http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/This blog is about my plan to live in Italy for a year or so from Spring 2008 and my endeavour to find something to do, a place to live and to organise everything else. en-EUMokoFeed10http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/54/d8486a04cd979cdba4f3b2f7ebf9cb_160x200.jpghttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/25/leeds-and-who-needs-maps-anyway-7040922/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-09-25:/2009/09/25/leeds-and-who-needs-maps-anyway-7040922/Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:47:35 +0200 <p>Well, of course, some things are better shared than done alone, and exploring a city together with a nearest and dearest must be one of the most exhilarating things one can do together (well, after exploring each other, of course).</p> <p>But one of the main little naggings of discovering a unknown location (and I refer to city centres here) with a female is that they want to know where they are going. </p> <p>Tze, and where is the sense of exploring of the unknown in that? </p> <p>So, some things if a man wants to do what a man has to do are best done if the man does so on his own – apart from that there was no nearest and dearest on offer to do otherwise anyway. </p> <p>So, true to whole generations of (stubborn/male) discoverers I left the hotel, walked straight for awhile, before I turned right and then just followed the next big road. Walking along I quickly noticed that Leeds is a mixture of at city centre that had an amicable amount of old buildings (certainly more than Birmingham can muster in the city centre), followed by large areas of redevelopment – at which I decided to turn back.</p> <p>Well, not immediately, I sort of turned right and walked along a bit before I turned right again. By my excellent navigation skills I reckoned that by now I should be heading back to the hotel again. During my stroll I passed yet more nice buildings of various descriptions, including one that looked like a town hall (eg big, with lots of column and a big cupola on top – ok, it could have been a dome as well, I guess).</p> <p>Trotting along, two things happened, a) I got increasingly hungry, and b) the area looked less and less likely that it would be in the vicinity of the hotel.</p> <p>Back in the scenario of walking with your nearest and dearest this would be the time where she would start asking:</p> <p>Why don’t you ask someone? - Because I am a man, doh.</p> <p>So, ignoring the rumble in my stomach, the fact that it had gotten dark and that the people looked increasingly scruffy and rough, I peeked around corners, glanced up and down streets to see if I could see something looking vaguely familiar.</p> <p>Not really.</p> <p>Eventually I found a tourist board that had a map of the city centre and discreetly peeked at it while lightening a cigarette to see if I could get a sense where I was. I have to say I was quite chuffed when I saw that I was actually quite close to the hotel – basically less than 100 metres. </p> <p>Approaching the hotel I realised that I had actually walked a big circle, as I came up to the hotel from the opposite direction than I had left some two hours earlier.</p> <p>And when I was back in the room looking at the map the hotel had of course provided as part of their service I found out that I had managed to see almost all of the major sites in the city centre, the City Square, the Town hall, Millennium Square, Leeds Bridge, the City Markets, the Corn Exchange, the river, the Brewery Wharf.</p> <p>Of course, if I had been in female company, I would have proclaimed an indefatigable sense of orientation rather than pure chance to have passed all the tourist attractions as I did.</p> <p>But having done so, I have to say that Leeds seems to be a really nice city.</p> <p><img src="http://nickgilmartin.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/leeds.jpg" alt="Leeds at night" title="Leeds at night"></p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/25/leeds-and-who-needs-maps-anyway-7040922/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>leeds-maps-and-womenhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/25/leeds-and-who-needs-maps-anyway-7040922/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/07/i-departed-to-summer-and-returned-to-autumn-6911270/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-09-07:/2009/09/07/i-departed-to-summer-and-returned-to-autumn-6911270/Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:26:38 +0200 <p>It is said that the English are obsessed by the weather and that talking about it is their favourite topic.</p> <p>Well, if that is so, I have been in England too long, as I seem to follow that same path (as friends on Facebook could vouch, as the first question I asked them when they returned home was about the weather).</p> <p>Most seem to assume that the fondness of weather topics for the English is rooted in their somewhat awkward relationship with each other and to people they don’t know, eg that it is a result of their emotional repression. In order to overcome their reservedness towards other people in general, English choose a topic that will reveal very little.</p> <p>The weather topic then is this unthreatening, unrevealing, uncontroversial topic all can agree on to say as little as possible about themselves and keep any personal relationship to a minimum.</p> <p>Or... </p> <p>Maybe the obsession with the weather is the result that the English as one of a few people have fully understood what influence the weather has on our mood. Most people will agree that if the sun shines, ones feels happier and more upbeat than then we are surrounded by fog, cold and rain.</p> <p>This coupled with the fact that the weather is fairly changeable over here may explain the preoccupation with weather topics. Of course abroad, where weather patterns are more stable, it would not make sense to talk about the weather, and through that asking about your inner equilibrium, as it (the weather and the equilibrium) was the same as yesterday, and the day before and the day before that...</p> <p>So rather than being aloof, talking about the weather is a good start to actually really enquire of the emotional state of the conversational partner. </p> <p>So, how was my holiday, again as in previous years spend in Zeithain, doing an international volunteer workcamp ?</p> <p>Well, as hinted in the headline, I departed from a fairly average situation here in England into summer, with brilliant sunshine and hot temperatures (only once or twice being interrupted by rain and cooler temperatures). And with this metaphor all should have been said.</p> <p>As in previous years, the work was ever so slightly boring, as we were still digging for the camp road in the former Prisoner of War camp come nature reserve, and I have difficulties understanding the relevance of making ever more excavations on a road that we know is there. After all, knowing that the road must be going along the axis we can identify on old aerial photographs and the excavations we made previous years, not finding the road surface ( eg stones that were used to make the road) does not actually mean that the road was not there, juts that the stones for one reason or another are not any longer situated in that location (and the fact that the area was used after the war by the Russian Army as a tank driving range may go some way to explain the absence of stones).</p> <p>But it was not the work, or even the weather that made the camp the best one in previous years, it was the people. Whereas in previous camps the group fragmented increasingly during the camp, resulting for instance last year in four different groups doing their own stuff over the weekends, the group this year largely stayed together, which resulted in all of us going to Berlin, meeting in Dresden one Sunday and apart from people who had made prior arrangements went all to Prague for the weekend after the camp.</p> <p>I can only agree with what Luis, one of the volunteers, wrote in Facebook: <em>“I'll never forget the "aasht", the "pf-pf", the "oh yeah!", the "nononono", the "chicken!", the "d'you know?" and all the words I learnt with you (Nasdravi, nasdrovia, nasdarovia, prost, siktir, otpadki, podpadki, "dabei, dabei"...)(I know that it's not the right spelling...), Berlin, Dresden, the Shisha Bar, Riesa, Kreinitz, the walk to the river, the elektro-punk concert, too many things I can't write here...”</em></p> <p>And I am afraid you would have to been there to appreciate what brilliant time those few utterances stand for.</p> <p>And as Luis also wrote, it was a wonderful time especially because of the people who were there: Luis, Marie, Agnieszka, Maciek, Richard, Šárka, Anastasia, Bor, Rakel, Farid, Rustam, Katya L, Katya G, Bärbel and Lucy</p> <p>At the end of the camp 10 of us went to Prague, and if you know what happened last time I went to Prague with my car from Zeithain, you that I was a bit apprehensive about my car doing the trip. (to recap, last year, my car broke down, resulting in a longer than anticipated stay in Prague, a return journey to collect my car after the camp, and fine because I thought I could get away with not paying the Czech maut on motorways).</p> <p>But this year Gertrude performed wonderfully. Not only had she managed to bring me all the way to Budapest at Easter, not this time she made the trip to Prague without any incident. Brilliant!</p> <p>Prague also was just brilliant, blue skies throughout. </p> <p>So when it came to get home on Monday morning, I was not looking forward to getting back to grey, rainy England (which of course it was).</p> <p>Making the 14+ hour drive home did rely on me maybe catching a Eurotrain for the tunnel perhaps a bit earlier than I had booked. Normally that was not a problem, as I was able to get on earlier trains before.</p> <p>But did you know that the second topic for conversations in England, after the weather, is public transport? And for good reason. </p> <p>Because it is as crap as the weather – and unfortunately, conversations about the failings of the public transport system are exactly that, complaining about an abysmal situation of eternal delays – no deeper meaning in these sort of conversations.</p> <p>And true to form, of course the trains through were delayed – almost 5 hours. So instead catching an early one at perhaps 22.00 and arrive home at about 1.00 in the morning to be able to grab a few hours sleep before I had to start work again, I dozed in the car waiting for the service to continue in Calais and then, taking an hour rest on some motorway stop, had to go into the office without proper sleep, still dressed very summery (in Prague in was sunny, remember?) in shorts, and without having had a shower for a very drawn-out day of work.</p> <p>That it was cold, grey and rainy certainly described my mood perfectly at the time.</p> <p>In fact, it has been miserable ever since here in Brum that I actually contemplate to take up the offer to go to Azerbaijan – the only fact that worries me slightly is the amount of mosquitoes they have there. There are so many that you can not leave the house in the evening. </p> <p>Well, that must be why they apparently still use mainly donkeys for transport. A) they don’t break down so often as English trains, and B ) they move so slowly that they can part the clouds of mosquitoes easily; going by car would blacken the windscreen in minutes.... (ah, sorry,just another in-joke from the camp)</p> <p>Anyway...