Buzzurro

This blog has moved ! Our new address is www.buzzurro.net

2005-11-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

J.Doe and I are moving and this blog is moving too !
We have a new blog that replaces this.
The new address is
www.buzzurro.net

Please change your bookmarks !
See you in our new blog.

We are moving to the US

2005-11-26T04:44:00.000-05:00

J.Doe ed io ci trasferiremo negli Stati Uniti entro poche settimane.

In un altro post, tratteremo piu' in dettaglio delle motivazioni che ci hanno spinto a questa decisione.

Per il momento, diciamo che ci stiamo trasferendo li' allo scopo di migliorare la nostra vita.

Invece di fare come tanti, che si lamentano, e basta, delle cose che non vanno nella loro vita quotidiana, noi cerchiamo di cambiarla in meglio.

Quindi, tra un po', i post del blog Buzzurro verranno sparati non dall'Italia, dove siamo attualmente, ma dagli Stati Uniti.

Ciao ciao

Now in English:

J.Doe and I are moving to the United States in a few weeks.

We will discuss more extensively the reasons of this choice.

Now I will just say that our move is aimed at improving our life.

We are not acting like many who just complain about things that don't work in their lives, without doing a thing, instead we try to improve ours.

So, in a short time, Buzzurro's blog posts will be published not from Italy, where we currently are, but from the U.S.

Ciao ciao

Another day, Another Strike in Italy

2005-11-25T15:31:00.000-05:00

This really pisses me off. Sure, workers have a right to ask for more money, but did they ever hear of mediation ?

Piero Fassino complained that the government had "blocked the country's growth and made Italians' jobs precarious."

OK, now do you think going on strike every other month is going to help the Italian economy? Do you think losing one days wages is going to make all Italians richer? And, how do you think the jobs got precarious, you bozo Fassino? Perhaps by going on strike every month?

Every other month it seems there is another large strike affecting something important.
This time the strike is to complain about the proposed budget cuts for 2006.
Why they can't just write letters to all those politicians in parliament, I don't know.

These strikes are stagnating everything. The Italian Economy is either growing very little or not growing at all. If they keep on striking, the 'growth' will be negative...

A Happy Thanksgiving...

2005-11-24T15:57:00.000-05:00

...to my wife, to my in-laws, to all American people who I know in person, to all Americans who read this, and to all of you who celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving !

2005-11-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

The Pharmaceutical Monopoly in Italy

2005-11-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

A week after I first arrived in Italy I developed a headache.
I walked to my local Supermarket to buy aspirin, but alas, I could not find them anywhere in the store.
When Buzzurro came home from work I told him that I looked all over for aspirin in the supermarket, and could not find them. He asked me if I had gone to a pharmacy.
"No," I answered. "Of course not. I went to the supermarket."
He replied that in Italy, ALL medicines, those requiring a prescription as well as those who don't, by Italian law can only be sold in a pharmacy.
The next day I went to a pharmacy and saw a box of aspirin on sale. There were 10 in a box and the price was 3 euros and 80 cent.
"What !" I thought to myself "3 euros and 80 cent. For 10 aspirin? Are they crazy here?" (but bought them anyway because I still did have a headache).
This was my first experience with the miseries brought upon the Italian nation by the monopoly of pharmacies, Federfarma.

Federfarma is opposed to the selling of over the counter OTC medications in any place other than a pharmacy.
Of course this keeps the prices of the non-prescription medicines such as aspirin extremely high.
They set the prices.
Competition is not a factor at all.
Their reasoning being that selling non-prescription medicines in a store other than a pharmacy is dangerous and will create grave risks for diseases caused by misuse or overmedication.

They want the public to buy all medicines in a pharmacy because the pharmacist explains the doses of medicine needed and how to correctly use them.
I for one have never had a pharmacist explain to me how to take an aspirin.
I buy them at their extremely high price, go home, and read the instruction booklet for the medicines which is included in the box of them.
I assume that other people in Italy can read and do this too.
Non-prescription medicine is the costliest in Italy than in all of Europe, the US and for all I know, the rest of the world.
I read somewhere that there is a small group of Italian consumers that they have a petition requesting the sale of non-prescription medications in stores other than pharmacies.
I don't know who they are, I've never seen a petition, but sign me up ! It's a worthy cause.

Jobs in Italy

2005-11-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

According to ANSA news service, getting jobs in Italy requires contacts.
You just figured that out now ANSA reporters? You didn't get your jobs based on skill I see.

Recently a survey was done showing that 'raccomandazioni' (connections) are still thriving.

The poll of 100,000 private firms by the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce (Unioncamere) found that almost 43% were in the habit of hiring people they knew.
Only 43 percent ? Just looking around, I think the true number would be 99.9 percent.

Why I am Against the Death Penalty (Most of the Time)

2005-11-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

Ruben Cantu was 17 in 1984 when he was charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of a man during an attempted robbery in San Antonio. The victim was shot nine times with a rifle before the gunman unloaded more rounds into the only eyewitness.
The eyewitness, Juan Moreno, told the Chronicle that it wasn't Cantu who shot him. Moreno said he identified Cantu as the killer during his 1985 trial because he felt pressured and was afraid of authorities.
Cantu was executed at age 26. He had long professed his innocence.

If a person is put in jail for a long time, and years later if new evidence appears to prove him innocent the state can simply open the jail doors, perhaps pay the person some compensation money for being locked up for a part of his/her and let them go.

If a person is executed however, and years later if new evidence appears they are dead. There is nothing to be done to bring him/her back to life.

There are certain times when I do think the death penalty is just. If there is overwhelming DNA evidence, or if the crime is caught on camera, or maybe a credible confession...

Benefits of Tipping

2005-11-20T04:49:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I tried to explain to somebody why I prefer to pay a tip in a restaurant because it leads to better service.
The server wants as big a tip as possible so will often go out of his/her way to give good service.
They responded of course that the system in Italy of paying all the waiters and waitresses more so the clients do not have to leave a tip is better.
Since in all restaurants you have to pay a cover charge (usually 1 to 2 Euros) and a 10 percent service charge it amounts to paying the same money for eating a meal at a restaurant anyway, I didn't argue wholeheartedly. Maybe I should have.

Yesterday Buzzurro and I went to a restaurant/pizzeria. I should have known something was wrong, by the lack of other customers in this restaurant, but, well, we eat dinner early in Italy (7:45pm) so it's not uncommon to find only 1 or 2 other patrons in restaurants.
We went to a large restaurant with beautiful artwork on the walls and 2 floors. 3 waitresses were gossiping amongst themselves in the corner on the first floor..
" The customers will surely come later." I thought to myself.
The waitress sat us at a table on the second floor. Then she went back to talk to her friends.
We decided what we wanted to eat right away, and signalled that we wanted to order. All to no avail. Nobody came up to take our order, so Buzzurro went down the stairs to where the waitress were all congregating and talking to each other and said:
"We are ready to order now."
Our waitress gave him a dirty look as if to say "Don't interupt my conversation !" But went to our table anyway and took our order.
10 minutes later she brought us our food. She slammed it on the table and stormed away.

Excuse me for ruining your day, lady, by making you work, but YOU are getting paid and WE are paying.

When we were done with our meal the same thing happened to us. Nobody was in sight and we wanted our bill so we could pay and leave.
Finally Buzzurro went down the stairs and saw our waitress talking to the other waitresses, who hadn't moved from the spot either. He asked for our bill.
Our waitress replied without interest "Yeah, OK" But 15 minutes later when she still didn't arrive at our table we just got up and went to the cash register, where there was somebody.
We repeated our order. Paid. And Left. The whole time of course our waitress was still in the corner with the others talking.
Now I understand why there were hardly any customers in the restaurant. The food was OK, but the service stinks. Who wants to pay for that ?
Under a tipping system our waitress would have received a very small tip, and she would have wisened up fast and changed her behavior if only to get bigger tips.
Under the non-tipping system that they have here she was paid the same whether she was nice or not.
There was no incentive to be nice or friendly at all and as you know from reading the many posts on this blog, being nice and friendly is not a natural trait of North/Central Italy.

Al Qaeda Does What to Civilians ?

2005-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Al Qaeda had a suicide bomber drive a car into a Iraqi muslim funeral today, killing 25 people.

Yesterday, Mr. Al Zarwaki said that Al Quada "did not target Muslim civilians."
Who did he think was going to attend this funeral anyway ? Coalition forces ? Israelis ? Jooos ?
Obviously Muslims were there. What a liar. A Hypocrite.

Read about it here.

I am against suicide bombings against any people, Muslim, Jew, Christian, American or Spanish, military or civilian, but especially civilian.
Zarqawi is full of lies. He is saying one thing and doing another. I can see it, and it looks like several people are finally opening their eyes and seeing the truth too.

There was a rally in Jordan with approximately 200,000 participants, several calling Al Zarqawi a "coward" and saying that he should "burn in hell."

Several radical Islamic websites that normally celebrate al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks are now replete with criticism of the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent Muslims.

This is a small, but welcome step. Perhaps if everyone, even the fanatic and non-fanatic supporters of Al Qaeda see that he is hypocritical, maybe, just maybe Al-Qaeda will lose it's welcome in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Another article of interest about the same topic as above.

Cats get Justice

2005-11-19T04:06:00.000-05:00

A woman was sentenced by a court to spend the night in a park without food or shelter because she abandoned kittens to the same fate. Well, not exactly the same, she is allowed to have water. She also has to go to jail for 60 days and pay a fine after all abandoning animals is a crime.

She abandoned 33 cats in 2 parks near Lake Metropark, in northeastern Ohio, and subsequently a few of them died, or are sick.

The sentencing judge wanted her "to suffer the same consequences as those kittens."

Some people might think this is a severe punishment. I don't. As much as cats are independent animals and act like they don't need humans to survive, they do. Especially when they are in the kitten stage of life.

I wish more judges handed out unusual sentences like this, especially those in Italy, where the abandonment of domestic animals is quite common, especially in the summer holiday months.

Read more about it here.

Thank you Drudge Report.

Who stole my USB key ?

2005-11-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

This USB key, if stolen, is able to send an email to the legit owner saying: hey, I'm here, here's the IP address of the PC I'm connected to, take me back home ! Cool.

Not only...

It can be remotely controlled, so that it clears out all data it contains. Not bad.

And, who stole my laptop ?

[Via Geeksquare]

A story

2005-11-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

When the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the great Rabbi Israel Shem Tov, saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted.

Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Maggid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: “Master of the Universe, listen ! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer,” and again the miracle would be accomplished.

Still later, Rabbi Moshe-leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say, “I do not know how to light the fire. I do not know the prayer, but I know the place, and this must be sufficient.” It was sufficient, and the miracle was accomplished.

Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhin to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: “I am unable to light the fire, and I do not know the prayer, and I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and this must be sufficient.” And it was sufficient.

And you know why ? Because God loves stories.

News from Paris: Polygamy a Possible Factor for the Riots

2005-11-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

I know that the MSM has been bending over backwards when discussing the riots in France to not use the M word (Muslim), but this is ridiculous.

The problem is not polygamy it is a lack of feeling French.

France is trying hard to be secular society, but according to me, J.Doe, to deny that most of the present, or all of the early rioters are Muslim is to do a grave disservice to finding the root of the problem and possibly correcting it. Throwing more money at the affected areas won't do it. Letting 14 year old children out of school so they can learn trades won't help either.

Thanksgiving Lists

2005-11-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by Gia-gina to list 10 shallow things I am thankful for and 10 things I am genuinely thankful for. I admit that I had to look at Google first to see exactly what a meme was. Technical and blogspeak terms evade me. Starting with "On" Button.
Here are my lists.

10 Shallow Things I am Thankful for:

1. Most of my houseplants have survived the years of living with me and my notoriously black thumb.
2. I can take many pictures with my digital camera and not have to spend thousands of Euros on film and developing fees. I can just delete whatever comes out bad (80%).
3. My brother made it across the finish line in a runner's marathon (because if he didn't I'd hear about 'Why I didn't' for months).
4. One of my neighbors went to work today so I was able to sit in my livingroom and surf the internet without hearing him argue with his roommate.
5. It rained yesterday and I actually had an umbrella with me.
6. I made it through Italian Driving School without killing anyone/being killed (even though I had been driving for 17 years in the US before I moved here). The roads are scary places.
7. There is a sale next week at the market near my house on rucola (arugula). I am addicted to that stuff. I never ate it in the US before, but it is really good. (and healthy too!)
8. Wine is cheap in Italy (not that I'm an alcoholic or anything, but I appreciate wine).
9. Tiramisu'. Need I say more? (well I will. I always hated Tiramisu' in the US, but here in Italy it is delicious).
10. I love how Buzzurro says my name, even when he's mad at me.

10 Things I am Genuinely Thankful for.

1. They finally turned the building heat on so I don't have to nearly freeze every morning and night.
2. The Italian Countryside is breathtaking beautiful and when my husband and I take drives around to see it I am at peace.
3. I get to relax and vent my frustrations out on our blog (so thank you to all you readers who at the same time are my therapists J ).
4. We have 2 computers in our house so Buzzurro and I don't have to share.
5. My brother and his wife had a baby girl, my first niece. She is the cutest thing too!
6. I met my soulmate in Italy, my dear husband, Buzzurro, who I love with all my heart.
7. My parents taught me to be independent.
8. My health is very good compared to many others.
9. I am a good cook because I like to eat well.
10. The conversations Buzzurro and I have in any place, at any time.

