Costa Crociere ship runs aground near island of Giglio, in Italy

Article first published as Costa Crociere Ship Runs Aground Near Island of Giglio, in Italy on Technorati.

The last night, the Costa Cruises "Concordia" ship hit a rock a few meters from the island of Giglio. The hole of 70 meters along the hull made ​​it to incline. Two of the three passengers confirmed dead are French, France 24 reported, while the third is a Peruvian person.

«Most people reached land by lifeboats but some swam to shore. At least 50 people have not yet been accounted for, Italian officials say, but they caution that the passenger list may not be fully up to date.» BBC reported.

 
«Passengers were initially told that the ship had shuddered to a halt for electrical reasons. (...) for 45 minutes they were told there was a simple "technical problem" before being advised to put on life jackets and head for lifeboats.» Deutsche Welle reported.


The ship sank had already had other accidents
The Costa Concordia before the tragedy on the Island of Giglio had a series of accidents. On May 4, 2010, a Russian tourist of 33 years falls into the sea from the deck of the ship, probably a suicide. Six months after a mobile crane at the port of Savona crashes on the ship. Luckily the crane caused neither damage or injuries.

In November 22, 2008 the ship had an incident at the port of Palermo; because of strong winds, the ship had a collision against the Sicilian port of the dock. The impact was tough, it created a massive rift between the forward and the right side of ship, and one of the bow doors were destroyed. Fortunately no injuries were recorded.

The ship was inaugurated September 2005, when it had an unfortunate baptism; the bottle of champagne, with which they christened the new boat, did not break the hull of the ship that will sail the sea. A bad presage, according to maritime tradition.

Acquired by Carnival Corporation, an American-British company, and the world's largest cruise ship operator, in 2000, Costa Cruises is now one of eleven brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 16% of its revenue.

Sources: Il Fatto Quotidiano - photo - wikipedia

An Italian is the real winner of the Ballon D'or

Article first published as An Italian is the Real Winner of the Ballon D'or on Technorati.


Lionel Messi won his third Ballon D’or in a row. He is the greatest soccer or football player of our time, probably the All-Time best player. After Messi, his teammate Xavi and Portuguese player of Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo.

Something new under the sky of the football
The football world is facing unprecedent problems concerning fixes matches, that's why FIFA "announced a series of new measures to combat match-fixing. In order to clamp down on match-fixing, which is linked to illegal betting." Chris Eaton, FIFA's head of security, says that "between 400 and 500 billion euros ($500bn and $630bn) are generated each year by betting on sport — both legal and illegal — with between five and 15 billion euros stemming from fixed matches. (...) It's a huge attraction for organised crime" France24 reported.

The model of Simone Farina
An Italian defender Simone Farina could be the model for young players to follow; he was offered $255,000 (£165,000/€200,000), to help fix a match involving his club Gubbio. Eaton underlines Farina's behavior: "He resisted and rejected a corrupting offer, but more importantly he reported it," Farina was appointed a FIFA fair play ambassador by FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday.

"The coach of the Italy national team, (...) has rewarded the defender by inviting him to train with the national team ahead of a training camp next month." ansa reported.

Simone Farina deserves a bigger reward, just like a real debut in a match with his country national team, not just a training camp.

Other sources: - insideworldfootball.biz - footballequalslife.wordpress.com

In Italy Online Free Speech Is In Danger

Perhaps, the next time that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton * will look for an example of «threats to the free flow of information» she won't speak about «China, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan».
Perhaps, the next time U.S. Secretary of State will speak about a nation where «bloggers and activists were detained» she won't speak about Egypt.

Perhaps, the next time she will speak about Italy.

Soon or late, Italian parliament will discuss an Executive Order of the Government about wire-tapping that includes a rule headed to any website. According this bill before Italian parliament, anyone who runs a website, any blogger like me too, «will be obliged to arrange for a rectification of any information published online, within 48 hours from the request, although the request is groundless. In the absence of timely correction, the penalty will be a fine up to 12.000 euros.»
This new bill endangers free speech and is a threat to Italian democracy.

