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About Como

Built in 1847, Como Historic House is an intriguing mix of Australian Regency and classic Italianate architecture.

Established by Edward Eyre Williams as a new home for himself and his wife Jessie Gibbon, Como has been immersed in glamour and romance since its early beginnings.

A romantic tale suggests that Edward had proposed to Jessie at Lake Como in Italy, and they named their new home in honour of this happy occasion.

Edward and Jessie were members of the colonial elite, and hosted many a gathering of the social set of Melbourne. The couple and their four children, however, did not reside at the property for long, selling it to investor Frederick Dalgety in 1852.

Less than a year later, Dalgety onsold the property to Scotsman John Brown and his wife Helen.

John and Helen spared no expense and got to work adding a second story, tower and new outbuildings. It was the Browns who engaged renowned gardener, William Sangster, to transform the bush land into five acres of breathtaking gardens

However, in 1861 John's financial situation changed drastically for the worse and he was forced to mortgage Como to the Bank of Australasia.

In 1864, Charles Armytage bought the estate at auction for £14,000 and, with his wife Caroline, raised his ten children in its gracious surroundings.

Charles died in 1876 and Caroline in 1909, but their daughters Leila, Constance and Laura lived on at Como and left an indelible impression there.

In 1906 the legacy of romance at Como was continued when Constance Armytage married the Aide-de-camp of the Governor of Victoria, Captain Arthur Fitzpatrick. The Table Talk magazine described the wedding as the "social event of the year."

The Armytage family were to remain at Como for over 95 years, until they handed it over to the National Trust in 1959 to preserve a beautiful representation of colonial Victoria and its prosperity.

The house still remains furnished with Armytage family furniture and provides a glimpse into the lives and times of a dynasty.

The National Trust has also worked hard to restore the gardens to their original glory, including replicating the vegetable gardens once used by the household.

Today the Trust presents the property as one of Melbourne's top attractions, where visitors can come and appreciate the late 19th century architecture and landscaping, while still enjoying the creature comforts of the 21st century.

So pack your picnic rug and join us at Como Historic House and Garden for a gourmet

 SOURCE:

http://www.comohouse.com.au/about_como

James Tissot, detail from "Pilgrims on the Road to Emmaus" (1884-1896), watercolor on gray wove paper, Brooklyn Museum. Larger image.

The gleaming cloud tops and fragrant spring air would have invigorated most travelers leaving Jerusalem that Sunday afternoon. But these two began their trek to Emmaus staring grimly at the trail, forcing leaden feet up the steep path to the ridge, where they would follow the road down the Judean slopes.

Cleopas and his friend were going over and over the events of the weekend that had climaxed with their Leader hanging limp, pale, lifeless on a stained wooden cross. Then a hurried burial -- and despair.

Hearing the crunch of footsteps behind them, Cleopas glanced back. A traveler was rapidly climbing the grade, as if to join them. But he had caught only fragments of their conversation. "What are you talking about?" he asked, as he caught up to them.

Cleopas stopped. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Everybody in Jerusalem has been talking about Jesus of Nazareth." He told of their excitement. Of the arrest and crucifixion. Of the women's tale of a stolen body and of angels. "We had hoped that he was the Messiah," Cleopas said, "but now...." His words drifted off in sadness as he resumed the journey.

They were at the summit, and as the road began its downward incline, the traveler shot a strange challenge: "Don't you know what the Scriptures say?" Cleopas just shrugged and gestured with his hands as if to say, "We don't know."

So for the next several miles, the traveler began to talk, patiently explaining each of the Scripture passages that spoke about how the Christ, the Messiah, would have to suffer. Then he explained about Messiah's glory to come.

Cleopas and his friend walked with amazement. It was as if Scriptures that they had heard, but never understood before, began to click into place. Their steps quickened. Their hearts were pounding, but they didn't notice.

The miles seemed to melt away. Then suddenly, just around the bend was their village, Emmaus. They were home. The traveler thanked them for their company and turned again to the path, but they didn't want to let him go. Not someone who could bring them such hope, such understanding from the Scriptures.

"Won't you stay overnight?" Cleopas called. "It'll be dark soon. You must! Please!"

He did stay. As they reclined around the table, Cleopas handed a fresh round loaf to the traveler. "Would you honor us by offering the blessing tonight?"

The traveler lifted up the bread and repeated the familiar the Jewish blessing:

"Blessed are you, O God, King of the Universe,
Who brings forth bread from the earth."

And then he began break it, handing a piece to each of them in turn. Cleopas caught his breath. His eyes met the man's. Suddenly, in that moment, he knew! Who knows how? -- but he knew. It was the Lord! He saw the faintest glimmer of a smile on his face, and then Jesus simply vanished.

All they could do was stare at each other for a moment in stunned amazement.

 Then Cleopas jumped up. "It's true! The women were right. Jesus is alive! He has risen!"

Their food and drink lay untouched on the table, but both men were bounding out the door and away, running. "No wonder our hearts burned within us while he was talking to us on the road," his companion said later, as they paused briefly. They ended up running, then walking, then running again nearly the whole way back to the city.

Cleopas pounded on the upper room door. "We have seen him! We have seen Jesus!" Peter opened the door a crack, but Cleopas couldn't contain himself and pushed his way in. Then their story tumbled out. "He's alive!" Cleopas concluded. "The moment he broke bread with us, all of a sudden, we knew him."

Like these two men on their way to Emmaus, many have come to the same startling conclusion. Unrecognized, Jesus begins to walk the road with us, to talk to us. And if we think to, if we care enough to ask Him in, we come to realize who He really is -- the Christ, the Son of God, the Risen One.

