Politics

There is this article from the Financial Times that I would like to link here but, because it needs a registration (that I strongly support you to do), I quote it here: Italian party seeks to block new mosques By Paul Bompard in Rome Published: August 25 2008 02:24 | Last updated: August 25 2008 02:24 Italy’s Northern League, the populist, xenophobic, sometimes separatist movement that is a key component of Silvio Berlusconi’s governing coalition, has proposed new legislation which would effectively halt construction of new Islamic mosques. The bill, which the League’s chief of deputies Roberto Cota is expected to send to parliament next week, would require regional approval for the building of mosques. It would also require that a local referendum be held, that there be no minaret or loudspeakers calling the faithful to prayer, and sermons must be in Italian, not Arabic. Chances of this being approved as it stands are slim, since it clashes with a number of constitutional rights and there was no immediate support from either Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party or from the ex-fascist National Alliance. But there has been cautious support from the small, ultra-Catholic UDC party, and the proposed anti-mosque legislation undoubtedly reflects widespread feeling among Italians that some defence against a rapidly rising Islamic presence is needed. At present, the Muslim population in Italy is estimated at 1m, with 258 registered mosques. The Northern League, which theoretically favours the secession of northern Italy from the centre and south, won more than 8 per cent of the vote at the April general elections, and has always trumpeted defence of national values of the northern Italian “race” as the natural product of its homeland. Without giving details, Roberto Maroni, the rightwing interior minister from the League, also said in April that “nomads” – as Italians call the Gypsies, although most do little roaming – who were not Italian citizens and did not meet conditions to stay would be deported to their “countries of origin”. The League has capitalised on a wave of xenophobia, of fear of crime committed by foreigners, and of preoccupation with illegal immigrants, which did much to help the Berlusconi alliance win the elections. CopyrightThe Financial Times Limited 2008 ...

… knows what a knob/dickwad is Bondi. I would like to drive your attention to one particular sentence in the end: … Mr Bondi has, however, had nothing to say about the artistic merits of the “popular” entertainment that passes for serious broadcasting on the TV channels owned by his political master, Mr Berlusconi. This is not the first time I see how strong is the position of international news papers and media against the Quality of our TV: how ugly we look like? :( ...

By mistake I missed the first issue of “10 Politically Incorrect Poetry” (a semantic translation of “10 Poesie Incivili”) from Andrea Camilleri (Wiki in Italian). A masterpiece. Published by MicroMega, the first issue contained 10 poetry, the second 5 (and sounds like there will be others…). They are all about Berlusconi, Fini, Bossi and the “Gentle-Opposition” of the Italian Democratic Party. The only problem: they are in Italian, sorry! But we talk about a “Master”, so a try it’s worth it. Title: 10 Politically Incorrect Poetry ...

Dopo che la Chiesa l’ha ammonito per essersi elevato al rango di “Salvatore”, si e’ auto proclamato Papa: potra’ ‘si farsi “Encicliche ad Personam” per permettere al Papa di rappresentare ufficialmente la reincarnazione di Cristo. […] A beautiful, romantic country of olive-dappled landscapes and cobblestoned piazzas famed for its food, fashion and bella figura, Italy is today a land awash in corruption, economic decay, political ennui, rampant impunity and a fast-declining standard of living. Inflation is among the highest in Western Europe, growth the lowest. Record numbers of people report feeling poorer than ever. […] ...