Sconty empire

Packed Lunches Not a Right in Italian Schools, Court Rules Some parents in Turin argue school lunches are unhealthy and expensive Parents have reacted angrily to a decision by Italy's top court which states that the right to eat packed lunches in schools is not "unconditional." Italy's Supreme Court said schools should have the autonomy to decide if children are allowed to eat packed lunches on school grounds. A lower court previously ruled in favour of a group of Turin parents who wanted to opt out of school meals. Parents say school meals are costly. They also argue that food provided by schools can be unhealthy. The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that bringing a packed lunch was "a possible violation of the principles of equality and non-discrimination based on economic circumstances". The judges said schools were places where individual differences should be taken into account "alongside the interests of the school community&qu

 International Original Films Director Funa Maduka to Leave She had been at the streaming giant for six years and helped it acquire both Oscar and Golden Globe nominees.   Funa Maduka Funa Maduka, director of international original films at Netflix, will leave the streaming giant after six years.  Netflix confirmed the departure to  The Hollywood Reporter . It is believed Maduka will leave the SVOD giant on Friday, although it is not known where she is heading next.  Maduka was responsible for much of Netflix's growing international slate of prestige, awards-worthy features, including the acquisitions of Oscar nominee  On Body and Soul , Golden Globe nominee  Divines , Cannes winner and Spirit Awards nominee  Happy as Lazzaro , Sundance winner  The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind  and BAFTA Scotland nominee  Calibre  and also oversaw the French production  I Am Not an Easy Man. She recently was announced as part of a new London-based international film team at Netfl

Drunk Indian Man Bitten by Snake Retaliates by Biting Back, Killing It A drunk man in  India  exacted his revenge on a snake that bit him by biting it back and chewing it into pieces. The man, Raj Kumar was relaxing at home with a drink Sunday when a  snake  slithered into his house in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and bit him, said his father, according to Reuters. The man's father said that his son was drunk when he bit the reptile. TIRED TIGER TAKES CAT NAP INSIDE FAMILY'S LIVING ROOM WHILE FLEEING FATAL FLOODS IN INDIA “A snake bit him. So, in turn, he bit it and chewed it into pieces,” said the father, Babu Ram. Kumar was hospitalized in serious condition. “This is definitely weird,” said Raj Kumar’s doctor, N.P. Singh, according to Reuters. VENOMOUS ARKANSAS SNAKE DEVOURS BUG IN JAW-DROPPING PHOTOS “I’ve seen people coming in with snakebites, but never somebody who bit a snake and then brought it with him in a bag.” Kumar was bitten b

Personal Air Conditioner Unveiled by Sony Could Offer Sweet Relief During Future Heatwaves Personal air conditioner unveiled by Sony could offer sweet relief during future heatwaves by blasting cold air down the back of your shirt  Sony is crowdfunding a wearable called the Reon Pocket for heatwaves The device is an air conditioning unit that blasts cold air down your neck It sits in a special undershirt with a pocket at the base of your neck   This week, the UK has been experiencing its hottest temperatures on record Sony is crowdfunding a portable wearable air conditioner about the size of a bank card which blasts cool air down the back of your shirt. The Reon Pocket is a bluetooth device that uses thermoelectric cooling for the hot summer months or heating, for use during the winter. This week, the UK has been experiencing its hottest temperatures on record, with parts of the south reaching a staggering 39°C.   It slips into a special undershirt with a pocket at

Verizon Loses 52,000 Pay TV Subscribers in Second Quarter The telecom giant, led by CEO Hans Vestberg, reports its latest financials.   Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg Telecom giant Verizon on Thursday reported that it lost 52,000 net pay TV subscribers for its Fios video service in the second quarter, compared with a loss of 37,000 in the year-ago period and a loss of 53,000 in the first quarter. Fios competes with cable and satellite TV services. The subscriber losses were "reflecting the ongoing shift from traditional linear video to over-the-top offerings," Verizon said. The company's broadband service added 28,000 subscribers in the second quarter, compared with 43,000 in the year-ago period. After its acquisitions of AOL and Yahoo, Verizon created a new division, Oath, which was then expanded further to become Verizon Media Group and encompass all of its media and advertising businesses. For the second quarter, Verizon Media, led by Guru Gowrappan, said

Beyonce's Daughter Blue Ivy Carter Charts on Billboard Hot 100 Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy Carter charts on Billboard Hot 100 She got it from her mama, Queen Bey. E! News reported  that Beyonce and Jay-Z's oldest child, daughter Blue Ivy, has cracked the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time with  "Brown Skin Girl."  She's featured on the song with her mother, rapper Saint Jhn and singer Wizkid. The song is  at the No. 76 spot, Billboard reported . The song comes from Beyonce's "The Lion King: The Gift" album, which was released July 19. It  debuted at the No. 2 spot  on the Billboard 200 chart. This isn't the first time Blue has appeared on a Billboard chart. Two days after she was born, her cries appeared on Jay-Z's song "Glory," on which she was officially credited at B.I.C. The single  debuted at number 74 on the Billboard  Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart  on Jan. 21, 2012. At just 3 days old, the fea

Bruce Lee’s Training Partner Slams ‘Once Upon a Time’ Portrayal of Late Icon   Bruce Lee in 1973’s “Enter the Dragon.” Bruce Lee was many things during his tragically short life: a master martial artist, an actor, director, philosopher and even a poet. But according to his former training partner, Dan Inosanto, he was not arrogant and ungracious the way he is depicted in “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.” In Quentin Taranto’s  acclaimed new film , Lee (played by Mike Moh) claims, while on the set of “The Green Hornet,” he could easily defeat boxer  Muhammad Ali  in a fight and talks down the former heavyweight champ. In an  interview with Variety , Inosanto claims that wouldn’t have happened. “Bruce Lee would have never said anything derogatory about Muhammad Ali because he worshiped the ground Muhammad Ali walked on. In fact, he was into boxing more so than martial arts,” Inosanto said, adding to a growing chorus of criticism about Lee’s portrayal in the movie