</p> <p>Well, time to go back to work...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/07/i-departed-to-summer-and-returned-to-autumn-6911270/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>zeithain-weather-english-conversation-topichttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/09/07/i-departed-to-summer-and-returned-to-autumn-6911270/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/08/02/ever-wondered-what-would-happen-if-you-got-distratced-when-using-clippers-6638390/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-08-02:/2009/08/02/ever-wondered-what-would-happen-if-you-got-distratced-when-using-clippers-6638390/Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:36:38 +0200 <p>Well... you end up with a much shorter haircut than you anticipated or even perhaps wanted. <a title="2009-a" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/2009_a/3746996"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/996/3746996_e52c91a80c_m.jpg" alt="2009-a"></a></p> <p>In preparation for my annual international youth work camp in the former prisoner of war camp Zeithain (and am I not this year appropriately hair dressed?) I thought I just give myself a little trim.</p> <p>I got my hair trimmer, put on clipper no 2 on (7mm) and everything went hunkey dorey. I then took the clipper off to trimm the bit over the ears (always a tricky bit) and when everything was done I put the trimmer down.</p> <p>I started to run my bath and when I looked up in the mirror I noticed a bit I missed when trimming my hair and automaticcally reached for the trimmer to cut the missed bit off.</p> <p>No sooner did I realise that I did not put the clipper back on when I looked at a rather longish stripe of no-hair in the middle of otherwise perfectly trimmed hair on my head.</p> <p>A few frozen moments later, and some wild imaginations of how possibly to rectify the situation that would involve not cutting off the rest of my hair as well I reached for the trimmer again ... and soon after the deed was done.</p> <p>If ever I wanted to know how I would look once my hair would start to falling out, I now have a fairly good idea. Of course, the little bit of self respect in me said that I could pretend when others would comment, which they undoubtedly would do, that is was a the result of a lost bet... or that it was a friend who got it wrong... that I actually wanted the haircut because I had joined the Royal Marines...</p> <p>But in the end that would just be silly, I never loose bets.</p> <p>And after all, it will grow back.</p> <p>Well, and of course there is also some good... like... grey hair, what grey hair?</p> <p><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/08/02/ever-wondered-what-would-happen-if-you-got-distratced-when-using-clippers-6638390/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>hair-cut-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/08/02/ever-wondered-what-would-happen-if-you-got-distratced-when-using-clippers-6638390/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/07/25/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-6588226/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-07-25:/2009/07/25/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-6588226/Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:14:17 +0200 <p>I know, the title is a bit misleading as this is actually the continuation about the little alien under the skin of my wrist, also known as ganglion.</p> <p>So, it was all about the ganglion that needed treatment, and so, after some trial and tribulations (see the first part of this story earlier on), I managed to see a nurse to look at it and make recommendations how to proceed.</p> <p>Well, she looked at it, ever so gently squeezed it and said that there were three possibilities:</p> <p>a) Leave it be as sometimes it vanishes by itself<br> b) Stick a syringe into it and squeeze the ganglion out and<br> c) Take a scalpel and cut it open.</p> <p>Ah!</p> <p>Not the one for any unnecessary blood and gore, I tentatively asked how long one would have to wait to determine if the ganglion would go by itself. </p> <p>Shaking her head, murmuring something about "fear" and "hospitals" in my direction, she completely ignored my question and booked me an appointment with a consultant in the nearby City Hospital.</p> <p>Hm, thanks.</p> <p>A few days later a letter arrived confirming the appointment a few weeks later.</p> <p>So the waiting began.</p> <p>A week before the appointment, a letter arrived informing me apologetically that my appointment had to be cancelled and I would be informed about the new appointment.</p> <p>So the waiting continued.</p> <p>A few days later another letter arrived telling me the time for the new appointment - a week after the original one.</p> <p>And I still waited.</p> <p>2 days before the new appointment, a letter arrived informing me apologetically that my appointment had to be cancelled and I would be informed about the new appointment.</p> <p>Ah, a case of deja vu.</p> <p>A day later another letter arrived, telling me the time for the new appointment - in the afternoon rather than the morning.</p> <p>Ok, no problem.</p> <p>And yes, finally, finally a qualified doctor was looking at the ganglion, repeating the three options the nurse had already pointed out, and as with the nurse my initial enquiry was somewhat ignored and he stood up getting the equipment, after rhetorically asking if I would mind the "syringe" solution.</p> <p>"Will it hurt?"</p> <p>"Well, it is a syringe, so it will feel like a syringe going into the skin."</p> <p>Is that a yes or a no?</p> <p>And out came the syringe, the ganglion was disinfected, the syringe went in (yes, and it did hurt) and the doctor tried to suck the ganglion matter, a fairly transparent gelatinous mass, into the syringe. But whether the syringe was too small or the ganglion too solid, but not much came out.</p> <p>Then, after pulling the syringe out, he squeezed the ganglion like a big pimple and low and behold he managed to push the gelatinous stuff through the hole the syringe had made.</p> <p>Not the nicest view of my body I ever had....</p> <p>Wiping the blood and ganglion away, the doctor nonchalantly mentioned that the chances of success and the ganglion not coming back was 50/50, but that he would not mind to repeat the procedure a couple of times if necessary.</p> <p>Well, if I would be on that side of the syringe, I probably wouldn't mind either, I thought.</p> <p>But instead I gave him a cheery "Let's see." and made my way out of the hospital.</p> <p>Luckily, so far the ganglion stays gone, so no trip back to the hospital ... and may it never happen.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>PS. Did I mention that I hate syringes? Just the sight of them makes me cringe.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/07/25/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-6588226/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>syringehospitalrolf-schwarzganglionhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/07/25/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-6588226/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/24/neda-agha-soltan-video-truth-or-manipulation-6374628/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-06-23:/2009/06/24/neda-agha-soltan-video-truth-or-manipulation-6374628/Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:31:57 +0200 <p>I know, jumping a bit on the bandwagon here, but I have to say that the notion by the government of Iran that the video showing the fatal shooting of Neda Agha-Soltan is a fabrication, an attempt of the West or the demonstrators to provoke the government of Iran, is redicolous.   </p> <p>Of course, manipulation of public opinion is an old story and it would not have been the first time that “news” would have been fabricated to serve a propaganda purpose.</p> <p>After all, even Hitler felt the need to stage a 'Polish' attack on Gleiwitz radio station as justification for the Invasion of Poland on 31 August 1939 rather than just outright admitting to attacking Poland.</p> <p>And the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964 falls in the same category as the US cited two separate attacks by naval forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) on US naval forces were presented to the US public as justification for the large-scale involvement of US armed forces in Southeast Asia. Later it emerged that there were no such attacks on US ships.</p> <p>In December 1989, it was reported that in Romania between 4,000 and 10,000 people had been shot during a local demonstration by the Securitate, the state secret police, which in turn led to a nation-wide wave of unrest, ultimately resulting in the fall of the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceauşescu. Later official counts show that “only” 97 people were killed in Timisoara.</p> <p>And who could forget the fabrication of the baby-incubator atrocity, allegedly committed by Iraqi soldiers in Kuwaiti hospitals, witnessed by a Kuwaiti "witness" named Nayirah, which was harnessed to help drive a reluctant Senate into the first Iraq war and Colin Powell’s bioweapons producing train laboratories and in general the existence of weapons of mass destruction to facilitate the second Iraq war?</p> <p>So, could it be “thinkable” that the video is a fabrication?</p> <p>Sure, certainly.</p> <p>That some of the reports can not even agree on the age of Neda – in some she is 16, in others 19 or even 27 or 27- and tries to make Neda into “the face of  Iran’s struggle”, an “Angel of the revolution” while other reports insist that she was an innocent bystander who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time may also raise doubts about the facts surrounding the origins of the video.</p> <p>And of course the video is being made all the more dramatic by the flood of pictures now depicting Neda as a young attractive woman – so much so that the tragic circumstances of the other 9 fatalities of that day have almost disappeared. This exclusive focus on Neda seems again be all to convenient not to be the result of a clever, albeit ruthless manipulation done by the press (and other, more sinister, agencies?).</p> <p>But what would be the motive of faking the video?</p> <p>In all other cases the fabricated news were used to spark some kind of reaction.</p> <p>In the case of  Neda that reaction, eg the nation-wide demonstrations,  were already happening.</p> <p>Should the video be a tool to radicalise the demonstrators?</p> <p>Perhaps, but the government of Iran had themselve already announced that there were fatalities (perhaps in an ill-fated atempt to scare people off the streets, as some reporters suggested. In that case, how better to achieve this by attesting to the veracity of the video rather than denying it.)</p> <p>If the video is fake, if it does not show Neda, or anyone else’s last moments after being fatally shot; if Neda (or the person in the video) was not an anti-government demonstrator… why then did the government of Iran prohibit a proper funeral according to islamic traditions, why does the government ban to hold memorial services for her?</p> <p>More than everything, it is the reaction of the Iranian government that belie their own words.