Felice Anno Nuovo, Tutti Gatti Selvatici!

Felice Anno Nuovo, Tutti Gatti Selvatici!

I hope all is well and your Holidays have been wonderful. In that regard, FSHS Teacher J. Stewart Williams (FSHS 1969-1972 / Akedeniz56@aol.com) sends this angelic example of Baroque Italian ceramics…

Natale in Italia

Anita Bova (FSHS 55 / arc920@optonlin.net) and Phil “Filippo” Paqualino (FSHS 55 / PPASQUALINO@cox.net) sent info that led me to these two YouTube links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMAOV5tF5DM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dj1fooADj4&feature=related

Very nice, indeed. Grazie!

 And, speaking of “How does he do it…?”

Wildcat Consort Debby Witt provides this explanation of the physics of Santa’s Sleigh (courtesy of David Zucchino the Los Angeles Times, 24 December 2010):

A North Carolina team of scholars takes a look at the aerodynamic and thermodynamic challenges of delivering toys, sorting out the naughty/nice list and handling the heat from all those chimneys.

Several professors in the school's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering recently asked their students to explore the aerodynamic and thermodynamic challenges of delivering gifts to millions of children worldwide in a single night from an airborne sleigh. The results, posted at web.ncsu.edu/abstract/tag/science-of-santa, posit that Santa Claus is a brilliant engineer and physicist.

One of the professors, Dr. Larry Silverberg, said the students concluded that Santa has expanded Einstein's theory of relativity to take advantage of "relativity clouds" that stretch time and bend the universe. "Relativity clouds are controllable domains — rips in time — that allow him months to deliver presents while only a few minutes pass on Earth," he said.

The site reports that his sleigh must be an advanced aerodynamic design made of honeycombed titanium alloy, capable of altered shape in flight and yet stable enough for landings on steep roofs. Laser sensors would help select the fastest route, and a porous, nano-structured skin outfitted with a low-pressure system reduces drag up to 90%, Silverberg said.

Silverberg confessed that he really didn't understand all of it, even though he's an expert in unified field theory. "The man is a genius," Silverberg said of Santa, whom he described as "jolly, but learned."

What about figuring out who is naughty and nice? Theory: A mile-wide antenna of super-thin mesh relying on electromagnetic induction principles picks up brain waves of children around the world. Filter algorithms organize desires and behaviors, and microprocessors feed the data to an onboard sleigh guidance system. Also, Santa must be checking kids' Facebook and Twitter accounts.

And does Santa carry all those presents in a single sleigh? Not possible, according to Silverberg. More plausible: He creates them on-site, i.e., on each rooftop, using a reversible thermodynamic processor — a sort of nano-toymaker known as the "magic sack." The carbon from chimney soot would be a common building block.

But the students theorized that he still delivers presents the old-fashioned way, climbing down chimneys, dressed in a fire-resistant halocarbon polymer suit. [Works for me….]

It’s Not too Late!

Gatti Selvatici Napoli Mini-Reunions...

Two FSHS/NAHS Wildcats get-togethers on 15 January 2011:

Wildcats "Wring" in the Anno Nuovo 2011

Cucina Vivace, Crystal City/Arlington VA

7PM to Close...

Cucina Vivace Chef and Owner Gordon Vivace and I are working up a sumptious, well-proportioned (you won't go home hungry!), squisito three-course dinner plus dessert, with several alternatives for each course, including gluten-free dishes.  Check out the ritorante's website, www.cucinavivace.com, for offerings and directions (it's a stone's throw from the Pentagon and Reagan International airport).  The all-inclusive cost (all courses, tip and tax) will be $70 per person, which will also include non-alcoholic beverages (San Pelligrino, ice tea, soft drinks, regular coffee and tea).  Wine, beer, liquor and specialty coffees will be extra.  The Cucina can accommodate about 40 people, and if we can get 30 people confirmed he'll close the ristorante for us.  We did this last January, and it was great. Several of us have gone back several times...it's really excellent!

I'll need your checks by Monday, 10 January, please, and I'll work up the menu with Gordon.  If you have suggestions based on the current menu, please let us know.  Make checks out to me and send to:

Scott Truver

281 Wilderness Road

Severna Park, MD 21146-2124818

FSHS/NAHS Cohort

Regional Overseas Brats Brunch

Bloomington, Minnesota

11AM-3PM

Chantelle Kiphuth Hilliard (FSHS 71 / CKiphuth@aol.com) alerted me to this Overseas Brats brunch get together at the Harvest Cafe, Holiday Inn, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington.  Event organizer Joe Condrill (joeosbpres@sbcglobal.net) notes that the total cost is $25 per person before 9 January and $30 per person thereafter.  Visit www.overseasbrats.com for more information. 

Speaking of FSHSWACD

Co-conspirator Pat Carter Bryant (FSHS 68 / pat0804@gmail.com and I will be updating the FSHS Wildcat Alumni Contacts Database in January and will send out in Word and Excel formats.  (I sent the latest Word file attached to the 9 December FSHSGRAM. If you’d like again, let me know.) Please send any updates needed.  And if you're not in it but would like so to be, there's a "notional FSHSWACD record" at the end of the Word file. We welcome as much or as little information as you'd like to share. We send these only to FSHS/NAHS people, by the way.

That’s about it for 2010. I greatly appreciate the feedback about the FSHSGRAMs, even the complaints that I have too much “news” about the Napoli trash situation or Burlesconi’s escapades…). Best wishes for 2011!

Looking ahead: In addition to the two 15 January “Wildcats Wring in the Anno Nuovo 2011” events, there are rumors of a Columbus Day 2011 FSHS/NAHS reunion in Las Vegas (Geeze…Vegas?? Not again!?) or Flagstaff, AZ.

More to come, I’m sure. Let me know and I’ll get the word out.

Napoli News below...

Ciao,

Scott T FSHS 68

Napoli News

Maltempo Italia: la situazione

Domenica 26 Dicembre

Maltempo sull'Italia, aggiornamento delle situazioni più critiche.

Veneto

In Veneto la situazione migliora dal punto di vista meteorologico, ma restano ancora 24 ore di allerta a causa della piana di molti fiumi. Da quanto affermato dal Governatore Zaia la situazione va lentamente ma progressivamente migliorando, anche perché il mare sta ricevendo bene gli apporti dei fiumi. Ciò nonostante il livello di allerta verrà mantenuto ancora per tutta la giornata di oggi e nella notte, aggiungendo che le strutture della protezione civile regionale e gli uffici del Genio civile di Padova ed Este rimangono quindi pienamente operative e continueranno a monitorare minuto per minuto l’evolversi della situazione.

A detta del vicecommissario Mariano Carraro il Veneto rimane con la guardia alta anche se il quadro complessivo sembra evolvere per il meglio. Il fiume Fratta infatti, che era arrivato ad una ventina di centimetri dalla sommità arginale, sta scendendo di livello, e l’acqua scorre veloce verso il mare, e questo è un fatto positivo. Inoltre precisa che al momento si registrano ancora molti ettari di campagne allagate, ma non risultano interessate aree residenziali.

Lombardia e Piemonte

Continua a nevicare, seppur con minore intensità lungo la fascia prealpina e pedemontana nonché sulle Orobie. In particolare nevica su alto bresciano, alto bergamasco e lecchese, con oltre 4-6cm al di sopra dei 500m; imbiancata Bergamo e localmente Brescia. Piove, invece, su tutte le medio-basse pianure lombarde. Nevica ancora nel Cuneese, mentre a Torino la neve si è tramutata in pioggia, sciogliendo in parte la lieve coltre bianca della mattinata.

