Monday morning roundup

Italy's "weak institutions and tolerance for rule bending" contribute to its brand dilution as the source of high quality textiles:

But what seems to gall some Italians most is that the Chinese are beating them at their own game — tax evasion and brilliant ways of navigating Italy’s notoriously complex bureaucracy — and have created a thriving, if largely underground, new sector while many Prato businesses have gone under.

I'm not a political strategist, but cowering doesn't seem like a good campaign strategy.

Some people have no sense of irony:

"...others reflected anger about illegal immigration — “Uncle Sam wants you to speak English,” read one — and the planned Islamic cultural center near ground zero, which many Tea Party supporters have rallied against. “Obama Creates Jobs at Ground Zero,” read one sign, over a picture of a mosque.

Speaker after speaker complained about portrayals of the Tea Party movement as extremist.

But signs in the crowd did not shy away from outright anger. “By ballot or bullet, restoration is coming,” read one, held over a yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag....

“Undocumented worker” read one, over a picture of the president. “We don’t want a Kenyan reject,” read another."