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Due to its unique geographical and climatic vulnerabilities, Mercalli describes Italy as one of

the most fragile places in the world. Italy’s risks are greater because of three factors: first,

the Mediterranean Sea, which is smaller than the world’s oceans and is therefore warming

up faster, second, its transitional climate between the tropical Africa and temperate Europe,

and third, its densely populated coastal areas.

The Italian climatologist also argues that Italy's significant environmental risks are

exacerbated by inadequate government action and media coverage that often favors climate

crisis deniers. Indeed, despite the serious situation, the Italian government's responses to

these challenges have been lackluster. The current right-wing administration under Giorgia

Meloni has indeed been criticized for its vague climate policies and dismissive attitude

towards climate concerns.

Mercalli concludes by warning that Italy will face serious consequences if it continues to

ignore climate change.

4. Facebook: you are the product

At the end of June 2017, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had reached a

milestone of two billion monthly active users, marking an extraordinary achievement in

technology and services. Originally launched as "Thefacebook" for Harvard students in

2004, it has grown faster than the other traditional media. Zuckerberg announced a shift in

the company’s mission from "making the world more open and connected" to "giving people

the power to build community and bring the world closer together." However, concerns

persist about the true value of this connectivity, especially considering Facebook's role in

Donald Trump's election and ethical issues surrounding the proliferation of fake news and

stolen content.

Facebook’s approach is problematic, as the platform relies on content created by others but

does not want anyone but itself to profit from it. This is damaging to the creative and media

industries. For example, it has a devastating impact on the music industry, which users

expect to be free and a similar trend is seen in journalism, as Facebook prioritizes ad

revenue over quality content. This is because fake news is free to produce and attracts more

clicks, overshadowing real news, which is expensive to produce and often unwelcome.

Facebook manipulates traffic to allow advertisers to target ads with unprecedented precision,

using consumer data to sell ads, revealing a stark contrast between its stated goals of

"connecting" and "building communities" and its commercial reality. Algorithms shape what

users see based on maximizing ad revenue.

The biggest threat to Facebook might be user abandonment, as history shows that even

dominant social networks can decline rapidly. Emerging technologies such as AI will likely

impact Facebook’s future, though the exact consequences remain uncertain.

5. Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs is a leading investment bank, which provides investment advice and deals

with mergers and acquisitions. They place great importance on being honest, trustworthy

and reliable. However, Joyti De-Laurey, a secretary at Goldman Sachs, was by no means

honest and reliable. In fact, this woman is accused of stealing over £4 million from her

superiors' personal accounts.

She allegedly transferred funds regularly from the executives' accounts to her own accounts

in Cyprus, often using forgeries and deceit. De-Laurey used the stolen money to maintain a

modest lifestyle, she bought a villa in Cyprus, and expensive cars like Aston Martin as a

present for her husband's birthday. The remarkable thing is that while all this was going on,

nobody at the bank noticed. Despite the serious charges and overwhelming evidence

presented in court, De-Laurey and her accomplices deny all allegations.

This could have a devastating impact on the reputation of the bank, as a client of the bank,

or a financial journalist, might wonder: if the bank’s directors can't take care of their own

money, and don't even notice when somebody transfers all their money from their account,

why should I trust them with savings? At the end of the eight-week trial, the secretary was

found guilty by the jury of theft and fraud and the judge sentenced her to four years in jail.

The damage to the reputation of the bank was considerable and the bank’s director had

difficulty explaining what had happened to their shareholders and to the press.

6. Malware

The article discusses a major cybersecurity threat involving Chinese malware discovered in

U.S. infrastructure systems, including power grids, communications, and water supplies.

American Intelligence officials believe this malware, attributed to Chinese state-sponsored

hackers, poses a significant risk to American military operations, since the malware is

designed not just for surveillance but for potential sabotage, capable of potentially disrupting

or delaying military deployments and resupply efforts, particularly in the event of a conflict.

Initial signs of this threat emerged when Microsoft detected suspicious code in Guam's

telecommunications systems. The discovery, initially reported by The New York Times, has

led to high-level meetings in the White House Situation Room involving military, intelligence,

and national security officials, focused on understanding the scope of the malware and

developing strategies to block its impact. Subsequent investigations revealed the malware's

presence extended beyond telecommunications and had been active for over a year.

