Go straight to Paradise. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

Romeo Priotto, a former railwayman who had been in pension for one year, was having his holiday in Porto Tolle, at the mouth of the river Po in northern Italy. Suddenly he spotted two little children in serious difficulty. He threw himself in, saved both the youngsters - and then fell dead, killed by a heart attack brought upon by the exertion.

The highest decoration in the ancient Roman army was the crown of oak leaves, reserved for a soldier who had saved a Roman citizen's life. This man deserves it. Rest in peace.

(no subject)

One person I met on someone else's LJ called Sarah Palin a Nazi. This person, luckily, is already banned from my LJ.

Another, at the same time, showed a picture of an eleven-year-old girl with an AK-47 and thought it cute. This person also suggested that the ability to use such implements should be a test of citizenship.

Needless to say, I defriended this person on the spot. I try to understand Americans, but there is a limit.

A small and inconsequent thought.

This is the most impressive American election in living memory. The two candidates, both outstanding, are an intellectual and a war hero. Can history help us to pick a winner? I don't think so. You see, of the three (in my view) greatest presidents in American history, one - Washington - was a war hero; another - Lincoln - was an intellectual; and the third - Theodore Roosevelt - was an intellectual AND a war hero. The game is perfectly even.