For some reason the First World War has always held a fascination for me - since I first picked up
A.J.P. Taylor's book of that name. That "war to end all wars" was, of course, no such thing but it did set the major path for the 20th century socially, politically, geographically and militarily. For some countries, including my own, it was viewed as a coming-of-age as troops were sent to help "the Mother Country". I won't go into the right or wrong of it all, the death toll or the lost generation that it engendered - it is always easy to do that in hindsight. Today - April 9th - is observed in Canada as
Vimy Ridge Day - a day to remember the sacrifices (3,598 killed and 7,004 wounded) of the Canadian Corps on that Easter Monday in 1917.
My friend Debra has
a very moving tribute to the day and the monument that stands at Vimy Ridge today.
Italy is no stranger to earthquakes - some of you may remember that two years ago April 6th
we experienced a devastating one here in Italy. Though it pales in comparison to the quakes that have taken so many lives and destroyed so much in Japan over the past month I was touched to see this poster on a billboard in our neighbourhood. I don't think it needs translation and it shows that the people of Italy understand.
09 aprile - Santa Casilda da Toledo