Toscana

In provincia di Prato stamani chiusa per due ore, dalle 10 alle 12, la galleria della Madonna delle Tosse sulla ex statale 325 della Val di Bisenzio, bloccata a causa di una frana all’uscita del tunnel in direzione Vaiano. Sul posto sono intervenuti vigili del fuoco e polizia provinciale. Dai sopralluoghi effettuati e’ stato valutato che lo smottamento si era fermato: cosi’ e’ stata decisa la riapertura del tunnel, tenuto comunque sotto stretta vigilanza. Intanto la protezione civile della Provincia di Firenze informa che e’ stata ripristinata la viabilità’ sulla sp 125 tra Certaldo e Montespertoli. Il raccordo autostradale Firenze-Siena e’ chiuso in entrambe le direzioni all’altezza di San Casciano per una frana particolarmente rilevante; come viabilita’ alternativa tra Firenze e San Casciano si puo’ utilizzare la SR 2 Cassia. La SR 302 (Faentina) e’ chiusa al transito in localita’ Polcanto a causa di una frana di notevole entita’, con tempi per il ripristino della viabilita’ non ancora stimabili. La SP 130 di Monte Morello non e’ percorribile per un cedimento della sede stradale al km 7. Ripristinata la viabilita’ sulla SP 125 (km 2-8.700) tra Certaldo e Montespertoli. Tutti i fiumi sono discesi al di sotto dei livelli di guardia e non destano preoccupazioni. E’ in corso l’allerta meteo per fenomeni nevosi, anche a quote collinari, che potrebbero interessare le aree dell’Alto Mugello e del Valdarno per tutta la giornata odierna. Nevica su l'Appennino emiliano-romagnola, cosi come su quello marchigiano sino a quote di medio-bassa collina.

Campania

La neve torna a fare la sua comparsa sulla cima del Vesuvio. Sul vulcano che domina Napoli, infatti, e’ comparso un piccolo cappellino bianco che in questi minuti si svela agli abitanti di Napoli. Al momento anche nei comuni alle pendici del Vesuvio le temperature sono piu’ fredde ma non si registrano particolari disagi. Piove intensamente tra Benevento e Avellino con nevicate copiose sui rilievi. La quota neve si mantiene al momento superiore ai 900 metri.

Friuli

Santo Stefano all’insegna della bora a Trieste. Dopo le piogge dei giorni scorsi, infatti, il tempo e’ migliorato nel capoluogo giuliano, ma dal tardo pomeriggio di ieri il vento da est-nord-est ha cominciato a soffiare con una certa intensità. Oggi la media delle raffiche, e’ intorno ai 60 km l’ora, con un picco registrato verso le 11 di stamani di 95 km orari. Una decina sono stati, nella mattinata, gli interventi dei Vigili del fuoco per intonaci, vetri e alberi pericolanti.

Liguria

Critica anche la situazione in Liguria: Ameglia, Fiascherino, Lerici e Tellaro ma anche Carrodano e i paesi della Val di Vara: sono questi i luoghi delle frane che, dalla vigilia di Natale, hanno anche interrotto strade di comunicazione, isolando interi nuclei familiari. A Tellaro, la frazione delle Cinque Terre isolata da tre giorni da una grande frana, riceve ancora le derrate alimentari dal mare grazie all’impegno di Capitaneria di porto e della protezione civile. I vigili del fuoco hanno ripristinato il pontile per l’ormeggio dei gommoni per garantire l’ approvvigionamento del cibo ai paesi isolati. Posti di comando avanzato dei vigili del fuoco sono presenti nei comuni interessati dal maltempo in modo da garantire soccorso e velocità di intervento. Sul posto stanno operando ancora, oltre al Comando dei vigili del fuoco della Spezia, alcune Colonne mobili di pompieri provenienti da tutta la Liguria e dal vicino Piemonte. Squadre di Sommozzatori e Vigili del Fuoco sono intervenute per ispezionare numerosi corsi d’acqua sotterranei che presentavano pericolo di esondazione. Anche Lerici ha la sua frana che ha travolto la passeggiata a mare. Un traghetto trasporta chi voglia arrivare alla Spezia. Frane ad Ameglia, a Sarzana, a Rocchetta Vara e a Carrodano.

Americans might be visited by tax inspectors in Naples

Stars and Stripes

December 9, 2010

NAPLES, Italy – Italian judicial police in the Licola suburb of Naples are conducting random inspections of residential buildings to verify tax records, U.S. housing officials said.

The inspectors are ensuring that documents accurately reflect the number of rooms in the house, said Israel Melendez, housing director at the U.S. Navy base in Naples.

American and NATO personnel don’t have to show the inspectors anything other than their lease documents, if the inspectors request them, and should refer anything else to their landlord or the housing office, Melendez said.

Italy:

Fausto Sarli, 'master of the perfect cut' has died

Italian fashion designer Fausto Sarli, whose hand tailored fashions took him from his native Naples on to dress stars such as ElizabethTaylor and Carla Bruni has died in Rome. He was 83 years old.

Born in Naples in 1927, Sarli came to be considered the 'master of the perfect cut'. He took his tailored styling to Florence in 1957 where he presented his first collection at the age of 29. He then went on to establish his own house in Naples one year later before moving to Rome's via Veneto where he established an atelier.

In 1965 the designer began to work for international clients, starting in Canada, the US as well as Japan. Sarli's simply styled long sleeved dresses were greatly appreciated in the Middle East.

To celebrate his own half-century in fashion, Sarli held a dual fashion show in Naples and Rome in 2004.

Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno said Sarli's death has "deprived Rome of an authentic, man of refined style."

Italian authorities seize fireworks

UPI.com

NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Italian authorities have seized nearly five tons of illegal fireworks near Naples, officials said.

The Chinese-made fireworks were confiscated Thursday from a company in Caserta, ANSA reported.

The seizure is the result of increased scrutiny ahead of New Year's celebrations, when tons of black-market fireworks are sold, the report said.

One mortar now being sold packs a blast that can cause serious damage to people or objects within a "very wide" radius, police said.

Young fireworks fans have given some of the products names, including "The bin Laden," "The Maradona Bomb," "Desert Storm" and "Red October."

Overdrawn and over here: European cities also threatened by debt crisis

Guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 December 2010 20.21 GMT

Naples:

The credit rating on this historic city in southern Italy is just one notch from junk level. If two thousand years ago the nearby town of Pompeii was a model of public administration, today's Naples has one of the lowest tax-collection rates in Europe – and the worry is that not enough is being done to change it.

In a recent report by Standard and Poor's, analysts expressed concern that 30% of the debts owed to the city in 2008 were of "doubtful collection" as some of the bills are too old to collect. With higher unemployment and a greater dependency on state and EU help than other Italian capitals, Naples faces increasing delays in paying for some of its running costs. The city could also face liabilities from some of its controlled public companies, S&P said. Overall, the town's liquidity position is "less than adequate", the ratings agency said. At least the city – with a population of almost a million – has a higher percentage of children than the national average and a lower percentage of over 65s, limiting the costs of its care for the elderly.

Leading crime boss collared near Naples

UPI.com: Dec. 20, 2010 at 11:42 AM

NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The third-ranking boss of a notorious Neapolitan crime family was caught Monday, Italian police said.

