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iss. VII Vol XXVI Fall 2010
•A Broadway’s Look at Vince Lombardi • Interview with Honorable Justice Dominic R. Massaro
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Celebrity Chef
Nick Stellino Recipient of the Italian Trade Commission 2010 Distinguished Service Award
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Umbria Landscape
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Amici Journal Editorial................................................................................................................1
Cover Story
Nick Stellino
Pg. 2-5
Luciano Pavarotti
Top 20 Fashionable Tennis Women
Feelings and Emotions
2010 FIFA World Cup
Pg. 15
Pg. 37
Pg. 42
Pg. 43
Nick Stellino cover story.............................................................................2-5 Italian American History................................................................................6 NIAF 26 monthly news..................................................................................7 Broadway’s look at Vince Lombardi.....................................................8-9 Congressman Manzullo..............................................................................10 Honorable Judge Dominic R.Massaro...................................................11 Pizza with Bullets Feature Story...............................................................12 United Colors of Benetton + Whimsical Design by Kronkron...13 Verdi’s Macbeth Opera.................................................................................14 Joyce Garro + Luciano Pavarotti.............................................................15 Treasurer Maria Pappas + Howard Daudistel + 2nd Amendment............................................................................................16 Garden Walk....................................................................................................17 Bari Travel.........................................................................................................18 History of Vibo Valentia...............................................................................19 St. Peter and St. Paul......................................................................................20 Saint Cabrini....................................................................................................21 English to Italian Puzzle..............................................................................22 Vibo Valentia Center Spread................................................................24-25 Cook to Cook, Cugine to Cugina......................................................28-29 Juke Box Amore..............................................................................................30 Lake Michigan shipwreck...........................................................................31 The Joy of Growing up Italian..................................................................32 Restaurant Guide...........................................................................................33 Mission Out of Camp Evans + War in Iraq..................................34-35 Promises to keep.............................................................................................36 Feelings and Emotions of our Soldiers in Harms Way.....................37 America is waking up!..................................................................................38 Doctor Isadore Rosenfeld............................................................................40 My Italian Family...........................................................................................41 Top 20 Fashionable Tennis Women........................................................42 2010 FIFA World Cup..................................................................................43 Calendar of Events.........................................................................................44 “La Dolce Vita” at Italian Expo 2010 .....................................................45 Advertisers Content.......................................................................................48
Editorial
Benvenuti
“RESTORING HONOR TO AMERICA”
In this edition we have the, Celebrity Chef Nick Stellino. As with all our
covers we are honored to have celebrities grace our journal. And once again, we are honored in compiling Super Star celebrity Chef Nick Stellino with those of past edition Cover stories. With it we bring a number of articles, as we normally feature, in addition, we are also beginning to diversify our articles, in the celebrity section. We will bring to you, as we have in past editions our interesting stories. Eyewitness
On August 28th, in front of the Lincoln Memorial like any other newsworthy event. There were a number of networks that covered this event. However only a few indicated the facts, that the American people seem, disappointed in the way that we are headed. This is why they applauded, a rally such as “Restoring Honor.” Sarah Palin, and a number of political and nonpolitical figures presented their views. This was a non-political rally, and there were no signs to indicate otherwise. Glenn Beck has drew quite a bit of rhetoric, for scheduling on the same date and in the same location as Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, although he has said the timing is accidental. But in the days leading up to the rally, the three networks have looked at the same story very differently. The rally’s organizers the Beck-affiliated 9-12 Project and Mercury Radio Arts have told the National Park Service in their permit application that they expect 300,000 people, however it was estimated, there were 500,000 in the crowd that entered in droves, with a passionate view.. That figure would place it