But this isn't the first attempt of Italian Government to stifle free speech. In 2010 they intended «make Internet service providers (ISPs), and hosting sites such as Blogspot and YouTube, liable for content in the same way a television station is. In the strictest interpretation of the law, the sites and ISPs would have to monitor all content on their sites, content which is uploaded by millions of individual users (…) Authority for Communications Guarantees president Corrado Calabrò has said that Italy would be unique in the West as imposing Internet restrictions until now only imposed by authoritarian governments.» What you have just read is cable from Wikileaks.

Why all this? again from the Wikileaks' cable: «Advocates of Internet freedom have repeatedly warned us that Italy's traditional elites — on both sides of the political spectrum — are very uncomfortable with the Internet's ability to bypass the traditional media that they control.»
Help Italians blogger to defend free of speech in Italy using the hashtag #leggebavaglio or #noleggebavaglio on twitter.
Photos from zimbio.com and freeitalianpress.org

A Sugarless Planet

Article first published as A Sugarless Planet on Technorati.


One day of the year 2000, my life changed: in a little shop of organic food and lifestyle healthy habits near Milan I bought a little but wonderful book: Sugar Blues by William Dufty.

The book Sugar Blues
I already knew the author. William Dufty * was an American writer who wrote a sweet Billie Holiday’s biography that I read some years before: Lady Sings the Blues. But for this book Mr Dufty changed the topic: «It's a prime ingredient in countless substances from cereal to soup, from cola to coffee. Consumed at the rate of one hundred pounds for every American every year, it's as addictive as nicotine — and as poisonous. It's sugar.»

Before the book, in the 1960s he met Gloria Swanson * «who introduced him to the macrobiotic culture and convinced him that white sugar was unsafe. (…) Dufty and Swanson were married, she for the sixth time, he for the second time, in 1976. (…) It was, however, the marriage of his devotion to healthy eating, spirituality and writing for which he is best known. Dufty practiced and promoted macrobiotics; a low-fat, high-fiber diet of whole grains, vegetables, sea algae, and seeds, that are prepared in accordance with specific principles, said to synchronize eating habits with the cycles of nature.» I started my own crusade against white sugar too. Instead of white sugar, I use honey, or maple syrup, or malted barley. I lost about 10 kilos (22 pounds) in 1 year. Eventually, I found the passion for life.

Addicted to sugar
In the blog Brain Blogger, Dr Gibson wrote * that «Many studies have uncovered commonalities between sugar intake and drugs of abuse, but a study in 2007 found that the reward experienced from sweetened food surpasses the reward experienced from cocaine. In this study, rats were allowed to choose either intensely sweetened water or intravenous cocaine. Amazingly, 94% of the rats chose the sweetened drink over cocaine. (...) Both sweeteners and drugs of abuse stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain, which are critical to reward and learning pathways. (...) Humans overconsume refined sugars because they taste good. When given a choice, most people will choose these palatable foods over non-palatable foods due to the rewarding aspects of ingestion. Many people overconsume these substances so much that they lose control over their eating habits and jeopardize a healthy body.»


Sugar just like tobacco
In Febraury 2010 Mark Bittman wrote in his article “Is soda the new tobacco?” * on New York Times that in Usa «“A tax on soda was one option considered to help pay for health care reform (the Joint Committee on Taxation calculated that a 3-cent tax on each 12-ounce sugared soda would raise $51.6 billion over a decade), and President Obama told Men’s Health magazine last fall that such a tax is “an idea that we should be exploring. There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda.”» but against this smart idea of a tax on soda there are the producers of sugar-sweetened drinks that «are acting a lot like the tobacco industry of old: marketing heavily to children, claiming their products are healthy or at worst benign, and lobbying to prevent change.»

France Tax on sugary drinks
Even France «has seen a rise in obesity in recent years, especially among children. (...) “It is necessary to put the brakes on the development of obesity, which weakens the health of the people concerned and represents, over the long term, a large cost for the health care system,” the government’s proposal reads. It proposes “to raise the price of sugary drinks, whose unchecked consumption favors weight gain.”»