Sigismundo Di Puorto, 38, was captured in Casal di Principe, the town near Caserta north of Naples that gave his Casalesi family its name, ANSA reported.

Di Puorto, a fugitive for a year from an arrest warrant issued in Modena, was taken by surprise in a Camorra safehouse and was caught after trying to escape over rooftops. Police said he had been running extortion rackets in northern Italy.

The Casalesi family's co-leader, Antonio Iovine, was arrested Nov. 18 after 14 years at large. Authorities say the Casalesi are now being led by the fugitives Michele Zagaria and Mario Caterino.

The Casalesi empire was exposed by writer Roberto Saviano in his bestseller "Gomorra" and the film of the same name. In the last two years, Italian police have executed a series of successful operations against the Camorra, the Cosa Nostra in Sicily and the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta.

Italian students demonstrate against education reforms

BBC Mobile, 22 December 2010

Protests in Rome remained orderly, though students clashed with police in Palermo, roads were blocked in Turin, and rubbish set on fire in Naples.

Police prevented a repetition of last week's violent clashes in Rome by blocking off parts of the city centre.

The government says university education has become bloated and inefficient, and needs streamlining.

But critics say Italian universities are already severely under-funded.

On the march

In Rome, students in the thousands marched peacefully through the streets.

"We are in the square to protest against [Education] Minister Gelmini and to show that after the 14th of December we are not divided, we are not violent, we are simply here to demonstrate and to validate our ideas," a student called Franco told Reuters TV.

The demonstrators avoided a so-called "Red Zone" created by police blockades to avoid a repeat of last week's violent protests sparked by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi survival of a no-confidence motion.

But clashes were reported in Palermo, Sicily, where some students allegedly threw stones at police and tried to enter a local government building.

In the northern city of Turin, protesters attacked a publishing house owned by the prime minister, while in Naples students reportedly brought traffic to a standstill. Demonstrations also took place in other cities across Italy, including Milan, Venice, and Perugia.

Reforming the system

The reforms will cut the number of university courses, merge some smaller universities, reduce funding for grants, increase the role of the private sector and limit the duration of rectorships.

The BBC's David Willey, in Rome, says there is excessive power in the hands of ageing professors and teachers.

But while many agree that reforms of the education sector might be needed, there has been criticism of the swingeing cuts, thought to total around 9bn euros (£8bn, $12bn).

Italy spends less than 5% of its Gross Domestic Product on education - lower than many developed countries.

But the cuts are part of wider austerity measures that the government is introducing in order to reduce its public debt.

Job losses

Students have held a number of demonstrations in recent months over the cuts, which some estimate will lead to the loss of about 130,000 jobs in the education sector.

"We are asking for this bill to be blocked and for the whole public education system to be refinanced," the Student Network said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said she was open to talks on the reforms. But she has insisted the measures were urgently needed to equip Italian students for employment.

"It is essential to restore dignity and usability to Italian university degrees," she said in an open letter to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Our correspondent says there is heavy youth unemployment in Italy and many university graduates take years to find jobs.

Taking Napoli seriously in Serie A

Michael Cox, Special to ESPN.com 22 December 2010

Now, as we head into the winter break, Napoli is tied for second in Serie A, just three points behind league leader AC Milan.

Taking into account the Calciopoli (match-fixing) scandal of the past decade, which saw Juventus stripped of two Scudetti, we haven't seen a club other than Inter win Serie A since 2004. Such dominance has not necessarily created boring seasons, but it's fair to say that Italian football would benefit from a different champion this season.

In the summer, the usual suspects were expected to compete for the title -- Milan and Juventus had new coaches, while Roma enjoyed a superb second half of last season. But it's safe to say that few had Napoli on the top of their list to mount a serious title challenge. The Blues had a decent 2009-10 season. After an awful start under former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni, they replaced him with Walter Mazzarri, who guided the club to a respectable sixth-place finish.

Of course, Napoli is not a small club. Naples is the third-largest city in Italy and is football-crazy. In fact, the Blues are estimated to be the fourth-most supported club in the country after the traditional northern powerhouses of Juventus, Inter and Milan. This season, Napoli's average attendance is the third-highest in Serie A behind the Milan clubs.

Napoli is also no stranger to success. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it frequently challenged at the top of the league, winning two league titles and a UEFA Cup primarily thanks to the brilliance of Diego Maradona, who played for the club from 1984 to 1991.

That's 20 years ago, of course, and Napoli's summer-transfer business didn't suggest it was about to take a leap forward this season. The only major change was up front -- the Blues lost Neapolitan Fabio Quagliarella to Juventus and replaced him with Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani.

But not making any big moves in the transfer window has fostered stability, which has turned out to be one of Napoli's biggest strengths. With the exception of Cavani, the team's regular first XI were playing alongside one another for the majority of last season. The understanding and positional discipline they've developed is clear to see, and it's been vital in allowing Napoli to use a 3-4-2-1 system, an unusual formation among top European clubs. (Barcelona also uses the three-man back line from time to time.)

The three-man defense is interesting in itself, considering it fell out of favor across Europe in the middle of the past decade. The problem was the popularity of one-striker formations, meaning the side with a three-man defense was overstocked at the back, and created a shortfall elsewhere on the pitch.

Mazzarri has been wise -- or fortunate, depending on your point of view -- in deploying his three-man wall at a time when two-striker systems have returned to favor across Italy, particularly with the sudden re-emergence of 4-3-1-2. Against two strikers, the three-man back line works brilliantly; Napoli have two man-markers and a spare player ready to sweep up behind. Ahead of the defense, the Blues combine two solid, reliable central midfielders in Walter Gargano and Michele Pazienza with two energetic wingbacks who get up and down the line tirelessly, Christian Maggio on the right and Andrea Dossena on the left.

Fluidity is the key for Napoli up front. Cavani and Marek Hamsik play behind the main striker, Ezequiel Lavezzi, in the channels between opposition center backs and fullbacks. This forces the fullbacks to come inside and therefore opens up space on the flanks for Maggio and Dossena to get forward and whip crosses in.

That seems like an attacking style of play, but once Hamsik and Cavani (or Lavezzi) drop back to defend the wide zones when Napoli loses the ball, the wingbacks can retreat into defense, and suddenly Napoli looks like an ultradefensive 5-4-1 shape.

Mazzarri has the right philosophy tactically. He maintains his basic formation from week to week to give his side structure and stability but varies small details to make sure Napoli isn't outnumbered in certain areas. Against Fiorentina on opening day, his team was up against a lone striker in Alberto Gilardino. Mazzarri didn't need three center backs permanently, so he pushed Hugo Campagnaro forward to make up the numbers in midfield. Against Palermo, Napoli was faced with a three-man defense, so Mazzarri instructed his forwards to take turns moving out wide, constantly stretching the opposition defense. Against Genoa, opposition attacking midfielder Houssine Kharja was playing almost as a third striker, so Mazzarri split his central midfielders -- moving Pazienza deeper so Napoli still had a spare man at the back -- and used Gargano further forward.

Mazzarri has put on a master class of X's and O's. But tactics isn't the only thing that's helped Napoli. The players are also mentally tough and physically fit. Three times in the past seven games, they've won 1-0 thanks to a goal in the 90th minute, most recently a superb 27-yard strike against Lecce from Cavani, who is proving to be one of the best signings of the season.

