, and Ella Fitzgerald.  He still plays well and, of course, is revered by the audience.

Police Shooting

In many cities in the USA if a police officer fires his gun while performing his duties, he is put on immediate administrative leave while the incident is investigated.  Obviously nobody wants excessive police violence.  In Italy, if someone is killed,  the officer is more likely to be put under investigation for homicide.  Here is a recent case. An 18 year old kid as a joke dressed up with a mask over his face and pretended  to rob with a toy gun some of his friends coming home from a disco.  My guess is that the youth himself might have been inebriated. A police car happened by.  The youth pointed the gun at the police car, and one of the officers shot him dead.  A very sad incident. Perhaps with 20/20 hindsight, the officer might have acted differently.  Still in the USA when you point a gun at a policeman, nobody thinks it is criminal homicide when he shoots you.

Oh, So Italian

On a street near my house a truck was parked in front of a store where the driver was unloading merchandise for the store.   The truck had a platform in back that raised and lowered so the merchandise could be put at a level more easy to unload.  A car came down the street and somehow managed to hit the edge of this metal platform.  The platform certainly was visible; there was room in the street to pass the truck without hitting the platform.  Maybe the driver simply did not notice the platform – not a terrible mistake.  What was totally predictable ,however, was that the driver would exit the car blaming the truck driver.  The tendency to blame others for our own mistakes is a widespread human tendency, but somehow it seems to be build into the DNA of Italians.  I have never lived anywhere before where it is always the other guy’s fault which is, of course, the other side of the low sense of personal responsibility in Italy.

In the Global Village, You Are Never Far From Home

As I was walking through one of the mountain towns near Pistoia, I heard a TV playing in English. It was sounding out of a window immediately adjacent to the sidewalk.  I stuck my head in and started to talk with the man watching the TV.  From his accent, I think he was Irish.  He was watching a steeplechase race from Great Britain.  On the table in front of him, his computer was on.  As the race ended, he told me that the horse he had bet on (over the computer) was the winner.  He had won about 200 Euro.  I don’t know if he owns the house he was in, rents it, or was just a guest.  Anyway he can enjoy the beauty and cool weather of this mountain village while still indulging in real time in his passion (vice?) for betting on the races.