Work and demonstrations

Today’s Italian lesson included a discussion of work.  We talked generally about the importance of work in one’s life and about which kinds of work are  most sought after and respected in the U.S. and Italy . We reviewed vocabulary related to work (e.g., disoccupazione/unemployment, tirocinante/trainee).  And I did some exercises where sentences about work required filling in blanks with the correct version of the subjunctive.  I can always use work on the subjunctive.

Was it coincidence, or did my teacher time the lesson to go with today’s “European Day of Action and Solidarity?”
I should have asked her.
 
Today, in many parts of Europe workers and students are mobilizing against governmental austerity measures.  There are general strikes in Spain and Portugal, and work stoppages in Italy, Greece, and France.  Demonstrations are also expected in Germany, Austria, and Holland.  A spokesperson for one French union said today’s set a new mark as the largest ever such Europe-wide mobilization.

Meanwhile, a government agency in Greece announced that as of the end of the third trimester the country’s GDP had fallen 7.2 percent over the last year.  As if they needed it, here's more evidence confirming the demonstrators’ argument that austerity isn’t the way to growth.