Eva Ulian- Researched Expert Findings on The best of the worst- and not only...

298. Staving off Paedophiles

2012-02-03T19:05:00.002+01:00

Children at the village Fair

Inmy last post I mentioned how greatly infiltrated paedophiles arein our society and how they have been able to become so proliferate becausesociety never woke up to this evilness amongst us until Catholic priests becameinvolved and so paedophiles were able to worm they way into our society quiteundisturbed.

Ialso mentioned that the figures are quite staggering and theyare just the ones the law could pin down, but there are hordes of paedophilesout there still unidentified as such. Asit is so difficult for the law to catch these individuals, observing howchildren behave and are treated in our society, I made out this list on how tostave off paedophiles.

1. There is safety in numbers.

a. In social situations achild is often surrounded by other children. Parents, in the first instance and any adults in charge should alwaysinsure that no child is allowed to be left alone, and in particular not to beleft alone with just one other adult.

b. As paedophilesare most likely to be found within one’s family circle or a close friend ofthe family, it is easy for a paedophile embedded in such surroundings to lead achild away with the compliance of parents, since he is a trusted member of thecircle. Parents should be alwaysvigilant if a child is taken out of the group by one other adult- no matter whothat adult is- such a situation is always suspect and should be diligently investigated.

2. Understanding what makes someone apaedophile

Firstly, a man dwells on theidea. Some scientists say their cells arepre-disposed to paedophilia, they have urges they are unable to control. I don’t agree with that idea. I am predisposed to blowing my neighbourshead off with a shot gun every time she threatens to kill my dogs because theygo on her land, and my urge to do so, believe me is totally uncontrollable- butI don’t do it... blow my neighbour’s head off, that is. One is capable of educating one’s urges to bekept under control, of course given for granted that the paedophiles parents’have taught him the difference between right and wrong. If they haven’t then this paedophile believesall is permitted included to satisfy one’s desires by harming children. On the other hand the paedophile’s parentsmay have been over-severe that his desires have been stifled, instead of being channelledinto something good- hence these desires break out like an uncontrollable rash.

3. Women’s Role.

Women’s role in our society havechanged greatly and it seems that the tables have been overturned. Some women may not agree, but in the West wehave seen most women become the dominant sex with the consequence that most menhave become afraid of women, especially in bed- hence a man will consolehimself with what he can handle- a child.

4. Make your child happy.

A sombre child is easy prey to anypaedophile. A happy child does not needto seek shelter in the company of someone who is enticing him or her with unduetenderness. Making a child happy doesnot mean he is allowed to do all he or she wants, when and how he wants otherwisehe will grow up without distinguishing the difference from right and wrong andin turn become a paedophile himself- the same is true for excessive severity.

Basically,staving off paedophiles is a parent’s job, but if it’s done well, your child issafe.

297. Paedophiles:Things Left Unsaid

297. Paedophiles: Things Left Unsaid

2012-01-27T12:37:00.002+01:00

google-site-verification: google1e970a3e59931782.html

The question of paedophiliahas recently been concentrated on what has happened in the Catholic Church. And whereas I forcibly condemn catholicpriests who have committed such crimes, as does the whole Church, Inevertheless cast my eye to that area that has been neglected, overlookedignored or made to pretend it doesn’t exist, namely- the rest of thepaedophiles.

A paedophile could well besome wife’s “loving” husband and some child’s father, a relation, a closefriend. Because child abuse in oursociety was/is so common, we have turned a blind eye to these “normal”paedophiles so much so that paedophiles have been allowed to thrive almost withoutcheck which enabled them to be woven into our culture more or less unseen;society woke up suddenly only when catholic priests became involved.

Yet thesepaedophiles, where the forces of law have been able to identify them,have shown figures so staggering that we can only imagine how immense the rotthat has set in our society must be. Ifyou want figures and have a few hours to spare, you can browse through thesesites for starters:

http://www.perverted-justice.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ore

http://forum.davidicke.com/archive/index.php/t-89175.html

In any case, without makingit any less serious, the question of catholic priests, in comparison to therest of the paedophiles in our society, is merely a drop in the ocean. And so long as people concentrate on catholicpriests as the main font of paedophilia, immense numbers of paedophilescontinue to worm their way within our society quite undisturbed.

Continues...

296. When Things Go Wrong

2012-01-20T19:48:00.000+01:00

A local hospital that saved my hearing

When things go wrongsomeone pays the price as I did by risking to lose my hearing- and still risklosing it in part.

This is a blog Inever would have wanted to write but I am doing so as to prevent this kind ofthing happening again, to anyone else, ever. I have always been an advocate for the medicalservice and still am, but like I said when things go wrong, the price some onepays is high indeed.

It seems incrediblethat in a civilized country like Italy which can boast for one of the besthealth systems around, it had not been possible for me in 13 days, from 14^thDecember to 27^th to see a local doctor. And here’s why:

Friday 14th December: Iphone the local surgery where there is an association of doctors of which my GPis a member and are paid extra in order to be of assistance to patients ofother doctors who at the time are not present at the surgery. I asked for assistance as I was stillrecovering from flu but I now also had earache. They gave me an appointment with my GP for Tuesday 20^th at 17.15

Sunday 18th December: beingalmost completely deaf and therefore not being able to drive I asked my sisterto take me, since it was Sunday, to the “guardiamedica” (an emergency doctor for out of hours service) who confirmed thatthe sandy coloured liquid coming from both my ears was in fact otitis. Later I also found out I had a perforatedeardrum. The guardia medica told me it was fundamental that the next day ,Monday, I should see my doctor. I toldhim that the surgery I go to one could not see a doctor without an appointmentand as my appointment was for Tuesday I had no other choice. He was not in the least agreeable to that andgave me a prescription for some medicines, among which antibiotics.

Monday 19^th December (afternoon) one of the surgery clerks phoned me tellingme that my doctor was not available and therefore changed my appointment from Tuesday 20 December to Thursday 22 Decemberat 10.15. I explained to the clerkwith great difficulty because of my hearing problem, what the guardia medica had told me and she askedme if I wanted to speak to the doctor. So I waited to be connected to the doctor but this did not occur. The clerk told me she could not understandwhy the connection failed.

Tuesday 20^th December : early morning I get abdominal spasms and cramps followedby diarrhoea, I knew this was due to the antibiotic. I went to the surgery where another clerk(not the one I spoke to on the phone) who to my request for seeing a doctorasked me who my doctor was. When I tellher that my doctor was not present, and anyway she knew full well who my doctorwas, she told me I could not see my doctor because my doctor was not here. This was all said with great difficulty dueto my hearing problem. I answered sayingthat not being totally stupid yet, I knew I could not see my doctor becausehe/she was not here, however I did need to see a doctor, I insisted. At this point the clerk asked me WHEN I needed to see a doctor. Feeling that she was taking the Mickey out ofme I said that, next century would be fine. Having raised my voice somewhat the clerk picked up the phone and calledsomeone, then told me to sit in the waiting-room.

Half an hour later or so, a nurse calls me and tells me that she will refereverything to one of the doctors on duty. I told her I needed to change the antibiotic and that the guardia medica had told me I had to seea doctor ASAP. She goes to tell thedoctor, I presume.

Later, the nursereturns with a prescription of another antibiotic in which there are only 5capsules, which would last me until 24^thDecember. And after that, what shallI do? I managed to still have the senseto ask. No answer, they (the clerk andthe nurse) just changed my appointment from Thursday 22 December to Tuesday 27 December. I complained about this because as theantibiotic would only last me till Christmas Eve, what was I going to do for 3days till the other appointment on the 27^th? This did not seem tomatter to either of them and they just shook their shoulders. Naturally, not having the strength andexcruciating earache, I was not able to react as I would have liked and as Iwas not able to figure out what the nurse and the clerk were saying to eachother, I just gave up trying, went home and sought help.

Friday 24^th December: (afternoon) mysister takes me to the surgery and this time she did the talking and explainedthat I needed a prescription for another box of antibiotics which would coverme until my appointment on 27^th December. This was yet another clerk and more humansince she could not understand why they had not given me an earlier appointmentwith my own doctor. Perhaps realizingshe had been critical of her colleagues she justified the situation by sayingthat maybe my doctor’s schedule had been too full to insert me before the 27^th. However, even this clerk was not able toget me to see one of the doctors on duty but did manage to get the prescriptionfor antibiotics for me.

I go to the chemist andask the pharmacist if the antibiotic was suitable for my state, he/sheexplained to me that the antibiotic was not very strong and it would have beenbetter to take something more suitable such as cortisone but was not able togive me without a prescription. As inthe past I had taken cortisone and an anti-inflammatory drug I had two tabletsleft which I decided to take by splitting them in half.

Tuesday 27th December : My doctor was not present but there was a replacement whoimmediately made out a prescription for an emergency visit to the local eye-throatand ear hospital. Thanks to this visitwhere I was prescribed an aggressive and efficacious emergency therapy, I havebeen able to save my hearing. Eventhough I can’t hear as clearly as before I hope in time this will return andthat the damage caused by careless and unthinking health systems will not leaveme impaired.

Of course, in due course I changed doctor and cut myselfoff completely from this surgery and their staff.

295. My Choice of the Top Ten Blogs – Never Mind What Google Says

2012-01-01T14:18:00.001+01:00

You can see the Top Ten most visited posts according toGoogle statistics on my side bar; so I have compiled a personal list set inchronological order, un-shamefully admitting, to be my all time favourites.

Home http://evaulian-thebestoftheworst.blogspot.com/

1) 4.Comedy...Tragic-Comedy...Tragedy... School Life

2) 57. From MyArchives: The Reluctant Novice

3) 95. Writers' Rooms

4) 103. Love ThyNeighbour- Never Like This Before

5) 105. 1917-18 The Year that Inspired Hemmingway toWrite "Farewell to Arms"

6) 134. ExcavatingBack to the 6th Century

7) 192. TheatrePeople

8) 219. The HolyShroud, True or False?

9) 245. The Languageof Colours

10) 254. Carnival ofVittorio Veneto: No.2 The Opening

294 Moments of Joy

2011-12-24T20:59:00.001+01:00

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND MAY THE NEW YEAR BE BETTER

CORO I BORGHI

Via Dante, 45

Centro Don Gnocchi

31020 San Vendemiano

Treviso

293. Italy: Monti- Russian Roulette

2011-11-29T13:52:00.001+01:00

People arestarting to murmur, if not crying out loud that Mario Monti, the new Italian Premier of a technocratic governmentis simply taking his time over getting things done.

Italians, foreignleaders and bankers expected Monti to bring out his guillotine and give a quickswish to Italian expenditure and getItaly back on its feet again. But apartfrom a few trips here and there abroad, nothing much else has happened.

It seems that MarioMonti is the only one who believes that Italy’s financial problems, do not ineffect depend on Italy at all- even less on Berlusconi, but on the world crises which started way beyond the AtlanticOcean and rippled into Europe.

Again, it alsoseems to me that Mario Monti is not going to let Italy be bullied into doingwhat the “financial despots” wantsher to do in order to fill with fodder other people’s pockets. And this, as faras I can see is why he is playing RussianRoulette with time.

Berlusconi wasright when at a meeting of the EU27 hetold Nicholas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel that since they were theself-proclaimed leaders of the Europower in Europe they had not done a good job in managing it. They should have taken steps to have preventedthe weakening of the Euro to this extent and they didn’t, not with regards to Greece, Italy or themselves.

The "Happy" Trio

This may also havebeen because from Italy’s debt, Germanystands to gain 50 billion Euros a year- that to me, rather than a demonstrationof European fraternity is a clear display of exploitation with a vengeancesimilar to Shylock’s demand for his pound of flesh (Shakespeare, Merchant ofVenice).

Maybe Germanyshould remember that when it was undergoing a bad spell in 2008, Italy condoned some of Germany’s failings. At this point, the question begs, is Italythe only country to show solidarity to other member states?

At this point too Ihave to ask, is Germany seeking to dominate Europe with the Euro supremacy as Hitler did with bombs?

Politics andpoliticians have made Italians, myself included sick to the teeth with theirsquabbling and tearing to pieces of each other. But let’s not blame just Berlusconi for this disaffection towards politics- The massacring of Italy came fromall sides, both in and beyond Italy. Ifanything Berlusconi gave Italy years ofstability, governed when others gaveup in challenging and difficult times, going from the 9/11 to the financial crashin the US which eventually caught up in Europe.

True to my word, Iam neither left or right wing but I back up to the hilt any government thattries to do its ultimate best in the interest of their country. And if Mario Monti is taking his time overthings it is so as to prevent Italy from being swallowed up by the big bad wolf out there. He has no other choice, for the good of Italyand Europe but to play Russian Roulette.

The Italian Premier playing Russian Roulette

292. The Press: Transforming Reality

2011-11-22T16:01:00.001+01:00

Once upon a timethe newspaper was a faithful companion to most. It was read at breakfast, on the train, in line, in bed- wherever. It enjoyed such popularity basically becauseone could rely on it presenting facts as they occurred, pure and simple, butabove all- truly.

Since the adventof instant electronic communications, and even television, but above all theInternet where news is available on the spot 24 hours a day, the sovereignty ofthe newspaper as the main source of news is no longer applicable. The outcome being a massive reduction insales.

The consequenceof such, forced papers to change their policy or rather, their reason forbeing. Since news was readily availableelsewhere, they had to come up with something smarter than their electronic competitors-they had to transform facts into items that would draw the crowds, in otherwords, they had to become skilful in the art of transforming reality.

This particularitystuck out to me like a sore thumb in their dealings with the Italian ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi when his high society dinners at his Villa Arcore weretransformed by the press as brothels ofprostitutes- and it would not be difficult to find one or two of the guestswho would back up that “fact”- at aprice.

And even if it wasa re-union of prostitutes (go and tell that to the normal working girls thatwere there, if you dare,) there was, is nothing illegal about it. So why the Magistrates insist on prosecutingBerlusconi and his associates for these dinners is beyond me since prostitution,supposing it was such, is quitelegal in Italy- provided it’s indoors!

But now thatBerlusconi is no longer the Prime Minister of Italy, he does not attractthe crowds as much and consequently articles on him are less frequent, andthose that are published, do not have the same impact as they used to.

I was rather amusedto see on U.S. and U.K. television a proliferation ofadverts for various newspapers- now that Berlusconi no longer sells theirpapers for them, they have to pay dearly in order to advertise them so as toprevent their extinction.

Oh dear! My heartbleeds for them.

Related Posts

247. Berlusconi, Prostitution and Minors

291. Obama: Europe, Be Nice To Italy!

2011-11-10T23:14:00.001+01:00

The President of the USA
Barack Obama

Words that sent ripples of warmth to my heart.

This sentence was transmitted on all Italian TV channels andhow I revelled in Obama’s words:

Europe, be nice to Italy, she is a good ally of the United States.

The next day he added: Italy is not like Greece.

True, Europe has handledItaly by no means gently and I can find examples going back just a few monthswhen Europe abandoned Italy to her own devices over the African immigration crisis, then bullied her into the expense of a war she did not want totake part in, Libya, and now, the massacringof the debt.

And of course, said they, the font of all of Italy’s, woes was/is indicated in Italy’s Premier, Silvio Berlusconi, and he alone.

