Photo of the day

Merry Christmas!

Dangerous positions

It' sad, but this old comic I published on 17th May is still true.

seXBOX

At last I've found the article and the original video about Intimate Game Controller, a thesis by Jennifer Chowdhury; also some newspapers wrote about it (it seems thay nothing better to do) and I made the comic above. With a warn: if your daughter says she go to play videogames with her little boyfriend, be worry.

Censure

The news is about last Saturday, but I was not apble to post it before. Daniele Luttazzi's italian satiric TV programme "Decameron" was stopped because of a quip about the journalist Giuliano Ferrara and some italian politicians.

The quip was too much vulgar, even if Luttazzi, as he already did, replied: "Satire is never vulgar, it's explicit."

With so much vulgarity in TV, it's always who said what he think who causes troubles. This is the sense of my comics, for who didn't understand it already, where censure erase the mouth; as you can say: be vulgar, but speakless.

Weeds

And best wishes to the brand new project of party made by Berlusconi; we hope he finally give us back our shout "Forza Italia!"

Sketchbook

This is an alternate version of the last comic I published here. I chose the other versione because this one didn't convince me totally, even if it was more similar to the original news which inspired it: a kid kept on chain on a balcony by his parents.

Children in chains

The news above, who give the title to this post, was published in 22th may, but the following news are published in these days and they are all about parents, the people who should protect their children.

Berlin, 5th December 2007 - Five brides of children between 5 and 9 years old was found in hous in Darry, not far from Kiel, in the northern Germany. The police added that the mother , 31 years old, was arrested and bring in a mental hospital. No details are known, but the woman is suspected to be the murderer.

Even today, at Plauen, in Saxony (in the eastern Germany), police found the bodies of three babies on a balcony of the house of a 28y.o. woman suspected to be their murderer. She was arrested after the police found the body of a baby hidden in a suitcase. They found another one in a fridge and a third in the balcony. The woman was freed because they have no proof about the first murder. The three babies was born in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

At the end of the last month another woman, 35 years old, was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for the murderer of her two babies, whose bodies was held in the fridge of her house in Erfurt (middle-east Germany).

(Source: repubblica.it)

Slips

He kissed on the lips a 12yo girl: it's abuse, says the judge

Sentenced for sexual abuse a 53yo egyptian, a barman. The man defended himself: «My face slipped out on her face».

A kiss «planted», with closed lips, can be sexual abuse. One years' imprisonment if the «kisser» is a middle-aged barman and the kissed is a 12yo customer who is buying candies. It was 24th april of the last year when Elise, we'll call her his way, gone out shocked from the bar managed by the egyptian man. «It's a sudden and occasional fact - judge Giuseppe Gennari wrote - which has demaged the personal and sexual freedom» of the girl.

(Source: Epolis Milano)

Picked on

"Professor, how is my daughter getting on?" And he put the pistol on the table

The father of a student after he entered the classroom and once came face to face with the professor, he pulled out a pistol from the pocket and has rests with nonchalance on the table

Florence, 29 November 2007 - The room is small. Here the professor receives alternately parents of pupils for talks on the educational achievement of children. It is the dad of a shaky performance by the student. The door closes behind the two. Expatriates face to face by unforeseen developments. It happens, in fact, that the teacher would not have ever imagined. The man spoke, and meanwhile slip the pistol from the pocket. He does it with nonchalance, as if, instead of a weapon, were a bunch of keys, a pen, a packet of cigarettes. Meanwhile talks, said yes, in short, that his daughter is not so bad, that the first professor picked her on, which he knows that the teacher home address.

What has the teacher tried in those interminable minute interview is not know. The fact is that without getting upset, the professor was able to finalize the meeting, as long as the parent has not decided about getting pistol into the pocket and go on.
"The episode has not shaken that much teacher, I told my deputy that the professor has confided" swears the headmaster of a school in the area of care. But it is inevitable that quell'insolita hours of receipt and quell'inusuale behavior of the parent, could not stay inside the business school.
This fact was reported to law enforcement agencies. And in the hours after the parent was searched at his home. At home they found two scacciacani. It ends here. The opening of an investigation and criminal proceedings are due acts.

It was one week ago Tuesday. Since then, and for another week, the girl was no longer seen at school, after them while the voices of a voluntary transfer to another school. Yesterday, however, the student has returned regularly in the classroom. "Although the professor is not the reason was particularly shaken the headmaster insists he still considered appropriate that what happened was brought to the attention of investigators. In the coming days about this event will be held a meeting of all teachers.

(Source: repubblica.it)

Better give than get

Pedophilia in seminary: priest arrested

Police arrested a priest in Brescia, Italy. He's Marco Baresi, assistant director of seminary in Brescia accused of pedophilia. Abuses on 14y.o. seminarist and possession of pedo-pornographic material. Bishop Monari and his assitant Beschi, was grieved "He's well known and esteemed. The tragedy of the victim of abuses can't be ignored, especially if they involve priests, but it's important to consider the delicacy of the situation of who is accused of this facts and is innocent.".

