Monthly Archives: June 2005

Italian romances nun with text messages

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zoomata.com staff A text message an Italian sent by mistake started a romance that convinced a nun to leave the Catholic church.

It began when a factory worker from the island of Sardinia, Maurizio Degortes, thumbed a message to a female friend intended to help her get over a broken heart. His message by accident reached a nun and changed her life.
Seven months of courtship via mobile phone convinced Geraldine, 35, from the Philippines but living in a Palermo convent, that her future was with Maurizio.

The final push, however, may have been given by the mother superior who found the woman of the cloth furiously texting messages in private.
These star-crossed lovers met only once in the airport when she was being sent home. They reportedly only shared a caste kiss on the cheek.

Shy, with a grey and white striped polo shirt monastically buttoned up, Degortes, 32, told national news program TG5, “I don’t think I’m prince charming or necessarily her soul mate but I do think she deserves another kind of life.”

The mother superior shipped Geraldine back to the Philippines but Degortes says that didn’t stop the two paramours from talking, or texting, every single day.
Degortes hopes to sponsor Geraldine for a tourist visa but he says that if the authorities do not grant it he will gladly go to the Philippines to spend time with his new-found friend.

Latin lovers may have an advantage with new technologies: it is estimated that 10,000 text messages are sent every day in Italy making it one of the most prolific countries for thumb jockeys. ? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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Italians play prison game

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zoomata.com staff A new board game based on life at Milan’s San Vittore prison will help Italians find out what happens after you pull the ‘jail’ card.
Called “Criminal Mouse” in English, the game made by prisoners challenges players to get through the system.
A roll of the dice can mean rat-infested cells, repeat sentences or going to rehabilitation classes, visits from loved ones, time off for good behavior and, finally, freedom.The bewildered cartoon mice behind bars on game tokens can be replaced with player’s own “mug shots” for an added touch of realism.

Criminal Mouse is the latest effort from www.ildue.it, creative hub of the Milanese prison that has also given birth to an inmates’ recipe book, a collection of love poems and a successful sit-com. Volunteer Emilia Patruno told zoomata the game has no high-minded goal of acting as a deterrent but hopes to give those who are unlikely to wear prison grays some understanding of life behind bars.

Lately, San Vittore could use some understanding. Officials are still scratching their heads over the April 12 escape of an alleged drug dealer and gang member awaiting trial. Klodian Ndoi knotted sheets to shimmy four floors to the courtyard and then climbed temporary scaffolding put up for restoration of the 1879 jail. Guards saw him but didn’t manage to catch him, raising public concern about the running of the maximum-security prison. Ndoi still hasn’t been found.

Escaping from prison in the game can also be challenging. Lawyer Giuliano Spazzali, during a mock game in front of journalists, failed to correctly answer three questions that would have allowed him to escape and win the game. He was “in” for robbery.? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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Italian city workers take ‘gay rights’ classes

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zoomata.com staff A stone’s throw from the Vatican, city employees in Rome are taking seminars to give them a better understanding of gay rights.
Called a preventative measure against homophobia, participants in the six-session course are workers from the office for relations with the public (URP).

The course is the brainchild of Mariella Gramaglia, city councilor responsible for communications and equal opportunities, who has over the years led a series of anti-discrimination measures in the Eternal City. Courses, led by a team of activists and academics, started June 15. Gramaglia hopes to export the program in the fall to another 19 towns in Italy.

“Rome isn’t just an city open to art, but it is a city with an open mind,” she said. “We targeted people who are on the front lines for dealing with the public, it is a first for Italy.”

Her words may have rattled the papal scepter just a few miles away in the Vatican.
Recently-appointed Pope Benedict XVI is seen by many as a foe of gay rights, as a cardinal he once called homosexuality a “tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil.”
The battle for separation between church and state in Italy is bound to be a long one. With the backing of the Pope, the church successfully mounted a boycott of the June referendum to ease Italy’s strict fertility laws. ? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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Smelling sweet: Italians perfume city

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zoomata.com staff Clean streets are not enough for one Italian city, officials have decided they should smell good too.
Billed as a scent makeover for Genoa’s narrow medieval streets, called caruggi and maligned for centuries as havens for stale smells, the local trash company has decided to spruce up the city for summer visitors.

Streets will be cleaned and scented every day until September 15, according to this “decorum plan” laid out in a press release.

The real question is the perfume itself: this is a city by the sea and known for basil-laden pesto sauce but the streets will waft with a pine odor reminiscent of the mountains.

In recent years, the Italian concern for pleasing appearance, bella figura has been extended to city smells. Residents of San Giuliano Milanese, about 13 km (8 miles) from Milan, are treated to relaxing or invigorating scents as they wait in line in city offices. ? text 1999-2005 zoomata.com
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