I would like to pass this Meme to Indigo Bubbles, Mad Minerva and Nickie Goomba. The meme is to make your own shallow things I am thankful for and genuine things I am thankful for list and post it on your blog.

My first Thanksgiving in Italy

2005-11-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is not an Italian Holiday.

Yet nevertheless, as an American woman it was a holiday that I have warm memories of, and I wanted to keep that feeling alive.
My husband had obviously never celebrated it before, so I wanted to make this year's thanksgiving extra special.
The year was 2002.

Not only was it my first Thanksgiving in Italy, but it was my first Thanksgiving as a married woman.
Even though there are only 2 of us in my household -me and my husband- I was determined to get all of the foods required for a real, proper Thanksgiving meal to show him a little what it's about...

My planning started a few days before. I went into a store that sells English and American products and looked for cranberries. I didn't find any.
The store did however sell canned cranberry sauce. I looked at the price tag... 6 Euro.
Too expensive for a can of cranberry sauce !
I decided at that point to forget it. Who needs cranberry sauce anyway ?

I then went to the supermarket to buy things they called sweet potatoes, and zucca, which I thought was pumpkin, but after I bought a chunk and got home, discovered that it was more like a butternut squash.

I also saw that the store sold turkey legs, so I figured that somewhere there must be a whole turkey in hiding but, no.
For that you have to go to a butcher shop.

I then went to a butcher and told the guy behind the counter that I wanted a turkey.
He pointed to some dead chickens complete with feet and heads hanging from the ceiling.

I repeated my question, thinking that maybe he didn't understand me when I said TURKEY.
I was expecting one of those big breasted animals that I'm used to seeing. The butcher again pointed to those chicken-looking things hanging from the ceiling.

On closer inspection I did see the crown that you find on turkey heads on these creatures, but after seeing their yellow feet I just couldn't move myself to buy one.

I know that turkeys have feet, but I'm too used to buying my food pre-packaged with the head and feet removed.
I decided NOT to buy turkey. Who needs turkey on thanksgiving ?

"It will be a just have to be a vegetarian Thanksgiving" I thought to myself.

As justification I reasoned that my husband and I are not really fans of turkey anyway.

Back to those items that I thought were sweet potatoes they weren't. They were hard as rocks and white inside.
There were 4 in each package.
When I saw a worm crawl out of one I threw them all away.
We had regular potatoes in the house for mashed potatoes anyway.

I was planning on serving both kinds of potatoes, but, well, who needs sweet potatoes when there are already mashed potatoes being served ?

The 'pumpkin' I bought was just too hard to mash up to make a pumpkin pie.
And the canned mix they sell in the stores cost 6.50 Euro.
Too much to spend on a can of pumpkin mix !
Oh well. Who needs dessert anyway. Just extra calories.

The greenbeans I made looked a little funny without the fried onions that I usually use for a topping, but oh well you can't have everything.

Buzzurro came home early from work that day for a lovely thanksgiving dinner of mashed potatoes and greenbeans and of course lasagna.
It was not really special as I wanted, more like a normal meal.
Next year we'll just order pizzas.

Hot Chocolate

2005-11-15T13:22:00.000-05:00

Another day has gone by in which I have not been paid for work I did in September/early October.
It is very frustrating, and sometimes I feel like screaming.
I think today that instead of writing a negative blog entry about Italy, I'll just chill for a while. Relax. Drink a glass of Chianti.... or better yet, I think I'll go to the bar and have a hot chocolate.

When I first came to Italy and I went to a coffee shop I saw on the menu they had several types of hot chocolate. One was 65 percent cocoa, another was 70 percent cocoa and the third was 72 percent cocoa.
"How strange ?" I thought. As I ordered the 65 percent cocoa because it was the cheapest.

What the barista handed me was nothing I had ever seen before. He handed me a coffee cup with what looked like thick, gooey mud in it. I tasted it anyway. It was out-of-this-world good ! It tasted like liquified fine chocolate ! It was heavenly ! The hot chocolate in Italy is the best.
It tastes nothing like the stuff called Hot chocolate in the US that sometimes has little marshmallows floating in it, sometimes not ! It even has the color of chocolate instead of the watered down brown that is found in the US types.
Even the powdered mixes you buy in the store and add to milk at home are so much better than the hot chocolate of the US.

Tourists may come to Italy for the beaches, for the art, for the outdoor scenic views, but only those coming in the Winter/late Fall/early Spring will be able to taste the best hot chocolate there is !

Update: After writing this post I did go to a bar and ordered a hot chocolate. I must say it was the worst I ever tasted in my life. Figures !

The Italy Blues

2005-11-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

When I first arrived in Italy I saw the grand old buildings, the museums filled with great works of art and the wonderful scenery with amazing views of natural beauty.
Italy was a quaint village, all the way down to its cobblestone streets.
I ate the best food and drank the best wine and coffee. I saw friendly people that said goodbye when you left their store.

3 and a half long years later, I am singing a different tune.
Those grand old buildings that I once admired are now rundown, uncared for buildings that are in need of new paint, or repairs or just something, and the cute cobblestone streets I now see are overrun with large quantities of trash.
Instead of seeing all the great works of art I see the graffitti on the walls.
Now that I understand Italian better I understand that the people are not friendy, but the rudest I've ever seen.
When they say goodbye to you in the store it is a custom.
Italy is big on customs.
For genuine niceness it is just not the place to be. I no longer see a quaint village in Italy but a society that is hopelessly stuck in the 1800s when it actually offered the word something.

What changed ?
Not Italy. Things never change here. Must have been me.

What has happened to me to turn this Italy admirerer into an Italy non-admirer ?
Could it have anything to do with needing to fill out 300 different forms for a service, only to find out that what's good for one area of government is not good for the others ?
(Example: What's good for the police at customs is not good for the Italian Motor Vehicles Department)
Yes, the bureacratic inefficiency here is a nightmare.

Is it that I can't seem to find a job due to legalized age discrimination ?
Jobs here post a maximum age, usually in the low 20s. I am in my mid 30s. Therefore, I am an unemployable old hag.
Could it be that when I miraculously do find a job with either a bad contract or an illegal "black" job I either get paid very late and after days of bitchy phone calls, or maybe not at all ?

Perhaps if I were able to attain some liveable standard of economic stability I would not feel this way. I am frustrated beyond belief.

I definitely have the Italy blues.

Look what Lieutenant Dan (Of Forrest Gump fame) is doing now in Iraq ?

2005-11-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

Gary Sinise (best known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the film Forrest Gump) is a cofounder of the organization Operation Iraqi Children.
On a visit to Iraq in 2003, Mr. Sinise was saddened to see that Iraqi children often go to schools that lack in everything from pencils, and books, to working toilets and floors.
Under Saddam Hussein the school system was not updated.

"How are the kids supposed to lear anything in school without basic supplies, such as pencils and books ?"

Sinise continues to stay in touch with the troops in Iraq. From them he hears the good news that he says is overlooked in press coverage from Iraq.

"I get another side of the story that we don't hear through the media," he said. "And it's more positive things happening than you would think based on the perception that we have on a daily basis."

The news reports, he said, are "always about a bomb or a suicide bomber or somebody getting killed. Of course that's dramatic and all of that but, on a day-to-day basis, there is a lot of improvement; there's a lot of hope, a lot of kids that are going to school that never got to do that before."

What difference might a school book make? For Sinise, all the difference in the world.

"If we can help these little kids," he said, "and they can see that there is freedom to learn - to just go to school and have a pencil and learn - something might happen in the way they grow up, and take charge of their own country."

Here is their website: http://operationiraqichildren.org/.

But I do speak Italian !

2005-11-13T03:05:00.000-05:00

When I first arrived in Italy I had a very limited Italian Language vocabulary. This did not stop me from looking for a job, however.
I figured that since Internet Cafes are mostly frequented by tourists, many of which speak some English ranging from fluent to a few words, I could work there.

At the first internet cafe I found, I asked if they were hiring. The girl at the desk didn't answer me, but asked me for my CV (resume).
I handed it to her, she looked at it and then asked me, "Do you speak Italian fluently ?"
"No" I replied. "I am currently taking Italian language classes though."
And she replied "We are in Italy. You have to speak Italian fluently." And of course I did not get that job. I did not get any job that day. Not a big surprise there. She was right after all.

Today, 3 years later I went to a local market.
I saw a table with some beautiful jewelry. I saw the seller, and in Italian I said, "Good morning. Are those earrings real silver ?" and he answered me, not in Italian which I know, but English, an English that was unintelligible even to me, a native English speaker.

I'm not sure what he said, but it sounded like. "Make make mine blue. Twelve euro."

I really didn't understand the answer (except for the price) so I repeated the question in Italian.
"Are those earrings real silver ?" "Make make mine blue. Twelve Euro!" he insisted, as he gestured at me to try them on.

I am sure that he heard in my voice when I first spoke to him in Italian an English accent. Everybody does.. He was probably only trying to be nice to me.
Maybe he learned English somewhere and just wanted to practice it. Who knows his motives for trying to speak in English to a person that addressed him in Italian, but it was 10 AM on a busy morning.
I had things to do, and so did he. I was not in the mood to play a guessing game.

I finally said, in Italian "I don't understand. Please speak Italian" and he did !

It happens to me so many times when I go to the touristy areas in Italy that I ask for something in Italian, and I get a response in English. It's not worth fighting anymore.
I usually just go with the flow. If people can understand me, and I can understand them, life works.
After all, language is just for communication, and if you can communicate, it doesn't even matter if they are the same.
But sometimes it pays to be a little rude and insist on speaking Italian.

We're number one !!!!

2005-11-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

If you go to the Technorati search website, http://www.technorati.com, and type in the words 'idiots abroad' and look in 'Blogs About News', the first blog you will see is ours, Buzzurro blog.

We're famous !!!
We're number one !!
Although in this case, it's better to be number 867 !

News from Jordan

2005-11-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

Al Qaeda was behind the bombings at the 3 hotels in Amman where 57 people died.

27 of the victims were Palestinians. 1 of them was Israeli.

Read About It here.

Aren't they supposed to be on the side of the Palestinians ? Is this how they show their support ?

"I'm not Italian or American, I'm _____(insert country of choice-non English speaking)"

2005-11-12T02:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a nice sunny day by me.
The perfect day for a walk. Perfect for me, and perfect for about 3 million others too.
The streets were filled with dogs pooping on the sidewalk while their owners smoke like chimneys, little old ladies with those shopping carts on wheels just daring anybody to walk in front of them, old men on bicycles that look like they were around at the time of the second world war, young men on motorinos driving the wrong way on the one way road (only 2 today-a good day), me and a pair of Mormons looking for converts.

When I first arrived in Italy I was surprised to see pairs of well dressed people with bags full of little books walking down the street.
"Those look like Mormons looking for converts" I said to my husband.
"Those ARE Mormons looking for converts" he replied.
I was shocked. Of course many of them are American or English, and Italy seems to have an obsession for things American and English, both good and bad, so, why not Mormons too ?
Back to my walk, I have learned early on, that unless I want to discuss Mormon philosophy for hours the best thing to say is, of course, that I am a foreigner in Italy and do not speak Italian because obviously, they do, but I also must say that I do not speak English.
I cannot say that I am American, but neither can I say that I am Canadian, English, Austrailan or any other English speaking country nationality.
I also do not want to say "I No Speak Italiano o Eengleesh. I French..", or Spanish or German or any other language that their is a good probability that someone knows.
For this reason I usually say "I am from Slovakia." Or the Ukraine. Nowadays I'm using Polish, so I told the 2 Mormons on the street that I am from Poland.
That shuts them up fast. They want to hand out their little booklets and convert the infidels (in this case Catholic) to their religion.
I am not embarassed to be American or to speak English, but sometimes it is just faster to say you are neither and walk away.

In Memory of the Italians who died in Nasiriyah on this day, November 12 in 2003

2005-11-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

We will never forget your sacrifice.
Your deaths were not in vain.
Rest in Peace.

Explosions in Jordan

2005-11-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

There has been another terrorist attack in Jordan. 3 luxury hotels were targeted, presumbly because they are American. One of them isn't. Al Qaeda goofed. It is joint Palestinian and Jordanian.
This would almost be comical in itself if the results weren't so deadly.
A statement from a hotel representative.

57 people died. Businessmen. Tourists. Employees. All innocent. Several people were celebrating a wedding. The terrorist walked into the wedding ballroom, saw it was a wedding and detonated himself.
I don't care what your position is on the Iraqi war, if you think coalition forces should be there or not.
I don't care what your position is in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.
There can be no justification for this. None at all.

Natasha Tynes said it best on her blog but I will repeat it:

To Whoever did this,
May you enjoy the hell that is awaiting you, where, to your dismay, you will be greeted by seven demons instead of your long-awaited virgins !
May you rot in hell over and over again along with Zarqawi, Bin Laden, Bin Shit and all those that support you.
Nothing in the world can justify this. Those that try to justify this can rot in hell as well !
May God protect my country and my people. May God bless the souls of those barbarically massacred today. We will never forget !

Why I Don't Think the Muslim Riots Will Spread to Italy

2005-11-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Muslim riots that started in France over the deaths of 2 teenagers and is now fueled by 'frustrations' has seeming spread to other European cities, such as Brussels and Berlin.

