BUZZNET LOVE

ORANGE ROSES

PURPLE ROSE

BLUE ROSE ARTIFICIALLY COLOURED

BLUE ROSE ARTIFICIALLY COLOURED

BLACK ROSE

	red Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romance, and a time-honored way to say "I love you." The red rose has long symbolized beauty and perfection. A bouquet of red roses is the perfect way to express your deep feelings for someone special. Read More – Meaning of Red Roses
	pink As a symbol of grace and elegance, the pink rose is often given as an expression of admiration. Pink roses can also convey appreciation as well as joyfulness. Pink rose bouquets often impart a gentler meaning than their red counterparts. Read More – Meaning of Pink Roses
	yellow The bright, sunny color of yellow roses evokes a feeling of warmth and happiness. The warm feelings associated with the yellow rose are often akin to those shared with a true friend. As such, the yellow rose is an ideal symbol for joy and friendship. Read More – Meaning of Yellow Roses
	white White roses represent innocence and purity and are traditionally associated with marriages and new beginnings. The white rose is also a symbol of honor and reverence, and white rose arrangements are often used as an expression of remembrance. Read More – Meaning of White Roses
	orange With their blazing energy, orange roses are the embodiment of desire and enthusiasm. Orange roses often symbolize passion and excitement and are an expression of fervent romance. A bouquet of orange roses will send a meaningful message. Read More – Meaning of Orange Roses
	lavender The unique beauty of the lavender rose has captured many hearts and imaginations. With their fantastical appearance, lavender roses are a perfect symbol of enchantment. The lavender rose is also traditionally used to express feelings of love at first sight. Read More – Meaning of Lavender Roses

 

• Unsorted General Photos (Newer pictures are later on)
• Villa Oleandra (George Clooney's villa in Lake Como, Italy)
• George Clooney's Family Pictures
• George Clooney charity mug to benefit CARE International

Alessandro Manzoni

I Promessi Sposi

Capitolo I

         Quel ramo del lago di Como, che volge a mezzogiorno, tra due catene non interrotte di monti, tutto a seni e a golfi, a seconda dello sporgere e del rientrare di quelli, vien, quasi a un tratto, a ristringersi, e a prender corso e figura di fiume, tra un promontorio a destra, e un'ampia costiera dall'altra parte; e il ponte, che ivi congiunge le due rive, par che renda ancor più sensibile all'occhio questa trasformazione, e segni il punto in cui il lago cessa, e l'Adda rincomincia, per ripigliar poi nome di lago dove le rive, allontanandosi di nuovo, lascian l'acqua distendersi e rallentarsi in nuovi golfi e in nuovi seni. La costiera, formata dal deposito di tre grossi torrenti, scende appoggiata a due monti contigui, l'uno detto di san Martino, l'altro, con voce lombarda, il Resegone, dai molti suoi cocuzzoli in fila, che in vero lo fanno somigliare a una sega: talché non è chi, al primo vederlo, purché sia di fronte, come per esempio di su le mura di Milano che guardano a settentrione, non lo discerna tosto, a un tal contrassegno, in quella lunga e vasta giogaia, dagli altri monti di nome più oscuro e di forma più comune. Per un buon pezzo, la costa sale con un pendìo lento e continuo; poi si rompe in poggi e in valloncelli, in erte e in ispianate, secondo l'ossatura de' due monti, e il lavoro dell'acque.

Chapter I

That branch of the lake of Como, which extends towards the south, is enclosed by two unbroken chains of mountains, which, as they advance and recede, diversify its shores with numerous bays and inlets. Suddenly the lake contracts itself, and takes the course and form of a river, between a promontory on the right, and a wide open shore on the opposite side. The bridge which there joins the two banks seems to render this transformation more sensible to the eye, and marks the point where the lake ends, and the Adda again begins - soon to resume the name of the lake, where the banks receding afresh, allow the water to extend and spread itself in new gulfs and bays.

The open country, bordering the lake, formed of the alluvial deposits of three great torrents, reclines upon the roots of two contiguous mountains, one named San Martino, the other, in the Lombard dialect, Il Resegone, because of its many peaks seen in profile, which in truth resemble the teeth of a saw so much so, that no one at first sight, viewing it in front (as, for example, from the northern bastions of Milan), could fail to distinguish it by this simple description, from the other mountains of more obscure name and ordinary form in that long and vast chain. For a considerable distance the country rises with a gentle and continuous ascent; afterwards it is broken into hill and dale, terraces and elevated plains, formed by the intertwining of the roots of the two mountains, and the action of the waters. The shore itself, intersected by the torrents, consists for the most part of gravel and large flints; the rest of the plain, of fields and vineyards, interspersed with towns, villages, and hamlets: other parts are clothed with woods, extending far up the mountain.

Lecco, the principal of these towns, giving its name to the territory, is at a short distance from the bridge, and so close upon the shore, that, when the waters are high, it seems to stand in the lake itself. A large town even now, it promises soon to become a city. At the time the events happened which we undertake to recount, this town, already of considerable importance, was also a place of defence, and for that reason had the honour of lodging a commander, and the advantage of possessing a fixed garrison of Spanish soldiers, who taught modesty to the damsels and matrons of the country; bestowed from time to time marks of their favour on the shoulder of a husband or a father; and never failed, in autumn, to disperse themselves in the vineyards, to thin the grapes, and lighten for the peasant the labours of the vintage.

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Anthony Batt

Founder and President

A music enthusiast, Anthony Batt knew exactly what he wanted to do the moment he was exposed to the Internet. Combining his entrepreneurial spirit with his passion for content and technology, Batt has created a successful career building and designing web and digital media products.

Prior to Buzznet, Batt served as Chief Technology Officer for Metapa (now Greenplum), where he raised $17 million in financing and helped develop the company's proprietary software product.

