finnegas 's Profile

And that’s why the small ‘Italy of Principles’ party (‘IDV’), a pugnacious formation led by the Antonio Di Pietro, gained such popularity in recent years, for fiercely campaigning against Berlusconi. Di Pietro is a former magistrate, once famous for his inquiries during the ‘Mani pulite’ (‘clean hands’) period. But even Antonio Di Pietro, at the beginning of his campaign, had to draw on the themes and communicative style of another figure who opened the way to a new combative opposition style to Berlusconi. He is Beppe Grillo, an Italian comic and blogger whose website was regarded in recent years as one of the most influential in the world. He filled an empty space in Italian public debate, strongly campaigning against Berlusconi, but also contesting the allegedly widespread political corruption in Italy. His assertive and entertaining style was in a way comparable to that of Berlusconi, but the media he used and the audience he talked to were quite different. His initiatives were said to be highly anti-political by many Italian commentators, but his influence has been extensive on young people and has probably contributed to preparing the ground for the recent protests.

The purple people

Now the time may have come for a wider movement, which can try to grow in the space created by Berlusconi’s many difficulties. It can draw on the practices of the blogosphere, as well as on traditional forms of political protest. Beppe Grillo’s ‘cultural’ importance has been significant, but shouldn’t be overestimated, as many traditional movements and organisations also joined in the purple protest. They were just waiting for a new, louder way to express themselves. But none of these preexisting groups established a leadership over the purple marchers.

The organisers were a group of bloggers, who say they haven’t been influenced by any political formation and claim they are independent. Obviously they could look back to the international experiences of flashmobs or, more practically, to Grillo’s website and audience. But the demonstration was organised by them, while most of the funding was gathered online. And up to now they say they have no leader.

The demonstration brought with it many more novelties. There were few party signs, and they weren’t allowed excessive visibility. Many artists and intellectuals also took part in the march, but none of them became a figurehe

Most people discover Alexander through his classic, A Pattern Language, which appeared in 1977. Small and fat (more than 1,000 pages), printed on fine paper, and bound in a plain maroon cover embossed with a gold escutcheon, it resembles a Latin breviary. Its author's ambitious goal was nothing less than to catalog the entire built environment—from towns to bedrooms—as a collection of discrete "patterns," 253 of them. Each pattern was explained, supported by research, and illustrated by sketches and photographs. The patterns were linked to one another, showing which ones worked well together, and arranged hierarchically from large to small. "Neighborhood Boundaries," for example, suggests that strong neighborhoods require clear edges and restricted access. At the other end of the scale, "Ceiling Height Variety" observes that buildings with uniform ceilings are uncomfortable and recommends varying ceiling heights between large and small rooms to create different degrees of intimacy. In other words, the breviary is a designer's handbook.

A Pattern Language proved invaluable to nonarchitects building their own homes, and by 1980 Alexander, who was based in Berkeley, Calif.,

There is a slow but building interest in making good food by hand, something reflected in a surge of new producers in the
Midwest and beyond. Interest in sustainable and ethically treated meat and poultry has soared in recent years, and cheese
plants are opening faster than they're closing in Wisconsin, as demand for artisanal cheese booms.

Bob Wills of Plain, Wis., will testify to the explosion of interest.

He's a master cheesemaker with a PhD in economics and a law degree who segued from a career in politics and academia to making
mixed-milk cheeses and some of the tastiest cheese curds in the state.

"This is probably the most exciting time in the dairy industry in Wisconsin that there's ever been," Mr. Wills told me during
a tour of his cheese-aging room in Wisconsin's idyllic Driftless Region.

"It's kind of like there's a renaissance – during history there have been these little periods when there'll be groups of
writers in Paris or New York, or when [British poets] Shelley and Keats and Byron and all those guys hung out together and
all challenged each other," he says. "And it feels like that's what's happening in Wisconsin right now."