More details here:

One of the Italian center left politicians, Romano Prodi, has said that the riots may happen in Italy.
Of course they may, and tomorrow the world may be invaded by little green men who come from Mars.
Nobody can read the future, but what we can do instead is to take educated guesses about what will happen.
He gave his. Now I will give mine.
It might be a little less educated in the formal sense than his, but as it states in the title of this blog "I might be wrong, but I doubt it."
I wasn't born yesterday! I have 2 eyes and a brain (and an internet connection)
It is true that many Muslim immigrants live in ghetto-like areas, can't seem to get jobs, and then when they do they are either illegal 'nero' jobs or jobs with illegal contracts.
But, this is the case for most Italians.
There aren't segregated Muslim quarters in which they live. There is much more integration. At least for their Italian-born children.

If their children are of working age and claim discrimination against them, they are probably right, but then again there will be discrimination against 99.9 percent of the population looking for jobs not offered in companies owned by family or friends of family too.

The Italian government might treat their new immigrants as scum, but then they treat native Italians as scum too, so there will be no "if only we were treated like Italian citizens life would be better" because their treatment would still be the same. Bad.

The main reason why I think riots won't spread to the Muslim immigrants in Italy is that unlike the rioters in France that are largely made up of 2nd and 3rd generation french citizens, most immigrants here are first generation and remember clearly why they wanted to immigrate in the first place.

They remember well what they left. They are happy to be here.
Everybody else in Italy may riot, but not them.

Rudeness, Part 305

2005-11-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

Today I went to the bathroom in a huge shopping center. Like usually happens in all shopping centers around the world, the men's room was empty and there was a line for the ladies room. I have been to this shopping center many times. There is one toilet for the men, and one toilet fo the women.

The 2 people in front of me in the line were a mother and a daughter who was maybe 4.
The little girl, being a typical little girl kept saying loudly "Mama, I have to go to the bathroom". And the mother always responded "We have to wait". And the little girl, being a little girl, kept saying "Why ?" as she walked around the bathroom.

After a few minutes a man walked into the common restroom area, went into the men's room, did his business and left.
The women's room was still occupied.
After a few minutes the little girl started jumping up and down and said "Mama, I really have to go".
The mother responded "OK", and took the girl into the men's room.
Just as they finished their business, the door to the womens bathroom opened and out walked a man.
I could see some fabric on the floor of the womens bathroom where he exited, so I asked "Is there somebody else in there ?"
"Yes" he said, with a tone of voice that said "don't bother me".
Then the mother of the little girl, who also saw the man leave said to me "Is there someone else in there ? What are they doing ? I've been waiting a quarter of a hour, and we just couldn't wait anymore".
I responded "I don't know. There are 2 people in there. Maybe they were having sex. I don't know".

And at that point a woman walked out of the bathroom and angrily said to me "I was sick. I vomited. We were cleaning it up !"
Well, excuse me lady, I'm sorry you are sick, but there was a line of people waiting to use the toilet, and there were 2 of you in there.
Do you think one person could have at least NOTIFIED the other people what was going on? Especially since one of those people was a little girl who probably can't hold it in for long anyway ?

Talk about selfishness.

And then to be mad at me because I assumed the worst ?
(Maybe I was right too. When people vomit they make a sound, and the people in front of me were in the bathroom for 15 minutes and didn't hear anything...)

The Chutzpah of the United Nations

2005-11-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

Chutzpah is a yiddish word that is often translated in Engish as 'gall'.
The common example of chutzpah given is that of a child who murders his mother and father and then asks the court to have mercy on him because he is an orphan.
Here is another example, the UN decision that the US must pay the government of Iraq 208.5 million dollars for improper contracts when they have skimmed billions of dollars from the Iraqis in their Oil for Food program. Whether the US companies profitted wrongly by a few million dollars is besides the point. The United Nations stole more. As the cliche' goes, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
I first read about this amazingly absurd story here.

I agree with Basil's blog. Let the United Nations pay back all the money they illegally took from Iraq in their Oil for Food program, and then talk to the US about how they had improper contracts.

The UN Decision can be read about here.

Salaam Alikum world

2005-11-06T03:30:00.000-05:00

I read the news, I can see that the large majority of terrorists and suicide bombers are Muslim. This does not mean, however, that many Muslims are terrorists, suicide bombers or even support those 2 groups of people.
Several politicians bend over backwards to point out the difference betweens regular Muslims and Islamofascist Muslims, several bloggers bend over backwards to do so too but some don't. This disturbs me.
When I was younger I had an Egyptian friend. Her father was a very religious man. He loved to read the Koran and had many religious books.
He told me many times that the Iranian takeover of the US embassy was against Islam. He was opposed to the regime there.
He told me that suicide and suicide bombing is forbidden in Islam, the moreso if it takes out innocent lives.
He told me that the wearing of the hijab by women should be optional.
He told me that women should be able to drive and to vote and was by no means a fan of Saudi Arabia.
He said that men have no right to abuse women, physically or mentally.
I went to their mosque several times,and while I did put on a hijab when I was there it must have been obvious that I had never been in a mosque before. Nobody there said anything negative to me.
I never had any problems with her friends or family, and many of them too were religious.
Even her uncle, who was a captain in the army in Gaza, and not pro-Israel was very nice to me.
Whenever I read/hear about Islam being a S***** religion I think of them, and cringe.

Alikum wa Salaam

But It Is Better HERE

2005-11-06T03:23:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Buzzurro and I took a trip to Naples. We really liked it. Yesterday we had lunch with some friends (both Italian). As we often do, we spoke about how wonderful Naples is.

"But it is better HERE," responded our friend.
"Oh" Buzzurro asked "have you been there before ?"
"No" was the response.
Well. Excuse me but how can you know if one place is better than another if you've never been to one of them before ?
Italian people rarely move around. They live and die where they are born, where their parents were born and many generations before them were born too. They are not mobile people. This is fine with me. It is not a problem. If people want to stay in an area where their family has been for generations, that is okay.
What is NOT okay is that they dismiss all other places as being horrible, dangerous, dirty gutter-like places. This attitude irritates me more more than everything. It is a type of closed-mindedness. A type of ethnocentrism (ethnocityism if you prefer).
I am tired of hearing "The beaches in Tuscany are better than the beaches in Sardinia" from people who've never been there.
I wouldn't go to a tax specialist to discuss a heart problem, so please, if you don't know what you are talking about, shut up.
Back to the discussion with our friend, OK, It is true. Naples has some bad areas, and bad people in it, but so do most cities. Even HERE ! There are many places HERE that I would not go at night unaccompanied by an army unit.
Do the riots in France stop tourists from going to France ? NO. I'm sure at this moment there are thousands of them. Probably not in those rioting areas, but those areas were never tourist attractions in the first place. France has beautiful places to visit. So does Naples.
And so does HERE.

Update on the Rally in Rome

2005-11-03T15:50:00.000-05:00

Tonight in Rome in front of the Iranian Embassy there is a torchlight protest against Ahmanijad's statement that Israel should be wiped off the map.
I was expecting maybe 20 people or so to show up, but to my surprise (happily I might add), there are hundreds of people at the rally. Many of them are carrying Israeli flags, and they are not burning them ! There are Jewish people, Catholic people and Muslim People.Italians and Iranians. There are center right and some center left.
The hard left and communist parties are against the rally because they say that Palestinian rights need to be addressed and there needs to be a 2 state solution. What they don't seem to understand is everyone is protesting that Israel has the right to exist. There cannot be a 2 state solution if one state is wiped off the map !

Buzzurro's note: I confirm, J.Doe looks astonished. She's watching TV, and repeats, over and over: I've never seen so many Israeli flags in Italy.

A Rally in Support of Israel's Right to Exist

2005-11-02T16:41:00.000-05:00

On Thursday November 3 at 9 PM of the Iranian embassy in Rome there will be a rally in support of the existence of Israel.

There will also be rallies in support of Israel's right to exist in:

Torino in Piazza Palazzo di Cita' November 3 at 6:30 PM

Milan in Piazza Diaz (Duomo) in front of the Iranian consulate on November 3 at 6:30 PM

Bologna in Piazza Nettuno November 3 at 9 PM.

How much is our blog worth ?

2005-11-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

J.Doe asked me: what does this mean ? It's just a game, I guess it is supposedly the blog's market value if filled with advertising:

My blog is worth $92,584.56.
How much is your blog worth?

But I don't think we're gonna pay the bills with our blog.

What Cabbage Do You Want ? and other Italian curses translated into English

2005-10-31T12:39:00.000-05:00

Often times words in Italian do not translate into English and visa versa, especially the curse words.

Imagine going to work one day and seeing your co-worker solve a problem and saying 'What butt !'

You'll likely be shown the door with a nice sexual discrimination lawsuit soon to follow in the mail.
Here is a list of some of our faves.

What cabbage do you want ? Sounds like you are in the vegetable aisle of a supermarket instead of mad.

I don't care a saw. Do you care a hammer and nails ?

Don't break my boxes ! Something you might expect an upset Federal Express employee to say

Pig misery. What about goldfish in those tiny fishbowls ? They look miserable too.

And for the terrible blasphemers... Pig God. Don't say it in front of a church. In Italy they'll throw you in jail, in the US they'll throw you in a padded cell.

And for the really terrible blasphemers... Madonna dog. Even if you like the early songs sung by Madonna

Halloween in Italy

2005-10-31T12:03:00.000-05:00

20 years ago in Italy Halloween in Italy did not exist. Over the years it has inched its way into Italian society, but in a slightly different form.
Today many stores sell Halloween costumes, decorations and candy in little 'snack size' bags, but Halloween is seen as more of a party theme than a holiday in itself.
If you happen to see children in costumes on the streets it is much more likely that they are going to or coming from a party rather than going door to door and trick or treating.

Happy Halloween! :-)

They Serve Pasta Dishes in Italy ?????

2005-10-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago the sister and brother-in-law of my American friend came to Italy.
They were on a whirlwind visit to Italy.4 cities in 4 days. They live in Southern California. I lived there for 14 years. In fact, I even worked across the street from my friend's sister for a while. (I didn't know my friend at that time though) I wanted to meet her sister and brother-in-law, and they wanted to meet me too, but they were short on time. I did finally meet them at a restaurant in the train station for a few minutes before their train to Rome departed.

I asked my friend's brother-in.law, 'How do you like Italy so far?. And he responded 'Italy is OK, but I hate the food. Every time I go into a restaurant it is always pasta, pasta, pasta. What's with the pasta? There is just too much of it. I am so sick of it now!!'

OK, anybody who goes to Italy and is surprised to see many pasta dishes on menus of restaurants is, in my humble opinion, an Idiot (note the capital I).

The fact that the said person only reads through one half of a menu before deciding that pasta is the only food that the restaurant serves secures the fact that they are indeed an Idiot (with a capital I).

In Italy meals are divided into 2 courses, The first one is called a first course (primo piatto) This consists of pasta or rice dishes.
The second course (secondo piatto) consists of meat, usually beef or fish or poultry.
Therefore for a person to walk into a restaurant and decide that only pasta dishes are seved , that person is just not reading the entire menu. Only half.

The only restaurant that I have ever even seen that serves only pasta is in fact one that exists in California. All the restaurants in Italy, while serving a lot more pasta dishes then restaurants in the US, serve a balanced menu with many different selections.

Look and use your noodle before judging !

Solicitors

2005-10-29T16:36:00.000-04:00

In the US you will often find on buildings and stores a sign that says 'No Soliciting' In Italy you won't, or if you do, it won't be enforced.

Saturday I decided to grab a sandwich at a bar. I chose one, paid, and then sat myself down at a table.
5 minutes later a solicitor, a seller of stuff I didn't want entered the bar and proceeded to ask all the clients eating what they bought at the bars tables if they wanted to buy his expensive stuff.
They all shook their heads 'No' and he moved on.

Then he gets to my table. I don't know what it is about me but ALL Non-Americans seem to be able to pick me out in a crowd as being American (what they think of as a rich tourist).
They see me as a human bank. Anyway, this life-form in the shape of a man asks me if I wanted to buy his stuff.
I said 'No thank you'. Not leaving a supposedly rich American tourist target alone, he then proceeded to beg me for money 'I'm hungry. I have no money. I have 3 kids. Help me.'
I felt bad for him, maybe it was true. I then saw that he had a package of 6 travel-size tissue packets with him. 'How much are the tissues ?' I asked, thinkining that maybe I will buy something from him after all.
'10 Euros' he replied.
Thinking that was a little expensive for tissues, I said 'No thank you'.
He insisted. He put them on the table. He cut the price down to 8 Euros. Then 6. The whole time I was protesting 'No' 'That's too much' ,' No thank you,', 'No' , and 'Please let me eat'.
The whole time the other clients at the 2 other tables occupied were staring at the scene we were causing.
So were at least 2 of the baristi behind the counter, yet even though I PAID 2.50 for my sandwich and 1 Euro for my water, no one came to rescue me and/or throw this guy out.
Finally I got up, took my sandwich and water and walked away, leaving him, the other customers and baristi that were watching, and that bar behind.
In the United States, sign or no sign, that aggressive selling/panhandling of paying customers is simply not allowed. I am not asking that stores in Italy become like those in the US, but show some respect for paying customers. Don't allow soliciting.