</p> <p>But in the end it almost does not matter if Neda was a supporter of the opposition or not, if she was “too western” in her dressing style for the government (as some of the pictures distinctly show her non-traditional islamic dress code)... if old men with beards are so arrogant to have their state forces fire indiscrimiently into crowds, if they are so afraid of an unarmed young woman that they deny her family a burial according to islamic traditions in a country that proclaims to be an “Islamic Republic”, then we may indeed have seen the beginning of the end of that particular brand of islamic government.</p> <p>And the thought that this may  be a result that Neda would have not been too sad about is the only little bit of consolation when you see those last moments of her.</p> <p>As with most things, make up your own mind about what you see.</p> <p>And if you think that this is a genuine video, that it does show the last moments of Neda/someone, spare a few moments to mourn the passing of a young life.</p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/24/neda-agha-soltan-video-truth-or-manipulation-6374628/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>neda-soltanhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/24/neda-agha-soltan-video-truth-or-manipulation-6374628/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/07/what-it-with-women-and-airports-6259579/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-06-07:/2009/06/07/what-it-with-women-and-airports-6259579/Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:25:11 +0200 <p>Is it just me, or is there a certain antagonism between women and airports?</p> <p>Last year I brought a friend of mine, Bella, who had visited me in Birmingham to the airport. Ok, she lives in New York and was travelling for a few months before so I wasn’t too surprised when I saw her piece of luggage – a man(!)-sized wardrobe on wheels.</p> <p>As she was flying across oceans that wasn’t a problem so far , but then she wanted to fly to Rome to see some friends before making her way to Australia. And slowly but surely running out of money, she wanted to fly with a low-budget airline and that was when things got a bit dramatic, if not traumatic (well, at least for her).</p> <p>When we arrived at the airport with that rolling walk-in wardrobe of hers, Ryan Air flatly refused to accept her suitcase as it weighed in at a staggering 35 kilos. </p> <p>They stated that for health and safety reasons staff was only allowed to lift suitcases up to 30 kilos. So off we went to buy another suitcase at the airport there and then to distribute the weight. </p> <p>And back is was to the check-in desk - just to face the next obstacle. </p> <p>Of course Ryan Air only allows one 15 kg suitcase per person and for every kilo more you payed £15 each (then). As even before there was 20 kg excess weight, together with the weight of the brand new suitcase it came to just over £350 in penalty. </p> <p>Now with the checkout being close to closing and boarding to begin shortly, this was not the time to divide the belongings up in “necessary” and “not-so-necessary” (just to do that for all the pairs of shoes Bella had with her would have taken an eternity) and with me always willing to come to an aide of an damsel in distress it was a good thing that I had my credit card with me.</p> <p>Funny as all this that was (now, a few months later), I thought that this would have been something of a one-time-off thing.</p> <p>Well. </p> <p>Today, this afternoon, I accompanied my friend Annalisa, one of my housemates, to the airport as she was leaving to return to her native Sicily.</p> <p>Like Bella, she was running out of money. </p> <p>Unlike Bella, she had sent some of her stuff via carrier days before and made sure that her suitcase did not come to more that 12 kg. So, what could go wrong?</p> <p>We went to the check-in and the weigh-in went fine – 12,5 kilos. But then the lady behind the counter asked for the on-line check-in print-out. When I saw Annalisa’s eyes widening in surprise I had a deja-vu feeling coming over me. </p> <p>Without the print-out Annalisa had to pay £40 for the airport desk check-in. </p> <p>Did I mention before that when a damsel is in distress having a credit-card comes in handy sometimes?</p> <p>Sigh.</p> <p>Perhaps it will be third time lucky and next time I bring one of my female friends to the airport all we need are matches to light the cigarettes before she is boarding the plane.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/07/what-it-with-women-and-airports-6259579/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>bella-annalisa-airporthttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/06/07/what-it-with-women-and-airports-6259579/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/skin-cancer-or-rickets-that-is-the-question-6146690/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-05-20:/2009/05/20/skin-cancer-or-rickets-that-is-the-question-6146690/Wed, 20 May 2009 12:15:29 +0200 <p><em>Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to enjoy the sun and suffer<br> The pains and death from skin cancer,<br> Or to hide from the burning rays<br> And grow up with deformed bones,<br> Like the slum’s kids in Victorian London.</em></p> <p>A few days ago I came across some interesting item that was reported in the News*</p> <p>Yea, the Victorian childhood disease known as “rickets” is making it’s unwelcome comeback. Rickets is a softening of bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity, the predominant cause is a vitamin D deficiency.</p> <p><a href="http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-health-news/2008/11/19/rickets-returns-to-birmingham-65233-22290225/"><a href="http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-health-news/2008/11/19/rickets-returns-to-birmingham-65233-22290225/">http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-health-news/2008/11/19/rickets-returns-to-birmingham-65233-22290225/</a></a></p> <p>And how do you stock up on Vitamin D?</p> <p>Simpels, by exposure to ultraviolet B light (sunshine when the sun is highest in the sky).</p> <p>But apparently, due to the hours of sunshine everywhere north of Birmingham (and no one mentioned in the News whether it would include the city or not), children increasingly suffer from Rickets, especially if they are dark skinned (as that makes it more difficult for the weak rays to stimulate the Vitamin D production in the body) or wear protective clothing for instance for religious reasons (-like the Burqua).</p> <p>But then - even if the sun breaks through the northern blanket of clouds, you can’t just enjoy the good weather, because exposing yourself to the sun will give you skin cancer, as we all know since we are told every 5 minutes in "summer" (eg when it is a bit lighter during the rainy season).</p> <p>…sometimes you just can’t win.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>*So, you see, it is even for health reasons that I should go to Italy… if that isn’t a sign…</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/skin-cancer-or-rickets-that-is-the-question-6146690/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>rickets-cancer-sun-italyhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/20/skin-cancer-or-rickets-that-is-the-question-6146690/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/01/my-day-in-court-6043186/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-05-01:/2009/05/01/my-day-in-court-6043186/Fri, 01 May 2009 22:21:16 +0200 <p>Well, that was interesting, we should do that again... not!</p> <p>I halfway expected just a clerk to greet me, to go over the paperwork and give the verdict.</p> <p>But life is always different than you expect, isn't it?</p> <p>So, when I approached the building, I had a smoke and soon was approached by one other guy who apparently was waiting for the proceedings.</p> <p>"What are you in for?" the asked conspicuously. A normal friendly question, if perhaps he would not have had a closely cropped hairstyle, big heavy boots and had a face covered in bruises.</p> <p>"Erm, not paying a fine" I replied timidly.</p> <p>"Oh, you be ok, mate" he stated generously. "For me it's prison this time for sure."</p> <p>I suddenly remembered all those prison movies where the lifer advived the newcomer never to ask for why people are in for. So I went for "A long time?"</p> <p>"Yea, probably."</p> <p>"Ah."</p> <p>"So, now I am having a drink before, been on the vodka." as if his breath would not have told me already. I found myself suddenly smoking a lot faster than I normally do.</p> <p>He then reached inside his jacket, produced a vodka bottle and held it out in front of me. "Want some?"</p> <p>"Ah, thanks, not just right now." And uups, my cigarette was just reaching the end.</p> <p>"I better go in." I said.</p> <p>With a toast of his bottle he waved me off.</p> <p>And inside the magistrate'c court it did not get any better. There was an abundant amount of people with very short hair, and the occasional tatoo of "Love - Hate" on their knuckles.</p> <p>I was not even sure what worried me more, my own feeling of relief that I had had a haircut before Easter so I did not stick out like a sore thumb, or the amount of smiling nods I received.</p> <p>And before long, my new friend came in as well. Seeing his lawyer he whispered to him "Don't tell the court that I was having a drink outside." as if this odour and his uneven walk would not have give that away.</p> <p>He then meet one of his mates, apparently in for his own trial, and began to talk to him. I did not catch everything, but heard words like "assault", "bodily harm and "bloody Paki" being dropped.</p> <p>Looking around me I could only think "Oh, my God, let me out of here pleeeese, I am only here because I did not pay a car fine."</p> <p>But then my name was being called, and the next chaper in the saga began.</p> <p>It was like on telly, three guys sitting behind a raised table, the Court Clerk and the prosecutor.</p> <p>While they were all sitting, I had to stand while my details were being confirmed.</p> <p>Then the plea. "Guilty."</p> <p>I explained that I just had forgot the renewal date, and that I tought that I had aready paid all I thought I had to pay.</p> <p>That seem to take the Magistrate a bit by surprise, however the prosecutor rallied fast and said that this was a different matter as the the sums I had paid had to do with the actual non-paymant of the tax, whereas todays matter was about the fact that "the car was seen on the road without being taxed".</p> <p>So how come that the sum of £30,82 that was mentioned on the court summons was the same as the one I had paid?</p> <p>A little bit of hesitation on the side of the prosecution, and then the announcement that the prosecution would need to make a phone call and I would have to leave the court for a few minutes.</p> <p>When I came back, the Magistrate said that they would take into account that I did try to pay the fine in time, and that they recognised that the tax due was paid as well, so the original fine of £100 was being reduced to £40.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the court would need to ask for the £60 in court proceedings, so the combined sum would cone to, erm, £100- which I would have to pay immediately.</p> <p>Brilliant!</p> <p>Well, actually that is was not was I was thinking, that was more along the lines of "daylight", "highway" and "robbery" with images of men hiding their face behind scarfs.</p> <p>But heyho, this was the law, and so I paid, and was duely dismissed by the court.</p> <p>And so ended my day in court.