April 2005

It. Figures: Dealing with Numbers in Another Language

April 29, 2005

I suspect that most people, no matter how well they speak a foreign language, find it difficult to deal with numbers in other than their native tongue. I’ve noticed many times that someone has asked me to give them numbers in their own language, “because it’s easier.” I’m no different: if I have to write [...]

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The Papal Funeral Bash

April 16, 2005

I’m not going to say much about this; I wasn’t there, and ignored it as far as possible. The only footage I actually watched was on the Daily Show. But I do have a few items: Early last week, I was riding the bus down to Lecco, at my usual time when it’s full of [...]

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Making Money from a Content-Rich Personal Site

April 15, 2005

Millions of people have put up websites: many in hopes of making money one way or another; many, like myself, because we have something to share with the world, and don’t care whether it makes any money or not. On the other hand, making money wouldn’t hurt… As I have mentioned, and you have no doubt [...]

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Customs and Etiquette When Dining Out in Italy

April 15, 2005

House Wine In many Italian restaurants, you can get a low-cost house wine (usually one white and one red selection) in carafes of 1/4, 1/2, or a full litre. In some places this is a decent though not stellar local wine, in others it will be something completely unrelated to the area. Personally, I’d try [...]

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“What Do You Do?”

April 15, 2005

“All societies throughout history have had work right at their center; but ours – particularly America’s – is the first to suggest that it could be something other than a punishment or penance. Ours is the first to imply that a sane human being would want to work even if he wasn’t under financial pressure [...]

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La Scala Re-Opening

April 3, 2005

I haven’t been following the Muti-La Scala fight closely, but I do have a bit of inside information. The New York Times said: “MR. MUTI had reason for optimism. He had just presided over what was widely proclaimed the cultural event of the year in Europe on Dec. 7, the reopening of La Scala after a three-year [...]

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Gardening: In Italy, a Man’s Home is His Orto

April 3, 2005

^ Fresh produce from our garden. The zucchine aren’t supposed to be that shape; they had long skinny ends which I cut off because they were rotting; the uneven growth might be due to uneven watering (we’re still learning). I also need to learn to look more closely at the tomatoes before I cut them. [...]

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