| ROB cradles his cup of coffee while the FIRST SNOWFLAKES of the season CAVORT in a BLAST OF OCTOBER SUNRISE. | ||
I'm fascinated by sea-changes in demographics in our time . . .like the phenomenon of "mammoni" (mama's boys) in Italy --- an increase to nearly a third of men under 35 who prefer to live at home in the care of their mothers rather than move out and form permanent relationships. According to one source, in Italy "Interference by mothers in their sons’ relationships causes 36% of breakups, compared to 25% in Germany and 18% in France." Very low birthrates have Italian officials worried. Another little tidbit was added to this social portrait the other morning in a National Public Radio report by Sylvia Poggioli in which she cited figures that Italian men are much less likely than their northern European or North American counterparts to help with household tasks and child care, and that this was contributing to the unwillingness of Italian women to have children. |
||