"Kobe Bryant To Italy: Virtus Bologna Scrambles To Finish Up The Deal"

There surely is very little of this sort of Mediterranean assignment for US sports stars.

"Italy Rejects S.&.P. Downgrade" - NYTimes.com

Well, that's one possible response, for sure!

"Israel - Adrift at Sea Alone" - NYTimes.com

More light here, too.

"In Italy and America, the Affliction of Comfort" - NYTimes.com

More light and less heat, thank goodness.

"Silvio Berlusconi wiretaps reveal boast of spending night with eight women" - The Observer

No more comment needed.

"Scandale sexuel : Silvio Berlusconi n'a "pas honte" de son comportement" - LeMonde.fr

This surely speaks for itself.

"Austerity in Italy May Not End Its Jobs-for-Votes System" - NYTimes.com

Another exhibit in the case to be made on why Mediterranean countries merit so much more professional media coverage, like this story. We need to be able to compare and contrast among all of the nations of this region.