Silvio Berlusconi

During this upheaval whichbrought to Berlusconi resigning after Parliament has approved the provisionsmade to the EU, I learnt how good politicians from the Opposition were intearing others apart on TV but quite incapable in facing any ordinary Italian citizen,on social networks as Twitter.

For them, to even beable express their slightest thought in 140 characters, seems a task beyondtheir capacity. When someone lamentedthat Italy is under surveillance and I answered that this was thanks to the 9years government by the Left and 8 by the Right... there was uttersilence. No one from the opposition hadthe decency to Twitter back, because the opposition will never admit to beco-responsible for having added to Italy’s debt rather than improve it.

In effect the Prodi government abolished Berlusconi/Maroni’s Pension Reform which consistedin cutting on pensions to invest that money in industries that would employyoung people starting work, thus giving growth to the country. We are still paying for that error even at thisvery moment. Let us remember thatItalian pensions, in a great deal of cases are very generous indeed.

So, Berlusconi weaves, and the opposition unstitches whathas been woven....

But back to the present.

Onceapproved the provisions made to the EU, the voting should take placeThursday 10^th Nov for the Senato (Upper House) and Saturday for the morecrucial vote in the Lower House. Afterwhich Berlusconi will resign and the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano will begin consultation as who will be able toform a new government. If no one can,then we have the elections.

Mario Monti

It is not a coincidence that Mario Monti has been nominated Senatorea Vita (equivalent to Life Peer) only yesterday, because this gentleman whenas an EU Commisioner he had shown tobe tough enough to fine Microsoft. It is as clear as daylight that he will beasked to form a government. The problemis, will he have a majority to do so? Only the Partito Democraticofrom the Left said yes but no one else from the opposition have come forward,not clearly.

The Lega Nord,Berlusconi ally said a clear “No” and some members of the Partito della Libertà (Berlusconi’s party) are not in favour. The small central parties, are saying “NI”and no one knows who Mario Monti can rely on if he is the new Premier.

The crux ofthe matter is that they all know the next government must makeextremely unpopular decisions that no one wants to aid and abet as it clearlymeans losing votes from the electorate. So who is going to be brave enough and set aside their own personalinterests for those of the common good? As few as possible is my guess.

Hence therehas to be a government which will put into action all these unpopularprovisions. One of these and which noleader of a political party will ever get the consensus to do is to slash the benefits and wages of parliamentarianswhich are three times those of Spain, twice those of a British MP and almostthe same as that of a USA parliamentarian but where the electorate is about 400million compared to Italy’s 57...inflated wages would you not agree? Thenof course they stand to get a minimum of €5,000 per month pension after only 35 months as a parliamentarian- then there are the other benefits... restaurants atnext to nothing prices, medical care, housing, transport and so on and so on...

At thebottom of this blog is a petition to drastically reduce the number of parliamentarianswhich would help Italy to have a more manageable political situation. Pleasesign it.

Another insurmountable problem with Italian politics is thatonce elected, any imbecile can move out of the elected majority and make thegovernment fall, hence Italy could well be returning to the first republicpolitics where there were elections on average every 11 months.

Andrea di Sorte may have in fact come up with a solution

Anyone who wishes to change from the coalitionor party with which they were voted, automatically loses their constituencyseat.

That should put a stop to those egoistic parasites who onlythink of their own interests and betray the trust the voters had placed inthem. At the moment, parliament is fullof those parasites, and the word parasites is not an overstatement.

Thesolution, as I see it would be to get the economist and once EUCommissioner to form a government, pass these provisions. However, I doubt it that unless Berlusconi,who supports Mario Monti as future Premier, doesn’t pull some strings in thebackground so as to make his party members work effectively under the newPremier, there cannot be a majority.

The President of Italy
Giorgio Napolitano

However, asit rests at the moment, everything is in the hands of one person, and oneperson alone: The President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano- God bless him!!!

PETITION TO CUT THE NUMBER OF ITALIAN M.Ps

AND ELIMINATE THE RIGHT TO A €5,000 MONTHLY PENSION AFTER ONLY 35 MONTHS AS AN MP

Cari amici,

Ho appena letto e firmato questa petizione online:

«per dimezzare il numero dei Parlamentari ed eliminare il diritto all'indennità pensionistica dopo soli 35 mesi di attività Parlamentare»

http://www.petizionepubblica.it/?pi=P2011N14356

Io sono d'accordo con questa petizione e spero che anche tu lo sia.

Firma qui la petizione ... e diffondila fra i tuoi contatti.

Grazie.

290 Berlusconi, Cromwell and The Financial Times

2011-11-06T19:28:00.004+01:00

Voting Board - Italian Parliament

Oh how the anti-Berlusconipropaganda loved it when The FinancialTimes printed a phrase said by the EnglishDictator Oliver Cromwell in order to get rid of King and country but which inthis case the Editorial of the FT referred to Berlusconi: “For God’s sake go!”

And of course we allknow what happened to poor Oliver after he had said that phrase, got rid ofKing and Parliament and placed himself as sole ruler of a now Puritan and RepublicEngland. In his five year rule not onlydid Cromwell make England an unhappy place to live in but he too became themost miserable of men. After his death,England fell into chaos and the English people soon enough called back theirPrince Charles, whom they had exiled and whose father they had executed, andthe monarchy was well and truly restored.

Trying to adapt that to Italian politics just makes melaugh.

For one thing, nomatter how one tries to turn the thing around, Berlusconi is not Cromwell- Cromwellturned England into a joyless nation by depriving people the legitimate ways ofenjoying themselves. In Italy, theforeign press and internal enemies, amongst which is the Italian justice system,try to deny the legitimate rights of the Premier to make Italy a merry place tolive in. Cromwell and his army ensuredthe Rightful King, Charles I wasexecuted, declared England a Republic, dismissed parliament- telling them inGod’s name to go home- and set himself up as sole ruler.

Berlusconi has not, or even tried to get ridof the President of Italy and while others are trying to do the undemocratic, unconstitutional and irresponsiblething as to break up parliament- he hangs on tight as he should rightly do so. In complete contrast to Cromwell, Berlusconidoesn’t want to send parliament home and make Italy less stable. But oh, how the FT and not only would lovefor Italy to be less stable, isn’t that what constitutes false friends fromoverseas?

Yet Berlusconi’sreal enemies are not from without but from within. What have not the foreign leaders, press, andall areas of Italy’s left wing done to persuade, cajole, promise those nit-wits of the right-wing parliamentwho are willing to sell themselves, change colour, name and face so as to denyBerlusconi his majority? For one thing Iwill take note of these people and make sure they go down on my list of TRAITORS. They have betrayed the trust of the Italian citizen who had voted them for the political party they adhered to. I will remember them particularly when I seethe millions of Euros they have burnt by their disloyalty- And I for one willuse every possible means at my disposal to see they never become parliamentariansever again... And never underestimate the power of Internet- after all- it iseternal.

I hope Berlusconi faces Parliament on Tuesday and if he is given a non-confidence vote, at least we have a name and a face to those who voted against Italy... After which the future looks bleak, there is no one on the other side waiting in the wings to govern, at least not for the moment.

However, there is something drastically wrong with a political system that allows a government, and consequently the country itself to be held in ransom by the whims of individual or collective parliamentarians, bringing down governments after only months in power.

288. Berlusconi Rides Again 1

289. Berlusconi Rides Again 2

289. Berlusconi Rides Again, Milan’s Stock Exchange flies, while Rome Burns: 2

2011-10-25T17:21:00.000+02:00

Berlusconi being congratulated after the vote of confidence on 14 October 2011
between two of Umberto Bossi's Lieutenants
and the Minister of Economy right next to him.

Again reading the international papers whom most are convinced that Berlusconi is dead and buriedunder the debris of Pompeii, I found this affirmation from The Guardian- Edition 14October 2011- worthy of comment:

“But his (Berlusconi's) pledge to battle on helped send shareprices tumbling on the Milan stock exchange and raised the alreadyunsustainably high interest rate on Italian government debt.

The reactionin the markets was a clear sign that investors are less concerned now aboutstability than government paralysis.”

From the above it seems TheGuardian has interpreted Berlusconi’s presence in the Italian government as ameans of government paralysis which sends share prices tumbling on the Milanstock exchange.

Members of the Opposition on the day of the Confidence vote

Only moments before The Guardian had made that statement, Berlusconi won the confidence vote316 to 301 which not only showed that the Berlusconi government was stillcapable of mobilizing its members of parliament showing that the government,far from suffering from paralysis was alive and kicking but also contradicted TheGuardian’s claim that Berlusconi was artifice in sending the stock exchange inMilan to smithereens since such were the values on the European Stock Exchange at that moment:

Milan 2. 49 +

London 1. 17 +

Paris 0. 97 +

Frankfort 0. 87 +

And this was not a one night wonder either.

Members of the Opposition on the day of the Confidence vote

Another episode which made me smile was whatoccurred during the briefing after the EU 27 meeting when the French president NicholasSarkozy, at the mention of Berlusconi started smirking, and smirked all theway, placing the German chancellor Angela Merkel in an uncomfortable position,but like the lady that she is, she smiled, she did not smirk. Of course the French and Italian Leaders areknown to be at logger heads adding to which Berlusconi maintained at the EUmeeting that the Euro is in the bad shape that it is also thanks to theinappropriate management of the Euro by the leading powers of that currency,namely France and Germany.

Well, whether or not they have anyconfidence in Berlusconi’s government is not for me to judge, what I can say isthat Angela Merkel comes to Italy for her holidays and Berlusconi’s governmenthas produced one of the best unemployment rates in the West:

RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

Spain 21.2

France 9.9

USA 9.9

UK 8.1

Italy 7.9

Germany 6.9

Rome burning by acts of hooliganism

But my last point in this post is one focusing on hooligans. How does one become a hooligan? Now don’t tell me it’s Berlusconi’s faultagain which again the papers have tried to pass off. Don’t tell me it’s because they arefrustrated with this or that government, and they let off steam at thestadiums, or in this case in Rome and guess what? The Black Blocks promptly presentedthemselves on the same occasion as Berlusconi won the vote of confidence. Was this so as to link the two events to oneanother? In that case is this all the opposition can come up with?

Rome- A Protester throwing a fire-extinguisher against a police van

However, one also wonders wherethe parents of these thugs are and why are they utterly incapable of keepingtabs on their offspring? Is it so hardto teach kids the difference between right and wrong? Is it so difficult to teach kids that theycan’t have everything they want, when they want it and how they want it. No, ofcourse not, but it’s much easier not to bother and just give in. Of course, let’s blame Berlusconi for thattoo.

Related Articles:

288. Berlusconi Rides Again 1

The Guardian edition 14 Oct 2011

288. Berlusconi Rides Again, Milan’s Stock Exchange flies, while Rome Burns: 1

2011-10-17T14:23:00.002+02:00

Berlusconi Rides Again.

Searching what the papers have said, it all began with the Berlusconi’s government goingdown by one vote last Tuesday and the StockExchange in Milan slumped. It isnot the first time: there have been times when the Stock Exchange in Milanreached desperation levels, but not only that of Milan, the whole of the West have had stock exchanges touchingdesperation levels for a few years now, so what’s new?

The interpretationgiven by the finance world is, if Berlusconi’s government stumbles, the shareshit rock bottom, and when he rides again, the shares rise and fly with him. One would think he was some kind of a god...that’s why he is so hated.

The papers, I’ve noticed, especially the ones outside Italy, found it difficultto restrain their exultation when Berlusconi’s government was beaten by onevote on 11 October. Because the governmentfailed to pass a bill which was something of a routine nature, everyone went totown and the word “stagnation” cropped up everywhere. Also because the bill was of a financialnature, namely part of a budget, it had to be of vital importance- very few, ifany mentioned how insignificant that vote was to the efficiency to the running ofthe government.

We have all gone over the top when the words “finance” and “budgets” are mentioned- nothingcomes second to such. Thus Berlusconi’sgovernment, not being able to approve a bill of such high calibre as pertainingto the “budget”, for his enemies spelt defeat in capital letters.

What fools, we sometimes make of ourselves, says I when I read the papers. The vote on the bill that was not passed lastTuesday was merely, and merely is not an understatement, a vote of verificationon the Budget of 2010.

No need for me to mention that the year 2010is dead and gone and is really of no consequence to the approval or disapprovalof any government, it is simply a matter of routine to say, okay, we’ve beenthere, done that- closed chapter. Upon which,the great newspapers of influential nations have gone overboard to spell out ingreat big capital letters that this denoted the defeat of Berlusconi’sgovernment.

What about such as went on behind the scenes on this all so “important” vote? It was well known that Claudio Scajola, Minister for economic development, seeing he hashis days counted, for various reasons, decided to pull out; Umberto Bossi leader of the government’scoalition was in the bar of the lower house chatting, didn’t notice the time goby; and the Minister responsible for theBudget, all of them, Giulio Tremontiwas at a funeral. An accident? As the voting was defined- I would say quite the opposite.

Berlusconi being congratulated after the vote of confidence on 14 October 2011
between two of Umberto Bossi's Lieutenants
and the Minister of Economy right next to him.

Continues...

287. Living: People Drifting Away

2011-10-12T14:00:00.000+02:00

Spirituality means giving up your time for others

My closing words on my last blogwere:

where there are no flowers, weeds will grow.

Spirituality means closeness to one another

If in our lives, in ourminds, in our hearts, there are no flowers of beauty, of generosity, ofkindness, of thoughtfulness; the weeds of anger, meanness, cruelty andselfishness will grow. That’s howempires of misery are created and make our lives on this earth unbearable.

Spirituality means wearing God on your sleeve

If to the tiresome weedswe substitute “indifference” and tothe “flowers of beauty” we substitute “spirituality” maybe the concept that theWest has emptied itself of spirituality, becomes more clear.

Spirituality means passing it on

The word “spirituality”,for the Christian, may also be substituted by “evangelization” because evangelization means to know and liveaccording to the gospels- now, don’t tell me there is no spirituality in thegospels.

Spirituality means showing you care

What I found in thebackstreets of India, among extremepoverty and abandon of care on behalf of any institution, was the ability the people had to be joyful.Without spirituality, there can be no joy. That’s why psychology and psychiatry are booming in the West... Thepeople in India, often destitute of daily substance to live on, have never meta psychologist- yet they are joyful from within. Western people are in and out of psychologicalsittings- and they remain miserable.

Spirituality means protecting the weak

I am not saying that allpeople in India are spiritual. Amongthose that have no spirituality there are those who are cut-throats, steal and commit corruptionof all kinds... but those patches are limited, like I said, to those who haveno spirituality within them. Even sothere are vastly far more spiritual people in India than the West when youconsider that there are 7 billion people in the world and about 1.4 billion ofthem alone live in India.

Spirituality means the ability to be simple

So, how can one know ifthere is or there isn’t any spirituality in this or that area of theworld? Fairly simple:

when youget someone who charges you more than expected because you urgently needsomething;

whensomeone will ignore another who is struggling with a case, a push chair, a baby;

whensomeone gives you a grumpy look because they have to shift their paper so youcan sit next to them on the train or bus;

whensomeone gets irritated because you ask a question;

when insteadof giving you a straight answer someone piles you off to this or that deskaimlessly;

when youpay someone to do a job and they cut corners;
when you use people on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ as numbers...

