Florentine beauties get face-lift - The Florentine

www.theflorentine.netNews5Thursday 25 January 2007Florence NEWSCULINARYCURIOSITYSales of Halal meat inFlorence on the riseThe number of Muslim butchershops offering Halal meat inFlorence is signifi cantly rising,and so are their sales. Florentineshave demonstrated an increasingdemand for this particular typeof meat, prepared according toa religious tradition similar to theone used in making Jewish Koshermeats. In fact, Halal meat can bederived only from certain animals,like lamb and chicken, and mustbe blessed and bled according tovery specifi c parameters set forthin the Koran.Imam in Florence, Izzedin Elzir,has stated that Halal meat ‘is amarket in great expansion dueto the large immigrant presencein Florence, but also because ofthe increasing culinary curiosity ofItalians’. Muslim butchers, Marouqand Mustafa, who own the Halalbutcher shop in the Mercato Centrale,confi rm this view, revealingthat the sales of Halal meat haveincreased about 100 percent inthe last fi ve years. Marouq furtherstates that Italians appreciatethe longevity of the meat, whichis due to the lack of blood. Overeight butcher shops that sell Halalmeat operate in Florence, and aproject is currently underway todistribute a line of Halal productsin local supermarkets and discountstores.VISIT OUR BLOGhttp://theflorentine.blog.dada.net/Art aidMajor capital boosts creativityLocal artisansapplaud thenew 150 millioneuro financingproject which mayjust be the region’smuch awaited catalystfor creativity.Such an ambitiousfinancial initiativecomes to the rescueafter a long lagperiod affectingthe Tuscan economy,especiallyartisans all over the region. Thisnew financial plan, called ‘BondToscana’ and sponsored by the UnicreditBank and Artigiancredito, ismeant to spur increased investmentin small business and aims to helpsmall companies improve productivity,employee training, re-structuringand re-balancing. Regional directorof the Unicredit Bank, SebastianoMussi, stresses that this financingPenny-wiseTough times forprestigious universityOne of Italy’s oldest andmost prestigious academicinstitutions, the Universityof Florence is being forced totighten its belt a notch. Due to direeconomic troubles, the Universityof Florence has been selling off lotsof property at record-low prices,policy typified by the recent saleof Villa Montalve to the TuscanRegion. The university has evencancelled its 2007 inauguration ceremonyoriginally scheduled to startoff the new academic year, due tolack of sufficient funding.project is ‘the mostimportant one inall of Italy’.Official reportsconfirm that one ofthe greatest problemsfacing Tuscansmall business hasbeen a stark lackof investment capital.This new plantackles a historiclack of investmentcapital by applyinginterest rates from0.5 to 1.25 percent, according to thesize, needs and merits of each smallbusiness. Starting March 2008,artisans and other small businesseswill be able to receive a minimumof 15,000 euros and a maximumof 1 million euros in guaranteedfinancing, which must be repaidover a period of five years. Thoseinterested have until October 31 toapply.But there is good news, too.Despite the economic woes thathave been threatening Florentineacademia over the past few months,the University of Florence has stillcome out on top as one of Italy’smost important academic researchcentres. In a recent ministerialreport on academic research fundingby the national government,the University of Florence wasdeemed the third most importantacademic institution in all of Italy,just behind the much larger Universityof Rome ‘La Sapienza’ andthe University of Milan. In fact, theUniversity of Florence activated 48research projects in 2006, receivingalmost 5 million euros in statefinancing. And the results have inso far been great, especially in lightof the recent discovery by Florentinescientists of a gene responsiblefor Alzheimer’s disease.dr. NICOLA PAOLESCHID E N T A L C A R EPe r i o d o n t i c s , E s t h e t i c D e n t i s t r y,O r a l I m p l a n t s , O r t h o d o n t i c s ,P e d i a t r i c D e n t i s t r y , H y g i e n e ,W h i t e n i n g .FLORENCE viale Gramsci 12 055 241208 - 2480082EMERGENCY 24 h / 365 d 335 8366567www.studipaoleschi.itCYCLISTSPSYCHEDNew bike tunnelconstructed onStrozzi-Belfi ore underpassFlorentine cyclists are overjoyedabout the new bicycletunnel inaugurated last weekalong the treacherous Strozzi-Belfi ore underpass. Locatedon the right side of the underpass,the new 78-metre tunnelis constructed of aluminum,with a plexiglass dividing wallwhich separates cyclists fromthe danger of passing cars. Theplexiglass will ensure visibility, aswill 24-hour a day illumination.Cyclists have happily embracedthe idea, because they can nowride with ease and without threatof being sideswiped or seriouslyinjured alongside racing cars.The tunnel, 2.10 metres wideand 2.9 metres high, will guardagainst noise and car exhaustpollution, problems which significantly affect cyclists in thecity. The tunnel cost 140 millioneuros and was fi nanced by EUfunds as a result of Florencewinning the ‘Urbike’ Europeancompetition. City offi cials havereported that at least six morebike tunnels will be constructedin 2007.