Call to arms

I don't go to many manifestazioni but today's protest against the government's budget cuts for the entertainment sector is very important for people who work in the industry (and not only us).
Come one, come ALL!

Monday July 20th, starting at 5:00 PM at Piazza Montecitorio
Lunedì 20 Luglio, dalle ore 17.00, a Piazza Montecitorio

Per contrastare l'imbarazzante provvedimento del governo di tagliare il FUS e per porre l'attenzione sui problemi dei lavoratori dello spettacolo, insieme ai rappresentanti della maggior parte delle associazioni di settore, è stato deciso di indire una manifestazione per Lunedi 20 Luglio alle ore 17.00 davanti a Piazza Montecitorio.
Vi preghiamo, non solo di aderire alla manifestazione, ma di inoltrare e sollecitare
la presenza di quante più persone potete coinvolgere tra amici e colleghi.

So wrong

I'm sure most of you have heard about the new Italian law which would oblige doctors/nurses to contact the authorities if they suspect the patient they're treating does not have a valid visa or work permit. It's wrong on so many levels that I can't even begin to put it into words. So instead I'll illustrate it through a story about a recent incident I had the misfortune of witnessing:
As I was walking in my 'hood, I passed by a beggar who's always on the corner of Viale Trastevere- I noticed there was a pool of blood beneath him and he was wiping away even more blood from his face. I don't think I've ever seen this much blood before in my life. A group of people were standing around him talking amongst themselves. "What the fuck is going on? Why isn't anyone doing anything?" was my first reaction, and naturally I stepped into the group of people to inquire. Apparently, two other homeless beggars had come by and bashed this beggar's nose in... and then just walked away. I started to get riled up asking if anyone had called the cops or called a medic from the hospital two steps away, but nobody had. Why not? Not because they didn't give a shit, but because they had no idea what this beggar's situation was. If he was an illegal immigrant, by calling the cops or doctors (who are now being forced to act as immigration cops) they would've basically been signing this guy's deportation papers. So rather than be responsible for getting him into trouble over his visa or lack of, everyone opted to stay silent and just stand around and stare. I was tempted to go call for help but realized that these people were right... And that, my friends, is one example of why this law is so wrong.

Oh no he didn't!

Actually he did... Berluska referred to our President-elect as, "giovane, bello, e abbronzato".
Whoa, not even sure what to do with that!

Sexism & politics

But wait, there's more...

Sadness

A sad day for Rome...