Spirituality means the ability to have joy

In effect the list is endless, when someone is thoughtless and couldn’t care a dam aboutanyone else except themselves, that’s when we can safely say there is nospirituality, no evangelization. When,in spite of looking out exclusively for no 1 they are nevertheless miserable,that’s when we can see there is no spirituality or evangelization. When we see faces incapable of joy... that’sa sure sign there is no spirituality or evangelization.

Spirituality means knocking each other about- but not for real

So now you know why the West is so much in need ofevangelization.

Related articles

286. Living: PeopleDo What They Have to Do

Archbishop Fisichella: New evangelisation needs “joyful” evangelizers

286. Living: People Do What They Have to Do

2011-10-06T11:50:00.002+02:00

Cappella Maggiore: Our Lady of the Rosary procession

I don’t know aboutyou, but places transmit to me theirparticular atmosphere, whatsoever it may be- take this one for instance.

I belong to a groupof three parish churches, St Anthony in Sarmede, Sts Vito, Modesto & Cresentiain Anzano and St Mary Magdalene in Cappella Maggiore.

Sometimes the parishessquabble with each other just like normal families do over quiteinconsequential things, but most of the time we band up together to show thatthere are fundamental things in life that we do care about, things that we knoware not negotiable.

Also, thanks tothat gregariousness which is typical of the Latin Mediterranean personality wewillingly make widespread use of public manifestations of what we believe in,often materialized through some kind of action which usually becomes enactedthrough parades or processions.

I suppose the reasonwhy we carry a statue on a platform, the monstrance with the Blessed Sacramentor the Cross is so as to characterize that particular procession with atangible object, as a reminder or a symbol of why we are gathered together...well wouldn’t it look odd if a crowd of people were wandering around thevillage loose for seemingly no apparent reason at all?

Parishes in Italyare not at all content with having just one saint to look over them, so we findmost churches have one saint and Our Lady, choosing one of her many titles withaccompanying feast.

The Parish Churchin Cappella Maggiore is no exception and Mary Magdalene shares her patronagewith Our Lady of the Rosary whose feast day falls on the first Sunday ofOctober. Being the largest of the threevillages, Cappella Maggiore also have a band which accompanies all villagefunctions with a particular dedication towards those of a religiousnature. Hence, under a brilliant Octobersun, at the ungodly hour of 2pm (on a Sunday that’s siesta time) and when theSunday lunch digestion was still taking its full course, the parishioners turnedup all the same and the procession took place.

It was really oneof the best I had ever seen, (though I often say that), but on this occasion Iwas able to add some artistic touches with the photo taking, playing hide andseek with the sun. Once back in churchthat familiar atmosphere of nearness took over completely.

I have been inthis church when it was half full or near to empty, but even so, it alwaysappeared to me as “crowded”. It is thekind of church that makes you feel immersed in a floating sea of people;divided only by the large round marble pillars. It’s as if all is linked together, rubbing, bumping and falling upon oneanother instantaneously.

Do you rememberwhen you were at school during assembly, you all filed in one after the otherandstood in rows, with hands at one’s side, standing up straight, facing the headteacher in front- well, in this church there’s none of that- like I said it’s acontinuous, rubbing and bumping and falling upon one another.

Perhaps it’s the architecture- the almost square nave reserved for the congregationseems to lend itself to providing that kind of intimacy.

I was thinkingabout what Pope Benedict XVI was saying the other day in Germany, the need fora new evangelization among people. Now,what exactly does that mean, you may wonder.

Girls confirmed earlier this year have a special place in the procession

After my visit to India I realized how the West hasemptied itself of spirituality and how empty society seems to be withoutit. Of course, it doesn't take muchbrains to figure out that where there is a void it is soon filled up by otherthings and in this case it is filled up with banging, yelling and lots and lotsof useless noise, doing our brain in during the process.

As I am often known to say, where there are no flowers,weeds will grow.

Continues...

285. Berlusconi Don’t Go Home and Leave Italy in the Hands of the Prima Donnas

2011-09-24T02:38:00.003+02:00

Members of the Lega Nord in the Lower House
Umberto Bossi (second row left) Roberto Calderoli (second row Right)

Guess what’snew? They want to send Berlusconihome! I thought you might laugh at that,but it really isn’t funny and frankly this non-stop litany of sendingBerlusconi home is doing the country no favours and should this actually occurit would have disastrous consequences on Italy.

Admittedly, the new leaderof the PDL (Partito della Liberta)i.e. Berlusconi’s party is ready and waiting in the wings to take over andalthough Angelino Alfano is a competentand reliable politician, he does not however have the power, wealth and backingthat Berlusconi, in spite of all trials and tribulations, fundamentally, stillhas.

By getting ridof Berlusconi, those who so demand it do so without the slightest ideaof what could replace the present government. You may well say there’s the opposition. True, but there is not just one opposition in Italy but a series ofoppositions with no one to lead the groups, and no desire for cohesion onbehalf of anyone. What prevails in theopposition are fragments of parties headed by leaders who speak outrightstating A does not agree with B, B does not agree with C and so on at infinitumand when it comes to voting, like hell they’ll vote all the same way.

This is notshort sightedness on my part, I am making an informed guess since all this occurredin 2008 in the present opposition’s 22^nd month of strainedgovernment when everything went to pots because the opposition was/is full of “PrimaDonnas” who enjoy their privileged status as MPs which is the envy of the worldsince an Italian MP earns over twice as much as one in the UK and three timesthat of an MP from Spain; not to mention of course, all the fringe benefits,travel, medical, housing, and their lavish restaurant meals, cost them apittance.

Is it anywonder, once secured their seat in parliament, whether governing or opposition,it matters not so long as they get paid, and for a mere 2 years “service” as aparliamentary be secured a pension ten times the amount I get. That is just for starters, it can become 20,30 times more depending on the position held, and way beyond that if you werehead of the government .

But more than relying on becoming a governing factionrather than an opposition, through legitimate electoral majority votes, theleft demand to get rid of Berlusconi so as to become part of a “technical”government as occurred in 1994 when the Lega Nord left the coalition withBerlusconi and passed to the opposition within months of the general election. Such a government is nominated by thePresident of Italy who chooses whoever he sees fit to form a government withthe inclusion of non-elected individuals too. For various reasons, namely one either could not agree, or couldn’t careless what happened, this type of government lasted less than 18 months.

Italy is luckyto have a present government which in spite of the lack of responsibility of theopposition to set aside their obsession of upstaging one another as Prima Donnasand collaborate with proposals (which they don’t, as they have nothing topropose) during this strenuous world-wide economic crises, is still able tohold the helm.

What thepresent government hasn’t done, which I find 100% disgusting is cut the costof politicians’ upkeep, wages, fringe benefits and pensions. Nor has it been tough enough about taxevasion, there should be confiscation of goods, stricter controls and make taxevasion a penal offence subject to imprisonment. Gracious me! Italy is probably the onlycountry with a fully fledged Military Corps- La Finanza- created simply forthat purpose- catching tax evaders, so why is there so much tax evasion of thebig fishes, in Italy???

But apart from such, all that could possibly have been done hasbeen done. The economic world-crises hadnot hit Italy so hard, but now it is feeling the full brunt like othercountries. However, most countries havebeen declassified, whatever that may imply, every leader has lost consensus anddemonstrations have arisen against the severe tightening of the purse strings,it hasn’t just happened to Berlusconi. Yet other countries behave responsibly, the Americans democratically waitpatiently for the next elections... you’d think Italian politicians wouldfollow suit.

But it is notjust the politicians in Italy that are beating their empty gongs, just theother day the head of the Italian Confindustria(organization of manufacturers) said:

Bologna, 20 set. (TMNews) - "O questo governo è in grado di varareriforme serie oppure deve andare a casa. È evidente". Lo ha detto lapresidente di Confindustria Emma Marcegaglia.

Whichtranslated is “This government has to be able to set out serious reforms or itmust go home. That is evident.

And should thisgovernment go home, what happens then? Who fills the void among theargumentative Prima Donnas of the opposition?

Perhaps thelady in question should worry more about how to develop these firms of whomshe is the head, as the problem in Italy is precisely this: the economy... itdoes not grow, it is not developing- rather than try to do the Prime Minister’sjob.

Meanwhile, the shares atthe Borsa of Milano show the green plus sign today... Italians need to work together – nothing isgained, but much can be lost by tearing each other apart. And these are not my words, but what thePresident of Italy, Georgio Napolitanois saying.

Related Articles:

238. Finiani: First Republic Games

221. AlessandraMussolini- Bravo!

284. A Catholic Political Party in Italy?

2011-09-14T22:31:00.001+02:00

The Choir Master leads the congregation at the Cathedral of Vittorio Veneto

The idea that the Catholic Church in Italy would have apolitical party of its own like in the days when the “Democrazia Christiana”was the ruling party, was murmured along the corridors of power recently.

In the “good” old days, just after the war, when theseparation between Church and State had not yet occurred, Italy had a staunchpro-Catholic head of Government, Alcide De Gaspari and a secretary of state atthe Vatican, Giovanni Battista Montini (later Pope Paul VI) who supported him. Together they were able to ensure that theChristian Democratic Party came into power. “They” of course, had to win as the only alternative would have been atotalitarian government headed by the quickly growing power of the CommunistParty, who would have gladly turned Italy over to the then Soviet Dictator, Stalin, causing ofcourse not an indifferent stir among the NATO Alliance.

Hence, all worked out as it should and the Christian DemocraticParty remained, together with various alliances, the ruling party until theadvent of Silvio Berlusconi’s Party in 1994, Forza Italia, as it was thencalled.

What was quite uncommon about Berlusconi’s party is that itwon and continued to win, except for brief periods, the elections without the apparentsupport and consent of the Catholic Church of which 90% of Italian citizensadhere to, (on and off). So from 1994with the disbanding of orthodoxpolitical parties, including, if not especially, the Christian Democrats, ItalianCatholics could vote for whom they pleased and fancied which turned out to beSilvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi revolutionized the political system transforminga scheme of 30 parties or so into a two party (bi-polare) majority system. The 30 parties did not disappear overnight,but they did have to adhere to one section (polo) or the other before going tothe polls.

Hence, the present system in Italy is like the one mostcountries have, a majority system of left and right. However, there is now a 3^rd groupemerging which in Italy is called TerzoPolo, composed mainly by discontented exBerlusconian buddies. The more re-knownof these are Casini and Fini, the latter having become famous or infamous forleaving Berlusconi’s coalition before the end of the legislature; in otherwords disregarding law-binding electoral agreements, turning his back, not onlyon the party he co-founded with Berlusconi but also the people who voted forthat coalition. However together, not sure, if they even managed to get 10% ofvotes in the last local elections.

It is well to explain that even if Pier Ferdinando Casiniis divorced and re-married, therefore not an ideal candidate to step intoAlcide De Gaspari shoes, is nevertheless the only true survivor of the onceChristian Democratic Party and the spirit it represents. That is why the Prelates of the CatholicChurch are winking their eye in that direction, or so it is murmured.

Fortunately we don’t have a Pope in this day and age who isItalian, and probably keeps himself out of the caldron of Italian politics, butthe Italian Cardinals are a tough bunch to deal with and it is they who arespreading rumours of seeking a political party backed by the Church.

But in this millennium the Italian cardinals would do wellto take a good look around themselves and realize that modern Catholic citizensprefer to manage their own political system.

Nowadays we don’t have a De Gaspari, and a CardinalMontini, nor are they any longer needed. The era of collaboration in politics between Church and State is welland truly over and is it not best to leave it that way?

After all, do we really want to resurrect situations as theepisode I am to tell you:

Anecdote: My Mother, who taking after her father, was a well and truly left winger told me they hadto go to confession if they did not vote for the Christian Democratic Party...

Maybe our grandfathers should have sued and taken the Popeto court over that one. But theyremained staunch Catholics and enthusiastically passed the faith on to the likesof me- even if my granddad was a self-proclaimed Socialist and certainly nevervoted for the Christian Democratic Party, not once!

N.B. However, since the Confessional Box saved Italy from being handed over to Stalin, then the only thing Italians have to say is: "Thank you!"

275 Life With Granny

The Guardian: The Vatican: how to solve a problem like Berlusconi

283. 9/11

2011-09-11T13:29:00.000+02:00

A solitary fire-fighter stands amid

the rubble and smoke in New York City

Photo Credits Wikipedia

There are manymoments from the past where man’s brutality can be seen at its worst,so much so that we wish to forget- but dare not- unfortunately 9/11 has had to be inserted intothat infamous list.

We must notforget so as to prevent those events happening again.

We must notforget the Holocaust, wemust not forget the Tiananmen Massacre and all those revolutions that have ended in blood baths simply becausepeople wanted freedom, in most cases, freedom from a tyrant.

We must not forget... butmaybe we should also remember too, that, without giving up our own values andbeliefs, we should all nevertheless open ourselves up to the fact that othershave values and beliefs too which may have no bearing with our own, but whicheven so, are held as dear to them, as ours are to us.

We should ALL remember this,myself included... maybe this stepping into others shoes is the only weapon,we ordinary people have to stave off the hand of brutality.

The 9/11 attack and allother terrorist attacks, India, Britain, that have killed and caused sufferingto innocent people are different from the attacks against regimes. The 9/11 terrorists are not a regime andtherefore alongside other such terrorists, they should be publicallycondemned by every individual on earth with every force within his/herbody.

Yet how remarkably silent againstsuch terrorists have their own people from whence these fanatical terroristsderive, have been. The silence from thatpart of the world, from the world of their faiths, makes one more diffident againstthose countries; those people, those values, those beliefs. When such people are silent it means approvaland not condemnation of such terroristic attacks.

It is time these people showed theirgood will, set themselves apart from terrorism, if this in effectis the case, and stand up for their faith which as claimed is not one ofviolence, brutality but of love.

If they don’t, how cananyone believe that deep down in their hearts they are not harbouring the viperof terrorism itself? Because otherwise,frankly, their silence leads me to think this is what they want me to believe.

282. Worldly Language- 3 Poetry

2011-09-06T18:42:00.000+02:00

The language of poetry does not attract crowds

One of the things that attracts me instinctively to thebible is its language- sheer poetry!

No, this is not the moment for poets far and wide to flingtheir hats up in the air and shout: hip, hip, hurrah because the poetry of thebible has nothing to do with the stanza, rhyming, verse and so on that you findin classical or modern poetry.

If people talked, conversed, greeted you with the languageof poetry as we know it today, we would look at them cross-eyed and wonder ifthey had gone bonkers.

Yet the bible uses poetry to communicate, but it is thepoetry that is inherent in the language of the vernacular, the language thatthe people spoke with at the time... The Sermon on the Mount is not “verse” asset out by the canons of what makes up apoem, yet it is poetry. It is poetry because it flows, it is pleasingto sound, it fulfils, it enlightens... it does everything that poetry doesexcept that it uses the language of everyday speech.

Poetry today may be beautiful or ugly, may be ponderous, maybe insightful, may be whatever you want it to be but it isn’t normal speech,like the Sermon on the Mount; it is a language apart, it is not one you coulduse to converse with over a cup of coffee or a pint with your friends- theSermon on the Mount is.

To me a language that sets apart rather than unite, is a surpluslanguage, a language that makes you cringe rather than attract is to berelegated to the trash bin. The normalreaction to poetry from most people is to shun it. So, just as there is a revolution incommunication among celebrities, so there should be among poets and the languageof poetry... a return to the origin of meaning- I believe that is worththinking about because

the language used in poetry today does not attractcrowds- the Sermon on the Mount did.

