Bush in Rome

(above, "Bush: Rome will be your tomb")

Rifkin: "Italy is the KSA of renewable energy"

(above, a solar-powered gondola)

Well-known American economist Jeremy Rifkin recently stated that "Italy is the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy", and furthermore is an ideal country to launch a third Industrial Revolution. Despite the 2-cycle, soot-covered chiese -- churches -- in Italy's larger downtowns, il Belpaese and its people are ecofriendly. Italy has experimented extensively with wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, and unlike in the U.S., Italy's citizens and (non-politicians and politicians alike) are united in the idea that alternative, renewable energies are the future. Rifkin also underlined the global importance that Italy could play as a launch pad for renewable energy, particularly in regard to its positioning as a geographic landbridge between Europe and Africa.

(N.d.R.: "KSA" is a common acronym for "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia")