I’m perversely partial to reading the Becker Posner blog, a dialogue on various themes between Economics professor Gary Becker and Law professor and judge Richard Posner. Posner’s worldview, is always worth a chuckle, were it not for the fear lurking at the back of your mind that he actually means even half of what he […]
One of the more interesting figures on the Italian political scene is Antonio di Pietro, founder of the Italia dei Valori party, and someone who first came to public prominence as a prosecuting magistrate during the mani pulite era, when Italy’s ruling political class was decimated by investigations into corruption. Di Pietro’s party, founded in […]
The Presidential election victory in France of Nicolas Sarkozy has meant that, by necessity, this entry concerns representatives of Italy’s centre-right parties. Had Segolene Royal won, no doubt exactly the same problem would have reared its head, but from the other side of the political stage – and one uses the word stage advisedly. Sarkozy’s […]
This monkey has already written about the daubing of the slogan ‘Shame on you Bagnasco’ on the doors of Genoa’s cathedral, suggesting that it was wrong to term this a threat, as most of the media immediately did.
Some hotheads somewhere decided to up the ante, though, and daubed walls in Genoa, and elsewhere, with bona fide threats to the head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. Slogans like ‘Death to Bagnasco’ have cropped up on walls.
Then, at the weekend, the Bishop – who, in reference to Italy’s impending legislation on rights for co-habiting couples (including homosexuals), likened homosexuality to incest and paedophilia – received a bullet in an envelope. Something no-one, regardless of how bigoted they maybe, should have to endure.
There’s an interesting blog entry on the Times Literary Supplement site, from regular columnist Mary Beard, on the subject of Hadrian’s Wall. Beard gives a quick history lesson to George W. Bush, and the Knesset, regarding their proposed and actual defensive barriers*. Beard deconstructs the conservative-comforting image of Hadrian’s wall, that of an impressive barrier […]
Like a spy on the wall I take notes in the corner while a tired-looking Futureheads run through their soundcheck. It’s the first night of their short Italian tour, and things are not sonically as they should be. The band haven’t toured much this year, after their acrimonious split with their label, Warners. They’re taking […]
Right-on left-winger Fausto Bertinotti, member of the Rifondazione Comunista party and currently elected speaker of the lower chamber of deputies in Italy, during the week popped on a visit to the main Greek Orthodox monastery on Mt. Athos. As part of the junket informative trip Fausto checked out the groovy energy-supply systems employed by the […]
Silvio was in St. Petersburg the weekend that his buddy Vladimir Putin decided to take preventative measures against opposition protesters. His verdict? Illegal protests that the police had to clear in order to guarantee traffic circulation – a situation completely blown up by the media. Meanwhile, back in Silvio’s studios in Italy, the disney-like newscast […]
Slightly old news, but worth commenting on briefly. Italy has come up with a slick new corporate logo to brand it’s tourism advertising. A wad load of cash was spent on the corporate rebranding.
The proposed code of conduct for Blogs, outlined by wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Internet 2.0 guru Tim O’Reilly has generated little interest in the media here in Italy thus far. This strikes me as strange, given the general preoccupation with privacy, and the tendency of the news here to jump on every possible scandalous […]