The malware, identified as originating from a group known as Volt Typhoon, may be

designed to impact both civilian and military infrastructure, increasing its potential disruption.

There is debate within the U.S. administration about whether the malware’s primary target is

military or civilian systems. The response has included attempts to remove the malware, but

officials are concerned about the risk of alerting Chinese hackers to U.S. detection

capabilities and potential reinfection.

The article highlights the challenges in managing such advanced threats to national security

and infrastructure. This cyber threat represents a new level of strategic challenge,

underscoring the importance of robust cybersecurity defenses and the need for continued

vigilance in the face of sophisticated cyber operations. The U.S. government's approach

includes both defensive measures to protect infrastructure and diplomatic efforts to address

these cyber activities internationally.

7. Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg

The article criticizes the substantial wealth and behavior of tech billionaires, in particular

referring to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, calling them a significant threat to

democracy. It highlights the astonishing disparity between the super-rich and the average

person, pointing out that just ten individuals own more wealth than the poorest 40% of the

global population, and that the wealth of the twenty richest tycoons exceeds the entire GDP

of sub-Saharan Africa. Their enormous financial clout enables them to exert considerable

influence over political processes and public policy, often prioritizing their own interests over

the needs of the broader population. In addition, this concentration of wealth creates an

imbalance of power, allowing a small elite to exert undue control over societal resources.

Elon Musk’s recent actions, such as his erratic Twitter management, marked by bizarre

decisions and controversial posts, exemplify the disconnect and recklessness of the

ultra-wealthy. Musk's immense earnings, estimated to be around $383 million daily, stand in

contrast with the average American wage, raising questions about the morality of such vast

income disparities. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg's obsession with the metaverse illustrates

another form of misguided extravagance.

The text highlights as well how social media plays a key role in glorifying these technological

oligarchs and suggests that the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few undermines

democratic principles by consolidating power and influence, making genuine democratic

participation increasingly illusory for ordinary people.

This situation underscores the need for systemic changes to balance interests and

safeguard democratic institutions. To address this growing disparity, there is an urgent need

for reforms, including progressive taxation and stronger regulatory measures, to ensure a

more equitable distribution of wealth and to protect democratic principles.

8. Parmalat

Parmalat is a family-owned company founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961 in Northern Italy,

which in the years that followed turned into one of the largest dairy and food companies in

Italy and became a multinational corporation.

Parmalat’s fraudulent activities began in 1990 as an attempt to cover up losses, a choice

that made the company path-dependent; this approach lasted until 2003, when the company

went bankrupt. Parmalat's management opted to mask the issues through extensive fraud

instead of addressing the underlying problems. The company directors were guilty of false

accounting over a ten-year period. Over these 13 years, executives used a wide range of

practices, including inflating revenues with fake transactions, creating fake assets, moving

debt off balance sheet. All these actions were taken with the aim of using these receivables

as collateral for loans, to borrow more money.

Parmalat had internal auditors who were obliged to follow instructions of the management

and as well had external auditors examine and certify the company accounts as the

authentic record of the company's financial situation. However, these professional people

were actually unprofessional in their conduct, indeed they failed to examine the accounts

diligently, they covered up the black hole in the Parmalat finances and they broke the law of

false accounting.

In December 2003 the fraud came to light when, despite having reported £4 billion in cash

and short-term assets on its balance sheet, the company defaulted on a 150 million

eurobond payment. As a result, Calisto Tanzi ended up in prison and the small investors lost

all their savings.

9. Quality of life: India vs Cina

The idea behind this article is that GDP growth is not in itself a sufficient objective, as other

parameters of criteria such as life expectancy, public health and education must be taken

into account. Economic growth is important, but its impact on living standards depends on

how the increased income is utilized, influenced by factors such as inequality and

government policies.

Comparing India and China, it is possible to notice that China surpasses India in different

areas: life expectancy in China is 73.5 years versus India's 64.4 years; the infant mortality

rate in India is 50 per 1,000 compared to China’s 17. Additionally, many Indian children

suffer from undernourishment, and immunization rates are lower than in China. In China the

mean years of schooling are 7