Italian Bureaucrats Convicted Over Infrastructure Collapse

The Morandi Bridge, which was located in Genoa, Italy, collapsed in 2018, resulting in the deaths of 43 people. Former Italian motorway boss among 32 convicted over Genoa bridge tragedy

The former head of Italian motorway operator ‌Autostrade per l'Italia was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday for his role in a disaster that killed 43 people when a bridge collapsed near the city of Genoa in 2018.

Giovanni Castellucci was among 32 people convicted over the collapse of the Morandi bridge which sent vehicles plunging onto warehouses and a riverbed beneath the flyover during a summer storm.

At least some of the convictions are under appeal.

There isn't a lot of info, but the two sides of the debate seem to be that the collapse was either caused by the initial design, or the lack of maintenance. From my point of view, both can be true at the same time.

Here is a post from the 357 Magnum Archive: Everything Needs Maintenance – The Morandi Bridge Collapse. That post includes a link to a video of the explosive demolition of the remaining bridge structure, in preparation for new construction, and some info on the design of the new bridge.

This post contains more information on the replacement bridge. 357 Magnum Archive: Genova San Giorgio Viaduct Replaces Collapsed Bridge In Genoa, Italy

Some infrastructure collapse is clearly the result of negligence. The Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, which collapsed on 28 January 2022, had received numerous warnings in the form of reports, photos, etc. before it collapsed. The bureaucrats and politicians ignored all the warnings, because maintaining infrastructure isn't sexy. It doesn't lend itself to ceremonies, and news stories. But it does keep people safe, and allow modern life to continue.

Some infrastructure can collapse as the result of a fire, such as the I-85 Bridge Collapse in Atlanta, or other external cause.

Maintenance you can plan for. Random acts of the universe, you cannot.

I'm not sure if these convictions in Italy represent Justice, or just the desire of the public to hold someone accountable, even if they aren't really the right person. I would like to see an incentive to make maintaining this stuff more likely, or we will continue to see bridges collapse, and dams collapse, and more types of infrastructure failure.

“Live by the blast, die by the blast.”

From Paul Serran at The Gateway Pundit. Anarchist Couple Die in Rome, After the BOMB They Were Assembling Goes Off

Political extremism is on the rise in Europe and around the world, with all the violence that goes with it.

But sometimes, the radical tactics they employ turn against themselves.

Alessandro Mercogliano, 53, and Sara Ardizzone, 36, were found dead in the rubble of a house. The debris was laced with ammonium nitrate.

Police believe it was to be used in an attack against a police station and a defense contractor, which made parts for F-35 jets.

Criminal Immigrants in Italy

From the Hispanic gateway of The Gateway Pundit: Three illegal Gambian immigrants are wanted by Italian police after the gang rape of a 23-year-old university student outside a metro station - Gateway Hispanic

According to the police reconstruction, the attackers immobilized her with violence, dragged her about 350 meters to an isolated area on Via di Valle Melaina and, in an act of unimaginable savagery, one of them raped her while the other two held her tightly, preventing any resistance.

Criminals don't obey the law.

Italy Embraces Self-Defense

This is an encouraging sign. Italy's Meloni hails self-defence after homeowner shoots intruder

Italian premier Giorgia Meloni [the Italian Prime Minister] on Wednesday said that self-defence is "always legitimate", commenting on the case of a man who shot and injured an intruder during an attempted robbery at his home near Rovigo in northern Italy.

It was the 2nd time this guy's home had been invaded. While the police did find blood at the scene, the amount seems to indicate that the wound was not serious.

Rovigo police have been investigating the attempted robbery by two or three individuals, one of whom was injured by a gunshot fired by the homeowner.

Police alerted local hospitals to see if anyone had sought medical treatment for gunshot wounds however so far the search has been unsuccessful.

It seems that the European press is following the lead of the American media. Anyone not on the Left is "Right Wing." I mean my God, they support Individual Action, and don't expect you to rely on The State, even for the things The State cannot provide.

Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini echoed the comments by Meloni, stressing that the new rules were pushed through by his right-wing Lega party to "protect decent citizens", adding: "As we have maintained for years, self-defence is always legitimate."

