I had some youngsters here who had basic carpentering diplomas but they all gradually left as
I had some youngsters here who had basic carpentering diplomas but they all gradually left as I couldn’t afford to pay a proper salary. We need a school for gondola makers but most importantly to give them the chance to work with us and build up their expertise It’s like becoming a doctor. First you need to study, then do internships, then specialise … it’s a long investment.”But Gianfranco believes it is not simply an economic issue.
“It requires passion, sacrifice and intuition and to do it well you need to understand Venetian art and culture. The creation of a gondola is inextricably linked to our history. These days that background is lacking, so young- sters are motivated only by money and we can’t compete.”Venice has a public body, the Ente Gondola, whose task is to preserve, promote and protect the famous Venetian boat. But while the Ente organises restorations of historic craft and education programmes, it has so far failed to find a solution to the squerarioli concerns.”Italy’s labour laws are rigid and we are trying to find ways around it but it’s not easy,” says Franco Vianello Moro, the president of Ente Gondola, in a resigned tone. “We can’t just subsidise one group of artisans but we want to use European and regional funds to give the gondola makers a hand.”.
The Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, faces allegations of smuggling on the eve of elections that could eventually lead to the break-up of Yugoslavia
The Montenegrin President, Milo Djukanovic, faces allegations of smuggling on the eve of elections that could eventually lead to the break-up of Yugoslavia.
A clear victory for pro- independence parties in tomorrow’s poll would clear the way for an early referendum on secession from Serbia, the only other constituent of the Yugoslav Federation.But opponents of Mr Djukanovic, once a darling of the West, point out that he has allowed the country to become a paradise for cigarette smuggling. Italian investigators believe that transit fraud could account for as much as 60 per cent of Montenegro’s gross domestic product, which totalled $700m (£500m) in 1999.Analysts believe that the illicit trade will only get worse if Montenegro opts for and wins independence from Belgrade. Jonathan Eyal, of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank in London, said: “We’ll probably see the creation of another Mickey Mouse state, a smugglers’ paradise, totally dependent on foreign aid.”But Mr Djukanovic’s breakaway bid from Belgrade will in any case face an uphill task.The latest opinion polls show that his “Victory Belongs to Montenegro” coalition will obtain some 42 per cent of votes in tomorrow’s ballot. The second largest group will be pro-Belgrade “Together for Yugoslavia” coalition, with some 25 per cent of votes. The remaining votes are expected to be shared among 11 small parties and groups.
All of this in a country where the voters number fewer than 500,000.The complicated mathematics of tiny Montenegro’s elections suggest that Mr Djukanovic will have to look among the small parties to find a government partner. To call an independence referendum, he will have to look for more backers for the necessary two- thirds majority in the 77- member parliament.Meanwhile, Italian investigators and newspapers have linked Mr Djukanovic’s administration to an organised tobacco smuggling ring American cigarettes are brought to Rotterdam. From there, they are transported by trucks as duty free goods to the Adriatic Slovenian port of Kopar. Then they travel by ship to the Montenegrin port of Bar.The ships belong to a Thessaloniki company registered in the name of Marko Milosevic, son of Slobodan Milosevic.From Bar speedboats carry the goods across the Adriatic to some spots between the Italian ports of Bari and Brindisi. Then, cigarettes travel by land back into Western Europe, where they are sold at low prices, costing Western governments millions in unpaid duties.In a separate development, Carla Del Ponte, the chief prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, handed over sealed indictments last week containing names of Montenegrin officials who took part in bombing operations around Dubrovnik in 1991.
It is believed that Mr Djukanovic could be among them, as he was the Prime Minister of Montenegro at the time.. A decades-old legal campaign by independent booksellers in America against carnivorous competition by the mighty chains, notably Barnes & Noble and Borders, has crumbled in a San Francisco court
A decades-old legal campaign by independent booksellers in America against carnivorous competition by the mighty chains, notably Barnes & Noble and Borders, has crumbled in a San Francisco court.
Lawyers for the American Booksellers Association, supported by 26 independent bookshops across the country, abruptly agreed during the second week of trial to settle with the chains. The move came after the judge dismissed most of the plaintiff’s claims in pre-trial hearings. As part of the settlement, Barnes & Noble, the biggest nationwide chain, and Borders agreed to pay $2.35m (£1.6m) each to the association.