On the publishing front, Batt worked for Time Inc. as the Manager of Internet Publishing, where he was responsible for the day-to-day publishing of Fortune.com, Time.com, People.com, Teenpeople.com, Money.com and ET.com. He was also instrumental in the development and launch of his friend Craig Newmark's site, Craigslist, helping to take it from its original format – an email list to acquaintances – to an online destination that has since become a global leader.

Batt's career has taken him overseas to Hong Kong and Malaysia where he served as President of Technology and Products for the web development and design company AsiaConnect, and also launched the National Newspaper Radio and Television of Malaysia. In addition, he has done creative and technical consulting work for companies such as Absolut Vodka, TBWA Chiat Day and Amp'dMobile.

Tyler Goldman

Chief Executive Officer

Tyler Goldman brings a wealth of experience launching and heading up innovative entertainment and technology companies to Buzznet.

From 2002 to 2005, Goldman was Senior Vice President, Business and Corporate Development at Movielink, a joint venture among Warner Bros. Studios, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM, for the digital distribution of video content. In this role, he was responsible for guiding the corporate growth of Movielink, including all of its strategic partnerships with companies like Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Intel, AT&T and AOL.

In 1998, Goldman founded Broadband Sports, Inc. (BSS), a pioneering Internet publisher and syndicator of sports content, which was funded by leading venture capital, technology and media companies, including DirecTV and Clear Channel Communications. As CEO and President, Goldman built a team of 300 and was responsible for the company's $20+ million in sales and was instrumental in developing partnerships with a network of distributors across satellite, cable and Internet platforms, including DirecTV, Fox Sports, Yahoo!, ESPN, AOL and eBay.

Prior to BBS, Goldman was one of five members of Steinberg & Moorad, the country's preeminent sports law firm, where he led the firm's media and investment initiatives. He was also an attorney at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, where he focused on corporate matters for venture capital firms and high-tech companies.

Goldman holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University, where he received the Dean's Award for finishing first in his class, a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Goldman currently resides in Los Angeles with his family.

John Glascott

Executive Vice President

Advertising Sales

John Glascott has a successful 20 year management record in the creation and growth of new media properties and the redevelopment of existing properties in online, magazines, television, out-of-home, and consumer promotion.

Prior to joining Buzznet as Executive Vice President, Sales, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Sales for RealAge, a personalized online health media company where in two years his team tripled ad sales and diversified its revenue base. Before RealAge, Glascott was EVP Sales at Alloy Media + Marketing, where he led the national efforts of a 60-person sales team for Alloy’s suite of assets in interactive, print, school newspapers, location media, sampling, and database marketing, reaching the elementary school through college markets.

In 2001-02, Glascott served as the East Region Vice President for Yahoo!. During his tenure, he led a 70-person sales team in all aspects of advertising and marketing services sales, including sponsorships, consumer promotions, direct marketing and e-commerce programs. He led revenue growth of 110% with traditional brand name advertisers by shifting his team’s strategic sales focus to blue-chip Fortune 500 accounts from dot.coms, and targeting accounts by vertical categories.

Before Yahoo!, he served as Senior Vice President of Sponsorship for iVillage.com where he directed all sponsorship and advertising sales revenue and helped to fuel the company’s successful IPO. Glascott led all operations of the 60-person department for advertising and sponsorship sales, account management, creative services, business affairs and sales operations where revenues grew by more than 500 % from $15 million to $77 million in three years.

Previous to his 10 years in online sales leadership, Glascott was Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing & Sales at Hearst Magazines. He also spent 12 years with Whittle Communications, where he gained invaluable experience in selling and leading teams to sell advertisers in the college and youth markets. He led the marketing and sales efforts for Campus Voice, a national media and sampling network targeting the college market, and was on the launch team for Channel One, the in-school TV news show for teens.

Glascott has an MBA from NYU and lives in suburban New York with his wife and 3 kids.

Elizabeth A. Osder

Senior Vice President

Audience

As Senior Vice President, Audience, Elizabeth Osder leads product and programming for Buzznet.com. Prior to joining Buzznet, Osder was Sr. Director of Product at Yahoo!, responsible for local, search and social media products for Yahoo!'s global news and information sites. During Osder’s tenure, Yahoo! News became the Internet's number-one news destination, serving 40 million-plus unique users a month. Osder also launched social media initiatives such as “You Witness News.” Osder’s work at Yahoo! Media Group was preceded by her role as Director of Product Development for Yahoo! Search Marketing (YSM), where she helped develop Content Match, Yahoo!’s Publisher Network and many of YSM’s publisher services.

Since the early 1990s, Osder has been an editor, producer and consultant for publications, broadcasters and online services, starting with BBS’s and early online services. As Global Managing Partner for iXL/Scient’s Media & Entertainment practice, Osder’s clients included NPR, the Washington Post, News Corp, the Financial Times, Time Warner and Applied Semantics/Google. Prior to iXL/Scient, she served as Director of Product Development and Content Development Editor for the New York Times Digital, where she helped launch the Times’ website in 1995. Before Times Digital, Osder was Executive Producer for Advance Internet, responsible for putting some of the first newspapers onto the Internet and creating award-winning entertainment sites, notably The Yuckiest Site on the Internet and Rockhall.com for the opening of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Osder began her career as a freelance photojournalist and photo editor for the Associated Press.

A frequent speaker on media and publishing, Osder is a recognized innovator in the rapid adoption of new technologies by traditional media companies. She is a founding board member of the Online News Association and has taught in the graduate Journalism programs at USC Annenberg, Columbia and NYU; she has also conducted professional seminars across the US and in China, Scandinavia and Spain. She is currently teaching and developing graduate curriculum in media management and online communities for USC Annenberg School. In 2001-2002 Osder was awarded a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University where she studied technologies and communications. Osder holds an M.A. from The University of Missouri School of Journalism and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College.

Osder serves on the national Health Promotions Advisory Committee for the American Cancer Society and the Missouri Publishers Association. Over the past fifteen years, she has received numerous awards and honors for creative programming and product development innovations.

