A Risorgimento Of Sorts

Italy experienced an "economic miracle" of its own (much like Germany and Japan. And thanks in part to the Marshall Plan) during the post WWII era spurred on by a reinvigorated entrepreneurial class as well as the steel industry and technological advances (hydrocarbons found in the Po Valley) centered around the Genoa-Turin-Milan triangle. Growth rates hovered around 6% for a few years.

It is here names like Olivetti and Lamborghini founds its stride with it Italy became an industrialized powerhouse.

You can a full detail here.

Comments Update

Trying to get to the bottom of why you have to hover to leave a comment.

Euro Bike

A nice collection of Italian bikes from Euro Bike 2009.

Notice the triangle gear on the Wilier.

More here at Flickr.

Image is a shot of cyclist Alessandro Ballan's Wilier bike.

Helicopter In The Sky

Augusta-Westland were in Boeing bid this past summer for presidential helicopter contract.

Double Hand Transplant

The world's first double-hand transplant took place at San Gerardo Hospital in Monza.

I italicize 'double' because it wasn't the first hand transplant. That took place in Lyon, France in 1998. However, the hand was removed after being rejected by the patient's body.

Meningitis Vaccine Discovered And Approved

Given how much press meningitis receives, it's odd that the discovery of a vaccine in Italy wasn't reported here in Canada as far as I know.

Excerpt:

An all-Italian team of researchers has produced the first combined vaccine to protect against four of the five most dangerous strains of meningitis, the serogroups A, C, W135 and Y, reports Corriere della Sera.


The Swiss vaccine company Novartis, which also has a branch in Siena and produced a vaccine against meningitis C in 2008, has been given the green light to supply the new vaccine to pharmacies in Italy. It will be available to children over the age of eleven whose parents are in possession of a prescription from a paediatrician. Novartis coordinator Rino Rappuoli has explained that the vaccine contains a protein carrier which increases the body’s defences against the disease.

The vaccine was given a green light from U.S. and European agencies. Not sure about Canada.

Welcome

I recently added a "Follow" feature on this blog. I appreciate people who take the time to join.

Welcome, Lakeviewer.