This story has been adapted from Luke 24:13-35. Copyright © 2009, Ralph F. Wilson. All rights reserved. Originally published as "A Companion Along the Way" in The Evangel, April 3, 1988, pp. 4-5. Revised April 8, 2009.

The Carnival of Viareggio is one of the most famous in Italy: it lasts a month with night and day celebrations, floats, parades, district celebrations, masked dances and other shows. In 2001 the new "Citadel" (Carnival town) was inaugurated: a polyfunctional and a great architectonical value structure that includes new hangars for the creation of the floats, the papier-mâché school and a great arena where, during the summer, "Citadel under the stars" review is held, including shows, concerts and cultural initiatives.

The carnival in Venice was first recorded in 1268. The subversive nature of the festival is reflected in the many laws created over the centuries in Italy attempting to restrict celebrations and often banning the wearing of masks.

Masks have always been a central feature of the Venetian carnival; traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of Santo Stefano (St. Stephen's Day, December 26) at the start of the carnival season and midnight of Shrove Tuesday. As masks were also allowed during Ascension and from October 5 to Christmas, people could spend a large proportion of the year in disguise. Mask makers (mascareri) enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own guild.

In 1797 Venice became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio. The Austrians took control of the city on January 18, 1798 and it fell into a decline which brought carnival celebrations to a halt for many years. It was not until a modern mask shop was founded in the 1970s that a revival of old traditions began.

Ivrea

Another important Italian carnival is the Historical Carnival of Ivrea, mostly known for its Battle of the Oranges. It is valued as one of the most ancient carnivals in the world: during the year 1000 a miller's wife killed the tyrant of the city, King Arduino; from that episode began a civil war between the oppressed people and the king's supporters, finally won by people, and until now every year the citizens remember their liberation with the Battle of the Oranges. Here, teams of "Aranceri" by foot shoot oranges representing ancient arrows and stones against Aranceri on carts, representing Arduino's allies. During the French occupation of Italy in the nineteenth century the Carnival of Ivrea had been modified by adding representatives of the French army who help the miller's wife.

Others

In Milan the Carnival lasts four more days, ending on the Saturday after Ash Wednesday, because of the Ambrosian rite.

SOURCE:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival

Name:

The lake's name in Latin is Larius, Italianized as Lario, but this name is rarely used; it is usually called Lago di Como (literally "Lake of Como"). In guidebooks the lake may be variously described as "Lake Como", "Lake of Como", or "Como Lake."

While the town of Como is referred to as "Como", the lake itself is never referred to solely by this name. (This is not true of another lake in Italy, Lake Garda, where "Garda" may refer to either a town on its shores, or the lake). 

Geography:

The lake is shaped like an upside-down “Y”. The northern branch begins at the town of Colico, while the towns of Como and Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. The small towns of Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna are situated at the intersection of the three branches of the lake: a triangular boat service operates between them.

Lake Como is fed in large part by the Adda River, which enters the lake near Colico and flows out at Lecco. This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is often flooded.

The mountainous pre-alpine territory between the two southern arms of the lake—between Como, Bellagio and Lecco—is known as the Larian Triangle, or Triangolo lariano. The source of the river Lambro is here. At the centre of the triangle, the town of Canzo is the seat of the Comunità montana del Triangolo Lariano, an association of the 31 municipalities which represent the 71,000 inhabitants of the area.

 SOURCE: http://www.cpmitaly.net/index.cfm

My fellow citizens:  I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. 

     I thank President Bush for his service to our nation -- (applause) -- as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

     Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.  The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.  Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.  At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. 

SOURCE:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/

On Jan. 20, change will come to Washington. To part of it, anyway. Barack Obama will take office, but another Washington fixture, the press that covered George W. Bush, will still be there: a whole roster of newly minted network White House correspondents, yes, but the same apparatus behind them.

Come Jan. 21 and beyond--after nearly three months of offering the President-elect free advice and producing stories about his struggles to choose a puppy and keep his BlackBerry--the press will need to cover the fact, not the idea, of President Obama. As long as we're asking what he might do differently, it's only fair to ask the same of the media that cover him. Has the press learned anything from the past eight years? And if so, will those lessons stay learned? (See pictures of Barack Obama's college years.)

We have to go back, as with so much concerning Bush, to Sept. 11, 2001. After 9/11 the press failed in some big ways. Not everywhere, not everyone and not always. But there was too credulous reporting and cheerleading--from the erroneous WMD speculation to the cable-news screens festooned with American flags to the anemic press conference before the Iraq war in which Bush fielded hardballs like "How is your faith guiding you?"

By James Poniewozik

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1871916,00.html

None of which is to say the media need to pick fights with Obama just to prove their relevance. But they will have to work all the harder to cover the Obama Administration for what it is and not just what their audience wants to hear. For all the controversy over whether the press has a political bias, just as insidious is the bias in favor of being liked--and keeping an audience. Amid all the change, this is one thing that stays the same.

 

Diecimila soldati e 700 chioschi per hot dog
Ecco i numeri dell'Obama day a Washington

York, 15 gennaio 2009 - Continuano i preparativi per l’insediamento del quarantaquattresimo presidente degli Stati Uniti, Barack Obama, che si preannuncia come il più atteso e seguito di tutti i tempi. Ecco alcuni numeri e curiosità sull’avvenimento. A garantire la sicurezza, insieme agli agenti di polizia della capitale, ci saranno 10.000 soldati della Guardia Nazionale.

Nello storico Mall di Washington che dal monumento a George Washington porta al Capitol Hill la cerimonia sarà proiettata su 22 megaschermi dislocati lungo tutto il viale.

