The Forever
Self Promoting Donald Trump who leaves an impressive and continuing list
of Bankruptcies in his wake over the last 40 years, has only a Bachelor's
degree, and certainly Not a Law degree, and no particular knowledge of
Italian Law, that is a "meld" of "adversarial" law and "non adversarial"
law, whose objective is to achieve Justice, rather than produce winners
and losers as in the US.
Hoffman reads
aloud the poem "L'Infinito" ("The Infinite") by 19th century Marche writer
Giacomo Leopardi, and recognizing his faulty Italian, the leather-jacketed
72-year-old actor repeatedly shakes his head in frustration, at one point
exclaiming, "Nowhere in English!"
Americans accustomed
to cardboard and synthetic food, find it difficult to comprehend Italian
fascination with not only the Joy of Food, But the "Sharing" and "Camaraderie"
of gatherings of Family and Friends.
Pressure from
Italian American Groups have caused 3 Advertisers to Pull their Ads. Now
New Jersey Italian American Legislators have called for a Probe of the
shows possible Labor Violations.
His love life
had him seeing model/actress Jamie King, then married toSpin City stunning
Italian American actress Jennifer Esposito, divorcing a year later. Since
then, he was successively linked to Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston. (Italian
-Scots mother) and recently Renee Zellweger
Cable Network
Execs demurred in answering "Why are so many sociopaths on your shows?"
"I don't think they would cast people if they were mentally healthy
says Sociology professor Karen Sternheimer.
Bob Dylan, Irving Berlin, are among
those that Writer Nate Bloom has run down the roster of classic Christmas
songs written or co-written by Jews for the Judaic website Interfaithfamily.com
and beyond "White Christmas," the list includes "Winter Wonderland," "The
Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," "Sleigh Ride," "Let
It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and
"I'll Be Home for Christmas," among dozens of others. Books have been written
on the topic as well.
The €80bn,
equal to about 5 per cent of Italy's gross domestic product, sets a record
for an overseas tax amnesty for Italians. It also confirms Italy as the
European league leader in successful tax amnesties, thanks to the generous
terms and anonymity offered.
Doug Sarti of
Vancouver Free Press opines: The housemates depicted on Jersey Shore,
have no redeeming qualities. Their actions and attitudes are offensive.
Their behaviour displays all seven of the Deadly Sins, quite often simultaneously.
Dell Computers
asked MTV to block its ad from airing during "Jersey Shore" because they
don't "condone or support ethnic bashing in any form," Dell
is now the third sponsor to pull their ads from the TV show. "Jersey Shore"
has drawn fire from Italian-American groups
Alyssa
Milano's video is a spoof of the Dove "Evolution" ad , part of the skin-care
company's "Campaign For Real Beauty" from three years ago. In a 1-minute
video produced by Funny or Die titled "Evolution," the actress is transformed
from a plain-looking woman into a orange-tinted, tanned, big-hair, outrageous
character, similar to one of the main characters in the show.
While some would
say Celentano was Satirizing, Mocking, or Mimicking American Rock, others
will insist that he was engaging in a meticulous rendition of "Empty" English,
as others have done "empty" versions of all languages.
Really, these
"Jersey Shore" characters aren't so much Italian-American as they are Hollywood-American,
shaped by a decade in which "How much will you pay me to eat this worm
on camera"? is a job description.
Below are some
of the fave lines from Snooki being interviewd on SNL, and the website
where you can see the hilarious Video Clip.
Snooki comes close to being as funny
as Sarah Palin. There are a number of similarities. :)
"Snooki"
built like a Fire Hydrant, (although even "dogs" avoid her) and an equal
IQ, with a mouth like a toilet, that got her "clocked" when she called
some guy (a teacher/ hobby cage fighter) a number of expletives, and told
him to get the f*** out of the bar.
In the 42 Comments
following the reporting of "Snooki" losing her receptionist job (No, you
thought she was a brain surgeon?)
41 were Very Negative. See below.
Most agreed that she was "Fugly" (Fat and Ugly) and a Skank
Rosario Iaconis,
asks his College students why they denounced Don Imus' referring to the
Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy headed hos", and Jesse Jackson's
"homietown" reference, yet many of the selfsame students could not understand
why Italian-Americans are affronted by the airing of "Jersey Shore"
Guidos.
"Jersey
Shore" follows a gaggle of barely literate bridge-and-tunnel steakheads
and slatterns as they spend their summer at "the greatest meat market in
the world."
Professor Gina
Barreca, at UConn who edited a collection of essays called Watching Italian
American Culture on T.V. Barreca calls the Guido subculture a "crisis of
masculinity" and "a celebration of ignorance." ...
Domino's
and American Family Insurance bailed out of "Jersey Shore".
Both companies abandoned ship after an Italian American group blasted the
show for being "offensive.
A Bitter reaction
was provoked in Italy, after Senator Maria Cantwell (from Knox's home State
of Washington) stated: "I have serious questions about the Italian justice
system and whether anti-Americanism tainted this trial" and complained
to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was asked to Intervene with
the Italian Government. because she charged that Italy's judicial system
is "flawed."
Arriving in
Perugia, she also liked what she saw, e-mailing another friend that the
party scene was "great" and beginning a series of one-night stands with
Italian men. She also reputedly boasted to one friend in Seattle that she
"could have any man she wanted" - and set about proving it.
In another list
in the diary, Knox names four men in Seattle and New York, and three in
Florence and Perugia with whom she has had sex. "It’s as if [Knox] was
always hunting men. listing conquests as if displaying them like trophies."
"Foxy
Knoxy" Supporters from her home State of Washington, root for Amanda Knox,
like they do the Mariners or the Sea Hawks, and completely ignore the evidence,
and surrender to their bias, and in an effort to support her, Denigrate
the Italian Judicial System.
Amanda
"Foxy" Knox , of Seattle
Washington was found guilty of the 2007 Murder and Sexual Assault
on her British roommate. Meredith Kercher from Britain,
after 11 hours of deliberations, by the eight members of the jury,
including two judges. Early reports indicate that while the Prosecution
was seeking Life Imprisonment; the Sentence is 26 years for Knox, and 25
years for her short term Italian boyfriend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito.
They are both subject to other charges, and their conviction will be Appealed.
Petruzziello
learned to wiggle the robotic fingers independently, clench a fist, grab
objects and make other movements. Rossini, joked: "Some of the other
gestures cannot be disclosed because they were quite vulgar."
Like being a
Prostitute is a Lifestyle, and Whore is Not a Slur". Or like I read in
the LA Times today that the Los Angeles Israeli Organized Crime that
started to become powerful in the mid 1990's, with the introduction of
Ecstasy, reported that the "Knee Capping" (shooting in the knee) of two
Israelis by one Israeli in a LA SYNAGOGUE (Ruled NOT to be a Hate
Crime :), is this LA Israeli Kosher Nostra a mere Lifestyle, and
Not a Slur???
At Notre Dame,
Italian quarterbacks and Notre Dame national championships go hand-in-hand.
So when you're mentioning Carideo, Bertelli, Guglielmi, Lamonica,Tripucka
and Montana, don't overlook the Italian-American quarterbacks who directed
Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973
In a coincidental
follow up to my Report of November 26th " Coal Mine Disasters Remind Of
Early Italian Immigrant Hardships & Mans Inhumanity to Man" You
will want to view this Program as it is Aired OR Online, at the URL below.
Italian law
allows plaintiffs to attach requests for Civil damages to Criminal Proceedings,
which was done in this case in August. I am unable to determine Whether
the Level of Burden of Proof is the same in Both Proceedings.
Italian Immigrants,
especially from 1840, with no English speaking skills, (unlike the Irish),
and no trade skills, were disproportionately represented at the lowest
level, back breaking, and dangerous jobs, such as coal mining, and railroad
builder, and suffered the most, with many as indentured servants (fancy
name for slavery) as Field workers in the Carolinas, with Armed Negroes
as their Overseers.
Wop, Dago, Guinea and Guido are all
Italian Ethnic Slurs. No Better than Nigger, Spics, Chinks, Slant Eyes,
or Kikes. Sure there are Guidos, like there are Blacks who revel in being
"Niggas", Latinos who revel in being a "Homies", or "GangBanger", or Jews
who take pride in being "Scammers", but you don't "celebrate" them, or
show them as "typical", OR STEREOTYPES, It's "PROFILING" and Defamatory!!!!
Contrary to
the US, where the Models are Wafer thin, But Real Women (and Men) look
like they are Related to the Pillsbury Doughboy,
In Italy, In CUISINE, as in all things,
they believe in MODERATION.
No country can
match Italy for the sheer variety of digestive preparations available,
The Italians view a smoothly running digestive system as crucial to one?s
health and happiness, and therefore offer dozens of countermeasures for
keeping distress in check.
Italians have
been adding chocolate to pasta, risotto, polenta and meat dishes since
the 1500s when cacao beans first arrived from the New World. They immediately
began experimenting with chocolate, adding it to many savory dishes."Chocolate,
the 'food of the gods,' conquered not just the candy shop, but also the
kitchen"
The first
arrivals, flocking
to the state from the mid-19th century until shortly before World War II,
were driven by poverty and struggle. Members of the second group,
from the period just before the war until 1970, were largely middle-class
Italians who wanted to join their relatives or escape postwar ruins. The
third group - entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals and academics
- was drawn by opportunities not available in Italy.
Italy's Azzurra
won, captained by Francesco Bruni. Emirates New Zealand finished
second, and the Russian Synergy team third, with UK Team Origin closed
fourth. British/French All4One, US BMW Oracle, and two others were
also rans
The eight teams will meet again in
March 2010 when the second Louis VuittonTrophy regatta takes place in Auckland,
New Zealand
The "Twilight"
Phenomenon continues with sequel "New Moon", that sold an astounding
$140 Million on it's first 3 day weekend. Stephenie Meyer's best-selling
novels are about Vampires, Werewolves, Desperate Longing, and Romance.
80% of viewers are women, half being teenagers, and half being "mature"
(?).
Samples
taken in 1945 on authorization from the coroner's office, were offered
by a macabre/mercenary collector near Geneva.
