$10 million, circa (19,536 billion lire) income, state lottery (1999)
50% increase from 1998
$15 million, circa (34,029 billion lire) total income betting
$400 million, c. (830 billion lire) income est., State bingo halls Italy’s first bingo halls, hailed as a sure thing by the government, are scheduled to debut in Fall 2001.
While bingo certainly isn’t new to Italy, it’s just now getting out of the living room at Christmas time and into the already-crowded betting arena–which includes three soccer-betting schemes, wagers on horses and numerous state lotteries. To make sure folks don’t consider it the same old game, it won’t be known as “tombola” (the Italian name) but will go by the more “exotic” bingo. The 800 halls, expected to bring in $25,000 a day, are being hailed as a boon to state coffers and entrepreneurs alike.

Related resources:
www.lasmorfia.it
Looking for your lucky numbers? The Neapolitan tradition of interpreting dreams into numbers (“La Smorfia”) is now online.
www.giocodellotto.com
Official lottery site, online games

13 million = (1/3 of the population) is unable to formulate or understand a simple message.
13 million = have difficulty understanding elementary texts, simple dialogues and comprehending graphs.
15 million = possess modest vocabulary/reading skills. Considered “at risk” – since they do not read and write regularly.

This joint study shows that millions of Italians between 16 and 65 have trouble with the language in everyday situations. The most alarming flunk- the 13 million Italians baffled by the technical language that accompanies all medicines, from aspirin to prescription drugs.
Researchers remain perplexed, not expecting lack of literacy in a generally well-off society. How are these well-heeled Italians communicating, then? Perhaps local dialects aren’t going the way of the dinosaur.

The annual report from the National Statistics Institute (ISTAT), which looks into the daily lives of 27,000 Italians, showed few surprises but confirmed a number of trends.
Mobile phone use continues to grow–at the expense of fixed phone lines which dropped 6%, to be found in 85% of Italian households. Internet use, heaviest among young male users in Central Italy, still ranks among the lowest in Europe but shows a more than 700% percent increase over just three years ago. Some things remain the same–Italians still count on grandparents to watch toddlers and the majority still manage to go home for lunch.

Mobile Phone: an everyday object

70% Italian households own at least 1 cell phone (2000)
30% Italian households own at least 1 cell phone (1994)
31.5% Italian households with more than one cell phone(2000)
16% Italian households with more than 1 cell phone (1997)

Internet Use: low but rising
15.3% Italians use Internet regularly (2000)
2.3 % Italian used Internet regularly (1997)

Granny-sitter: still reigns
50% children under five are cared for by grandparents (2000)
72% of children in day care have a working mom
8.8% families use day care (2000)

Home For Lunch: but decreases as main meal
70% Italians eat midday meal at home (2000)
72.7% Italians eat main meal at noon (2000)
77.7% Italians eat main main at noon (1994)

*Source: Istat Millennium Report www.istat.it

No one ever accused animal rights’ activists of having a sense
of humor. TV personality Licia Col?, whose efforts to help
wild life included a breath-mint advert with proceeds going to
polar bears, had the Italian version of the infamous hoax “bonsai
kitten” site shut down. Col?, while obliquely promoting
her own just-launched site, made use of a new law requiring all
web sites in Italy (or transmitting to Italy) with “regularly
updated information” to have a staff member enrolled in the
national order of journalists.

