by Margherita Brodbeck Roth
After a long and for most of us relaxing summer break we have resumed our regular sessions on Ferragosto. The day goes back to the “feriae Augusti”, celebrated across the Roman empire to remember the victory of the first roman emperor Augustos over Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra. With Chrisitanity it became the day when Catholics celebrate Assumption day and in today’s Italy it is when the large companies and government office go on holiday – and all stands still..
We are different, to us it has been the day of return, to enjoy each other’s company, to welcome guests and to enjoy two fantastic speeches and a very original table topic setting. Our grammarian kicked us into dhspr when sharing the word of the day, – haughty (arrogantly superior or disdainful) with its remote origin in the Latin “altus” or high. An high we went and grabbed for the stars.
After a first speech asking for more, Lesley Stephenson stood up to the challenge of holding an impromptu stalk on a meaningful but also controversial topic. In “What we can do to revert global warming” we learned so much stretching from the slightly amusing – stop drinking alcohol because we happen to generate heat in the course of it –, to the more serious aspects of the matter. She truly not only enlightened but also entertained us. Moreover, she graciously shared some valuable suggestions on how to succeed at public speaking.
Continue reading “Let’s toast to a welcome back from our summer break”
