On my last night in Rome, I decided to see Harry Potter, which was playing in English at a Warner movie theater. Apparently they play commercials before the previews, and they showed this ad for Italian skin lotion. It showcased this beautiful beach body obviously loving her lotion, which makes sense because she can show a lot of moisturized skin, except that she was TOPLESS too. HP is rated PG-13, but it’s a kid’s movie! This in a city already full of statues of naked people. rotflol
Modern Rome (and by gross generalization all of non-UK Europe) really doesn’t do it for me. They are so screwed in terms of being prepared to compete in a 21st century global economy. Even as they face increasingly crushing competition from a developing Asia and elsewhere, their Maserati and luxury textile economy lacks emphasis on technology or improving efficiency. I couldn’t even use my credit card in most places! While it is important not to overemphasize the importance of trade in economic posterity – much of what is produced in diverse regional economies like Los Angeles is also consumed locally, and I believe the same is true for the EU – I imagine Italy will continue to grow sluggishly and fade in relevance, best case scenario. (Paul Krugman, “The Localization of the World Economy”)
I feel I may have come back from my travels more of a redneck: I love America as a land of efficiency and deep diversity. We may not have old buildings or an old civilization but our culture produces science fiction and entrepreneurs. Even much of the music Europeans listen to is produced by African Americans, and much of what they themselves write is at least influenced by the same. Hot dang!
When I crossed US customs in Toronto, my customs officer asked me what I do and where I work, then told me that he stamps many work visas of Canadians going to work in Silicon Valley. He then says that he does what he could to protect me from foreign competition. As my passport was already stamped, I didn’t feel like that was the right time to debate the merits of technology policy, not to mention how my parents were able to immigrate here. I guess my neck was not the reddest in the airport. Hot dang!
The first thing I did when I got back was appreciate how many choices besides pasta I have available to me. In the past week I’ve had Japanese, Mexican, Shanghainese, Hong Kong-style tea (not dimsum), Whole Foods pizza, and ClifBars, all delicious and in American-sized portions. Californians are so culinarily blessed.