280. Worldly Language – 1

281. Worldly Language – 2: Celebrities

244. The Language of colours

281. Worldly Language – 2 Celebrities

2011-08-29T13:57:00.001+02:00

The changing world of communication

A complete revolution has taken place in the last few months, if not days, with regards to celebrities Twitting.

Not even a year back was I making my usual snarky comments that celebrities, were only full of themselves, twitting just about what they were doing, who they were seeing, what performances they were giving bla...bla... bla... and that I, for one, would not be following anyone whose tweets read like a bus time-table.

Then you got academics, authors, religious leaders, politicians, royalty, philosophers who may be famous in their own right but could hardly acclaim the same status of celebrity as a Lady Gaga would. The tweets of these public figures were exactly as you would expect them to be in real life, preaching to the converted- nothing to attract wayward sinners and anti-academic individuals like myself. They were all about reflecting their own books, theories, status, appearing like a continuous, stuffy, boring litany of me, me, me... and my, my, my... So, they too were left well alone- not considering there are more writers than readers, more simple people than academics, and by far, far more sinners than saints.

Yet now I am following and RT like mad, members of the British Royal Family and my favourite of all times, the Pope at the Vatican. Why? Because they have one notch above the rest of those who continue to tweet as if they were a bus time-table- because they are not boring, they are not all about themselves; they show themselves in a light that is related to events and people around them, but above all, because they have learnt the language of the world; the language of ordinary people, the language of interaction, the language of friendship, the language of Twitter and Facebook.

What does this mean? It means that such individuals can now reach out to those who wish to interact with them and which in the past was not in the least possible. Of course it is not the actual Queen or the Pope who do the tweeting, these elderly dears probably haven’t a clue which buttons to press, but that is of no consequence- they know about it, they are in control and at the end of the day it is their spirit that transpires, no matters whose fingers they use to do the clicking... it is still them!

These public figures have opened up a means of communication with the rest of mankind, not on the usual topics which would otherwise be considered “appropriate” and “respectful” but on thorny, undignified and even blasphemous subjects which, like I said, where not possible in the past...

And that in itself is a revolution.

280. Worldly Language – 1

282. Worldly Language- 3 Poetry

280. Worldly Language - 1

2011-08-23T18:18:00.003+02:00

Taking English Class to Florence 1991 (Me? the old one in the black scarf)

When I first started on Twitter and facebook I told people not to use the “f----“ word on my time line and page. Well, tell someone not to do something and you can be sure they will, and quite a few colourful eloquences came my way. So I put up another notice, that if they used the “f----“ I would delete them because, the English language being so rich in expression, it was just being lazy if one could not be bothered to use another word instead.

The “f----“ words stopped but out came the bikinis, boxers, naked torsos and so on which raised a few eyebrows among some of my regular followers wondering why I was giving leash to such individuals.

So out came another notice which simply said to put some clothes on because if we were made to go round naked we would have had a furry and not smooth skin to envelope our bodies. Not that it did much good, however.

End of story? By no means. I was learning something. I was learning that here I was, a nice, well-brought up (almost), semi-retired lady was swimming in a sea of new faces, new media, new symbols, and a new language, the vernacular of today. What’s more this nice, almost well-brought up lady was trying to moralize those around her who were not stepping in her own shoes but running around with the sandals of worldly modernity.

I wasn’t shocked by their “f----“ words and strip-tease attire, it was just that I felt they would look so much better dressed properly and speaking the Queen’s English. It’s like when we want our kids to be doctors or lawyers and they end up as rock band singers or pansies smoking weed, pot and a few other delicacies.

But for crying out loud, these individuals, and they weren’t just young ones either, were actually human beings, my fellow travellers on this earthly sojourn. How could I be true to my blog’s statement that I blogged the story of people on my time line... I couldn’t ignore them, I couldn’t delete them all...

That is why, perhaps not so much by using shit... piss... and so on like they do, but I have learnt to read, understand and interpret their language, the language of the world today. And if I want them to read, understand and interpret my language, I have to get as close to theirs as possible... without actually sinking too deeply in the mire.

Continues...
281. Worldly Language 2: Celebrities

279. The Assumption of the B.V.M. Setbacks

2011-08-15T21:53:00.006+02:00

Thunder, lightning, hail and brimstone was let out of the heavens just two hours before the villagers were to take the statue of Our Lady shoulder high out in the streets.

Fr Matthew Blesses the statue

That was it, I thought to myself, no procession today for the feast of the Assumption, Patroness of the village- they had won.

At The Consecration

Who are they? They are the ones who take out Our Lady only at Christmas time to place her in the crib and then put her away for the rest of the year as if she had nothing to do with Jesus coming on earth. They are the ones who say Catholics use idol worship practises with regards to Our Lady and so on and so on.

The Mass was concelabrated by newly ordained priest
Fr Matthew and Fr Fabio

But the affection that Catholics have for Mary stems from the fact that she is the queen of saints, that she is the Mother of God, and that Jesus openly gave her to us to be our Mother and consequently reigns in our homes, because to put it plainly she is the queen of the kitchen sink.

However, even though the rain had gone, the brolly stayed up- just in case...

And that is why we take her shoulder high through the streets, because she is the Lady of our village, the Lady of our homes and as long as she remains such our youth do not need to fear the poisonous needle, white powders and pretty coloured pills that drive such youngsters crackers and end up inside the wreck of a car at the dawn of the next day they will never see.

Fr Matthew who was recently ordained said Mass today, assisted by Fr Fabio who periodically returns to his home town. At the end of Mass, because there had been bad weather, Fr Fabio said there would be an attempt to take the statue out through the streets of the village and as the men of the parish were putting the statue on their shoulders I slipped out the side door so I could take a snap shot of when the procession came out of the main church door.

So as not to tempt fate, we took a short cut

and only went round the church.

Alas, it was raining and I noticed our car mechanic arming himself with an umbrella to cover, at least Fr Mathew, who was holding the icon of Our Lady in his hands.

Fr Matthew blesses the people with the icon

But as soon as the procession came down the church steps and paused for a moment at the bottom, waiting for the parishioners to catch up, the rain had gone... not a single drop came down from the sky- no longer was there a cold drizzle making an impact on my hot bare arms.

Homage

Waiting to pay their homage

When Our Lady comes to earth, she always leaves a sign.

148. The Last Farewell- I Shall Leave You a Sign

A remembrance photo of Fr Matthew's visit
with the altar servers

A remembrance photo of Fr Matthew's visit
with the choir

We do this every year, but every year is different.

228. Where Satan Casts his Most Ferocious Blows: 2010

169. Human Body: Merchandise Exchange?: 2009

You can see the photo album of the feast of the Assumption on the Parish web-site page

Photo Gallery

The Assumption of the B.V.M as described by DigitalNun

278. Whoring in the Bible

2011-08-12T00:32:00.000+02:00

Ezekiel on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
between 1508 to 1512, fresco, restored
Credits Wikipedia

It was the Pope on Twitter (parody) that drew my attention to the steamiest verses in the whole of the bible, namely Ezekiel 23:19-20. And since the Pope’s Tweet furnished us with a picture of the text, I naturally looked it up, hence here it is, I have added two extra verses for you to savour to the most.

17 The Babylonians came to her, shared her love-bed and defiled her with their whoring. Once defiled by them, she withdrew her affection from them.

18 Thus she flaunted her whoring, exposing her body, until I withdrew my affection from her as I had withdrawn it from her sister.

19 But she began whoring worse than ever, remembering her girlhood, when she had played the whore in Egypt,

20 when she had been in love with their profligates, big-membered as donkeys, ejaculating as violently as stallions.

As you can see by reading Ezekiel’s chapter 23 from the beginning, I have posted a link below, this is a parody of Samaria, the then capital of the Kingdom of Israel which if referring to Ezekiel’s era is around 600 BC, and Jerusalem, capital of Judah... the two regions, like today, just did not get on. The lady’s whoring as described above is referred to Jerusalem... alas.

What attracted my attention was not so much the whoring, though the bit about the donkeys and stallions did leave me in awe, so imaginative! But what set me really thinking was that I could not find such vivid terminology in the translations of other versions of the bible.

From the Tweetpicture supplied, I recognized The New Jerusalem version of the bible used by Catholics and of course I went to compare those verses with:

There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey's and emissions like those of a horse.

and lusted after her paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.

She lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

King James Bible

For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

Bible in Basic English

And she was full of desire for her lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of asses and whose seed is like the seed of horses.

Douay-Rheims Bible

And she was mad with lust after lying with them whose flesh is as the flesh of asses: and whose issue as the issue of horses.

Well now, see what I mean- The Jerusalem Bible stands out by far.

Why?

Because editors and publishers of other versions did not want to rub people up the wrong way. Christians of ALL denominations are loathe to move out of their set ways, securities and respectability or ever acknowledge that the people in the Bible spoke with the vernacular of their times, and that, so must we.

Maybe one day even my steamy, psychological, religious mystery “The Reluctant Novice” will find a publisher true to the imagery of the original, as Ezekiel did with his donkeys and stallions... without having to wait almost three thousand years for that to happen!

The Tweet (Posted 11 August 2011 at 17.24)

Pope_Vatican: OMG!
I've just read the most shocking/disgusting thing ever in the bible. Ezekiel 23:19-20!
I need a drink!
#Pope http://t.co/5vc6yTo

See Original Tweet: http://twitter.com/Pope_Vatican/statuses/101675414145077250

The New Jerusalem Bible

Ezekiel: chapter 23

277. Radio Maria on Air

2011-08-05T17:13:00.004+02:00

The Volunteer Crew of Radio Maria at work

Many people think Catholics go overboard in their devotion to the Virgin Mary, so when our parish priest hosted “Radio Maria” and their crew of volunteers, I promised I would not blog about it so as not to bring upon myself the displeasure, nay, the anger and wrath of those who do not think along my lines.

On an ordainary Thursday afternoon, not many people are about.
But Radio Maria reaches 7 million people

In my answer to a certain “Chivas” who posted on Matthew Warner’s blog (see link below) that Catholics practise the idol worship of Mary and adhere to manmade rules instead those of God, I said:

Eva Ulian June 27, 2011 at 4:17 am

How can anyone love Jesus if they don’t love and venerate His Mother? It’s like slapping God in the face who chose her to be His Mother. And how someone can translate that love and veneration into idol worship is just beyond me.

One of our Sisters's recites a decade of the Rosary

One of our youths recites a decade of the Rosary

Of course some people would want me to forget about the Mother of God, but that was certainly not at all what Jesus would have wanted as He repeatedly airs what His opinion is on His Mother and our relationship with her- which certainly clashes with those who would like me to think I am blaspheming when I revert to Our Lady’s intercession.

Choir on the right, readers on the left and the
Blessed Sacrament in the centre

So, I decided to blog about “Radio Maria” who came to do a service in one of our parishes since I am not a criminal nor need to hide my relationship with Mary.

Besides, why should I have to justify myself for interceding with Mary... It’s not a crime, is it?

And frankly, those who go round snubbing Mary are not doing Jesus any real favours, are they?

The Church is no longer taking a dim view of exposure.
It welcomes it, alongside with Internet-
For this is how we communicate in the 21st Century

The Volunteer Operators: Alessia Maier and Renzo Bettiol

Related Articles: From my blog regarding a pilgrimage of Our Lady’s Statue in our area

137. What is All the Fuss About: The Arrival

138. A Franciscan in Town

139. Fregona: The Silence of the Hills

146. Montaner the Village of Surprises

147. Rugolo by Night

148. The Last Farewell- I Shall Leave You a Sign

External Links

Matthew Warner’s blog

Do Catholics Worship Mary

Join Radio Maria on Facebook

Radio Maria Website

276. Terrorism: Mumbai-Oslo

2011-08-02T17:54:00.007+02:00

Mumbai: The scooter post the blast - What would be the intensity we can just imagine. The very next day I had a chance to go to that place and see the damage. Even on the second day I could see some flesh pieces stuck to the windows on the third floor. A lady went up in the air almost two storey high at the time of the blast said one of the eye witness. He was about to enter the market and the blast took place.

Report by special correspondent Kautubh Kulkarni-

Freelance services available worldwide: contact: kaustubh2@gmail.com

No two cities could be less alike than Mumbai and Oslo, yet both have been ravaged by terrorism and again the source of terrorism too could not be more different.

There is no evidence so far from whence the terrorists who placed three bombs in Mumbai come from, and they, the unseen enemy, for such is my description of a terrorist, could well come from outside India, and may not share the same beliefs or ideals of the people in Mumbai.

But the person who placed a bomb in the centre of Oslo, probably so as to side track people’s attention from his real aim, that of massacring the youth at a Labour gathering on the island of Utoya, is not the unseen enemy from outside Norway, but one of its own very citizens.

The terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, dressed as a policeman opened fire on the youth gathered creating panic and chaos, inducing many youngsters to throw themselves into the sea in order to avoid the killer’s bullets, only to find death in the waters of the sea, some are still dispersed.

Terrorism par excellence bears the mark of Al-Qaida and there is no secret why they send so many of their youngsters to blow themselves and others up- Islamic fundamentalists require that the rest of us submit to them, it’s a mere question of power that’s the beginning and end of it all. But the reasons for the Norwegian youth massacre are supposedly to be an answer to Al-Qaida’s attacks?

Nothing of course can justify Breivik’s action but maybe what he did is a response to a symptom of what goes on at the back of most people’s minds whose governments have allowed too many people to sponge off the State, have formed a society dependent on governmental assistance from the cradle to the grave, burdening the taxpayer by degrees, have allowed strangers to overtake one’s houses, jobs and country...

Like I said nothing can justify Breivik’s deed, nor can this be in any way related to Christian principles, as some would want it to be. The difference between Christianity and Islamic fundamentalists is that Christians do not ask their youth to blow themselves and others up, Christianity does not ask others to convert themselves, nor even expect them to do so, Christianity does not seek to dominate the world and another thing- Christians simply do not kill.

Breivik’s ideals cannot for one moment be considered to be in any way related to the ideals of Christianity. And before people start spouting around that if it weren’t for religion none of this would happen, it needs to be remembered that if it were not for Christianity, there would not have been any democracy, freedom of speech, human rights, just to name a few, and there certainly would have been much more hatred, much more slaughter, much more intolerance, much more selfishness- because like a garden, where there are no flowers, weeds will grow- hence where there is no goodness evil will flourish....

So kindly back off from Christianity... the cause lies elsewhere.

Related Articles

120. Terrorists Wage War Against India: Why?

The Real India blog
26. Mumbai: Terrorist Attack: by Special Correspondent Kaustubh Kulkarni

275. Life with Granny

2011-07-26T23:18:00.001+02:00

Our Grandparents with their grandchildren

There was only me at my Granny’s bed-side when she breathed her last breath. She had held on to my hand for quite a while and just moments before she died she urged me not to leave her on her own.

That, I thought was a strange request on one’s death bed and although I did not attach any importance to that request at the time, it has however, never left the back of my mind. I was in my twenties at the time and I thought, granny, for whom God meant everything to her, could not possibly be afraid of dying, but she was, she did not want to go on that journey alone. That was something I could not understand.