The Ad violated Italian law and an
eBay policy against selling human body parts,
Two years after
Amanda Knox of Seattle, is alleged to murder her roommate, Britisher
Meredith Kercher, the case goes go to the Jury of six laypeople and two
professional judges
Why hadn't someone
told me earlier that Lady Gaga is Italian American. While VERY Edgy, and
Flashy, she showed her talent in song writing, performing, and fashion
at a very early age, and then later developed an interest in Philosophy
and Civil Rights. Her admission of BiSexuality has made her even more controversial.
Italy, with
it's Cornucopia, it's Bonanza of Historical , Cultural, and Esthetic Marvels,
does not seem to need a "Manufactured" Attraction in the form of an Amusement
Park, but if that's what it's going to attract "low brow" foreign tourists,
I guess we have to capitulate. Damn Shame.
Although the
San Remo Festival will permit Non Italian Citizens to compete, the entrants
must
STILL perform the song in ITALIAN, BUT in an interesting development
will for the FIRST time, the Festival will allow Regional Dialect
Italian songs to be performed.
Joseph Rago,
Chicago area attorney unsuccessfully tried to stop the Scurrilous and Defamatory
"Fuggedaboudit:
A Little Mobster Comedy" , a play that was staged by the Batavia Middle
School "Bada Bing Players", that was written by the Jewish drama
and communications teacher, Matthew Myers, and supported by the
Jewish Batavia District Superintendent Jack Barshinger.
The Eyes of the world are on the
remarkable experience of Italy, which in less than a decade has become
the surprising world leader in the development of a smarter electrical
grid. Some 85% of Italian homes are now outfitted with smart meters. Enel
engaged in "whirlwind" Installation that saved the utility and the customer
monry. Customers can now time certain activities such as washing machine
use to lower rate periods.
The Arrogance
or Incompetence of the US CIA agents was Astounding in their Illegal and
Undemocratic Rendition, also in violation of Italy's Sovereignty. None
of the Agents will be surrendered by the US, But all the agents are in
Peril if they travel to any EURO country, or ANY country that has an extradition
treaty with Italy.
"Little
Italy" Merchants have adopted Washington Elementary school, (that
was built in 1915, and one of the oldest elementary schools in the city,
and at one time served largely Italian-American children who lived in the
area), and have encouraged adding to the curriculum, Italian dance,
language, art and history instruction.
Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino won a fifth term Tuesday after a campaign against his toughest
challenger in 16 years, City Councilor at Large Michael Flaherty. Menino
has served longer than any Boston mayor. Could this be the end of Irish
Dominance in Boston/Massachussets Politics or merely an anomaly?
MI9 ordered
British PoWs in Italy to remain in their camps after Italy surrendered.
The order, issued in June 1943 as Montgomery was planning the invasion
of the Italian mainland, was transmitted in code on a BBC religious broadcast.
In some camps, British officers posted their own guards to prevent the
men from leaving, even after the Italians had laid down their weapons.
Carlo Tresca,
it is argued belongs in the pantheon of the country's venerable American
revolutionaries. While Consistently Fiercely Anarchist, Anti-Capitalist,
Anti-Clericalism,and Anti-Fascist, Sometimes Socialist, his attitudes regarding
Communism zig zagged between fiercely Anti- Communist and Pro Communist.
Falcone was
instrumental in some of the most important prosecutions against the Mafia
in the 1980s and early 1990s, and was driving with his wife in Palermo,
Italy in 1992 when a bomb was triggered a bomb that killed them both
along with three bodyguards.
Critics want
Italy to ALSO collect Penalties, Interest and Fines. Philosophically that's
true, but the TIME, consumed in creating Legislation, to determine the
%s of each, and how much that would reduce Collections is also a consideration.
Switzerland,
historically being by far the Largest, and the most Infamous of Tax Evasion
Havens, and therefore assisting in CRIMINAL activity is COMPLAINING
because Italy is showing such attention to its closest neighbor, and most
popular haven, and "monitoring" the border more closely !!!
Gr.
Uff. Joseph Maselli founded the American-Italian Renaissance Foundation,
oversaw an American-Italian Sports Hall of Fame and participated in the
civic life of New Orleans as well, as a member of the New Orleans Aviation
Board, the French Market Board, the state Board of Ethics and the Metropolitan
Crime Commission. Maselli wasTrustee Emeritus of the Italian American Museum
of New York of which he took particular pride in.
VOLUNTARILY,
Italian Banks took the SENSIBLE and COMPASSIONATE choice to allow mortgage
holders who are in serious economic difficulty to suspend payments for
up to one year, for those who have simply lost their jobs, who are on temporary
lay-off plans, who were self-employed but have fallen out of business,
and who have lost family members whose income supported the entire family.
The Spaghetti
Bolognese Bowles describes sounds absolutely atrocious, and is even worse
than canned Chef Boyardee Spaghetti or canned Spaghetti O's, (I hear) certainly
Not the "ambrosia" my grandmother served and taught my mother.
As
an epic tale of derring-do and heroic defiance by Milanese rebels, the
film's plot was seen by the Northern League ""which dreams of establishing
a breakaway country in the north called Padania ", was produced as a "patriotic"
film for Italians living north of Florence, and as a political party broadcast,
has turned out a box-office disaster.
There
appears to be No Mention of Addressing the Continued Media Smear of Italian
Americans, the Assault on Columbus Day, The High Drop Out Rate of Italian
American High School and College Students, Developing an "Italians Help
Italians" modeled after the Jewish Community, and Greater Emphasis on Educating
Italian Americans to their Italian and Italian American Culture, and I
don't mean merely Language and Cuisine.
In
a bit of "politically correct" lunacy, a headline in the Columbus Dispatch
about the Columbus Day festival in the city of Columbus, Ohio. It reads,
"Italian Festival honors controversial explorer with its own Columbus Day
parade". Once the great discover of America, Columbus is now called "controversial"
by a newspaper named after him, in a city named after him.
Everyone knows
Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Tommy Lasorda, and Yogi Berra, but how many
remember the other two fabulous DiMaggio brothers or Sam Mele, Manager
of the Year in 1965? The backs of the cards are a treasure trove of Italian
American baseball lore.
This "expose"
has long been known, and I'm trying to determine whether the objective
is to "paint" Mussolini in a better light by being aligned with the good
guy Brits, or "painting" Benito as a "lackey" of the Brits, or accepting
part of the "blame" for what came after.
Sabaudia, about
50 miles southeast of Rome, was one of five towns, like nearby Latina,
Pomezia, Pontinia and Aprilia, was created virtually from scratch in the
1930s
Every year this
decade, The Italian Americans in Denver have valiantly survived physical
confrontations from protesters, during it's Columbus Day Parade, and had
wisely not reacted, but were disappointed that in all cases, violators
that were arrested, were later acquitted or had their cases dismissed.
Nicolas Wey-Gomez;
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Brown University, says that Columbus
represents the paradigm of the "great explorer, the great navigator", a
person who challenged the scientific notions of the time and created a
bridge between European and American cultures.
While Martino
is a well known Legend in the US, few knew he was the UK's first chart-topper,
Martino's song, "Here In My Heart", claimed the number one position when
the New Musical Express introduced its chart in November 1952, and it remained
there for nine weeks, a run that has rarely been beaten.
Mussolini's
ambitious building results, were derided as "monsters" after WWII by those
who were anti- Mussolini. Those same structures are now being reconsidered
by art historians as "standout example of Italian modernist architecture,
and go virtually unnoticed by all but the well informed.
Mike Scioscia
of the LA Angels, (2000- 2009), Joe Torre of the LA Dodgers, (2008-09),Tony
Francona of the Boston Red Sox, (2004- 2009), Tony La Russa Jr of St. Louis
Cardinals,(1996- 2009), Joe Girardi of New York Yankees (2008-2009).
Diana Taurasi
was named the WBNA and Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) and led the Phoenix
Mercury to their second WBNA Championship in three years on Friday Night
in Phoenix in the deciding 5th game.
For those who
are unlucky enough not to have in their family a copy of "Four Centuries
of Italian American History" by Giovanni Schiavo the Dean of Italian American
Historians, or any of his other explorations of different facets of the
Italian American Experience, this book might be helpful.
We Americans
have this "Superiority Complex" that stems from our Brief Superpower status.
We are 19th in "Health Care" in the world, behind Portugal, and our "Cuisine"
is based on McDonald's and KFC.
Italy's Constitutional
Court has stripped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from prosecution while
in office. The Ruling can Not be Overturned.
This paves the way for two corruption
trials to resume. In one case, he is accused of paying a British lawyer
to give false testimony during two trials in the 1990s.
Indulge me please.
I am from Cleveland, which is slightly above Detroit in Culture, and for
Vicenza to agree to be a "sister-city" to Cleveland is like Princess Diane
or Jacqueline Kennedy agreeing to adopt an "urchin" as a sister. :) :)
Actually, it
is Indirectly. Bush constantly trumpeted that besides being the "Great
Decider" (Gee, that didn't work out too well, with Iraq, Afghan/Pakistan,
and Iran), Bush was also the "Great DeRegulator" which means let "Capitalism"
run Rampant. (You know, the Mortgage, Banking, Auto, and Economic Crisis)
In some areas 10 inches of rain fell
in a few hours. According to the Italian civil and environmental protection
agency, 70 percent of Italian communities are threatened by water damage,
enhanced by abuses, deforestation and unplanned building. In other words;
Lack of meaningful Regulation.
Italians have
long been regarded as a model of Mediterranean restraint when it comes
to alcohol consumption. The Young "uncivilized" Americans and Brits are
having a serious negative Effect.
Gaining an Italian
Citizenship , while maintaining your US Citizenship (Dual Citizenship)
may be possible for those of Italian Ancestry. The Rules are rather complex,
and the Patience and Persistence needed are formidable, but the satisfaction
can be monumental. You should contact your local Italian Consul General
or Vice Consul for the guidelines.
"Coffee
is a pleasurable drug, but a drug nevertheless, and should be downed in
one standing. Would thou sit down at a pavement table to take thy daily
Viagra?"
"Baaria,"
the most expensive Italian film ever made, has already had a banner year,
as the first Italian film in a generation to open the Venice Film Festival,
where it won the Pasinetti prize.
The film tells the story of three
generations in Tornatore's hometown of Bagheria in Sicily (the town's name
is pronounced "Baaria" in the local dialect).
In pondering
the possibility of life elsewhere in the cosmos, Dr. Porco echoes yet another
august figure in her ancestral patrimony, Marcus Aurelius: "The entire
Earth is but a point, and the place of our own habitation but a minute
corner of it."