La piattaforma in legno costruita di fronte al Capitol in cui si terrà il giuramento misura quasi 1000 metri quadrati e ospiterà oltre 1600 persone, tra cui i membri del Senato e della Camera dei rappresentanti, i membri del governo di Obama, gli ex presidenti, i governatori dei 50 Stati, i capi di Stato Maggiore delle forze armate e i corpi diplomatici.

Sono invece 700 i venditori ambulanti di souvenir e hot dog che hanno ottenuto una licenza speciale per quattro giorni, dal weekend fino al martedì dell’inaugurazione. Le postazioni sono state attribuite mediante una lotteria. Per l’occasione è prevista una temperatura media di poco superiore allo zero.

Continua a leggere l'articolo!!!

Fonte:

http://quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/

National Hot Dog & Sausage Council Says President-Elect Obama's Historic Trip to Famous DC Hot Dog Restaurant Reflects Excellent and All-American Tast

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President-Elect Barack Obama's visit to the DC landmark Ben's Chili Bowl for a half-smoke yesterday reflects his excellent and all-American taste in cuisine.

According to National Hot Dog & Sausage Council President Janet M. Riley, "His stop yesterday shows that while the most sophisticated chefs in America may be vying for his palate, American hot dogs and sausages were the 'wieners' this weekend in Washington."

As a result of the stop, the Council is optimistic about hot dog and sausages' potential places on the White House menu. "Hot dogs have a rich and bi-partisan history at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," Riley said. President Franklin D. Roosevelt served hot dogs to King George VI in 1939. Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush also served them.

Because President-elect Obama seemed confused about the half-smoke on the menu at Ben's Chili Bowl, the Council offers a clarification about this local DC delicacy. A half-smoke is a sausage that is similar to a hot dog but is larger in size, contains more coarsely ground meat and is slightly spicier.

Given Obama's Chicago home, the Council is optimistic that he will adhere to one of the Councils' -- and the Windy City's -- cardinal etiquette rules: no ketchup on hot dog after the age of 18. Under Council rules, First Children Malia and Sasha are exempt from the ketchup restriction -- at least for a few more years.

For more hot dog and sausage facts and figures -- including the Council's highly rated hot dog etiquette video -- visit www.hot-dog.org or www.YouTube.com/hotdogcouncil.

SOURCE National Hot Dog & Sausage Council/American Meat Institute

Israel's strike on Gaza had been expected for days, but it was still a surprise when it finally came. Taking advantage of good weather, which is forecast to last at least three days, Israeli planes bombed some 40 Palestinian police stations, posts and other targets early Saturday morning, killing more than 150 people including a number of senior Hamas military leaders. The first strikes came in a coordinated three-minute blitz.

Israeli officials say the strikes were necessary to force an end to the rocket attacks from Gaza, which is ruled by the radical Islamist group Hamas after it split from the Palestinian Authority run by President Mahmoud Abbas out of the West Bank. Palestinian militants in Gaza have long launched Kassam and other rockets at Israeli towns across the border, and in the past six weeks the number of attacks has increased dramatically. After the attack, Israeli officials said the number of Palestinian rocket attacks could now spike to 200 a day. Hamas announced that it had sent a rocket toward Askelon; one man in the Israeli town of Netivot, east of the Gaza strip, was killed. Israel also expects Hamas to launch suicide attacks against Israel. A Hamas leader promised as much Saturday.

But Israel is prepared to ratchet up the pressure still further in the hope that it will force a workable ceasefire. Saturday's attack was authorized two days previously, and though no Israeli ground troops have crossed into Gaza so far, that remains an option according to Israeli officials. Dozens of Israeli air force planes remain in the skies above Gaza. "If they retaliate they will feel it stronger and the number [of casualties] on the Gaza side will rise", a senior Israeli military source told TIME.

But Israel will need to move carefully. Air strikes that kill large numbers of Palestinian civilians are only likely to fuel support for Hamas, and ramp up international pressure to end the operation quickly. (See photos of Gaza border tension.)

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in June. Israel wants the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and is extremely wary of becoming embroiled in a military operation in Gaza with no clear exit strategy. Hamas needed the truce to relieve the catastrophic economic strain imposed by the Israeli siege and to consolidate its control over Gaza. And so, for very different reasons, the two sides found themselves negotiating — not directly, because neither side recognizes the other — but through an Egyptian mediator. But in the past few weeks the ceasefire has all but broken down.

Indeed, even as the Israelis said the operation was continuing, Egypt was among the diplomatic casualties. Cairo had played host to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Dec. 25. She took the opportunity to criticize Hamas for its rocket attacks. The silence of her Egyptian hosts is now being seen by Palestinians as indirect collusion with Israel, damaging Cairo's ability to play mediator. Furthermore, in the contest for primacy between Hamas and Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas, as the "victim" of this episode, emerges as the victor in the eyes of Arabs and Palestinians. Already, elements of Abbas' own Fatah Party, the bulwark of the PA, are campaigning against the security cooperation with Israel and talking about boycotting meetings with the Jewish state.

Both Israel and Hamas have their reasons for a return to open hostilities. Livni and her allies face a looming election against the more hawkish former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas may be pushing for tactical gains, like doing away with a 600-meter no-man's land established by the Israeli military on the Palestinian side of the boundary fence. The recent rocket attacks were also well timed because of the political vacuum in the U.S. In Washington, officials have been urging Israel to refrain from an invasion or other operations in Gaza during the White House transition. The air attack on Gaza has shattered that hope. With reporting by Jamil Hamad/Bethlehem

l'analisi del conflitto

Israele pronto a entrare a Gaza
Hamas può rispondere con i kamikaze

Blindati e fanteria sono già sul confine. Ma il lancio dei razzi contro le città non è diminuito

Prima di lanciare la probabile offensiva di terra, Israele vuole neutralizzare la struttura di “comando e controllo” di Hamas. I devastanti raid aerei, con centinaia di vittime, hanno sicuramente provocato danni ma non hanno impedito – come altre volte – che i militanti riuscissero a lanciare dei razzi. Alcuni missili – probabilmente forniti dagli iraniani – hanno raggiunto la cittadina di Ashdod, a 38 chilometri dalla striscia di Gaza. Una conferma delle segnalazioni dell’intelligence che aveva avvertito: Hamas ha allungato il raggio d’azione dei suoi ordigni.