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/01/my-day-in-court-6043186/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>magistrate-courthttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/05/01/my-day-in-court-6043186/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/30/go-to-jail-6037684/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-04-30:/2009/04/30/go-to-jail-6037684/Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:47:17 +0200 <p>oh no... but really, no!</p> <p>Well, I hope so. But I do have to go to the Magistrate Court tomorrow morning.</p> <p>But really only for a formality... he says.</p> <p>Well, it all started just before christmas 2008. I was just about to go to work when I found my car clamped outside the house. First I tought I had parked where I shouldn't have, but then I remembered "Hold on a minute, there is no restricted parking in my street."</p> <p>And then I saw the notice that I had not payed the road tax (as could be seen on the taxdisk which quite clearly stated that my tax was due on the 31 August 2008).</p> <p>So, a couple of phonecalls later, one to the DVLA to pay the tax (£185), one to the highway robbers who clamped my car who demanded £100 to release it I thought the affair to be settled.</p> <p>How wrong was I. A few days later I received a letter from the DVLA stating that I had to pay another £40 for the 3 months the tax was due and a penalty of £40. But clearly that was it, I thought.</p> <p>Wrong again.</p> <p>A few days later I got another letter from the DVLA stating that I had to pay tax that was due and a fine. Like the first letter it "<em>has been issued by automated process and therefore does not cary a signature</em>". Assuming that my previous payment would have taken care of this reminder letter I ignored it, believing the matter to be resolved.</p> <p>You guessed it, wrong again.</p> <p>In March I got a letter from the DVLA summoning me to appear in front of the Magistrates' Court to answer for why I had not payed the fine.</p> <p>So, tomorrow I will hopefully speak to a real person instead of computers who issue automated responses. And settle the matter once and for all.</p> <p>Wrong again... ?</p> <p>I hope not, though the lates letter informs me that the prosecutor will also ask for a minimum contribution of £60 towards legal costs.</p> <p>Sorry, come again? The DVLA can't get organised to keep their records updated properly and I have to pay?</p> <p>Well, we will see.</p> <p>Wish me luck.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/30/go-to-jail-6037684/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>dvla-magistrates-court-jailhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/30/go-to-jail-6037684/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/29/swineflu-hysteria-vs-global-recession-6032269/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-04-29:/2009/04/29/swineflu-hysteria-vs-global-recession-6032269/Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:39:47 +0200 <p>Give me a break, this is getting more absurd by the minute.</p> <p>Don't get me wrong, I am enough of a hypochondriac myself to be worried about (mostly imagined so far) illnesses and diseases I have, but the present obsession with Swineflu is a bit bizarre even for me.</p> <p>Let's get the facts: so far only 29 death have occured in Mexico that have definately been contributed to Swineflu, only one, an infant, in the US. In all other cases outside Mexico the symtoms have been described as very mild.</p> <p>A term of "pandemic" does not refer to any fatality rate of a disease, just to the spread of the disease, e.g. being found in population of more than two countries. It does not therefore not equal "killer disease on a global scale" like the Black Plague.</p> <p>In any given year, the normal flu occuring at wintertime will kill between 8 - 12,000 people in the UK alone, around 20,000 in the more populous Germany.</p> <p>So why am I subjected to terrified schoolkids from Devon on the TV news,<br> trembling and crying with fear that they may have contraced Swineflu (implying that they might possibly die of it)?</p> <p>Is it just my cynical self that, at least at this stage, suspects other motives behind the present hysterical obsession with the Swinefly, notably that the global recession has sudenly disappeared from the News, and with it the actions of Banks, large scale Corporations and the greedy behaviour of (Bank) Managers and the apparent inability of governments to remedy the crisis fast and decisively?</p> <p>Of course, fighting a flu makes everyone (erm governments, politicians, even the WHO) look good, with the stockpiling of medicine (namely Tamiflu, a reminant of the last global killer disease that was not to be, so wasn't it good that we produced all that stuff back then that would have otherwise gone to waste?) and besides, crying children are so much more pityable than trembling Bank managers with their final salary bonuses.</p> <p>Conspiracy theorist, me?</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/29/swineflu-hysteria-vs-global-recession-6032269/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/29/swineflu-hysteria-vs-global-recession-6032269/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/02/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-5877515/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-04-02:/2009/04/02/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-5877515/Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:50:08 +0200 <p>...there aren't many, but one is that you can start telling everybody about your evermore increasing ailments and illnesses and they can't object (unless you are male because then you wailed to mothers, girlfriends and wifes all your life anyway). Well, so here is mine:</p> <p><a title="ganglion" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/ganglion/3378505"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/505/3378505_723391f24a_s.jpg" alt="ganglion" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a><br>... nice little bump, ey? Well, I thought so... and it is there for over 2 months by now... hence I wanted to see a GP.</p> <p>But this being Britain, you don't walk into a medical centre anymore, oh no. Because if you do, a mild mannered receptionist will calmly inform you that you should have phoned first, to describe the symtoms to the receptionist or a nurse, who will then relay them to the GP, who in turm will then phone you to let you know if you need an appointment. Which is al allright if you are a pensioner and have all the time in the world (another one of the positive things when you are older) - unless you so old that you could pop off any moment, or on holiday.</p> <p>But me, being a member of the oppressed poor, I can not just go home to wait at the side of the phone for the doctor to call me in for an appointment. So that meant any possible appointment would be days away.</p> <p>So off I went to work ("<em>The GP will phone you just after 9:00</em>" had the receptionist informed me with a rather maternal tone), and low and behold, just after 11:30 I got the call from the doctor (good thing I wasn't in pain then, innit?).</p> <p>After describing the bump to him ("<em>well, it's a sort of bump on my wrist.... is it on the top or on the back of the wrist, well depends on how I twist my arm?"  </em>"<em>Doh</em>!" - well I didn't say that, of course, always be nice to taxidrivers (unless you lived too long in New York and then you give them hell and they drop you in the middle of nowhere), cooks and waiters (unless you lived too long in New York and then you demand all possible alterations to the dish and can never be sure what "additions" are on the plate when it arrives) or GPs (unless you lived too long in New York... and couldn't possibly afford a good one so you never meet a GP anyway).</p> <p>After that very scientific description from me, the GP said that it sounded like I had a ganglion ("<em>A what? Arrrgh, what is it, is it like a little alien under my skin?</em>") and I would need to come in and see him.</p> <p>"<em>Ah, really, funny thing that, coincidentially I just happened to drop in earlier this morning, would have been a such a good opprtunity stop wasting taxpayers money phoning me and using the time for the phone call to actually look at the ganglion yourself there and then</em>..." was another thing I didn't say.</p> <p>So now I going to see a nurse who undoubtedly will tell him all about the ganglion on Monday and quite possibly one of the outcomes might even be that he needs to see for himself (why is it that terms like "efficiency" never pop up in you mind when you think of England, I wonder).</p> <p>So, of course, always keen to expand my knowlegde about ganglions, I googled it. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganglion_cyst">"A ganglion cyst (also known as a bible bump) is a swelling that often appears on or around joints and tendons in the hand or foot. The size of the cyst can vary over time. It is most frequently located around the wrist and on the fingers. The term "Bible Bump" comes from a common (but discouraged) treatment of pounding on the cyst with a Bible." </a>...riiight, pound it with a Bible....</p> <p>ewwwwww....</p> <p>Well, not much of a Bible person myself, that presents a little problem, and I wonder, would it also work if I used a Star Trek DVD instead?</p> <p>Well, perhaps I just wait until Monday and see what the nurse recommends, because one of the things that doesn't get better with age is the tolerance to pain (unless you are male and then chances are you always have been a bloody whimp when it came to pain threshhold in connection with diseases such as the common cold)</p> <p><img src="http://www.blog.co.uk/image/smileys/icon_wave.gif" alt=""></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/02/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-5877515/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>ganglion-cysthttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/04/02/one-of-the-advantages-of-getting-older-5877515/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/03/02/oh-that-could-have-been-me-5677520/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2009-03-02:/2009/03/02/oh-that-could-have-been-me-5677520/Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:56:47 +0100 <p>You might remember that I applied some time ago for joining the European Space programme: (<a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2007/07/04/italy_or_to_infinity_and_beyond~2575198/">here is the blog entry in case you missed it</a>) </p> <p>I just read in the paper that one of the volunteers is a German, so it was really close...</p> <p><strong>Final European crewmembers announced for human Mars mission simulation</strong></p> <p><em>After a selection process that started with some 5600 applicants,</em> ( and I was one of them <img src="/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif" alt=":DD" class="middle" border="0"> )<em>the final four European candidates began training for the Mars mission simulation last month. From these four candidates, ESA has now selected the two who are assigned as prime crewmember and the two who will act as their backup, stepping in to replace a prime crewmember right up until the last moment if necessary. </p> <p>Selected for the prime crew are Oliver Knickel, a mechanical engineer in the German army, and airline pilot Cyrille Fournier from France. Cedric Mabilotte and Arc'hanmael Gaillard, both from France, are assigned as backup crewmembers. </em> </p> <p>(...)