Sean Michael Carlos

Me in full ‘Unspun World’ flow for tonight’s programme on BBC Two, the News Channel & BBC World Service, being filmed by Dave Wilkins. Ben Watt, exec producer, on the right. Subjects: gloomy Britain greets Trump/Israel accused of genocide/Russia tests NATO. Worth a watch.

End of 10 Windows 10 ends in 2025. Don’t buy a new PC — revive yours with Linux. It's fast, secure, and help is available to get you started.

Microsoft saying you should ditch your old Windows 10 computer? Help the environment and your wallet by upgrading to Linux.

Tip: for those who want to avoid "Artificial stupidity" results in Google searches, it can be turned off by adding -ai to a search query.

Self harm on a national scale

It was a disaster then, and it will continue to be until we come to our senses and reverse it...

Brexit has left everyone worse off

‘Did they learn nothing?’: Auschwitz survivor to return German honour over AfD vote role Albrecht Weinberg ‘horrified’ that MPs relied on far-right party to pass anti-immigration motion

«You know German history? You know then how some people posing as democrats in 1933 abused the legal political process to get into power?» [I fear too many in the US have a poor understanding of history]

"Remember, it didn't start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with "us vs them." It started with intolerance and hate speech, and when people stopped caring, became desensitized, and turned a blind eye."

National Holocaust Remembrance Day

Dopo il restauro, rinasce in Toscana Casa Esagono Opera chiave della produzione architettonica di Vittorio Giorgini, Casa Esagono è stata oggetto di un intervento di restauro appena concluso. Ecco come sarà il suo futuro

Casa Esagono - Baratti (Piombino, Livorno) www.artribune.com/progettazion...

...architecture which occurred in the 20th century beyond pedestrian tower blocks of flats. Florentine Architect Vittorio Giorgini's "Casa Esagono" in Baratti (Piombino, Livorno) predates Casa Sperimentale and is more of my taste. One wonders if Casa Esagono was an inspiration.

Casa Sperimentale: A Modular Architectural Marvel At Risk Of Being Lost Casa Sperimentale, created by architects Giuseppe Perugini, Uga de Plaisant, and Raynaldo Perugini, stands as a distinctive example of experimental

❖ Casa Sperimentale, Fregene (Fiumicino/Rome) ❖
While I'm not really a fan of the Brutalist architectural style, nor that of Plattenbau (prefabricated concrete panels), the experimental tree house “Casa Sperimentale“ outside Rome merits attention to remind us of some of the innovation in Italian...

What is a geometra and what do they do? When buying property in Italy, especially in the countryside, a buyer may encounter a professional figure called a geometra. They are able to perform multiple tasks, which sometimes makes it confusing...

Real Estate in Italy: What is a geometra and what do they do?

This is heartening to see! The resistance is beginning.

I know we are tired. I know we are fearful. But we will make ourselves heard and reclaim this country from the grip of MAGA fascism.

I’ve seen the inside of barbed wire prison camps in America. We came back from that and shall overcome this.

Mad at Meta? Don't Let Them Collect and Monetize Your Personal Data If you’re fed up with Meta right now, you’re not alone. Meta tracks you across millions of websites and apps and its business model relies on your data. If you want to limit Meta’s ability to collect ...

Fed up with Meta? Avoiding Instagram or Facebook isn’t enough to stop Meta from harvesting and profiting from your private information. Here’s how to limit Meta’s ability to monetize your personal data.

❖ How to buy property in Italy webinar this Saturday ❖

This Saturday I will be providing an in-depth webinar on the process of buying a home in Italy.

Free for those who subscribe to Dream of Italy (minimum $67 / 6 months) dreamofitaly.com/my-account/m...

Italian village forbids residents from becoming ill The mayor of Belcastro said the "humorous provocation" was an attempt to expose the state of the region's healthcare system.

Italian village forbids residents from becoming ill

But in its panicked retreat from the system it spent years building, Meta may now be putting billions of users at risk. Just because Meta deleted that line about hateful speech causing offline violence doesn't mean it isn't true. And now the company has all but declared open season on immigrants, transgender people and whatever other targets that Trump and his allies find useful in their fascist project. "I can't tell you how much harm comes from non-illegal but harmful content," a longtime former trust and safety employee at the company told me. The classifiers that the company is now switching off meaningfully reduced the spread of hate movements on Meta's platforms, they said. "This is not the climate change debate, or pro-life vs. pro-choice. This is degrading, horrible content that leads to violence and that has the intent to harm other people."

I talked to 10 current and former Meta employees about the company's surrender to the right on speech issues. All were upset. One person called the changes "a precursor to genocide" www.platformer.news/meta-fact-ch...

Given that news can be so hard to digest these days, I decided to dust off some volumes neglected for far too long. In too many ways the human frailties Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe depicts in 1940's Los Angeles are all too present today, including the purchase of politicians by tycoons, sigh.

YouTube video by Chuck Mangione - Topic Feels So Good

From way back in 1977, Chuck Mangione with "Feels So Good"

Eurostar the worst-performing rail service in Europe, campaigners find Firm disputes Transport and Environment’s findings, which also ranked Deutsche Bahn as one of the least reliable

In other good news today, Italy's rail service, while not perfect, ranks at top of European survey. Indeed I have seen vast improvement over the years.

It is one thing to learn a second or third language, especially as an adult. It is an even further challenge (and accomplishment) to translate from one language to another, the brain is further taxed! Congratulations are in order to @anne-t-melo.bsky.social !

What to know about the annual Italian property tax, IMU Nationally the annual property tax in Italy is called IMU, Imposta municipale propria. It was previously known as ICI, Imposta comunale sugli immobili. The name may be slightly different in some auton...

𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝑰𝑴𝑼 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑰

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐚, 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚
𝔸𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 / 𝔽𝕝𝕒𝕥 · ℂ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕠 · ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕘𝕝𝕚𝕒 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒 (𝕃𝕚𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕠) · € 𝟛𝟚𝟝,𝟘𝟘𝟘
Situated at the edge of the medieval town with sweeping views of the sea. 360⁰: www.seancarlos.org/360/li-38/

Lost on Me by Veronica Raimo is on the 2024 John Florio Prize shortlist! Many thanks to the @societyofauthors.bsky.social and to the Italian Cultural Institute, London. And congratulations to my fellow shortlistees, Brian Robert Moore, Gregory Conti and Jenny McPhee!

Carnival cruise line emitted more CO2 in 2023 than Scotland’s biggest city – report World’s largest cruise line named Europe’s most climate-polluting, despite investing millions in cleaner technologies

A cruise get-away may not be such as good idea after all.

Barcelona mayor defends ban on tourist flats saying ‘drastic’ action needed to cut housing costs Jaume Collboni determined to follow through with plan that he says will return 10,000 properties to city’s residents

Many cities are finding mass tourism and short term rentals to be having averse effects on those who actually live and study in these cities. Yet striking a balance is a delicate task.

The lure of Italy: where is the best place to live? The almost definitive guide to where to live in Italy The lure of Italy is indisputable. History, culture, culinary tradition, stunning landscapes… and naturally so many beautiful people. You're smitt...

Where is the best place to live in Italy? Italy is a large and varied country, with significant differences from south to north. Where will depend on priorities and available budget.