Trump Was Just Caught in Another Bogus Smear About Baltimore   CBS News screenshot In yet another racist effort to fire up his base, President Donald Trump recently turned his venom on Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight Committee, and the predominantly African-American population of Baltimore. Trump denounced Baltimore as a “rat-infested” mess with a “corrupt government” that has stolen “billions” of dollars from U.S. taxpayers. But in a  report for the Baltimore Sun , journalists Doug Donovan and Luke Broadwater explain that Trump’s claims are nonsense because Baltimore “doesn’t get anywhere near a single billion dollars” in U.S. support. Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump Baltimore’s numbers are the worst in the United States on Crime and the Economy. Billions of dollars have been pumped in over the years, but to no avail. The money was stolen or wasted. Ask Elijah Cummings where it went. He should investigate himself with his

Lena Dunham Awkwardly Kisses Brad Pitt and Not Everyone Is Happy About It Girls star Lena Dunham took her flirting with Brad Pitt to a new level on the red carpet but it upset a number of people Lena Dunham has been pictured planting an awkward kiss on Brad Pitt, as they attended the London of  Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. The 33-year-old actress, who is the creator of Girls, is playing a Charles Manson follower in Quentin Tarantino's ninth movie and joked she got 'flirty' with Brad while on set. And Lena continued to show her affection for the Hollywood superstar as they hit the red carpet on at Leicester Square. As the A-list lined up for the paps, Lena had co-stars Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio and director Tarantino between her and Brad.   (Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) She then made light work of making her way to the side of Brad after the pics were taken and went to plant a smacker on his lips. Instead of getting Brad full o

The New Trailer for '1917' Shows World War Is Like You've Never Seen Before Watch it here.  It looks like World War I is finally getting the major motion picture treatment it deserves, and it's about damn time. The new trailer for 1917  just dropped , and it's two minutes of chaos, fear, and confusion as we follow soldiers on the Western Front through trenches, underground tunnels, and across barren stretches of no-man's land — which is exactly what you expect from a drama about the first world war. Directed by Sam Mendes (Jarhead, Skyfall, Spectre, Road to Perdition), the film takes place, not surprisingly, in 1917, and follows a pair of British soldiers played by  George MacKay  and  Dean-Charles Chapman , who are ordered to make their way through contested territory to deliver a message that could save 1,600 of their fellow soldiers from a deadly trap. Should they fail, "it will be a massacre,"  Collin Firth  in the role of a beleag

2020 Democrat Candidates Rip Former President Barack Obama’s Record   Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images Democrats  challenged  former Vice President Joe Biden during CNN’s Democrat presidential debate on Wednesday, but in the process, they criticized former President Obama. Democrats like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized Democrats for continuing to support the concept of private insurance. “There’s this mythology that somehow all of these folks are in love with their insurance in America,” he said. Obama’s former secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julian Castro criticized Obama’s former Department of Homeland Secretary, saying that his concern about decriminalizing crossing the border illegally was merely a “right-wing talking point.” He also criticized the Obama administration for high rates of deportation of illegal immigrants, challenging Joe Biden for failing to intervene. De Blasio also pressed Biden on why he

Christianity Crackdown: Grave-Robbers Steal Crucifix and Body of Priest - Ransom Demanded Sick thieves in Sharouna, a village south of Cairo, targeted the tomb of a priest that had died 13 years ago. They made off with his corpse and a crucifix, religion watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The robbers are currently holding the body of the priest to ransom. Sick thieves in Sharouna, a village south of Cairo, targeted the tomb of a priest that had died 13 years ago. They made off with his corpse and a crucifix, religion watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The robbers are currently holding the body of the priest to ransom. The exact figure is not known. ICC reports: “The deceased has two sons, both of whom are also priests. The graver robbers repeatedly called and attempted to intimidate them through blackmail to pay a ransom.” The sons chose not to comply and instead called the police and reported the kidnap of their father’s body t

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' Is Going to Be a TV Show! But will it still take place over the titular timeline? One of the most highly referenced romantic comedies of the early 2000s is getting a TV show reboot.  Per E! News , a modern revival of  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days , which Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey famously led in 2003, is in development at the upcoming mobile-based streaming platform,  Quibi . Not much is known about the forthcoming project, but it will be written by Guy Branum. He's previously written on shows like The Mindy Project and Awkward. Branum tweeted about the news  on Thursday, assuring fans that he would be faithful to the guilty pleasure–worthy source material. "We were all certain you could not make a good romantic comedy anymore because print media is dead and RomCom ladies have to work at magazines, but against the tides of history, Quibi & Paramount have agreed to let me re-write "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days&

An Italian Family Restaurant in Queens, New York, the Bridge-And-Tunnel Crowd Should Put on GPS   Summer tomatoes at their ripest are part of Senso Unico’s salad appetizer. Having run low on Cambodian snack bars, taco food trucks and vegetarian burger stands in Brooklyn to cover, the New York food media have turned their sights on Queens in search of the same kind of low-rent, small-menu eating places—all of which well deserve coverage—while largely ignoring more traditional, less trendy restaurants. Hard to remember when the media have covered any Italian restaurants above the level of a pizzeria. Here’s one thus far ignored that deserves kudos galore. As an admirable labor of love, Senso Unico—which means “one way” in Italian with the additional meaning of doing things one way, the right way—is a corner osteria that exudes good feelings and hospitality from the moment you meet owner Laura Garofalo at the doorway. She’s the wife of Chef Vincenzo Garofalo, whose long résumé