Residing in Los Angeles, Osder claims being the first girl to play competitive Little League baseball as her most cherished accomplishment.

magic lake como

Surrounded by the splendid scenery of the Brenta Dolomites,
Marilleva 1400 provides all that can be hoped for in a dynamic tourist resort.
In winter its 140 km of ski slopes - 25 km with
snow guaranteed by snow-making machinery without chemica
l additives - are provided by the surprisingly extensive network
of ski lifts and link to the Folgarida and Madonna di Campiglio
ski areas. In summer the extensive pine woods which surround
the resort are ideal for walks and excursions for those seeking
a relaxing holiday. There are also sport and recreation facilities:
skating, indoor swimming pools, tennis, discotheques, bars,
restaurants, pizzerias and shops. Medical services are also available.

The clergyman Pierre Clement crossed a mandarin and an orange
and this luckily crossing
was a seedless mandarin with a looser skin thus easier to peel:
the clementine. (beginning of the 20th century).
The satsuma is a special crossing from Japan. 

Use
-Oranges are eaten by hand and squeezed a lot.
-Mandarins are eaten by hand and can be used to squeeze as well.
A great sweetner for grapefruit juice.
-Kumquats are eaten raw withe the edible skin,

Types and family

Clementines: the clementine is a seedless mandarin.
Kumquats: the kumquat is like a citrus fruit and has an edible skin.
It is the most well known of the sort fortunella which is closely related to Citrus.
Mandarins: type of small orange with loose skin. The mandarin got its
name because it was exploited by high-ranking government officials in China (mandarins).
Minneolas: are a crossing between a tangerine and a grapefruit and can be recognized by 
"the little nose". Can be peeled manually. Is a type of Tangelo, a minneola is a specifically
marketed tangelo.
Oranges: There are different types of oranges: navel oranges, Valencia oranges and blood
oranges are the most cultivated races.
Tangelos: a tangelo is a crossing between a tangerine, a grapefruit and an orange.
A specific kind of tangelo is the Ugli which is described further on this page.
Satsuma:is a very special seedling from Japan. Its skin is a bit tighter than the
clementine and it doesn't have seeds as well.
Tangerines: a tangerine is an orange-red mandarin with a particular citrus taste.
Can be peeled manually.
Uglis: a specific kind of tangelo, easier to peel.  A crossing between a tangerine,
a grapefruit and an orange. Looks really ugli and sometimes has brown spots.
Can be peeled manually.

www.hotelsonnenhof.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merano

Merano (Italian, now most common in English; German: Meran, also used in English; Ladin: Meran; Archaic (857 AD): Mairania; Latin: Merona; many of the region's Italian languages/dialects use Meran), is a town in the province of Bolzano-Bozen, Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located inside a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to 3,335 m (11,000 ft), at the entrance to the Passeier Valley, the Vinschgau (Val Venosta) and the Ultental (Val d'Ultimo) valleys.

Among the town's landmarks are the Museum of Tourism, which was opened in the spring of 2003 and shows the historical development of tourism in the province, and the botanic garden. Both sites are located in the Trauttmansdorff Castle.

http://www.meran2000.net/uk/galerie.php

Barack Hussein Obama (pronounced /bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/^[1]) (born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election.^[2][3] He is the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history, the third to have been popularly elected, and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate.^[4]

Obama was born in Honolulu to a Kenyan father and an American mother. He lived most of his early life in the Pacific island U.S. state of Hawaii. From ages six to ten, he lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer before running for public office. He served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he launched his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003.

Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator.^[5] He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with a landslide 70% of the vote in an election year marked by Republican gains.^[6] As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama co-sponsored the enactment of conventional weapons control and transparency legislation, and made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation on lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel.

Since announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care as major priorities.^[7] He married in 1992 and has two daughters. He has written two bestselling books: a memoir of his youth titled Dreams from My Father, and The Audacity of Hope, a personal commentary on U.S. politics.^[

Mark TOSATTI   @@@@@@  SOURCE: LA STAMPA
"Karol Wojtyla would have gone there": this way an eminence of Oltretevere
has commented to warm blow the fresh news of agency of the renouncement
of Benedict XVI to go himself Thursday morning to the Wisdom.
And perhaps really in this decision, dictated by the prudence, and probably also
from the bitterness, difference is measured among the two pontiffs.
The Polish athlete, lover of the ski and the canoe and the mild one, timid Bavarian teacher;
the man that also from Pope you/he/she has accepted, inside the Curia situations that
prolonged him over the due one really for his/her incapability to provoke a sorrow to say:
«Eminence, (or Excellence), you look, for You it is now...». Giovanni Paul II every now and
then the fist on the desk beat him/it, and not only metaphorically. Blessed XVI, no.
Perhaps also pope Wojtyla, if you/they had looked out upon him the danger of some
accident among students, you/he/she would have accepted not to go. Perhaps.
Because it inserted him in situations that would have made to tremble the veins and the wrists.

Exemplary the visit in Nicaragua, in 1983. The country was torn to pieces
by the war between the communist sandinistis and the "contras."
Giovanni Paul II set the problem: to annul the trip? To the end it decided: «To go».
During the mass to Managua you have to face a confrontation organized by the
government with about ten people that howled in front of the stage.
"Silencio" it shouted Wojtyla brandishing the pastoral one.
A lot of other times - in Switzerland, in the United States, in the Scandinavian
countries, in Holland (Utrecht upset for times by a street guerrilla) - he has faced protests
and confrontations. In an occasion however you/he/she has had to abdicate.
A trip to which held a lot: Sarajevo. The U.N. made to know that it was not
able to guarantee the safety: not the his, that of the believers. It was forced to bend himself.

