is that it's really a haven for terrorists. especially milan, for some reason.

Italy Arrests Suspected Madrid Bombing 'Mastermind'
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So far, 20 people have been accused of involvement in the Madrid bombings. Fourteen of them are under arrest, while at least 20 others have been arrested and cleared.

Another Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, said three or four men had been arrested in raids in three northern Italian towns including Milan and they had planned an attack in Italy.

Italy has long been seen as a target for militant Islamic groups after its support for the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq and it has stepped up security since the Madrid bombs.

Italian police have made several arrests, mainly in the north, since September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

when i was there last year, a lot of teachers at the school would joke about via ripamonti (the main highway connecting our suburb to the city center) being a muslim terrorist alley. i always thought they were just being kind of racist, but there was probably some truth to it.

i still have a lot of friends at asm, and all the lovely kids i taught last year, and i hope the school will suck it up and step up security, because since they're the only american school in milan and all, i wouldn't be surprised if they had been considered as a target. dismissal time, at 3:30pm, is actually a terrorist's dream; it's incredibly disorganized, with rich milanese parents running around and teachers sheparding out the kids (some of whom are offspring of politicians). i'm probably just being paranoid (something i do well), but i hope they keep safe.