LE PROSSIME TAPPE - In questa fase si possono segnalare i seguenti punti. 1) Israele ha iniziato ad ammassare forze terrestri attorno alla striscia ed è imminente un richiamo di riservisti. Chiare indicazioni della volontà di “entrare” a Gaza con blindati e fanteria 2) I palestinesi continuano con i lanci di razzi e, se riusciranno, cercheranno di colpire con gli attentatori suicidi. 3) Verrà intensificata da parte israeliana la caccia “agli uomini dei missili” palestinesi. E’ tuttavia possibile che Hamas, imitando l’Hezbollah, abbia costituito cellule autonome di lanciatori. Una tattica facilitata dalle caratteristiche tecniche degli ordigni. Quasi rudimentali, sono facili da usare, si nascondono bene. 4) E’ probabile che l’eliminazione di alcuni capi militari palestinesi sia seguita dall’uccisione di quadri politici. Un modo per accrescere le difficoltà del movimento. Non bisogna dimenticare che la leadership di Hamas non è compatta e sono note le rivalità tra i capi che risiedono all’estero (Siria, Iran, Libano) e quelli che vivono sotto le bombe a Gaza.

Guido Olimpio
28 dicembre 2008

La follìa suicida collettiva dell'islamismo integralista di Hamas a Gaza

Dal sito www.israele.net del 28 maggio 2008

"Gaza sta diventando un simbolo. Giustamente si sottolinea la necessità per Israele di porre fine al lancio quotidiano, e sempre più esteso, di razzi e granate sui civili israeliani. In effetti è chiaro che, in queste circostanze, prima o poi Israele dovrà assumere un’iniziativa militare – nessun paese farebbe altrimenti – per far tacere mitra e lanciamissili.

In questo contesto, un aspetto assai significativo è quello che riguarda l’atteggiamento dei capi di Hamas circa la tensione crescente. Da un lato essi negoziano – con l’Egitto, non con l’illegittima “entità sionista” – per una cessazione temporanea delle ostilità. Dall’altra, autorizzano la continua estensione della gittata degli attacchi missilistici, ben sapendo che questo non fa che avvicinare il giorno in cui Israele, quale che sia il governo in carica, sarà costretto a ordinare all’esercito di marciare su Gaza per cacciare Hamas dal potere.

Tale è la politica di Hamas: non solo un’infinita e sanguinosa belligeranza contro l’entità sionista, ma anche la disponibilità a perdere persino il controllo su Gaza nel corso di questa guerra. Il che significa la disponibilità a sacrificare non solo la vita di singole persone – uomini, donne, bambini – ma anche quello stesso regime da loro instaurato poco meno di un anno fa con un golpe violento. In altre parole, un suicidio politico in senso lato: shahid (martire) non è solo il singolo individuo, ma il regime stesso.

Può sembrare una conclusione estrema, ma – come scrive Ari Bar Yossef, già responsabile della commissione sicurezza della Knesset – casi analoghi di suicidio nazionale arabo islamico non sono una rarità. Bar Yossef cita tre esempi di regimi che hanno irrazionalmente sacrificato la propria stessa esistenza, mettendo a tacere l’istinto di sopravvivenza, pur di combattere ad oltranza quello che percepivano come l’acerrimo nemico.

Il primo caso è quello di Saddam Hussein che, nel 2003, avrebbe potuto evitare la guerra e la caduta se solo avesse permesso agli ispettori Onu di cercare dove volevano le armi di distruzione di massa (che a quanto pare non esistevano). Invece il rais iracheno optò per la guerra, sapendo benissimo che avrebbe dovuto affrontare la potenza degli Stati Uniti.

Il secondo caso è quello di Yasser Arafat che, nel 2000, dopo il fallimento dei colloqui a Camp David e Taba, aveva due possibilità: continuare a trattare con Israele sotto la leadership di Ehud Barak (il governo più moderato e flessibile che Israele avesse mai avuto) o tornare alla violenza. Arafat scelse la violenza, col risultato che tutti i progressi che erano stati fatti verso l’indipendenza palestinese vennero bloccati. La tragica perdita di vite umane che ne seguì, da entrambe le parti, attesta la preferenza di Arafat per il suicidio rispetto al compromesso.

Il terzo caso è quello dei Talebani. Dopo l’11 settembre, la loro dirigenza aveva due opzioni: avviare negoziati con gli Stati Uniti in vista dell’estradizione di Osama bin Laden, oppure rischiare la guerra e la distruzione. La scelta che fecero è evidente: meglio morire combattendo che cedere di un solo centimetro.

In tutti questi casi, la conclusione è chiara: guerra protratta, morte e distruzione fino al suicidio nazionale sono preferibili alle soluzioni dei conflitti pacifiche e di compromesso. Morire è meglio che negoziare con gli infedeli. È la stessa conclusione, naturalmente, che emerge dal voto dei palestinesi a favore di Hamas e della scelta suicida, così come dalla decisione dell’Iran di scontrarsi con il Consiglio di Sicurezza insistendo sulla strada delle armi nucleari.