MARCO TOSATTI 
"Karol Wojtyla ci sarebbe andato": così un'eminenza d'Oltretevere ha commentato
 a botta calda la notizia fresca di agenzia della rinuncia di Benedetto XVI a
recarsi giovedì mattina alla Sapienza. E forse proprio in questa decisione, dettata dalla
 prudenza, e probabilmente anche dall'amarezza, si misura la differenza fra
 i due pontefici. L'atleta polacco, amante dello sci e della canoa, e il mite, timido professore
 bavarese; l'uomo che anche da Papa ha accettato, all'interno della Curia
 situazioni che si prolungavano oltre il dovuto proprio per la sua incapacità di provocare un
 dispiacere, di dire: «Eminenza, (o Eccellenza), guardi, per Lei è ora...».
Giovanni Paolo II di tanto in tanto il pugno sulla scrivania lo batteva, e non solo metaforicamente.
 Benedetto XVI, no. Forse anche papa Wojtyla, se gli avessero prospettato
 il pericolo di qualche incidente fra studenti, avrebbe accettato di non andare. Forse. Perché
 si infilava in situazioni che avrebbero fatto tremare le vene e i polsi.

Esemplare la visita in Nicaragua, nel 1983. Il paese era dilaniato dalla
 guerra fra i sandinisti comunisti, e i "contras". Giovanni Paolo II pose
 il problema: annullare il viaggio? Alla fine decise: «Andare». Durante la messa a Managua dovette
 affrontare una contestazione organizzata dal governo, con decine di persone
 che urlavano davanti al palco. "Silencio" gridò Wojtyla, brandendo il pastorale. Molte
 altre volte - in Svizzera, negli Stati Uniti, nei paesi scandinavi, in Olanda
 (Utrecht sconvolta per ore da una guerriglia di strada) - ha affrontato proteste e contestazioni.
 In un'occasione però ha dovuto rinunciare. Un viaggio a cui teneva
moltissimo: Sarajevo. L'Onu fece sapere che non era in grado di garantire la sicurezza: non la sua,
quella dei fedeli. Fu costretto a piegarsi.

« Non abbiate paura! Aprite, anzi, spalancate le porte a Cristo! Alla sua salvatrice potestà aprite i confini degli stati, i sistemi economici come quelli politici, i vasti campi di cultura, di civiltà, di sviluppo. Non abbiate paura! Cristo sa cosa è dentro l'uomo. Solo lui lo sa! »
	(Papa Giovanni Paolo II. Omelia della messa di inaugurazione del pontificato, 22 ottobre 1978)

Polak-papież

Jan Paweł II był pierwszym papieżem z Polski, jak również pierwszym po 455 latach biskupem Rzymu, nie będącym Włochem. Wielokrotnie sam przywoływał spełnione proroctwo Juliusza Słowackiego z wiersza "Słowiański papież". Wybór na głowę Kościoła osoby z kraju socjalistycznego wpłynął znacząco na wydarzenia w Europie wschodniej i Azji w latach 80. XX wieku.

Papież jest także honorowym obywatelem wielu polskich miast.

In Valtellina, 1738 meters high, in the heart of the Stelvio National Park, at the base of mountain group of Ortles Cevedale there is Santa Caterina Valfurva, the “White Heaven” where the blue of the sky and the white of the snow create the great spectacle in the winter.
Ski slopes reaching 2700 meters of height with tracks always guaranteed from December to April.
Cross-country ski track is 10 Km long, among conifer woods in a fairy landscape with tracks for professionals as for simple tourists.
The ski schools, downhill and cross-country,  are perfectly organized, and are the main reference for the tourists that want to try their first steps on skis, as well as for who wants to improve their technique or simply encounter masters and trainers as old friends that pass days on the snow together.
Thanks to its  quietness and the nearly total absence of car traffic, the little village of Santa Caterina is perfect for family sojourn.
For the children, there is the mini-club with surveillance people, a service area, equipped with a little ski run and fun games on the snow.
Santa Caterina saw on its snow the growth of champions  such as Debora Compagnoni, the best Italian skier, the famous downhiller Pietro Vitalini and many others, that find here the perfect site for training before competitions. The new Deborah Compagnoni slope, gave hospitality to all the women's alpine ski races for the World Championships 2005.

In summer time Santa Caterina, in the middle of the Stelvio National Park, fades to green and becomes a natural spectacle offering many opportunities for holidays in a natural habitat of great value.
It is during the summer months that the mountain is intensely alive among typical chalets and pasturelands in heights where people still maintain agricultural traditions, poor in revenues, but rich in authentic flavours and genuine products. Easy and relaxing promenades among woods and meadows, by well marked paths, excursions to the mountain huts or more challenging ascensions with Alpine Guides to the peaks of the Ortles Cevedale.
The walks organized with the aid of Guides, allows a better view of the fauna and flora of the Alps and the knowledge of the Alp’s traditions.
The fans of bicycle can find here easy routes on mountain bikes and the opportunity of doing the great rises of the Tour of Italy: the Gavia, Mortirolo and the Stelvio Passes.

informazioni  Bormio è un antico borgo posto a 1225 metri di quota, situato ai piedi del Passo dello Stelvio e del Gruppo dell'Ortles-Cevedale. Rinomata per le sue acque curative, vanta oggi un moderno impianto termale ed inoltre permette di usufruire dei Bagni Vecchi, bagni termali ancora in funzione con 9 sorgenti di acqua calda 36° - 41° C.
Bormio ha acquisito negli anni una notevole fama, soprattutto per le numerose gare di Coppa del Mondo di sci alpino. Località dotata di una vasta rete di impianti, Bormio può essere considerata una delle località di maggior richiamo dell'intero arco alpino.
Gli impianti di risalita presenti a Bormio comprendono: 2 funivie, 1 cabinovia, 7 seggiovie, 5 skilift e 2 manovie per un totale di 17 impianti. Tra le numerose piste da discesa, per un totale di 37 Km, va ricordata la pista "Stelvio", che, con una pendenza media del 33%, parte da quota 2250 metri per arrivare a quota 1245 metri.
Le piste da discesa sono così suddivise: 7 blu, 10 rosse, 3 nere.
Oltre alle piste da discesa dispone di numerosi tracciati per lo sci nordico, per il quale è disponibile un anello di media difficoltà per un totale di 12.5 Km di pista.
Per gli appassionati di snowboard Bormio offre la possibilità di praticare l’attività su tutte le piste.
In estate a Bormio si possono praticare, oltre allo sci estivo sul ghiacciaio dello Stelvio, escursioni e sci escursionistico attraverso i valloni che la circondano. Vi è inoltre la possibilità di visitare il Parco dello Stelvio all'interno del quale si può ammirare un'incredibile varietà di fauna, tra cui cervi, stambecchi, il gipeto o "avvoltoio degli agnelli" e l'aquila reale.
Bormio offre inoltre vari intrattenimenti di origine culturale: concerti, palio delle contrade e mostre.

