A sad day for Internet in Italy

Sunday, December 7, 2008

By: Christina Woldt

This past week Eurostat, It was found that the percentage of Italian households with internet access actually declined, marking the first downward trend of its kind in any European country. Although only a 1% drop, Francisco Federico at the European Journalism Centre points the finger at the "digital and cultural divides that plague Italy."

According to Federico a divide exists between the Northern and Southern halves of the country, and many large cities in the southern regions are completely without broadband connectivity. He suggests that a much deeper cultural problem revolving around the reluctance to accept change is the catalyst behind it all.

In this vast technological era the internet is everything. It is difficult to imagine that an entire country could be dragging its feet or even moving backward, essentially, from the direction in which the world is moving. I understand that the Italian culture, like any other, is rich with heritage and tradition, but if I were them I would take caution to these latest figures before the rest of Europe leaves them in the www dot dust.

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Finding a New Sunday Hobby

By:  Christina Woldt



According to a recent report from Pointer Online journalist Al Thompkins, many NASCAR drivers are calling on fans to get in touch with their local Congress members. Why? To urge them to lobby for an auto company bailout now quoted at 34 billion dollars and save their sport.

We can hardly turn on a TV anymore without hearing about the impact of struggling auto companies and talk of a possible bailout, but I for one had not thought about the various long-arm affects that the auto world woes are imposing upon numerous other businesses.

Apparently Honda has already decided to pull out of the Formula One racing world altogether, citing the global economy and a struggling industry as the reason behind it. Should other large NASCAR companies like GM, Ford, or Chrysler begin to follow suit we may be looking at dramatic changes to the sport itself.

NASCAR is often touted as being the most popular "sport" in America. With the millions of dollars counted on annually in sponsorships and parts, many fans (70 million of them Fox says) and owners could be looking for a new way to spend their Sundays.

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