The "New Poor" in Italy

The global economic downturn continues on in its devastating path, my friends. Here is an article about how it is impacting Italy. As always, it is those who can least battle such forces who are affected the most. Failing corporations simply pass along their higher costs to the consumer, then provide sumptuous lifestyles for their executives with that newfound revenue, all in hopes that their leaders will be more "motivated" to rescue the company. At least, that is how it is in America. I've heard it said that, "as America goes, so goes the rest of the world". Economics aside, and speaking in the moral sense, this is too bad, as it seems as though America works hard at exporting paradigms for every social ill and moral degradation to the rest of the world. Examples are intense consumerism, family breakdown and reality T.V. shows featuring angry frat boys with frosted hair and unintelligible ditzy California-esque girls who use the word "like" as a noun, pronoun, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, etc. God have mercy on us. Or not.

Enjoy!

(You may click on the article to enlarge the text.)

Anti-Anorexia Ads in Italy

*** Disclaimer: This entry may be difficult to read and may be offensive to some. It is presented here because it addresses a facet of the devastating problem of eating disorders, something to which I have seen many friends fall prey. This story and the young woman at the center of it struck a chord in me and doubtless will for you as well. ***

In Fall of 2007, an Italian government "watchdog" organization banned controversial billboard ads which had caused much uproar in Milan. The ads featured an unclothed anorexic model in various poses, along with the words, "No Anorexia". You may conclude that the ads were part of a campaign against the deadly disease, but their purpose was not purely altruistic. The ads also doubled as a plug for a new Italian fashion brand, Nolita. Nolita claimed that they commissioned the ads so that they would feature a message to the fashion world, while at the same time advertising their brand. The Italian government differed with Nolita, stating that the ads were offensive.

The woman at the center of the ads is not acting or role-playing in any way, and the photos were not altered. She is a 28 year old french model named Isabelle Caro, and has been suffering from anorexia and bulimia since age 14. She agreed to do the ad in the hopes that she could help people realize the true effects of the disease from which she suffers. Sadly, those effects of her eating disorder were vividly and painfully on display in the ads.

The questions about the Nolita ad campaign still remain debated. Is it proper for billboards (or proper at all)? Is it offensive? Is it pornographic? Is it demeaning to the model or other victims of eating disorders? Is it solely a shrewd and cruel ploy to garner attention for the fashion startup company? Or, is it empowering to those who suffer from eating disorders? Is it a positive step towards shining more light on this affliction? Is it a positive/stern message to an industry which perhaps perpetuates eating disorders via the imagery it purveys? The ethical and moral questions related to this story seem endless.

We here at Blogiorno have never shied away from "controversy" or tough questions, and this is certainly one of those. As always, we invite you to leave your comments. Before commenting, you may wish to watch short news video vignettes about Isabelle to gain the full perspective.

If you would view the news videos of Isabelle Caro, click here.

If you would like to read a BBC article about the banned ads, click here.

Italy's New Government: Mamma Mia!

Hello again my friends! I am sorry for my absence here on Blogiorno, but I've been on the island-nation of Madagascar shooting* lemurs. (Madagascar is in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa, and the only place where lemurs live in the wild. Yes, I grew up partially in Africa, so I know a few "factoids" about the continent.) Okay then, onward to our post. On this day, July 4, 2008, the 232nd anniversary of America's independence from England--we love you England, really, we do--we turn our attention to those who guide our government. Pictured here is America's president, George W. Bush, about whom I have nothing bad to say, simply because I don't care to jump on "that" bandwagon. I find it distasteful to kick someone when they are down, be it Mr. Bush or his predecessor, William Jefferson Clinton. I suspect that the average critic, if they had to run the United States for a day, would most likely end up under the oval office desk, in the fetal position, wild-eyed and drooling, clutching an official "red, white and blueberry" presidential lolly.

Okay then. Let's turn our attention to the wonderful new government of Italy. As you may know, the Prime Minister of Italia is none other than Silvio Berlusconi, the conservative who recently replaced the well-meaning, left-leaning, Romano "Il Professore" Prodi. Silvio recently swore in his new group of ministers, among whom were a veritable bevy of Italian beauties. Oh yes, Silvio is no dummy; he knows how to get things done. Pictured here are Giorgia Meloni, Maria Stella Gelmini, Mara Carfagna, and Stefania Prestigiacomo, and as you can see from the photo just below, they already have their male colleagues so lovestruck and bewildered that they could, in about 10 minutes time, slam home a measure to have that murdering Seattle-spawned monster Amanda Knox fed to a litter of baby African lions in the Colosseum. On Easter Sunday. With Pope Benedict's blessing. And a childrens' choir singing the Lion King's, "Circle of Life". Yes, such is the power of their beauty.

Of particular note is Ms. Carfagna, who has caused a mild uproar in the world press over her appointment by Berlusconi because she is A) a young 31 years old, B) beautiful, and C) a former pinup model. What the parasitic invertebrates of the press do not understand is that Silvio is a man who sees past these trivial qualities in Ms. Carfagna, and instead sees the tremendous potential for the public good which she can bring--nay, the public good which THEY can bring. He and Mara. Together. Forever. Maybe. Ahem. Anyway, in this photo, Mara Carfagna demonstrates...her commitment to...the environment...by posing by a tree...with dirt smeared on her body. See? That is true commitment my friends. At one point our pal Silvio declared in a government session that he would like to marry Mara (but really now, who wouldn't?). For some unknown reason that Blogiorno is still trying to ascertain, this did not go over well with Silvio's wife, Veronica Lario, who was so upset that she wrote a scathing letter about it to La Repubblica, one of the nation's leading newspapers. Silvio later apologized for his ill-conceived comment. You see, he is not without a heart.