And since to-day we celebrate Joachim and Anne’s feast day, Jesus’ maternal grandparents, I thought it appropriate to bring up my own maternal grandparents too.

Maria, as such was my granny’s name, was a holy woman. It was tramping through the fields to early morning Mass and rosary in the evening, outside on the doorsteps in summer and in the stables in winter.

My grandfather, Francesco, was a rough kind of man who liked to pinch young ladies bottoms, I noticed. I did in effect ask my grandma once, why on earth she married granddad, they just were so ill-matched. “He was so good looking,” she said with a languish look in her eyes, “And he was an Alpine.”

Well, yes, I guess in a uniform, with that alpine feather in his cap, granddad looked terrific. But what made me marvel was that such a pious, holy woman as my grandma was could possibly have such heartfelt sensual desires and not even try to hide such emotions from her, at the time, so young granddaughter.

What I remember most about my granddad was that as a child I would often corner him and beg him to tell me a story, and although I had heard it so many times before, I insisted he told me the story of Cinderella... just one more time, I would plead. Every time he told me a story but in particular that story, he made me dream a thousand dreams... of blue, star studded ball gowns, magic wands that made all possible, of golden palaces and masses of roses at my feet... and when the story ended, unfailingly I asked the same question over and over again...

And then... what happened next?

Obviously I would not take “And they lived happily ever after.” As the final word on the matter.

Granddad died one day after lunch. He just laid his head down on the table and died and never came back to see me again after that.

But grandma came to see me again. It was sometime in the spring of 1999. I saw her in one of the woods nearby, the light was filtering through the trees. She wasn’t young, but she was youthful- she was radiant with happiness, just like the sun peeping through the trees. Surprised to see her there, I asked why she had come. With a serenity and peace I had never seen before she said she had come to fetch my father...

Yes, Granny came to fetch my dad in the Autumn of that year, but she wanted to tell me about it first.

Related Articles

36. Digging Up Grandmother

274. Bloggers do count- part two

2011-07-22T17:50:00.000+02:00

Those who can influence and shape the opinion of others, are not, as we have often believed, to be journalists bound to the policy of the paper that publish them, but free agents who have nothing to lose if they say things just as they see and believe them to be. News and events told from a fresh angle always bring a breath of fresh air that seems irresistible to most of us who are in continuous search to know what in effect is really going on.

It is this attitude that bloggers have that have influenced a more open approach to journalism, because if anything has supported the status quo, it is certainly those who hold the power of the press. And those who want to see their words in print have to toe the line. So the vicious circle of a biased press is never broken.

Even the tabloids are biased. One may say the only reason for existing in the eyes of a tabloid editor is to sell as many copies as possible in as scandalous a manner as possible, irrespective who the victim is. But take a closer look to see who gets to go under the chopper and who doesn’t- it is from that, one gets to know where the paper’s bias is... and yes, tabloids do choose and select their victims very carefully, just in case you have any doubts on that score.

But the spectrum of bloggers reaches well beyond that of portraying the happenings of life in a fresh manner. Bloggers write on infinite subjects, from the housewife who will devote her time in showing you how to earn a living from home to the globe trotter who will paint a picture for you of his wanderings through his blog diary. There are blogs that write about life and all that is contained in it and which certainly you will not find in newspapers or even specialized journals.

So if you find a good blogger, you have found a treasure greater than a jewel for the fulfilment of your development, interest and entertainment.

And to the rest of us... keep on blogging, because bloggers count.

Related articles:

273 Bloggers do count: Part one

273. Bloggers do count- part one

2011-07-19T17:47:00.001+02:00

All right, this is bragging, but I’m going to say it anyway, “As a blogger, I do count.”

So do you. What makes me so confident on this score? Because if I want the plain and simple news I go to a reputable newspaper, the news on TV or agency and similar sources. At the end of the day if reality, like mathematics is not an opinion but a fact, I should get the same answer to the equation that 2 plus 2 makes 4.

But facts alone do not satisfy the human soul and even less, curiosity. We yearn to know, discover more; we want to know the ifs, buts, whys and wherefores- we want to talk it out with someone. A blogger has the freedom to express an opinion, though this is not excluded from those who supposedly give out plain and simple news. Newspapers can make us agree or disagree with their outlook on the matter simply by the way they present the news, in fact, the headline alone will tell you what the editor thinks.

So, you may say, why should I bother read a blog if I can get all I need from a newspaper? Because there is no journalist under the sun who is not tied to the policy of the journal, magazine, newspaper, television, news-agency he submits his article to. There is no journalist who does not have to conform to the guidelines of where his/her article is to be published, where such article will be manipulated, bloated or cut, slashed, to measure by the editor in charge.

A blogger does not have such fetters to tie him down. A blogger, since he chooses the subject matter to blog upon, is often far more qualified and savvy to write the article. From a blogger you get his unadulterated views and with the right blogger you also get an impartial outlook from which to form your own conclusions. This is a totally different story from being spoon-fed with the left or right wing inculcations of this or that newspaper.

And if you find you bump into a politically biased blogger, then find one who isn’t- there are 250 million bloggers out there.

Continues...

272. Blood Tests

2011-07-11T20:33:00.003+02:00

Waiting for a blood test in a hospital North Italy

There weren’t many people at the hospital in Vittorio Veneto at seven this morning. That’s because people on Monday mornings are at their own home base practitioner getting their prescription which authorizes blood tests at the hospital.

The second step is to get your blood test registered at the hospital counters which open at 7.30, but most people arrive at least half an hour earlier not only to avoid the rush which runs into hundreds of people daily, but also not to drive oneself bananas to get a parking space- by seven thirty, the car park is choc block full and you need to wait in line as people come to retrieve their cars after they have had their blood test.

The third step is to go to another counter and pay what Italians call “the ticket” which is a contribution to the total cost of the service provided. The amount varies from year to year and no one really knows what the percentage is but I worked it out once it comes out at about a quarter of the total cost.

Routine blood tests, which covers most of them, are totally free and you can collect the results, very often, the next day. People need to make sure they collect their results within 30 days otherwise they will be penalized to pay for the total cost of the service. However, if like me you have to have special tests which need to be sent to special laboratories which take even up to two or three weeks to be elaborated, then you pay “the ticket”. The batch of blood tests I did this morning cost me 54 Euros, therefore I would imagine the total cost to the health service is about 200 Euros.

The ticket machine that gives you
a number for your turn in line

Fortunately they have now installed a ticket machine that gives out a number for whatever counter you need to go to. I remember the days, and not all that long ago either, when I had to stand in line to wait for my turn which on average was about an hour. You still have to wait an hour, but thanks to these numbering machines, now, people can sit down or take a stroll which quite honestly brightens an otherwise extremely downcast spirit.

Once you have registered your blood test prescription and where appropriate paid your “ticket” you then go into another area furnished with another counter and a nurse who marks the containers for the doctor with your identity and gives you a number. Armed with this number you wait for the voice from the loudspeaker to call you through to door A, B, or C.

Once your number has been called you enter the tiny room where there is a narrow table covered with a green cloth. You sit down in front of it and put your best arm on it. If it is a routine blood check the conversation is limited to a “good morning” usually accompanied by a smile. If it’s something complicated the doctor will ask you certain questions from which she fills out a form and then pats your arm to find your best vein, puts the needle in, draws out the blood and puts it in the various containers pre-marked with your identity. You then say thank you and out you go for a cappuccino and pastry, as you only have had water from the night before.

You then return to your car and move out as fast as you can to leave room to the next poor soul who has been cursing under his breath for the past half hour, waiting for a place.

How’s your blood test procedure from your part of the woods? Email me or tell me on facebook.

271. Italy: Bad Mark for the Budget

2011-07-04T16:03:00.000+02:00

Giulio Tremonti: Minister of Economy and Finance (Italy)

The much welcomed announcement in the previous days that in the new budget the drastic cuts to parliamentary expenditure would finally become a reality, is not going to happen at all. The Italian MPs are going to continue pilfering from the Italian tax payer exorbitant sums for their salary, pensions and privileges.

And before the anti-Berlusconians start drumming out their bunga bungas, let me inform them it was not Berluscnoni’s fault nor that of the Minister of Economy and Finance (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Giulio Tremonti, since they presented these cuts for approval in the next budget, due out this Autumn.

So what has happened? During the committee stage last week, these cuts were contested, the MPs did not want them included in the budget, and these MP’s are members of the present government. It is hard to say which MPs were against the cuts, Berlusconi’s own Party members, those from the Popolo della Libertà or from the coalition led by Umberto Bossi, the Lega Nord.

If the Chancellor Giulio Tremonti presented the cuts, it is obvious that he informed his own Party members of his intentions before hand, therefore, at a guess those who opposed such cuts are more likely to come from the coalition, Bossi’s party, the Lega Nord. And if the coalition was not going to vote for the budget, in Autumn, it would have meant the end of this government there and then.

And so the Italian MPs will continue to rob the tax payer by “earning” twice and half as much as a British MP; he/she will have a golden pension of five times the amount of an average Italian pensioner, or ten times that amount of those pensioners, who like me, get the lowest amount- but wait for it- this pension, the Italian MP will receive only after less than two years “serving” as a Member of Parliament, unlike us peons who must work twenty years to get the lowest pension or forty years to get an average pension.

Did I tell you about the privileges? Just to give you an idea: a British MP can claim taxi reimbursement for travelling only after midnight- the Italian MP gets this all year round and all around the clock, or they are supplied with the famous “auto blue” car and chauffer, free air and train transport, expenses refunds, free medics, subsidized meals and housing and if one forfeits these rights they are given a “supplementary” benefit equal to what they have given up which run into thousands and thousands of Euros in extras... a system that other European MP’s only dream about.

Do you not think, as an Italian citizen, or even any other European citizen, this is cause for anger? The tax payer is continuously being robbed by these pilfering MPs and yet where is the OPPOSITION??? When this news came out last week, that there would be no parliamentary expenditure cuts, there was complete silence from the Opposition... complete silence from the anti- Berlusconian national and international press... Obviously, the Italian parliamentary Opposition are all in favour of aiding and abetting their pilfering of the Italian taxpayer.

Why is it that the Italian Opposition, the anti-Berlusconian press, national and international only make a fuss when they can bang on their ridiculous bunga bunga drums and not when it comes to knocking their own Status Quo?

Related Articles:

221. Alessandra Mussolini- Bravo!

270. Corpus Christi and a church without a name

2011-06-26T16:57:00.008+02:00

The Mass was held outdoors in the courtyard of the old presbytery

Every year, weather and governments permitting, Roman Catholic parishes all over the world have a Corpus Christi procession. There are many processions Catholics may choose to have throughout the year, but the procession of Corpus Christi is the only one prescribed by the Church.

The altar

The Celebrant was Fr Fabio, a local guy who comes back
now and again to visit us

This means that the children who have made their first Holy Communion that year, usually, dressed in their white Communion tunics, strew flowers in front of the Blessed Sacrament which the Priest carries in a special Host container.

The children from the three parishes who made their
First Holy Communion this year

With the dwindling of church attendances, but mainly due to the shortage of priests, parishes club together to form one group. Therefore, the parishes of Sarmede, Anzano and Cappella Maggiore gather together to form one single procession which is hosted alternatively by each village. This year the procession was held on 25 June in Anzano.

Kneeling to adore the Blessed Sacrament

Last time Anzano hosted the Corpus Christi procession was three years ago, an event I remember clearly because it was then I started seriously taking photos of church events for the diocese archieves; but of which at the time I was totally unaware that was where they would eventually end up.

The Mass was held outdoors in the playground outside what used to be the Priest’s Presbytery and the “Oratorio” which takes its name from the tradition of John Bosco. As there is no longer a priest in residence the Nuns, apart from saying Mass, do it all.

The children strew the flowers

The nuns are called Suore Dimesse Figlie di Maria Immacolata. They were founded in 1579 by Fr. Pagani. They were called "Dimesse" because it referred to ladies of noble birth who retired to the convent life. But as one of the sisters was quick to inform me, none of them now are of noble birth... just normal.

The Blessed Sacrament is taken through the streets

The nuns, aided by select, strong muscled parishioners prepared the setting for the Mass and procession which this year, as Corpus Christi fell quite late, and not wanting to be fried under a noon sun opted for the celebration to take place on Saturday evening, at sun-set.

A view from the back

After Mass the procession proceeded downhill onto the main road of Anzano and then uphill to the small church of Anzano- When I was blogging on this three years ago, I had to stop here and scrape around to see if I could find anyone who knew what the name of the church in Anzano was- after all I couldn't post a whole album of photos on the parish website and not know the name of the church it revolved around, now could I? This is what happened next, and even if it is 3 years old, it is worth repeating the memory, just for the record.

The Children and the Catechists

“So off I trot to ask my sister, my brother-in-law, my neighbours... The name of the church in Anzano? That was to all and sundry a complete mystery and I too asked myself, how strange I had never known what it was called, after such a long while living in the area, nor even heard others call it by name, come to think of it.

The local band leads the way

Out of desperation I phone the unofficial village town crier... there's always someone in every village that knows everything about everyone and sure enough he knew the name of the church.

"Who?" I said, "Vito the modest?" I asked since it isn't just the Internet lines that are not at their best on this side of the mountain.

"No," he said, "Vito and Modesto!"

"Christ!" I said, "What a name to call a church."

"Vito, was some-kind of important Roman Official" he began to explain, "and so as not to intimidate the locals they made one of the peasants around here a saint and called him "Modesto" then tagged him on to Vito."

"Ah," I said, "I see," but I didn't at all. How on earth can you just make up a saint so as to name a church after him?

It was best to take the town crier's explanation with the usual pinch of salt and looked up the names in a more reputable source and found a totally different story. The saint name of Vito was that of a seven year old kid, Modesto was his instructor and strangely enough this was a threesome of saints not a twosome because there is also a certain Cresentia who was the nurse maid: now, why on earth they were all made saints, that I couldn't tell you, because IT doesn't say.”

The Blessed Sacrament is placed in view outside
the Church

However, that explains why no one knows what the church is called or ever mentions it by name... with a bunch of names like that. I wonder why though, they left off the nurse-maid, Cresentia, in the official version... Perhaps it was simply too much to ask.

People waiting for the benediction at the foot of the church

Our P.P. says thank you to all who prepared the event-
But he was the cause of it all

Mother Superior of the convent who planned it all
pops her head from the convent door.

This is the Church without a name, but blogger won't let me publish it
the right way up-
I guess this church is really jinxed!

See the full album on the parish web-site

Related Posts:

The below mentioned article was one of the posts which got me banned from China:

98. Corpus Christi: You Won’t See this in China

269. When a Man Becomes a Priest

2011-06-22T11:41:00.003+02:00

When a man becomes a priest there is joy.

The village band lead the procession of Fr Matteo's First Mass

The joy of the vocation transpires not only in him but also in the community around him. It is as if, just like a firework, joy suddenly flares up and illuminates the whole scene. But unlike a firework it does not instantly fizzle out- it lasts and lasts....

Our PP stops mid-stream as he recalls the day of his
consecration

The joy lasts even decades after a man becomes a priest as our own parish priest when recalling the moment he was consecrated, he stopped, overcome by emotion and the people in the congregation burst out in an applause which gave him the presence of mind to continue his homily in welcoming a newly consecrated priest from our community.

