Ask Battista Minola 1616 Anything - Two

[Xing]

What do you think is the biggest problem with politics in the Western World?

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Who is your favorite King of France? (please answer in this thread)

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

What do you think is the biggest problem with politics in the Western World?

Uuuh that's an interesting question. My gut answer would be the 'culture-war-ification' of politics. It is a very cliché answer but looking at Italy, France, the United States, possibly the United Kingdom, and not only, it seems a relatively common theme.

Who is your favorite King of France? (please answer in this thread)

> "I don't want to own the papists! I'm just curious!"

> Starts that thread.

I don't like to answer poison pills (I haven't voted in your last R&P poll for the record) but I'll be generous and say that I actually broadly agree with your assessment of Henry IV.
Having visited Aigues-Mortes and having read more than nothing about him I should also mention St. Louis IX but I can't say I am a fan of the Crusades.

[Crumpets]

I've somehow managed to have four Italian classmates and two Italian professors this semester. I think at least a couple if not all of them are from the northeast - basically Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. What are some random things about that region that I might be able to talk to them about? Any huge sports controversies? Weirdo politicians? Pop culture icons who keep getting arrested?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I've somehow managed to have four Italian classmates and two Italian professors this semester. I think at least a couple if not all of them are from the northeast - basically Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. What are some random things about that region that I might be able to talk to them about? Any huge sports controversies? Weirdo politicians? Pop culture icons who keep getting arrested?

Great stuff!

So...
People from Veneto are often stereotyped as swearing blasphemies a lot.
The Hellas Verona soccer team apparently has a sizable contigent of naziskins and adjacents among their organized fans (not surprisingly Verona is probably the most right-wing Italian city).
Actually there are two main teams from Verona: the other is called Chievo Verona and has been a sort of 'soccer miracle' as it started as a neighbourhood team.
Veneto's president Luca Zaia was just re-elected in a massive landslide this September and he is seen as an internal contender to Matteo Salvini.
There is a famous leftist philosopher and former mayor of Venezia (Massimo Cacciari) who is now mostly a talk show personality and is... quite a character.

[For a pop culture icon (sort of, not really) who keeps getting arrested I would direct you to Lapo Elkann, an heir of the Agnelli family, but he is not actually from the Northeast]

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

New Year 2021 bump because why not?

[Astatine]

Rank the Italian PMs that have served since 2000 from best to worst (D'Alema, Amato, Berlusconi, Prodi, Monti, Letta, Renzi, Gentiloni, Conte).

[T'Chenka]

Have You Seen "The Two Popes"? It's a 2019 Netflix true story drama film about the personal relationship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. If so, what are your thoughts on it?

[Alcibiades]

If I recall correctly, you are a maths student. What are your favourite areas of maths and do you have any idea if you want to specialise in a particular area in the future?

Also, what is maths education like in Italy at both the school and university level? What are your thoughts on how it compares to this typical English maths syllabus for 16-18 year olds (https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A%20Level/Mathematics/2017/specification-and-sample-assesment/a-level-l3-mathematics-specification-issue4.pdf) and this further maths syllabus (https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A%20Level/Mathematics/2017/specification-and-sample-assesment/a-level-l3-further-mathematics-specification.pdf), which can be taken in addition to the other syllabus for the same age range of pupils?

[Velasco]

Opinion of guys in their 50s still listening to heavy metal banda?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Rank the Italian PMs that have served since 2000 from best to worst (D'Alema, Amato, Berlusconi, Prodi, Monti, Letta, Renzi, Gentiloni, Conte).

Ugh lmao
I never think about these things but something like:

1. Prodi
2. Amato
3. D'Alema
4. Gentiloni
5. Letta
6. Renzi
7. Conte

8. Berlusconi

N/A. Monti

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

If I recall correctly, you are a maths student. What are your favourite areas of maths and do you have any idea if you want to specialise in a particular area in the future?

Also, what is maths education like in Italy at both the school and university level? What are your thoughts on how it compares to this typical English maths syllabus for 16-18 year olds (https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A%20Level/Mathematics/2017/specification-and-sample-assesment/a-level-l3-mathematics-specification-issue4.pdf) and this further maths syllabus (https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A%20Level/Mathematics/2017/specification-and-sample-assesment/a-level-l3-further-mathematics-specification.pdf), which can be taken in addition to the other syllabus for the same age range of pupils?

I am, although my university career is sh**te right now. My favourite area is probably calculus or data analysis? A specialization in statistics would not be bad.

Firstly keep in mind that in Italy there are different types of high schools with different curricula. Every type has Maths classes obviously, but for example a scientific high school has more Maths hours than a classical high school. I went to a scientific one. I kind of think that Maths education in other types is a bit lacking, but of course I'm biased. I am not sure the importance of Maths literacy 'in our world' is communicated well enough.
The comparison to England is interesting, there are certain things in your standard syllabus, like numerical methods, which I think I saw in the high school book but I was never taught, and there are things in your further syllabus, like complex numbers, that are part of the standard curriculum of every high school here.
As for the university level, this is not a good moment to answer that.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Have You Seen "The Two Popes"? It's a 2019 Netflix true story drama film about the personal relationship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. If so, what are your thoughts on it?