My observations on Southern Italians versus Northern Italians

2005-10-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

I don't want to sound like a tourist brochure, but, well, I will anyway.
Last month I had a student in my class who is from Naples, Italy. He told me that espresso coffee was invented there and tastes better.
'Sure!' I thought to myself.' Same water as here, same machines as here, coffee beans are grown in Columbia anyway, not Naples. What is this guy trying to prove?'
Then he said 'Pizza was invented there too. It is also better.'
'O.K.' I replied. Then, being the English teacher I am, changed the subject to verb tenses.

Last week I went to visit Naples, and I must say that every word that came from my students mouth are true.
The food in Naples is AWESOME.
The pizza is great, the coffee is great, the sweets are great, fried appetizers. I could go on.
If you haven't been there yet, go. Eat. Oh, you can also visit Mt. Vesuvius or tourist stuff if you want.

OK, I have only been in Southern Italy for 3 days as compared to 3 years in Northern Italy, so I am hardly an expert on Italian social behavior, but I noticed several differences.

One was in a restaurant. We ate dinner and dessert and then paid our bill to leave, and the waiter bought (or just brought) us 2 coffees that we hadn't paid for.
Truthfully we did leave a tip after the meal that would more than cover the price of 2 coffees, but the money we used as a tip was a tip for the service already provided, not future coffees.
In Northern Italy you get what you pay for and nothing more. A tip is a tip for what was, not what will be.
Another difference was inside a bar. I ordered a coffee. Was given a coffee. Then 2 minutes later the barista gave me a glass of what is called 'caffe freddo' and said 'try this.' For free !

Never would happen up north !
I won't go as far to say 'service with a smile' as often happens in the US, but it was a welcome change.
The people in Southern Italy just seem friendlier, from the clerk at the hotel to strangers who we asked for directions.

Was it false friendliness, just for getting a tip ?
Anyway, Buzzurro says, 'Better false friendliness than true rudeness'. The Southern Italians seem to grasp this more so than their Northern counterparts.

The Supermarket

2005-10-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

Today I went to one of my favorite places in Italy, the supermarket (SARCASM).
I made sure that I arrived at a time when the normally packed store is nearly empty.
In fact as soon as I walked inside it was quiet and there were hardly any people around.
Unfortunately though that also included workers.
Out of 9 cash registers, only one was open, and the line of customers waiting at it was huge.
Still, not to be discouraged, I did my shopping and then 30 minutes later took my place on this mega-galactic line.
You would think that having such a long line of customers waiting for service the cashier might want to hurry up a bit, but no, this is Italy.
They don't hurry up for anybody. The cashier felt it was her right to have a personal discussion with one of the clients.
Never mind the fact that everyone else's frozen food was melting.
Never mind the fact that the 2 children were whining and complaining and the mother (or grandmother) could do nothing to calm them down.
Never mind the fact that the husband of the older couple behind me complained (loudly) that his feet hurt.
Next time I'll do my shopping when the market is crazy busy with people, but at least the employees work.

Were Bloggers 'Crying Wolf' in Oklahoma ?

2005-10-19T16:06:00.000-04:00

No. I don't think so.

This relates to the story of the 21 year old Joel Hinrichs, the University of Oklahoma Engineering Student who on October 1 blew himself up within 100 yards of a football stadium attended by 85,000 people.

When the story came out it was largely ignored by the MSM, or just treated like a routine suicide. It was not, however, a routine suicide. A few days before blowing himself up, Joel Hinrich tried to purchase a large amount of amonium nitrate from a store that sells fertiliser. He failed, and constructed a homemade bomb using TATP, which is often used by Palestinian suicide bombers. He did not commit suicide in his own house, he not only chose a public place, but one nearby a football stadium with a game in progress, which there are rumors, true or not, that he tried to enter but did not when the guards asked to search his bag. He also had more explosives in his room.

A lot of blog writers (for example LGF, Michelle Malkin) noted the lack of interest by the MSM, and questioned the 'suicide'. They asked 'Was this a Jihadist terrorist bombing gone bad?' And there were several posts on this subject.

I just read yesterday that Cathy Young accused these bloggers of' crying wolf.' I don't think that is a fair judgement.

Some obvious questions arise. This is not a 'routine suicide', done by the more traditional methods in traditional places. If it is a suicide it is an abnormal one and the MSM and police should look into it, especially in this day and age of terrorism. It is the responsible thing to do. If his suicide was indeed a suicide I have sympathy for all his family and friends. If his suicide justso happens to be more than just a 'routine suicide' I have sympathy for us all. I don't think that asking questions such as 'Is it.' Or it isn't' are wrong. The MSM should do this. If they don't, it is up to the blogger community to.

Italian Shopping Carts

2005-10-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

I've been writing a lot of posts lately about what DOESN'T work or what I don't like in Italy, so here is a post dedicated to one thing that I do like.. the shopping carts.

The shopping carts used in the supermarkets are bigger then they are in the US, so that can be a plus if you eat a lot, but that is not why I like them.
I like them because you have to rent them for either 1 or 2 euros in order to use them.
When you are done shopping you can put them back in the rack that they came from and get all your money back.
I like this system because too many times while in the US (where 99.9 percent of the supermarkets have free shopping carts) my parked car has been hit by loose shopping carts who get tossed about with the wind.
The majority being of course, when my car was new.
In Italy the carts are not free and everybody who uses them wants to get back their money, so no one leaves them out loose, to be at the whim of the wind.

Soft boiled egg with asparagus on toast for breakfast

2005-10-17T11:46:00.000-04:00

What I'd like to taste, not necessarily for breakfast. The recipe is here.

Getting a first class flight upgrade for free

2005-10-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

Some suggestions on how to get your economy class flight upgraded for free: useful especially on long international flights.
Here (thanks to him/her/it/whatever).

Post Office

2005-10-17T11:14:00.000-04:00

After reading another bloggers experience at the Post Office (which was naturally a negative one) I decided to post one of my own.

Nobody likes going to the Post Office in Italy. It is a punishment, but a necessary one.
Today I had to pay one bill. I am used to the US where to pay a bill you write a check, slide it into the enclosed envelope, attach a stamp and drop it in the mailbox. Easy.

In Italy though, nothing is easy. Bills are paid in person, usually at the Post Office for a transaction fee of 1 Euro. I walked into the Post Office. It was almost empty. Almost, meaning 20 or so people. I have never seen it completely empty, except when it is closed of course.

I took a number from the number machine out front, looked at the numbers above each of the open windows. I only had 24 people in front of me.. as I mentioned before, the building was almost empty. A wait in a line of 24 people is like a walk in a park. There usually are more people waiting. Italy is a country of long lines.

I thought maybe in 15 minutes I would be done but 15 minutes later I wasn't much closer to the 'jackpot' of an open window.

I noticed that out of the 4 available windows, only 3 were in operation. I saw in the back of the room there was an employee engaged in a conversation with another. I don't mean to interrupt an interesting conversation, but she obviously had some free time on her hands, why didn't she go to an available window I though ?

Finally after 20 more people came into the Post Office and she decided to go to the empty window and the line moved much quicker.
I was finished in 30 minutes. Record time.

Bad Customer Service-continued

2005-10-15T05:08:00.000-04:00

Today my friend and I had lunch together at a little restaurant near where she works. The menu with prices was on the placemats that the waiter/owner put in front of us. I ordered a 5 Euro pizza, and she ordered a 5 Euro pizza and a 2 Euro coca cola.
The food and our conversation were really enjoyable, but finally the time came to ask for our bills so we could leave. The owner brought my bill. It was 5 Euro as expected. He also brought my friend's bill. It was 8 Euros. After studying it for a few seconds, she asked the owner ' Why is the bill 8 Euros? The menu says the pizza costs 5 and the coca cola costs 2 Euros. That should be 7 Euros total.'
And he replied 'Well, I served you a medium glass of coca cola. That is 3 Euros. 3 for the coca cola and 5 for the pizza is 8.'
To which she replied 'Why is a glass of coca cola 3 Euros ? It only says on the menu a coca cola is 2 Euros. It doesn't even say anything about sizes or glasses. There is only the one price of 2 Euros mentioned.'
To which he replied 'There was a misunderstanding. 2 Euros is for a can of coca cola. 3 Euros is for the medium glass, which I served you.'
She said 'This wasn't a misunderstanding. I didn't want a 3 Euro soda, I wanted a 2 Euro soda, which is on the menu.'
To which he said 'You pay for what you are served, and you were served a 3 Euro coca cola!'
So what did my friend do ? She PAID.
If it was me I would have made more of a fuss. I mean you cannot advertise one price and then charge another. In the US this would be illegal. Bait and switch. A crime. I've never even heard of a restaurant doing business like that. Talk about a fast way to lose customers. And over 1 lousy Euro too. The 2 of us will never go back there again.

Customer Service (or lack of it). Post number 999,999

2005-10-10T16:36:00.000-04:00

It never amazes me how little customer service in Italy there is. It never amazes me how rude store clerks can be to customers too.

I have been given the evil eye in restaurants because I asked to pay my bill while my waitress was engaged in a deep conversation with another and I was just interrupting them.
I have found a bug in my salad and offered a spoon to get it out. (no new salads or refunds offered).

There is no end to the bad customer service I have either received or see others receive.

Today I went into a bar for lunch that I have been frquenting all week since I work nearby.

In Italy most of the bars have a glass counter where you can see what they have to serve, be it pastries, sandwiches or plates of pasta. I spotted a plate of tortellini in what looked like a whitish sauce, but since there is never a menu stating what the food items for sale that day in this particular place, I asked the person behind the counter what kind of tortellini they were.
Tortellini are usually filled with a cheese and another ingredient such as spinach, which I eat, and prosciutto ham which I do not, so I thought that asking was a good idea,certainly not a rude one.

Following is a transcript of my conversation with that 'person' behind the counter:

Me: 'What kind of Tortellini are those?'
Clerk: 'Tortellini.'
Me. 'Yes. I can see that. What is inside the tortellini?'
Clerk :'I don't know. My son made them.' And she made no effort to find him to answer my question.
Me : (NOT BEING SATISFIED BY THIS ANSWER. I don'r care WHO made them, I just wanted to know what was inside them) 'Could you please ask him what is inside them?
Clerk: 'Oh. OH, OK.' She replied, as if she was doing me some great big favor by finding out the answer to my question. She then turned and lumbered off at a snail's pace towards the kitchen where her son was.

I mean, who is making the profit off of who? There are other restaurants in the area , Ms. Lady behind the Bar, including the one I will probably go to tomorrow.
If you don't want to solve the problem by having a menu nearby, at least be prepared to answer these 'stupid' questions such as 'What is that food item'. Not everybody has X-ray vision and can see through tortellini to find out the filling on their own, ya know.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she came back from the kitchen. She looks at me and says:
'The tortellini are filled with spinach and ricotta and with a walnut sauce. Would you like some parmesan cheese on them?' assuming that I'll order them.
In 30 seconds her son came out of the kitchen and slammed the plate of tortellini on my table. It seems that they took my request for asking what is inside the tortellini as a definite order for the tortellini.
What if my story was reversed and I liked prosciutto ham and not spinach and refused ? What would happen then ?

To end my story, I was very hungry, so I ate them. They tasted good-even if the rest of the service at the bar wasn't.

UPDATE:

Today I went to another restaurant for lunch. This is how that conversation went:

Clerk: 'Are you ready to order?'
Me: 'Yes. I'll have some ribollita.'
Clerk ' One portion?'
Me 'Yes'
Clerk 'For here or to go?'
Me 'For here.'
The clerk puts the ribollita in a container and then puts it on a tray with a napkin. He sees that I have a bottle of water with me and asks 'Would you like a cup?'
Me 'No Thanks.'
And then I take my food to a counter and eat.
Afterwards the clerk says to me 'That will be 3 Euros and 10 cents'.
I pay him and he gives me a receipt.

Perhaps to the reader who does not reside in Italy this encounter does not speak of any great customer service, but to me who has been living in Italy for 3 years with such low expectations it was like finding a diamond in the rough.

Tomorrow I'm going to this restaurant for sure! (see how customer service can work in Italy ?)

What is Tocvil ?

2005-10-07T16:15:00.000-04:00

...sottotitolo, a proposito del dibattito sulle epurazioni in Tocqueville.

Il fattaccio, a questo punto, dovrebbe essere noto e stranoto. Comunque, e' tutto spiegato nei blog di Dacia Valent, Rolli, Andrea Mancia, Alberto Puliafito, Wind Rose Hotel.
In sintesi, i post dei toc villani sono selezionati, perche' facciano bella mostra di se' in TV (inteso come Tocqueville), da aggregatori umani.
In TV, esiste un (sotto ?)insieme di questi selezionatori che mette ai voti l'ammissione o meno di nuovi blog, e, quello che colpisce di piu', l'eventuale espulsione di blog da TV stessa.

Che dire ? Se Andrea Mancia fosse il proprietario di TV, sarebbe suo diritto decidere chi puo' entrare e chi deve uscire da essa. Se non sta bene a un blogger essere aggregato ben bene dal proprietario unico, signore e badrone di TV, uscire da TV o non entrare nemmeno sono due opzioni possibili. Nel qual caso, non ti obbligherebbe il dottore ad aderire a TV. E Mancia non sarebbe obbligato, da parte sua, ad accogliere chiunque purche' blog-dotato.

Il problema e' che Mancia non e' il proprietario unico di TV, almeno credo...

