Transvestite law maker causes trouble in women's restroom

The fact that Italy has a transvestite law maker is shocking enough, let alone the fact that this transvestite is now trying to use the women's public restroom and causing havoc among others in the Italian parliament.

Apparently, this "female" transvestite was found in the bathroom by former actress Elisabetta Gardini, turned spokesperson for Berlusconis' Forza Italia party.

"I was traumatized," she said.

According to Gardini, "It was violence, sexual violence.''

The transvestite, whose name is Vladimir Luxuria wears womens clothes anproclaimsms "herself" to be a transgender, although there has not yet been an operation indicating any official sex change.

The fact that the Italian Parliament have recently been experiencing credibility issues only heightened the political cartoon jokes and mockery when the press heard of this latest "crisis."

Ironically enough, the issue of where Luxuria goes to the bathroom was apparently more important than say, the passing of the budget in parliament; since the time allocated for discussion of the budget was taken up by arguing about which restroom was appropriate for use by a transvestite.

Some lawmakers felt that Luxuria was being attacked, however others felt that the issue was so prominent that a special bathroom specifically designed for "her" should be created!

Luxuria said she had no idea that this would become such a hot topic.

Evidently actresses turned politicians surely can create a mountain out of a molehill.

Italy Lawmakers Debate Restroom Rights
Tuesday October 31, 2006 3:16 AM
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO
Associated Press Writer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6181666,00.html

California's art of schmoozing puts Italy at a loss

Apparently, “Vintages,” the well-known wine catalogue has just released in it's newest edition, 123 wines with 22 “in store discoveries,” which lucky for some, are tucked away in only a few select stores.

However, according to Michael Vaughan from the National Post, “Vintages” hurt its sales by choosing to not allow wine writers taste their open bottles. Strangely enough, although it has arguably reduced sales, “Vintages” has still refused to let wine writers taste their open bottles.

“Vintages,” in their latest release, have devoted 16 pages to California produced wines; a paltry four pages were given to Italy’s outstanding wines. This is due in part to politics…since California spent massive amounts on LCBO (the Liquor Control Board of Ontario) marketing projects together with sending LCBO executives on lavish trips, which therefore resulted in California wines commanding the pages of “Vintages.”

The LCBO is the world’s single largest purchaser of alcoholic beverage products. The LCBO is a provincial Crown corporation established in 1927 by Howard Ferguson.

Therefore, regardless of whether or not some of Italy’s wine is legitimately superior to those in California, schmoozing never hurts when you want V.I.P treatment.

They have wine in Italy? Really?
Michael Vaughan, National Post
Published: Saturday, October 28, 2006
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=a595a59c-0767-4be0-b1b9-8f3da4243259&p=2

Italians uncover uncanny link to cancer

Generally speaking, when the world thinks Italy, they immediately say 'bread and pasta!'

However, Italian researchers performed a study on more than 2,300 people in which they may have found a link between pasta and Kidney cancer.

Who would have thought that Italian researchers could possibly blame their beloved bread for causing cancer?

The study was conducted by Dr. Francesca Bravi in Milan at the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri," which showed that a diet Consisting of high refined cereals and bread could lead to the development of kidney cancer.

However, Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK said, "We will need more evidence from much larger studies before we can say if this link is real."

Hopefully for carb loving Italians and others worldwide, this crazy link is false.

Check out these TWO articles:

High bread consumption tied to kidney cancer
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, online October 20, 2006
http://today.reuters.com/news/ArticleNews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-10-20T182944Z_01_ARM066534_RTRUKOC_0_US-BREAD-KIDNEY-CANCER.xml

Eating bread 'raises cancer risk'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6067908.stm

Paris poses for canned Prosecco

An Australian company recently hired Paris Hilton as part of their marketing scheme for their new product idea called "Rich Prosecco." Prosecco, which is a famous Italian sparkling wine has has Italians worried about the reputation of it's prized sparkling wine after the new canned wine adorned with Paris Hilton is distributed.

“Rich Prosecco is a blantant example of exploiting the Prosecco name. The name means everything and Prosecco’s success has come thanks to decades of hard work by over 3,000 vineyards and 130 producers,” said Franco Adami, chairman of the consortium of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene producers.

Prosecco is made in the north of Italy's Venice and the name comes from the specific Prosecco grape.

“Prosecco has became synonymous with our region. Now we are seeing the reputation we have worked to build exploited in order to make an easy profit,” Adami said.

On the other hand, Veneto Region Vice President Luca Zaia feels that this is a great marketing idea since he thinks that more people will be drawn to buy a bottle of the Prosecco wine after drinking it of the Austrialian/Hilton canned verson.

The outcome now has Prosecco producers aiming to launch some major advertising in order to showcase the quality of the genuine Italian Prosecco and the differences between the 'rich' canned product.

Check out the article:
Prosecco in a can stirs controversy
By Web Editor. Filed under News from Italy, Food & Drink on September 27th, 2006
http://www.italymag.co.uk/2006/news-from-italy/prosecco-in-a-can-stirs-controversy/

Follow up: Italy abandons bridge idea

As a follow up to the 9/25/06 posting, "Sicily and Italy--joined...now literally?"

The BBC reported that Italy has officially dropped it's impractical idea of building a bridge that would join Italy and Sicily.

Check out the Article:
Italy drops Sicily bridge plans
http://www.topix.net/forum/world/italy/TC36LURLQGB74MBR8

Italy loses wine war to Hungary

Italy will lose the name of one of its most popular wines, "Tocai," in the near future.

The battle over this famously named white wine, Tocai, dates back centuries when the Hungarian wine firm Monipex, obviously feeling deprived, took legal action against Italy, arguing that only wine produced in Tokaji, Hungary could bear the name "Tocai."

Therefore, Italy must now re-name/re-launch this once famous wine as "Friulano."
Wine connoisseur Bruno Pizzul from the centre of the Italian Tocai vineyards in Gorizia, said, “It is not easy to relaunch a wine which has lost its name. In the wine industry, labeling is all.”

Although both Hungary and Italy were given the rights by the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg for the wine to bear the name, "Tocai," it was revamped in 2004 when Hungary agreed to join the European Union (EU) and given the sole rights of the Tokai label. Thus proving that the Tocai brand wine must be an extremely important staple to the Hungarian society.

Although an appeal was made by the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region of Italy to the European Court was made, it was rebuked. The judges then decided that the Italian version of Tocai, “does not qualify as a geographical indication” because “it has no special quality, reputation or characteristic that is attributable to its geographic origin”.

Oddly enough, the Italian version differs vastly from that of the Hungarian version in that, the Italian Tocai is a pungent and dry white wine, made solely from the Tocai grape, verses the Hungarian Tokai (or Tokaji) which is a sweet, after-dinner dessert wine, made using Furmint and Haréslvelü grapes.

According to Count Filippo Formentini, whose family has been producing Tocai wine for centuries says that this name could be traced back to 1632 when his female relative, Countess Aurora Formentini, married Count Adam Batthyany of Hungary, thus acquiring 300 Tocai vines as part of her dowry.

Although the European government has promised €15 million (£10 million) in financial aid to the Italian wine producers to help promote the newly named “Friulano" wine, formerly known as "Tocai," Italians are still skeptical.Marco Felluga, a leading Friuli wine producer, feels that the loss of the Tocai brand wine is “incredible . . . Italy has lost its wine war with Hungary. It’s like saying that from tomorrow Italians cannot call pizza, pizza any more.”

check out the article from:
The Times
Oct. 9, 2006
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5-2394850,00.html#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=Business