	The Wonderful land of Bormio
	At the bottom of the valley, lying in a wonderful dell. There is Bormio. Formally referred to as Wonderful Land, Bormio has been the dynamic chief town the countryside, having great autonomy and ruling itself using its own statute. All around, spreading amongst the pleats of the valley there are the districts’ other towns: Valfurva with its jewel Santa Caterina, site of the World Ski Championship women’s competitions and homeland of the unforgettable Deborah Compagnoni. Livigno, shopping lover’s heaven thanks to its duty free zone privileges and home of the 2005 Mountain bike World Championship. Valdidentro, the town with the termal baths, and Valdisotto, with its Oga - San Colombano ski runs and the beautiful first world war blockhouse. Carrying on further down we encounter Sondalo, which is like the guardian of the entrance to Alta Valtellina.

La show-girl americana si è messa in risalto nel mondo dello spettacolo italiano come personaggio eclettico dai mille interessi. Nata a Milwaukee nel 1961 da madre giapponese e padre svizzero-tedesco/statunitense, dopo aver studiato scrittura creativa all’Università, ha lavorato come modella, presentatrice televisiva e radiofonica e attrice. E’ inoltre giornalista e somellier. Nel ’93 è scoppiata la passione per la montagna che ha condotto Kay Rush a esplorare e a scalare le cime dalle Ande all’Himalaya. Da allora, larga parte della sua vita professionale si è concentrata sull’alpinismo. Nel ’95 ha condotto un programma televisivo per Tele+ dedicato alla montagna e nel 2006, nel suo programma radiofonico Rush Hour in onda sull’emittente Radio Montecarlo, ha seguito con particolare trasporto le imprese alpinistiche dello skyrunner Fabio Meraldi e la Guida alpina Diego Giovannini sugli ottomila dell’Himalaya. Ha saputo trasmettere al grande pubblico gli aspetti più gioiosi dell’andare in montagna e dell’arrampicata rompendo con quella tradizione che attribuisce all’alpinismo valori di eroismo e lotta con l’alpe. E’ diventata una presenza fissa al Rock Master di Arco, tra i più importanti raduni di arrampicatori.

Come ti sei avvicinata al mondo della montagna?
"Ho passato la mia infanzia nelle case popolari di Milwaukee perché provengo da una famiglia molto umile. Intorno c’era pianura a vista d’occhio e certo non potevamo permetterci una vacanza in montagna. Però c’erano inverni molto freddi, con la neve che è la mia passione; e semplicemente osservando delle foto, ho capito che i monti erano la mia casa. Infatti in Italia ho vissuto per molto tempo a Madonna di Campiglio e ora passo la maggior parte del mio tempo a Chamonix. Forse ho le montagne nel sangue perché mia madre è originaria di una zona montuosa del Giappone e mio padre è svizzero".
Poi ti sei appassionata agli sport di montagna?
"Sì, ho iniziato con il trekking, poi sono diventata la prima donna a lanciarsi con il parapendio nei lontani anni ’80 e in seguito mi sono dedicata all’arrampicata e all’alpinismo".
Non soffri certo di vertigini…
"Ovviamente no, anche se da qualche anno ho smesso di scalare da prima. Mi è venuta un po’ di paura, così mi faccio portare da mio marito che ha iniziato ad arrampicare  dopo di me, ma è diventato molto più bravo. L’allievo ha superato la maestra".
Hai anche condotto una serie di programmi televisivi e radiofonici di successo sulla montagna. Come hai fatto a comunicare al grande pubblico degli argomenti così di nicchia come l’alpinismo e l’arrampicata?
"In effetti non è stato facile, per di più alla radio dove non potevo contare sull’aiuto di immagini e filmati. Ho sempre cercato di trasmettere l’amore per le vette in un paese, come l’Italia, dove si parla di alpinismo solo quando ci scappa il morto. E’ difficile comunicare la montagna in maniera divertente, raccontare che la fatica è bella. Secondo me alla montagna si dovrebbero avvicinare le donne, che implica le famiglie e i bambini. Si inizierebbe a considerarlo un gioco. E così il mondo dell’alpinismo verrebbe svecchiato da quella patina ormai vecchia di eroismo, paura e maschilismo. Questo è anche il motivo per il quale mi piace raccontare le mie imprese alpinistiche attraverso foto e video nel sito internet www.kayrush.net. Se mi sono divertita, perché non raccontarlo agli altri?".
Qual è la tua montagna preferita? 
 "Un’ascensione che mi sono veramente goduta è stata quella del Cervino. Sono salita chiacchierando insieme ad una Guida e, prima ancora di rendermene conto, eravamo sbucati in vetta. La cosa strana è che non c’era nessuno; siamo rimasti soli in vetta, in estate, per almeno mezz’ora! Ho subito telefonato a mia madre per raccontarle l’emozione di essere salita in cima al Cervino, il simbolo delle montagne. Oltretutto mi piace molto il misto e, per questo, la Cresta del Leone è proprio l’ideale: non troppo facile, ma nemmeno ovvia".