</p> <p><em>The purpose of the Mars500 study is to gather data, knowledge and experience to help prepare for a real mission to Mars one day. The participants will act as subjects in scientific investigations to assess the effect that isolation has on various psychological and physiological aspects, such as stress, hormone regulation and immunity, sleep quality, mood and the effectiveness of dietary supplements.</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMS3LBDNRF_Life_0.html"><a href="http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMS3LBDNRF_Life_0.html">http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMS3LBDNRF_Life_0.html</a></a></p> <p>... oh, well, I am not in the army and I am not a mechanical engeneer, but other than that I think it could have been me... sigh</p> <p>Oh well, I guess I have to stay in Brum for the moment and make the best of it...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/03/02/oh-that-could-have-been-me-5677520/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>mars-500http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2009/03/02/oh-that-could-have-been-me-5677520/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/yesterday-prague-tomorrow-zeithain-4550752/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-08-06:/2008/08/06/yesterday-prague-tomorrow-zeithain-4550752/Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:07:08 +0200 <p>I like it, jetsetting from one location to the other... well or carsetting as the case may be. After sunny Prague and a grey rainy week in Birmingham I am now off to Zeithain again, to do my annual workcamp.</p> <p>This time I go by car, that should be much more comfortable, I can listen to music, sleep at car parks if need be without the fear of being drenched by rain or have the bags stolen from my motorbike and oh boy, you should see the amount of stuff I am able to bring. Not like before with the motorbike where I had to decide between another pair of sock or perhaps better another t-shirt? No, just throw it all in, the car is big enough <img src="/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif" alt=":DD" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>I am looking forward to my main holiday, though Prague was brilliant.</p> <p>Just after arriving in Prague, I was a bit worried at the beginning if I would still find my way around or of I should have brought the map along, but soon my feet did all the navigation and it was as if I had just left yesterday, not 9 years ago. Of course, Prague has changed, which city wouldn't after such a long time, but naturally, all the important buildings are still there, and the view over the Vltava to the castle on a sunny day is still stunning (especially when one has just arrived from Birmingham). </p> <p>But walking around with my friends Tim and Katia, visiting some of the ould haunts, I realised that Prague is more that just a beautiful city - it is the place where I lived and had quite a lot of friends, the vast majority now being elsewhere. So walking around at 10 o'clock with all the other tourists in the morning was a unique experience - after all I hardly did that all those years ago, because either I was working by then teaching or, if being a weekend, I would still be sleeping. </p> <p>So my stay, though short as it was, was just long enough to remember the good times but not that long to get all melancholy.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/yesterday-prague-tomorrow-zeithain-4550752/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>prague-zeithain-workcamp-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/yesterday-prague-tomorrow-zeithain-4550752/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/24/prague-my-prague-4491558/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-07-24:/2008/07/24/prague-my-prague-4491558/Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:09:12 +0200 <p>It has been a long time since I left, almost 9 years, but finally I will make it back to Prague - if only for a weekend.</p> <p>Together with my friends Tim and Katia (and her mother !?!) I will fly out on Friday.</p> <p>Incredibly, I have managed to book a room in my favourite hotel, well, while I was in Prrague, I only marvelled at it from the outside - the art nouveau style (Grand-)Hotel Europe (well they write it <em>Evrope</em>, but I am sure this means <em>Europe</em> in comtemporary writing) on Wenceslas Square. And no, I did not have to sell all my worldly possessions to do to - actually, it is quite cheap over July and August - about £30 ( and they even offer a 20% discount on that) - brilliant.</p> <p>But look at the pictures of the interiour - <a href="http://www.evropahotel.cz/photo.php"><a href="http://www.evropahotel.cz/photo.php">http://www.evropahotel.cz/photo.php</a></a> - nice, eh?</p> <p>But I wonder how many more McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts have popped up all around it, and how many other things have changed. </p> <p>But for one thing I am certain it hasn't changed - the beer. I can't wait to have my first <em>pivo</em> standing in front of me...</p> <p>Cheers</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/24/prague-my-prague-4491558/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>praguehttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/24/prague-my-prague-4491558/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/23/glastonbury-4487207/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-07-23:/2008/07/23/glastonbury-4487207/Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:11:53 +0200 <p>Right, now that I have somewhat recovered from the sleeplessness that is Glastonbury ( - I really hate noise around me when I try to sleep, so Glastonbury with music until 3am, the outdoor cinema until 4am and people talking in their tends until God knows what time was really not that relaxing) and from the cold that ensued after (-yes, it did rain, if only for 2 days, which sent Glastonbury die-hards into ecstasy – and I am not sure which part, the rain and mud “Yea, the real Glastonbury, man” or the sunshine “That is really nice, so much better than last year’s” - I can go over my memories of Glasto.</p> <p>Much to the occasional dismay of my friends I am not prone to use superlatives easily (- so a question like: “How did you like it?” will quite often draw the answer “It’s ok” if it was ok or “It was good” if it was good, which sometimes seem to disappoint people – but what is wrong with “good” – it is better than “average”, better than “ok”?)</p> <p>But Glastonbury deserves the attribute “awe-some”. Even form the pictures I saw online before I went I knew it was big, but you have no idea of the sheer scale and size until you are there. And even then you still don’t realise it fully – I only got an idea when I was actually leaving, looking back down into the valley and remember all the places I had been to and how much they make up the panorama that is outstretched in front of you.</p> <p>Obviously you have heard all the horror stories of previous years, mainly all to do with the weather eg, rain and the mud. </p> <p>And they are all true – chemical toilets in constant rain are really not that nice. And due to the rain there is no place to sit, so you are constantly standing or walking. All things in the tend get slowly but surely wet- and because it is raining you can’t make a fire. People become one great ungainly mass due to the efforts of the great leveller, the rain, with the mud everywhere and the sight of wellies, water-proofs and raincoats everywhere.</p> <p>Yes, Glasto in rain, still an experience, just not sure what sort of…</p> <p>The site is roughly divided into 4 parts – the main acts, Theatre/Circus/Cabaret, Dance/Techno and alternative (“Hippy”) life with their veggie stuff, their pro-biotics, solar energy and their “be-nice-to-nature” attitude. Yeah right, have your seen the amount of rubbish after any of the main acts? It looks like the top- layer of a rubbish dump. And it makes quite an unique sound when you walk on thousands of empty plastic bottles and beer cans.</p> <p>It is only in the sunshine that you see the diversity of people from the age range to the cultural background – though it is predominantly a “white middle-class” event. And even then I don’t know whether there really is a connection between the various sections other than standing in the same queue for food, drinks or toilets – or singing along to Neil Diamond “Sweet Caroline” oh-oh-oh… the great British tradition of a sing-along from 12 year old giggly girls to hung-over ravers to the guys who dress as if they have just escaped the lunatic asylum. </p> <p>Yes, it is probably getting more commercialised, the ticket malarkey is still ironic (after all one would expect the more political/alternative/Hippy section of Glastonbury to oppose governmental schemes such as the introduction of an ID card, but they willingly submit their picture, address and back details online to get a personalise tickets that would not look out of place next to an passport), for all it’s mixture of “cultures” there are only really a handful of Asian or black faces in the crowds. But it is still amazing that such a large crowd could come together, get in parts quite drunk and high but without any real aggro. Though I have seen many rude people (mainly when they push you out of the way at a gig in their drive to get closer to the stage) I have not seen any arguments or fights.</p> <p>And I can’t still get over the sheer size – ok, 150,000 people sound enough, but I can’t really visualise such an amount anyway. That comes when on the way to bring back your stuff to the car you hear the roar of the tens of thousands of fans cheering after a song – although there is at least a mile and some hill between you and them.</p> <p>And there is so much stuff going on all around you- and especially if it is not raining –<br> Kleinkunst, cabaret, political stuff, impromptu shows, games, gigs, freaks, weirdos and hippies…</p> <p>It seems a shame with so many of the smaller acts that they do not get any larger audiences you feel they deserve – especially if you have just left one of the main acts with thousands of people and then come across a really witty performance where about 20 people sit scattered in front of the stage. And little does it matter that without the tens of thousands that are cheering for the main acts, those performers may not have had any audience at all.</p> <p>On one hand you need to be alone, so to just be able to really drop in anywhere you like without having to wait for friends queuing for food and drinks or not being interested in the curiosity to literally pop you nose into every venue there is. On the other hands you need to be with friends to share the (muddy and wet times as well as the sunny ones) and to show you things you would not have known existed ( like the strawberry cider - “Cin cin, Sara” or Trash City” and Shangri-La" – Thanks Jim) – another contradiction that is Glastonbury.</p> <p>I know that is may sound like a cliché but Glastonbury truly is indescribable – you have to experience it to get a glimpse of what it is.</p> <p>It take you a day or two to take it all in - the first days when you rush from main act to main act, to busy to take it all in, the last day really to appreciate all the variety and the smaller thinks and events happening everywhere- and largely to the fact that none of the main acts on Sunday really grabbed me.