Domanda: di chi e' Tocqueville ?

Dal foglietto informativo di Tocvil leggiamo:

La redazione di TocqueVille si riserva insindacabilmente la scelta dei post da aggregare e il diritto di negare o revocare l'iscrizione.

Ma la redazione di TV chi e' ? Andrea Mancia e poi ? Come si diventa aggregatore ? Probabilmente per una sorta di cooptazione. Su invito di chi, di un altro aggregatore ? Solo di Mancia ?

La mancanza di chiarezza e di trasparenza costituisce una fonte di problemi.

Chiarezza, ad esempio, sulla ragione sociale di TV, altrimenti Alberto Puliafito, che non mi sembra esattamente un fesso in base a come scrive, non sarebbe incorso nell'equivoco di essere "sgradito".

Trasparenza su questi "dietro le quinte".

I toc villani sarebbero ciascuno di pari importanza, eppure un gruppo non ben definito di toc villani e' in grado, tramite votazione, di cacciare un toc villano.

In quanto toc villano, avrei gradito alcune informazioni in piu' su questioni non da poco quali il processo di espulsione di altri toc villani. Non mi sembrano cazzatine, scusate il francesismo.

Sebbene sia toc villano, nessuno e' venuto da me, a bussare alla mia casella di posta elettronica, toc toc, toc villano, chiedendomi che ne pensassi di espellere Noantri.

TV e' una comunita' ? E' un servizio ? E' un'associazione politica ?

Se TV fosse un servizio, erogato a titolo gratuito (grazie al cielo), questi sarebbero i suoi terms of service, a cui si dovrebbero adeguare i suoi fruitori, pena la sospensione del servizio.

Il servizio a cui avrei aderito sarebbe l'avere alcuni dei miei post sparati sulla home page di tocvil, scelti a insindacabile giudizio... eccetera eccetera.

I fruitori fruirebbero a titolo gratuito, la fornitura del servizio avverrebbe su base volontaristica, gli ~~epuratori~~ aggregatori aggregherebbero aggratis.

In realta', TV non e' un servizio (o non e' solo un servizio), si differenzia da un servizio ed e' invece una comunita', per il dialogo che avviene giornalmente tra i suoi appartenenti.

E allora, essendo TV una comunita', come fa un gruppo interno a TV ad avere il diritto di espellere un blogger, senza interpellare nessuno al di fuori di loro stessi ?

Questo gruppo si deve essere costituito, almeno in prima convocazione, dietro invito di Mancia, in quanto detentore delle chiavi di TV.

Cio' e' evidente. Se io e un altro blogger iscritto a TV ci mettiamo a discutere di chi dovrebbe essere allontanato da TV, cio' non ha nessuna influenza sulla sua permanenza o meno in TV, poiche', ad esempio, noi non siamo detentori delle password del sistema informatico di TV che permette di eliminare un blog dalla lista.

Quindi, il diritto ad espellere gli proviene, direttamente o indirettamente, da Mancia stesso, il realizzatore di TV.

Mi sembra evidente che ci sia una carente comunicazione riguardante il funzionamento interno di TV, e in generale una carente comunicazione da TV verso i suoi appartenenti. E' evidente che un sottogruppo (o sopragruppo ?) di blogger in TV prenda parte al processo decisionale, sviluppato attraverso un dibattito; da questo dibattito e da quelle decisioni sono tagliati fuori gli altri, che in certi casi, le subiscono. E' evidente che, in molti casi, leggendo quanto aggrega TV in questi giorni, i miei concittadini toc villani sono soddisfatti di questo stato di cose, o, detto in altri termini, gli sta bene cosi'.

Ed e' probabile che chi non sia di stretta osservanza neocon in politica estera, e pro-casa della liberta' in politica interna, o, detto in altri termini, chi non segua la linea, le linee toc villane, rischi il cartellino giallo o rosso.

Cosa c'entra tutto questo col liberalismo ? Boh.

Mi piacerebbe essere smentito, ma sono pessimista al riguardo.

Rosh HaShanah

2005-10-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

L'Shana Tova to all readers !

Paying Bills in Italy

2005-10-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

Some time ago my friend told me that he received a bill from a public utility that was 500 Euros more than it should have been. He called the call center of that certain utility to complain. The person at the call center looked at his bill and agreed with him. She apologized for overcharging him 500. Then she told him to pay the bill.

The ENTIRE bill.

And she warned him not to pay late because there are late fees too. She told him that his account would be credited the 500 Euros.

My friend asked her if the amount could simply be taken off the bill, after all, 500 Euros is a lot of money. Not all people have an extra 500 Euros lying around to pay a bill. The call center representative said 'No, this is our policy. YOU pay. We reimborse you by crediting your account.'

What she did NOT say was that this public utility was going to put his 500 Euros in the bank and get the interest off it. The interest for 500 Euros for 7 months or however long it takes to spend 500 on one of their bills is probably less then pennies, but if you consider they probably use this tactic with a lot of their other customers it adds up.

Comments on this Blog

2005-10-02T04:20:00.000-04:00

Comments are welcome on this blog IF they are not offensive. I read lots of other posts on other blogs and some posts I agree with and some I don't. I have NEVER left an offensive comment though, like one of the visitors to my blog recently did. Criticise ideas, not people.

Here are some of my comments for Scarlett:

You say you are a good Christian, but have you ever read that part in the Bible about 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you' ? I don't think so, otherwise you wouldn't have written your hate-filled comments on my blog.

I don't slander you because your family came to the US in the 1700s so why do you slander mine because they immigrated to the United States 2 centuries later ?

As far as speaking the English language goes, we both went to schools and had the same opportunites to pick up an English grammar book and study it. I can see from your comments that I have mastered the spelling aspects more than you, regardless of the fact that my family ties to the European continent are more recent than yours. If you insist on using such hateful language, maybe you should learn to spell it correctly.

If you are suggesting that I am less American than you, you are wrong. I was born in the US and my heart, 100 percent of it, belongs there. Perhaps judging from your comments you should move to Iran or Saudi Arabia. You write like you think you would be more happy in those countries, but to be honest within seconds of opening your mouth there you would be thrown in jail, tortured and maybe killed. Those countries that you praise do not allow the same freedoms of different opinions that are allowed in the USA.

I am sorry in the Nazi regimes in Europe only succeeded in killing 6 million of us Jews. We as a people will be around to spit on your grave.

A Mideast Peace Solution

2005-10-01T17:02:00.000-04:00

Buzzurro and I were talking today about the political beliefs of our mutual friends.

I said "Gianni is a Communist. I guess he is against Israel, huh ?"

And Buzzurro answered "I don't know. I asked him once if he believes that Israel has the right to exist and he responded "It's there".

That to me is the solution right there to the Palestinian /Israeli problem. "It is there". 100 percent of Palestinians don't have to turn into Israeli lovers, or visa versa, but they need to know that the other side exists and is not going away. A little Realpolitik please ! There should be a 2 state solution because that's what is living on that piece of land now. 2 kinds people who each want their own state. Neither is going away.

The Palestinians need to stop demanding their one Palestinian state solution as THE solution. Israel is not going anywhere. They need to come to the realization that instead of sacrificing their children as suicide bombers and firing rockets which only bring Israeli retaliation, that it is better to suck it up, work on their internal problems or other matters and just accept that Israel occupies a space on the map. They don't have to be friends, just neighbors. After all, not all borders between 2 different states are friendly. Just look at the Turks and Greeks on Cyprus.

Is Venice Worth Saving ?

2005-10-01T05:17:00.000-04:00

The mayor of Venice is opposing Mose -- the barriers designed to prevent the flooding of Venice -- because it will cause environmental damage.

Just who is he the mayor of? The fish who swim in the lagoon, or the people of Venice?

According to the article:

But it wasn't until 1966, when a super high-tide swamped the city, destroying the homes of some 5,000 people, that Venice's elders decided to take action.

I would hate to be one of those 5,000 people hearing the mayor choosing environmental concerns over their homes.

Rantings of an AMERICAN English teacher

2005-09-29T15:04:00.000-04:00

I am an English teacher who happens to be American. I have a degree from a University as well as a certificate authorizing me to teach the English language. I don't mean to brag, but I am NOT uneducated. I speak ENGLISH correctly.

Last week in my Elementary English class I was teaching the present simple tense. The students had to put sentences in the negative forms. One answer was 'I DON'T HAVE a car.'

One student who is more advanced then the others in the class asked me 'Shouldn't the answer be I HAVEN'T GOT a car instead of I DON'T HAVE a car ?' I then explained that both answers are equally correct. Both express the same idea, but one uses the simple present tense and the other uses the present perfect, which is a more complicated compound tense which we will not be discussing in this Elementary English class.'

This week on some homework that I gave to the students (for an exercise in simple present tense) one answer was 'I DON'T HAVE a cat'. The same student has a daughter who is also studying English in school.

Her teacher is from London. She showed the homework to her teacher, with the answer I DON'T HAVE a cat written in. That teacher said 'That is wrong' When she saw it.

What do mean that is wrong !? I KNOW how to speak English! It is right. It means 'There is no cat in my possession'. There are more ways than one to skin a cat, as the cliche' goes, and there is more then one way to express yourself in English.

The lesson was in learning the simple present and the answer to that homework question, since it said in the instructions 'Use simple present' is I DON'T HAVE a cat.

If a person prefers to use the present perfect tense, like all people who speak British English do, I don't have a problem with it. I definitely don't say 'You're wrong' when a student uses it.
Why did she ? Why say that I 'am wrong ?' Is she putting down my English language skills? Yes.

I am so tired of these British citizens who think that they are the top authority on the English Language. They aren't. Their authority faded with the British Empire.... deal with reality. It's over. It's 2005, not 1705. There are a lot of different types of English out there.

An Israeli is killed by Hamas 'because he was a Jew'

2005-09-29T03:31:00.000-04:00

Read at this link:

Do the so-called 'peaceniks' who attended the anti-war rallies on September 24, know that ANSWER International, one of the events sponsors is also a supporter of Hamas who did this attrocity? Aren't they also supposed to be against racism, or does racism against Jewish people just not qualify?

Peace-loving Anti-War-in-Iraq Protesters are not for Peace at All !

2005-09-27T17:13:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that someone shares my views on the protesters in the rally against the war in Iraq who use the anti war in Iraq issue to spout their own ideologies. 'What does Israel have to do with Iraq?' to quote one, sadly only one protester out of many in San Diego.

You can read about it here in an article by Christopher Hitchens. Nobody says it better then him.

He also mentions how many of the 'peace-loving' protesters support such 'peace-loving' Communist regimes such as those in Korea, China and Cuba.

New Orleans Resident Perspective

2005-09-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

Just received by one of my friends:

This was received from an actual resident in the direct path of Katrina in McComb county and is known personally by the writer. John and Suzy were rescued off the roof of their two story home by motorboat.

Jack, What I have seen since Katrina:

The poor and the wealthy hurt by the storm.

Black, white, Hispanic, Oriental and Indian all hurt by the storm.

Christian people giving, giving, giving.

Churches going all out to minister in Jesus' name.

Neighbors going door to door helping one another.

Thugs and hoodlums going door to door looking for someone vulnerable.

Ice and water being fought over as police tried to keep the peace.

People coming up from New Orleans taking over empty houses because shelters are full.

Out of town volunteers coming with food and staying for now a week still serving it.

The Churches all over this part of the country doing what Christians do in a crisis.

The Red Cross doing a great job in the shelters.

The Salvation Army doing a great job in the community.

Four Hundred crewman from everywhere bring back the power to our homes, churches and businesses.

Lines at service stations a block to a mile long and getting longer, heavy price gouging.

National Guardsman patrolling the streets of Mc Comb along with Kentucky policemen protecting us
from the hoodlums and thugs of Mc Comb, Pike County and New Orleans (the most dangerous city
in the world before Katrina.)

Drug dealers working outside shelters.

Doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel working tirelessly, even sleeping in the
hospital to do the job God called them to do.

Our governor finally got the courage to file a request in writing to the federal government to bring the US military into our state under a declaration of Marshal law. Took her four days to do this which was tragic understatement of our situation.

Lots of finger pointing as to who is to blame for not resolving the problems we have with the sweep of a pen or magic wand. This is going to take a decade to repair if we repair it at all.

The military, God love them all, have been saving lives and preventing chaos.

Our president has been here three times, directing resources which for whatever reason or reasons were stalled due to bureaucratic red tape or procedures. Like our president or not does not matter to me but he is getting people off their penguin butts and things are rapidly getting done since he first came here.

WHAT I HAVE NOT SEEN;

The ACLU setting up a feeding line.

People for the American Way helping in the shelters.

The NAACP doing any work whatsoever.

The American Atheist organization serving meals in the shelters.

Jesse Jackson directing traffic at the gas stations.

Nancy Grace of Court TV on CNN doing anything to help our situation.

I could go on but you get my message. Its the Christian people with love and compassion who do the work.

The gripers in Congress should come on down and get in line to pass the water and the ice.
Are you listening Hillary, Chuck, Teddy and all the sorry loafers we call Senators and Congressmen.
They don't have a clue as to what this life is all about here on the Gulf Coast.

Teddy will never volunteer to help in any mess like this one, remember, Teddy doesn't help anyone in deep water other that to assist in their drowning.

Jack, I feel better now. Sorry I bent your ear but this had to be said.

