The Italian Response to the Earthquake

Sunday night's earthquake in central Italy was big news in the United States. Scenes of churches without their ceilings and people being dragged out from under the rubble likely scared relatives of Umbra students. Though there were deaths near the quake's epicenter, more were prevented by Italy's highly organized Protezione Civile, a kind of non-military civil guard.

The Protezione Civile is a shining example of good planning in an otherwise somewhat chaotic country. The PC by nightfall of the day after the tremors had already set up forty thousand beds in enormous tents and provided meals for as many people in portable mess halls. The corps, made up of paid volunteers, numbers almost a million people, and all are extraordinarily well-trained. We salute these volunteers!

International Journalism Festival!

This weekend Perugia hosted the Internation Journalism Festival. Among many of the guests was the American team of Vanguard Journalists from Current US. The “Super-hero team” as they were called by one of the audience members during question time, included Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel, Mariana Van Zeller and Adam Yamaguchi. Along with the four members, Laura Ling, colleague journalist and Vice President of Current TV’s Vanguard Journalism unit was scheduled to appear at the conference; however, while filming near the North Korea-China border Ling was arrested and remains captive in a North Korean prison. Negotiations with the North Korean government are under way to secure her release. The journalist, together with a cameraman and a guide, were headed to the town of Yanji where they planned to interview women forced into prostitution, according to sources.
Vanguard is the groundbreaking original journalism series of Current US. The network’s journalism division is dedicated to covering global issues that are relevant to young adult audiences. Unlike traditional news outlets, Vanguard is specifically aimed at younger viewers who seek a more in-depth, personal experience investigating the key issues of our times. For information on Vanguard Journalism check out the link!