</p> <p>And saw some pretty amazing performances - Duffy was brilliant, so was Katie Melua, Manu Chao, Eddy Grant, The Men they could not hang, Amy Winehouse, Hazel O’Connor, The Ting Tings - only Sinead O’Connor was a bit of a disappointment. She sung well enough, but did not connect to the audience other than a few lines at the beginning stating that she would first sing from her new album and then some older stuff. And then she just sung the songs back-to-back. Only when the audience sang along to “Nothing compares to you” did she smile and be aware that she was not in a recording studio or so.</p> <p>All in all I think I was quite lucky with the weather – though first two days were pretty wet I have to say – but at least I know what Glastonbury is also famous for, the mud. And with the last two days being sunny I could also see the potential in variety and well-being that it brings with it.</p> <p>Even when longing for a hot shower and my own bed on the last day you just realise how much of it all you have not seen. I think it is humanly impossible to see even only 10% of the stuff that is happening at the festival.</p> <p>So, yes, Glastonbury was exhausting but brilliant! (and if you want to see the all the videos I made from Glastonbury, just visit: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B4E1EED6FD26EAC"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B4E1EED6FD26EAC">http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B4E1EED6FD26EAC</a></a></p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/23/glastonbury-4487207/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>glastonbury-2008http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/07/23/glastonbury-4487207/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/nice-timing-tooth-4366800/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-26:/2008/06/26/nice-timing-tooth-4366800/Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:54:20 +0200 <p>Just as I am about to head off to Glastonbury, quite a big filling just came out while eating some salad. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Who ever said that eating salad is healthy? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_evil.gif" alt=">:-[" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Anyway, too late now to go to the dentist - and it does not hurt, yet. So I take my chance and be off to Glastonbury anyway ... and hope that any pain will only set in next week or so...</p> <p>Sigh...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/nice-timing-tooth-4366800/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>glastonbury-tooth-filling-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/nice-timing-tooth-4366800/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/wellingtons-umbrella-rain-coat-all-ready-4366455/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-26:/2008/06/26/wellingtons-umbrella-rain-coat-all-ready-4366455/Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:39:46 +0200 <p>Right, the clouds are on the horizon, it has rained quite often the last few days making the grounds soggy and wet - just the usual ingredients for the camping in Glastonbury for the festival - and for once I will not follow the music acts from the comfort of my home but live...</p> <p>Normally, I hate rain, I don't like the cold, I am not too keen on camping (mainly because of the two reasons mentioned afore), the thought of using chemical toilets doesn't fill me with frills either and I actually cherish sleeping in relative silence ... so why am I bound for Glastonbury ?</p> <p>Mmmh... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>But I am sure it will be a remorable experience... either way... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>To see how it already looks (one day before the music starts) have a look here:</p> <p><a href="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news.aspx?id=2537 "><a href="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news.aspx?id=2537">http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news.aspx?id=2537</a> </a></p> <p>I really wish that if it won't be sunny the next few days until Sunday that it will be at least dry... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="B)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Please....</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/wellingtons-umbrella-rain-coat-all-ready-4366455/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>glastonbury-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/26/wellingtons-umbrella-rain-coat-all-ready-4366455/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/24/wow-monstered-again-4357069/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-24:/2008/06/24/wow-monstered-again-4357069/Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:30:53 +0200 <p>Ah, the second call from headhunters who read my CV on monster.it - but this time is was quite clear from the accent where they were phoning from ... Ireland. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Not bad, as the position was based in Dublin (certainly better than Leamington Spa) and the company they were recruiting for... Google! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Madonna!</p> <p>Apparently, Google is looking for Marketing Account Managers and though I am doing some marketing here at the School of Education (about 20% of my job), marketing is not really where I see myself going... at least not in Ireland. Same phone call from places like Florence, and I might be more open to the idea <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>As this has been the second call I got from my CV that I put up on monster.it it appears rather than pre-selecting the CVs depending on the country people "advertise" with, monster then just puts it into a general database for everyone to access. Hm. </p> <p>And the worst? Since I have not accessed my CV in monster.it for while they have rendered my login obsolete so I can not even access my CV anymore to update it and make it even more clear that I am only really interested in jobs in Italy...</p> <p>I wonder how many more calls I will get from all over except the the places I want to go...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/24/wow-monstered-again-4357069/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>monsterit-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/24/wow-monstered-again-4357069/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/ok-dear-italy-is-having-an-aquot-uuuupsa-4294870/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-09:/2008/06/09/ok-dear-italy-is-having-an-aquot-uuuupsa-4294870/Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:05:20 +0200 <p>Ok, so it is that time again. What time? Football time. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>I actually don't care too much about it - only as long as Germany is better than England, I am content. Why ? Mainly, no actually completely because of the triumphalism when England wins. As I wrote before, unfortunately the Scot who was asked why he woudn't cheer for England was right:"If you (England) loose, there is violence and riots, and if you win you never hear the end of it (like with 1966). And you ask why we have difficulties cheering for you?"</p> <p>But since England is not in the European Championship, no danger there then.</p> <p>But I know that most of my Italian friends are quite passionate about it... so, tonight must have been a bit of a downer - loosing 3:0 to Holland.</p> <p>Is it time to send the chocolate again? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/ok-dear-italy-is-having-an-aquot-uuuupsa-4294870/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>football-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/ok-dear-italy-is-having-an-aquot-uuuupsa-4294870/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/oh-italy-now-you-are-having-a-catholic-e-4291715/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-09:/2008/06/09/oh-italy-now-you-are-having-a-catholic-e-4291715/Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:21:18 +0200 <p>Ok, so we know that you should not have sex outside marriage according to the Pope(s), and no contraception is allowed, and under no circumstances should there be abortions ( not even for vitcims of rape who fall pregnant due to the crime - why is it that the Catholic Church is more interested in quantity of live than the quality of life for a child that may grow up with a resenting mother?). </p> <p>All notions that the Catholic church still clings to in our times.</p> <p>But surely the idea that even when married, sex is only for procreation, without it there is no need for sex and hence nor for marriage - sounds a bit medieval?</p> <p>Well, not in Italy, or some parts of it apparently. </p> <p><em><strong>Italian bishop refuses wedding to impotent paraplegic</strong><br> ROME (AFP) — An Italian bishop has told a young paraplegic he cannot have a church wedding because he is impotent, despite his fiancee being aware of the problem, media here reported.</p> <p>Salvatore de Ciuco, spokesman for Bishop Lorenzo Chiarinelli of Viterbo in central Italy, told SkyTG24 television late Sunday: "<em>No bishop, no priest can celebrate a wedding when he knows of admitted impotence as it is a motive for annulment</em>" of the marriage.</p> <p>The 26-year-old groom, who took part in a civil marriage ceremony Saturday in Viterbo, has been paraplegic since he was involved in a car accident. The curate of the parish who was banned from marrying the couple was present at the ceremony. </em><br> <a href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGUXgSnOGPqT7Tj6E24LGVeKx94Q">http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGUXgSnOGPqT7Tj6E24LGVeKx94Q</a></p> <p>Remind me what the Catholic Curch is all about... like speading the good news, eg, the word of Jesus?</p> <p>Words like "<em>Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (...) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.</em>" (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)</p> <p>Love is eternal - but apparently not in some parts of the Catholic church, where love seems more to be about dogma and legalistic bureaucracy ... and I say that as a Catholic myself. </p> <p>Sad. </p> <p>Perhaps the Catholic Church is well advised to read the bible themselves again once in awhile.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/oh-italy-now-you-are-having-a-catholic-e-4291715/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>catholic-curch-love-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/09/oh-italy-now-you-are-having-a-catholic-e-4291715/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/06/zeithain-revisited-or-the-issue-of-nazi--4283085/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-06-06:/2008/06/06/zeithain-revisited-or-the-issue-of-nazi--4283085/Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:08:25 +0200 <p>Well, in the last five yars I did internatinal youth work camps in Zeithain, a place that had a large POW camp which housed tens of thousand Soviet prisoners of war, but also a substantial number of Italian soldiers after Italy surrendered to the Allies.</p> <p>So far, I thought that issues concerning the way Germany trated the Italian soldiers had been assigned to the past, "just" an issue for how to deal with the cuture of memory.</p> <p>But today a court in Rome opened the chapter of the treatment of Italian soldiers by German forced in WWII again:</p> <p><em>"<strong>Nazi Compensation Claims Threaten German Centers in Italy </strong><br> If Germany refuses to pay compensation to Nazi victims in Italy and Greece, its cultural institutes in Italy might face a levy of execution.