Mussolini loses his citizenship

In what some people thought was an April Fool's joke on the part of city administrators of Torino (Turin), Benito Mussolini was stripped of his place of honor of nearly a century as an upright citizen of Torino.  
"And you people thought that giving keys to the City was just a matter of pomp.  Just know, we can give you the keys and generations later, when we re-write history, we can take them away," remarked Torino's Mayor.

Fascism - from the Etruscan & later
Roman Empire idea
that bound together (with fasces)
we are strong

While they 'whited out' Mussolini's citizenship from the storied ledgers and restored their place in history as anti-fascist, officials chose to whitewash Torino's birthplace of the Kings of Italy.  Victor Emanuel III of the House of Savoy is the guy who brought Mussolini to power after WWI, appointing him Prime Minister at the age of 39 and with no prior experience in politics.  When the monarchy was voted out after WWII, Victor fled to live out his last days in Alexandria, Egypt, a bit like Marc Anthony back in better times.  
The House of Savoy was exiled and its male descendants not permitted to re-enter Italy -- until 2002 -- after Italians realized that, due to centuries of in-breeding, the family was pretty much innocuous -- And besides, they couldn't inflict much more damage than the Italian politicians themselves (from either party), including Berlusconi, Prodi & Co.
Clearly suffering an identity complex, no sooner was the heir, Victor Emanuel, allowed in the country than he took a cue from Berlusconi, and was arrested for abetting prostitution and corruption.  Not to be outdone, the Savoys then tried to sue Italy for damages done to them following their 20th century reign. Italy counter-sued for damages, and, the Italian courts expect a decision sometime in the year 2167.  The Jewish community, almost exterminated entirely under the Savoy reign, is still waiting for damages as well.

When asked about Mussolini's place in history, showman and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Putin pal, put it best:

"Mussolini never killed anyone. 

At most, he just sent people for vacation on the border." 

After the vote, and in a rare moment of sheer lucidity, some of the Torino cabinet from the extreme Lega Party demanded that Torino change the name of one of its major thoroughfares, the Avenue of the Soviet Union.  
Seeing how events are unfolding in Crimea, the Mayoral office decided to take a 'wait and see attitude' - citing, "You never know, like Alessandra Mussolini, or Alemanno, the fascist Mayor of Rome, there's always time for a comeback-just ask Putin. Or Berlusconi."


*Veritas Check:  Incredibly, everything in this post is entirely true except the quotes from the Torino Mayoral office.

Italian Corruption: Going where (sadly, every man) has gone before

We barely finished celebrating Italy's first astronaut in space, when, the head of the ASI - Italian Space Agency has been caught with his hands (allegedly) in the multi-million euro till.  Their offices have been sequestered along with those of their suppliers - from their travel agency to their events planners.  Investigated for issuing false bills and taking multi-million euro junkets to Californian conferences that were not taking place; so much for being the pride and joy of Italy - in a year that saw their CERN researchers identify the Higgs Boson particle and sent a man into space.  Or is it, that, as a symbol of Italy, Enrico Saggese - an engineer with a whole lot of political ties - is just that? 
In his defense, he claims that these mysterious expenses were "an internal matter" and needed to be treated as such.  Nonetheless, it brings to mind that old joke about an International Space Agency - set in Geneve - looking for the right astronaut to send to a Mission to Mars:

They comb the world for an astronaut who could take on this mission.  It would last years.  You had to be nimble, ready for anything, and be a top scientist and in superb physical shape.  The Americans, the Chinese, India, S Korea, Canada...everyone is considered.  They are down to their last three candidates.

The American Astronaut comes in and says...
Well, of course, NASA has the no. 01 Space Program on earth. I've been training for years. I know every part of that ship, and could handle anything that's thrown at me.
I will do it for $600,000.

The Russian Cosmonaut sits down and states...
We were the brains behind the MIR Space Station. In the name of mother patria, we will make sure it is the best mission ever accomplished.  I am willing to leave my family, my motherland for this mission.  I will do it for $700,000.

Next, comes in the Italian astronaut.  He sits down, and with little fanfare, blurts out:
Three years?  Away from la famiglia?  I will do this job for $1 million.

Aghast, the committee Chairman says...
What? What are you talking about? Sure, your researchers are top-notch, but you don't even have any spaceships...You just sent your first man up in space!  The Americans have a space program that's been going on for decades!  The Russians have just as much experience!  What do you have to say for yourself?

The Italian gets up, shuts the door, and leans forward.  In hush tones he says...
Don't you get it?  Two-hundred for me / Two-hundred for you / and dee American goes to Mars!

To ESL Learners Everywhere: Why does Gate have to be synonymous with Scandal

I admit it, I have been fully relishing in the day by day revelations of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's alleged bullying rampage.  Only Illinois seems to be more corrupt, and we won't get into a Chicago / New Orleans showdown.  But what I can't tolerate is the moniker most of the press have haplessly attached to a scandal about a bridge:  BridgeGate.  It makes my skin crawl just to type the word.  Must we be condemned to add the suffix -Gate to every scandal that crosses our collective radar?  By now, most people interested in the news have no idea what or why this is.  I can just imagine dictionaries today, adding this suffix to the list of possible word endings.  I can see foreigners the world over scratching their heads, "Those are toll lanes, not gates!" or "Monica-Gate? How many people was she bonking?"
While in an Italian language forum one woman cast her plea out into the world..."Can someone please tell me what is Watergate?!"  A few years ago, the online press, Il Post took it on themselves to explain, in no uncertain terms, the bizarre practice with the Italian press, posting this headline:  Why all scandals are called Gate.
But what is an even more audacious commentary on American marketing prowess, is the fact that even Italian scandals sport the Gate ending, which always makes me wonder if they pronouce it, Gah-teh; which confuses them more than ever.  Rubygate / Batman-Gate / Sexy-Gate (the scandal covered in "Vesuvian sauce") -- they even relished in New York City Mayor's eating his pizza in true Italian style, with a fork = Fork-gate.  
I need to take a break because I am writhing in pain.
But, it didn't start with the Italians.  If I am to trust my web sources (hah!), it is the fearful English-hegemony French that started it all in the first place.  In 1978, a scandal broke which was quickly dubbed, Winegate.  From there, it was a slippery slope straight down to the bottom.  Today, we are treated to Hollande-Gate or Gayet-Gate.  Help me.  Please.  Someone.  Anyone.  Although I must say, European "Gate" scandals tend to be more associated with sex scandals than with corruption.  Maybe because they're more used to brushing off the bribes?
When will another scandal be so great as to stop the gate verbage cold?  Enron - Madoff - Parmalat. Parmalat was the largest financial scandal in history.  Berlusconi's Ruby Heartstealer could be called Rubyalat (which just happens to rhyme with "a lot") or  Hollande's First-Lady problems would be Premier Dame-alat?  Anything but Gate.  

For those of you who don't know what, in reality, Watergate even stands for, it was the name of the hotel complex situated on the Potomac where President Nixon's guys broke into the Democratic National Committee Headquarters.  

Recently, the President of Rome's regional government found a bug in his office underneath a chair, which garnered almost no mention in the press.  Most of Berlusconi's convictions rest upon wire-tapping of his inner circle and his adversaries alike. People don't think twice anymore.  It's no wonder that Gate may be here to stay.  Aiuto.