Coca-Cola «said Thursday it has suspended plans for a €17 million ($24 million) investment in France to protest a tax on sugary sodas that’s part of government efforts aimed at shrinking the country’s huge debts. (…) Coca-Cola is ready to participate in budget austerity efforts, but considers the tax unfair because it targets drinks that are “not harmful to health.” (…) On its website, Coca-Cola’s France operations say obesity is linked to several factors including limited physical activity. “It is not linked to the consumption of a particular product, but depends on the global nutritional balance,” it says.» * The France government «will raise value added tax on sweetened soft drinks by almost four-fold. VAT on soft drinks with added sugar will rise from 5.5% to 19.6% from 1 January 2012, ministers have confirmed. The measure is expected generate additional revenue of EUR120m (US$173m) for France’s social security services. Ministers want to plug a hole in national finances, as well as rising tackle obesity rates.» *

Gloria Swanson died at the age of 84 years old and William Dufty at the age of 86 years old.

End of the Europe as we know it?

Article first published as End of the Europe as we Know it? on Technorati.

Just a few hours ago, «German Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliamentarians from her Christian Democratic Union that the situation on Greece and Italy was "extremely fragile,"» *

The German Chancellor is very right. «Italy faces a debt mountain of 1.9 trillion euros (£1.7tn; $2.7tn). But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, beset by personal scandals, has failed to pass clear measures. (…) Mr Trichet * urged Italy to push through the package of cuts announced in early August (...) He described as "extremely important" all measures to improve the "flexibility" of Italy's economy. Both industrialists and union leaders have accused the austerity plan of relying too much on spending cuts and new taxes, and offering little to stimulate growth or to encourage job creation. Disagreements over taxes and pensions within Mr Berlusconi's coalition government led to a series of U-turns over the past week. A tax on high earners and a rise in the pension age were proposed, then dropped, within days.» *

If Rome cries, Athens doesn't laugh

Greece financial situation is bad too. «Greek debt is now out of control. This disturbing conclusion, issued by a parliamentary committee, comes from Athens itself. Asphyxiated by a recession severer than expected and undermined by the black economy, the country looks unlikely to meet its repayment deadlines.» *

Leaving Euro or a new Europe?
One of the solution could see Italy or Greece leaving Eurozone, although during the Saturday's conference, in Cernobbio on northern Italy's Lake Como, the German economist and President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research Hans-Werner Sinn * stated that “The Northern of Italy is the European region that grows the most.” *



Starting from this point of view, this is the opinion of the german newspaper Die Welt in an article called “Onwards to Europe 2.0”.

«A new layout of the European map is hope for a future beyond nation, religion and tradition. Out of Italy, the wealthy industrial north as a whole would be in the running for the Alps region, with a hand outstretched to Florence and Urbino. In the east, the polyglot Slovenians would round out the federation. With 70 million inhabitants across 450,000 square kilometers, the whole area would be the fourth largest economy in the world, after the United States, China and Japan.» *

Photo of Angela Merkel with Sarkozy and Berlusconi * - Map of Eurozone *

The Story Behind the Painted La Gioconda

Article first published as The Story Behind the Painted La Gioconda on Technorati.


There are some special connections between Italians and French people. Same passion for food, fashion and soccer. And something else: an artist that is shared between the two countries: Leonardo Da Vinci. His greatest work is La Gioconda, as known as Mona Lisa, that you can see in Paris at the Louvre.

This is the story behind the painting: «Leonardo Da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. (…) Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. Most likely through the heirs of Leonardo's assistant Salai, the king bought the painting for 4,000» *

For years, La Gioconda has been subject of a discussion between France and Italy. And it has been subject of a theft too. It was stolen by an Italian guy too. «21 August 1911. (…) Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia had stolen it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed.» *

Was Vincenzo Peruggia a patriot?