Questi casi, benché abbiano pochi precedenti negli annali della storia, non devono sorprendere più di tanto. Dal momento in cui viene glorificato il suicidio individuale, dal momento in cui la morte in battaglia viene descritta come la chiave per un felice aldilà, dal momento in cui la guerra stessa viene santificata (jihad), perché questi concetti non dovrebbero estendersi dall’individuo alla collettività? Al regime stesso? Il suicidio diventa la via per la salvezza sia individuale che nazionale.

Per fortuna, non tutti i regimi arabi e musulmani sono così. La grande maggioranza degli arabi desidera la vita, la libertà e la felicità.

Ma quando si tratta dell’odio verso Israele, improvvisamente prevale la follia, e non solo in Iran. È un dato di fatto che l’obiettivo esplicito dell’Iran di “cancellare Israele dalla mappa geografica”, e la minaccia implicita di usare a questo scopo le armi nucleari, trova il sostegno di moltissimi palestinesi, che pure sarebbero i primi ad essere “cancellati” dall’attuazione quel progetto. Il suicidio, nella lotta contro Israele, ha assunto un grado di legittimità che l’occidente non può nemmeno afferrare.

Bisogna fare i conti con questa spiacevole realtà. Da un lato, essa deve spingerci a incrementare gli sforzi per arrivare a un modus vivendi con l’Olp per diminuire l’influenza dei fanatici (nonostante il fatto che qualunque compromesso di questo tipo verrebbe rifiutato dall’Iran e dai suoi sodali). Dall’altro, Israele come il resto dell’occidente deve attrezzarsi per affrontare una guerra lunga, costosa e irrazionale come poche altre in passato."

28/12/2008 Controffensiva israeliana a Gaza: raid aereo nella notte, vicino al valico di frontiera di Karni: colpita un’altra cellula terroristica di Hamas. 28/12/2008 Controffensiva israeliana a Gaza: bombardato sabato sera un veicolo Hamas che trasportava munizioni a Sedjayia: morti tre terroristi di Hamas. 28/12/2008 Il ministro degli esteri egiziano Ahmed Aboul Gheit ha accusato Hamas dell’escalation a Gaza. “Da tempo l’Egitto aveva messo in guardia: chi si rifiuta di capire gli avvertimenti deve assumersi la responsabilità” ha dichiarato Aboul Gheit, pur richiamando al Cairo l’ambasciatore egiziano in Israele “per protesta contro l’aggressione israeliana”. 28/12/2008 Su iniziava della municipalità di Haifa, 500 bambini israeliani che abitano nelle zone attorno alla striscia di Gaza verranno ospitati a partire da domenica preso famiglie di Haifa per un periodo indeterminato. 28/12/2008 Una sessantina di Qassam e più di 20 proiettili di mortaio palestinesi lanciati sabato dalla striscia di Gaza sul sud di Israele. Centrata una sinagoga nella zona di Eshkol e un’abitazione a Netivot: ucciso il 58enne israeliano Beber Vaaknin, feriti altri cinque civili. 28/12/2008 Khaled Meshaal, capo del politburo di Hamas a Damasco, intervistato dalla tv Al Jazeera, invoca “una terza intifada armata contro il nemico sionista”. 28/12/2008 Sarebbe di 225 morti il bilancio sabato sera della controffensiva israeliana su 170 postazioni Hamas nella striscia di Gaza, per lo più arsenali, basi, campi di addestramento, rampe di lancio, bunker sotterranei. 27/12/2008 Due bambine palestinesi di 5 e 13 anni uccise venerdì mattina nella loro casa a Beit Lahiya (striscia di Gaza settentrionale) da un ordigno palestinese lanciato verso Israele e caduto fuori bersaglio. Poche ore prima era stato trasferito d’urgenza al Sourasky Medical Center di Tel Aviv un 35enne palestinese della striscia di Gaza gravemente ferito alla testa, giovedì, da un altro ordigno palestinese fuori bersaglio. 27/12/2008 A sei settimane delle elezioni israeliane, per la prima volta da ottobre, in un sondaggio Teleseker pubblicato da Maariv, Kadima risulta in vantaggio sul Likud con 30 seggi contro 29, seguito dal partito laburista (11 seggi) e da Shas (10 seggi). 27/12/2008 Nonostante la decisione israeliana di aprire i valichi verso Gaza al transito di convogli di aiuti umanitari, decine di granate di mortaio palestinesi lanciate giovedì notte e venerdì mattina, rivendicate da Jihad Islamica. 27/12/2008 Dopo aver sostenuto per mesi che il suo paese potrebbe vivere ''anche con il prezzo del barile a 5 dollari'', venerdì il presidente iraniano Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ha riconosciuto che un barile a 30 dollari costringerebbe l’Iran ad “abbandonare gran parte dei suoi progetti economici”. 26/12/2008 Mosca fornirebbe moderne batterie anti-aeree Pechora-2M a sette paesi, tra cui Egitto, Libia, Siria e Venezuela. Lo ha riferito venerdì il quotidiano Vedomosti. La fornitura si inquadra nell’ambito di una transazione che ammonta a 250 milioni di $. 26/12/2008 Yemen: due settimane dopo l’uccisione di Yaich Masha Nahari, fratello del leader della locale comunità ebraica, il presidente yemenita Ali Adoullah Saleh ha annunciato la creazione di una sorta di ghetto ovvero uno spazio nella capitale per i 300 ebrei della regione di Amran, dove è avvenuto l’omicidio, per garantirne la sicurezza. 26/12/2008 Esercito libanese e UNIFIL hanno aumentato la vigilanza dopo la scoperta giovedì nel Libano meridionale di 8 missili da 107 mm puntati su Israele, il cui lancio era probabilmente programmato per giovedì notte. Secondo le Forze di Difesa israeliane, i missili non erano di Hezbollah, ma di organizzazioni palestinesi che operano nel sud del Libano. 26/12/2008 “La situazione a Gaza potrebbe diventare incontrollabile” ha affermato il ministro degli esteri egiziano Aboul Gheit in un’intervista a Ha’aretz, accusando l’Iran di “ingerenza negli affari interni arabi”.