among the largest demonstrations in the Mall’s history, although I am sure, there will be Media outlets, denying this total crowd. Glenn Beck was quoted as saying, they were going to run the event, that happen on the Mall and draw a big crowd,” he said, comparing it to anti-abortion marches and the Million Man March. He added, “It will be judged on the merits, by what people say, how many people are there and by how the crowd reacts to what’s said.” In addition to Beck and Palin, speakers include baseball superstar Albert Pujols and St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa. When Beck announced the event last fall on Fox News and on his syndicated radio program, he promised to unveil “The Plan,” a 100-year outline designed to “save the country.” But the focus of the event quickly changed, with Beck opting for an event that would raise money for a Tampa-based group called the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a philanthropy that assists the families of fallen or injured special-forces personnel. The “Restoring Honor” rally is described by its organizers as a celebration of “our heroes, our heritage and our future” that “pays tribute to America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor,” according to its Web site. The event will feature a “Lincoln Memorial Re-dedication Ceremony. Amici Journal is honored to be amongst those that will continue to preserve and promote our Italian American culture and our shared Italian American Heritage.Send all correspondence to Amici Journal Publications, Inc. P.O. Box 595, River Grove, IL 60171 or email us at amiitalia@sbcglobal.net. Look for AMICI JOURNAL in your local stores, or order through the Internet, www.amiciorgit.net , please call 773-836-1595 for information on our distribution program available! Sincerely Andrew Guzaldo /Executive Editor
Mark Giangreco
Chef Marco Barrila
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Monthly News
Miniseries “The Pacific”
Opera singer Sandra Radvanovsky
iss. VII Vol XXIV Summer 2010
Exclusive Interview With
Maria Cucinotta Actress - Director -Writer
Cover Maria Cucinotta.indd 1
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“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln Fall 2010 / 1
Celebrity Chef
Nick Stellino
TV Star of New Series “Nick Stellino Cooking With Friends 2” Recipient of the Italian Trade Commission 2010 Distinguished Service Award
By Andrew Guzaldo As they say, it takes all kinds of spokes to make a wheel turn. However, Nick Stellino is not just a spoke, he is also the entire wheel that keeps them in place. Chef Stellino is optimistic, affectionate and driven. Not in an ambitious way but rather in a passionate persona, one that he shares and is proud of his heritage. He is the epitome of passion in an Italian way, and in particular about food. He could make any person want to be Italian. This is not to say that he is not goal oriented. He has accomplished a great deal since coming to America in 1975 at the young age of 17. When you would sit down, and a conversation with him, he somehow makes you feel like you are long lost friends and you have known him for many years. He is a man with strong family roots, with a devotion of respect and admiration to those who influenced him and formed his character. In conversation, he often speaks of his uncle Giovanni. He quotes him as saying, “You should never die without having followed your dreams” Stellino was born in 1958 in Palermo. It was around that time that his father, Vincenzo, a Palermo art dealer, began to make a plan to go to America. He went as far as hand picking the ship for the crossing, the Marriuccia. Ironically, Vincenzo had applied for immigration as a chef. This just happened to be the profession that had the best chance for approval. But with Nick’s arrival his plan changed. The family came first and they decided to stay in Sicily. Of course as Chef Stellino gets only the best for his recipes for his show “ any good parent would tell you nurturing Nick Stellino, Cooking With your children and the stability of family Friends II” life are higher on the priority list than personal dreams. Nick Stellino has dedicated his work to his father Vincenzo, who has since passed away. This sad experience also taught him a lesson, “whatever we have will end”. He also was forced to realize, that life is shorter then one would like. Following in his father’s footsteps, Nick knows that there are other options. So his motto is “get busy living, or get busy dying”. No wonder he is hard to keep up with. He does everything to stay busy with things he loves. There are many projects that Nick is currently working on now. Many of these are so elaborate that some people couldn’t even imagine them. His most recent project is a television show that will be on PBS next April. This collaboration has started filming in August 2010. Not only is he taking on this giant production but he will also focus his talents at producing a cookbook, with the same name as the TV show “ Nick Stellino, Cooking With Friends II”. The scenario of Chef Stellino’s show, will be cooking with friends on a studio, but there are going to be also outdoor shots like cooking on fields, or going to various venues… This incredible production is the fruit of a 2-year devotion and response to non-stop calls from many influential people who want commemorate the anniversary of his 15th year culinary career on the air. This will involve showcasing Nick’s fanfare and friendships with features like John Tesar, Former Executive Chef, of The Mansion on 2 / Fall 2010