Vincenzo Peruggia was a guy from Dumenza, near Milan. «Peruggia said he did it for a patriotic reason: he wanted to bring the painting back for display in Italy after it was stolen by Napoleon. Although perhaps sincere in his motive, Vincenzo may not have known that Leonardo da Vinci took this painting as a gift for Francis I when he moved to France to become a painter in his court.» *Now, the French News channel France 24 open again the case. «Simone Toffanin, director of the play entitled "The Trial of Vincenzo Peruggia"» stated «"We believe Peruggia was a patriot" (…) Recounting the famous house painter's story, the official website for Dumenza uses quotation marks around the word "thief" to describe Peruggia. Instead of the word "stolen", the website also says the painting was "withdrawn" from the Louvre. But Dumenza's mayor Corrado Nazario Moro said he did not want Peruggia to become some kind of local hero if only to safeguard his town's reputation. "We do not want to become known as the birthplace of the Mona Lisa thief," he said.
»

Back to Florence?

In 2011, 100 years after the stolen of La Gioconda, people of the city of Florence did a petition to bring back to Italy the Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece. So far, Louvre declined the request. The Italians reactions are clear; «the President of the Province, Barducci Andrea, judged "serious and legitimate the concerns of the French museum," The President of the National Committee for the enhancement of historical and cultural environment, Vinceti Silvano, (…) said he "understood the concerns of the director of the Louvre, Vincent Pomarede, but issues that he raises with regard to transport can be overcome. There are excellent transport combined with rigorous conservation techniques temperature inside special containers, and for the cancellation of any vibrations harmful to the integrity of the picture."» *

I’ve been at the Louvre once, you can see in this post the pictures I took in the 1999. When I saw the Leonardo’s masterpiece, I thought “Why is so famous? It’s a very little draw, and it’s so dark”.

Instead of La Gioconda, I prefer another Leonardo's masterpiece the Lady with an Ermine. Years ago I've seen in Milan, usually it's in Cracovia. Until November 20th it's at the Gemaeldgallerie in Berlin. *

Politics from the Bottom

Article first published as Politics from the Bottom on Technorati. 

It’s Monday morning, about 3am. I can’t sleep, I know why. I turn on the television, looking for any news channel that it’s now owned or controlled by Berlusconi. I choose Rai News. The journalists are still receiving the results from the Italian minister of interior. I’m very interested to know the results of Milan. I want to know who will be the next major of Milan.

One week ago, the polls stated the win of the center-right and Berlusconi’s candidate, Letizia Moratti. But in this first turn, the candidate of the center-left coalition, Giuliano Pisapia, won. Although he didn’t get the 50% plus one of the votes, then in two weeks Milan’s citizens will vote again for the run-off turn.

Since 1993 the center-right governed Milan. Although lately Milan got some good news from New York Times that puts Milan in the list of "The 41 Places to Go in 2011", Milan is still looking for the right identity to approach this century.

What’s impressive in this election turn is the growing of the Movimento 5 Stelle. The 5 Stars Movement that was born and lives on the Internet. The leader is the comedian Beppe Grillo who has one of the most read and important blog in the world. "Beppe Grillo, a popular Italian comedian, actor, and political satirist, writes one of the few non-English language blogs that's become wildly popular worldwide." Time said.

In Milan, the 5 Stars Movement candidates as major a 20 years old guy and collects 3,2% of the votes. Mattia Calise, stated that they used about 7.000 Euros for all the electoral campaign. Nothing comparing to Berlusconi’s candidate that spent about 12 million of Euros, or the center-left candidate that spent about 1 million and half of Euros.

Talking about the next turn of election, the leader Beppe Grillo already said that 5 Stars Movement don’t look for deal with anyone. They don’t want to mix with the rest of the political party. I strongly agree with his point of view. The power of the 5 Stars Movement comes from the fact that they aren’t part of the old, dirty, and corrupted political world.

Some days ago Beppe Grillo was in Barcelona where he met the young people of the Spanish movement "Los indignados". Those two movements have many things in common. This is what Beppe Grillo writes on his blog "They want a reform of the electoral system, the abolition of unjust laws, the exclusion of people under investigation for crimes from electoral lists, the block on financing to the parties."

Those movements are changing the European politics. Barack Obama are you ready to talk with them?


Photo credits: Picture one, Picture two