As we head into the second half of the season, Napoli deserves to be taken seriously. Although the side is in second place, most bookmakers still regard it as fifth-favorite to be crowned champion. For the sake of variety -- both tactically and in terms of the recent list of Serie A champions -- let's hope Napoli beats the odds.

FSHSGRAM 25NOV10

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Tutti Gatti Selvatici!

I do hope all is well. I tried to send this out last Thursday, but the Gods of AOL email lists got in the way. So…a little late…

As most of us on my FSHS/NAHS distro list are military brats of one hue or another, and many also served in the Armed Forces in uniformed or civilian duty, I’d like to share with you a couple of emails that I received on the 24th, one from retired USCG Captain Bruce Stubbs and the other from the Quotation of the Day (QOTD) sent by FSHS Dad Dr. Ed Whitman (whose sons and daughter attended FSHS in 1979-81, I recall…). We have so much for which to be thankful…with our experiences in Bella Napoli and Italia certainly right up at the top of the list!

From Bruce:

Thanksgiving Day Greeting:

On December 18th 1777 General George Washington and his army, as instructed by the Continental Congress, deliberately stopped in bitter weather in the open fields on their way to Valley Forge to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.

As one Continental Army surgeon put it, "Mankind is never truly thankful for the benefits of life, until they have experienced the want of them." According to some historians, the Continental Army's Thanksgiving feast consisted of a half cup of rice and a tablespoon of vinegar.

With that remembrance along with the recognition that today our service men and women continue to serve nobly in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Djioubti, Bosnia and a host of other places, protecting our freedom and truly making the world more secure and better, I am grateful for their selfless duty and for the life my family and I live with all its blessings.

I wish you and all our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen Safe Journeys, a Happy Thanksgiving, and God's
Continued Blessing.

PS - For the Historians among us:

On 1 November 1777 Samuel Adams wrote the following in a Resolution before the Continental Congress:

"It is therefore recommended... to set Thursday the eighteenth of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor... "

The Samuel Adams resolution adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777 seems to have been the first Thanksgiving proclamation in the United States, but it was largely inspired by the American victory in the battle of Saratoga, rather than any remembrance of the Pilgrim fathers. President Washington decreed the first national Thanksgiving Day for 26 November 1789, and the custom was revived by President Lincoln during the Civil War. After some fiddling with the dates, Congress in 1941 finally settled on the fourth Thursday in November for our most distinctive national holiday.

And from Ed:

“Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.”

Estonian proverb

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,

From North and South, come the pilgrim and guest.

When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board,

The broken links of affection restored,

When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,

And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.

What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?

What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

("The Pumpkin")

Gratius animus est una virtus non solum maxima,

sed etiam mater virtutum omnium reliquaram.

(A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue,

but the mother of all other virtues.)

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

(Oratio pro Cnaeo Plancio, 23)

From too much love of living,

From hope and fear set free,

We thank with brief thanksgiving

Whatever gods may be.

That no life lives forever;

That dead men rise up never;

That even the weariest river

Winds somewhere safe to sea.

Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909)

(The Garden of Proserpine)

I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature, and the sun; go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you, and be happy.

Anne Frank (1929-1945)

(The Diary of Anne Frank)

Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for - annually, not oftener - if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months, instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man's side, consequently on the Lord's side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and to extend the usualannual compliments.

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

(Autobiography)

Turkey, n. A large bird whose flesh when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude.

Incidentally, it is pretty good eating.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?)

(The Devil's Dictionary)

In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)

(attributed)

My favorite table grace is frequently attributed to Scots poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) as the "Selkirk Grace," but it was likely already in use before he wrote it down:

"Some hae meat and canna eat,

and some wad eat that want it,

but we hae meat and we can eat,

and sae the Lord be thankit.")

And here is just about everybody's favorite Thanksgiving hymn, translated by Theodore Baker from the Nederlandtsch Gedencklanck. The familiar music is a 16th-century Dutch melody arranged by Edward Kremser (1838-1914):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0JVqR8KnF4

Tante grazie, Bruce…Ed!

FSHSWACD??

Last FSHSGRAM in October I attached in a single, “zipped” folder that had both the Word and Excel versions of the FSHS Wildcats Alumni Contacts Database. If you were not able to open the “zipped” folder, let me know. I’ll resend both separately or the one or the other version. The next FSHSWACD updates will distro in January 2011. FSHWACD Co-Conspirator Pat Carter Bryant (FSHS 68 / pat0804@gmail.com) and I will be standing by to update and add new Wildcats to the database.

SPEAKING OF JANUARY 2011:

Wildcats “Wring” in the Anno Nuovo 2011

A tradition in the DC/Baltimore region for about 10 years now, Wildcats will “wring” in the New Year on 8 January 2011, at Cucina Vivace, Arlington (Crystal City), Virginia, from 7PM to close. We had almost the entire ristorante to ourselves last January, and several of us have dined there other times: squisito! (See: www.cucinavivace.com.) If we get at least 30 people, Napoli-born Chef and Owner Gordon Vivace will let us have the place all to ourselves.

If you’re interested, please let me know soonest. I have to get the final count to Gordon by 3 January. He can work up a family-style dinner or we can order from the menu. I’ll be back with more info about costs, etc.

Italia from Space

Merrilee Fellows (FSHS 68 / merfellows@earthlink.net) sends this link for a spectacular view of Italy:

Astronauts have taken a spectacular nighttime picture of Italy from the Cupola observation deck of the International Space Station (ISS). See this link for accompanying text:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11776703

To see the image directly, go here:

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50021000/jpg/_50021496_iss025e009840,1.jpg=

That’s about it for today.

Be well…send info about FSHS/NAHS goings-on, and I’ll work it in the next FSHSGRAM. And, if you so desire, forward this FSHSGRAM to FSHS/NAHS Gatti Selvatici on your lists.

Napoli News below.

Saluti!

Scott T FSHS 68 / SCTruver@aol.com

Napoli News

Several Wildcats alerted me to these stories about Pompeii:

Most of Pompeii site at risk of collapse

10 Nov, 2010, 11.09AM IST,IANS

NAPLES: Almost three-quarters of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was "at risk" of collapse and 40 per cent of its buildings in need of highly urgent restoration work, a media report said.

Seven out of ten of Pompeii's ancient buildings were in danger of collapse and only thirty per cent were in good condition, while forty per cent were crumbling, according to a 2005 report cited Tuesday by Naples daily Il Mattino.

A volcanic eruption in 79 AD buried Pompeii under 6 metres of volcanic ash, preserving much of the city. The archaelogical site extends over 76 hectares.

The report surfaced after the collapse Saturday of one of the most archaeologically important houses in Pompeii, the 2,000-year-old House of the Gladiators during heavy rains.

The collapse of the celebrated structure shocked the world and prompted calls for Italian Culture Minister Sandro Bondi's resignation. Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Bondi was due to report Wednesday to the Italian parliament on the disaster. The building is thought to have been used by combatants to train or relax before entering the nearby amphitheatre.

Bondi has said he believes the damage was caused by faulty restoration in the 1950s and by the recent heavy rains.

The 2005 report on Pompeii, located near Naples in southern Italy, was commissioned by its former superintendent Pietro Giovanni Guzzo and carried out by a team of archaeologists and architects.

Pompeii is the largest archaeological site in the world. It received 2.2 million visitors in the first 10 months of 2010, according to Antonio Varone, director of excavations at the site.