Santa Claus Office

We all know that each Christmas Santa travels all over the world bearing presents and good will. And surely anyone’s dream must be to make a return visit to him in his very own office? Well now you can!.

Santa’s Office far away in the North of Finland on the Arctic Circle is quite unique in that every day of the year people come from all over the world to see him there. Thousands upon thousands of them. Santa’s Office is a place where dreams come true.

These pages allow you to take a peep inside Santa’s Office. You will naturally meet the man himself, for whom the virtual world is as familiar as, say, the reindeer grazing grounds of his own home mountain or the chimneys of Manchester. And maybe you’ll find the answers to some of the questions that have been puzzling you. For there are so many strange stories about Santa going round the world, each more peculiar than the last, that they often make Santa chuckle out loud.

Having made your armchair journey, pause for a while at the section entitled A Visit to Santa and start planning a real journey - honestly!

Stay tuned for high quality video streaming from the capital of Lapland!
Lights and sounds from Rovaniemi!

The official international website of the City of Rovaniemi launched its video streaming service.  The Mayor of Rovaniemi, Mauri Gardin along with Santa Claus welcome the visitors of our international website to Rovaniemi and send their Christmas Greetings. Also, watch high-quality, streaming videos featuring the beauty of Lapland, Rovaniemi’s 8 seasons, local history and traditions. Stay tuned for more!!

Image by Annett Pée - Mimosa-Arctica.com

http://www.santaclauslive.com/

Santa Claus Office
Thu 2008.12.25
1:24 am (GMT +02:00)

Merry Christmas!

Smiles from the Office

Santa has always liked smiling, laughing faces. No wonder, therefore, that the elves have for years now been storing visitors’ smiles in the Big Smile Archive deep in the mountain where Santa lives. Smiles are naturally a source of smile power - and Santa has plenty of uses for that! His little elfin helpers whisper among themselves that smiles are one of the secrets of his long life.

The Smile Archive is ever so big and secret, but Santa has been persuaded by his visitors to open the door a crack. But watch out: smile power is very catching and may put a twinkle in your eye and run off with the furrows on your brow!

There’s always room for more smiles in the Archive, so come along and add your own!

Far, far away in the north, amid the endless wilderness of Finnish Lapland, is a mysterious mountain called Korvatunturi. Right at the foot, hidden from human eyes and ears, lives Santa Claus with his wife, his elves and his reindeer. He’s in fact been living there so long that he can’t quite remember when he first moved in. He doesn’t actually say much about his home, but he does let on that, as its name - Ear Mountain - suggests, it’s an excellent place for hearing and receiving the hopes and dreams of people of all ages.

Santa is anxious to keep his secrets; they are, after all, an important part of the Christmas story. But a traveller who happened to be passing about a hundred years ago brought news that soon spread of the mountain and its inhabitants. Santa wanted to make sure his hiding place was not invaded with visitors and hit upon a brilliant idea that would allow all his friends and anyone who loved Christmas to come and meet him. About half a century ago he began making regular visits to the Arctic Circle just outside the town of Rovaniemi.

Korvatunturi lies far, far away in the wilds of Lapland, but then if you live down south, the Arctic Circle may seem a long way away. And because Santa doesn’t want anyone to be disappointed, he has promised to be at his Office on the Arctic Circle every single day of the year, ready to receive friends from near and far.

 Let's wish bon voyage to Santa Claus when he leaves  
 to deliver gifts

 Santa Claus leaves for his long journey to deliver gifts to children of the world 
 in day before Christmas eve. We all can be wishing him bon voyage and at the
 same time send Christmas greetings to all over the world. If it is not possible to  
 come to Santa Claus Villag, Arctic Circle, you can watch live broadcast at this site. 

 Santa is on his way... 23rd December 2008 At 7 pm
 in Santa Claus Village, Arctic Circle




 
Santa Claus is starting his trip
 From Santa Claus’ point of view Christmas Eve is the most important day of the year. That is why he
 makes all preparations very carefully. The previous day and night all presents have been loaded into
 the sledges. All reindeers that will be pulling the sledges, have been fed with superpower lichen
 collected from a secret place.

 In the morning Santa Claus wakes up very early. He puts on his warmest underwear and his best 
 red jacket and brushes his beard. His beard is as long as one and a half younger elf. Then Santa 
 Claus goes into the big kitchen. Mrs Santa is there cooking porridge for breakfast. When breakfast is
 over and Santa Claus has had his usual mug of reindeer milk, he goes to the stable to Rudolf, the
 reindeer with the red nose.

 Rudolf is the oldest and wisest of all reindeer. As a matter of fact Rudolf is the one that makes sure 
 Santa Claus is in the right place at the right time, but the old Whitebeard himself also wants to have 
 his “say” in the trip planning. Rudolf has an unique VSRNS, Very Special Reindeer Navigating 
 System. The system is so good that Santa Claus can take a nap when they are going from place to 
 place. And so he does! It was not so usual before, but nowadays that Santa Claus has hundreds of
 years on his shoulders, he likes to rest and doze when Rudolf leads the team of reindeer with sledges
 behind them through the night-skies. Really, every reindeer of Santa Claus can fly, although they
 usually trot along on the ground. When there is nobody around, up towards the sky they jump,
 sledges and Santa Claus with them. And with what speed; you might even hear a bang like a sonic 
 boom. 