Your friend,

John

I just read a disturbing piece of news...

2005-09-24T15:31:00.000-04:00

...thanks to the blog Freethoughts.

You can read about it on her blog, Freethoughts, or another article I found in the LA Times.

The perpetrators of the 1994 Jewish Center bombing that killed 85 people in Buenos Aires are not considered perpetrators any more.

They have not been questioned, determined innocent and released, NO, their arrest warrants have simply been cancelled. Cancelled by Interpol.

Those highly suspected bombers are all free, unwanted men.
How could Interpol cancel those arrest warrants? How would the people in London feel if the perpetrators of the 7/7 attacks in London, had they not all died, been set free ?

Are the lives of 85 people not worth anything, or is it the fact that most of the 85 victims were Jews and in the European quest to appease the Muslims in everything that happens in the world, their lives were just sacrificed ?

Left-Wingers: Join The Cindy Sheehan Bandwagon Without Knowing What They're Jumping On

2005-09-23T19:23:00.000-04:00

Today I received a surprise phone call from a friend who lives in the US. He was feeling a little under the weather but hoped that he would feel better enough to attend the anti-war rally in Washington DC this weekend.

'You are seriously going to that so-called anti-war rally? With Cindy Sheehan?' I said astonished. My friend is a left wing Democrat. I support that, well, support is strong word, tolerate it.that sounds better. I tolerate his left wing views.

He responded 'Yes, of course. Cindy Sheehan lost her son. She is against the War in Iraq, just like me !'

I then said 'That's not all she is. Do you know that she recently wrote a letter asking that the US troops get out of 'occupied New Orleans' even though the governor finally invited them ?'

He responded 'No, I had no idea.'

Then I said do you know that in the spring she wrote a letter stating that the war in Iraq was fought for Israel, and her son died for Israel, and not for the US'.

He responded 'No.'

Then I said 'Did you know that because of this letter David Duke and all of his American Nazi party friends support her ? They all speak in her favor, and she accepted it.'

He responded 'No. I had no clue.'

Then I said to him 'Did you know that Cindy Sheehan called Osama Bin Laden an 'alleged' terrorist, even though he admitted plotting the 9-11 attacks ? I don't know what one has to do to become a 'real' terrorist in her mind then.

I also told him that the rally that he is talking about is to be sponsored by ANSWER (Act Now to Prevent War and Racism). They equate zionism with racism and want the colonist Israelis to get out of Palestine -all of it-and leave no Israel at all.

He reponded 'Well, I didn't know these things, and I certainly don't support them. I'm pro-Israel and gay so I am against the Nazi party for sure. Maybe I won't go to the rally after all.'

Then he asked me 'How do you know these things ? You live so far away.'

My answer ? I read. And not just one source either.

He replied 'Wow!!!' like I just performed some amazing stunt. He then said 'You are so smart !'

Smart has nothing to do with it. I click a few buttons on my PC. That's all I do.

How many other people at the anti-war rally will be like him though? Not knowing what they are marching for. Doing things blindly. Not doing their research.

Just doing. That to me is more scary then Cindy Sheehan and Nazis and ANSWER put together.

Ray Nagin, Hero or Moron ?

2005-09-22T17:32:00.000-04:00

We think (together with U.S. News) that he's a moron:

Which politician emerged from the mess of Katrina as the biggest bonehead involved? No, it's not Michael Brown, George W. Bush, or even the bumbling Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.

But New York Times calls him "a folk hero"...

Firefox users, never EVER install NewsMonster !

2005-09-21T16:56:00.000-04:00

The reading of this post is reserved to geeks who use Firefox. The others may skip it.

NewsMonster is supposed to be sort of a Firefox extension that should act as a RSS reader.
Do you want my advice ? NEVER EVER install it !

Good reasons for not installing it:
- the uninstall procedure DOESN'T WORK. How would you want to install a thing you cannot uninstall ?
- After the installation, a wide sidebar appears on the right, approximately 30% the size of the window, NOT sizeable, not shrinkable.
- some of the menu items added by NewsMonster seem not to work (especially the "NewsMonster Preferences" menu item, from which, by the way, you are supposed to uninstall the product...)
- unlike other Firefox extensions, NewsMonster is not listed among the other installed extensions (via the "Tools | Extensions" menu item)
- the OPML import function doesn't work. I tried to import my RSS feeds in OPML format, and it imported only one of them.

I successfully uninstalled it by doing the following tasks:
- closed Firefox
- deleted the c:\newsmonster folder
- under "c:\program files\Mozilla Firefox\chrome", I deleted "newsmonster.jar"
- under "c:\program files\Mozilla Firefox\components", I deleted a group of files (*.jar, *.js) last modified at 10/23/2003, 3:13 AM
- under "c:\program files\Mozilla Firefox\ subdirectories, edited every recently changed *.rdf file, trying either to delete xml tags containing the "newsmonster" string, or turning them into comments, i.e. changing tags like


<RDF:li>
...newsmonster...
</RDF:li>

into


<!--RDF:li>
...newsmonster...
</RDF:li-->

Strangely, it worked. Once reopening Firefox, the NewsMonster disappeared, and everything else seemed to work fine.

I'd not generally advice to do what I did for erasing NewsMonster. Don't do this at home. You might get burned.
Instead, I'd suggest to uninstall Firefox and reinstall it.

If you want a fairly good RSS reader, try FeedDemon. It is not perfect, it has a few defects , but it's better than many other RSS readers.

And DON'T install NewsMonster, for Heaven's sake !

Simon Wiesenthal, 1908-2005

2005-09-20T16:52:00.000-04:00

Yeetgadal v' yeetkadash sh'mey rabbah
B'almah dee v'rah kheer'utey
v' yamleekh malkhutei,b'chahyeykhohn, uv' yohmeykhohn,
uv'chahyei d'chohl beyt yisrael,
ba'agalah u'veez'man kareev, v'eemru: Amein.
(The crowd answers: Amein. Y'hey sh'met rabbah m'varach l'alam u'l'almey almahyah)

Y'hey sh'met rabbah m'varach l'alam u'l'almey almahyah.
Yeet'barakh, v' yeesh'tabach, v' yeetpa'ar, v' yeetrohmam, v' yeet'nasei,
v' yeet'hadar, v' yeet'aleh, v' yeet'halal sh'mey d'kudshah b'reekh hoo
(The crowd answers: b'reekh hoo).

L'eylah meen kohl beerkhatah v'sheeratah,
toosh'b'chatah v'nechematah, da'ameeran b'al'mah, v'eemru: Amein
(The crowd answers: Amein).

Y'hei shlamah rabbah meen sh'mahyah,v'chahyeem
aleynu v'al kohl yisrael, v'eemru: Amein
(The crowd answers: Amein).

Oseh shalom beem'roh'mahv, hoo ya'aseh shalom,
aleynu v'al kohl yisrael v'eemru: Amein

(The crowd answers: Amein)

An Expat Comments On The Unconstitutionality Of The Pledge of Allegiance

2005-09-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all.

June 14, 1954

What have you been doing in the good ole’ USA since I left? A Judge recently ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional because of one phrase 'under God'? An Atheist got offended by it. He should try living in Italy where there is a Cross in every building! He would go bonkers!!
The Pledge of Allegiance is said everyday before school starts not to incite atheist children to convert in droves to a religion, but to instill a pride in being American. Please note the last line Mr. Judge: “with liberty and justice FOR ALL”. How many people around the globe would be extremely honored to say those words, yet you rule them as unconstitutional. Why?

"Holocaust Remembrance Day Caused London Bombings, and Makes Muslims Upset"

2005-09-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

A committee appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair to “decrease the level of Muslim extremism” in the UK has advised him to cancel Holocaust Day, which is remembered by most European countries on January 26, because it makes Muslims feel offended, and because it caused London bombings.

More here>>

Katrina Victims Praise Bush and Blame Nagin, Disappointing ABC

2005-09-18T04:20:00.000-04:00

A stunning example of media bias. Dean Reynolds, for ABC News, interviewed some people at Houston Astrodome, where many New Orleans refugees are located. But he had the answers to his questions he didn't want to hear:

“I'd like to get the reaction of Connie London who spent several horrible hours at the Superdome. You heard the President say retpeaedly that you are not alone, that the country stands beside you. Do you believe him ?”

Connie London: “Yeah, I believe him, because here in Texas, they have truly been good to us. I mean-”

Reynolds: “Did you get a sense of hope that you could return to your home one day in New Orleans?”

London: “Yes, I did. I did.”

Reynolds: “Did you harbor any anger toward the President because of the slow federal response ?”

London: “No, none whatsoever, because I feel like our city and our state government should have been there before the federal government was called in. They should have been on their jobs.”

Reynolds: “And they weren't?”

London: “No, no, no, no. Lord, they wasn't. I mean, they had RTA buses, Greyhound buses, school buses, that was just sitting there going under water when they could have been evacuating people.”

Reynolds: “Now, Mary, you were rescued from your house which was basically submerged in your neighborhood. Did you hear something in the President's words that you could glean some hope from?”

Mary: “Yes. He said we're coming back, and I believe we're coming back. He's going to build the city up. I believe that.”

Reynolds: “You believe you'll be able to return to your home?”

Mary: “Yes, I do.”

Reynolds: “Why?”

Mary: “Because I really believe what he said. I believe. I got faith.”

Reynolds: “Back here in the corner, we've got Brenda Marshall, right?”

Brenda Marshall: “Yes.”

Reynolds: “Now, Brenda, you were, spent, what, several days at the Superdome, correct?”

Marshall: “Yes, I did.”

Reynolds: “What did you think of what the President told you tonight?”

Marshall: “Well, I think -- I think the speech was wonderful, you know, him specifying that we will return back and that we will have like mobile homes, you know, rent or whatever. I was listening to that pretty good. But I think it was a well fine speech.”

Reynolds: “Was there any particular part of it that stood out in your mind? I mean, I saw you all nod when he said the Crescent City is going to come back one day.”

Marshall: “Well, I think I was more excited about what he said. That's probably why I nodded.”

Reynolds: “Was there anything that you found hard to believe that he said, that you thought, well, that's nice rhetoric, but, you know, the proof is in the pudding?”

Marshall: “No, I didn't.”

Reynolds: “Good. Well, very little skepticism here. Frederick Gould, did you hear something that you could hang on to tonight from the President?”

Frederick Gould: “Well, I just know, you know, he said good things to me, you know, what he said, you know. I was just trying to listen to everything they were saying, you know.”

Reynolds: “And Cecilia, did you feel that the President was sincere tonight?”

Cecilia: “Yes, he was.”

Reynolds: “Do you think this is a little too late, or do you think he's got a handle on the situation?”

Cecilia: “To me it was a little too late. It was too late, but he should have did something more about it.”

Reynolds: “Now do you all believe that you will one day return to your homes?”
Voices: “Yes” and “I do.”

Reynolds: “I mean, do you all want to return to your homes? We're hearing some people don't even want to go back.”

Mary: “I want to go back.”

Reynolds: “You want to go back.”

Mary: “I want to go back. That's my home. That's all I know.”

Reynolds: “Is it your home for your whole life?”

Mary: “Right. That's my home.”

Reynolds: “And do you expect to go back to the house or a brand new dwelling or what?”

Mary: “I expect to go back to something. I know it ain't my house, because it's gone.”

Reynolds: “What is the one mistake that could have been prevented that would have made your lives much better? Is it simply getting all of you out much sooner or what was it?”

Mary: “I'm going to tell you the truth. I had the opportunity to get out, but I didn't believe it. So I stayed there till it was too late.”

Reynolds: “Did you all have the same feeling? I mean, did you all have the opportunity to get out, but you were skeptical that this was the really bad one?”

Unnamed woman: “No, I got out when they said evacuate. I got out that Sunday and I left before the storm came. But I know they could have did better than what they did because like they said, buses were just sitting there, and they could have came through there and got people out, because they were saying immediate evacuation. Some people didn't believe it. But they should have brung the force of the army through to help these people and make them understand it really was coming.”

London: “And really it wasn't Hurricane Katrina that really tore up the city. It was when they opened the floodgates. It was not the hurricane itself. It was the floodgates, when they opened the floodgates, that's where all the water came.”

Reynolds: “Do you blame anybody for this?”

London: “Yes. I mean, they've been allocated federal funds to fix the levee system, and it never got done. I fault the mayor of our city personally. I really do.”

Reynolds: “All right. Well, thank you all very much. I wish you all the best of luck. I hope you don't have to spend too much more time here in the Reliant Center and you can get back to New Orleans as the President said. Ted, that is the word from the Houston Astrodome. And as I said, when the President said that the Crescent City will rise again, there were nods all around this parking lot.”

Thanks to Newsbusters.

Cindy Sheehan Aide Claims New Orleans Flood Caused by Government That Dynamited Levees To Protect The Rich

2005-09-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

Andrea Garland:

we have learned that the reason our part of the neighborhood flooded was not due to the hurricane, but rather to a misguided effort on the part of our government. Fearing that the flood waters would invade Uptown New Orleans (the wealthy, white part of town), they dynamited another hole in the levy on our side to let flood waters in there and keeping them away from Uptown. Apparently they over did it with the dynamite.

Thanks to Free Republic.

Cindy Sheehan: "Pull Our Troops Out of OCCUPIED New Orleans"

2005-09-16T15:40:00.000-04:00

WONDERFUL !! She's my anti-hero !!