A Beppe Grillo’s show

Beppe Grillo, Italy’s most famous comedian, was born in Genova (Genoa) in 1948. He discovered his talents in Genoa’s venues, and then found success in Milan when he improvised a monologue for an audition at the RAI [Italy’s State Radio and Television Company] at which Pippo Baudo was present. After this he started to appear on TV (Secondo Voi 1977-78 and Luna Park 1979). He broke with the traditions of professional TV broadcasting with satirical monologues and improvisation.

In 1979 he was in the first series of the show “Fantastico”.

After that he was in "Te la do' io l'America" (I’ll give you America!) (1981) and "Te lo do' io il Brasile" (1984) both produced by Enzo Trapani. For these, Grillo took the camera out of the studio and created a diary of an Italian observing amusing aspects of the habits and customs of these countries.
He then made an appearance in the most important TV programmes on national TV (Fantastico, Domenica In, Festival di Sanremo) and by presenting a concentrated performance he achieved very high audience ratings; his most recent monologue at the San Remo Festival had 22 million viewers.
His way of creating entertainment was getting more aggressive and more penetrating, from dressed up satire it started to take on hot topics which dealt with social and political questions, creating shivers down the spines of some directors of TV who in spite of the “risk” continued to invite him to their programmes.
In 1986 he created commercials for a famous brand of yoghurt and overturned the normal rules for advertising spots and won the sector’s most prestigious prizes (Cannes’ Lyon d’Or, ANIPA prize, Art Director's club, Spot Italia Pubblicita', Telegatto)

Apart from TV engagements and numerous live performances in which he displays his talents as a great communicator, he has dedicated time in the cinema and has given rise to the following films: "Cercasi Gesù" {Looking for Jesus) (1982) directed by Luigi Comencini (this won the David of Donatello), "Scemo di Guerra" {War’s Stupid} (1985) directed by Dino Risi ( was shown at the Cannes Film Festival) and "Topo Galileo" {Galileo the Mouse}(1988) directed by Laudadio (represented Italy at the Festival of Rio de Janeiro) for the screenplay and the script
After winning 6 Telegatti awards, in 1990 Beppe Grillo decided to flee from TV and take refuge in theatre, leaving behind TV News, quizzes, auctions and debates. The show he put on was “Buone Notizie” {Good News}. A fantastic event in the history of theatre in terms of critical acclaim and in the number of spectators.

In November 1991, 3 years after Beppe Grillo’s last TV appearance, Abacus published the results of a survey into the popularity of show-biz personalities: Grillo was the most popular comedian even though he had been absent from national and commercial TV.

In 1992 he was back on stage with a Recital with revolutionary content. The aim of his satire moved from politics to the consumer economy, commercial propaganda and the scandalous behaviour directed at the individual person, health and the environment. The new satire that was born was the economic-ecological satire.

In 1994, Beppe Grillo came back to the TV with 2 recitals from the teatro delle Vittorie [Victories Theatre} that concentrated on the themes: criticising the economy, commercial propaganda and telephone speculation with the number 144. The audience ratings beat every record for variety programmes, the 2 shows were seen by 15 million viewers each night.
He wrote articles for the daily newspapers, including one on the economy (la “Grillonomics”) in Il Corriere della sera, to which the Nobel laureate Modigliani responded and another about the prevention of illness in La Repubblica, which got a response from Umberto Veronesi.

1995-96 – the show that toured was “ENERGIA E INFORMAZIONE” {Energy and Information}. It went to more than 60 Italian cities and drew crowds of 400,000 in the sports stadiums. The show criticised the concentration of power in the sectors of information and energy. Among the alternatives suggested: popular microgeneration of electricity for example see the project at Schönau, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Appearing on stage with Grillo for the whole tour was the Swiss solar energy pioneer Markus Friedli with his hydrogen powered truck. Grillo covered the exhaust pipe with eucalyptus balm and inhaled the water vapour that came out. Among the Lord Mayors that Grillo dragged onto the stage and obliged to inhale these beneficial fumes was the Lord Mayor of Milan.
“ENERGIA E INFORMAZIONE” was recorded at Bellinzona e broadcast by TSI in Canton Ticino [TV channel for the Italian speaking region of Switzerland] and by WDR {public broadcasting organization} in Germany. La RAI (Italian public broadcasting organization) waited till the last day and then cancelled the broadcast of the programme scheduled for 10 January 1996.
On 15 January 1995, the WDR of Cologne broadcast a portrait of BEPPE GRILLO "KOMIK KONTRA KONSUM" by Bernd Pfletschinger. The documentary has not been shown in Italy.

1997 – Tour with the show "CERVELLO" {BRAIN}. Grillo participated by giving a brief show at the inaugural celebration for EWS (Elektrizitätswerken Schönau), the popular electricity company at Schönau, in the Black Forest. The objectives of EWS are the abandoning of nuclear energy, energy efficiency, co-generation, renewable energy, spreading the idea of microgeneration.

1998 – tour with the show "APOCALISSE MORBIDA" {Morbid Apocalypse} and after an absence from Italian TV screens of 5 years, he started a collaboration with Telepiù which started to do live broadcasts of his shows and the first “DISCORSO ALL’UMANITA’” {Discourse to Humanity} was broadcast by Telepiù on New Year’s Eve.
Together with TSI, Televisione della Svizzera Italiana, {Television of the Italian speakers of Switzerland} he made the documentary “UN GRILLO PER LA TESTA – Lo zaino ecologico e il punto di non ritorno” {a Grillo in your head – the ecological back-pack and the point of no return} It won the "Premio Gran Paradiso" {Gran Paradiso Prize}at the Canavese International Ecofilm Festival. The documentary alternates comic interventions from BEPPE GRILLO and interviews with qualified experts describing the concept of an “ecological back-pack” and “sustainable development”. The documentary has not yet been broadcast in Italy and has been published in VHS by EMI, Editrice Missionaria Italiana.