 But now we are still in Korvatunturi mountain. Also the elves have woken up and are busy with 
 their morning chores. Soon they are ready for the trip, in their best clothing. The reindeer are 
 stomping anxiously in the stable. They also know what day it is today. The cattleman elves have fed 
 them before their own breakfast. Now the antler-heads are full of superpower lichen and are very 
 ready to fly, with sparking hooves! Although all reindeer are not going on the trip this time, 
 everyone gets a special treat of that mysterious special lichen. It is fed only at Christmas time - it is 
 too strong to use during other seasons. Once an old buck was seen hovering near the stable ceiling, 
 perplexed and coughing. He has pilfered some superpower lichen left from Christmas.

The elves come to the stable and each of them brushes his favourite reindeer. So the reindeer are 
 very smooth-haired and glossy when they are harnessed. The sleigh bells are jingling as the reindeer 
 are led to the yard, where the sledges full of presents await. Santa Claus gives a good bye kiss to 
 Mrs Santa and waves to those staying at home. He glances once more at his row of escorts standing 
 ready and eager on the yard. All is OK. Let’s go then! A loud hurrah is heard from everywhere and 
 all are waving. Soon the sledges disappear into the wintry morning dusk behind the round topped 
 mountain. Then the elves stop their waving and rush into the big kitchen to eat delicious Christmas 
 porridge.

 Santa Claus is sitting in his sledge. He is smiling. The snowy surface of the ground is left behind and 
 the lights of Korvatunturi mountain are soon only little needle pricks in the horizon. Santa Claus is 
 thinking of all those nice children he will meet during the day and he feels very, very happy.

Rovaniemi is Lapland’s energetic capital city. On the Arctic Circle at the junction

 of two great rivers, the Kemijoki and the Ounasjoki, the city which has grown round

 the Ounasvaara Hill recreation area is a part of nature itself. Lapland’s four seasons

 provide the entire region with a wide range of attractive aspects.

You probably sat in a fancier conference room the last time you refinanced or heard a pitch about life insurance. There's a table, some off-brand mesh office chairs, a bookcase that looks as if it had been put together with an Allen wrench and instructions in Swedish.

To reach this room, you pass through a cubicle farm lightly populated by quiet young people. Either they have just arrived or they are just leaving, because their desks are almost bare. The place has a vaguely familiar feel to it, this air of transient shabbiness and nondescriptitude. You can't quite put your finger on it ...

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865068,00.html

MARILLEVA- belongs to the ski area Val di Sole, and is situated in the north eastern part of Italy at a height of 1400 m, 250 km from Milan, 70 km from the city of Trento and about 49 km from the famous ski resort Madonna di Campiglio. Marilleva and Madonna di Campiglio are connected to Folgardia through the same lift system, and together with other nearby ski resorts they create SKIRAMA that has a total of 260 km pisted slopes and 103 lifts. The slopes offers various skiing, both for snowboarders and regular skiiers – beginners and more advanced practicians. There are plenty of snow machines, that make sure that there is enough snow for great skiing during the winter season. In Marilleva you stay comfortably close to the ski lifts. You can choose between modern apartments in different sizes, or hotels with half- or fullboard. All apartments, most of them with balconys, have shower/wc and fully equipped kitchens. Some of the apartment residences offer you a “Holiday Club”, with access to swimming pools, sauna, fitness, cabarées and other night activities. In Marilleva you can also find banks, bars, restaurants, discotheques, shopping malls, boutiques, ski rental, ski schools, doctors and so much more! Marilleva 1400 can offer you a comfortable and snow rich vacation in a beautiful alpine surrounding that is perfect for both familys and young people. Both living and the nightlife is cheaper in Marilleva 1400 than it is in Madonna di Campiglio, but you still ski in the same slopes!
MARILLEVA - the price worthy alpine alternative!

Marilleva 900 e Marilleva 1400

(Comune di Mezzana)

Gli insediamenti di Marilleva costituiti principalmente da alberghi residence e appartamenti, vennero realizzati analogamente a quello di Folgarida attorno alla metà degli anni sessanta come centri turistici con numerosi Hotel e Residence. Marilleva 900 si trova di fronte al paese di Mezzana sulla sponda opposta del torrente Noce, ed è il punto di partenza della cabinovia posta più a valle dell'intera Valle di Sole. Proseguendo per la stessa strada, che salendo offre degli incantevoli panorami, si arriva a Marilleva 1400, posta appunto ad un altezza di 1400 metri sul livello del mare.

Oltre a moderne strutture ricettive, Alberghi Residence appartamenti e Hotel, a Marilleva negli ultimi anni, gli operatori turistici, in collaborazione con le amministrazioni locali, hanno dato vita a numerose iniziative per promuovere queste località anche nel periodo estivo. Sono stati realizzati impianti sul torrente Noce legati agli sport fluviali , tennis coperto, piscine coperte, campi da calcio, minigolf, pista ciclabile ed altro ancora. Inoltre soprattutto d'estate vengono organizzate manifestazioni sportive e culturali di ogni genere.

Inoltre si possono trovare negozi di abbigliamento e attrezzature sportive noleggio sci . Marilleva gode di notorietà principalmente grazie a una fitta rete di piste da sci e impianti di risalita costantemente all'avanguardia, collegati con Folgarida e Madonna di Campiglio.

