30,000 troops on the streets ?

Fog rolling in tonight - Todi standing out on its own hill across the valley and still (just) visible. We'll be in the cloud here in about half an hour. Thankfully, it's getting to be much lighter with dark not falling until about six so the worst of the winter should be behind us. The boyz have decide to come in after a day outside and are now dozing in front of the door and trying to figure out where the family is.

Italian television news leading with the insight that the recession isn't just impacting the EU and the US. The economies of the African and Mediterranean countries to the south of Italy are all facing a period of real contraction. This economic malaise has led to a sharp upswing in the number of illegal immigrants trying to get into the EU with Spain and Italy by dint of their geography being the first target. The government is now talking about putting 30,000 troops onto the streets to combat a wave of violent crime and help out the sorely stretched carabinieri.