Police have sealed off the area around the collapsed building and an investigation is underway. Archaeologists are assessing the current state of the site and police have been searching the Pompeii Archaelogical Superindendency offices for any relevant documents, according to Il Mattino.

It was not clear what action was taken to safeguard buildings at Pompeii after the 2005 report. In January this year, a wall surrounding the nearby House of the Chaste Lovers collapsed amid heavy rains.

Work was reportedly done on the roof of the 2,000-year-old House of the Gladiators in 2007. The structure was rebuilt in the 1950s after it was flattened in World War II bombing raids.

Critics say Pompeii and dozens of other ancient Italian sites risk damage or destruction because of mismanagement and a lack of maintenance, in part owing to culture funding cuts.

Italy's ancient wonders crumble from neglect: Pompeii collapse just the latest

By Frances D'Emilio (CP) – Nov 9, 2010

ROME — Italy is rich in ancient wonders, but the real wonder may be that so many are still standing given the poor care they get.

The collapse in Pompeii last week of a frescoed house where gladiators prepared for combat was the latest archaeological accident waiting to happen. The structure was a piece of storied past that had survived the furious explosion of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. — but apparently could not withstand modern-day neglect.

"We're stunned when some walls fall down. But these are ruins not systematically maintained, so the miracle is that so few of them collapse," said Andrea Carandini, a world-renowned archaeologist who leads a panel of professional consultants in the Cultural Ministry.

Last spring, a huge segment of the now underground complex of Nero's fabled Golden Palace in Rome gave way, raining down pieces of vaulted ceiling in one of the galleries beneath a garden popular with strollers. Three years ago, a 6-meter (20-foot) section of ancient wall named after the 3rd century Emperor Aurelius, who built it to defend Rome against the first onslaught of barbarians, crumpled into a pile of bricks after days of heavy rain.

A couple of months ago, three chunks of mortar broke off the Colosseum, hours before the symbol of the Eternal City opened its gates to tourists.

While the ancient Roman arena of gladiator battles and other spectacles has survived earthquakes, lightning strikes and pillaging, architects and engineers still fret about the architectural marvel, eroded by pollution, rattled by subway cars running nearby, and still suffering from centuries of poor drainage.

But topping experts' list of potential perils is the Palatine Hill. For years, archaeologists and structural engineers have been issuing alarms that the once palatial homes of Rome's ancient emperors risk collapse because of poor upkeep.

Fissures are apparent in brickwork, and rainwater seeps through stone, forcing the closure of much of the hill's expanse to tourists.

Pompeii's gladiator barracks along the doomed city's main street joined a list of other recent victims of neglect in the sprawling remains that were once buried under the volcanic ash of Vesuvius' wrath.

Among the more noted casualties was the collapse in January of the House of the Chaste Lovers, which was excavated in 1987, a relatively recent addition for the 3 million tourists who tread the Pompeii's stone paths each year.

"We are tired of commenting on the continuous collapses and damage to the archaeological heritage of our country," said Giorgia Leoni, president of the Italian Confederation of Archaeologists in a statement after the gladiators' place fell apart on Saturday.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Tuesday decried what he called "terrible negligence" as a chief reason for national embarrassments like the Pompeii collapse.

Carandini, interviewed on Italian radio, warned that should Pompeii be hard hit by an earthquake — "we wouldn't be able to do a (complete) restoration" because no relief map has ever been made of the site. The Naples area, which hosts the ruins, is one of Italy's most earthquake-prone.

Lovers of antiquities here have long bemoaned the chronic shortage of funding — relative crumbs in the national budget pie — for routine maintenance of treasures to shore up shaky structures and save them for posterity.

Italy's Cultural Ministry, whose duties include caring for and repairing ancient monuments and artworks, gets a mere 0.18 per cent of the national budget, compared to roughly 1 per cent for France, according to ministry officials. It's a startling contrast for a nation that boasts the world's highest number of ruins, churches, monasteries and other artistic and architectural treasures — helping to make tourism one of Italy's biggest industries.

Ironically, experts describe Italy as being "in the avant-garde for programs of prevention, for pinpointing" potential peril with the help of architects and engineers, and drawing up a "kind of map of risk."

Giorgio Croci, one of Italy's best-known engineers for structural problems, said the nation's know-how is so in demand that Turkey has commissioned him to study Istanbul's monuments for potential perils.

"But one of the woes of this country is a bureaucracy that's paralyzing," he said. "In some cases, plans just languish in the drawers of officials or bureaucrats."

Greece, with its legacy of ancient marvels, seems to do a better job at keeping its treasures intact.

On the whole, Greek sites have benefited from a generously-funded restoration and conservation program over the past decades. Although Greece is staggering through a severe economic crisis, work has continued on the Acropolis, whose marble temples and monumental gates have been painstakingly taken to pieces, sorted out and stuck together.

That work started after experts realized, in the 1970s, that quick action was needed because of worsening pollution and damage from past restorations.

In Italy, private sponsors, ranging from utility companies to mattress manufacturers, fill some of the gap. But they pick and choose, often "adopting" only the most high-profile projects, seldom unheralded but crucial work such as removing wildflower roots from cracks in millennia old stonework.

Croci said the Pompeii collapse might have been avoided if simple, affordable measures had been taken preventatively — such as injecting material to encourage cohesion in the stone or simply covering the structure with some kind of shelter.

"A lot of the interventions are not that costly," said Croci, who has mapped out weak spots in the Colosseum and Palatine Hill ruins.

The structure was repaired in 1947 after damage from World War II bombing, and the use of reinforced concrete in that restoration was cited by some as a possible cause for the collapse.

Inspecting the wreckage on Tuesday, Pompeii's recently appointed superintendent, Jeannette Papadopoulos, said reinforced concrete was "slowly" being removed from some of the earlier restorations but that "unfortunately" restorers hadn't gotten around to tackling the gladiators' building.

Croci, who hasn't inspected the collapsed house, disagreed, citing infiltration of rainwater rather than concrete as the more likely culprit.

During a walkabout through the ruins two days after the collapse, a noted Pompeii expert pointed to rivers of rain runoff — as a state TV camera rolled — pouring through the sprawling site because weeds were clogging gutters and sewers.

"All you need is a team of artisans, carpenters and such to call when you see a simple problem," said Fabrizio Pesando, a professor at Naples University of Oriental Studies.

Berlusconi blasted after Pompeii house collapses

08/11/10, 12:14 pm

CALLS FOR AN Italian UNESCO world heritage site to be privatised have intensified following the collapse of a 2,000 year-old building in the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii.

The House of the Gladiators, which had stood for millennia at the site near modern-day Naples, collapsed before dawn on Saturday.

Italy’s opposition parties have accused Silvio Berlusconi’s government of neglect and mismanagement, and have called for the site to be privatised and removed from state control, The Guardian reports.

The building was once was used as a club house for Roman gladiators, which they would use as place for training and relaxing before going to battle in a nearby amphitheatre. It would appear that the combination of heavy rain, a recent roof restoration and a chronic lack of routine maintenance are to blame for the building’s collapse.

Today, approximately 2.5 million tourists visit Pompeii every year. Visitors were not usually allowed to walk inside the House of the Gladiators, however they were permitted to view the facade. The walls of the building were decorated with frescoes of military themes – which the Culture minister Sandro Bondi said could be saved after he visited the site on Sunday.