</p> <p>The Supreme Court of Cassation in Rome has ruled that compensation claims brought by wartime Italian soldiers who were interned and forced into labor by the Nazis are legitimate.</p> <p>The court threw out Germany’s objections that Berlin's "sovereign immunity" meant it could not be sued in an Italian court, reported Italian daily La Repubblica on Thursday, June 5. </p> <p>Germany has no right to cite state immunity against the Italian civil proceedings, decided the court, on the grounds that there is "no doubt that the international community deems the deportation of these people and their coercion into labor as a crime against humanity."</p> <p>Germany had denied compensation to the soldiers who were interned after Fascist Italy declared a truce in September 1943. The Nazis then took control in Italy and deported many of the interned Italian soldiers to Germany to work in factories for no pay. </p> <p>Berlin has in the past compensated Italian civilians forced to work. In this case, however, it argues that the deportees were prisoners of war and there was no basis for the claim.</p> <p>Epic decision</p> <p>The ruling marks the latest twist to a series of World War II compensation claims dogging Germany.</p> <p>In another case, the German government could end up paying up to 28 million euros ($93.54 million) to families of the victims of a Nazi SS massacre in the Greek village of Distomo in 1944, when troops murdered 218 men, women and children. </p> <p>The case was heard in Italy after Greece's highest court ruled in 2002 against the claimants, arguing that Greek courts could not try cases against a foreign country. </p> <p>The litigants took the case to Italy, to see if they could reach a more favorable ruling there -- as has happened.</p> <p>The Italian court ruled that if Germany refuses to cooperate, German assets in Italy could be seized as collateral.</p> <p>Martin Klingner, the claimants' Hamburg-based lawyer, described the move as an "epic decision."</p> <p>Legal saga</p> <p>The ruling was part of a long legal saga for victims seeking damages for massacres in over 60 Greek towns and villages. </p> <p>Germany maintained that it settled all such claims in the 1960s with a payment of 43 million euros and refused to pay. </p> <p>The Greek court subsequently authorized the seizure and auction of German state properties in Athens, including the Goethe Institute, the German schools in both Athens and Thessalonica, as well as the German Archaeological Institute.</p> <p>But the Greek government refused to approve selling the land for compensation, and court officials stopped trying to seize German property after Berlin launched a legal appeal. </p> <p>In 2003, Germany's Federal Court of Justice said that Germany was only liable to pay compensation to states, not to individuals affected by war crimes perpetrated almost 60 years ago.</p> <p>Foreclosure sales</p> <p>Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: German cultural centers in Italy might come under the hammer<br> If Germany refuses to pay this time, Italy has threatened that German cultural centers in the country, such as the German-Italian cultural center Villa Vigoni on Lake Como, will come under the hammer. Goethe Institutes in Italy could also be auctioned off.</p> <p>The German government has so far refused to comment on the court decisions, although a foreign ministry spokesman said Friday that Berlin was mulling its next move, but that German property in Italy such as consulates and cultural institutes would be protected by diplomatic immunity.</p> <p>According to reports, international law experts believe Germany may lodge a case against Italy with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which could prove highly damaging to German-Italian relations.</p> <p>DW staff (jp)" </em>Source: <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3393088,00.html"><a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3393088,00.html">http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3393088,00.html</a></a></p> <p>Well, I hope it won't damage any relations between the two countries, and I also hope that the issue can be solved without of course German cutural Centres being closed down nor the victims of injustice, committed however long time ago, being let down.</p> <p>But it won't be an easy case to solve...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/06/zeithain-revisited-or-the-issue-of-nazi--4283085/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/06/06/zeithain-revisited-or-the-issue-of-nazi--4283085/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/29/i-got-head-hunted-today-4242724/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-05-29:/2008/05/29/i-got-head-hunted-today-4242724/Thu, 29 May 2008 15:03:38 +0200 <p>... almost. No, I did get head-hunted... just didn't want the job... not there at least...</p> <p>Well, perhaps I start with the phone call. So about mid-day I got a phone call and a female voice introduced herself and said that she had seen my profile I posted on the Italian job website monster.it </p> <p><em>... oh, my God, it worked, I can't believe it... </em> <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"> [heart started to beat a bit faster] </p> <p>She explained that they are a recruitment agency and were looking for people with experience in the e-Learning sector</p> <p><em>... yes, I have about 4 years experience... </em><img src="/img/smilies/icon_surprised.gif" alt=":o" class="middle" border="0"> [heart started to race feaster yet]</p> <p>for a company in Leamington Spa.</p> <p><em>... in Leamington Spa? That is about 40 miles from here.</em> <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"> <em>I expected a bigger leap to be honest, at least to the northern part of Italy if not further... </em>[ after a cramped systole heart went back to normal beat]</p> <p>Well, she must have picked up on my disappointed because the woman fairly quickly realised that I was not that interested and excused herself and hung up, poor soul </p> <p>But then, at least one of the various job sites in Italy brought some results ( though I still wonder why the company would look on an Italian jobsite to find people for a company in Leamington Spa).</p> <p>Anyway, next time perhaps...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/29/i-got-head-hunted-today-4242724/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>head-hunted-monsterit-rolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/29/i-got-head-hunted-today-4242724/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/24/here-we-go-again-england-and-the-eurovis-4217101/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-05-24:/2008/05/24/here-we-go-again-england-and-the-eurovis-4217101/Sat, 24 May 2008 19:44:33 +0200 <p>English commentators go Eurovision with the warming-up of old stereotypes whose mantric repetition borders racism being caught between an arrogant "We are so much better then tyey - they can't sing over there anyway" to a bitter and hurt "Why don't we ever win?"</p> <p>The answer to the last question is already supplied in advance by the same columnists - it's all a big conspiracy against the English. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_yawn.gif" alt=":yawn:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Or several actually. </p> <p>They reach from the theory that the Spanish dictator Franco had bribed some juries to ensure that Cliff Richard did not make it to the top in 1968, to Britain being punished for entering the Iraq war alongside the US ( in 2004, when the British entry failed to get even one point)regardless failing to take into account that there were actually other members of the "coalition of the willing" (ie. Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine) taking part in the Song contest and what would their motivation be to punish their fellow coalition member?)</p> <p>No, England, just face it, the song and the artists were crap and that<br> is why you got "Nul points".</p> <p>And this year? Its the "voting blocks" that would prevent England<br> winning, 3 so far, the Balkan bloc (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia,<br> Bosnia-Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Greece, Cyprus,<br> Bulgaria, Hungary), the Eastern bloc (Russia, Ukraine, Armenia,<br> Georgia, Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Romania) and the Viking Empire<br> (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia).</p> <p>Of course it is not explained why with the recent political development<br> of the breaking up former Yougoslavia any of the Balcan countries would<br> vote for each other having been involved in bitter wars against each<br> others populations; why Turkey would ever want to vote for Greece and<br> vice versa given their political and military opposition over the past<br> decades; why eastern European contries would want to faviour their<br> former master Russia, and how anyway those bloc votes would not cancel<br> each other out (either within each group if they vote for different<br> contries within the group) or as indeed group-voting.</p> <p>All these bitter accusations make it hard to wish for England to do well. </p> <p>As Scotish football supporter answered when the question was asked in the media why Scottish would not cheer for England: "If you (England) loose, there is violence and riots, and if you win you never hear the end of it (like with 1966). And you ask why we have difficulty cheering for you?"</p> <p>Yes, well argued. Which makes makes me almost wish that,like so frequently in previous years, the British entry gets less points than the German one...</p> <p>But wait, that is the same misanthropic spirit as so many English comentators have... that is terrible, I have become like them. I have been staying too long, time to move on....</p> <p>No, as for the Songcontest, let's enjoy the party, even if it gets silly sometimes, or cringeworthy, may the best liked song win, and should it be the British entry, so be it and I am sure we can put up with the triumphalism and as we did before on similar occasions.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/24/here-we-go-again-england-and-the-eurovis-4217101/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>eurovision-song-contesthttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/05/24/here-we-go-again-england-and-the-eurovis-4217101/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/16/ah-italy-is-having-a-maggie-moment-4051212/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-04-16:/2008/04/16/ah-italy-is-having-a-maggie-moment-4051212/Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:48:31 +0200 <p>So, now it is depressingly official - Silvio Berlusconi won again! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Strange, since virtually noone I know admits to be voting for him. However, like Britain's own Maggie Thatcher in the 80's he is getting re-elected - and like Maggie for the 3rd time.</p> <p>A miracle! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>But if Silvio's re-election by the ghostly voter masses is similar to Maggie, let's see if he now also faces the same fate as her - after all, half way through the office term she was rather unceremoniously dumped im '89 by her own cabinett. </p> <p>Beware the Ides of March...