Looking younger all the time
After winning Italy’s election, 71-year-old Silvio Berlusconi has spoken a great deal about being older and wiser in the ways of politics, having already served twice as prime minister. But there is no doubt that the conservative billionaire — thanks to cosmetic surgery including a hair transplant — looks much younger in many ways than he did when he last won a parliamentary election in 2001. Compare the pictures above, the first from his 2008 campaign and the second from November seven years ago.
Berlusconi, a former cruise ship crooner who built a media empire from scratch, is proud of his appearance. He bragged on Tuesday that one foreign correspondent had even asked him if he was younger than his 52-year-old election rival — Walter Veltroni.
I remember at a press conference in 2004, Berlusconi was asked about his hair transplant and said that he believed his more youthful image made him a better ambassador for Italy.
“I have taken one of the choices of modern life,” he said at the time. “It is a way of showing respect to those who share your life, your family. It is a way of showing respect to those who expect you to represent them on an international and national stage.”
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7 comments so far
True, but not complete: “Berlusconi, a former cruise ship crooner who built a media empire from scratch”
He is a son of a bank worker; that gifted a lot of money with no one can’t explain!!!
Built his fortune over a lot of lies, and he put the italians under his interess!
- Posted by Micheleguys! what do u think about it? what were the options between two main political leaders? any solutions for Italy??
- Posted by kasiSorry to say, but I see nothing but a gloomy future for us Italians, with ‘the Godfather’ as PM.
As Financial Times columnist Philip Stephens recently pointed out, Mr Berlusconi is not the solution but rather the symptom of Italy’s ills, since he is the very embodiment of Italy’s worst plagues.
Mr Berlusconi built his shady financial empire upon political corruption, malversations and obscure ties with P2 lodge (a shadowy Masonic organisation) and Mafia. He even hosted for nearly two years in his villa the Mafia boss Vittorio Mangano, who - according to Prosecutors - had acted as a ‘bridge’ between Cosa Nostra in Sicily and Mafia activities in northern Italy (Berlusconi recently defined Mangano as a “hero”, for his refusal to cooperate with the Justice!). Not to speak about Mr Marcello Dell’Utri (close associate of Mr Berlusconi, senator and co-founder of Forza Italia), sentenced - among other things - to nine years for Mafia association. Not to speak about Mr Previti (another close associate of Mr Berlusconi)… but the list would be too long…
However, the real tragedy for Italy is its rotten and predatory gerontocracy (all the political ‘caste’, including the ‘Left’), that created the humus in which Mr Berlusconi prospered, and let him build up an illegal media empire and (again, illegally) enter politics - needless to say: to escape prosecution.
The ‘double tragedy’ for us Italians is that even public TV is not (really) public, because it is ‘militarily’ occupied by political parties (the main of which is Berlusconi’s!). The result of this intolerable situation is a giant disinformation system, and - therefore - a largely brainwashed public opinion, since for most Italians TV is the only, or the main (however the most authoritative), source of information. To cap it all, the main newspapers are all controlled by a small number of powerful interest groups (Berlusconi himself controls a large number of newspapers), all of them - more or less - uneasy towards a serious enforcement of the rule of law.
In these circumstances, no wonder we have Berlusconi as a prime minister…
- Posted by albertoWe Italians are sliding on a very dangerous slope, and the chasm could be nearer than we think.
Following from Alberto’s comment of 28th April, that Italian media is “a giant disinformation system”. Not many people know this, but last Friday the Italian comic Beppe Grillo organized a public protest against the manipulation of the media. The movement collected 1,400,000 (approx) signatures in several hundred locations in Italy. These signatures are a protest against the current political and media caste.
The strongest proof of media manipulation is that an event involving 1.4 million people in a country with 70 million inhabitants, has passed unreported in the media.
I am more shocked to find no reference to the event the Reuters, BBC and The Times websites.
Is the propaganda machine that international already?
Please rectify the situation and print some NEWS on what is really happening in Italy today. Tomorrow may be too late.
- Posted by StarBlazerI’m completly agree with the others. May-be italian peole don’t remember what happenned during the second world war and so they elected a dictator as Mussolini. Now he can make all he wants because he has a large majority in the Parliament.
- Posted by lucetta gallinaMoreover, for the first time in the world history a man succeded in buying another whole political party
I agree partially with other comments . The picture of a great disinformation system is correct ,not last being our PM minister the owner of plenty of TV channels and newspaper media . Instead the biggest problem ,in my opinion,is the great ignorance of Italy as a country . The evidence is the percentage (around 10 %) of full analfabetism of our country ,not counting the “returning analfabets” …Moreover the rate of people with a degree is among the lowest in Europe. This is a very fertile ground for a perverse deal between citizens and politics (left and right are ,sorry to say,perfectly the same) . The end result is a blocked,hopeless country that is predated easier than perceived . We give credit to people like Grillo,just an opportunistic very ignorant person (formerly a comedian,nowadays just a person riding the italian autolesionism),this is a great evidence of an ill system.
- Posted by ArmandoI agree with all your comments. And I am so happy to read some intelligent comment, finally!!! I tell you even among educated people nobody seems to be conscious of what is happening in my country. When I spoke with my friends they only talk about the mistakes of the left party and they say that this is the reason of BerlusKa’s victory. For me the “real” reason is, as Philip Stephens says that Berluska ” built his shady financial empire upon political corruption, malversations and obscure ties with P2 lodge (a shadowy Masonic organization) and Mafia”. Veltroni in his campaign said “we don’t want Mafia’s vote”
- Posted by roberta” http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=PWU6n3WOWm k
Do you think he had any chances after this sentence? In USA people like him get killed. In Italy there is not need because people here, after 20 years of Berlusconi’s TV, is so well brain washed that they didn’t even understood the importance of Veltroni’s statement. Every body sleeps here….and after this last Berluska’s governament, his “job” will be completed….
I am so depressed!
Roby