However, Democratic Party (PD) deputy Luisa Bossa is quoted in the Irish Times as saying:

“I’ve been sounding the alarm about Pompeii for months. This very serious collapse is proof that the government and Minister Bondi have underestimated the problem… At the site this summer, there were bulldozers, diggers, cement mixers and pneumatic drills. Not even the slightest regulations for the stability of the archaeological site were respected.  

Experts and residents have complained for many years about the maintenance of the heritage sites around the area, and two years ago the Italian government declared a state of emergency for Pompeii. However, this lasted for just one year and the government, again, drew sharp criticism for their management of the funds collected.”

Professor Christopher Smith, the director of the British School in Rome told the London Telegraph:

“Archeological sites are always at risk when they are open to the elements but the problems at Pompeii have been going back for decades and our experience is that you need a good plan for maintenance and administration.  

Unless there is a proper plan put into action I’m very sad to say that we will see this sort of thing happen again – buildings that are at risk must be secured or they will collapse.”

The city of Pompeii was destroyed in AD79 when a huge eruption from nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius buried the entire area – and everyone in it – in heavy volcanic ash. The near-perfectly preserved city was uncovered in the 18th Century.

To this day an incredible 40 per cent of the city is closed or yet to be examined.

Italy PM replaces penis on statue, angers experts

ROME 19 Nov 10 – Italy's culture ministry on Friday defended Premier Silvio Berlusconi for giving ancient marble statues in his office replacement body parts, to the horror of art restorers.

The ministry, which is led by a close ally of the premier, said in a statement there's no cause for alarm: The hand added to Venus and the penis added to Mars are attached by magnets and can be removed without damage.

For decades, restorers have widely agreed that missing parts of ancient statues should not be recreated.

Rome daily La Repubblica quoted Vatican Museums director Antonio Paolucci, one of Italy's top restoration experts, as saying "it's a pity" restorers didn't say no to Berlusconi's request to add parts to the 2nd century statues in Chigi Palace, the premier's office.

But Berlusconi's personal architect insisted in an interview with Associated Press Television News that the restoration was justified.

Mario Catalano said the restoration of the missing parts was based of scans of "other works with similar poses and with the agreement of the ministry's restorers."

He said the statues were among many ancient treasures relegated to the storerooms of Rome's museums because there just isn't enough space to display everything.

The sculptured pair "would have never seen the light of day" had Berlusconi not decided to have them taken from the storerooms and put in the palace courtyard, Catalano said.

Chigi Palace is also the official residence of Italian premiers, although most of them, including Berlusconi, decide to live elsewhere in the capital while in power. The building, begun in the 1500s and named after Pope Alexander VII of the Chigi family, is used for the premier's official business.

Benevento Missal returns home

Sixty-five years after the end of the second world war, the precious manuscript is the first item of Nazi-era loot to be returned by a UK national museum

By Martin Bailey

BENEVENTO, ITALY. Laureato Maio, the 84-year-old cathedral librarian, lifted the early 12th-century missal from its box, and brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes and kissed the bound codex for a full minute, deep in thought. On 11 November, 65 years after the end of the World War II, the precious manuscript from Benevento (near Naples) became the first item of Nazi-era loot to be returned by a UK national museum, in this case the British Library.

Maio is the 49th librarian at Benevento Cathedral since records began, in the year 998. He remembers the chapter library in the late 1930s, in his early teens, and as a young seminary student he witnessed the terrible destruction wrought on his city by allied bombing in 1943. The cathedral was almost totally destroyed, but its manuscripts were saved. However, soon afterwards one of the early codices disappeared: a missal written in Benevento’s unique script soon after 1100.

In 1944 the missal was bought from a book dealer in Naples by a British army officer, who sold it three years later at Sotheby’s, where it was acquired by the British Library (see related article). Following a ten-year legal claim, the manuscript was finally restituted. On 9 November it was formally handed over to Jeremy Scott, the UK lawyer from Withers who was acting for the cathedral chapter. Working pro bono, he had assembled the evidence and successfully argued the case. Scott also acted as a courier, flying to Naples with the extremely valuable manuscript as hand luggage.

The handover ceremony took place two days later at an international academic symposium on medieval Latin literature. The venue was the city’s Teatro Comunale, which had remained a bombed ruin until 1997, when it was eventually reconstructed. In Benevento, the war still seems ever-present. By coincidence Scott was speaking when the clock struck 11am, on the 11th day of the 11th month—the moment when Britons and Americans remember their war dead.

Talking to The Art Newspaper just after the restitution, the archbishop said that the return of the missal was like “a son coming back to join his family”. With real emotion, he thanked the British Library for having looked after the manuscript so carefully since 1947.

Following the meeting, I walked to the chapter library, arriving just at the same moment as Mario Iadanza, head of the cathedral’s culture office. He was clutching the heavy carrying case provided by the British Library for the missal and he was struggling to find his keys.

Iadanza obviously did not want to put the case on the damp paving stones, so I instinctively offered to help, reaching out to take the case. Iadanza unlocked the door. And so it was that I carried the missal over the threshold into the library for the last few yards of its 1,000-mile journey from London.

Ten years ago, when I visited Benevento to research the loss of the missal, Maio told me that he had given up all hope of ever seeing it again. There had been a legal claim against the British Library in 1978, five years before he took over as librarian, which had been rejected. On my 2000 visit, I explained that the British government had recently introduced a new policy on artworks spoliated during the Nazi era and a panel had been set up to deal with claims.

Maio expressed disbelief that there had been any real change, but the then archbishop, Serafino Sprovieri, persevered and submitted a claim to the UK’s Spoliation Advisory Panel through Scott. When the recommendation eventually went in Benevento’s favour, Sprovieri told us that “England is great in the esteem to which it upholds the law, contrary to the popular proverb ‘Perfidious Albion’…”, a favourite expression of Mussolini.

Last month, after lovingly greeting the bound volume, Maio opened it, showing me a few of the most beautiful illuminated initials. He then found some Beneventan musical notation, which is among the earliest in Europe (along with those for Gregorian chants). Maio quietly began to chant from the missal.

When the manuscript was eventually being put away, I asked whether its former inventory number 29 would be inscribed on the spine of the rebound manuscript, to match the style of the other forty early codices in the cathedral’s collection. “Definitely,” Iadanza said, immediately adding “and also 3511”—which was the British Library’s inventory number. This was the cathedral’s gracious way of acknowledging that although legal ownership of the manuscript has returned to Benevento, it had spent 63 of its 900-year-old history in London, where it was well cared for.

'Tears of Christ' at risk due to Naples rubbish dump

The crisis over toxic rubbish dumps near Naples is endangering some of southern Italy's most celebrated agricultural products, including a renowned wine known as Lacryma Christi, or Tears of Christ.

By Nick Squires in Rome

Farmers and environmentalists fear that pollution from a controversial rubbish dump on the slopes of Mt Vesuvius is polluting the region's soil and groundwater supplies.

One of Italy's most famous wines, Lacryma Christi has been referenced by the English poet Christopher Marlowe and by Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo.

The wine, said to be made from the tears of Christ which turned into grape vines, is grown in the rich volcanic soil on the slopes of the volcano, close to two rubbish dumps which have sparked riots between angry locals and police in the past few weeks.

Neapolitans fear that the dumps are putting at risk the region's highly prized apricots, cherry tomatoes and other fruit and vegetables, as well as discouraging tourists from visiting the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii.

