Italy and economic crisis

The magazine TIME has crowned a protester as "Person of the Year" in its famous cover. This is the tip of the iceberg: this year the protests have spreaded in many Countries to collect more and more people and exceed boundaries. Every Country has its problems but people equally dissent and as TIME write in its Introduction about these people "They literally embodied the idea that individual action can bring collective, colossal change.".

The covers drawing is inspired by a real photo of a girl named Sarah Mason who took part to Occupy L.A. Her brown eyes forward courage and pride together. The photographer is Ted Soqui, almost a new Robert Capa, whose blog cointains the girl's name and many other photos and details about that manifestation.

We live an age of trouble: in Western Countries there are protests mainly caused by the economic downturn. These pacific movements having different names depending on the country in which they are, e.g. "Occupy Wall Street" or "Occupy L.A." in USA, "Occupy London" in UK, "Indignados" in Spain or Italy. Despite different names all of them are united against the growing unemployment and economic inequality in Western.

But not only. In Libya Gheddafi had been deposed and killed, Tunisia and Egypt are in profondous political changes, in Syria the establishment uses the army against the protesters, in other Arabs Country citizens protest or have protested more or less deeply against their governaments. 

In past days Italy has also been in the eye of the storm because its debt  has influenced "Euro crisis". This crisis is very serious because can undermine the same European Union and her main achievement, the Euro currency. Sure the crisis dont involves only Italy but also Greece, Portugal and Ireland but those countries are Union's "economically peripherals" compared to Italy.

Germany and France have pushed for reforms in Italy as they have previously done for Portugal, Ireland and Greece. Italy debt has reached a very risky level and that has stated a very large market speculation over Italian bonds. Mr. Berlusconi's Governement has shown powerless and divisions in front of this crisis so parliamentary majority has melted like snow in the sun.

After Mr. Berlusconi has resigned (under a popular festive happening), Italian President Mr Napolitano has called Mr Mario Monti to form a new Governament to try to save the Country (and the Euro) from the brink. Mr Monti not elected in Italian Parliament has quickly shaped a new Governament without politicians as members.

A Governament of people not elected is a strange "being" because in theory politicians must be accountable to citizens. Nevertheless the main Italian politic Parties deliberately did not want take part to this Governament: Nobody want to be the responsible for the unpopular measures that this Governament should set in the coming months.

Sure to call new elections could represent a serious risk for Italy's debt so the Country needed a rapid reply to market speculation. The main political parties are in trouble and divised in three alignements: centre left, center right and the so called third pole. This mexican stand off favours the Monti's solution. 

Economic crisis is really serious but Italy has anyway many deep problems about which there are certainly the political corruption, a widespread tax evasion and a lack of competitiveness in public and private sectors. 

These problems stem from many reasons, as hystorical as cultural, including for example the Italian Legislation. Italian law is very "hypertrofic" with a boundless number of laws that make our judicial system very inefficient with all consequences easy to imagine for businessmen and citizens. The legitimate demand of many people for a more legal certainty testifying an actual and persistent legal uncertainty in Italy. It's not a puns!!!

In this contest many people retain privileges stopping changements and reforms. Economic crisis effects and subsequent search for solutions highlight precisely this situation and It's no coincidence that many books speak about this question: e.g. "La Casta" or "La Deriva" are only two of various books about these problems of Italy.

I could talk at length about Italian problems or about privileges of many people in Italy but I am very very busy. Sure I think might be more interesting write some questions:

"What's the cause? Privileges or inefficient laws?".
"Why it's so difficult prove politicians fault?".
"Why tax evasion is so widespread about Italian businessmen and citizens?".

The Cal 2012 Muses

It's uneasy speak about something famous, sure many informations are available but every opinion may have already been stated by someone else. In this post I want write about The Cal, i.e. "his highness" Pirelli Calendar. The Italian tyre company publish this calendar since 1964 which soon became a must despite a stop of almost ten years.