The classic
struggles between an immigrant Italian mother and her Americanized daughter,
can be funny and touching portrait of mothers and daughters, in this case
centering on a hearty blend of humor, vivacity and family history.
Castle Garden
was operated by New York State as an immigrant Hospitality depot, between
1855-1890, when 8.2 million immigrants were received there. Ellis Island
(1892-1954) was administered by the Federal government primarily to weed
out undesirable or inadmissible aliens and return them to their countries
of origin. They exemplified the difference between the "Old" and "New"
Immigration, both in treatment and origins of immigrants.
The Italian
firm AnsaldoBreda was awarded a contract for 100 light-rail cars,
in addition to the 50 already ordered. The city was swayed by AnsaldoBreda's
comittment to build a 240,000-square-foot green-manufacturing plant on
a 14-acre, city-owned industrial parcel downtown.
"He
is worth any three men I could find in America, for this particular type
of work" - Gutzon Borglum, Designer of Mount Rushmore.
"Bianco was one of the most competent
men ever to work on the mountain..." - Gilbert Fite, from his book Mount
Rushmore.
"Leaving my father out of Rushmore
is like talking about the Yankees and leaving out Joe DiMaggio" - Caesar
Del Bianco
An
Italian Chapel built by Italian POW from blazing North Africa is one of
the greatest icons of hope and peace to come out of WWII. Orkney Islands
sits on the most northern east freezing tip of Scotland, and is the location
of Scapa Flow, the site of the British Naval Base to guard the North Sea
during both World War I &II. Italian POWs were used to reinforce the
Base by building the Churchill Barriers.
The golden
age of Italian cinema came early: 1909 to 1916, a period when Italian movies,
mainly produced in Turin and Rome, captured and dominated the world market.
Audiences flocked to see sprawling spectacles, colossal battle scenes,
and astonishing special effects.
The First Objective
of any Militaty Operation is to Determine EXACTLY "What is the Mission"
????? It was a Stupid Mission to start with, We have FAILED. and made Afghanistan
WORSE, We are NOT CLEAR what our Mission NOW is.
since our original Mission is LESS
attainable than it was 8 Years ago. GET OUT !!!!!!!!!
The NBA Toronto
Raptors with Bryan Colangelo as GM, Italian assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini,
Italian Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors now trade to get Marco Belinelli,
on a trade from San Francisco, after two years of part time play as a 6'3"
23 yr old swingman that was the No. 18 pick in the 2007 draft..
Fiat purchased
the Carrozzeria Bertone plant near Turin, Italy, in July, just a few weeks
after Chrysler exited chapter 11 bankruptcy, and presumably will be used
to build the next generation Chrysler 300, and also use that the RWD platform
in future Alfa and/or Lancia models.
Public Administration
Minister Renato Brunetta had become a folk hero in Italy for his vow to
modernize government offices and expel the idlers and slackers among the
public workers.
Why are the
Right wing Nut cases who wail for a Small government , yet want a Big military,
and who can see no money for Health Care, are willing to spend Trillions
for "fabricated" reasons for Invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and here
7-8 years later the World SuperPower is STILL losing in both areas. Why
Not just declare Victory, (or Mission Accomplished, again) and leave? Enough
of the Constantly changing Strategies, NONE of which have worked.
This Neo con debacle is worse than the Viet nam War, and they are already
beating the drums for war against Iran.
14th
Annual Italian Film Festival in New Zealand An Italian Film
Festival of 40 Italian Films in New Zealand in its 14th year? In Italian
with English Subtitles? It will take place in seven cities from September
to December. While New Zealand is slightly smaller in land area than Italy,
it only has 4.3 million population compared to 60 million in Italy.
The London Guardian
reported that Michael Moore's latest documentary drew tumultuous applause
at the Venice Film Festival today, If the film finally lacks the clean,
hard punch provided by the record-breaking Fahrenheit 9/11, that can only
be because the crime scene is so vast and the culprits so numerous.
Amanda
Knox, an exchange student at the University of Perugia, (from Washington
State, USA) and Italian co-defendant/boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito had their
trial resume today after a two month summer recess, charged with murder
and sexual violence in the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher, from Britain.
Nicknamed
"The Quiz King," Bongiorno was one of Italy's most enduring and beloved
TV personalities. His gaffes were legendary and his greeting to viewers
-- "Allegria!" (Cheers!) -- a trademark.
Despite
his frequent extra marital encounters, Berlusconi claims that " Italians
like me and I have 68.4 percent of approval and admiration," who has been
elected three times and is now the longest-serving leader in Italian post-war
history.
When
Pennetta became her country's first top-10 player this summer, it was news
even in soccer-mad Italy."The first sport is soccer," Pennetta said, "So
to be on the first page of newspaper with soccer is huge . . . In Italy,
everyone is going crazy." Unlike neighboring France, where tennis has been
a big deal, Italy has a small but thriving tennis community.
"The
Guidos," is the title of a Reality Show now shooting, and is a not-so-complimentary
reference to young Italian-American men who frequent the Jersey Shore in
Ocean and Monmouth counties. The Italian Community gets to be "smeared"
again.
Peppino, the
central character played by Francesco Scianna, is swept up by the Communist
movement, travels to the Soviet Union where he sees first hand what it
really means for citizens there and lives briefly in France seeking work.
But Sicily’s landscapes and passionate people also play a prominent part
in a sumptuously
shot film set amid olive orchards, rugged hills and the ever-changing streets
of Baarìa.
"Baarìa"
the ambitious Sicilian epic, is the first Italian movie to open the Venice
Film Festival in two decades, budgeted at $35 million, the ensemble epic
stars 200 actors, was shot for 25 weeks in Sicilian and Tunisian locations,
was Produced by Giuseppe Tornatore, a known LEFTIST, is being Financed
by top Italo film outfit Medusa, a sister company of Berlusconi's Mediaset
TV empire. RIGHT WING Berlusconi Not only Financed but Raved about "Baarìa."
Dino Boffo,
editor of the Avvenire daily of the Italian Bishops' Conference had Demanded
that Belusconi answer allegations about his "purported" infatuation with
(Beautiful) young women. What ????? I plead Guilty !!!!! Although I am
sorry to report my lack of success.:) :) This Infers that it would be allright
to be infatuated with OLD women, or UGLY and FAT Ladies. Really ????
Captivating
the attendees, rather than providing a "Marketing" platform is the Venice
Film Festival objective, They leave that to "Cannes", "Berlin" and "Toronto"
Film Festivals. Ironically, Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"
a Cannes winner was a coup for Venice.
Marciano is
remembered as one of the world’s best boxers; no other heavyweight champion
has ever retired undefeated - 49 Fights, with 43 knockouts. Rocky defended
his title as heavyweight champion of the world six times before his retirement
in 1956. Rocky Marciano was born on September 1, and eerily he died on
August 31, hours before his 46th Birthday.
Historian Arnold
J. Toynbee’s argues that the present day Italian Riviera was originally
a Sicilian colony. Toynbee also thought Rome was originally founded by
Sicilians.
Interestingly
enough the surge of interest is not as much propelled by 2nd or 3rd generation
Italians, but Italians recently arrived, mostly of the professional class,
and also by Non Italians who have fallen in love with Italian Culture.
Personally, I am MOST pleased by the fact that these are NOT merely Italian
Language Schools, But Italian CULTURAL Schools.
While
still nowhere near the levels seen in countries like Finland, Denmark and
the UK - the under-25s Italians are drinking more than they used to, as
the young Italians move away from the more restrained, Mediterranean style
of drinking.
These architects
and art historians from Harvard, Yale and Oxford. -- were actually protecting
the World's Greatest Civilization at a crucial time in it's history.
With the European
far greater casualness about sex and relations outside of marriage, than
the "puritanical" US, it is rather hypocritical to attack Berlusconi, and
particularly with the continuos stream of scandals in Britain. The Libel
Laws in Britain are far more favorable to Plaintiffs, and Berlusconi may
be successful in his Law Suit if brought there.
John Dabbene,
president of Staten Island's Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, speaks up against
negative images of Italian-Americans and urges others to do the same.
Veronica was
previously merely an actress in low budget films, and did not give up any
great career to marry this Billionaire. with ALL the "perks". But more
stunning is that Veronica had a well publicized Affair with the Mayor of
Venice, Massimo Cacciari, and has NO Moral High ground.
"The
Italian Chapel on Orkney"- One of Scotland's best known Icons A story of forbidden
love, lifelong friendships torn apart, despair and hope, The Italian Chapel
is set against the backdrop of the creation of a symbol that is known around
the world. Amidst strikes, conflicts and untold hardships, the Italian
prisoners of war sent to a tiny Orkney island during WW2 create a monument
to the human spirit’s ability to lift itself above great adversity. 90,000
people a year visit the building.
The 150th Anniversary
of the Unification of Italy appears that it will be met with a yawn, or
recriminations. In fact it reminds me a lot of the Yankees and Confederates
in the US and the Civil War.
"BITTER
SPRING" A Life of Ignazio Silone, By Stanislao G. Pugliese Ignazio Silone
would become a celebrated realist novelist: Italy’s greatest living writer,
in Faulkner’s opinion, as famous in his time as George Orwell or Arthur
Koestler. Like them, he was a moral critic of the horrors of the age
who told the truth about both Fascism and Communism.
With the Ring
Announcers STUNNED, and angry, and TV Unofficial Scorer Harold Lederman
scoring Malignaggi the Victor, Juan Diaz, the Belt Holder was declared
the unanimous winner, of the vacated NABO Jr Welterweight World Championship,
and as further evidence of a "FIXED" Fight, one judge, Gale Van Hoy, scored
it 18-10 in favor of Diaz which meant that he felt Diaz won 10 of the 12
rounds. Incredible !!!!!
This series of My Reports
focusing on Italian Humanitarianism during WWII is a result of a burst
of Misinformation and Disinformation on certain Italian American and Jewish
Digital Bulletin Boards.
My Previous
Report re:"The Benevolence of Italians toward Jews" stirred up a tumult,
in of all places, the H-ITAM ( History - Italian American), which is an
Academic Forum (History Bulletin Board of Michigan State University) ,
where there seems to be cadre of Self Loathing Italians who do not miss
an opportunity to ridicule Italy.
