…but were afraid to ask.

Yes, it’s finally out! The new book “Il Sesso a Test” , Alpha Test (only in Italian at the moment, www.alphatest.it) from Silvia Bencivelli.

The author of “Why we like music” (Perchè ci piace la musica, Sironi 2007 - www.sironieditore.it), that will be translated soon in french, this time surprise us with 200 funny and scientific questions, as the leitmotiv of this collection is.

From animals to erotism in art and literature, from cinema to hystory, try to answer… Is it real the the Coke is a good contraceptive? What is the right time for an ideal intercourse? What’s a micropenis exactly?

Comics by Giovanni Vannini.

doriana

Now VG blog has its special VG T-SHIRT: it’s a black one with viaginnastica.wordpress.com on the back and a picture of PUMPING IRON!

It’s cool and unique and it’ll make you feel part of VG all life long!

What do you think about it? Could it be a nice idea?

T-SHIRT A: sfondo nero e disegno grande sul davanti (pumping iron) + scritta viaginnastica.wordpress.com

T-SHIRT B: sfondo nero e disegno piccolo su una manica (pumping iron) + scritta viaginnastica.wordpress.com

From www.telegraph.co.uk

It could easily have been the role model for the terrifying creature in the film ‘Alien’.

A perfect toxin-loaded killing machine, there is no creature on earth that can dispatch a human being so easily or so quickly.The box jellyfish is so packed with venom that the briefest of touches can bring agonising death within 180 seconds.

And if comes under sustained attack it responds by sending its compatriots into a super-breeding frenzy in which millions of replacements are created.

Video - Jellyfish invasion - National Geographic - Nature Shock

The jellyfish have a formidable array of genetic equipment to help them survive:

• Four brains that operate competitively in the search for food.
• A highly complex sensory capacity and the ability to distinguish colour.
• The ability to live in inhospitable waters at a depth of up to 10,900 metres.
• A total of 24 eyes with moveable pupils giving them 360-degree visibility.
• Box jellyfish have 6-8ft long tentacles. Just 5-6ft across the body is enough to kill a human in 180 seconds.
• Venom is released on contact - even after it is dead - and each creature has 4000,000,000 venomous fibres.
• Humans who have been stung and survived have needed 30-40 milligrams of morphine. A broken leg requires between 5-10 milligrams.
• Despite decades of study scientists have been unable to unravel the mysteries of its complex venom but it is known to contain 20 different proteins.

The swarms of jellyfish are multiplying in the Western extent of the Pacific ocean and threatening 20,000 miles of coastline off Japan, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Marina Semiglia

I was 12 years old but I remember what happened in Chernobyl in 1986.
I also remember that the following year 71% of Italians choose to say no to nuclear energy in a referendum. After 21 years from that vote the new minister for the economic development announced the creation of nuclear reactors by 2013.
I do not want to discuss if nuclear energy will be the right solution for our global problems, I am just asking what the people who voted in 1987 think about the value of their vote.
And what do youngest people think about it…
doriana

More news about my friend in Libya. I’ve asked him to tell VG blog what’s going on in Libya in order to read his own words and understand more.

He’s a technician who works for AVA spa, a oil field company located in the mediterranean area and also in Austria, Germany and Hungary. In Libya the company has been working for years in assisting a  lot of oil companies in drilling.

If you want to know more about Libya and Italy agreement -or disagreement- after the Second Worl War, have a look of this press releases (it’s in italian)

What’s happening at work? Are you free to leave Libya when you want?

“Usually yes, I’m free to leave the country thanks to a regular entry and exit visa, but I cannot right now!”

Why can’t you come back to Italy at the end of your work shift?

“Because my company is not regular with the payment of the ALI, Azienda Libica Italiana, founded by Dini government in 2002. The ALI purpose is to pay Libya the damages of the Second World War”

Why does Gheddafi claim the money “back” from Italy?

“Because he is asking for damages of italian invasion in Libya”

And what do you think it’s the main reason to hold AVA’s employers back?

“Libya wants Italy writes off the Second World War debt, Gheddafi wants the money, that’s it! In exchange he’ll give italian companies the license to work here. The fastest way to get the money from italian companies, it’s to hold the employers here. But AVA should understand it’s a huge problem! If nobody (AVA company, other italian companies, italian government) pays to ALI, Libya won’t release the license to keep on working here.”

What’s the position paper of your company?

“Our company haven’t pay yet because before 2002 this charge had been considered optional not mandatory. In 2002 it became a law but not a clear law, it’s never been clear the amount of money to pay to ALI. And also ALI it might be cancelled in a few months. This is a fine mess!”

What is gonna happen in the next weeks?

“AVA spa is trying to deal with the amount of money to pay, but there’s no evidence that we’ll find a solution soon.”

Are you worried not to come back to Italy soon?

“I’m sincerly worried to spend more than 3 months here, because even if the company decides to pay it, it’ll take a long time to make it official.”

Are you frightned?

“Many of my collegues’ relatives are worried about this delay, this is an abuse of power! They should keep here only the director, the person in charge for it, but libyan people don’t care about humans rights!”

VG international news. Tripoli, Libya.

Have just discarded the possibility of attending Esof 2008? May be you are interested in a call for volunteers, launched a couple of weeks ago. You have to work, of course, but also benefit of the registration fee payed, a t-shirt and other things.

See you in Barcelona! (obviously… before we have just a couple of rendevouz at VG).

lisa

Professor Steve Steve hasn’t forgotten Fest 2008.

He’s sent some new pictures because (maybe) he misses Trieste and the people he met here.

How are you, Professor?

Claudia and Doriana

It’s not a joke. A friend of mine who works in Libya for an italian oil company can’t be back home. Gheddafi wants to charge his company of 1000000 euro to write off Libya’s Second World War debt. In return, Tripoli will release the employers, they’ll be free to come back to Italy.

Putin has just written off $ 4,5 billion of Libya’s Cold War-era debt in exchange of military and civilian contracts between the North African Country and Russian companies. That’s not enough for Gheddafi. Now Italy has to solve its debt problem. Or maybe solve its Calderoli problem, I really don’t know.

I’m in doubt right now, I’m worried for my friend and so hangry because I can’t do anything.

What’s going on in Libya? Can Gheddafi hold someone back without any blocks or difficulties?

I’ve just known about it, and I’ll try to find news and facts and more over. Please leave a comment. Any suggestion will be appreciated.

Claudia

Insisto su un tema amato. Saranno stati gli eccessi alimentari triestini. Sarà che oggi a Bologna si conclude l’International Festival of Food and Film e mi stavo chiedendo se farci un salto. O sarà che spulciando vecchi (almeno per la rete)  feed non letti mi sono imbattuta in un post interessante su Trashfood, un “Randomestrale di Incultura Alimentare”, come recita la homepage del blog. Il 3 maggio si parla della presentazione fatta da Gianna Ferretti, l’autrice del blog, in occasione di FoodCamp. Che c’è di bello? Si trova il link alle slides, ovvero una serie di riferimenti a siti e fonti da consultare in tema di alimentazione e salute. Che roba è Foodcamp? Un BarCamp (”una rete internazionale di non conferenze aperte i cui contenuti sono proposti dai partecipanti stessi”, dice wikipedia) dedicato al cibo, che si è svolto il 30 aprile-1 maggio scorso a San Martino in Pensilis (Campobasso, Molise!). E infatti qui trovate il sito wiki che ne ha permesso l’organizzazione. Potete farvi una cultura alimentare e wikistica…

due piccioni con una fava :) 

lisa

Sorry! May be I could think of (possible) english readers, but the cited sites are in italian except for the International Festival of Food and Film