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/16/ah-italy-is-having-a-maggie-moment-4051212/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>italyberlusconirolf-schwarzhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/16/ah-italy-is-having-a-maggie-moment-4051212/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/07/merry-chri-aster-4012000/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-04-07:/2008/04/07/merry-chri-aster-4012000/Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:55:34 +0200 <p>A crisp blue sky, freshly fallen snow, a flower - perfect! <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="B)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p><img src="http://www.rolfschwarz.com/blog/easter2008.gif" alt="Flower in snow one week after Easter 2008" title="Easter 2008"></p> <p>What a winter wonderland... an idyllic white Christmas... pity that this picture was taken in April, one week after Easter, - yesterday!</p> <p>And if I were a flower expecting warm spring sun but ending up in snow, I would look miserabel too. Do I need to say more why I want to escape to warmer climates? (What ever happened to global warming?)</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/07/merry-chri-aster-4012000/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>flower-winter-easterhttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/04/07/merry-chri-aster-4012000/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/31/lazy-i-never-3977455/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-03-31:/2008/03/31/lazy-i-never-3977455/Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:11:45 +0200 <p>"<em>update your blog - don't be meschino</em>"</p> <p>Ehi? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_surprised.gif" alt=":o" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>No "good morning", no "how are you?" - no, just straight into accusations... even words like "<em>pigro</em>" were used... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt="8|" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>But hold on a minute, isn't that what holidays is all about? Being lazy without feeling guilty?</p> <p>And anyway, who said I was lazy over the Easter holiday - though the weather was atrocious and actually perfect to stay in bed all day, thank you very much.</p> <p>But no, actually, I progressed another step further on the path to Italy by digitalising all my music to mp3 format. All my cassette tapes, CD and now even my vinyls are all ready in a handy compressed format - all 13492 songs - and no, I did not count them all myself, I may be German but I am not that anal, Windows actually counts the content of folders for you. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"> And now they all fit onto my mp3 media player, so I can get rid of the CDs and vinyls.</p> <p>So, Giorgio, there you are, I was actually busy even in my time off <img src="/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":p" class="middle" border="0"> ... and now over to you, as you are also relocating (to Budapest), lets see how much you keep your blog updated <a href="http://www.vadoabudapest.blogspot.com/"><a href="http://www.vadoabudapest.blogspot.com/">http://www.vadoabudapest.blogspot.com/</a></a> (because you know, if you are "<em>pigro</em>", people might say that you are even "<em>meschino</em>" <img src="/img/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>And the next step for me? Put all my backups onto the hard disk to delete all the duplicates and get the ultimate backup - so that instead of the collection of about 100 backup CDs that have amassed over the years I can put it on the external hard drive.</p> <p>Travel light, I say...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/31/lazy-i-never-3977455/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>italyrolf-schwarztravel-preparationshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/31/lazy-i-never-3977455/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/italy-or-infitiy-and-beyond-part-3896252/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-03-17:/2008/03/17/italy-or-infitiy-and-beyond-part-3896252/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:10:51 +0100 <p>... and as I am already dealing with rejection - awhile back I wrote in my blog about the Mars500 project (<a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/?tag=mars500"><a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/?tag=mars500">http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/?tag=mars500</a></a>)</p> <p>Well, a few weeks back now I got the answer to that one:</p> <p><em>Dear Sir,</p> <p>Thank you for your interest in our Mars500 programme.<br> You do not meet our requirements, therefore you can unfortunately not apply to this programme.</p> <p>Kind regards,<br> Thu Jennifer Ngo-Anh, MD, PhD</p> <p>Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration (HME-GAL)<br> European Space Agency</em></p> <p>Now, how's that for short and sweet - never mind that I did not meet the requirement, they even barred me from the application itself... <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif" alt=":'(" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>O tempus, o mores...</p> <p>Well, so I guess I won't be spending one year and a half in a bunker complex somewhere in Russia...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/italy-or-infitiy-and-beyond-part-3896252/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>mars500http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/italy-or-infitiy-and-beyond-part-3896252/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/arrivo-3896172/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-03-17:/2008/03/17/arrivo-3896172/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:50:39 +0100 <p>Well, not with any job offers but since I have registered with various Italian job websites I am now priviledged to receive Italian spam mail on top of the usual ones in English:</p> <p><em><strong>Poste Italiane ha deciso di limitare l'accesso al tuo conto!</strong><br> Gentile Cliente,</p> <p>Nell'ambito delle misure di sicurezza da noi adottate, controlliamo costantemente le attivitа del sistema. Durante una recente verifica, abbiamo rilevato un problema riguardante il tuo conto. </p> <p>Attivitа insolite del conto hanno reso necessaria una limitazione dell'accesso al conto fino a quando non verranno raccolte ulteriori informazioni di verifica. </p> <p>Abbiamo deciso di limitare l'accesso al tuo conto fino a quando non verrа completata l'implementazione di misure di sicurezza aggiuntive.<br> Per controllare il tuo conto e le informazioni che Poste italiane ha utilizzato per decretare di limitare l'accesso al conto, visita il link qui sotto:</p> <p> Accedi ai servizi online per recuperare il acceso » </p> <p>Se, dopo aver controllato le informazioni sul conto, desideri ulteriori chiarimenti riguardo all'accesso al conto, contatta in nostro sito utilizzando il modulo Contattaci nell'Aiuto. </p> <p>Nel ringraziarti per la collaborazione, ti ricordiamo che questa и una misura di sicurezza il cui scopo и quello di garantire la tutela degli utenti e dei conti. </p> <p>Ci scusiamo per gli eventuali disagi.</p> <p>Cordiali saluti,<br> Assistenza clienti Poste italiane </em></p> <p>Yeah, nice try, guys - how about trying that again when I actually live in Italy and have a Italian bank account whose access could be limited? <img src="/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":p" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>And how about showing a bit more respect for the "genile cliente" by not using the informal way of addressing me ("tuo conto" -> equivalent to "Dein Konto" in German), but the formal one, eg, "Poste Italiane ha deciso di limitare l'accesso al <strong>suo</strong> conto" ?</p> <p>Better luck next time you <img src="/img/smilies/icon_censored.gif" alt=">:XX" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/arrivo-3896172/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/arrivo-3896172/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/right-now-it-is-official-3896123/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-03-17:/2008/03/17/right-now-it-is-official-3896123/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:41:12 +0100 <p>Ok, so today I got the response to my job application with the European University Institute in Florence:</p> <p><em>IUE/3/2007 - WEBMASTER</p> <p>Dear Sir or Madam,</p> <p>I should like to thank you for the interest which you have shown in the above-mentioned post at the European University Institute.</p> <p>Unfortunately, I have to inform you that after careful consideration by the Selection Board your application has not been successful.</p> <p>The decision taken in no way affects your participation in any future competitions organised by the Institute and for which you satisfy the eligibility conditions. </p> <p>You have to submit a new application for each selection procedure in which you are interested. <em></p> <p>Buhuhuuu <img src="/img/smilies/grayno.gif" alt=":no:" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>"after careful consideration... ?" and then they can't even personalise the rejection with my name?</p> <p>Sigh, anyway... maybe better luck with the next one...</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"><br> </em></em> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/right-now-it-is-official-3896123/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/03/17/right-now-it-is-official-3896123/#commentshttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/02/07/ok_so_probably_not_this_one~3695437/tag:the-italian-job.blog.co.uk,2008-02-07:/2008/02/07/ok_so_probably_not_this_one~3695437/Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:40:26 +0100 <p>Right, 3 weeks are gone and so far no news from my application I made. </p> <p>Well, so I guess it is safe to assure that I was not successful. A bit disappointing that I didn't even make it to the interview.</p> <p>Sigh. <img src="/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif" alt=":'(" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>But let's not despair... because I found an jobs page that specialises not only on jobs in Italy, but even better on IT jobs <img src="/img/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p><a href="http://www.infojobs.it/"><a href="http://www.infojobs.it/">http://www.infojobs.it/</a></a></p> <p>I already searched for jobs and found two connected with webdesign. In Milano - not quite Firence, but hey, it is Italy. Needless to say that I applied for both jobs. </p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="B)" class="middle" border="0"></p> <p>Also, there is another job page, the officcial page of the job agency of Bolzano, or also known as Bozen as it is in the very north of Italy, where people are bilingual and speak Germans as well as Italian. So little language difficulties there then.</p> <p><a href="https://cert.provinz.bz.it/borsalavoro/ricercaOfferteSimple.jsp">https://cert.provinz.bz.it/borsalavoro/ricercaOfferteSimple.jsp</a></p> <p>I tried it but nothing there so far. But I'll keep checking.</p> <p><img src="/img/smilies/icon_wave.gif" alt=":wave:" class="middle" border="0"> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/02/07/ok_so_probably_not_this_one~3695437/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>jobsrolf-schwarzithttp://the-italian-job.blog.co.uk/2008/02/07/ok_so_probably_not_this_one~3695437/#comments