Theresa Maggio

Moslems in solidarity with the victims of the Paris massacres descended into the piazzas of Palermo and Catania on the first Friday after the terrorist attack on the French capital today.
"Religion is not terrorism," their signs said.

Parco della Favorita, on the north end of downtown Palermo, by Siculdrone. Splendid.

A corpse arrived in Trapani along with 308 immigrants around 8 this morning aboard a Doctors Without Borders ship,, according to La Repubblica. It seems the dead person suffered some health problems while aboard one of three motorized rubber raft rescued two days ago from waters off the coast of Libya by three ships,
the Spanish  Read More 

but traffic gets in the way.

Stefano LoVerso,, for years the chauffeur of Mafia kingpin Bernardo Provenzano, turned state's evidence and was put into the government's witness protection program in a city in northern Italy. LoVerso had to leave his family behind in Ficarizzi. He said in this exclusive interview with a La Repubblica reporter that if the Mafia can't get you, they will get at the family you left behind. He has a wife and children and he decided to come back to Sicily to live with and protect them until he meets his own death, which he fully expects. The protection program cannot protect you if you come back to Sicily. LoVerso says it is the bosses who should be exiled. He knows they will get him, he just doesn't know when. "The mafia doesn't forgive," he says. Imagine the stress and ulcers of living like that! Interview in Italian.


[Sigh. Working on getting the embed code to work. Meantime, here's the link to copy and paste:]
http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/palermo/il-pentito-in-bicicletta-che-sfida-la-mafia--non-lascio-la-sicilia-se-ne-vadano-i-boss/217730/216926
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The picture of the Syrian boy washed up dead on a Turkish beach and picked up by a soldier made only a fleeting change to press coverage of Syrian refugees, and NO DIFFERENCE to press coverage of African refugees escaping to Europe. As a matter of fact, the Africans got LESS coverage because of it.  Read More 

In July Palermo was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Arab-Norman architecture, including the cathedrals of Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu` and the Cappella Palatina, all aglitter with golden mosaic tiles. Not gilt mosaic tiles, but solid gold tiles. To make the most of this prestigious world-wide recognition, the city has put together  Read More 

A Palermo judge accused of corruption and abuse of office was suspended from duty today and her salary taken away. Judge Silvana Saguto, who headed the Palermo Tribunal's office in charge of confiscated Mafia goods and businesses, was caught on tape saying she was "like God Almighty." Jobs are scarce in Palermo. When a Mafia business  Read More 

My friend and former palace mate Ester Russo, who is a psychologist who treats immigrants and victims of torture, wrote an article about recent events in Palermo, protests over building fences in Europe to keep asylum seekers out. The cover image quotes  Read More 

The mafia charges monthly protection money even from traveling street vendors, like this guy who sells produce from his three-wheeled  Read More 

Palermo: more than a thousand immigrants were saved in aid operations about thirty miles off the Libyan coast last night. They were trying to reach Italy aboard six motorized rubber rafts and one old fishing boat. Aboard the fishing boat were crowded 400 migrants, who were saved by te British ship Enterprise. Three other ships,  Read More