Mainly three reasons are behind this success. First, the calendar is not sold but only few people can have it why it's an exclusive corporate gift. Second, every year It collects glamour photos of famous international photographers like Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz or Peter Lindbergh. Third, the photo's models are worldwide famous and beautiful women like top models or actresses.

The Cal 2012 recently released is more italian than past editions: in fact the "Director" is Mario Sorrenti, the first time for an Italian photographer in Cal's story, and Corsica is its photo's location: this island now French has a long Italian story. 

In this edition as in previous The Cal's Muses are models, actresses, or both, some are younger, some are more or less famous. These women of stunning beauty have posed for pictures of artistic nude. Let's briefly discover them.

Isabelli Fontana is a Brazilian top model with Italian ancestors. This latin beauty with brown hair and blue eyes began her model career at the age of 14 years and at the age of 16 She posed for a Victoria Secret's lingerie catalogue. She has been model for many important brands and She has posed for the famous Sport Illustraded Swimsuit Edition. She has already appeared in four previous editions of Pirelli calendar.

Natasha Poly, curtailment of Natalya Sergeyevna Polevshchikova, is a russian top model born in 1985. She's a tipical russian beauty with long blonde hair and green eyes. Her career begins in the year 2004 like model and testimonial for many famous fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Blumarine and Calvin Klein. She appeared in many covers of many Vogue edition. She has also posed in the 2011 edition of Pirelli Calendar.

Saskia de Brauw has had an atypical model career. She left modelling very early, at 16 years, to porsue her passion for art studying in her native city Amsterdam. At the age of 29 She returned to modelling becoming quickly a worldwide famous top model. Her body and her look are very androgynous. Her hair and eyes are brown. Her internet site hosts an interesting blog. She has made a pubblication with her artworks named Traces.

Lara Stone born in Netherlands in 1983 has been previously other two times a Pirelli Calendar model: in 2009 and 2011. Models.com's, an internet site, appoints her the first in "Top 50 models women ranking" from 19 February 2010 to November 2011. She has also won the British Fashion Awards becoming "Model of the year 2010". The New York Times' fashion critic Cathy Horyn defined her the "anti-model" in her "On the Runway" blog. She has recently became the only testimonial of all three Calvin Klein brands.

Joan Small born in 1988 in Porto Rico and in 2007 She started modelling but in 2010 her career takes off. The caramel skin, the elegant silhouette and the pout make her a sexy woman and a very distinctive exotic beauty. Sure Pirelli Calendar can be a milestone in her career. In Ask men UK site there is a Small's quote that shown a low profile lifestyle: "My bikini, a pair of black high heels and a pair of comfortable jeans. on her essential travel fashions". 

Guinevere Van Seenus, an other model, has already been on 2006 edition of Pirelli Calendar. She's a famous American model born in 1977 and working from 1992 whe She was only 15 years old but her career only really became successful after taking a trip to Europe. Her face, with an aura of elegant decadence, ispires dark and gothic athmospheres in make up creators and photographers wherewith She works. So in many photos She's portrayed as a "demonic" beauty.

Malgosia or Malgosia Bela, born in 1977, is a Polish model and actress with a very expressive face lit by two large green eyes. White skin and long blonde hair give an aristocratic appearence to her sexy body. She has been a testimonial of many brands and has won many covers of many edition of Vogue. Like other collegues also Malgosia has already posed in a past edition of The Cal. As an actress She has also starred some films and TV movies in Poland.   

Edita Vilkeviciute is a Lithuanian model born in 1989 with a beautiful bright and ingenuos face. She's the younger muse of this edition of The Cal. Despite her young age She's established in modelling having already walked for many fashion designer as well as having taken part in some Victoria Secret Fashion Shows. Like many of her colleagues She has appearead on many covers of famous fashion magazines like Vogue or Numero.

Kate Moss is a British model famous in all around the world. She's an icon of a transgressive, glamourous and hedonistic life: herself has been involved in many dissolute parties and even in a cocaine scandal. Her look personifies the so called and most criticized heroine chic look. Early in her career in 90's She has been defined as "anti supermodel" because She was different from supertop of those years. But She's also an icon of style with his look and personality as I stated in a previous post of my blog.