The congregation encourages our PP to continue

Now, Father, Matteo D’Arsie from the parish of Cappella Maggiore in the province of Treviso who was recently consecrated in the Cathedral of Vittorio Veneto said his First Mass in the said parish and in spite of the arduous task that undoubtly awaits him, one could see the joy and serenity that can only come from within oneself.

The newly consecrated priest Fr. Matteo

As a priest he will have to carry many of our burdens in future- because that is what priests opt to do when they become consecrated and if some do otherwise, then they have allowed themselves to be snatched away by other powers... for that is our prerogative as humans, we have been given free will; we can choose to do right or we can choose to do wrong.

Lunch as Fr Matteo overseas his friends

Fortunately I’ve noticed Fr Matteo has big, hefty shoulders- he’s going to need them.

To see full photo album:

Don Matteo Prima Messa

http://infosarmede.webs.com/apps/photos/

Related Articles

156. Being a Priest Today is No Fun

210. Why are Priests so Persecuted?

268.The Economist: Berlusconi Screwed up Italy

2011-06-13T14:43:00.011+02:00

If the Economist thinks that Berlusconi is responsible for all of Italy’s ills, then it must think again. The Economist waves aside, rightly so, the personal sex scenes, which the Economist says has had limited influence. That's probably because it isn’t true and mostly invented by the tabloids; together with the infernal non-stop judicial hammering of accusations that the Milanese Magistrates have subjected him to, which in my, and the opinion of many, is an attempt to obscure him from the political scene.

So the Economist have decided he is to be remembered as the one who left Italy in a complete and utter financial ruin. The reality that Italy is indebted up to her eye-balls is a known fact since the war- that’s why we have an invested ally in the US Forces that keeps Italy practically as an “American colony”. However, that Italy is heavily indebted is not surprising, we are not a rich country with access to raw materials as Germany and Britain; we only have art, culture, history, fashion, cars, shoes, beautiful ladies, the pope, tourism, hills, sunshine, sea, lakes and glorious food as our means of economy- and you can’t live on those alone, let alone pay debts.

But what I like about the Economist and “The Righteous Ones” who want to put pressure on the Italian government to take unpopular decisions so they are ousted out of power in the next election is that they are all for “demanding” something from Italy... where were they when they should have been “supporting” Italy over the immigration crises from Africa? And which is by no means over- yet not a word from the Economist or the rest of Europe on the expenditure Italy has to foot on her own for that.

Still, one thing has to be said in favour of Italy’s finances, unlike the rest of the world, our banks did not go bust because Italian people are savers, great savers. But that is not the only thing in favour of the Berlusconian era governments. The first house tax for house owners was abolished in Italy, I do believe you have to pay, just for an average house, around a thousand pounds a year for that in Britain. The Berlusconi government provided a roof of real brick and mortar over the heads of normal people hit by the last earthquake in Aquila, unlike the makeshift tin-houses and huts that still exist from non-Berlusconian governments.

The following are some of the things I happened to have noticed by living here that the Berlusconian era has brought about, there may of course be others that escape my memory at the moment.

The red-tape in the bureaucratic system was simplified especially by the introduction of the “Auto-certificatione” which meant we mortals no longer had to go to get our request or paperwork endorsed by the powers that be and for the first time in Italian history, our signature was made good.

The Berlusconian era saw that Milan became the winning entry for the EXPO in 2015.

During the Berlusconian era, the last one in particular, people were no longer killed in the streets or in their beds at home mainly by illegal immigrants and bank robberies which were the order of the day were eliminated considerably.

The Berlusconian era put in jail hundreds of Mafia bosses and confiscated their lands, buildings, goods, money.

The Berlusconian era got rid of the rubbish in the streets of Naples which was left there to rot or be set fire to by organized crime and a lame local government.

During the Berlusconian era we have seen stiffer penalties for road offences and the removal of points from driving licenses with less accidents as a result.

The Berlusconian era has simplified the tax system by unifying various taxes under one heading.

The Berlusconian era has slimmed down, as seen in the last local elections, the number of parliamentarians, which in Italy is an excessive amount.

And when they let him, the Berlusconian era has begun to change the system of Justice which in Italy is at a stand still.

The Berlusconian era has always energetically supported the United Nations in Peace Keeping missions.

But what I personally am most proud of about the Berluscunian era is that this government did not throw back into the sea illegal immigrants especially from the recent warfare in Africa who sought refuge on our shores- unlike Spain and Malta and the non-supportive attitude from the rest of Europe in particular France.

The British people themselves will readily tell you there are worse ways of screwing up a country, dear Economist, than having a Berlusconian government- just take a look at Greece, Spain, France, Portugal, Ireland, Britain... for starters- it doesn’t seem to me that things are so brilliant there either... apart from the fact that Italians are not so dim as to be so easily screwed up. What say ye?

Let’s not forget the government previous to this one which lasted 722 days fell because there was no one who had the balls to keep a government going. If nothing else, Berlusconi MAY have used his balls for the Bunga Bunga, so much publicized by those who have nothing better to fantasize upon, and of which we have no real proof; we do however have proof that Mr Berlusconi certainly has balls and we know for a fact exactly how he uses them- namely to give this country a government- when no one else could, or even now, it is debatable if anyone else can, given previous known experience.

Post Scriptum

Since writing this article here are more events brought about by the Berlusconian governments:

Electoral Reform

A G8 free from vandalism- first time in the Gs history?

There was also a school and university reform and if I remember rightly, faculties where only a student attended were closed.

Related Articles

50. Justice: What is it?

74. EXPO- Italy: Winning Theme

161. Civil Justice is Deaf, Blind and Dumb in Italy

247 Berlusconi: Prostitution and Minors

252. Lybia: Italy is not the border of a country but of Europe

The Economist: Silvio Berlusconi's record

267. Naples: City of Awe and Rubbish

2011-06-08T10:59:00.001+02:00

Naples- Credits: Wikipedia

Obviously the gesture of Berlusconi sending the troops to Naples to clear up the rubbish, TWICE, has not gone done very well with the people there since the right-wing candidate in the last Mayor election remained at a paltry 37%.

The streets of Naples are seldom clear of rubbish

But the people in Naples had not lost their wits completely and did not re-elect a member of the left-wing Partito Democratico (PD) which after 18 years were unable to keep the rubbish off the streets of the largest historical city centre of Europe, sanctioned as such by UNESCO.

So who did they vote for? The new Mayor elect is Luigi De Magistris, a magistrate who entered politics in 2009 with the independent left wing party Italia dei Valori (IDV). His, is the thankless task of getting the people of Naples to put their rubbish in the appropriate containers and not just stick them in a plastic bag of sorts and throw it in the street.

Not always is it the people's fault

Let’s not label the people of Naples as “dirty slobs”, there is more to a bag of garbage (to use an American term) than meets the eye. Behind the inability to keep the rubbish off the streets lies the hand of organized crime, otherwise known as Mafia, Camorra and other appellations.

Collecting rubbish is business in Italy, big business and firms jealously guard their tender. That is why people are coerced in not responding to any authority’s designation on how rubbish is to be collected which in Italy is through the differentiated refuse collection- i.e. a container for glass and tins, one for plastic, one for paper, one for biological stuff and one for objects that cannot be recycled. You can see how that works in the north of Italy here.

A tough job! Berlusconi solved it with getting the troops down there, who by the way, the second time round promptly replied they were not “Bin Collectors” and De Magistris? Being a Magistrate, he should open up a legal inquiry as to why the people do not put stuff in the right containers and why those containers are not collected... But then the legal system in Italy as I’ve often said before, is simply a hopeless mess where we are lucky to see a civil case closed in two decades!

Capri and Ischia are also in the Province of Naples.
But it seems local government there is more under control.
Photo: Credits- Wikipedia

Related articles:

50. Justice: What is it?

161. Civil Justice is Deaf, Blind and Mute in Italy

74. EXPO- Italy: Winning Theme

266. Italy: Republic Day – Wow!

2011-06-03T01:12:00.005+02:00

The traditional airplane display of the Italian flag

The Colosseum was dressed up too

Judging by what I’ve seen, heard and been told, Republic Day didn’t go down so bad at all... in fact people thought it was quite a wow!

What I liked about the parade in Rome is that it was not showing off one’s military power as some countries seem to indulge in with unending rows of impressive war tanks and other imposing armaments; those that were included were there from a historical view.

Photos: Snippets of the day

Various military corpses marching

The first Carabinieri 1914

The Red Cross Nurses and...

The first ambulance - 1842

The US Army are part and parcel of Italy's history

Soldiers in the 1942 uniform (front view)

Soldiers in the 1942 uniform (back view)

At the end of the day, it was more a historical review of Italy, a sort of putting together of what made Italy a nation in the last 150 years... and the people seemed to have liked it, more than they would care to admit...

The Italians turned out in their red, green and white caps

Besides, the sun was shining when they had forecast clouds, hail and brimstone. That’s Italy for you.

And yes of course, Berlusconi was in his element, the perfect host!

Related Posts:
Republic Day: Ugh!

265. Italy: Republic Day! Ugh!

2011-06-01T21:49:00.008+02:00

The Fountain of Trevi (section) - Rome

2^nd of June is a national holiday in Italy- as the 4^th of July in the US, but certainly not on that level. Often I have alluded Italians have little sense of national pride and what have you. Well, if you consider that there are as many Italians dispersed throughout the world as there are living in Italy, one wonders why they don’t stay at home. The reason for this basically is due to the fact that there was no work in Italy during the last century to suffice for all, and may I add, there still isn’t.

So, that takes the edge off a bit as to why Italians have such disaffection for their own country and it also explains why the powers that be have made a special effort that 2011 should be remembered as a special year since it celebrates, or so to speak, the 150 years of unity, that is when Italy became a nation as such.

Therefore, at least 80 world leaders or their representatives have been summoned to the festivities held in Rome for this occasion and admittedly there is a bit of flutter going on even in the lukewarm hearts of the Italians. Yet still, that word Republic just doesn’t sound that great at all.

But as our forefathers, after the last world war, decided this was to be so, so be it- not of course that it would have stirred the hearts much more if the Monarchy had remained- I would doubt. Still, the pomp and pride of a monarchy does add that little extra something to a nation as we have seen in the recent royal wedding in Britain.

Which reminds me, whenever we speak of “The Queen” we do not need to mention her name, we instinctively know we are referring to The Queen of England. I apologise for the other queens in Europe but that is undoubtedly the case. Maybe Europe should elect to have just one kingdom represented by one monarch, the one of England... it was just a suggestion.

Italy does still have members of the once Italian monarchy, but they are all lying low except for our Crown “Prince Charming” Emanuele Filiberto of Savoia who has entered into the homes of Italian people via the TV after a lifetime in exile. He may never wear a crown on his head, but Italians are quite fond of him, much more to those who sit in Parliament... so let’s just leave it at that.

Related Articles:

The Festival of San Remo: Emanuele Filiberto
Republic Day Wow!

264. Milan: The Change-over

2011-05-30T23:04:00.002+02:00

Milan Montage
credits: Wikipedia

And now that Milan has made the change-over from right to left, as the Italian comedian Roberto Begnini said, “Let the party begin!”

Certainly there will be no Magistrate from the Milanese “Procura” who will send the new Mayor Giuliano Pisapia a subpoena for living it up– that privilege is reserved only for “The One” Silvio Berlusconi, who else?

Maybe now that the right wing candidate has lost the elections by 5 points, they will ease off trying to “get Berlusconi behind bars,” the translation of which in modern English is “get Berlusconi out of power,” though it seems unlikely as Berlusconi is still head of the present government.

The losing candidate, Letizia Moratti openly admitted her defeat and readily sent her congratulation to the winner with an offer of cooperation, a gesture which left-wing candidates have seldom if ever done. By tradition the left-wing candidates in Italy never admit to defeat, let alone congratulate their opponent and still less offer to cooperate; my memory has no recollection of this ever happening... insults yes, storming of hell, brimstone and fire, this is what I recall left-wing candidates have done whenever they lose an election. So, Letizia Moratti’s gesture is much appreciated by the undersigned.

Half of Milan’s voters abstained from voting, and of course those are the ones who had been left disenchanted by local politics. However, the change-over has been made and everyone needs well try to make the best of it especially since Milan will house the EXPO in 2015.

Yet, something worries me, how long will all this last before they start losing the pieces? Let’s hope this time, having learnt from the abortive lessons of the past, the left-wing will make a special effort not to pick a fight, quite so soon.

263. Milan: Expo 2015

2011-05-24T12:26:00.001+02:00

Pirelli Tower under construction,
symbol of the post-war Italian economic miracle
credits: Wikipedia

While the fire rages between the two warring groups contending the Mayorship of Milan I would like to cast my eyes forward to that great event which is to take place in 3 years’ time the Expo.

The theme of Milan’s Universal Exposition is Feeding the Planet and Energy for Life. And it is the hard work put in by the Milanese team headed by the contended Mayor, Letizia Moratti that this project has become a reality. Would anyone question that such a theme lacks humanitarian warmth and concern?

Well, the left-wing contending group for the seat of Mayor think differently and have proposed their own signed, sealed and delivered version of what Milan should consider more humanitarian: a big huge Muslim Mosque, permission free projects for all gypsies to set up their shed where and when they wish to and Milan to be crowned as the centre of Gay Pride.

And oh yes, the latest statement coming from the lips of one of their leaders on TV yesterday is that Communism is beautiful and the complete abolition of commerce at the Expo.

Related articles:

262. Milan: The End of the Berlusconian Era?

2011-05-18T16:31:00.002+02:00

Duomo Milano
Attribution: Wikipedia

The long and the short of it all is that in Milan’s recent local elections Berlusconi’s coalition which proposed the present Mayor Letizia Moratti (41%) for re-election fell behind by a whole 7 points from the left wing candidate Giuliano Pisapia (48%). But as neither gained 50% of the votes, we need to wait and see what happens at the ballot elections in 15 days. However, that is not all, Berlusconi who headed the coalition found himself with only half of the preferences he had in the previous local elections, and here we are talking of his home town, Milan.

A few weeks ago Silvio Berlusconi himself gave the first signs that perhaps the end is nigh by nominating Giulio Tremonti, Minister of Finance (Chancellor of the Exchequer) as his possible successor, something never previously contemplated in the premier’s political history.

The continuous interceptions of Berlusconi’s phone and private life and literally the wilful persecution from the Magistrates of Milan, the hammering of the major national TV political programmes and the pounding, mainly of erroneous and outrage reportage of the left wing press which is over half of the newspapers in Italy have taken their toll, added to which Berlusconi’s own excessive and not totally conservative behaviour have rubbed the Milanese up the wrong way.

So be it.

But Milan is the capital of Italy’s economic and commercial centre and if it has arrived at this it is thanks to a right-wing policy based on the principles of capitalism, even when the Socialist Bettino Craxi held the helm. If suddenly overnight, we are going to change steer and have it run by a Mayor who has his roots in Communism and some say, extreme at that, will this primate that Milan now enjoys be turned upside down?

Well, we all know that in politics the world is Topsy-Turvy, don’t we?

261. The Word “Only”

2011-05-14T16:43:00.002+02:00

Mother Cat

Mother cat was restless this morning. Strange how I still call her “mother” cat even though her kittens are now three years old, but right from the start she had always enlisted on the aid of a human to assist her in her labours of bringing up her kitties and so I feel quite involved in that “motherhood” of hers.