I saw a good chunk of it, yes. It was certainly fascinating, especially the flashbacks into Francis's life in Argentina decades ago. And of course the Sistine Chapel scene had something mystic about it.
I've actually been to the Sistine Chapel by the way, when I was thirteen. The thing I remember most distinctively is the guards loudly asking to keep quiet at regular intervals...

Opinion of guys in their 50s still listening to heavy metal banda?

Freedom! Even better, those in their 50s still playing in heavy metal bands.

[If my soul was made of stone]

Forgive me if this question is too personal (you are permitted to skip if desired), but I've been very fascinated and curious for a while.

In a thread in the Religion and Philosophy subforum, you spoke of

...the period where I sort of venerated constellations and I tried to develop some very rudimental ritualistic forms...

As a noted pagan hack myself, I am very curious about what this era entailed. Did you have any noted influences from other traditions? What prompted your desire for such a system?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

In a thread in the Religion and Philosophy subforum, you spoke of

...the period where I sort of venerated constellations and I tried to develop some very rudimental ritualistic forms...

As a noted pagan hack myself, I am very curious about what this era entailed. Did you have any noted influences from other traditions? What prompted your desire for such a system?

No, it was pretty much all by myself, although I probably was influenced by reading that Orion featured prominently in many ancient mythologies. Sometimes I went on my balcony and just contemplated Orion, and secondarily whatever other stars I can see from my urban setting. Or in other moments of the year or in other places, mostly Ursa Major. I can't easily recognize any other constellation sadly. I felt a connection to spirituality in that.
As for ritualistic forms, I never went beyond taking a bow as a closure act, because everything else that came to mind felt too influenced by Christianity, and I didn't like that.
I have always been fascinated by the night sky, and am really sad that so much light pollution exists. I once even wrote a sonnet about this (it was almost certainly during the period of the aforementioned spiritual phase, but I'm not sure how influenced it was by that).

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Should the Catholic Church go back to the old way of electing Popes, where Papal conclaves were basically great power contests with massive amounts of bribery? Personally I think it would be more fun that way; also the tradcaths wouldn't be able to complain since that's how it was done in the Middle Ages/Renaissance.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Should the Catholic Church go back to the old way of electing Popes, where Papal conclaves were basically great power contests with massive amounts of bribery? Personally I think it would be more fun that way; also the tradcaths wouldn't be able to complain since that's how it was done in the Middle Ages/Renaissance.

No, because the thought of Papal conclaves being based entirely on which cardinal is more filo-Chinese and which is more filo-American and what not is terrifying.
You only think it would be more fun because you'd have more bad things to point out about the Church.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

Should the Catholic Church go back to the old way of electing Popes, where Papal conclaves were basically great power contests with massive amounts of bribery? Personally I think it would be more fun that way; also the tradcaths wouldn't be able to complain since that's how it was done in the Middle Ages/Renaissance.

No, because the thought of Papal conclaves being based entirely on which cardinal is more filo-Chinese and which is more filo-American and what not is terrifying.
You only think it would be more fun because you'd have more bad things to point out about the Church.

No, it's because I like geopolitics and national rivalries, and doing them via papal conclaves is less destructive than the other option (war).

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Should the Catholic Church go back to the old way of electing Popes, where Papal conclaves were basically great power contests with massive amounts of bribery? Personally I think it would be more fun that way; also the tradcaths wouldn't be able to complain since that's how it was done in the Middle Ages/Renaissance.

No, because the thought of Papal conclaves being based entirely on which cardinal is more filo-Chinese and which is more filo-American and what not is terrifying.
You only think it would be more fun because you'd have more bad things to point out about the Church.

No, it's because I like geopolitics and national rivalries, and doing them via papal conclaves is less destructive than the other option (war).

Well if I could trade shenanigans at conclaves for no more wars I think I'd do it pretty happily... but we don't live in any such world.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

I asked you via PM but I might as well do it here to give your AMA a bump and find out sooner

What font did you use for your display name 𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆?

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Will there ever be a North American pope?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I asked you via PM but I might as well do it here to give your AMA a bump and find out sooner

What font did you use for your display name 𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆?

I answered you via PM but I reiterate here to give everyone public knowledge.

It's a set of Unicode characters called Mathematical Fraktur Bold, you can find them and copy and paste them if you need to on the Wikipedia page about Fraktur.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraktur

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Will there ever be a North American pope?

Of course I can't know, but I see no reason why there should never be one.

Also I should update my answer to this:

How do you feel about Rad Trads in Catholicism?

I guess bad, but they almost sound like mythological creatures?

I am struggling to answer to this because I think it kind of presumes I have more experience with Very Catholic Stuff than I actually do. Keep in mind I identified as agnostic until two months ago.

I have gotten to know some outlets by people which I suppose can be described as Rad Trads and they're an unrelenting collection of garbage.
Not that I ever meet those people in real life... well, actually I know one guy who's very much a wealthy right-wing (a bit fash) Catholic type but I don't recall ever hearing him discuss specifically religious topics.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

20th birthday bump? Feels good.

[Wikipedia delenda est]

What is your favorite medieval or early modern Italian principality (or city-state republic)?