Below is my
response to an acquaintance of mine, who forwarded me to me an article
that appeared in I-Italy. OP-ED: "Brava Gente' The Resurgence of the Shopworn
Myth of Italian Benevolence During Fascism" by Alessandro Cassin
While some consider
"The Godfather" a masterpiece, Puzo, by his own admission, says it wasn't
well written. "If I'd known so many people were going to read it," he famously
said, "I'd have written it better."
Interestingly,
Parmesan cheese has been used for financial operations since the Middle
Ages. This is both due to its value, since each compact wheel holds the
equivalent of 550 liters of milk, and the fact that aging takes years,
making financing necessary until the product can be sold.
The
27-year-old Italian 10th-seeded Flavia Pennetta moved smartly through the
bracket and avoided the sort of inconsistent play that doomed the others.
Penetta
has won eight career WTA singles titles, including back-to-back titles
in Bogot and Acapulco in 2005.
I am no supporter
of Belusconi's Right Wing Politics, but as you read the Vanity Fair article
keep in mind that (1) Americans are Puritans regarding Sex, almost perpetual
obsessed adolescents, while Europeans (excluding the Brits) are more "natural',
(2) Is Belusconi humiliating his wife , Veronica, for her affair with the
Venice Mayor? (3) Veronica as a former nude dancer is not positioned to
be a preacher on morality (4) Does Belusconi have good taste in Ladies
or Not? (5) calling Berlusconi a "cheap" Lothario, the way he "pampers"
his ladies is idiotic.
The Italian
side, at 100-1 odds with the bookies, put in a fairytale performance to
claim the Aga Khan trophy of international show jumping following an extremely
poor season.
"From Tajikistan to the Moon" is
a Memoir of Robert Frimtzis' story of tragedy, survival and triumph of
the human spirit will inspire the reader to navigate the mazes in life
and overcome its obstacles.
A Helicopter
carrying Five Italian tourists, Tiziana Pedrone, Fabio Gallazzi, Giacomo
Gallazzi, Michele Norelli and Filippo Norelli was slammed into
the back by a single-engine Piper plane, with 3 Americans, and is blamed
for the Tragedy. In total nine lost their lives, none survived.
"Distant
but Loyal" by Romano to counter Anti Italian TV Images "Distant
but Loyal" had much to do with the author, Anne Romano, desire to contradict
societal myths about Italians.
The European
Commission says that Italians ranked 23rd of 27 nation of the EU, and is
was at odds with a parliamentary survey released in May which showed that
more than one in two Italians surf the net.
Italy has Four
Entries , "Baaria" by Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy; "La doppia ora" (The Double
Hour) by Giuseppe Capotondi, Italy; "Lo spazio bianco" (The White Space)
by Francesca Comencini, Italy;"Il grande sogno" (The Big Dream) by Michele
Placido, Italy.
On July 25,
1934, Austrian Nazis assassinated Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in preparation
for a German takeover. Only one of the former World War I allies,
Italy, did anything to prevent Hitler's first aggression.
The
Rodia's Towers was a 34-year voyage of sculptural whimsy created solely
with crude tools: a pipe-fitter's wrench, a chisel, and a mixing pail.
He worked without machine tools or drills, without scaffolding or bolts.
Rodia conceived the site itself as a seafaring vessel, setting what looks
like a captain's wheel into the base of the eastern tower, just behind
the Ship of Marco Polo.
You can't repair
a water main, break ground for a parking garage or dig up a potato in Rome
without finding a treasure, but now, preservation and public presentation
are favored over excavation.
Makes you sorry
that the Roman Empire (almost a thousand years) ever bothered to Civilize
the Pagan Brits, who now forget that the short lived British Empire [From
Waterloo in 1815 until WWII...125 years] .... is now a mere American lap
dog. :) :) Get Real !!!!
Giacomo Medici,
71, a key conduit for looted ancient art that landed in museums, such as
the Getty and New York's Met, faces 8 years in prison and a $14-million
fine, after his 2004 conviction was upheld today by an appeal court in
Rome.
As most know
Fellini arrived at the title "8 1/2" for the 9 productions he was involved
with, but deducted a 1/2 because he only co directed one production. The
title "Nine" was arrived at by taking 8 1/2 and adding 1/2 for the Musical
addition.
Yes this is
the same Churchill who falsely claimed he was of Indian ancestry to secure
his professorship, and while claiming his rights of free Speech, annually
disrupts the Denver Italian American Columbus Day Parade.
KARMA ???
The
popular image of ancient Rome, decadent orgiastic patricians, a well-beloved
myth burnished by Cecil B. DeMille and right-wing pundits comparing the
current moral climate to the excesses that supposedly led to the fall of
Rome -- but it contains very little truth, as Ray Laurence demonstrates
in this study.
If you are one
who thought the trench warfare of the Western Front in WWII was horrific,
and it was, ponder that Italy lost more combat deaths in proportion to
population than did Britain, 689,000 from 35 million, versus 743,000 out
of 46 million.
Dubbed "The
Man of a Thousand Faces" and "Mr. Everybody," Travalena emerged as an impressionist
in the early 1970s. Over the next three decades, he was a headliner in
Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City, performed in concerts across the country,
appeared on "The Tonight Show" and other talk shows and starred in his
own specials, such as "The Many Faces of Fred Travalena" and "Comedy in
the Oval Office."
The British
Travellers polled: 14% said they never brushed up on local driving
regulations, 45% had misread a map and got lost, 38% had argued with their
partner while at the wheel, and 11% had lost their temper with other drivers
while on foreign roads. The British . Self Portrait is NOT
very becoming.
Spike Lee did
the Italian American Community a GREAT Injustice when he filmed his "Do
the Right Thing" in the 1980s wherein Spike portrays Italian Americans
as racists, and approves the use of Slurs and Violence against Sal, an
Italian Pizza Owner who declined one patron's request to add to Sal's
Italian Wall of Fame, any photos of any other persons.
The Greeks,
as part of Grecia Major, in 470 B.C. created Neapolis; the name means "New
City" and emerged over time as Napoli, or in English, Naples. During the
Past 2500 years, the City has been both buried several times, and at other
times has burrowed into the ancient layers of "tufo" (a combination of
volcanic rock and ash from Mount Vesuvius) to create a lost world: of catacombs
and caves, Roman roads, markets, and an extensive system of underground
aqueducts, early Christian burial sites, and World War II air-raid shelters.
Sister
Margherita Marchione of the Religious Teachers Filippini, and ardent defender
of Pius XII, over her life has written 60 books. Most of them are passionate
defenses of Pius against contrived accusations that Pius XII did too little
to save Jews in World War II.
Two Japanese
tourists were detained by Italian Police attempting to smuggle $ 134 BILLION
in Counterfeit US Bearer Bonds, into Switzerland, that were poor quality
fakes.
They
are calling Giuseppe Rossi a "Benedict Arnold" for choosing to play
for Italy rather than the US. Yet, the U.S. National Team used the
likes of midfielder Earnie Stewart (Netherlands) and defender Thomas Dooley(Germany),
among others, who were vital members of several World Cup sides. They were
born in other countries to at least one parent who was an American.
"Silone
has left us on a threshold, asking us to pursue an ideal of justice that
may be illusory, Our only salvation is in a compassionate encounter with
human beings who suffer and struggle against a common fate."
Joseph
N. Grano, Chair of the The Constantino Brumidi Society, argues persuasively
that if the UN decides that it is important enough to declare 2009, "The
International Year of Astronomy", and recognize Galileo for his first use
of the telescope for astronomical observations 400 years ago
Sam Butera,
a hard-swinging tenor saxophonist, formed a rowdy and successful onstage
partnership with entertainers Louis Prima and Keely Smith in the 1950s.
Both Prima and Butera were of Italian ancestry from New Orleans. Butera,
was a composer ("Sing, Sing, Sing"), trumpeter, singer and irrepressible
stage performer,a
combination of Louis Armstrong and Jerry Lewis, and in 1952 was named the
country's outstanding teenage jazz musician by Look magazine. He lived
to see his music influence a generation of musicians as varied as David
Lee Roth, who copied the Prima-Butera arrangement of "Just a Gigolo"/''I
Ain't Got Nobody," and Brian Setzer, who won a Grammy for his cover of
"Jump, Jive, An' Wail."
Louis
Prima - Sam Butera - Night Train by rocknroll50
I was formerly
in the Music Business, but can hardly stand to listen to American Music
now a days, with the nonsense Hip Hop, and screeching Rock, and the soothing
Voices of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, are fifty years gone. Eureka.
Why did it take me so long to discover that Italy has SO many good Singers
singing Marvelous Ballads, and even though I don't understand Italian,
they are so soothing.
Piaggio
Group Americas, Inc., the importer of Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia and Moto
Guzzi scooters and motorcycles, has an offer that you just can't refuse.
It may be hard to believe but, effective today, Piaggio invites consumers
on a risk-free 12 Month Test Ride, an industry-first program that offers
qualified buyers the opportunity to experience all the fun, savings and
environmental benefits of select Piaggio, Aprilia and Vespa scooters without
a long-term commitment.
Kudos to Lou
Rago, founder of the Italian American Human Relations Foundation of Chicago,
and Anthony Baratta, the Chicago-based national chairperson for the Commission
for Social Justice of the Sons of Italy for successfully persuading/pressuring
Miller-Coors to remove the offensive ads within a week.
The Vatican
virtual tour will allow viewers with a left click of the mouse to rotate
the camera from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, zooming in and out. At
St. Paul's, viewers can zoom in on ornate gilded candlesticks, marble statues,
medallion-shaped portraits of popes and saints around the frieze, and the
basilica's coffered ceilings.
In these trying
times, while the Billionaires may be turned into Lesser Billionaires, or
merely only Multi Millionaires, the Middle Class are being turned into
Paupers by losing their Jobs, and the Value of their Homes, Pension Funds
and Investments plummeting, the Swiss are turning to Italian Food that
seems to be more comforting than any other.
Further to my
previous Report, a Judge has ruled the Belusconi Photos could not be Published.
But since there was much attention given to Belusconi's supposedly 10 various
"Mistresses", but no mention of his wives "dalliance" with the Mayor of
Venice, it seemed appropriate to educate those unfamiliar with the European
custom of "Mistresses".
