Obama's toast to Queen is toast

Obama toasts Queen - etiquete blunder. Antonia Scott.

An off-beat music cue, an unfamiliar tune or a combination of both? It seems American President Obama's toast to the Queen during the British national anthem was an embarrassing etiquette blunder that could have been averted by some topline anthem protocol and a quick music lesson.


As not all anthem etiquette is the same below are a few different national anthems and their rules of engagement to ensure you're on form whether at a sports game, national ceremony or, if luck should have it, dining with the Queen.


America
National Anthem: Star-Spangled Banner
Custom: don't speak, stand, face the flag, men remove hat, and place your right hand (holding removed hat) over your heart. Singing is optional and only members of the armed forces salute.

 United Kingdom 
National Anthem: God Save the Queen 
Custom: Stand silently or sing along to the words. It is a song which praises the Monarchy and in particular the Queen. The BBC play it at the end of the day's broadcasting.










Italy
National Anthem: Fratelli d'Italia
Custom: Stand, hand on heart and sing along. In between the first and second verse there is drum beat that Italians also sing along to "badabum badadum bada bumbumbumbumbum." The second verse is sung at a faster pace than the first so that it builds up momentum as it goes. The final word "Si!" is often shouted out loudly.









Nigeria:
National Anthem: Arise, O Compatriots
Custom: Stand, hand on heart.













Mexico
National Anthem:  Himno Nacional Mexicano
Custom: Stand, sing, with right hand across the left chest but with the palm facing outwards to the ground.












Indonesia
National Anthem: Indonesia Raya
Custom: Civilians may either place their right hand to their left-breast (heart) or salute the flag as per a military salute. The flag is often raised during the playing of the anthem with people saluting until the flag reaches the top of the pole timed with the ending of the anthem. All persons present regardless of nationality are expected to stand silently and respectfully during the flag's raising and lowering. It is a severe criminal offense in Indonesia to dishonour the flag or national anthem.







Australia
National Anthem: Advance Australia Fair
Custom: Stand straight and sing along if you know the words.














Which anthem is your favourite? Listen to a selection on National Anthems of the World.

Top 10 things in an Internationista's handbag

Antonia Scott, Internationista, top 10, handbag

1. At least three different currencies. Notes seperated into different sleeves. Coins in different pockets.

2. London Oyster Card for travelling on the tube.

3. Airline ticket stub.

4. Torn out page from British Airways inflight magazine.

5. Italian chewing gum.

6. Packet of Wet Ones from Boots UK. No beauty products over 100mls.

7. Six valid sim cards for different countries.

8. At least two passports.

9. Blockbuster video cards for three different countries.

10. Pocket size city maps. 

Bendandi's earthquake hits Lorca not Rome

Earthquake hits Lorca instead of Rome? Antonia Scott.



Raffaele Bendandi, the man who in 1923 was named "The man who forecasts earthquakes" by Italy's main newspaper the Corriere della Sera, predicts an earthquake for Rome on the day Lorca in Spain is shattered by a quake.

Back in the 1920s Bendandi forecast a quake to hit the central Adriatic region of the Marches on January 2, 1923. He was wrong by two days. Almost 90 years later, social media sites and news reports throughout the world have been talking about his forecast for "the big one" to hit Rome on 11 May, 2011.

While Rai news reports last night, 11 May, showed examples of panicked Roman citizens staying away from work and school in fear of the quake, Rome remained unscathed. However, just across the Mediterranean Sea two tremors, one measuring 5.3 the other 4.5, hit the city of Lorca in Spain, killing at least 10 people and demolishing buildings.

  

Could it be that it was Bendandi's "where" instead of his "when" that was slightly wrong this time? 

Bendandi (October 17, 1893 – November 3, 1979) was an Italian pseudoscientist, who developed his own theory for predicting earthquakes based on planetary alignment. He believed that the alignment of the moon, sun and other planets had a gravitational impact on the movement of the earth's crust. Bendandi, who was self taught and never published any objective evidence or explanations for his theory, has largely been disregarded by the scientific community.

Meanwhile, reports of government support during his lifetime are contradictory, with Wikipedia claiming his work was suppressed by president Benito Mussolini while Reuters claims Mussolini awarded Bendandi a knighthood.

Today contradictory information continues with social media sites heralding 11 May as the big day while the Guardian newspaper reporting that the head of the Bendandi foundation, which holds many of his papers, had claimed that "there is no prediction of an earthquake in Rome on 11 May 2011. The date is not there. The place is not there.”

Is this yet another religion verses superstition, science verses astrology or even astrology verses astronomy debate? Another example of something we can't objectively prove so is deemed to not be true?

Whether you believe or don't believe, could Bendandi have got it right (more or less) a third time? 

Don't be a Boob campaign

Vintage TV, Antonia Scott, Internationista.

The Don't be a Boob campaign is an initiative to stop the sexual objectification of women on Italian TV.

It refers to all the prime time programmes, whether politcal, gameshow or infotainment, which include hypersexualised women grinding, gyrating and groping their boobs, buttocks, vulvas and legs. The programmes which degrade women's role to an instrument of pleasure for men and disregard their intellectual capabilities and treat them like a boob (an idiot).

For those who are not familiar with these programmes, feel free to watch Lorella Zanardo's Il corpo delle donne (the body of women) in English.

All you need to do to get involved is boycott these images by switching off the TV or changing the channel when women are treated or behaving like a boob. Hopefully a simple drop in ratings will cause enough alarm to inspire change.

For those who live outside of Italy and wish to voice your support of the Don't be Boob campaign, feel free to leave a comment below.

So far from what I have seen women are boobs in the following italian TV programmes:

Zelig

Striscia Notizia

Buona Domenica

Feel free to add more to the list.