Evidently, she got an abstinence crisis from media under-exposure. Poor lady ! Hurricane Katrina must have been a strong psychological hit for her.

VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT NEWS. Bush pees

2005-09-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

Today the UN World Summit is going on. Many important world leaders are at the UN to discuss issues such as world poverty and security, but today, President George Bush wrote a note to Condoleeza Rice asking about a bathroom break and this is what captures the world press's attention.

Is something wrong here? World poverty. Security. I would think that these are much more important issues to the world then one man's bladder.

Democrats Recommendations on How to Exploit Katrina

2005-09-15T14:40:00.000-04:00

From democrats.org web site (via Behind Enemy Lines):

"Use FEMA's disastrous behavior in N.O. TO ESTABLISH A PLATFORM RE: What DEMS do better...."

"Be sure to emphasize that Bush cut funding for items that would have increased their flooding prevention.
ALSO please please do not let our Governer Dean dare say as did Bill Clinton just now..."there is no way they could have known." Don't say it, it is a lie. We all knew it was crisis time. So please don't pander to Bush and say there is no way he could have known. Bush did not prepare and he cut FEMA. When Bill Clinton said that today, I wanted to scream. He should not have said that...it was a lie."

After Bush, Blanco: The Buck Stops Here

2005-09-15T12:11:00.000-04:00

"We all know that there were failures at every level of government: state, federal and local. At the state level, we must take a careful look at what went wrong and make sure it never happens again. The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility."

More here.

Louisiana Congressman Uses National Guard to Secure His Personal Belongings

2005-09-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

The congressman is William Jefferson, D-La.

A military truck, a helicopter and a half dozen military police were employed for rescuing a laptop, three suitcases and a box.

The details here.

Governor Blanco: You Know, Maybe I Needed To Ask for More Troops

2005-09-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

Maybe.

Palestinians Get Organized: Massive Weapon Smuggling in Gaza

2005-09-14T16:41:00.000-04:00

Link, thanks to Drudge Report.

Power Outage in L.A (It's Bush's Fault)

2005-09-14T16:19:00.000-04:00

There was a large power outage in Los Angeles. More coverage on Bush's mishandling of this emergency at Patterico.

Salman Rushdie: Islamic Enlightenment

2005-09-14T15:58:00.000-04:00

Rushdie calls for Reform Muslims:

“There are hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Britain who do not follow their religion as strictly as do the older generations . . . We are the mainstream Muslims who are keen to live in peace and harmony with other faith groups, feel proud of being British and are patriotic . . . I know of no organisation that represents the secular and liberal Islam that the vast majority of Muslims follow.”

I'm quite skeptical about an important Islamic reform movement, similar to Reform Judaism, coming out in the short term... but it's nonetheless interesting.

(Hat tip: Dinocrat)

An Unusual Automatic Vending Machine (for Italy)

2005-09-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

Today I found an automatic vending machine that 'da il resto' (gives change). I was so happy! Most automatic vending machines in Italy don't, so if you buy a 30 cent cup of coffee and use a 50 cent coin to pay for it, you lose 20 cents. Imagine if you only have a pocket full of 1 Euro or 2 Euro coins ?
The salaries in Italy are already low, so that donating 70 cents or 1 euro and 70 cents to a vending company that makes thousands of dollars unfairly taking hard working folks money is a crying shame.

I started thinking of my pre-Italy life in the US. I have never seen an automatic vending machine there that states that it does not give change. No person would use it if it did. In Italy, where being treated badly is considered normal, they are so used to machines that don't give change it doesn't even cause a reaction..

Katrina Survivors Buying Luxury Items with Charity Money

2005-09-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

Hope that some of the money given to Red Cross won't be wasted this way.

Roberts is unfit for Supreme Court because HE is RACIST, OR because GOVERNMENT is RACIST

2005-09-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

Howard Dean said John Roberts must be rejected as Supreme Court judge because he's racist.

Speaking about the black residents of New Orleans, who were the storm's most visible victims, Dean said that Roberts' "entire legal career appears to be about making sure those folks don't have the same rights everybody else does."

Barack Obama said Roberts is unfit because federal government's response to Katrina emergency showed how racist it is.

"I think what we do need to ask ourselves is whether he has the heart, the breadth of perspective and the recognition that historically the role of the court has been to look out not just for the powerful but also the powerless.

"I think that Katrina does indicate that we've got a lot of problems in our midst … in terms of poverty, in terms of the differences in life opportunities for blacks, whites, Hispanics," Obama said. "That has to inform how we think about every branch of government and their functions, and I think that the Supreme Court is no different."

Venice and Burano

2005-09-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

Click on the photo to start a slideshow. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Blogs aren't enough

2005-09-12T16:55:00.000-04:00

Blogs have been doing a fantastic job in trying to fill in the information gaps and correct the bias, both on the Tigris and on the Mississippi, but blogs can only go so far. Let's be honest about it - not many people read blogs. We are talking about the daily readerships in thousands, or tens of thousands; even less when you count unique visitors.
(...)

Fox is not enough. We need a bigger media presence on TV, and even more so in print. That, again, will not be easy. The money, I believe could be found, but the bigger problem is the overwhelmingly left-liberal political culture of journalism. This is a pretty sad state of affairs, because we are not looking for propaganda mouthpieces, but simply enough forums that will give equal time and consideration to both sides of the story.

Interesting. From Chrenkoff.

A Palestinian State ?

2005-09-12T15:25:00.000-04:00

As Abba Eban once said 'The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity'.
Israel has completed its withdrawal from Gaza, thus ceding all that land, an 'occupied territory' to the Palestinians, yet instead of the joyous pictures of celebrations of a 'stateless people' who are deserving of a 'State', one sees this (photos on Freethoughts).

Burning synagogues, or ex-synagogues, shooting guns in the air, police who just watch. They deserve jailterms, not a state !

Gone Fishing in Nawlins

2005-09-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

Al-Qaida Financers That Operate in Italy

2005-09-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

...like Ahmed Idris Nasreddine. Links in English and Italian.

Not All Muslims are Terrorists, not All Terrorists are Muslims

2005-09-11T06:28:00.000-04:00

...and not all terrorists are Arabs.

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member and convert to Islam, be kept detained for terrorist activities.

Padilla was suspected by U.S. officials of plotting with al Qaeda to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States.

In 2002, Padilla was arrested at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport after returning from Pakistan.

Hat tip: Jawa.

More on Katrina (and Federalism)

2005-09-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

I just read on CNN that a general says that the Louisiana and Missippi National Guard were in Iraq, and this delayed the cleanup and rescue in those states. I do not agree with him.

I have read on another website that 40 percent of those National guardmen were over in Iraq.

That leaves 60 percent still at home in those states.

While the areas affected by Katrina were several, they were still only a small area if you consider all the acreage in those states.

I think 60 percent of the National Guard could have handled that. That point however is moot.

The real reason the cleanup effort after hurricane Katrina was delayed is ..the US constitution.

When the Constitution was written the delegates from each state had a fear of a federal government with too much power, so they created not only checks and balances within the federal government, but also limited the things the federal government could do without the states permission.

One of these things is send out the state's National Guard forces.

I read the transcript of a interview of the Mayor of New Orleans Nagin.

He mentioned that George Bush asked the Louisiana governor for 'something, I don't know what' to use his words.

She replied to President Bush that she needed 24 more hours.

Constitutionally she was within her right to do so, morally is another story.

If there were another 1000 troops available for her to utilize it wouldn't have changed anything in her response time. The problem is in the Constitution, and the Governor's choice for a slow response - not the National Guard.

My Memories of the World Trade Center

2005-09-10T05:49:00.000-04:00

This post is dedicated to the memory of Sheryl Rosner Rosenbaum, 1968 - 2001
I wish I took more pictures of the World Trade Center on my numerous trips to New York City, but I did not.

The World Trade Center was just like any other office building in New York City, and there are many of them. The Twin Towers were enormously tall: architectural beauties or monsters depending on your point of view, but for people of my age group it was always a part of the New York Skyline and I personally never thought 'Is it a beautiful building, or a horror. It just WAS.

I had a friend who worked on the Observation Deck on the South Tower. I visited him several times, and went up a few times to the actual Observation Deck to see the spectacular views, but normally I just sat on a bench in the plaza between the buildings with a paper bought from a newspaper stand in the shopping center below the Trade Center and waited for him. It was a hassle for me visit him on the Observation Deck. He had to ask permission from his manager first, then when I arrived at the ticket booth they would call, he had to come down to the lobby and escort me to the top.

At times it was a little foggy at the Observation Deck, and those map lines on the walls designed to help the viewer know the name of what he/she was looking at did not help much. After a few trips to the Observation Deck I decided that I preferred waiting on a bench in the Plaza. that is if the weather was OK in the Plaza.

I remember one time that it was cool and overcast in the Plaza, but on the Oberservation Deck it was sunny and still cool. It was amazing to look out at faraway sites such as New Jersey, but not be able to see the bottom of the North Tower.

Oftentimes I went to visit him with other friends. Instead of reading a newspaper quietly we would have loud discussions about the ugly statues we saw, as well as routine events in our lives. Sometimes we would take walks around the fountain.

I remember the elevators we had to take to get from the subway station to get to the ground level. They seemed to go on forever.
I remember the large spacious lobby, with its rich deep red carpets.
I also remember drinking a cup of coffee and looking at the wonderful view at Windows on the World, the fancy restaurant on the top of the North Tower. It was quite expensive, even with my friend's WTC employee discount.

Ex-Democrat

2005-09-09T15:11:00.000-04:00

I am a registered member of the Democratic party. Why? Because I agree with their party platform that abortion should be a woman's choice. I think there should be stem cell research. I support gun control. I am opposed to the death penalty. Not exactly Republican material. I was initially against the Iraqi war. I was quite content with my decision to be a Democrat, but somewhere along the line I became discontented.

The Democratic Party that I joined was about politics. Now it seems they are more more about blaming Bush for everything that they consider wrong. They don't waste their time studying facts. The majority of the Democratic Party supports Cindy Sheehan. While I initially pitied her because of her loss, I am now convinced that she is shamefacedly using her son's death to convey all her lunatic issues to the public. After all, he was not 'a little boy' He was an adult. He made his decision to join the military. He volunteered This fact seems to slip by her and slip by her democratic supporters.

I agree now that Coalition forces should remain in Iraq. If they just pick up and leave Iraq like the Democratic party wants, what will fill the vacuum left? More terrorists and fanatics who want to impose Sharia law on the whole world? I am afraid to find out.

Al Sharpton screams George Bush hates black people. That is ludicrous! Yet most Democrats either agree or are silent if they don't. They blame George Bush 100 percent because the Katrina aftermath rescue has been slow, yet there were photos published all over the internet (including this blog) about how the Mayor, a black Democrat, did not evacuate those who were too poor or frail to do it on their own. I read today on CNN how a representive from Louisiana refused the intial Red Cross help because of 'logistic problems', yet I don't remember reading in any newspapers that there were 'logistical problems' so they couldn't move their camera trucks in to film a story.

While there have always been 'Hanoi Jane' Fonda type idiots in the Democratic party, they were always the fringe, not the main contingent.
Times have changed. The fanatical left wingers rule. Reality doesn't matter any more.
I live abroad and don't vote in local elections, but in 2008 I cannot, with any bit of conscience, vote Democrat. Is there such a thing as a moderate Republican ?

German minister Hopes Bush is "Shot Down"

2005-09-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

Is Germany a U.S. ally ? With allies like these, who needs enemies ?

If you want someone to lose elections, you never use the expression "shot down". I never heard that. Just try to go around Germany and say: "you know, I wish Chancellor Schroeder to be shot down", and see what happens.

More here...

Don't Lick Your Ice Cream Like That !

2005-09-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

In Saudi Arabia...

The muttawa—or religious police—are a self-elected goon squad of fundamentalists who surveil the Magic Kingdom's inhabitants, particularly its expatriates. The purpose of their scrutiny is to ensure conformity to their own warped, narrow-minded interpretation of Islam. Their scrutiny is often asinine and always absurd, as the following mundane example illustrates.

A woman and her female friend were sitting on a bench in the Kingdom Mall, eating ice cream cones, when along came a muttawa, accompanied by a police officer. (...) The muttawa approached the women, pointed a menacing claw, and hissed, "Don't lick it that way!"

Not being an authority on the subject, I can't with any confidence say there isn't a sura buried somewhere in the Qur'an covering the moral etiquette of licking ice cream.

More here...

Working in Italy

2005-09-08T13:58:00.000-04:00

I know I complained about the horrors of working in Italy a few months ago, but this is a story that needs to be told.

My friend heard about a 20 hour a week part-time job for 600 Euro a month. For those of you not in Italy, that is a decent wage-not good-but definitely not bad. She wanted a part-time job, and it was a job in her field. It sounded perfect!
She submitted her resume and was awarded an interview. She went, and was offered the job 2 days later. 'There's hope!' I thought to myself. Usually in Italy one only gets a job through connections, not through applying and interviewing for it which is done in other countries in the world. I was very pleased.
4 days after she started working at this 'dream job', she is frustrated to the point of quitting.
The first day the boss 'expected' her to work for 8 hours, even though they had agreed to 4. There was no offer of paying overtime or increasing her salary either. She has other obligations. That is why she took a part-time job in the first place.
On the second day she found out that she had to pay the state taxes out of her little salary, instead of the employer paying it.
On the fourth day she was informed that the salary of 600 Euros that both she and the employer agreed upon will be lowered to 500 a month. Does that remind you of anything? (Think about The Godfather 'negotiating' his godson out of a contract in the book 'The Godfather')
Why is it that I am not shocked by this sordid tale? Italy is a workers nightmare, no matter what you hear.