Paolo Conte
at 72, over the years, his gravelly timbre has prompted no end of comparisons
with those North American singer-poets Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.
Rigid, stiff,
and stuffy Brits whose Puritanical influences the US is still trying to
break away from unsuccessfully, while on one hand are shocked by the rest
of Europe's greater casualness about sex and nudity, yet are fixated on
their own British Tabloid nudity, and can't seem to get enough Vacations
in Nude and Topless Beaches in Mainland Europe. (Been there, Done that,
and very easy on the Eyes, except for the few Fat Americans and Brits that
blot the otherwise beautiful scene.)
Please everyone email your disappointment
to Miller-Coors in regards to these stereotypical and defamatory ads. Thus
far they have not cooperated with us in an immediate removal or this campaign
in fact they have increased the visibility of the ads and have included
radio.
Skeptics doubt that the Italians
can build a giant 90 foot state of the art racing multihull by January,
including "Valencia Sailing" that interviewed Francesco de Leo in this
article...
Soccer remains an obsession for many
Italians, filling up the newspapers' sports pages and paying handsome salaries
for the top players. But the sport has failed to modernize itself the way
it has in England.
Some of Elon's nine books became
international best sellers, and many of his essays appeared in the New
York Review of Books.His columns in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, where
he worked for five decades, established him as an early critic of Israel's
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
It was decided to transport internees
to Canada, and the liner Arandora Star left Liverpool carrying 1,300 mostly
Italian. The Arangora Star was torpedoed, and 800 lives lost, "This was
the tragedy that stopped everybody else being interned. They [the government]
realized it was a big mistake and stopped interning people after the Arandora
Star.
Yogi Berra is well deserving of
his own era: Between 1947 and 1958, with Yogi anchoring the defense and
hitting in the heart of the lineup, the Yankees won 10 pennants and 8 World
Series.
On July 31, 1954, Compagnoni and
fellow Italian climber Lino Lacedelli became the first to reach the summit
of Pakistan's K2, which at 28,251 feet is the world's second-highest peak
after Mt. Everest K2
Roberto Cicutto, the respected Italian
producer and distributor with more than 30 years experience, will head
the combined efforts of Cinecitta Luce, headed by CEO Luciano Sovena, Italo
film department czar Gaetano Blandini, and Italy's film promotion body
Filmitalia.
As Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne prepares
to turn around American icon Chrysler, another American Icon Saks Fifth
Ave, looks set to get an Italian makeover, by Italian fashion emperor Diego
Della Valle, chairman of Tod's, the luxury shoemaker responsible for the
famous "gommino," or driving shoe.
Trumpets blare, women weep and a
giddy crowd roars as burly men carrying towering wooden pillars, (known
as "ceri", candles) representing three different saints, (St. Ubaldo, St.
George or St. Anthony-Yellow, Blue and Black) each May charge through narrow
streets in a medieval tradition show of pride and devotion to their patron
saint.
In 1975, Jeno Paulucci founded the
National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in Washington D.C., a non-profit
organization that represents 25 million Italian Americans and has served
as the catalyst for the formation of other U.S. ethnic organizations.In
2004, Jeno Paulucci was named the Number One Overall Entrepreneur in the
World by Ernst & Young.
Despite
Sinatra's Iconic status resulting from his Incredible Accomplishments,
MUCH was made of him as a neglectful father (Constantly on Tour)
and cheating husband (An Oxymoron, as with cheating wife) who hung
out with the mafia, and Kosher Nostra (who owned the biggest Concert Venues,
his "bread and butter"), drank to excess,(but Never a Alcoholic, and would
"pale" alongside College "binge" drinkers...
The
ubiquitous Internet "@" sign was First known to be used by an Italian/Florentine
merchant named Francesco Lapi in 1536, to designate an "amphora" a measure.
In English it is referred to as the "at sign", and a "snail" in Italian.
A clever piece that suggests fervently
to visit Italy, and especially the REAL Italy, like Bologna, then introduces
us to an "Old West Pub" in Bologna, that eerily and meticulously impersonates
a Western Pub that could be a tourist's delight in their hometown in Denver.
Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman, outlined his policy doctrine on Palestine to Italy PM Berlusconi
for more than two hour. Lieberman suggested a "Cyprus" solution to Palestine,
which caught his guests off guard.
Combine
undermanned Italian auto business FIAT, with bankrupt Chrysler in the U.S.
and with the German Opel car operations now owned by the almost bankrupt
General Motors Corp. You put three losers together and produce a profit?
Pauly, a columnist for Bloomberg News says Even if this trio were prospering,
the notion would border on the insane, but he's rooting for it!!
The
quandary for Centuries for Italian Americans, and Italians has been the
Choice between Career and Family/Friends !!!!!
Does one spend hideous hours in the
Workplace to acquire more MONETARY gain, more MATERIAL "things", more POWER,
etc, OR spend reasonable hours at work, so that one can be assured to spend
appropriate time with Family and Friends.
What is the Meaning of Life? "Things"
or "People"?
The
son of Italian immigrants -- his father was a city garbage collector, his
mother a full-time homemaker. DeLuise stated: My father was a peasant,
a blue-collar worker, who was amazed that I got paid for what I do. He
used to say, 'If you can make money with your mouth, God bless you!' "
With over 3 million books in print,
two promising movies in the works, plans for two more novels and a series
of young adult fiction forthcoming, Trigiani stands as our single best
hope of balancing the mafia stereotypes that dominate our culture.
I advocate Private Security Forces
on Merchant Ships, instead of the use of Naval Resources. But I am Impressed
with One Unarmed Italian Crew Defending its Ship with High Pressure Water
Hoses. I would salute their valor, except I'm laughing too hard.
Dominic DiMaggio, the Boston Red
Sox center fielder and seven-time American League All-Star whose impressive
career was overshadowed by the towering legend of his older brother Joe,
the Yankee Clipper.
Mozzarella
comes chiefly from the Buffalo from Italy's Campania region around Naples.
No one knows for sure when or how the buffalo first got here whether from
Africa and Asia.
Magna
Grecia (Greater Greece) is where Culture, Philosophy, Science, blossomed
to such an extent that completely out shown Grecia Minor, which is not
readily known, and something that Greece is slow to admit to, and Italy
is slow to embrace. Greeks starting to arrive in 8 BC, were entirely Italianized
by 4 BC
Apparently Britain is trying to warn
Italy, that Italy not sink to the low level of Morality in Britain as outlined
in " Morality Tales" Sub-title: Political Scandals and Journalism in Britain...
in the 1990's; Authors: Maria Jose Canel, Karen Sanders. Published
January 2006.
'Angels
and Demons' the Sequel to the "Da Vinci Code" "Bows in Italy "The
Da Vinci Code" grossed $758 million worldwide. "Angels and Demons"
opens in Italy on 800 screens and in some other European territories May
13 before bowing Stateside (on about 3,500 screens) and worldwide May 15.
This time around, the Catholic Church opted for a low-key response, keeping
a lid on the scathing polemics that Sony capitalized on in 2006 when high-ranking
prelates urged a boycott of "The Da Vinci Code"
The
Antonori Dynasty Profiled by 60 Minutes With the oldest family business on
Earth, the Antinoris have been in the wine business for 600 years. Morley
Safer of " 60 Minutes" profiles the family from their vineyards in Tuscany,
Italy in a Segment called "Keeping it in the Family" 12 minute Video -
May 3, 2009
If
Ms. Lario does file for divorce, it is unclear whether Mr. Berlusconi,
72, will be affected politically. Despite colorful gaffes that would sink
a politician elsewhere, Mr. Berlusconi enjoys more power and popularity
than ever, thanks to the disarray of his left-wing opposition and his brilliant
reading of Italian sensibilities.
Sergio
has a reputation for soothing labor management relations but setting reasonable
goals and being tough on those who disappoint.
Chrysler will be getting small cars
with very high fuel efficiency, and very popular in Europe, that they need
in their lineup, and FIAT covets Chrysler Distribution Network. But will
Americans fall in love with the FIATS????
'Il
Divo' won the " Prix du Jury" at Cannes last year, that is a biopic of
former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti , but while focusing on
his last term, the film is not really about Italian Politics, but is a
Metaphor about Power.
"Il
Divo" deals with what's been called "the fiendish complexities of postwar
Italian politics. But there's only one you need to remember, one man you
can't forget, and that's Giulio Andreotti, seven times Italy's prime minister.
A journalist stated "You're either the most cunning criminal in the country
because you never got caught, or you're the most persecuted man in the
history of Italy."
See how simple it is, just put Armed
Guards on the Ships, rather than Getting the Navies of the World Involved.
However it seems that Civilian ships have generally avoided arming crewmen
or hiring armed security for reasons of safety, liability and compliance
with the rules of the different countries where they dock.
While I understand Italian Food to
be Not Only a great Adhesive for Italian Families, and a great Recognition
by the General population of the importance of both "Basic" Italian foods,
and Italian Fine Cuisine, and I continue to be struck by the fact that
few Italians and fewer General Population realize that Italian Cuisine
is the Mother of ALL West European Cuisine (Read about Catherine De Medici)
Liberation Day is a two edge sword.
While Liberating Italy from the Nazis and Mussolini, The US did not want
the Communists to take Power, which they would have since they had the
respect of Italians, because they had been the back bone of the Italian
Resistance.
In a Brilliant Move Berlusconi has
Recommended moving this summer's Group of Eight summit from La Maddalena,
Sardinia to earthquake-stricken L'Aquila, that would save money, give the
devastated central region an economic boost, and keep it in the public
attention.
With the Myth of Democracy, and
Republics, being exposed by the growing awareness of those Elected actually
being bought by, and in the service of Corporate Oligarchies, and the Wealthy,
by Lobbying and Contributions, I think I rather have good looking young
people "supposedly" representing me rather than a bunch of old out of touch
guys
And then Sliwa's apologies became
clear. Curtis Sliwa is not only an "attention whore", he is an aspiring
politician, and had filed papers with the Republican Party in 2008
to run for New York 13th Congressional district in the U.S. House
of Representatives ( Staten Island )
Brown
U to Consider Changing Name Due to Endowers Slave Biz Radio
personality Rush Limbaugh (who like a stopped watch is right at least twice
a day, and like a blind squirrel, is bound to eventually find an acorn,
Got it Right this time) attacked the decision. Referring to Brown students
who supported the faculty's decision as "spoiled, rotten little skulls
full of mush with brains that represent the arid expanse of the Sahara
Desert," Limbaugh said the change was "idiocy".
