Giuliana Sgrena

For those of you who are interested in reading the news in Il Manifesto, the Communist-line newspaper that Giuliana Sgrena works for, the link is: http://www.ilmanifesto.it/oggi/

The Essence of Cool

The Essence of Cool

Many years ago, when I was living in Italy, I had a terrible and longstanding crush on a beautiful man from Rome named Fulvio. Fulvio is tall and lean, he has wavy light brown hair, a long nose, and attentive eyes, and he wears glasses. He doesn’t look like a Don Giovanni, but he has his charm, and I was a sucker for it.
A friend of mine told me recently that I embody the essence of cool. I admit that living in Italy for the better part of a decade did probably improve my fashion sense. For one thing, I no longer consider a big, bulky sweatshirt and jeans to be the height of my sexy approachability. Be that as it may, I contested my friend’s assertion pointing out my muteness whenever faced with a man to whom I am attracted, and I gave an experience with Fulvio as the example.
Here’s how you can tell if I like someone: if I avoid them and don’t talk to them, chances are pretty good that something is up. An even better signal is failure to make eye contact: even in my mid-thirties, I feel like a dorky adolescent who blushes and won’t look her heartthrob in the eyes.
So, what makes the story funny is that in spite of all my embarrassed shyness, I did manage to flirt with Fulvio once. God knows how I managed. It probably came from that part of my soul that just takes over when the situation has reached crisis levels and something absolutely must be done. This makes it sound like I managed to kiss him or something. Reader, please, rein in that imagination. I am not so brazen as to leave aside the blushing thing so easily.
What happened was more like this. One Saturday evening in May, Fulvio had come to Milan for a meeting and was hanging out where everyone in our circle congregated on a Saturday: the bowling alley. It was late in the evening, and Fulvio and I somehow managed to end up at the bar talking. I have absolutely no idea what the conversation was about. What I do remember is that at a certain point, I started to play with the buttons on his oxford. Now that is daring. Here I am, a woman who hides at the first hint of attraction, actually fondling my beloved’s clothing…while he is wearing it! Maybe it’s just me who feels the sexual tension in this situation, but trust me, it was there.
The evening came to a close, and we said good night and went off to our respective abodes. The following day, a close friend invited me to that very same meeting that Fulvio had traveled north to attend. He never said so explicitly, but it was a birthday present, and I knew it. For months I had talked about wanting a Humanist boyfriend, but in reality, I wanted Fulvio. And there he was. It was my birthday (or thereabouts), and the night before I had really flirted with him.
So what did I do? I hid, of course. Fulvio arrived after I did at the gathering, and I barely acknowledged him. The evening passed as I nervously busied myself with “important” matters related to national politics or whatever. In the end, I got a ride home, and I knew that I had really fucked up this time. Regardless of how Fulvio would have reacted, I didn’t even try, even though my friend had gone to the trouble to create the situation.
Looking back on it all, what I realize is how much my friend really loved me.

The Four Basic Food Groups

The Four Basic Food Groups

Melissa’s recipe for effective weight loss is really very simple: she does, after all include the four food groups. The thing that tends to throw the casual bystander off, though, is that those food groups are: coffee, chocolate, cake, and nicotine. And one must be sure to have an adequate intake of each component or risk throwing off the entire plan.
In today’s world, Atkin’s is what rules the market. So, we are seeing oxymoronic things like low-carb pasta and low-carb bread. As someone who grew up in Italy, where people, amazingly enough, are not generally obese like they are here in the US, I think that making carbs a pariah is really stupid. But, then again, look who we have actually running the country.
That being said, let me go back to the essential tenets of Melissa’s four-pronged approach to weight-loss. Since we live in New York City, the peripheral element of exercise is considered to be part of the four-food group lifestyle. But let me explain what exercise is. Melissa lives about 250 yards from the place where we work. And the supermarket is on the next short block. Both her apartment building as well as our office are equipped with elevators, so no need to worry about climbing stairs. Let’s just say that the have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too diet has an exercise component that is roughly equivalent to that of any suburbanite who leaves the house and gets into a car whenever an errand is needed. So everyone in the US has an equal shot on this plan.
Another factor to consider is sex, which, when performed correctly, can burn a whole lot of calories. There is no limit on the amount of sex, or the kind of it, that a dieter on this plan may indulge in. On the contrary. More is better. Just don’t overdo it.
So, I would say that the real underlying principle of the coffee-chocolate-cake-nicotine diet is that one must obey one’s appetites. Just indulge, for God’s sake. Whaddya think? A little piece of cake is going to hurt you? NO WAY!!! In fact, if you want to eat that entire Entemann’s golden cake with chocolate frosting over the course of your Wednesday, go right ahead. You certainly won’t be one of those crazy people pulling out a big gun in a post office and hurting anyone. Nope. You will be feeling fine as those wonderful sugar and chocolate endorphins pump through your system and discourage you from eating something that might not be good for you, like carrots. God knows you could be allergic.
I have to say that while I am poking fun at this whole thing, it really works. I’ve known Melissa for almost two years, and when we first met, she weighed somewhere over 300 lbs. Melissa told me that she wasn’t really sure how much her maximum was because it didn’t register on the scale, but it was over 400 lbs. She also admitted that she did gain weight during her first year on the plan, but after that, it has been all down hill.
Being a wise woman, Melissa still can’t tell me how much she weighs, but she can fit into a size 18. And this is not one of those expensive designer size 18s that really corresponds to about a 26. No Sir. This is a real, honest-to-goodness size that is proud of what it represents: more than 200 lbs melted away like butter.
You may feel that it is too risky to attempt something like this on yourself. If that is the case, well, I understand. After all, we have had it hammered into our heads now for decades that skinny is what’s really attractive and that luxury and self-indulgence are pure evil. Hmmm. Maybe that’s what the real point is: let your hair down a bit. What would you do if you didn’t care about the consequences? Melissa has chosen to open the door to the little thrill that smoking a cigarette gives her. She has made chocolate a welcome visitor in her life. And, y’know, something I’ve noticed is that Melissa is always willing to share whatever she has, and not just from the four food categories either. A “chill” woman, Melissa isn’t into drinking or taking mind-altering drugs. She just eats chocolate and cake regularly. What a concept. Follow your bliss, feed your cravings, and forget about drugs. Not a bad idea.