Good for the Italians. Self-defense is a human right.

Supervolcano Is Emitting Carbon

A lot of carbon. Massive supervolcano is waking up, and that's not a good thing - Earth-dot-com

OK. My first beef with this article. There is no such thing a small supervolcano. Calling it massive is redundant. [Insert video of "Word Crimes" by Weird Al here.]

The Phlegraean Fields, now considered one massive supervolcano, are beginning to stir, making the scientific community uneasy.

These volcanic fields, nestled just west of Naples, Italy, are among the top eight emitters of volcanic carbon dioxide worldwide.

The estimates are that one crater in the supervolcano is emitting between 4,000 and 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide daily. That is like burning half a million gallons of gasoline everyday.

Click thru for the history of the region. I will only say that the last eruption was in the 1500s.

Hat tip to Clayton Cramer. Can We Tax Mother Earth? A lot people say carbon taxes will force people to change their behavior. I don't think that will work in this case. (Actually I don't think it will work in any case.)

There are 7 sites worldwide that are emitting MORE carbon than that daily.

7 Egyptian Migrants Rape 13-year-old Italian Girl

Don't expect to see this story covered by the mainstream media. Police: 7 Egyptian migrants raped 13-year-old Italian girl in public bathroom, beat up boyfriend who tried to protect her | Not the Bee

They dragged her into a public bathroom and two of the teens, aged between 14-19, sexually assaulted the girl while the other five guys watched and kept the boyfriend out.

Mass immigration and the destruction of law and order.

Click thru. There is more on the current Italian government, such as the fact that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ran on a platform of deportations, but changed her tune as soon as she was in office.

Italy Elects a Conservative Woman PM

Leftist screeching arrived right on schedule. Don Surber: Italy elects first woman PM. Misogynist media hates her

This is a short read, but worth the time. I will highlight one bit, because the WoPo is completely unhinged about a woman, who is also a conservative, being elected in Europe.

The Washington Post managed to get both facts in its lead paragraph, saying, "Italy is poised on Sunday for a norm-breaking election that’s expected to give the country its first-ever female prime minister — and its farthest-right government since the fall of Mussolini."

But when Germans elected Merkel, WaPo didn't say she was the first-ever female chancellor and the country's biggest socialist leader since Hitler.

But then the Left always ignores 2 facts: Hitler left the German Workers' Party (the communists) to join the National Socialist Party.

Anyway, CNN and the New York Times are also in the mix, as are UPI and the Wall Street Journal.

It isn't completely one sided.

The Daily Mail broke ranks. It reported, "Giorgia Meloni is nothing if not a patriot."

As I said, click thru.

Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy Still in the News

The Morandi Bridge collapsed 14 August 2018. The replacement was complete last year. Poor Maintenance and Construction Flaws Are Cited in Italy Bridge Collapse - The New York Times

The 2018 collapse of a bridge in northwestern Italy that killed 43 people was a result of problems in the structure’s conception, design, construction and, more recently, maintenance that led to corrosion in some steel cables that ultimately snapped, according to an independent report that was made public on Monday.

The image is of the bridge, before the collapse. (Click the image, for a larger view, and background info. Image by Davide Papalini.) Click thru to the New York Times article to see a photo of the bridge shortly after the collapse. Somewhere there is video of the explosive demolition of the remainder of the bridge, but I don't have time to look for that, even though I love explosive demolition.

That report is 467 pages, I haven't even looked at it because I am sure it is in Italian, and I am fairly sure that Google Translate does a poor job with Italian. I may look at it eventually. In the meantime, we will rely on the reporters. (A problematic stance, I know.)

A trial is scheduled for this year to find someone to hold accountable, because 43 people died, and 600 people were made homeless by the collapse.

“If, in any of these phases, [conception, design, construction and maintenance] the proper checks were made, it was highly likely that they could have prevented the tragedy,” the report seen by The New York Times read. “The lack and/or the inadequacy of the checks are the weak link in the system.”

As I noted last year when the new bridge, which was under construction, caught my attention, Everything Needs Maintenance – The Morandi Bridge Collapse.