Related resources:

All the more intriguing with the ominous message "this site
has been closed by the Police
www.gattibonsai.it

$100,000 (USD) Oliviero Toscani, fined for insulting land surveyors
$30,000 (USD)Vittorio Sgarbi, fined for calling a committee head “stronza“
$45,000 (USD)Umberto Bossi, fined for saying Antonio Di Pietro is a secret agent
$200.00 (USD) Stefania Craxi, fined for calling Roman mayor Rutelli “stronzo“

Better think about the price tag before letting the insults fly–Italy’s slander laws can make having a temper, or even an opinion, very costly. Public figures are not expected to withstand a certain amount of flack for being in the spotlight–and sue to prove it. Toscani’s fine this month is but the latest in a series–the photog attributed the monstrous illegally-built houses that ruin the Italian coastline to land surveyors. They sued and won–his remarks were found “damaging to the profession.”
Journalists are an unprotected category– retractions or apologies can’t save them from being sued for moral damages.
Of course, the fines actually paid are somewhat different. Currently only journalists can’t appeal sentences–Craxi’s fine was reduced on appeal to $25 (USD) and Bossi was eventually let off the hook altogether..

8,200,000 Italian internet users (May 2001)
37% total users women
+ 30 minute increase per user
7 p.m. ‘internet rush hour’
Italians used the web to get informed for May elections, according to Nielsen reports. But they weren’t looking for offical/party information–the most heavily trafficked sites were news-related (3.5 million unique users) while about half that amount was seen on institutional sites.

Italians, not a particularly patriotic bunch, have been ordered by European law to fly both the Italian flag and the flag of the European union in front of public offices and schools.
Actually, the decree was issued in 1998, but these things take time. In fact, the flags will be displayed in front of schools for the first time this month, during exams the 14th and the 21st of June 2000.
Perhaps the complicated rules didn’t help this civic cause: the Flag Person, who must be officially appointed by each school or office, has quite a job. In general, for schools the Italian flag flies on the right, the European flag on the left.
During special occasions (holidays or state visits) the far right slot is for the “visiting” country.
For public offices, however, the order is reversed– the European flag is on the right, followed by the Italian flag and the regional flag takes the place of honor.

Related resources:
For more on the Tricolore
www.fotw.stm.it/flags/it.html

Daydreams:
75% erotic

Dream erotic adventure:
27% sex with complete stranger, on the beach
15% fling with sexy coworker

Daydreams:
75% erotic

Dream erotic adventure:
27% sex with complete stranger, on the beach
15% fling with sexy coworker

Dream Object:
54.4% villa in the Tropics
9.5% a Ferrari

Dream Vacation
41.5% Polynesian islands
17.5% The moon

Italians would forgo a trip to the moon and a Ferrari in exchange for a ticket to a far-flung isle, preferably with an attractive colleague. The poll, conducted by a leading news weekly, asked 1,000 Italian men and women between the ages of 25-50 what they dream about.One small surprise: making a micro-comeback as the top “dream woman” was long-forgotten 36-year -old TV movie queen Francesca Dellera, an actress more noted for sending her plastic surgeon into early retirement than for her on-screen abilities.

http://ssmax.supereva.it/Dellera/francesca01.htm
One Francesca Fan page

Transport minister Pietro Lunardi made his mark on the new administration by proposing to raise freeway speed limits to 99 mph (160 kph) as Italians get ready to hit the road for summer vacation. Critics point to 1999 ISAT statistics that attributed 26,770 accidents and 1,430 deaths from excessive speeding. Current Italian speed limit on the autostrada is 80 mph.

Related resources
www.radio24.it/newsletter/out/newsletter_editoriale.htm
The ongoing debate…

White storks, once common in the swampy areas of Lombardy and Piedmont, became a rarity around 300 years ago. Italy’s League for Bird Protection (LIPU) is trying to help them make a comeback by “seducing” the birds, symbol of fertility and love, into artificial nests. The initiative started after attentive birdwatchers noticed storks trying to nest, but were often discouraged by farmers. Today, over 60 pairs have successfully nested thanks to the Stork Center in Racconigi (Cuneo). What convinces a stork to stay? A bit of healthy voyeurisim: the artificial nests are topped with two decoys of birds in courtship. The League announced more love nests will be planted areas surrounding Milan and Lodi.

Related resources:
The association also organizes vacations in Italy’s wildlife reserves for adults and children.
Here’s the 2001 calendar.
www.lipu.it/Fp_ea.htm