"We have plum cherry tomatoes, over 50 types of apricots and world-renowned wines like Lacryma Christi," said Ugo Leone, the head of the Vesuvius National Park.

"It's obvious that toxins in the water and air where these products are grown will have a negative effect and products will severely suffer."

Hundreds of locals have protested over an existing dump as well as plans to open a second facility that would be Europe's largest tip.

Both are located within the national park, although the government announced last week that the new tip had been put on hold.

Naples has been plagued for years by problems of waste disposal, with the local Camorra mafia accused of making money out of illegally dumping highly toxic waste.

Andrea Bocelli's Naples

The Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, talks about his enduring affection for Naples in southern Italy.

Interview by York Membery 11:24AM GMT 15 Nov 2010

WHY NAPLES?

It’s a great historic city, with a stunning location on the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the background. And the Neapolitans are a unique people – they have an original creative solution to everything. Plus it’s a city of music. One of my favourite singers, the tenor Enrico Caruso, came from the city.

WHAT’S THE FIRST THING TO DO?

Have a pizza and then a coffee – because the coffee in Naples is, quite simply, the best in the world. The quality of a coffee depends very much on the water and I guarantee you won’t get a better cup anywhere.

WHERE DO YOU STAY?

The city has lots of good hotels but my advice would be to find one with a view, by the sea. I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly single out one or I would almost certainly upset some of my Neapolitan friends.

WHERE WOULD YOU MEET FRIENDS FOR A DRINK?

When I visit, I like to have a coffee at a historic coffee-bar, the Caffè del Professore (0039 081 403041). It’s right in the centre, not far from the Teatro di San Carlo, the city’s celebrated opera house.

WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE FOR LUNCH?

One of my favourite places is Ciro a Mergellina (081 667046). It’s famous for its pizzas, which are absolutely delicious – perhaps the best in the city.

AND FOR DINNER?

I’ve never had a bad meal in Naples but I like to try different restaurants, so I usually ask the hotel concierge to recommend a place. If you do that, you can’t go wrong.

WHERE WOULD YOU SEND A FIRST-TIME VISITOR?

They should undoubtedly go to the Piazza Plebiscito, the largest square in the city, which is named after the vote taken in 1860 that brought Naples into the unified Kingdom of Italy. I’d also recommend going for a walk by the sea.

WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?

Well, there are some parts of the city where it’s not advisable to go, but if you stick to the city centre and the main tourist areas you should be fine. Just be sensible and don’t take risks.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING HOME?

The city is well-known for its mandolins, so if you’re a music-lover, or know one, that’s what I’d go for. I’ve actually got a mandolin I bought there at home.

Italy asked to pay up for Elton John concert

By Samyuktha Krishnappa | November 21, 2010 3:18 AM EST

Italy has learned a valuable lesson - rocking with Elton John costs a fortune. An all-out controversy broke out over the veteran British musician's concert at Naples after the European Union (EU) learnt that Italy drew money from the European Regional Development Fund to pay for the September 2009 show.

The EU union on Friday sent off a letter to the Italian Finance Ministry as well as and authorities in the Campania region stating that it will have to repay 720,000 euros ($981,000), part of a 2.25 million euros ($3,070,349.87) grant to Italy's Campania region to promote regional development, which was used to organize the concert.

The EU asserts that the money was intended at funding "structural long-term investments" aimed at promoting Campania, and not for a "one-off rock concert". Ton Van Lierop, an EU spokesman, has revealed that European Commission is "taking this matter really seriously".

The organizers, on the other hand, claim that the concert at Piazza Plebiscitto, which was part of the Piedigrotta Festival, was aimed at promoting the Naples area.

Campania, a region in southern Italy and home to Naples, is under the grips of a powerful Italian crime syndicate, the Camorra, which is known for extorting money from local governments and businesses.

Controversy outbreak

The row over Elton John's concert and the alleged misuse of 2007 EU grant broke out when Mario Borghezio, a member of the European Parliament from Italy's Northern League party, dubbed the use of EU subsidies to fund the Naples concert as "shameful and criminal."

Borghezio also filed a complaint with the European Parliament, in turn leading to an investigation by the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm.

The conflict point

While cultural projects are, in fact, considered as one of the legitimate ways to use developmental funds, the conflict arises from the fact that the EU argues that a rock show does not qualify as a "structural long-term investment".

In Ton van Lierop's words, "Cultural events, culture in general, can fall under the scope of operational programmes, but they have to be aimed at structural long-term investments."

Italy's counter argument

Ever since the row broke out, Italy has maintained that the concert was not only aimed at promoting the region's culture, but was also a "marketing operation".

Dario Scalabrini, the ex-head of region's tourism office, had justified the concert saying it promoted Neapolitan culture.

"Elton John sang the Neapolitan song O Sole Mio for the first time ever. The audience was crying with emotion," he said.

Dario Scalabrini, a former Campania official who organized the festival, justified that the concert as a "huge marketing operation for the city of Naples."

Reports: Mudslides spawned by heavy rains kill 3 in Italy; train derails and rivers overflow

By The Associated Press (CP)

ROME — News reports say mudslides spawned by heavy rains in Tuscany and elsewhere in northern Italy have killed three people. Several others were injured after their train derailed from mud-flooded tracks.

Civil protection crews issued alerts Monday for several northern rivers that they may breach if the rains continue and officials urged people to refrain from driving for fear of getting trapped in flooded underpasses.

The ANSA news agency says schools were cancelled for Tuesday in Vincenza, one of the hardest hit areas. Ferry service was cancelled to many of Italy's outlying islands off Naples and Sicily because of high winds.

RAI state radio said a mother and son were pulled from their mudslide-ravaged home early Monday; another man was found later.

Nato/ La Russa: Italia intende mantenere il comando di Napoli

Ma ogni decisione è stata rinviata al 2011

Roma, 17 nov. (Apcom) - La struttura della Nato verrà "ridotta e semplificata" attraverso una revisione dei comandi alleati sul territorio dei Paesi membri: l'Italia ambisce a mantenere l'attuale Comando interforze che ha sede a Napoli. Lo ha detto il ministro della Difesa Ignazio La Russa alle Commissioni riunite Affari esteri e Difesa di Camera e Senato sul Vertice Nato di Lisbona del 19 e 20 novembre 2010.

La Russa ha spiegato che la revisione della presenza dei comandi "potrebbe interessare l'Italia", nonostante "l'esatta collocazione geografica dei Comandi della Nato che resteranno in vita sarà rinviata al 2011". E' però "interesse dell'Italia mantenere l'attuale Comando interforze di Napoli", ha commentato.

Berlusconi government loses fifth minister in a week – former Miss Italy contestant

Silvio Berlusconi's faltering government is to lose another minister – a former Miss Italy contestant, men's magazine model and protégé of the prime minister.

By Nick Squires in Rome

Mara Carfagna, 34, was a television showgirl and model when she was spotted by Mr Berlusconi and propelled into politics despite her lack of experience.

He appointed her minister for equal opportunities when he was re-elected in 2008 and she has always been a favourite of the 74-year-old media mogul, making the announcement of her resignation all the more pointed at a time when Mr Berlusconi's hold on power appears to be shakier by the day.

Miss Carfagna, once named by a German newspaper as "the world's most beautiful minister", will step down on Dec 15 – a day after the ailing centre-Right coalition faces a crucial no-confidence vote in parliament.