More than 65 years after villagers
provided shelter to Italian Jews fleeing the Nazis, a delegation of about
20 elderly Jews and their descendants of those who evaded capture, rushed
to repay that sacrifice in rural communities struck by an earthquake last
week.
It's essentially the story of two
Italian New Yorkers, best friends helping each other through the minefield
of love, each trying to figure out what it means to be a man, particularly
when it comes to women. Convincing and Compelling , Brash but Likeable
Doria Russell’s historical fiction
Novel is set in Italy during World War II just after the Italians broke
with Germany and made a separate peace with the Allies. It follows the
lives of various characters who depict the factual, little-known story
of a network of Italians who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the
end of the war.
Brown University professors, at
the request of student groups, have voted to rename the institution's Columbus
Day holiday as "Fall Weekend". Student groups had called for the change
in light of "the nature of Christopher Columbus's conquests and treatment
of Native Americans." The vote is not going over well with Providence's
Italian American population.
The donation is both a major acquisition
and a gift to Los Angeles. It is a key not just to Fante's life and work,
but also to the soul of the city that, more than 70 years ago, Fante set
out to chronicle and to know.
The youngest was 6 months old, and
the oldest 96. All of the area's cardinals and bishops, along with 100
priests, attended the special funeral Mass. Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi was also there.
I ordinarily don't report on local
events, but St Louis Italian Americans are the ONLY City in the US that
has utilized the Internet to a substantial degree, and has for 12 years,
so they have a special place in my heart. Are they so Smart, or are the
other Communities So Retarded ???
Berlusconi told the Earthquake Survivors
to "Head for the Beach", and responding to criticism, Berlusconi said that
he did not want "an atmosphere of pessimism, negativity, disease and death"
where survivors were being sheltered.
Interestingly, As many as 10,000
of the 17,000 people made homeless by the earthquake have taken his advice
and left for the Adriatic resorts or elsewhere, since it is only an hour
away by bus and there are plenty of hotels available that are paid for
by the State."
It
is NOT true that Madonna has appealed to Geo Bush, and "Good Job Brownie"
for help in Advising Italy on Recovery Efforts, since they did such a wonderful
Job with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans :)
The Italian American Museum announced
that it will begin accepting monetary donations to assist the victims of
the earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Checks should be made out
to: " I-AM EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND 2009." and sent to the Italian American
Museum at 155 Mulberry St., New York, NY 10013.(Mulberry and Grand Sts.
in Little Italy). Donations can also be made by credit card by calling
the Museum at 212-965-9000.
NIAF(http://www.niaf.org/relief)
[NIAF/Abruzzo Relief Fund, National Italian American Foundation, 1860 19th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20009] has been joined by OSIA (http://www.osia.org),
and UNICO (http://www.unico.org) on
the national level in accepting donations for L'Aquila.
In
the medieval city of L'Aquila, 60 miles north-east of Rome, a 6.3 earhquake
has killed between 150 to 200 people, has injured 1500, and destroyed up
to 15,000 buildings, with 50,0000 homeless. Dozens of remote villages in
the area were also affected, with one old village 99% destroyed,
The earthquake is the worst to hit
Italy since 1980, when 2,735 died in a quake measuring 6.5 that struck
close to Salerno in southern Italy, and caused widespread damage in nearby
Naples.
The
article doesn't explain why it is important to change the border between
a few metres and a hundred metres, at an altitude of 15,000 feet.
!!!!
How many people could that effect,
and in what way?
Fiat's
Stylish Super Fuel Efficient "500"s gives Chrysler an Immediate Attractive
Product , Chrysler provides Fiat with entry into the Big American Market,
necessary to increase Sales Volume to keep up with Escalating Costs for
New Model Development.
The
Foxy Knoxy Trial begins in Italy The
Italian media is portraying Knox as seductive femme fatale. Some of the
headlines:
"Sex, lies and stabbings"
"Lovers without any inhibitions"
"And in prison, she even tries to
sun tan"
Perhaps a movie is in the making?
I always thought that getting naked
was a always a good start to solving any problem !!! :) :)
Irish
Greatest Celebrant - Saint Patrick was Italian - Of coursePatrick
was the child of Romans living in Britain--Calpurnius (a military officer)
and Concessa. At age 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates, taken
to Ireland and forced into slavery. After six years he escaped back to
Britain, then studied at a French monastery, then moved back to Ireland
as a missionary because he had a dream that the Irish were calling on him
to tell them about God.
These AIG Executives were largely
involved in the Derivatives, and Credit Default Swaps, that were "Voodoo"
financing. AIG justifies the Bonuses to retain the "Best and Brightest",
when in Reality they were the "Worst and Dimmest", that CAUSED AIG demise.
Silvio
Berlusconi has conquered Italy, lost it and seduced his way back to the
top. These days, he faces little resistance and it wouldn't be much of
a stretch to say he might stay in office until he dies. With little left
to debate, the thing that interests most about the prime minister is his
relationship to women.
Jack Hamann’s career highlighted
by his "On American Soil" represents a classic case of procedural journalistic
sleaziness in pursuit of profit and recognition. Dominic Moreo 's "Riot
at Fort Lawton" sets the record straight on Black American Soldiers Lynching
of Italian POW Guglielmo Olivotto in 1944, and the senseless beatings of
helpless unarmed dozens of other Italian Americans, who were hospitalized.
The
bridge will be built over a perilous earthquake fault, but it should be
a big boon to the area, and encourage the building of super roads to Palermo
and Rome, etc, which not only provides jobs, but better roadways promote
commerce generally.
For
the next three months, Beckham will play for AC Milan until May 31.He will
then be available for England's two World Cup qualifying games in early
June before taking a couple of weeks off. On July 1, he rejoins the Galaxy
for the rest of the Major League Soccer season.
Giuseppe Petrosino was a pioneer
among Italian-Americans in policing, and among investigators everywhere
as an expert on organized crime who ... recognized its evils and who sacrificed
his life trying to stop its reach into American life.
In theses days of baseball, with
the greed, the egotism, the steroids, the braggadocio, the whining, the
grandstanding, DiMaggio remains fixed in the popular imagination long after
any of us can remember seeing him play. He has become a graceful American
icon -- a hero like Achilles. DiMaggio is a symbol of endurance, of grace
under pressure, of consistency at high levels of achievement.
Some of you may not know that Switzerland
is almost equally divided into Italian, German and French regions. I however
always thought Switzerland rather Stable and Immune from Economic Misery,
but obviously not.
During my 30 years in politics I
have seen incredibly generous city, county, state, and federal grants go
to a multiplicity of Ethnicity, on repeated occasions.
I was as Shocked as I was Elated
to see the Italian American Community win one! An example of what can be
done when the Community decides what must be done, and exerts their political
muscle to do it !!!!!
The legendary "ugly American" is
getting a new lease on life from a new generation of Americans (mostly
foreign exchange students) descending on European cities and towns like
the barbarian invaders of old.
These Gladiators belong to a group
of history buffs united by an obsession with ancient Rome, with their pride
in Roman authenticity, especially the gore and glory of the gladiator tradition.
They immerse themselves in re-creating historic attire, tactics and weapons.
Italian Leftist Antonio Gramsci advocated
the theory of "cultural hegemony." Gramsci argued for an incremental socialism.
He stressed that the key to winning political power lay not in seizing
the economic means of production, but in capturing society's commanding
cultural organs.
It seems both Odd, and yet Obvious
that Italy, the Cradle of Western Civilization with an overwhelming Treasure
Trove of Cultural Artifacts, would choose to build a Virtual Exhibition
of the Cultural Artifacts of the Cradle of Civilization (Iraq-Mesopotamia.)
The "Reggio Emilia" philosophy developed
in Italy after World War II, combined child-initiated learning with teacher-directed
activities - usually involving art - became popular in the early 1990s
after Newsweek magazine described the Reggio Emilia approach to preschool
education as the best in the world.
Matteo
Renzi, the son of a Tuscan small business owner, at just 29, bested experienced
rivals to win the post of President of the Florentine province, a somewhat
less influential role that is, nevertheless, normally occupied by gray-haired
men. Renzi has focused his efforts on making the provincial government
more efficient and delivering services. In particular, he's improved Florentine
school facilities, expanded recycling and seems to have a solution to flooding
along the Arno river.
Since Italy closed all its Nuclear
Plants after Chernobyl accident in 1986, Italy has become the world's biggest
net importer of electricity. Currently there are 196 Nuclear Plants in
Europe. France leads with 59, Russia with 31, and Britain with 19.
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the nation's highest ranking Italian-American in
elective office - in a speech at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome,
referred to her deep roots in Italy: "My family's background is as diverse
as the map of Italy, with grandparents and great-grandparents born in Abruzzo,
Venice, Genoa, Campobasso and Sicily. My husband, Paul's father was born
in Potenza and his mother in Tuscany."
Seventeen inches of rain fell in
central Italy one November day 43 years ago, and overnight, one of the
world's greatest treasures, the historic center city of Florence, was 20
feet under water. Thirty-three people were killed.
Bellson was born Luigi Paulino Alfredo
Francesco Antonio Balassoni, on July 6, 1924, in Rock Falls, Ill. Drawn
to percussion as early as age 3, he was urged by his father, who owned
a music store, to study keyboards, harmony and theory.
Thus when the Muslims were expelled
from Spain in 1492, likewise were the Jews, some of who fled to Western
Europe, along with Jews in Italy who had partially come under Spain's
Domination.
The
proportion of immigrants accused of crimes of sexual violence has risen
from 9 per cent of the total ten years to 40 per cent today. Communities
are creating groups of "concerned citizens" (neighbourhood watch groups),
and is not the same as condoning vigilante patrols, known as ronde.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
As Britain and America suffered the inevitable consequences
of falling house prices, frozen credit and massive consumer debt, the former
plodders in the eurozone, with their preference for safe banking and greater
reliance on manufacturing rather than services, would emerge relatively
unscathed, said policymakers in France and Germany - at least
until recently.
Jerry Springer, Talk Show host,
and Ex Mayor of Cincinnati, has visited Italy every year for 20 years,
and describes it as "Where God probably vacations and "So beautiful, it's
obscene."