So there you have it, Italy's stunning new cabinet of ministers. Che bellezza! Oh, uh, here in America, we have Hillary Clinton. And Barbara Mikulski . What a rip off. A horrific misuse of public funds in so many ways. It is such a shame we don't follow Silvio's "model" of government. It's just more interesting, don't you agree? There now, of course you do.

Okay then, Silvio and Blogiorno say, Ciao and Grazie Italia!



* photographs of

Derek Paravicini

Ciao dear friends! I am taking a small detour today, and am featuring an extraordinary British pianist (of Italian descent) named Derek Paravicini. Derek is blind, autistic and severely learning impaired, but he has been given a tremendous gift of music by God. While he cannot see and cannot make much sense of life and things around him, when he sits down at a piano he is simply in command as a virtuoso, playing at the highest possible levels as a pianist. To watch him play is simply awe-inspiring. In this post, I have included links to a British documentary about Derek; the programme is in 5 parts, all of which I've included here. I found this documentary simply riveting and beyond heartwarming. Perhaps "stunning" is the best word I can think of to describe this young man, his abilities and his kind heart.

I must say that I am completely biased toward Derek in this Blogiorno post because I play piano myself, and have done so since age five. It's a lovely instrument and it just "speaks" to me in a way that other instruments do not. So, I have a warm place in my heart for other pianists, and those who do it so beautifully.

Of particular interest for me is that Derek plays piano entirely by ear, as his blindness makes him unable to read music. I also play almost exclusively by ear; while I took piano lessons for several years as a child and adolescent, I could never really relate to notation very well, and rarely, if ever, use it these days. Of course, Derek plays worlds better than I, and his skill is completely innate; he hears things on a supreme, otherworldly level and can translate what he hears to the piano in a completely accurate manner, or even an improvisational manner if he desires. Just brilliant.

Another personal observation is that Derek and I share the same birthday, July 26. How super is that?! (Also born on July 26 is Mick Jagger, thus proving that, for every uplifting thing, there's always a diametrically-opposed sinister thing which threatens to drag you down to the depths of despair...ha, just kidding Mick!)

So that is it for this time, amici miei. I simply was awestruck by this story and wanted to share it with you. However, as I mentioned, Derek has an Italian surname, so that's reason enough to be featured here on Blogiorno!

Please, take some time to watch Derek in the feature, "The Musical Genius". I've provided the YouTube links below. (Please note, you will also be able to click on each of the 5 portions of the programme from within YouTube as well.)




Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5


Derek has a CD available for purchase, including on iTunes.

Click here to visit Derek's page on iTunes.

(For Derek's iTunes link above, you will need to have iTunes installed on your machine; otherwise, you will be redirected to the iTunes download page.)

Italy Investing in Wind Energy

Italy To Build 500 Wind Plants

(ANSA) - Milan, November 6, 2007 - Italy plans to build 500 more wind plants, according to the Monday economic supplement of Italy's daily Corriere della Sera. With the help of the 500 additional plants Italy plans to reach a 23 gigawatt energy production - ten times higher than what the country is currently producing. The new wind farms will make Italy the world's biggest producer of wind energy, leapfrogging Germany which is now producing 22.6 gigawatts.

In 2006 alone, 417 wind plants were built in Italy, situated mainly in the southern regions of Sicily, Puglia, Basilicata and Molise but also in the central region of Tuscany. Wind energy is the most lucrative type of green energy and is attracting Italian investors such as diversified holding companies Moratti and De Benedetti and big oil companies such as Garrone, according to Corriere della Sera. Italian energy group Enel SpA is also searching for sites with steady wind out of Italy, in Europe.

Meanwhile, Spain's Endesa and Iberdrola are also building plants in Basilicata and Calabria. The biggest investor in wind plants in Italy is the UK-based company International Power.

www.ansa.it

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Wind Energy Facts (from renewableenergyweek.com), with Blogiorno Editorial Notes:

* In 2006, the U.S.'s cumulative wind power capacity was 9,971 MW -- within close striking distance of the 10 gigawatt (10,000 MW) milestone.

[Note, this is capacity; it doesn't mean we actually, like, do it. Or even want to. Compare to Italy's planned capacity of 23 gigawatts, as cited in the story above.]

* 2,500 MW of capacity is enough to power more than 600,000 average American homes.

[For 5 minutes. At 2:00 a.m.]

* Texas edged ahead of California in Wind Energy capacity in 2006.

[They'll need all that power to keep the planned high-voltage electric fences along the border going. For its part, California will install Red Bull vending machines along the border. Requiring purchase of the high-energy Red Bull drinks, rather than freely distributing them, will deter illegals, California officials say.]

* California has led the nation in wind capacity for 25 years, and at one time was host to more than 80 percent of the wind capacity in the entire world. However, energy and electricity prices tanked during the global oil glut of the 1980s, putting California's wind power boom on hold.

[California has made up for this lapse by "proudly" leading the world in the export of attractive-but-talentless, surgically-enhanced, blonde Hollywood "starlets", and their non-famous look-a-like counterparts. Friends, Blogiorno opposes such exports and believes that we must investigate energy-efficient disposal methods for these undesirable, unnatural resources. Our future depends on it.]