Out of Chile comes the “miracle” that 33 miners were found alive after 17 days trapped below the surface. Unfortunately, the miners may have to stay there much longer. Some estimates believe the miners may have to wait an additonal 120 days for rescue. Until then, food and other equipment will be delievered to the minors through a small shaft.
For any spanish speakers, CNN in Chile has video of the miners and the Chilean newspaper La Tercera is posting minute-by-minute updates online.
A couple of interesting stories have emerged from Italy in the past few days.
1) “Eat, Pray, Love” came out in theatres. Though it didn’t do as well as many hoped, lots of others suspect the movie will prompt many women to flock to Italy. Remember “Under the Tuscan Sun?” Yeah, the same thing happened. The movie let Julia Roberts (who stars in it) eat and eat delicious Italian food and has prompted restaurants in Italy and back home to offer new tasting menus, inspired by the movie.
2) Florence v. Italy? Yep, the city is battling the country over one of the most-viewed tourist attractions. Michelangelo’s “David.” The statue resides in the Academia in Florence, but the country claims ownership of it. In spite of other politicians decrying the battle as “absurd and inopportune,” the mayor of Florence vows that the city will keep her sacred treasure.
David: who wants a piece of him?
3) The celebrity world went crazy over the weekend, when it looked like George Clooney’s girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis flashed a wedding ring while the couple dined in Italy. Now, it turns out it was just a napkin ring. Ladies all over the world can breathe easy again. Clooney is a famous villa owner on the beautiful Lake Como.
Sorry for so many posts today, but I just saw this video and wanted to make sure everyone else saw it. Times are tough. The economy stinks. But…. we have each other, and love is something that keeps us together and strong. This video shows military families being surprised as their loved ones come back from combat overseas. I cried a lot.
The video makes me think back to this one, that came out against Prop 8. Also, really well done and made me cry.
Love will keep us together.
As I stepped into work today, I had a horrific feeling of déjà vu when I saw that a plane had crashed on a Colombian island in the Caribbean. Incredibly, out of more than 130 passengers on the plane, only one person died— a “miracle,” according to one local government official. The New York Times has an excellent account of the crash, which caused the plane to split into three pieces.
The "miracle" crash
But the crash struck me because it occurred on a Monday. Last week, of course, a plane carrying former senator Ted Stevens crashed into the Alaskan wilderness, resulting in the deaths of five people. Investigators have been able to speak with survivors who felt nothing out of the ordinary before the crash.
Anyways, let’s hope this disturbing trend has come to an end. Another news story that I heard a lot about given my proximity to it is the D.C. mayoral race, which pits incumbent Adrian Fenty against Vincent Gray, both democrats. An unofficial theme song in favor of Fenty has emerged, and makes me laugh every time I hear it.
A last note. I finally made it to “We, the Pizza” with my buddy Ezra this weekend. The restaurant was packed and blaring lots of bad 2000s pop. We opted for a full-size Buffalo mozzarella and roasted tomato pizza, which was delicious. The crust is plenty thick; we had enough pizza leftover for another meal pretty much. Check out the menu here. Well worth checking out. It’s trendy after all.
Not Intent on Arriving 