But this morning she was restless, meowing and manoeuvring around my being to persuade me to stop and pick her up for a cuddle; she was lonely, lonely for the touch of a human being.

Cats, magnificent and utmost independent creatures! Yet, here was one with insistence encircling my being for a human touch.

Now, I ask myself, if such proud and sovereign creatures succumb to a sense of loneliness so much so they are in need of a human touch, how much more does the nature of mankind, so vulnerable and much more emotionally fragile feel a void that he himself alone cannot fill? How much more does the brittle sensitivity of mankind’s consciousness need the comfort and presence of a human touch? How much more does mankind feel the empty space of loneliness? For mankind is lonely by birth.

But often we humans are so careless of our affections that at times there is no other human being around when the need is greatest and are left to meander restless with our loneliness. Unlike cats we do not have it in us to seek the consideration of another. So today it would dispel somewhat that void if in one’s daily routine of actions we include a big, small divergence- making a fuss of someone, even if that someone is “only” yourself.

260. The Royal Wedding- A Lesson to Learn

2011-05-07T18:12:00.001+02:00

The newly married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
To the left is junior bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem
and at the right is junior bridesmaid Margarita Armstrong-Jones.
Photo: attribution- Wikipedia

From Julius Caesar onwards, if not before, royal marriages have been, more often than not, complete and utter disasters. Perhaps the disasters in the past were so well hidden that they never saw the light of day but in our times this is not the case… the disasters exist and they are there for all to see.

That is why this Royal Wedding, in spite of those whose whole vocation in life is to be spoil sports and spread the doubt of “How long will it last” or “What a boring wedding!” this wedding has all the ingredients to last a long, very long time.

Just because two young people have known each other for ten years, it is not a guarantee that the relationship will last. All around us we see couples who have known each other for ever but after marriage, if not within months, in time they separate. Just because it hasn’t been an arranged wedding as a number of royal matches have so been made, it doesn’t mean it will last forever. In effect even though arranged royal marriages are seldom successful, those in India, among normal people are most resistant- so that doesn’t prove anything.

No, the reason I am convinced that this marriage will last is because of the genuine signs of affection that the couple show each other, where you know it isn’t acting; the understanding of the other’s needs, the mutual respect they show one another tells me that all this does not come from a splash of passion, a love on the rebound or whatever other fickle reason you wish to add for getting married. All this comes from an agreement the two have made that this relationship blessed or not with passion and fulfilled desire is not based on the senses alone but on a reason for being together, to form a “society”, a partnership.

A number of people who get married, and this is proven by the dismal rate of divorce, do so because they are ~~besotted~~ , in love with one another, they want to change their lives, they see a dream to follow and so on and so on… all the wrong reasons for getting married, of course.

If two people want to get married, they should first and foremost consider that they are entering into a partnership with another person where there are duties more than rights to be expected… it is not a day to be lived under a frothy cloud of tulle that will lead you to an enchanted garden of dreams… that’s for writers of romance, like me.

259. The Not So Holy Week

2011-04-18T19:32:00.003+02:00

The Passion of Christ is read out in Church. Is there anyone who cares about
the pain of anyone else, but their own?

With Palm Sunday yesterday, Holy Week begins, but in the world it is anything but holy.

The blessing of the palms took place in the courtyard, reminding us
Jesus was hailed as king, only to be presented with a crown of thorns.
Are there any African leaders who would accept that?

There must be something abysmally wrong with a society that wants to leave their native country, Africa, sparsely populated, to try one’s luck in a Europe, already filled to the brim and unwelcoming. Be it because of the Christian origins of the Italian people, or because it would be humanly insane to throw these people back into the sea and sure death, as indeed happens with Spain and Malta, but the only means of salvation, and I mean literally, was that the Italian authorities did not find it in their sense of civic duty to behave as barbarically as some of their European partners.

The Celebrant Fr Michael, our visiting priest from Ukraine
with Fr Fabio, originally from our village.
Maybe the Christian origins does help one reflect that you simply can't throw
people back into the sea- though this does not stop other countries from doing so

I can understand as someone in the British Government said, one immigrant allowed through is one vote less. I can understand why Germany says no since years back they had to house thousands of immigrants from Kosovo, and they have had enough. I can understand the Italian government feeling isolated by the rest of Europe but I can also understand why the only option Europe has offered is to fund the return flight of these immigrants. Even though getting these people on a plane back is easier said than done, as one Italian Minister said, satirizing as this being the only solution: “We can’t shoot them… yet.”

I have seen events happening at the reception centre in Lampadusa that have convinced me that quite a number of these immigrants are only here for what they can get. They have caused riots because they didn’t like the food, they have escaped through security to heaven knows where, they have set fire to the bedding and furniture provided in the temporary quarters they were placed and some were later found to be Al Qaeda supporters. And yet among all these are normal people who simply want a better life.

But what has to be implemented in the minds of these young Africans is that a better life will not be found by selling drugs and prostitution in a foreign country. A better life can only be found by working and getting along with fellow Africans in one’s own country. A better life is there in Africa, and it can be done, as some states like Tanzania are witnesses to such. A better life is in in Africa, not behind the iron bars of a European cell. A better life is building Africa and not draining Europe... and the people in Africa need to really, really take this to heart.

Perhaps if there was more adoration of the Lord there would be less egoism
among men

182. Tanzania: NYERERE, A Leader to be Proud of

258. Italian Parliament Flares Up.

2011-04-03T23:36:00.001+02:00

The President of Italy
Giorgio Napolitano
Concession of Wikipedia

The controversy which flared up in the lower house of the Italian Parliament a day or two ago ended in the worst possible way. It all began with Dario Franceschini, a member of the opposition who criticized the decision of the majority to reverse the order of the day, giving priority to the debate on the Judicial Reform and the “quick trial” system to be put into process.

The Minister of Defence Ignazio La Russa, frustrated by once again being held up by the opposition began to applaud controversially Franceshini. At this point, Fini, Chairman of the Chamber calls on the Minister not to be disrespectful towards opposing colleagues.

La Russa reacted in a most human but un-gentlemanly manner by giving the f---- off sign to the Chairman.

Throughout all these proceedings the whole house took on the semblance of a witches’ cauldron with clashes and bangs shouts and hollering from all sides, so the icing on the cake of Ignizio La Russa’s unmistakable sign of annoyance seemed only a logical conclusion.

The tension in Parliament has reached its limit it seems. But then one has to consider this is not an easy time for Italy and those who try to govern it. There is the much needed judicial reform which as I have often explained in my blogs is a system so weighed down with unnecessary rules and regulations that a trial can last a decade- if you are lucky, where judges are not held accountable for any sentence given. We have the people in Naples who do not want to put their rubbish in the proper bins that it is supposed to be put. We have other European Nations, as France, bossing us about and ordering us to go to war. We have illegal immigrants who come in their hordes every day, and there is no room to put them- apart from the fact we have to put up with complaints they are fed-up of eating macaroni... haven’t we anything else? We have an unreceptive EU community who has zero tolerance with immigrants. We have immigrants travelling to the border of Italy /France (Ventimiglia) in order to migrate to France and who are promptly pushed back into Italy without even a piece of bread... or France even considering that most of these are ex-French colonial citizens and speak fluent French.

And as if all this is not enough, we have the left wing creating as many obstacles as they can so as to prevent the government from going ahead with plans at all levels and the continuous hum drum of their leader Bersani claiming there is no government in Italy.

That’s quite a statement! I should very much like to see what the opposition and Co. would do if there really was no government in these troubled times. All I can suggest is they had better have a good stock of toilet paper on hand.

Fortunately we have a remarkable President here in Italy, Giorgio Napolitano who summoned all these warring parliamentarians and in no uncertain terms told them this cannot be tolerated. Furthermore, he claimed, Berlusconi remains for as long as he has the numbers to govern... after all, at the end of the day, this in effect is what all the aggravation is about, is it not? says I.

257. Libya: Latest Cock-up

2011-03-22T21:42:00.001+01:00

Ignazio La Russa
Minister for Defence
Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto
Courtesy Wikipedia

France decided to bombard Libya and ordered Italy to follow suit. I beg your pardon Sir, since when does a country give orders to another completely sovereign country to go to war?

Firstly, the planes that France wanted to use to attack Libya were, are on Italian soil, acquired and is still the property of the Italian tax-payer. Before another country disposes of Italy’s resources, surely the Italian people through their government have every right to be consulted?

If France wants to be rid of Gheddafi, of whom I personally am no fan, that’s their affair but they need to coordinate their efforts with the powers that be... they can’t take it upon themselves to work outside NATO and to boss Italy about, nor are they to expect that Italy is to be responsible in shooting down every known dictator in the world.

As Italy’s present Minister of Defence Ignazio La Russa said in an Italian political debate on TV : "The French are hoping that not passing the command to NATO Americans will step back and allow the command to them." He then continued "There has never been enthusiasm in using weapons, Italy had only one choice and followed it with no enthusiasm. Without us the UN resolution - La Russa concluded, can not be applied. "

It needs to be remembered that although Italian planes were sent, they were so on a humanitarian basis and no shots were fired, also because one does not know for sure who or what is being shot at.

Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Affairs Minister, reinforced the Minister of Defence’s view by saying, “One does not hand over to others the keys to our own house.”

Meanwhile on the isle Lampedusa in Sicily, a never ending stream of human cargo disembarks from North Africa, continuously. Lampeduas is of course now bursting at the seams and there are more immigrants than natives which is the cause of worry for the damage it will cause to their livelihood which is based on the tourist trade, and at this point, they too will remain penniless. Immigrants, among whom racketeers are being harboured, try to find shelter wherever, even under lorries, still wearing their sea-drench clothes, while fights and squabbles for water and bread are the order of the day... This is how the rest of Europe has responded to Italy’s appeal for solidarity- absconding!

And now, this onslaught by France is the last thing Italy needed. At the end of the day behind France’s cock-up attempt at world domination, after all the massacring is over, is that France & Co. will get the oil; Italy, the illegal immigrants. Tut... tut... tut.. Where are the United Nations???

256. A Bit of Leg Pulling

2011-03-20T00:06:00.004+01:00

A day or two ago I put a link on Facebook to one of Seth Godin’s posts which invited people to ponder that the mishaps which befall us cause drama, tension and therefore tends to grab the interest of others far more than if someone brags about being on the NY top seller’s list.

I even introduced the post with “I'm going to let you all have it soon- my worst moments, I mean.” This was followed by inevitable misunderstandings that my moments must be really bad and imaginations ran wild. So as to reassure people that I am not suffering from an incurable disease or have one foot in the grave, I thought I’d write this article just to put the record straight.

I’ve also had a photograph taken of me at the Carnival recently, just to show I still look quite “normal”… I just didn’t do any gallivanting about as I once would have done.

For two months now, before I sit in front of my PC screen I have to ask myself, the intensity of pain I want to go through and for how long when I get up. I can sit down quite easily and feel no pain… but it’s the getting up and getting back into motion part that I have to come to terms with. The longer I stay sitting down, the longer it takes me to get up and get my feet to move and drag around the two columns of concrete that once were my legs. Lying down has also the same effect, so now if anyone rings my doorbell in the mornings, quite often they have gotten tired of waiting for me to open up among the protest of incessant dog barking... Perhaps it’s the dog barking that eventually drives them away rather than the waiting.

The same thing happens when I’m crossing the road in the village square, people usually give the all clear sign to cross by waving their hand, and I wave mine back to tell them to move on... they would regret it if they didn’t take up my invitation. This is because my steps have become like those of a tortoise. I used to walk ten times around the field in my half an hours’ walk, now, I can barely manage two. And that to me is a huge difference.

At Mass, in Church there’s a bit of sitting down and standing up to do, so I choose to sit behind big people who can hide my efforts of clutching and climbing up on the bench in order to get back on my feet. Kneeling down is the best part because to get up I just plonk myself on the bench that supports my torso. But I can’t be doing too much of kneeling down either otherwise people will think I’ve suddenly had a incorrigible bout of devotion.

Steps are really fun, that’s when I take little jumps at random and hope I land on the right one.

And if I drop something- if I’m out, well it stays there... as happens in India; whereas if I’m at home I get the pincers I use to put on the wooden logs on the fire and grab the object that way, maybe you have already gathered that’s because I cannot bend.

My dogs and cats have more or less adapted to the situation and they instinctively seem to know they can no longer plonk themselves on the bed and risk suffocating me since I can no longer move around and pull the tightened blankets away.

One thing however I do regret is that there’s no way I can possibly go and see the Pope when he comes to Mestre (Venice) in May... oh well since the children in our parish are making their First Communion, I’ll go and take photos of them instead, there won’t be much moving around to do there. And perhaps that too was in God’s plan in the first place anyway... just like everything else is.

Of course now, most of my life is spent with my eyes shut, trying to regain my energy since the body uses it more quickly as it has to work quite a bit more to get things done.

However, let’s look on the bright side... I’ve no problem driving- It’s just getting in and out of that car that makes me go up the wall. And wait for it, this is a real gem, I’ve lost my appetite- Wow, lovely weight loss, just what I dreamt of for years!

255. The Unification of Italy: A Dilemma

2011-03-17T00:18:00.006+01:00

Today, the peninsular celebrates the 150 anniversary of the unification of Italy, consequently the birth of Italy. Not that the peninsular did not exist before, it has been here since time immemorial.

Among some of its achievements is that of having given a re-birth to mankind through the Renaissance, not to mention having formed one of the greatest empires, the Roman Empire, which although barbarically sent thousands of Christians to be ravaged by wild beasts in the coliseum, it never the less set up an urban plan of architecture, hydraulics, sewerage and road system which has been used as a blueprint ever since. The peninsular has also hosted, except for brief periods, one of the largest spiritual kingdoms, in a small but totally independent state called the Vatican.

For a minute and relatively new state which may be contained several times in any of the states in the US or regions in India, Italy is one of the most democratic countries where freedom of individuals is uttermost, and where life can be enjoyed significantly more than in most other countries. Yet Italians will never in a months of Sundays agree with that statement.

Among themselves, Italians are an argumentative lot, precisely because they have lived in a society that imposes few restrictions, from the cradle to the grave, so you will find them give free rein to their expression. It’s also thanks to the days of bright light and sunshine that makes them less inhibited than their Northern European counterparts.

Yet you will find that Italians will shout out loud and clear and even set up demonstrations with leading literary figures to say that there is no freedom of press. Of course the Italian press is one of the most free presses in the world, because there too, anything can be said- slander, lies, and even phone call conversations which are covered by state secrecy acts are printed with great ease... and when I say anything goes, phone calls are tapped in massive quantities, unknown in any other part of Europe, especially if they have nothing to do with real crime but something that may sell more papers by pulp fictitious headlines.

So that’s the dilemma, in a country that has all the ingredients- mountains, lakes, sea, unique cities, art, food, wine, cars, fashion, beautiful girls- to make life one of the best that can possibly be lived in the world, we have its inhabitants squabbling about rubbish waste, nuclear power, newspapers, governments, leaders, especially if in power- in fact about anything... so you can imagine if they can come to any agreement about celebrating the 150 years anniversary of the birth of Italy.

