½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

I agree with you, Penny, the level of the ½ûÂþÌìÌà debt has been pretty much the same over a long period; however, what really counts is the ability to repay that debt. In the current economic climate this is increasingly difficult. Also, the levels of tax revenue are decreasing throughout the world also because of the crisis and, although I do not think that we could have very accurate figures at this stage, this is prompting all those worries. On the other hand, I do not trust those credit rating firms and their reports.

Esme/Anastasia, you must be pretty bored these days to try to come back here and try to cause havoc. Oh, well, you were always hovering... and I heard that you do not longer have your other forum... What a pity! My advice is not to recommence  here with your nasty personal attacks, both to have some fun and to keep your "followers" on their toes clapping. Those days are over. On the personal attack...Sanctimonious, me? I would not say so. You see, I can even agree with you on certain matters. On the other hand, you have no right to talk about my supposedly "feigned piety", and that is a personal attack. You do not know me and I do not accept the word "feigned" specially coming from you. I have never faked identities or used different names to disguise myself. I have never feigned to be nice to attract other people. Pious? Religion is important to me, but I do not use the Forum to preach others. So what I am is part of my private world and Flip and yourself are trespassing. Don't try to become personal and attack members as you have done consistently in the past. Those days are over. Grow up and accept it. I have nothing against your possible participation - if Admin agrees, they are the owners of this space and this is a commercial concern - providing that you don't go back to your antics and that you practice self-moderation. The question is: Can you do this?

Congratulations! It sounds like a great recipe. I particularly like the addition of capers. Green tomatoes are pickled in Italy and also preserved in vinegar or oil (sott'aceto or sott'olio). Great to have at home to accompany a variety of dishes. Did you use white or brown sugar for your recipe? I guess that either could be used. I also think that green tomatoes could be preserved in a "mostarda". After all, tomatoes are fruits. Any recipe around?

What is worrying everybody is the lack of affirmative action by the ½ûÂþÌìÌà government. The ratio of the ½ûÂþÌìÌà debt is 120% to GDP and it is huge. Here is an excellent article: This time, Berlusconi is in deep trouble. Germany and Italy do not trust him at all and I saw on TV the scene where Merkel and Sarkozy were laughing. QUOTE "The perceived slight, notably at a news conference in Brussels where Merkel and Sarkozy exchanged ironic smiles and laughter following a question about whether they were reassured after meeting Berlusconi, has caused some bitterness in Italy." UNQUOTE (From the same article) It was very humiliating for Berlusconi.

Further to what I said, you may have a look at this site for ½ûÂþÌìÌà jobs: They advertise full and part-time positions as well as freelance.

Having worked in that particular professional area for many years and in a few countries, I can understand your difficulties, particularly if you have mobility problems. In the current economic crisis, people cannot afford many private lessons and usually they would be more willing to pay for their children than for themselves. Perhaps, you could look into the possibility of doing group lessons for children after school. You will be paid less for each child but, on the other hand, you will get more money for an hour's work. You may have to hire a room or do it from home, if you can. Internet lessons through Skype may be an idea, but not for children. Sound quality in remote areas may be a problem and this is not good for language teaching. I do not know which kind of arrangements you have for translation work, but look into those and see whether it may be possible to set up your own translating and interpreting office, working in conjunction with other professionals. Careful here, you have to be absolutely certain of the professional expertise of your potential sub-contractors or you are in deep trouble. Have professional insurance to cover any mishap as you can be sued. Art.... another difficult area and I have a daughter who is an artist, but she is now employed by a large US company as an illustrator. Freelance is very tough unless you have very special skills such as being a digital artist. Traditional Fine Arts is a very difficult field. Anyway, keep on thinking at ways to improve your income and working conditions. Don't give up. Best wishes

Hi, Headyheady, I remember you. To post new content here (start a thread), have a look at the top of the page and you will see, on your right hand side "Create content" in green. This will lead you to "New Post", which will give you a few explanations and you will have then to go down to "Title". Here you write the name of your new thread, let's say "Roof Repairs". Then, you have a multiple choice for  topic and location. Then, you find "Tag" and here you insert some words which may help the search engine in case you or anyone else want to find information about this type of topic (i.e. roof, builder, repair......). You will also find "Groups", this is for those cases where you want your thread to appear in a specific Group, otherwise, the post will be Public. You will find then "Post body", and this is simply the space for the text you want to write to start the thread. Then you only have to press "Post" and it's done. You have started a thread. Members will see it and give you answers or comments. I suggest that you start a new thread for your roof problems. Otherwise, members will have difficulties finding this post under the wrong heading. Not difficult, it just takes a bit of practice as the format is different from the old one.

I fully agree with your opinion, Casa Monal.

Penny is absolutely right. It is the EU country of origin, where you made your original contributions to Social Security, the one who pays Italy (or your new EU country of residence), for your medical bills. I do not know how they calculate this, but this is the spirit of the law. The type of services you receive is the same that any other citizen of the same country gets. Same conditions. 

Just as you said, you know better.