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You may remember that, in July, Italy won the football Word Cup. No? Best defense ever? Materazzi? Headbutt? 意大利万岁? Anybody?

Anyways, I was in Rome that night, I borrowed a friend's camera, and I took some pictures on the street. I gave the camera back, and he told me he would email me the pictures "in a few days." I got the pictures today, which is what he meant. I suppose anybody who has sent me a paper to referee, only to be assured I would send the review "in a few days," is now nodding knowingly.

I did not know how the settings of the camera worked, it was night, we were never able to stop the car (except in traffic), so the pictures are dark and shaky, then the battery run out just when we got to the center, plus I ran out of gas, I had a flat tire, I didn't have enough money for cab fare, my tux didn't come back from the cleaners, an old friend came in from out of town, someone stole my car, there was an earthquake, a terrible flood, LOCUSTS!

Having dispensed with the excuses, in the interest of timely dissemination here are some of the pictures.

We start driving from Monte Sacro, a neighborhood in the North-East of the city, about 5 miles away from the center. It's less than two hours since the game is over, and a newspaper kiosk is selling day-after newspapers with chronicles of the game.



In this much time they wrote the articles, printed the papers, and got them all over the city, which is, of course, completely gridlocked. This shows that when something is really important, Italians can be efficient. (No, I don't know why there is advertising for Newsweek in a Monte Sacro newspaper kiosk.)

After more than an hour, we get to the Muro Torto, the wide road (with tunnels) that runs along historical walls and goes toward Piazza del Popolo.

Almost all the traffic is, of course, in the direction toward the center, which is where we are trying to go.


This gentleman has "W la fica" writeen on his chest. (Sorry, no translation.)

Since the traffic is not moving, one guy has the time to get out of his car and climb on top of a truck.


Then there is the group of guys running around in tighty whiteys.

This guy, instead, is jumping up and down on a Mercedes S-series. Note that he removed his shoes, so there is not risk of damaging the car.

The friend behind him, instead, his standing on the windshield. The Germans sure know how to make sturdy cars.


Then there is the Zidane coffin.

The lady in the red car is not showing a lot of enthusiasm. Seven people have fit into this small Citroen cabrio.

Note again the serious lady in the red car, and the fact that nobody is driving the Citroen. Carrying open alchoolic beverages in a car is actually legally in Italy. Driving this way, however, is allowed only on special occasions.


This is a Fiat 500, the car on which I learned how to drive. (No, I am not that old, it was a used car!)



This is the closest I got to taking a picture of Piazza del Popolo.

Catenaccio (heavy chain - the kind used to lock a gate) is the term used to define Italy's defense.

Slaughtering the Cow to Get the Butter

Americans are fond of rankings and lists, and the end of the year is the time when you see top ten this and worst seven that wherever you look.

Media Matters has compiled a list of the 11 most outrageous comments of 2006 by right-wing commentators.

There is, for example, nationally syndacated obese radio host Rush Limbaugh pointing out that obesity is more prevalent in heavily Republican states and least prevalent in heavily Democratic ones, thus showing that obesity is caused by leftist liberal policies. But the best part is when he explains that, in dealing with the poor, the government is not teaching the poor how to slaughter the cow to get the butter, it just gives them the butter. Just listen to it.

Among the honorable mentions, nationally syndacated radio host Neal Boortz commented on the hairstyle of Representative Cynthia McKinney's of Georgia as follows: "She looks like a ghetto slut." Representative McKinney is black.

It is, however, the screen captions on Fox News which are the most hilarious.

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Berkeley

This is were the notable earthquakes of the last few days have taken place, according to the US geological survey web site. And Berkeley had the distinction of three earthquakes in four days, as reported, among other sources, in the People's Daily.



It must be especially annoying if you happen to be living on a tree.

An associated press article is so very reassuring:

But the minor earthquakes should not be interpreted as omens of a more destructive one to come, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist with the National Earthquake Information Center.

"It could mean there’s something coming, it could mean there’s nothing coming," Sigala said.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holydays!

[Update 12/27: now that a real earthquake has hit Taiwan, this post sounds especially needless and petulant.]