To Defeat Hamas, Compete with Hamas' Charity

2005-09-07T17:07:00.000-04:00

From Counterterrorism Blog:

The need for humanitarian support is indeed acute in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where in 2004 47 percent of Palestinians were reported to be living below the poverty line. (...) The international community should launch a cooperative effort to create a trustworthy, transparent humanitarian relief system that fills the welfare void Hamas exploits that does not promote support of 'martyrs' families.'

Anti-Imperialist Camp: Italy-Based Pro-Terrorist Group

2005-09-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

A 2002 article from National Review:

While many Europeans have been vocally opposed to the war in Iraq, there is evidence that some have gone beyond simple disapproval and are actively supporting armed resistance against U.S. forces. In fact, throughout Europe, hardcore fascists and Communists have formed an unusual coalition whose purpose is to morally and financially support terrorist organizations, and, in particular, the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance: a coalition of Iraqi groups carrying out attacks against American and allied targets.

The IPA is a small group of mainly Communist Iraqi dissidents spread throughout Europe. It was virtually unknown before November 2002, when its leader, Abdul Jabbar Kubaisi, travelled to Baghdad to meet with high-ranking Iraqi officials. The move was part of Saddam Hussein's strategy to bury the hatchet with opposition groups and put together the widest coalition possible in case of an attack from the United States. According to IPA members, Saddam promised democratic reforms and Kubaisi, purportedly out of his love for Iraq, decided to side with the former Iraqi dictator against the American invasion. In February 2003 the IPA held a conference in Paris where its delegates pledged to fight the "American imperial aggression."

After the war began Kubaisi returned to Iraq, but left his lieutenant, Awni al Kalemji, in Europe to garner support for the IPA. After being arrested by Danish authorities for recruiting Iraqis in Denmark to fight alongside Saddam's fedayeen (a charge that was later dropped), Kalemji sought support from those Europeans who most viscerally opposed the war, especially the militants of the extreme Left who harbored a deep hatred of the U.S. and Israel. At summer's end Kalmeji was invited to the Anti-Imperialist Camp, a three-day conference held in the Italian town of Assisi, where militants from several extremist and terrorist organizations indulged in anti-American and anti-capitalistic rhetoric.

Italian intelligence officials noted that several well-known militants from the extreme Right decided to join the conference, their hatred of America trumping their differences with the Left. The list of official attendees reads like an extremist honor roll: Some are known members of fanatical right-wing organizations that openly support revisionist theses on the Holocaust and blame the world's evils on a "Zionist conspiracy." Their leader is university professor Franco Cardini, who has recently declared that the latest videos featuring Osama bin Laden were fabricated by the CIA to foster anti-Islamic sentiment. Another famous participant was Father Benjamin, a French priest who for years lobbied against the Iraq embargo and organized former Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz's visit to the Vatican in February of 2003, just before the war. Recently, the Iraqi newspaper Al Mada revealed that Father Benjamin was allegedly among the Westerners who had received funds from the Iraqi regime, but the French cleric denied such allegations. UCOII, an Italian Muslim organization whose members have openly supported suicide bombers in Israel, has also supported the initiative.

Also very active in the initiative were Suzanne Scheidt and Miguel Martinez, the curators of the extremist pro-Palestinian website of al Awda, a group that is linked with the Palestinian terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Scheidt, a German Communist, and Martinez, a Mexican right-wing activist who has flirted with both radical Christian and Muslim groups and who admitted to training Argentine fighters in Mexico with the sponsorship of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, are quintessential examples of this new alliance. Al Awda, which advocates the end of the "apartheid state of Israel," has managed to join, under the banner of anti-Americanism and a common hatred for Israel, radicals from various walks of life.

The organizers of the Anti-Imperialist Camp decided to collect money for the IPA, starting with a symbolic donation of ten euros for each participant. Given the success of the initiative, a bank account was created in Italy where donors could contribute through a toll-free number. The promoters of the initiative also created a website that is linked to from the websites of several left-wing organizations throughout Europe. And while the leaders of the initiative operate in Italy, militants in at least two other countries are actively supporting the IPA. In Austria, more than one hundred have donated money to the cause, and some local militants traveled to Baghdad with members of the IPA as human shields before the war. In Germany, students have set up stands in the historic centers of more than one city to collect money for the initiative.

European members of the IPA make no attempt to hide the fact that they are raising money for an organization that is carrying out attacks on Coalition forces, as Moreno Pasquinelli, one of the leaders of the group, made clear in a recent interview with Italian press. Pasquinelli, who was arrested in Italy on April 1 as part of a multinational police operation against the Turkish Marxist terrorist group DHKP-C, said that "it is none of our business to know how they will use (the money). They could print newspapers or buy weapons, for us it's the same."

Reading interviews with Kalemji published on several websites, it looks like the group prefers the weapons. After expressing hope that the Iraqi resistance resemble the "Vietnamese liberation war," Kalemji declared that the IPA has several hundred armed men fighting in Iraq, targeting all Western forces that have joined the American-led coalition and "anybody that cooperates with them." Kalemji is also careful to distinguish between what his group is doing and terrorism, saying that the IPA's actions are legitimate resistance and that the group does not attack civilians. Nevertheless, sources close to the Pentagon revealed on condition of anonymity that American military intelligence is actively looking into the IPA's activities in Iraq.

In December, Kalemji was received as a hero at a highly publicized event organized by the Anti-Imperialist Camp in Rome, and has traveled to other European countries to meet with other supporters and donors. Even though the activities of the IPA clearly fall under the definition of fundraising for a foreign terrorist organization according to German and Italian law, authorities in both countries have not acted. As a result, the IPA was able to organize another event in one of Milan's main squares on February 14. Under the watchful eyes of Italian authorities, new money continues to be collected to defeat the "arrogant American invader."

Funding Improvements to New Orleans Levees Would Have Been Good or Bad ?

2005-09-06T15:46:00.000-04:00

Good:

the nation will soon ask why New Orleans's levees remained so inadequate. Publications from the local newspaper to National Geographic have fulminated about the bad state of flood protection in this beloved city, which is below sea level. Why were developers permitted to destroy wetlands and barrier islands that could have held back the hurricane's surge? Why was Congress, before it wandered off to vacation, engaged in slashing the budget for correcting some of the gaping holes in the area's flood protection?

New York Times, September 1, 2005

or bad:

Anyone who cares about responsible budgeting and the health of America's rivers and wetlands should pay attention to a bill now before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill would shovel $17 billion at the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and other water-related projects -- this at a time when President Bush is asking for major cuts in Medicaid and other important domestic programs. Among these projects is a $2.7 billion boondoggle on the Mississippi River that has twice flunked inspection by the National Academy of Sciences.
The Government Accountability Office and other watchdogs accuse the corps of routinely inflating the economic benefits of its projects. And environmentalists blame it for turning free-flowing rivers into lifeless canals and destroying millions of acres of wetlands -- usually in the name of flood control and navigation but mostly to satisfy Congress's appetite for pork.

This is a bad piece of legislation.

New York Times, April 13, 2005

(Read for yourself at Eu Rota, thanks to Power Line)

Italy: Woman Too Sexy to Teach Religion

2005-09-06T13:37:00.000-04:00

A woman was fired from her job for being 'too sexy':

Caterina Bonci said Church authorities decided she was just too attractive and dressed too sexy to teach religion after 14 years on the job.
The Church says it sacked the 38-year-old blonde from the central Adriatic city of Fano because she is divorced.
She said she has never hidden her 2000 divorce from Church authorities, dresses down when teaching and defended her right to dress how she likes in her private life.
"In school, I dressed normally. In my private life, I have every right to dress any way I want."

She had been working at that specific diocese for 14 years. What did she look like in the preceeding 13 years? Dirt?
Anyway, the fired woman is 38. Even though she is sexy according to the Catholic Church, she will find it next to impossible to find a job. Most places in Italy looking to hire specify a maximum age of what they require their applicant to be. Most of these are 25, so by Italian standards, that 38 year old, sexy or not, is over the hill.

(Source: CNN)

New Orleans mayor : "Governor Blanco Said She Needed 24 Hours to Decide to Bring Troops In"

2005-09-06T02:09:00.000-04:00

A CNN interview to mayor Ray Nagin.

(Thanks to LGF)

More photos of New Orleans buses

2005-09-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

After that JunkYardBlog showed in his blog some aerial images of buses in New Orleans that could have been used for ridding thousands out of town, here are some other images taken by means of Google Earth.

These Annoying Telemarketers

2005-09-05T14:55:00.000-04:00

Several times telemarketers have called me, trying to sell me some phone or internet service that I do not need. I , not being a native Italian have an accent and when I say 'No capische l'italiano' (a grammatically incorrect way of saying that I don't understand Italian), everyone believe me and leaves me alone.
I have tried using this tactic on the streets and have learned that English is widely spoken so I 'change' my nationality to one who language is definitely not spoken widely. (This month I'm using Lithuanian). Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be an American, but sometimes one likes to walk down the street without having every beggar and solicitor in sight asking you for money because they think you are a 'rich American'.
Italians are not used to foreign accents. If you read the papers you would think that Italy is overrun by foreigners, but in reality the percentage of foreign-born Italians in Italy is very low.

It is a good thing for me, otherwise someone would recognize my accent for what it is.

Telnet

2005-09-03T16:01:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know what the heck telnet is, it's kind of what there was on the internet when there wasn't the world wide web yet.
Anyway.
If you have Windows XP, try to do this:
1. Press Start.
2. Press Run.
3. Type telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
4. Press OK.

And see what happens.

(Found on Uzyn.com).

More Rantings of an American Living abroad (about Katrina)

2005-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I saw a picture of unused schoolbuses in a parking lot in New Orleans (compliments of Grouchy Old Cripple).

I just can't get that picture out of my head. While the mayor of New Orleans is yelling at the federal government to do something to help his constituents, he himself has sat on top of a parking lot full of empty buses.
According to Grouchy Old Cripple, there are approximately 100 buses there. If each bus can carry 60 people, that is around 6000 people. Just think, 6000 more people could have been evacuated to safety, instead of suffering hunger, thirst and other great miseries.. if still alive.

Rantings of an American Residing Overseas (about Katrina)

2005-09-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

Some Black leaders in the US are saying that the rescue response to New Orleans was slow because the majority of the victims are black.

I do not think so. I think the responsibilty for the slow response falls upon:

the local Government

the State Government and

the Federal Government

IN THAT ORDER

with the majority of that resposibility laying with the local government who knows the area's constituents and make up better than anybody else. The local officials happen to be black, but that is not the issue here.

The issue is Economics. New Orleans is divided into:

a poorer inner city population and

a richer population in the outlying suburbs.

When the mayor and everybody else sounded the alarm for the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans it was the richer people who had either other places to go, or enough extra funds to pay for a hotel for a few days who left.

The poorer ones who had nowhere to go stayed behind. The kind mayor who lambasted the federal government for doing nothing abandoned his constituents. Why couldn't they be bussed to stadiums in other counties and the city of New Orleans pay for that cheap plan?

That IS an important issue, but not the issue I'm writing about now.
The victims we see are not victims of race, but of Economics.

Every time something bad happens to a black person in the United States they say it happened because of race. This is simply not true. Most times there is a complexity of issues at stake, race either being at the bottom of the list or not a factor at all.

I am tired of American Blacks always blaming the color of their skin for everything that is wrong in their lives. Living abroad I see many black people of many different nationalities who don't have this belief system. They advance or stagnate economically according to their own work abilities.

To Kill an American

2005-09-02T14:09:00.001-04:00

There's a text that has been circulating for years as an email:

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper there an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So I just thought I would write to let them know what an American is, so they would know when they found one.

An American is English…or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them choose.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each man and woman to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

An American does not have to obey the mad ravings of ignorant, ungodly cruel, old men. American men will not be fooled into giving up their lives to kill innocent people, so that these foolish old men may hold on to power. American women are free to show their beautiful faces to the world, as each of them choose.

An American is free to criticize his government's officials when they are wrong, in his or her own opinion. Then he is free to replace them, by majority vote.

Americans welcome people from all lands, all cultures, all religions, because they are not afraid. They are not afraid that their history, their religion, their beliefs, will be overrun, or forgotten. That is because they know they are free to hold to their religion, their beliefs, their history, as each of them choose.

And just as Americans welcome all, they enjoy the best that everyone has to bring, from all over the world. The best science, the best technology, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best athletes.

Americans welcome the best, but they also welcome the least. The nation symbol of America welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.

These in fact are the people who built America. Many of them were working in the twin towers on the morning of September 11, earning a better life for their families.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo and Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world.

But in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

So look around you. You may find more Americans in your land than you thought were there. One day they will rise up and overthrow the old, ignorant, tired tyrants that trouble too many lands. Then those lands too will join the community of free and prosperous nations.

And America will welcome them.

I liked it and I wanted to make a post out of it. I found it on the blog of Esperimento, but originally it was an article written in 2001 by Peter Ferrara, called What Is An American ?