The Italian government approved euro
1,500 ($1,900) payments (not merely Tax Credits) to new car buyers
who trade in older, polluting models, becoming the latest nation
to try to boost the auto industry.
Italy joins Britain, France and Germany
in helping out car makers as sales tumble. Germany is paying consumers
euro 2,500 ($3,200) to junk old cars for greener models.
Eluana
Englaro, 38, has been in a vegetative state since a car crash in 1992.
Her case has looked much like that of Schiavo, the American who spent 15
years in a vegetative state and was allowed to die in 2005 after a long
court battle. Italy's top appeals court had ruled the feeding tubes could
be removed, but Berlusconi ordered doctors not to act, similar to what
George Bush did in the US Terry Schiavo case.
After the British Strikers were
reminded that 1.5 MILLION Brits work in EU countries, the 400 Italian workers
hired to work on a new sub contract job seemed PETTY, the Brits called
off the Strike.
While Brits, French and Germany are
so often so quick to criticize Italy for trying to hold the line vs. the
torrent of illegal immigrants from North and Sub Sahara Africa, (the most
convenient entry), The Brits are Not Only COMPLAINING about Fellow EU member
Italians working in Britain , BUT are STRIKING vs. Italians hired for a
new Sub contractor job, NOT as Replacement workers.
Americans
have Philip Marlowe and Raymond Chandler. Britons have Sherlock Holmes
and Arthur Conan Doyle. And Italians have Salvo Montalbano and Andrea Camilleri.
Camilleri, a bespectacled, gravel-voiced
83-year-old, has become a national character as beloved as his Montalbano,
a shrewd, resolutely Sicilian police commander who solves crimes in the
fictional town of Vigata.
Manfred Moelgg and Giorgio Rocca
surprised the field, fans, and defied the odds by giving Italians the two
top spots in the Men's World Cup Slalom Sunday in Germany.
Prosciutto has been made on the Italian
peninsula since the time of Caesar. A salami
requires anywhere from 20 to 120 days to cure, making it popular with chefs
who want to put their house-made stamp on a rustic appetizer. But the best
prosciutto requires 8 to 24 months to transform the salt-covered hind leg
of a pig into a $35-per-pound luxury, a rosy meat that, when thinly sliced,
is a complex, faintly salty delicacy that dissolves into richness on the
tongue. It is nothing short of a miracle. Careful attention is paid
not only to the breed and weight of the pig but also to the way the leg
is boned and trimmed, the type and amount of salt applied and the aging,
cleaning and sealing processes, all of which must be undertaken at just
the right time, under favorable temperatures and humidity.
De Sousa was struck multiple times
and has undergone two surgeries in the last three days, Ramzy said. Some
bullets hit her vital organs, but she is expected to recover without any
long-term disabilities.
Veronica
Lario, Sivio Belusconi's wife told La Stampa newspaper, that Barack Obama
, the new US President, "He is a handsome man, he is young and healthy
with a splendid family," "He is perfect for giving Americans their
confidence back"
Berlusconi had provoked criticism
for describing Obama as "young, handsome, and tanned," during a visit to
Moscow. Many in Italy and the United States saw the comment as racist or
in bad taste. Italy's ANSA news agency said Berlusconi later defended the
remark as "a great compliment."
Obit:
Dante Lavelli, 85 Cleveland Browns, Hall of Fame Receiver Dante
Lavelli, born Feb. 23, 1923, in Hudson, Ohio, near Akron, was the son of
Italian immigrants. As a quarterback he led the Hudson High School Explorers
to three straight undefeated seasons and county championships.
Struggling consumers turn to pasta
to stretch their food dollars, in very dire times, after many years of
pasta being overshadowed by the low-carbohydrate fad that showed to not
be that effective in the long run.
In
an extraordinary outpouring of emotion, millions of Italians have spent
much of January remembering a singer-songwriter who died 10 years ago but
now seems to belong to another age and another country. Fabrizio de André
is widely acknowledged as the finest Italian lyricist and musician of the
20th century. A series of high-profile exhibitions and concerts celebrating
the singer's life have generated a wildly enthusiastic response, culminating
last week in a three-hour tribute to De André, tucked away on one
of the least watched of Italy's TV channels. To general astonishment, the
program drew almost eight million viewers, or 30% of total audience share.
"In 25 years in television I have never seen anything like it."
The spirit of the exhibit, is captured
in the words of Rabbi Elia Benamozegh of Livorno in 1847: "Italian Jews!
Two great names, two enviable glories, two splendid crowns are joined together
in you. Who among you, in human and divine glories, does not reverently
bow before the prodigious names of Moses and Dante"
It
is not reassuring that most of Fiat's stake will be in the form of Retooling
a Plant in the US to produce Fiats, or that the New Nuova Fiat 500 is the
newest Cult car in Europe. The US Car market is in terrible shape, and
the Economy looks like it will get much worse before it gets better, not
a great time to introduce a New Brand.
Amanda Knox, 21, an exchange student
from Seattle, Washington and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito,
24, went on trial last Friday accused of sexually abusing and murdering
Meredith Kercher of Great Britain, in the Umbrian town of Perugia.
Lamborghini
sold a record 2,430 vehicles whose prices start at $200,000. Growth in
China, South Korea and the Middle East helped overcome a 20 percent decline
in U.S. sales
In Medieval and Renaissance Italy
an inland waterway permitted a person to travel over 500km by boat from
Lake Maggiore to Venice via Milan. This summer they will begin clearing
the first 8 km of those Canals, to reestablish that waterway system.
As
part of its restructuring, Alitalia has been merged with its biggest domestic
rival, Air One SpA, giving it more than a 55% share of Italy's Lucrative
domestic routes, and has approved a cooperation accord with Air France-KLM,
giving the French-Dutch carrier a 25 percent stake for a payment of EU
323 million
The Italian Language Foundation,
a group of prominent Italian-Americans formed in the spring to save the
program, said it was disappointed. Margaret Cuomo, daughter of former
New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, headed the foundation, which raised more
than $650,000 in pledges and commitments. But those pledges were based
on the Italian government making a financial contribution, which the foundation
was not able to secure.
Ferdinand Pecora was born in Sicily,
the son of an immigrant cobbler, and became assistant district attorney
from New York, and then Chief Counsel of the Senate Banking and Currency
Committee electrifying hearings, held after the Stock Market Crash of
1929..
Leon
Panetta - Obama's Choice for CIA Chief - Attached to His Italian Roots Mr. Panetta, 70, is the American-born
son of Italian immigrants from Calabria. His father Carmelo worked in a
copper mine in Wyoming before moving to Monterey in California, where he
set up a restaurant. Panetta speaks both Italian, and the Calabrian dialect.
The G8 summit will take place in
July in La Maddalena, an island off the northern coast of Sardinia. Italian
Premier Silvio Berlusconi plans to step up the involvement of G5 and
other important non-G8 countries during his presidency of G8. The eight
G8 members will meet on the first day of talks and the G5 (China, India,
Brazil, Mexico and South Africa) as well as Egypt will be brought in on
the second day.. The third day will see the involvement of Australia, Indonesia
and major African countries.
Domino's
and American Family Insurance bailed out of "Jersey Shore".
Both companies abandoned ship after an Italian American group blasted the
show for being "offensive.
Amanda
"Foxy" Knox , of Seattle
Washington was found guilty of the 2007 Murder and Sexual Assault
on her British roommate. Meredith Kercher from Britain,
after 11 hours of deliberations, by the eight members of the jury,
including two judges. Early reports indicate that while the Prosecution
was seeking Life Imprisonment; the Sentence is 26 years for Knox, and 25
years for her short term Italian boyfriend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito.
They are both subject to other charges, and their conviction will be Appealed.
Gr.
Uff. Joseph Maselli founded the American-Italian Renaissance Foundation,
oversaw an American-Italian Sports Hall of Fame and participated in the
civic life of New Orleans as well, as a member of the New Orleans Aviation
Board, the French Market Board, the state Board of Ethics and the Metropolitan
Crime Commission. Maselli wasTrustee Emeritus of the Italian American Museum
of New York of which he took particular pride in.
VOLUNTARILY,
Italian Banks took the SENSIBLE and COMPASSIONATE choice to allow mortgage
holders who are in serious economic difficulty to suspend payments for
up to one year, for those who have simply lost their jobs, who are on temporary
lay-off plans, who were self-employed but have fallen out of business,
and who have lost family members whose income supported the entire family.
There
appears to be No Mention of Addressing the Continued Media Smear of Italian
Americans, the Assault on Columbus Day, The High Drop Out Rate of Italian
American High School and College Students, Developing an "Italians Help
Italians" modeled after the Jewish Community, and Greater Emphasis on Educating
Italian Americans to their Italian and Italian American Culture, and I
don't mean merely Language and Cuisine.
In
a bit of "politically correct" lunacy, a headline in the Columbus Dispatch
about the Columbus Day festival in the city of Columbus, Ohio. It reads,
"Italian Festival honors controversial explorer with its own Columbus Day
parade". Once the great discover of America, Columbus is now called "controversial"
by a newspaper named after him, in a city named after him.
Mussolini's
ambitious building results, were derided as "monsters" after WWII by those
who were anti- Mussolini. Those same structures are now being reconsidered
by art historians as "standout example of Italian modernist architecture,
and go virtually unnoticed by all but the well informed.
An
Italian Chapel built by Italian POW from blazing North Africa is one of
the greatest icons of hope and peace to come out of WWII. Orkney Islands
sits on the most northern east freezing tip of Scotland, and is the location
of Scapa Flow, the site of the British Naval Base to guard the North Sea
during both World War I &II. Italian POWs were used to reinforce the
Base by building the Churchill Barriers.
Amanda
Knox, an exchange student at the University of Perugia, (from Washington
State, USA) and Italian co-defendant/boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito had their
trial resume today after a two month summer recess, charged with murder
and sexual violence in the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher, from Britain.
Nicknamed
"The Quiz King," Bongiorno was one of Italy's most enduring and beloved
TV personalities. His gaffes were legendary and his greeting to viewers
-- "Allegria!" (Cheers!) -- a trademark.
Despite
his frequent extra marital encounters, Berlusconi claims that " Italians
like me and I have 68.4 percent of approval and admiration," who has been
elected three times and is now the longest-serving leader in Italian post-war
history.
