As summer approaches, I begin to get homesick. It starts in spring, when I imagine the peach orchards that surround my town blossoming with their bright pink flowers. Then I start thinking at the crystal clear water of the beaches of sardinia. Then you feel that just talking on the phone to your parents and family just doesn’t cut it, and even if you use skype and a webcam, you’d just like to be there with them.
Maybe for this reason I’ve been making home-made sardinian pasta lately, culurjones and malloreddus….as my flickr stream can testify…..
May 25th, 2008
A couple of days ago Enzo Biagi passed away. He was one of the most respected, honest and admired italian journalists. Despite that, and despite is TV program was highly rated and had a great following, his criticism toward Berlusconi gained him (and others like Santoro and Luttazzi) ostracism as soon as Berlusconi became prime minister of Italy in 2001 for this interview to comedian and academy award winner Roberto Benigni. Biagi eventually came back to TV in 2007, being Berlusconi not in power anymore.
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November 11th, 2007
Since weight loss is such a popular subject on which there is a lot of misinformation, I’d like to give my take on how to manage your weight in a safe a healthy way. I’ll start with a disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor a professional dietician, so you should really check with a doctor if what I say is right for you. What I’d like to do here is to share some of my knowledge and experience, without any commercial bias as I won’t profit from any of my hints (except maybe for a few cents from the google ads….). Dietary supplements are not going to help you and I’d use them just if your doctor prescribes them. Vitamins and minerals are better absorbed from food.
A good friend of mine was able to lose over 50 pounds in 6 months following some really simple advices and without any magic trick. Most people can do the same. I’ll your need some commitment of course… don’t believe you can achieve your weight loss goal unless you’re ready to change some habits. Excessive weight comes from bad habits, you’ll have to commit to it. Change of habits has to be gradual though, your body doesn’t need a shock. More importantly, to stay committed to your plan, it’s important not to feel miserable about what you’re doing. I believe that a proper weight loss plan should NEVER end, meaning that your weight loss plan and your long term eating and exercising habits should converge.
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September 17th, 2007
Surely enough, I got an iPhone. Before its launch, I said that I would have waited for at least the second generation of the device to actually buy one, but my lust for this sexy device quickly ate all my guilt for shelling $500 briefly after I tried one at the Apple store in Pasadena. Having been working on Blackberries for quite some time, I was curious to see how the iPhone would stand up in a comparison.
First, let’s acknowledge that the PalmOS platform is dead. Palm is switching to Windows Mobile…what a pity. My first Palm was a PalmPilot 5000 back when it still was US Robotics and for that time, they were great. (more…)
August 8th, 2007
Mi sono imbattuto oggi su in video su YouTube che mi ha lasciato perplesso. Sorry if I am writing in italian today but this is a matter of italian politics and for italians. L’attuale presidente della regione sicilia Cuffaro, nonchè senatore nell’UDC, che nel 1991 da Costanzo e Santoro si scaglia verbalmente sul giudice Falcone, da lì a poco ucciso dalla mafia.
Sue parole:”Siccome sono stato per tre ore a sentire le buffonate che avete costruito, chiedo due minuti in silenzio”;
contro Falcone “C’è in atto una aggressione alla classe dirigente migliore che la Democrazia Cristiana ha avuto in Sicilia”, “non avete detto niente su un magistrato che prima è andato in America, poi si è ammalato, ora chiede trasferimento di un pentito che stamattina ha citato lo stesso giudice su alcuni fatti importanti che nessuno di voi ha voluto dire. Questo è giornalismo mafioso”
Mi hanno particolarmente colpito le facce che fanno Falcone e la Dalla Chiesa alle sue parole. Non so se sono più sorpresi o schifati.
March 6th, 2007
Paola Cortellesi is so talented…she’s intelligent, smart, has a great voice and she’s even beautiful. If she can cook lasagna, she’s pretty much the perfect woman.
Enjoy this performance, she’s making fun of Girl Bands. Singing with her own voice, better than most Girl Bands.
February 3rd, 2007
Today we played a good team in Duarte. My team, the Pumas, fought with courage but we lost 2-1. We had a good game though, and we’re improving steadily. Better luck next time!
On a much sadder note, football in Italy came to a stop this weekend after a policeman was killed by violent supporters of Catania in the aftermatch of Catania-Palermo. Special laws to curb this violence were long overdue since this is not the first episode. Unfortunately, as too often happens in Italy, somebody had to die before an action was taken to tackle a problem. I hope this is the last act of violence in our stadiums, and I also hope they capture every single one of the violent rioters, and put them in jail.
February 3rd, 2007
I am on vacation in Buenos Aires, visiting my friend Nima who was brave enough to actually move down here. The city is amazing, it reminds me of Europe more than any US city that 
I’ve seen. People drive like in Naples, cars and bus are pretty old, an heritage from the hard times this country has been through. But there are also signs of a rebirth: many constructions sites, remodeling, and upbeat economic statistics.
The city is quite lively, with people walking and sitting in the cafes till 3-4am in the morning.
The food is also great, I think I’ve never eaten this much. No wonder many here have italian blood in their veins. On wednesday I’ll visit Mendoza, by the Andes. It is the wine producing region of Argentina, with the perfect weather for growing grapes. The wine of choice is Malbec, but there are also Cabernet and Merlot.
November 20th, 2006