1999 - second "DISCORSO ALL'UMANITA'"{Discourse to Humanity} broadcast by Telepiù on New Year’s Eve. He created with TSI Televisione della Svizzera Italiana, the documentary “UN FUTURO SOSTENIBILE – Con meno, di più e meglio, una speranza per il nuovo millennio”, {A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE – with less –greater and better, a hope for the new Millennium}. It won the 1999 ENEA Prize for sustainable development. {ENEA is the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment} The documentary was based on the study of “sustainable future” by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in Germany and illustrates numerous examples of ecological reform of the economy and of life style. The documentary has not yet been broadcast in Italy and has been published in VHS by EMI, Editrice Missionaria Italiana.

2000 – on tour with the Show "TIME OUT" and on Telepiù at New Year the third "DISCORSO ALL'UMANITA'" is broadcast.

2001 - on tour with the Show "LA GRANDE TRASFORMAZIONE" {The Great Transformation} and on Telepiù at New Year the fourth "DISCORSO ALL'UMANITA'" is broadcast.

2002-2003 - on tour with the Show "VA TUTTO BENE" (All’s well}

2003-2004 - on tour with the Show "BLACK-OUT - FACCIAMO LUCE" {Black-out – let’s have light} Starting with the national black-out of 28 September, illustrates the decline of Italy with episodes of daily life. And with 20 social and economic indicators.
He starts a collaboration with the publication “Internazionale” and becomes one of the regular contributors, proposing texts gathered from the Shows

2005 – 26 January saw the start of the new tour "BeppeGrillo.it" which will be seen all over Italy on 60 occasions only in sports stadium

Monza, chief town of Brianza, is not only the Formula One city. Thanks to its glorious past it keeps artistical treasures proving its Roman origins, its Longobard prestige and its great medieval development till the important transformations which took place in the 19th century. Monza is a flourishing town rich in small and medium industries, and many high level service companies in a varied territory which frames a small but very interesting old town. Statistical surveys have shown Monza as a wealth residential town with a high standard of life. Monza has a low level of urban criminality and high standard health services. Statistical information Inhabitants: 122,000 (7% foreign people) Altitude: 162 meters on the sea level City extent:  33.03 sq.Km. 7.7  Park area: 7.7 Density of population: 4,827 inhabitants for sq. Km. ( park area excluded) - 3,701 inhabitants for sq. Km. (park area included) Life quality:  On the basis of the 2001 census the 49.94% of the population over 15 years is employed. Average amount  of banking deposit per person: 21,339 euros

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix is a town and commune in eastern France, in the Haute-Savoie département, at the foot of Mont Blanc. At the census of 1999 it had a population of 9,830 inhabitants and a land area of 116.53 km² (44.99 sq mi). The town's altitude is 1035 metres.

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is located at 45°55′8″N, 6°51′55″E. The Chamonix valley runs from northeast to southwest, and is watered by the Arve, which rises in Le Tour. The Arve is joined by the torrent l'Arveyron, which rises in the famous Mer de Glace just above Chamonix. On the southeast towers the snowclad summit of Mont Blanc (4808m), and on the northwest the less lofty, but rugged chain of Le Brévent (2525m) and of the Aiguilles Rouges. A number of villages and hamlets stretched out along the valley belong to the commune including Les Bossons (1012m), Les Praz (1060m), Argentière (1252m) and Le Tour (1462m). The valley is connected via the Col de Montets (1461m) to Martigny (Switzerland) in the Rhône Valley.

The tandem of records

It is difficult to explain precisely what is going on in the Campania region. When the responsibility lies simultaneously in the hands of politicians, entrepreneurs, organised crime and certain citizens, where does one begin?
A fish always starts smelling from the head-side.
Bassolino, “diessino-diossino” (Ds member and dioxin producer) was Mayor of Naples in 1993 and was re-elected in 1997. In the year 2000 he became Regional Premier of Campania, and was re-elected in 2006. Rosa Russo Jervolino, elected as Mayor of Naples in 2001, was re-elected in 2006.
Bassolino-Jervolino would appear to be a tandem brand, in that, when one of them leaves the Municipal Council, the other takes his place, while the former moves up to the Regional Council.
My dear residents of Campania, stop the tandem, perhaps then things will change.


I suspect that the whole palaver surrounding the refuse in Campania is merely a pretext for relaunching the incinerators. Those that Bersanetor and D’Alema sauvely call thermo-enhancers and that no one else in Europe is building any longer.
I have written about the reasons for a no vote, as well as what the alternatives are.
Print and circulate the pdf file.


Incinerators, why not?
1 – Incinerating refuse converts it into toxic nanoparticles and dioxins
2 – Incineration requires substances such as water, lime and bicarbonate, which increase the initial mass of the refuse
3 – One ton of refuse produces one ton of fumes and 300kg of solid ash, as well as certain other substances
- by law, solid ash must be disposed of at a waste disposal dump for hazardous toxic waste, a waste product that is infinitely more hazardous than that contained in the old waste disposal dumps
- the fumes contain 30kg of cancerogenous fly ash and 25kg of chalk
- incineration produces 650kg of polluted water requiring purification
4 – If inhaled into the lungs, the microscopic dust particles (2pm to 0,1pm) resulting from incineration will reach the bloodstream within 60 seconds, and all the other organs within 60 minutes
5 – The pathologies resulting from the inhalation include: cancer, foetal malformation, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer Syndrome, heart attacks and strokes. This has been proven by thousands of scientific studies
6 – The incinerators, also called thermo enhancers, were financed by means of a 7% levy on all Enel utility accounts, by linking them to renewable energy sources, together with waste products from the petrol-from-coal refineries. Without this tax the incinerators would not be economically viable. Provision was made for incinerators in the last Budget, but only for those already built.
7 – There are currently 51 incinerators in Italy and it would be interesting to set up metering stations to analyse the quantities of microscopic dust particles in the vicinity of each incinerator, and to monitor the rate of derived illnesses in the areas over the long-term.
8 – The only beneficiaries of the incineration of refuse are the petroleum magnates, incinerator constructors and the parties openly being financed by these companies.