When
Pennetta became her country's first top-10 player this summer, it was news
even in soccer-mad Italy."The first sport is soccer," Pennetta said, "So
to be on the first page of newspaper with soccer is huge . . . In Italy,
everyone is going crazy." Unlike neighboring France, where tennis has been
a big deal, Italy has a small but thriving tennis community.
The
27-year-old Italian 10th-seeded Flavia Pennetta moved smartly through the
bracket and avoided the sort of inconsistent play that doomed the others.
Penetta
has won eight career WTA singles titles, including back-to-back titles
in Bogot and Acapulco in 2005.
The
Rodia's Towers was a 34-year voyage of sculptural whimsy created solely
with crude tools: a pipe-fitter's wrench, a chisel, and a mixing pail.
He worked without machine tools or drills, without scaffolding or bolts.
Rodia conceived the site itself as a seafaring vessel, setting what looks
like a captain's wheel into the base of the eastern tower, just behind
the Ship of Marco Polo.
Sister
Margherita Marchione of the Religious Teachers Filippini, and ardent defender
of Pius XII, over her life has written 60 books. Most of them are passionate
defenses of Pius against contrived accusations that Pius XII did too little
to save Jews in World War II.
They
are calling Giuseppe Rossi a "Benedict Arnold" for choosing to play
for Italy rather than the US. Yet, the U.S. National Team used the
likes of midfielder Earnie Stewart (Netherlands) and defender Thomas Dooley(Germany),
among others, who were vital members of several World Cup sides. They were
born in other countries to at least one parent who was an American.
Joseph
N. Grano, Chair of the The Constantino Brumidi Society, argues persuasively
that if the UN decides that it is important enough to declare 2009, "The
International Year of Astronomy", and recognize Galileo for his first use
of the telescope for astronomical observations 400 years ago
Piaggio
Group Americas, Inc., the importer of Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia and Moto
Guzzi scooters and motorcycles, has an offer that you just can't refuse.
It may be hard to believe but, effective today, Piaggio invites consumers
on a risk-free 12 Month Test Ride, an industry-first program that offers
qualified buyers the opportunity to experience all the fun, savings and
environmental benefits of select Piaggio, Aprilia and Vespa scooters without
a long-term commitment.
Despite
Sinatra's Iconic status resulting from his Incredible Accomplishments,
MUCH was made of him as a neglectful father (Constantly on Tour)
and cheating husband (An Oxymoron, as with cheating wife) who hung
out with the mafia, and Kosher Nostra (who owned the biggest Concert Venues,
his "bread and butter"), drank to excess,(but Never a Alcoholic, and would
"pale" alongside College "binge" drinkers...
The
ubiquitous Internet "@" sign was First known to be used by an Italian/Florentine
merchant named Francesco Lapi in 1536, to designate an "amphora" a measure.
In English it is referred to as the "at sign", and a "snail" in Italian.
Combine
undermanned Italian auto business FIAT, with bankrupt Chrysler in the U.S.
and with the German Opel car operations now owned by the almost bankrupt
General Motors Corp. You put three losers together and produce a profit?
Pauly, a columnist for Bloomberg News says Even if this trio were prospering,
the notion would border on the insane, but he's rooting for it!!
The
quandary for Centuries for Italian Americans, and Italians has been the
Choice between Career and Family/Friends !!!!!
The
son of Italian immigrants -- his father was a city garbage collector, his
mother a full-time homemaker. DeLuise stated: My father was a peasant,
a blue-collar worker, who was amazed that I got paid for what I do. He
used to say, 'If you can make money with your mouth, God bless you!' "
Mozzarella
comes chiefly from the Buffalo from Italy's Campania region around Naples.
No one knows for sure when or how the buffalo first got here whether from
Africa and Asia.
Magna
Grecia (Greater Greece) is where Culture, Philosophy, Science, blossomed
to such an extent that completely out shown Grecia Minor, which is not
readily known, and something that Greece is slow to admit to, and Italy
is slow to embrace. Greeks starting to arrive in 8 BC, were entirely Italianized
by 4 BC
"The
Da Vinci Code" grossed $758 million worldwide. "Angels and Demons"
opens in Italy on 800 screens and in some other European territories May
13 before bowing Stateside (on about 3,500 screens) and worldwide May 15.
This time around, the Catholic Church opted for a low-key response, keeping
a lid on the scathing polemics that Sony capitalized on in 2006 when high-ranking
prelates urged a boycott of "The Da Vinci Code"
If
Ms. Lario does file for divorce, it is unclear whether Mr. Berlusconi,
72, will be affected politically. Despite colorful gaffes that would sink
a politician elsewhere, Mr. Berlusconi enjoys more power and popularity
than ever, thanks to the disarray of his left-wing opposition and his brilliant
reading of Italian sensibilities.
Sergio
has a reputation for soothing labor management relations but setting reasonable
goals and being tough on those who disappoint.
'Il
Divo' won the " Prix du Jury" at Cannes last year, that is a biopic of
former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti , but while focusing on
his last term, the film is not really about Italian Politics, but is a
Metaphor about Power.
"Il
Divo" deals with what's been called "the fiendish complexities of postwar
Italian politics. But there's only one you need to remember, one man you
can't forget, and that's Giulio Andreotti, seven times Italy's prime minister.
A journalist stated "You're either the most cunning criminal in the country
because you never got caught, or you're the most persecuted man in the
history of Italy."
It
is NOT true that Madonna has appealed to Geo Bush, and "Good Job Brownie"
for help in Advising Italy on Recovery Efforts, since they did such a wonderful
Job with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans :)
In
the medieval city of L'Aquila, 60 miles north-east of Rome, a 6.3 earhquake
has killed between 150 to 200 people, has injured 1500, and destroyed up
to 15,000 buildings, with 50,0000 homeless. Dozens of remote villages in
the area were also affected, with one old village 99% destroyed,
The
article doesn't explain why it is important to change the border between
a few metres and a hundred metres, at an altitude of 15,000 feet.
!!!!
Fiat's
Stylish Super Fuel Efficient "500"s gives Chrysler an Immediate Attractive
Product , Chrysler provides Fiat with entry into the Big American Market,
necessary to increase Sales Volume to keep up with Escalating Costs for
New Model Development.
Silvio
Berlusconi has conquered Italy, lost it and seduced his way back to the
top. These days, he faces little resistance and it wouldn't be much of
a stretch to say he might stay in office until he dies. With little left
to debate, the thing that interests most about the prime minister is his
relationship to women.
The
bridge will be built over a perilous earthquake fault, but it should be
a big boon to the area, and encourage the building of super roads to Palermo
and Rome, etc, which not only provides jobs, but better roadways promote
commerce generally.
For
the next three months, Beckham will play for AC Milan until May 31.He will
then be available for England's two World Cup qualifying games in early
June before taking a couple of weeks off. On July 1, he rejoins the Galaxy
for the rest of the Major League Soccer season.
Matteo
Renzi, the son of a Tuscan small business owner, at just 29, bested experienced
rivals to win the post of President of the Florentine province, a somewhat
less influential role that is, nevertheless, normally occupied by gray-haired
men. Renzi has focused his efforts on making the provincial government
more efficient and delivering services. In particular, he's improved Florentine
school facilities, expanded recycling and seems to have a solution to flooding
along the Arno river.
House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the nation's highest ranking Italian-American in
elective office - in a speech at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome,
referred to her deep roots in Italy: "My family's background is as diverse
as the map of Italy, with grandparents and great-grandparents born in Abruzzo,
Venice, Genoa, Campobasso and Sicily. My husband, Paul's father was born
in Potenza and his mother in Tuscany."
The
proportion of immigrants accused of crimes of sexual violence has risen
from 9 per cent of the total ten years to 40 per cent today. Communities
are creating groups of "concerned citizens" (neighbourhood watch groups),
and is not the same as condoning vigilante patrols, known as ronde.
Eluana
Englaro, 38, has been in a vegetative state since a car crash in 1992.
Her case has looked much like that of Schiavo, the American who spent 15
years in a vegetative state and was allowed to die in 2005 after a long
court battle. Italy's top appeals court had ruled the feeding tubes could
be removed, but Berlusconi ordered doctors not to act, similar to what
George Bush did in the US Terry Schiavo case.
Americans
have Philip Marlowe and Raymond Chandler. Britons have Sherlock Holmes
and Arthur Conan Doyle. And Italians have Salvo Montalbano and Andrea Camilleri.
salami
requires anywhere from 20 to 120 days to cure, making it popular with chefs
who want to put their house-made stamp on a rustic appetizer. But the best
prosciutto requires 8 to 24 months to transform the salt-covered hind leg
of a pig into a $35-per-pound luxury, a rosy meat that, when thinly sliced,
is a complex, faintly salty delicacy that dissolves into richness on the
tongue. It is nothing short of a miracle. Careful attention is paid
not only to the breed and weight of the pig but also to the way the leg
is boned and trimmed, the type and amount of salt applied and the aging,
cleaning and sealing processes, all of which must be undertaken at just
the right time, under favorable temperatures and humidity.
Veronica
Lario, Sivio Belusconi's wife told La Stampa newspaper, that Barack Obama
, the new US President, "He is a handsome man, he is young and healthy
with a splendid family," "He is perfect for giving Americans their
confidence back"
It
is not reassuring that most of Fiat's stake will be in the form of Retooling
a Plant in the US to produce Fiats, or that the New Nuova Fiat 500 is the
newest Cult car in Europe. The US Car market is in terrible shape, and
the Economy looks like it will get much worse before it gets better, not
a great time to introduce a New Brand.
Lamborghini
sold a record 2,430 vehicles whose prices start at $200,000. Growth in
China, South Korea and the Middle East helped overcome a 20 percent decline
in U.S. sales
As
part of its restructuring, Alitalia has been merged with its biggest domestic
rival, Air One SpA, giving it more than a 55% share of Italy's Lucrative
domestic routes, and has approved a cooperation accord with Air France-KLM,
giving the French-Dutch carrier a 25 percent stake for a payment of EU
323 million
and
other important non-G8 countries during his presidency of G8. The eight
G8 members will meet on the first day of talks and the G5 (China, India,
Brazil, Mexico and South Africa) as well as Egypt will be brought in on
the second day.. The third day will see the involvement of Australia, Indonesia
and major African countries. 