Houses are supposed to show their festive mood by displaying the Italian flag... I’ve seen one or two, but you have to look really hard. Now can you just imagine if there were such an indifference for the 4^th of July? I’m not blaming these people- they are always celebrating anyway- an example of that is the series on the Carnival which I have interrupted to include this article. These people are not concerned how or when Italy became a nation, some think that’s was just a big joke.

That’s another thing about Italians, tragedy so often turns to comedy. But since I am one brought up in the United Kingdom who can claim a monarchy from 871 AD with Alfred the Great, I feel rather nostalgic that the “Father of Italy”, is a figure no one ever talks about. He is in fact the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II who was the then king of Sardegna and Piemonte and it was he who proclaimed the founding of the Kingdom of Italy when, thanks to the hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, the armistice was signed on 17 March 1861- exactly 150 years ago today.

Well, whether the Italians celebrate the event or not, is of no great consequence... they always know how to have a good time anyway, holiday or not.

254. Carnival of Vittorio Veneto: No.2 The Opening

2011-03-13T19:00:00.000+01:00

There were twirls and swirls from the rainbow coloured tulle costumes of the dancers, accompanied by the sound of passionate notes of vivacious Latin American music. They advanced forward, slowly yet wildly and determined, thus the “Centro Danza” the amature sports association of Conegliano opened the Carnival of Vittorio Veneto introducing the long and intense row of floating carts that followed.

The dancers were followed by the baby-nursery of a near-by town, Pollicino, who all dressed in blue decided to bring the real babies along too.

Next, The Band of Cappella Maggiore from our neighbouring parish, who have often accompanied our ceremonies decorously with their music, and frankly I had never seen them dressed up like this before... convicts.

After which came our parish of Sarmede who brought along a huge donkey. Naturally the donkey was accompanied by witches, faries, rabbits, nuns, Red Riding hood and a few other characters from tales of old. I will lavish a few photos on this otherwise, the village folks will not forgive me. But the Carnival continues with my next post.

Continues...

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253. Carnival of Vittorio Veneto: No. 1 The Children

253. Carnival of Vittorio Veneto: No.1 The Children

2011-03-08T23:05:00.006+01:00

1954 my aunt took me to see the Carnival of Vittorio Veneto.

There were men on ever so tall legs who bowed down and threw confetti on my head, strange people whose faces popped out of even stranger boxes and children, people prancing about with colourful clothes hiding their faces behind masks in the shape of the devil, clowns, elves, fairies, ogres, witches, who came near with their knuckled fingers and long nails dangling, frightening the daylights out of me. There were sounds, music, trumpets blowing, drums banging, people shoving, enticing you and a continuous shower of confetti falling from the sky. I stood in dread, but also in awe.

Half a century later I stood there, no longer in dread but in awe of the Carnival. But what really impressed me were the faces of the children who actually were part of the parade, what a wonderful make-believe experience it must have been for them. However, those children who stood in the street dressed up in their fancy dress and watched such wonders pass before their eyes, I’m sure will remember such scenes in many years to come... maybe like me, the enchantment never wears off.

CONTINUES......

252. Libya: Italy is not the Border of a Country but of Europe

2011-03-06T12:49:00.006+01:00

Interior Minister
Roberto Maroni
Curtsey Wikipedia

"The EU's border management cannot be left to individual countries: it is not the border of a country but of Europe. " The President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano said speaking at the UN headquarters in Geneva. “The EU,” he continued, "is to define better rules on asylum and refugee protection."

“It is estimated that 1.5 million illegal immigrants have penetrated the borders of Libya,” Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, referring to the Commissions for Constitutional Affairs and Foreign Affairs on recent developments in the Mediterranean said.

No doubt as soon as they get the chance they will disembark on the shores of Lampedusa, Italy or possibly Greece, meanwhile the rest of Europe are burying their heads in the sand and letting Italy cope with it. Very nice indeed. (says I)

The Minister also said that Italy was available to provide equipment and personnel police for a greater control of the ports in Tunisia from which immigrants come into Europe. This arrangement would also serve as a deterrent of a mass exodus to Europe.

As Elisabetta Belloni, Director General of Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and head of the Italian mission in Libya and Tunisia said "One thing is certain, we are the first to bring food aid to Libya."

Let’s hope the rest of Europe follows suit! Says I.

Meanwhile the flow of illegal immigrants unto the shores of Italy is never ending and although all that is humanly possible is being done by Italy to prevent a crises, one has to be aware that such immigrants could be quite normal human beings fleeing from a deplorable situation or simply downright criminals seeking to set up lucrative rackets in Italy or the rest of Europe of prostitution, pornography, drugs, theft, smuggling and all kinds of gratuitous crime and violence.

Those are the facts of life, some of whom in Europe are not men enough to face.

Related Articles

The African Crises and Italian Politics

Europe Says No to Refugees

251. The Punjab Poisoned by Cowardly Extremists

2011-03-04T22:17:00.001+01:00

Shahbaz Bhatti
Pakistan Minister for Minorities
Curtsey Wikepedia

To fire 27 gun shots in the back as they did for Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, or spray the car of Pakistani Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti with bullets adds up to be only the action of people, who because they are too uncivilized to obtain what they seek by legitimate means adopt the only law their narrow minded small minds can revert to, barbarism.

God is one, and the God of Christians is the same God of Hindus, Muslims, Jews. The God who made man, made all mankind, not just one religious sect. And if anyone seeks to bring honour to anyone of God’s prophets by brutally killing his brother only brings disgrace upon himself and the Prophet he wishes to honour, for none of God’s prophets would break God’s law and murder his brother... and God’s law is plain and simple: “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.

The day will come when those killers will have to face the one question their prophet will ask “Why did you kill your brother?” By doing so you not only brought disgrace upon yourselves but cut yourselves away from the love of God. The brother you have killed shines in the happiness of God’s company, you on the other hand will lick your own miserable wounds in the darkness, away from the nearness, happiness and light of God, maker of heaven, earth and every single human being is sacred to Him.

Pakistan: The Price for Doing Good

250. Europe Says No to Refugees

2011-02-23T17:43:00.000+01:00

Franco Frattini,
Italy's Foreign Affairs
Minister (2002-2004, 2008-)
Courtesy Wikipedia

The temporary shelter facility in Sicily I blogged about yesterday, understandably has reached full capacity and there is no sign that the boat loads of illegal immigrants from Africa show any respite in their arrival.

In the meantime, Franco Frattini, Italy’s Minister for foreign affairs is told, through an anonymous source, that the Union of Europe has said “No” to using Sicily as a clearing house... the immigrants are to remain in Italy. So the problems of the onslaught of illegal immigrants is Italy’s problem and no one else’s? No wonder the said Minister commented in an interview by Affaritaliani.it, that this was a cowardly way for Europe to behave. Besides, he considered that being told how Europe stands in all this through anonymous sources from the EU is the worst way of presenting the face of Europe.

Meanwhile back at the temporary shelter, riots are flaring up for the possession of the limited food that has been made available. On this score, the EU are saying they will meet on the 26^th of March- a whole month from now! People need to be fed now, today, not in a month’s time.

Obviously the EU parliament has plenty of time to divulge in meetings to take down the Crucifix from our walls, but they can’t find the time for a meeting to solve an emergency as this, abandoning Italy all on her own to face a problem that has epoch-making dimensions and will eventually shakeup the whole of Europe.

249. The African Crises and Italian Politics

2011-02-22T19:47:00.002+01:00

While various states in Africa are “burning” the Italian Premier Berlusconi and some of his ministers have gone to Sicily to see for themselves how best to meet the inundation of refugees who continuously disembark on Italian shores from these troubled states in Africa.

If anyone wants to escape the hell of turmoil that is going on in Africa their only chance of reaching a free county is by crossing the straights of Gibraltar and land in Spain, which is not allowed since they are pushed back into the sea by the said authorities and the same goes for Malta. The only solution for survival is land in Lampedusa in Sicily, which is the island south of Italy and directly faces Tunisia on the opposite side.

Fortunately, on this occasion the government have found a unique solution, making use of the empty houses built in order to host the USA military and their families which have now left the area. This may create some problems to the locals whose main income is from tourism as few people are not going to engage in the idea of spending their summer holiday by the sea surrounded by thousands of refugees. Still as ONU and the EU have come forward in support of this venture bringing gifts of food, clothes, equipment and volunteers, the Italian government are going ahead with this solution at this present point in time.

Well, the Italian government hopes to go ahead with seeking some kind of decent temporary accommodation for these people until they can get on their feet... if the press, other members of parliament and the Judges from Milan will allow the Italian government to go on existing, because it seems everything imaginable under the sun and moon has been done to put an end to this Berlusconi government. Does Italy really need this kind of riffraff treatment, specially at this particular time when the world is in such an upheaval?

248. Berlusconi: Prostitution and Minors

2011-02-16T23:34:00.011+01:00

Berlusconi gets condemned for prostitution of minors on the Ruby affair then he is quite entitled to sue the Milanese Public Prosecutor and Co for wrongful imprisonment. The problem is, it is not possible to sue any judge, as under Italian law, Judges are above the law and not answerable for their misdemeanours- And that is only one of the points why the Italians have long asked for the reform of the justice system. His only recourse would be to sue the state.

But why am I saying that Berlusconi would be wrongfully imprisoned if condemned?

Before I answer that question it is best I go into the person of Ruby, who in fact is Ruby? I got to know more than the usual run of the mill things said about her after reading an article published by a reliable Italian weekly “Di Più” who went to Morocco to interview Ruby’s Mother, Zahara.

The family moved from Morocco to Italy nine years ago after Ruby had done her elementary education schooling. About three years ago Ruby was taken into care by the Italian social services because she did not want to live with her family with whom she no longer had anything in common.

A few months ago she was arrested in Milan for allegedly stealing cash. The girl said to know Berlusconi who intervened and instead of the girl being returned to the care home she was placed under the wing of Nicole Minetti, one of Berlusconi’s employees, a newscaster of one of his televisions and a talent scout all of which are also accused of aiding and abetting prostitution of minors!

It is not illegal in Italy to have sex below the age of consent which is 18, but sex below 18 is widespread in Italy as much as it is in other countries. And I’ll wager any under age offspring of any of those judges that are making such accusations of prostitution of minors that their offspring are well and truly versed in the birds and the bees as most teenagers are, and there’s nothing to marvel about that, not now in our day and age.

Neither is prostitution in Italy illegal, but it is illegal if you are under the age of 18 or practice it in the street.

What is not quite appreciated in a Catholic country as Italy is that the life-style of some Italians is hardly in keeping with the moral front that Italy as a Catholic country is supposed to have. There are quite a lot, and I mean a lot of men who have sex with prostitutes. Of course with prostitutes one does not ask any personal details such as surnames, let alone age, so no one is concerned if the lady in question is underage or not, and quite a few of them are. Time is most limited when you are curb crawling for a prostitute and men do not waste it on talk.

I didn’t forget to mention that prostitution in the street is illegal, did I? So why aren’t any of these Public Prosecutors bothering about getting any of these curb crawlers behind bars? Not only do they have illegal sex in the streets but the chances of there being a prostitute below the age of 18 is quite real. Yet not one of these men have been prosecuted- not one of them. Considering that illicit sex takes place thousands of times a day in the streets of Milan, Rome or any major city, one wonders why the Public Prosecutors (GIP) as they are called here, have only one candidate on their list, upon which they are pulling out all the stops with full speed ahead.

I’m being facetious here because when you consider there are people who have trial cases for an accident claim, or a debt to be paid, pending for not only five, or ten, but fifteen and even twenty years, it makes you want to tear your hair out. But I’ve noticed that with the prosecution of Berlusconi it works at supersonic speed. So others, the thousand of males who have illegal sex in the streets of Italy are to get away scot free- only Berlusconi is prosecutable? I thought the law was equal for all?

Two wrongs never made a right you may well say. What I have said so far supposes that Berlusconi, did have sex with Ruby and did pay her for it. Who says he did? Did anyone see him at it? What if he didn’t?

But that’s not all. When Ruby was arrested, it was not for prostitution but for stealing- and if she were a prostitute what need would she have to steal? Besides, how can you become a prostitute while living in care? If she were so, the social workers would have been prosecuted for allowing her to do that, not to mention all the men she had been with. Has anyone been accused?

As more than one person has pointed out to me, Ruby was then a minor, though no one knows for certain how old she is, who lived under the protection of social services, she could not have been a prostitute but a young lady who could go to bed with whomever she chose and pleased even if the gentleman, or gentlemen in question showed their appreciation in material ways. And there is no law, on this earth that a teenager cannot go to bed with whom he/she pleases. Perhaps the judges in Milan wish to make it a law that teenagers cannot go to bed with whom they wish or receive gifts, but that would very much go against human rights and the freedom for humans to have relationships with whom they please...

and at seventeen, one is to all effects, a human being.

But what is beyond me is how could a girl in care of the Italian Social Services be allowed to prostitute herself- The answer is fairly simple- she didn't prostitute herself because if she did the social carers would have been prosecuted, and they weren't.

The Italian Prosecutors will however prosecute Berlusconi, not because he had sex with her, because at his age, busy as he is and a risky coronary condition that has seen him inside a hospital before now, is hardly going to risk life and limb for an underage girl, now is he? And Ruby herself never said that she did. But Berlusconi will get prosecuted anyway because his enemies badly want him out of circulation, one way or another.

NB Update 29 October 2011- when Berlusconi's name is cited in a report on child trafficking from the US is flying around the web- that's because he has one or two horrible enemies in the US too who want him out of the way- I should like to say that the lady is question "Ruby" is settled with a partner and ready to give birth to her first child-

Prostitution indeed!!! Blackening the poor girl's name for the sake of politics.

247. Berlusconi: Women’s Demonstration- the Motive

2011-02-14T12:39:00.001+01:00

Silvio Berlusconi
Prime Minister of Italy
Picture: Courtesy Wikipedia

There were demonstrations yesterday by women, not only in several squares in Italy but also abroad in favour for the dignity of womanhood. A laudable cause indeed and all went off well, were it not for one detail- this was a plain and simple personal attack against the Italian Premier, Silvio Berlusconi.

Before anyone starts accusing me of being paranoid and saying I am blaming everyone for attacking Berlusconi personally, when this is not the case; I should like to point out I hardly think that on this account I have misjudged the situation- not when you see women holding a poster of a prison cell and a close-up view of Berlusconi’s face behind bars with a banner saying: “I have a dream.” I know I am not mistaking the real motive for such demonstrations, furthermore, to manifest pure, personal hatred for Berlusconi has hardly anything to do with any laudable cause on womanhood. And this, may I add, is in spite of what The Guardian UK allows the Left- Winger Italian Nichi Vendola say.

However, the thousands that turned out is not at all representative of the millions of women in Italy. In democracy it is worth remembering, it is not the numbers in the squares, but it is the vote which goes inside a ballot that counts.

Looking at those women demonstrating under false pretences, I noticed there are relatively few good-looking women who hate Berlusconi, yet many ugly ones who do- is that because they have given up hope to fall in his favour?

I recall Berlusconi’s daughter, Marina, once saying that she did not approve with her father’s life-style, nevertheless, he was entitled to it. I guess that is my opinion too, an opinion however that makes the “self-righteous” sect among us shake our heads fiercely- more in envy than in anger probably... it makes us mad when an eminent person acts out of the box, doesn’t it?

Next Post: Prostitution and Minors