She will cast a vote for the government before quitting not only her ministerial post, but also parliament and membership of Mr Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party.

"I am going to resign as a member of parliament... and I will of course be resigning as a minister as it appears that my contribution no longer carries any influence," she said.

The glamorous former starlet appears to have fallen out with Mr Berlusconi over the government's lacklustre response to a crisis over thousands of tonnes of uncollected rubbish in Naples, in her home region of Campania.

She is reported to have clashed with one of the prime minister's key allies and to have disagreed over how to tackle the problem, which has left streets in Naples choked with piles of rotting refuse and provoked weeks of clashes between angry locals and riot police.

Miss Carfagna is the fifth member of the government to leave in just over a week, after four ministers loyal to Gianfranco Fini, Mr Berlusconi's main challenger, withdrew from the coalition.

She drew the ire of Berlusconi loyalists by appearing to flirt with the idea of joining Mr Fini's newly-formed Future and Liberty party.

Mr Berlusconi shrugged off her departure, however and claimed that he still has the support to win the confidence vote in both the lower and upper houses of parliament next month.

Under the Italian constitution, he would be compelled to resign if he loses the vote in either the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate.

He claimed that opinion polls commissioned by his party showed that his personal approval rating among voters was 56 per cent.

Recent independent surveys, however, put the figure at less than 35 per cent.

On Saturday a protest by around 13,000 people was held in the earthquake-hit city of L'Aquila in central Italy to protest against the slow pace of reconstruction.

Much of the city's medieval centre is still off limits, more than 18 months after the April 2009 quake, with around 30,000 inhabitants unable to return to their homes and living in hotels, army barracks or other temporary accommodation.

Alleged Camorra mobster arrested in Italy

Nov 17, 2010, 16:30 GMT

Naples, Italy - Police in Italy on Wednesday arrested Antonio Iovine, allegedly one of the most powerful bosses of the Neapolitan version of the mafia, the Camorra.

The 46-year-old Iovine was apprehended in a house in the Naples suburb of Casal di Principe, believed to be the home turf of his Casalesi crime family, news reports said.

Iovine who at the time of his arrest was reportedly not armed and did not offer any resistance, had been on the run since 1996. His name appeared on the list of Italy's 30 most-wanted fugitives.

In 2008 he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in a trial against over 30 members of the Casalesi - including the clan's other powerful fugitive boss, Michele Zagaria - charged with a string of murders and other crimes.

'Today is a very beautiful day in the fight against the mafia,' Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said, commenting on Iovine's arrest.

Justice Minister Angelino Alfano, for his part said he was ready 'to sign immediately' an order placing Iovine under strict detainment conditions - including solitary confinement - applied to those regarded by the Italian state as the most dangerous mafiosi.

Italy: Northern regions reject request to take Naples trash

Rome, 25 Nov. (AKI) - The northern Piedmont and Veneto regions have stated they will not accept any of the thousands of tonnes of uncollected garbage that have piled up on Naples' streets. The Sardinia island region also raised 'technical' objections to the Italian government's request.

The governors of Italy's various regions on Thursday in Rome held a meeting with regional affairs minister Raffaele Fitto. They were expected to ask the government to order all regions to accept some of the 8,000-9,000 tonnes of rotting garbage piled up on the streets of Naples and surrounding areas.

Nichi Vendola - the centre-left governor of the southern Puglia region tipped as a future leader of Italy's main opposition Democratic Party - said Piedmont and Veneto's refusal to accept trash from Campania was dishonest.

"This is ideological. They are trying to give the specious impression that the Naples refuse crisis exemplifies the ills of southern Italy, when the truth is far more complex," Vendola said.

"Northern industrial firms have long found it cost-effective and convenient to send their waste for disposal in the south, whose subsoil is now saturated with garbage," he added.

Both the Piedmont and the Veneto region's governors are members of the conservative Northern League party, one of whose main platforms is fiscal federalism.

Piedmont's governor Roberto Cota on Thursday reiterated his refusal to dispose of any of the Naples area's rubbish, claiming politicians in the surrounding Campania region must "take responsibility for the problem once and for all."

Cota also said that trash from the Naples area was "unsuitable" for Piedmont's particular system of separated waste collection. A new incinerator in Gerbido was not ready, and Piedmonte was struggling to handle its own waste, he claimed.

Measures introduced by the Italian government, such as opening new dumps in Campania have failed to tackle the root causes of the region's chronic garbage problem. These include corruption, mafia infiltration of the lucrative waste disposal business and a lack of efficient and environmentally sound sorting practices, according to critics.

EU officials visiting Naples on Monday said the current crisis was "as bad" as that which made world headlines in 2008, when thousands of tonnes of uncollected garbage piled up for months on the city's streets.

Napoli Striker Edinson Cavani: I Can Still Improve

Date: 19-Nov-2010 

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani believes that despite his sensational start to life in Naples he can still improve.

The Uruguay international striker has scored eight goals in nine Serie A starts for the Azzurri and appears to be perfectly settled at his new club whom he joined in the summer. But Cavani insists that there is still room for improvement in his game.

“Playing in South Africa with Uruguay was the best thing that could have happened to me,’ explained Cavani, according to Sky Sports. “But thanks to God, things are also going well in Italy.

“I am keeping my feet firmly on the ground. I know very well that in football there are favourable moments and some that are less so.”

The 23-year-old continued: “Now the goals come naturally to me. There is a period when you manage to do everything simply and others in which it becomes complicated.

“I am trying to exploit it fully. I can't slow down. 2010 is going really very well. But who's to say that the next year won't be even better?”

Teatro: 'Incendi' e 'La fame', due creazioni scenice al Nuovo di Napoli

ultimo aggiornamento: 23 novembre, ore 12:53

Napoli, 23 nov. - (Adnnkronos) - Ritornano in scena, da dopodomani sera, al Nuovo Teatro Nuovo di Napoli, le due creazioni sceniche della regista bolognese Agnese Cornelio: Incendi, spettacolo corale che coinvolge l'intera compagnia stabile e La Fame, assolo di Valentina Vacca. Le due messe in scena, che fanno parte del progetto Fondamentalismo a cura del direttore artistico Antonio Latella, rappresentano il debutto italiano alla regia per la poliedrica Agnese Cornelio, ormai da tempo via dall'Italia e impegnata in diverse produzioni in tutta Europa. Entrambi gli spettacoli, prodotti dal Nuovo Teatro Nuovo di Napoli, si avvalgono della co-produzione del Napoli Teatro Festival Italia e della Fondazione Campania dei Festival, che sostengono l'attivita' della compagnia stabile nel biennio 2010-2012.

Incendi di Wajdi Mouawad, nell'adattamento di Federico Bellini, e' la seconda tappa di una trilogia (Forests e Littoral sono gli altri episodi) che Mouawad dedica ai temi della memoria, dell'esilio, della guerra. La memoria e' quella offesa del Libano diviso dalla guerra civile tra profughi e miliziani; gli incendi sono le bruciature, le ustioni dell'anima che i protagonisti del suo dramma riportano durante il percorso di conoscenza di se stessi. Incendi ci porta in un altrove, lontano nel tempo e diverso. I fratelli gemelli Jeanne e Simon, s'immergono nel passato di Nawal, la loro madre, a ricomporre i frammenti della memoria: amore, violenza, guerra, morte sullo stesso viso.