Sizzling summer

One week into summer and here we go, 36.2 C in town today with a heat index of 45.5 C that impairs neuronal activity.
This is nothing though compared to the hot times we're all going to face in this country. The government has decided to proceed with cuts worth 2 BEuro in 2011, 5 BEuro in 2012, 15 BEuro in 2013 and 20 BEuro in 2014. If this is aimed at recovering the limping finances of Italy, I wonder why very little is being done to bring to surface the "submersed economy" - the illegal trade that skips tax - which has a turnover of 250 BEuro per year. Well, if this figure is known to the authorities, I guess someone should then know what and where it's all about. Just VAT alone, which is 20% here, equals to 50 BEuro not conveying into the country's chest. The remainder 200 BEuro would mean another estimated 80 BEuro worth of tax.
Wouldn't then 130 BEuro per year SOLVE all issues? Doesn't it ring a bell that our politicians do NOTHING in this sense and rather cut, cut, cut on essential services to the citizen? Digusting. Yeah, let's blame the "global gloom".
Italy has one among the highest public debts. Almost 2,000 BEuro and growing.

Nothing is forever

Yesterday, June 16, a violent thunderstorm in Torino tore down about thirty large trees in the Valentino Park alone. Many of these were over a century old. Several cars were wrecked but, luckily, nobody was injured. It's amazing what five minutes of havoc can do on this dynamic planet.