Milla Jovovich is the super star of The Cal's this edition. In fact She's model, actress, musician and fashion designer. Born in 1975 in Kiev but naturalized in USA where her family had expatriated when She was a child. Her stunning body and face have made her luck: very early She had became modelling career but in the cinema She has gained the real worldwide success: She had starred in 32 movies of many kind from 1988 to 2012. Her activities in music and in fashion design show her polyhedric and uncommon artistic qualities.

Margareth Madè, born in 1982, is an Italian model and emerging actress. Her first movie Baaria directed by Giuseppe Tornatore in 2009 had gived Her a very large fame: in fact after her performance in this movie She has been compared with the most famous italian actresses Monica Bellucci and Sophia Loren: will be their heir? Her beauty is unquestionable. Sure to take part in a Pirelli calendar can be a really consecration of her career. 

Rinko Kikuchi is a japanese actress. Despite her young age in cinema world She holds a remarkable record being the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years. She has played in many japanese films but has also worked in TV: her role in movie Babel (2006) has represented a breakthrough  moment in her career giving her a worldwide fame.

Megan VS Rosie

This post is a "test": "test" because I want open a new set of posts where I want write about a clash, a clash of beauties. In this challenge I will try to write about two beautiful and young women. Megan Fox and Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley. After all compare women is a main topic in conversations between men.

They are very specular girls about many features, e.g. Megan is brunette while Rosie is blonde, but at the same time they have many things in common: both are worldwide famous actress and model with blue eyes, both have appeared in many magazine covers. Lingerie's brands love both: Megan has been Armani underwear testimonial and Rosie is an "angel" of Victoria Secret. 

Megan is 26 years old, Rosie is 24 years old but both like the toys specially the robot. In fact the Transformers are their preferred toys: Megan has been the female heroine in the first and in second movie while Rosie has played this role in the third movie of saga. Megan and movie director dont get along so the blonde had replaced the brunette actress. It can happen sometimes!

This replacement has opened a wide debate about two girls: Who's the most beautiful? Who's the most good actress? Who's the better? Sure, the movie in 2011 has been a key stone in Rosie's career because it has been her first movie but above because replacing Megan She has became more famous than when She was "only" a stunning lingerie top model.

It's no accident that the readers of the magazine FHM voted Rosie as "world sexiest woman in 2011". Megan preceded her gaining the same title in 2008. Also the geography oppose them: the blonde is english while the brunette is american. Their features make them a typical sample of famous women suitable for media comparison: It would likely to see them in an episode of famous MTV "celebrity deathmatch". 

Megan has a long acting career in movie and TV series thanks to beauty of  her "celestial" face. The blue eyes, smile, porcellain skin and dark hair are a rare and sexy mix. The gossip said She has used surgery to make her face more like to Angelina Jolie one: sins of youth! Sure her gaze is very fascinating. She appears a very smart girl with a look young and sporty but She's at ease in catwalks or in the red carpets contest.

Rosie is a real top model that has started her model career at 16 working from that point for many fashion brands including Burberry and lingerie's famous firm Agent Provocateur other besides Victoria Secret. Her look is very classy and glamorous when she's dressed: She's appears most of time in lingerie being above all a lingerie model. Her face is not a stunning face but her lips are so sexy that someone thinks that are "fake". 

Between the two I prefer Megan: her face is beautiful than that of Rosie. Rosie is taller than Megan, her legs are faboulous and in lingerie She's terribly sexy but a brunette with blue eyes is unsurpassed. Not only, Megan seems a girl more real than Rosie that appears "colder". Rosie is stunning in photo shoots because She's a really catwalk "animal" (obviously!), incomparable like a goddess but in movie She is not a "silver bullet". Megan is most natural and simple (surgery is not important!) and when She acts is very exciting. Thus Megan wins the challenge.

What do you think about them?