Let the Great World Spin

This is a fantastic book. I will be giving this as a gift this Holiday season. More on why I like this book so much, later.
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Vittorio Fossombroni

Idralilico - Plumber
Economista - Economist
Politico - Polotician

So it seems that there was a time when the practical application of something was more valued.
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Good Reading

Banker to the Poor
By Muhammad Yunus

Nobel peace prize winner, Muhammad Yunus provides lucid and quick paced memoir of how he came to start the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, an innovator in microlending to the poor.

Mr. Yunus takes the reader throught the streets and villages of Bangladesh where a $25 loan can help a family break the cycle of poverty.

Highly recommended.
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Bologna. City of...

Bologna city of the learned, the fat and the red.  Also known by the three T's: towers, tortellini, and tits.

That's what they say anyway.  So far from the above list I have only seen, towers.  But I am on the lookout for all the others.

We arrived on Easter Sunday and literally needed to get out of the car to make a group of dancing Bulgarians make way for our car to pass into Piazza Maggiore.

Going back to the first list, the learned refers to the fact that the Universita di Bologna is the oldest university in the Western world. 
The fat refers to the cuisine which is excellent.  Finally, the red refers to the fact that the city has been under communist rule since WWII.
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Autogrill on the Autostrada

As previously mentioned, the autostrada is in superfine shape and allows our Fiat to to cruise alongside the arborrio rice fields.

A quick stop at the service area where in the US you would find a gas station and a Burger King, you find the service station with an Auto Grill instead.

Auto Grill provided us with delicious cappucino, espresso, and macchiato in real coffee cups with saucers.  The coffee bar also offered an incredible array of panini and pastries.

The shop part of the Autogrill sold a wide selection of cheese, wine, chocolate, prosciutto, bresaola, etc.

Zooming past the rice fields, it occurs to me that style comes naturally to Italians.

It also makes me wonder how Italy can produce these local economies that enable production of local products unlike the US.  Somehow local and regional economies survive while at the same time the country is heavily involved in the global economy.
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Leaving for Italy Today

Vacations for me are more than a break from work.  When I take a vacation, I seek to relax, learn, and enjoy myself.  In the best cases, vacation provides a complete sabbatical giving me the chance to gain a new and broader perspective - reinvented, rested and restored.
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Wall Street vs. Main Street

You hear it all the time now. In academic circles and the serious press they sometimes refer to it as the "financial economy" and the "industrial" or even "real" economy. I prefer the "financial economy" vs. the "real economy" because by reference it implies that the financial economy is not real. I think that in a sense it isn't.

I would like to think through and write the story of the contractor, the bookie and the horse that couldn't lose. I will call it "Winning at the Track"

Perhaps I'm too cynical.

I just heard The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and thought about a comparison to the Iraq war, the election and the current financial crisis.

"And the world looks just the same
and history we ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war"
...

"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at all the change all around me"

...

"Then I'll get down on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, No!"

...

"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"

Sounds quite prophetic. Let's hope not. Here's a toast to altruism and optimism. In any case, I guess I'll pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday.

Which is better?

The letter of the law or the spirit of the agreement.

Bob Dylan

To get an idea of how interesting of a man Bob Dylan must be, read this short interview from Times Online.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6043331.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1