What to do with the refuse.
1 – Reduce the amount of refuse produced (for example, Berlin has managed to reduce the quantity of refuse produced by 5% in a period of only six months)
2 – Door-to-door differentiated waste collection with detailed billing tariffs
3 – Recycling of all differentiated waste collected
4 – Any refuse remaining after the implementation of the first three points should be sent to specialist plants for mechanical selection of the remaining undifferentiated waste. Anything that is not recyclable can be treated in biological drying plants, without burning it
5 – Economically speaking, where there is a differentiated refuse collection system in operation, it is no longer viable to burn refuse, because:
- any wood can be sold on to chipboard manufacturing companies
- recycling paper produces more energy than that produced by burning it
- recycling plastic makes financial sense. 2/3kg of petroleum is required in order to produce one kg of plastic
6 – Differentiated refuse collection can make up as much as 70% of all refuse produced and the remaining 30% can be further reduced to 15-20% by means of biological drying. This quantity is less than, or the same as the amount of waste products from the incinerators. However, the former are inert, non-toxic products requiring lower management costs and fewer environmental and health implications.


If the waste disposal sector was not legally controlled by privately held monopolies financed with public funds, but instead there was some real market liberalisation, competition between the companies would affect the level of recycling, and incineration would become a thing of the past.

The Little Prince (French: Le petit prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's most famous novella, which he wrote in the United States while renting The Bevin House in Asharoken, New York, on Long Island. The novella includes a number of drawings by Saint-Exupéry himself, which are reproduced in most versions.

The book has been translated into more than 160 languages and, to date has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. It is one of the top 50 best-selling books.^[1] It has been adapted into a movie musical by Lerner and Loewe, two different operas, as well as into an animated series. It is often used as a beginner's book for French language students.

Free information in Free State

"Italians! This has been an incredible year! In September we sent them all into a flat spin and now they are going insane! But things are really not too bad. This little Italy of ours is simply in a coma, and has been so for the past 15 years. Since 1992 the country has been kept in a pharmacological coma by the media. Since 1992, after Falcone and Borsellino were blown up, there has been neither Country nor anything else. The TNT has disappeared, yet somehow the magistrates continue to disappear in other ways. The mafia has been corrupted! Who would have thought it? The mafia, corrupted from within by politics, an extraordinary merger, almost nuclear. They have actually pulled together. This Country of ours that no longer knows where it wants to get to, or for that matter what and where it is currently. We are being strangled by twin flags. I would like to know whether I am simply going insane or whether there is, in fact, something that doesn't quite add up. The thing that doesn't add up is the fact that we no longer know what we need in order to lead a normal life. We know all about the myriad bits of bullshit that are thrust into the limelight daily by the newspapers, the media and the television, but as regards the things that we really need, such as public or private water supplies, energy, connectivity, what is refuse, where does it come from, and how do we get away with not constructing incinerators, of this we know nothing, nothing of those things that really change our lives. So, what can we do about it? The first step is to identify the enemy. Last V-Day, on 8 September, it was not so much the politicians that got pissed off, but rather the journalists, that special caste, the real caste that we have in Italy. Did you notice anything? Thousands of disgraceful slaves, all in a row, at 90°. A very unseemly situation. They all look alike and it is impossible to distinguish the one from the other, except the fat one from the thin one. Riotta is exactly the same as Mimun, who is, in turn, exactly like Bel Pietro, who is the same as Giordano, who is just like Fede. They are all alike. We can distinguish the eliteness of these great major-domos. Those that speak of the free market, those who occasionally say something and then quickly withdraw back into their shells. They are absolutely incredible. We are talking about people like Scalfari, Pansa and Romani, those sarcophagi of information that regularly write reams of editorials that no one ever reads. All that is ever read of the newspapers are the headlines and sub-headlines, while information is actually counted by the amount of space allocated and is measured in centimetres. We should use rulers to measure the amount of information actually being provided. And so the entire situation resembles a quagmire, a mixture of entrepreneurship, politics, the mafia and the media. Go into any of the newspapers' Board Meetings and you will find entrepreneurs, or go into any of the banks' Board Meetings and you will find entrepreneurs, politicians and journalists. Today, any journalist may become a member of parliament. Never mind any conflict of interests, we have now gone way beyond that. The companies too, are all alike. Take Fiat for example. If it wasn't for the unemployment benefit funds, in other words for State intervention, the company would have gone to the wall ten years ago while, instead, it is still carrying on thanks to Equity Swaps. Eni and Enel are genuine monopolies. Rai and Mediaset are one and the same. The only way to really bring about change in this Country, in my humble opinion before I go totally insane, is to concentrate on those areas where democracy reigns, and where the right to information would be protected. Gone are the days of the great journalists, such as Biagi, Montanelli and others, nothing any longer remains of them. That is why I have decided to hold my own V-Day celebrations on 25 April next year, on Liberation Day. Let's liberate ourselves from this unreliable information, free ourselves of this rabble. Withhold their money and let's try to set this up properly, since my life is now totally focussed on these things. Also because the task that I have set myself is not to practice politics. An article in today's Corriere della Sera newspaper identifies me as the second favourite politician, after Veltroni with 50%. This is our Country and I am one of the greatest politicians around in Italy! If they were to make a list of comedians, I would only come in around tenth or fifteenth, while our politicians would be way above me at the top of the list. Our V-Day should be based on the following: withhold the financing. On 25 April 2008 there will be a real liberation, with something going on in every town. We will have to make it happen, what with the media being silent while they should be talking about it. This will be the end of them. Let's make a date for 25 April, when we will push for freedom of information in a Country that is finally free, and let's start again from scratch. Civil lists and informed citizens, that is what we need, not politicians. Informed citizens that know what is going on around them, who are involved in their districts and towns and who prevent them from being sold out by some or other little party or little political servant. We need to have free citizens and freedom of information in order to be classified as a free Country. Italians!!! Chins up, let's face the coming catastrophe together, but always with optimism. "