Informazioni impianti e piste da sci Folgarida Marilleva Pejo e webcam: www.ski.it

Listino prezzi skipass Marilleva stagione 2008/2009

Marilleva offerte lastminute Hotel Settimana bianca Marilleva

http://www.trentino.to/home/detail.html?_aid=222724&_area=home&_lang=it

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

A protein called Jumonjd3 has been identified by scientists at the IFOM-IEO Campus, Milan, Italy, as the molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells.

The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by Giuseppe Testa, Director of the Stem Cell Epigenetics Programme at the Department of Experimental Oncology at IEO, focuses on a particular group of 'bivalent' genes that, during embryonic stem cell differentiation, are either activated or repressed, bestowing stem cells with a neuronal identity

Epigenetic modifications and cellular identity

The cells that make up our body all share the same set of approximately 30,000 genes, inherited from the single cell (i.e., the fertilized egg) that started everything off. However, during functional differentiation, when cells assume their identity (e.g., they become a neuronal, blood or liver cell) in order to carry out a specific role in the body, only a particular set of genes within the cell are activated, while the others are silenced. This selective control of gene expression occurs at the epigenetic level (from the Greek epi- "in addition to-" genes), through chemical modifications that control gene expression by activating or repressing specific genes without altering the underlying DNA sequence. An important epigenetic mechanism controlling the functional differentiation of embryonic stem cells is histone methylation.

Histones are a family of proteins that play a critical role in ordering DNA filaments within chromatin. Histones form the protein core of nucleosomes, repeating units in chromatin, around which DNA is wrapped and compacted. Like all proteins, histones are made up of amino acids arranged in a linear chain: one end of this chain, known as the amino-terminal tail, protrudes from the nucleosome core and is, therefore, freely available to undergo epigenetic modifications. Specific protein complexes control the methylation of this tail during cellular differentiation, leading to chromatin remodeling and the activation/repression of specific target genes.

In particular, the methylation of two amino acids in histone H3, lysine 4 and lysine 27, has opposing effects on gene expression in stem cells: if lysine 4 is methylated the gene is expressed, if lysine 27 is methylated the gene is silenced.

A breakdown in the methylation machinery can significantly affect the identity of cells and may cause malformations in embryos or, in adults, a number of pathological conditions, in particular, cancers. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the so-called big killers (cancer of the colon, lung, breast and prostate), abnormal epigenetic modifications (i.e., epimutations) have been detected, such as the erroneous repression of genes by methylation of histone H3 on lysine 27.

For decades, histone methylation was considered as an molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells; however, recently it has been observed that molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells (i.e., the removal of methyl groups) of specific genes can occur under certain conditions during cellular differentiation. This process is, at present, poorly understood, but the scientific community is working on different fronts to identify proteins involved in demethylation. An important contribution to our understanding of demethylation has recently been made by researchers at the molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells in Milan: a centre of excellence founded from molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells (FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology) and molecular key required for starting up the differentiation process and for issuing neuronal "identity cards" to embryonic stem cells (European Institute of Oncology) and amongst the most prestigious centres, at the international level, working on epigenetic research.

Jumonjd3 and the dynamic identity of neuronal cells

Research conducted by Giuseppe Testa, Director of the Stem Cell Epigenetics Programme at the Department of Experimental Oncology at IEO, in collaboration with Gioacchino Natoli, Director of the Transcriptional Control in Inflammation and Cancer Laboratory at the same Institute, identified Jumonjd3 as an enzyme that controls neuronal differentiation of stem cells by removing silencing signals from genes that are essential for neurogenesis.

In embryonic stem cells, a group of genes, defined as 'bivalent´, are characterized by their association with Histone H3, methylated on two residues, lysine 4 and lysine 27. Paradoxically, methylation of these two residues has opposing effects on gene expression. During the differentiation of the neuronal lineage, these genes lose their bivalent character by demethylation of one of the two lysine residues. This leads to either the complete activation or complete silencing of particular genes that grant stem cells a new neuronal identity.

The enzyme responsible for the demethylation of lysine 27 during neuronal differentiation has been identified by Giuseppe Testa and colleagues as Jumonjd3 (Jumonji in Japanese means cross-shaped). "Our characterization of the role of Jumonjd3 in neuronal differentiation supports the notion that epigenetic modifications, which regulate cell fate and identity, represent a dynamic and plastic mechanism for controlling gene expression." explained Testa "It is plausible that Jumonjd3 will one day represent an important target in the exploitation of cellular programming and reprogramming for therapeutic purposes".

This research is a significant step forward in our understanding of the intricate mechanisms that regulate stem cell functions. In the long term, Jumonjd3 could constitute a promising target in the reprogramming of differentiated cells and in the development of antineoplastic therapies that counteract the abnormal differentiation processes at the route of tumourigenesis.

Giuseppe Testa and his research group have performed in vitro and in vivo experiments on cells from model organisms using innovative experimental methods based on chromatin immunoprecipitation (a technique that "immortalizes" the interactions between specific proteins and regions of the genome in a particular instance in the cell's life).

This research, supported by AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research), the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, the European Commission and Manetti & Roberts, was published in the open access, online journal, PloS ONE, part of the innovative Public Library of Science (PloS) platform.

About The IFOM-IEO Campus

The IFOM-IEO Campus is a new biomedical research centre, created by the joint efforts of the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation (IFOM) and the Department of Experimental Oncology of the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), which have expanded and integrated their research activities on a common campus.

The IFOM-IEO Campus is located in Milan, the heart of the commercial/industrial north of Italy, where it benefits from numerous interactions with other scientific and medical organizations in the area (see participants below). The Campus is also home to the Ph.D programs of the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), which it is running in collaboration with the University of Milan, the University of Naples "Federico II" and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa.

The IFOM-IEO Campus