Caligula’s been at it again! (“It” being prostitutes.) From the Guardian:
Berlusconi criticised for ‘use of policewomen’s outfits in villa striptease shows’
According to prosecution documents delivered to parliament, so-called “bunga bunga” sessions at Berlusconi’s villa near Milan involved female guests putting on — and then gradually taking off — skimpy nurses’ outfits and police uniforms.Giorgio Innocenzi, the secretary general of the independent police trades union confederation, said that, if the accounts were borne out, “it would be a very serious development that impugns the high levels of professionalism guaranteed by women in the police”.
Yes, Silvio Berlusconi is incorrigibly horny, treats his Third World First World country as a stripperlicious fiefdom, and so on. What gets me here is* the characteristic frustrating vagueness and sloppy copy conventions of British newspaper writing. (Which I guess aren’t surprising when your entire print-media culture has been tabloidized and you have like five serious journalists left on all of Knifecrime Island.) First, let us assume “bunga bunga” is an onomatope** for 200 pounds of septuagenarian prime-ministerial flesh slapping up against against about half as much 17-year-old Moroccan belly-dancer flesh. BUT HERE IS THE QUESTION: Does “skimpy” apply to “nurses’ outfits” alone or also to “police uniforms”? The nurse getups, clearly, were sexy Halloween outfits. But were the “police uniforms” real Carabinieri uniforms or just costume-shop cheese? Because there is a big difference in terms of impugnment! Sexy party nonsense vs. theft or misuse of state property. Does Sig. Innocenzi have a legitimate complaint? Unclear!
*Don’t even start with me, “What . . . are” crowd.
**Don’t even start with me, uh, “onomatopoeia” crowd.
and journalistic quality at the stranger is exactly what by comparison?
Frankly, I love this guy.
It depends – are they the shorty short traffic cop policewoman outfits you sometimes see in Italy?
Pretty sure standard issue doesn’t come with fishnet stockings, though.
That’s what you get in a nation with weak speech and press rights and strong libel laws. Then again, the New York Times did a fine job today reporting on all this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/world/…
@2, he’s really cute. A female Russian reporter asked Putin a tough question at a joint press conference, and Berlusconi mimed shooting her with a gun, which referred to the recent murder of another Russian female reporter who’d run afoul of the Kremlin. Oh, how he and Putin laughed as the reporter burst into tears.
Still waiting on my whiskey, dude.
Anything that furthers the descent of Italy’s reputation as a serious member of the community of nations is good by me. Maybe someday they’ll do something about it.
The stink of Berlusconi doesn’t really have anything to do with prostitutes or sex at all. See @5 for starters.
As long as I get to see Amelia Pond in Doctor Who wear a police outfit again I’ll be happy.
I know that has nothing to do with berlusconi but I don’t care.
The bunga-bunga term isn’t onomatopoetic, but rather (supposedly) comes from a very lame joke (at least, according to the Italian news media, which was picked up by the British news media). The joke can be found here (among other places):
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind…
In Berlusconi’s version (this is his favorite joke, it seems), Khaddafi is somehow involved. He’s a class act, that Berlusconi.
Mi dispiace per come l’Italia venga vista all’estero attraverso i comportamenti di Berlusconi.
E’ un uomo che non rappresenta almeno il 50% degli Italiani .
Spero che noi Italiani riusciremo presto a farlo ritirare dalla Politica.
Mi vergogno del Governo del mio Paese.
I’m awfully sorry about Italy’s perspective abroad through Berlusconi’s fecklessness.
He doesn’t represent at least 50% of us.
Whishing Italians will be soon able to force Him to ritire.
I’m ashamed of my Country Governement.
@11 but you guys keep electing this bozo. Why?
Explain Bush getting re-elected here.