(Fonte: Epolis Milano)

I agree with Bishop Monari and, even if I report the news, I'd like to remember to wait investigation's results. This news remember me the case of Don Marco Dessi, the missionary sentenced in 24th May for the abuses against the orphans he should assist in Nicaragua. Here it is the comic strip in which I was bitterly ironic about his conviction.

The real face of Baby Grace

After a month of investigation, this is the real face of "Baby Grace", as the police has called the child body found 29th october on a beach in Galveston, Texas. On the left, the identikit realized by the police trying to identify the little girl.
Her real name is Riley Ann Sawyer. They hitted her with a belt, hold her underwater, trhow on the floor and dragged around the room, the little blonde head knocking everywhere. To tell these minute details is her mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, which is accused with her husband Royce Clyde Zeigler, stepfather of Riley.
“In twenty years I have seen many cases which was able to break your heart”, sheriff Ray Tuttoilmondo says “but I think this case will remain in our hearts forever”.
It will probably remain in our mind for the cruetly of the murderers: the body of the little girl was held in a magazine for two months, before to put in a plastic container and throw in th sea. Police are not sure about the cause of the death, but they find at least three fractures in the head.
Is not clear the role of her husband: to cover the murder, he probably forged documents in which the Ohio Department of Children’s Service, brought away the child in 24th July, to subtract her from abuses in the family.

(Source: La Stampa)

Texas is again protagonist, six months later this comic strip, I realized reading the news about a mother which hanged herself with her four daughters.

Educator under accusation

Educator for problem kids under accusation for pedophilia
Victims are two 12yo girls. One with srious mental illness.

A voluntary educator for problem kids. He's a 65yo ex-banker who voluntary worked in a school. A granpa with long handsm now under accusation for sexual abuses after the compliant of a 12yo girl.


"Anna", we call her this way, told to be touched by the old man, and also a school-pal of her, with serious mental illness. They also refer about indecent words told to another young boy. Everything started in 2005 with the compliant from Anna and her school which started an internal investigation. Anna's story was confirmed during the interrogation, when the girl told about the abuses. A more difficult experience for the other child who told about her and her hobbies, but was blocked when she had to talk about the man and what he did to her. The judge Vincenzo Tutinelli will decide if this will be a prove against the old man who denies any charge.
The sure thing is abuses in places like schools churches and gyms are on the increase. Every year we count about 100 new cases. Sometimes schools are useful to investigation, sometimes internal investigations demage police work.

(Source: Epolis Milano)

Short memories

The last 16th May, I published this strip about the presumed abuses in a school in Rignano Flaminio. Six monhs later, new impulse to the investigation is coming from the web, after some suspects was freed and a book, "I have seen the black man" by journalist Claudio Cerasa, which tells about this case so complicated and delicate. Thay are still discussing if the abuses are real or if the testimony of the children was manipulated by their alarmist parents. As I fear in my strip, in the meanwhile, people have forgotten. Someone else probably not.

Family Gay

Today there was the march to fight violence against women; march which is often the only weapon of citizens to make their voices heard on issues that are close to their heart. It was also the case of "Family Day", the march on the values of family who did not wish to involve gay couples; I underlined this situation in this strip published on May, 12th, on the old blog.

Simply

That child has lost everything, books and shoes
Don Giovanni D'Ercole - Priest, charitable institution Don Orione

The face of a woman struck by a murderous hand and a written: "if it were your mother, your sister or your daughter ... Expel the Roma. Immediately!" What more effective way of building people distrust, and why not hatred. This billboard advertising that has invaded the city of Rome, I thought when ruspe the Municipality have destroyed the barracks of a Romanian camp on the outskirts of Rome, near the place where he was killed by a Romanian woman. Indeed, it was after that dramatic episode that moved quickly across the government, the City and the press. Via the Romanians. I said that I thought the billboard were destroyed because among other shacks of poor families Romanian and honest. He came back from school a child that I know well and saw her jump to the air shed. He lost everything including school textbooks and shoes to play football in our team "ercolini". You should see the face of that child: it could be your son! It could be your house! His mother works well and so the father: honest fellow Europeans, but with 500 euros per month can afford only a shack. There are so honest Romanians and Romanians murderers. As in Italy and elsewhere in the world. It is difficult to reconcile legality and solidarity, but our experience has shown that only through dialogue and the commitment to safeguard the rule of law and to promote solidarity is the key to creating a future of peace. These children will be adults of Italy. What they say? What They learn from us? Let's sow the love to reap the peace.

(Source: Epolis Milano)

Stop violence against women

Italian ministers Barbara Pollastrini, Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio and Paolo Ferrero will join tomorrow to a march in Rome to stop violence against women. Today, they came in press room with a white ribbon (symbol of fight of violence against women). Sunday, november 25th will be the International Day for the elimination of violence against women.

(Source: repubblica.it)

Will-o'-the-wisp

Today I am talking about a news of some days ago in Italy. Just to remember these incident, which are become frequent. Another one in Livorno, in august.

4y.o. Rom child die in a blaze
The father saves the other two brothers

Bologna, November, 19th, 2007 - Even the parents was burnt fighting with the fire to save their children. Only the youngest died. The blaze probably started from a stove they use to warm themself. the two burnt children was brought to a Hospital in Parma. Dog unit on place, too.

(Source: Quotidiano.net)

Heidi with no pants

Turkish censorship also hit Heidi, Clara e Mrs. Seseman, her granny. This last and Mrs. Rottermayer wear a veil, while Heidi has a longer dress, because in the original version, in her raids on the mountain, she showed her pants. The decision aroused bitter controversy.

In the 100 books raccomended by the Culture Ministry in Ankara, there is Johanna Spyri's book, also became a success because of the japanese cartoon (which is now 30), but the drawings was modified.

The book published by the publishing house Karanfil aroused bitter controversy with who is afraid of an "Islamization" of education. The ministry clarified that it's an initiative of the publisher. "Heidi was a child with black hair and red cheek like tomatoes. She had a red blouse, a pink skirt and a big ass. When she ran down the mountain, the skirt rised up over her head and we can see her white pants. She is probably the first cartoon character who we saw the pants".

This is the description of Heidi in the turkish site about "cartoon of our chidlhood", as the spanish newspaper El Mundo says, underlining that now turkish cildren "will never see Heidi's pants anymore", at last not in the books raccomandd by the Ministry. As the president of teacher union Alaadin Dincer says, the ministry has also increased controls and "opened the path to scholar books distortion, as we can see in Heidi's case".

(Source: Tgcom)

Death becomes her

Six months ago I published this comic strip; I repropose it now, with the news which inspired it.

There is everything in this news: pedophilia, prostitution and also necrophilia. If you think this last one is a niche (or loculos) phenomenon, here it is a Google Trends graphics, which compare how much they talk on web about two or more terms; as you can see the difference is not so high. The graphics for Italy has a higher difference: we have to understand if it's because we don't speak too much about necrophilia or we speak to much about pedophilia.

Reggio Calabria, May, 23th 2007 - Two Romanian immigrant was arrested by police because they forced a woman and her 15 y.o. daughter to be prostitute. They are two 33 e 35 y.o. who live in town. The arrest was convalidated by the substitute attorney Francesco Mollace. The 40 y.o. womand and her 15 y.o. daughter was slaved and forced to be prostitute. M. A., 33 y.o., and M. S., 35 y.o., who lived in a hotel in Reggio Calabria, are now in jail. The first is also accused to have forced the 15 y.o. girl and hitted her. The story is also more perverse than the usual. The young girl was forced to have sex in three different coffins with two undertakers and other middle-aged men. The girl, hitted many times when she tried to rebel, was forced to have sex with men of different classes: doctors, lawyers, students, who paid even 300 euros to have sex with her. The woman and the girl will probably have a work now.

(Source: Il Giornale di Calabria)

Cover yourself!

Rome, november, 17th - He shot with an air rifle from a window and hit a 10yo boy who was walking on the street. The child was just slightly injured because of the heavy jacket he was wearing. It happened this morning in Rome. Arrived on place, policemen locate where the bullets was coming from. In the house, they found an air rifle, due boxes of bullets, a stick with a blade inside, and a knife. The man, a 42yo office-worker with clean record, didn't put up resistance and he was bring to the police station.

(Source: Adnkronos)

Photo of the day

Postwar: Bosnian economy still in trouble

Forty percent of the bosnian population is unemployed and who is working draws his salary after months

All the suffering of bosnian people is in the eyes of this young girl, forced to pick coal in a dump and then sell it in a market in Banovici, 70 kilometers from Sarajevo. The great bosnian politic crisis, broke out after balcanian war 12 years ago, pushed up the price of necessaries. People difficulties are everyday occurrences. Unemployment has reached 40 percent and the lucky ones who has a job must do the best they can to survive, because salary are often paid after months.

(Source: EPolis Milano)

Lost sheeps

Today a newspaper carries the news about the torchlight procession in Milan, made to remember all the children victim of abuses and violence. The Archbishop of Milan, Dionigi Tettamanzi, assailed against the abuses, remembering also pedophilia cases in the Church.
The following comic strip is the first of three I realized about the scandals which hit the Vatican, guilty to have hidden the news about them. We hope in the future the Church will start to sentence its own priests.

Lazy Sunday

Because of the accident (don't call it murder, they're still investigating on it) to a soccer supporter and the following protest (don't call it vandalism) on some fields, the soccer in Italy was stopped for one week. Just in theory, because it was already stopped because of the match with Scotland; a winning match which will surely delete al this mess from our minds dimmed by soccer.
What did you do this sunday?

Parascolastic activities

May, 1th, 2007 - We started this way, in a time with news about abuses in a classroom and mortal school bus crash. It was not a great time and Veruska was looking at the future with sadness.

Veruska is back!

After some months of absence, Veruska comes back to see the world with her innocent and ironic eyes.
I don't know how often I will update the blog, which will also show the old comic strips already published in the old version.