Turtle Creek, A Rosewood Hotel in Dallas, sharing his story as a New York transplant who goes from hand washing silverware in the Hampton’s to taking the reigns at a culinary institution. Nick will also inspire us with Rick Moonen, who opened his multileveled restaurant RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. We will also be introduced to Ken Rathbun a four-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef of the Southwest” award (2000 - 2004). Another of Nick’s features will be Andy Husbands of Tremont 647 in the heart of Boston’s South End and who’s blue-medal-winning team, has been dominating BBQ competitions all over New England. But this is not all; the list goes on and on. Others include Oceanaire Seafood Room VP Wade Weistling, one of the Peninsula’s best Chef Lawrence C. C. Chu, Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun’s, Krog Bar (2005), and Kevin Rathbun Steak (2007), Gale Gand a Chicagobased pastry chef, cookbook author, television personality, and was the host of the Food Network show Sweet Dreams, 2009 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Northwest, Maria Hines and owner of Tilth Restaurant in Seattle, Syvain Delpique one of the Top 5 Rising Chefs in the U.S. as noted by GAYOT and of course not to miss Executive Chef Michael Galata of Osteria Del Circo, New York and a host of other celebrities. Wow, that was exhausting. With features like that, it’s sure that Nick’s new show will be a success. As you can see Nick Stellino Productions is busy with many projects like custom cooking books, social media books, as well as website designs. Some of the big name brands that Nick is working with are Domino and C&H sugar, Artesa Wines, Electrolux, Pompeian Olive oil, San Pellegrino , Acqua Panna and Sears Hometown Stores amongst others. Of course, the majority of time is consumed by his love of the culinary arts. Nonetheless, Nick is a world-renowned man. One could almost say a Renaissance Man. Nick Stellino, coming from humble beginnings is well aware of those that are in need. In essence, for that reason, he is a steady provider for charitable organizations. Stellino prides himself as being down to earth and knowing how to share. He has been involved in a variety of Charity organizations. One such organization is the Red Cross. Nick’s endeavors began with his involvement in the planning and development of the Gala Dinner for the Red Cross. On the first year of his of relationship with the Red Cross the end result was to make $100 thousand dollars for the organization. Last year, this collaboration reached a record breaking $300 thousand dollars. Not to mention that this Gala served a dinner for 480 generous guests. Nick Stellino is the recipient of the Red Cross Humanitarian award of the year 2010. More recently Nick received the Italian Trade Commission Distinguished Service Award for 2010. These were among many awards he has received in the past years. Nick is proud of every one of them, and holds them dear to his heart. So as a true Renascence Man Nick Stellino’s interest, in a plethora of worldly endeavors. To the point that he has even achieved Nick Stellino at the set preparcameos in like his appearance in the hit ing for the show “ Nick Stellino, Cooking With Friends II” Movie Twilight With all these accomplishments, he now wants to share his knowledge and expertise with the all who are interested. What better way than to do what he does best, cooking, writing cookbooks and televising his cooking show?
As of today, Chef Stellino has written over 8 fascinating cookbooks! And if that is not enough he has his 9th, newest is soon to be published. • Cooking With Friends, • Dine In, • Mangiamo, • Passione: Pasta, Pizza and Panini, • Family Kitchen, • Mediterranean Flavors • Glorious Italian Cooking, • Nick Stellino’s Cucina Amore • Nick Stellino Cooking With Friends 2 When asked, how he keeps up with such a busy schedule he replied “I sleep with a notepad with me in bed, I believe that great ideas come to mind when one sleeps. So I make sure I note my ideas.” This is a clear insight into how his goals are achieved. Everyone knows that a “to do list” can help but only if it is put to use. His is not just a to do list. It is a list of goals and brilliant ideas which he has definitely put to use. Nick wouldn’t agree with this simple description of his success. He has worked hard and of course his career is the fruit of that hard work. Regardless of how sweet success really is only those who truly seek it taste it. In Nick’s case his passion for success outranks all of the obstacles he has encountered. Therefore, he continues to taste success. When asked to describe this passion for success, he says the following; “Everything hasn’t come easy to me, but I am told that I am not a cooking star anymore, that I’m too old, too fat, that I’ve done enough etc. But for me it’s a pride and passion within me, and if I would listen to them I wouldn’t be me”. That is so true. As you can see Nick is not a quitter. As he puts it, “You cannot win a race without starting. If you want to quit it’s ok, but you never know how it would end if you don’t try it to the end” Once a year Nick goes to Italy to spend time with his mother, in Palermo. But when he is there he cuts himself off from the world. Nick replies, “I don’t pick up any business calls and I don’t do anything for the media. When I am there I’m mom’s 14 year boy again”. That desire to be in the sanctuary, of boyhood time when your mother’s love sheltered you is clearly understood by many of us. For those whose life is full of passion for life and success, it is probably more difficult to achieve. But clearly he somehow makes it all work. Nick Stellino success and passion sure have made him a star, not only in cooking but also in life. As we said before, when you spend time with Nick you enter his world the epitome, of passion in an Italian way and in particular about food. He could make any person want to be Italian, and to those that are surely proud to be so! In ending Nick replied “Why I do what I do! I love my wife, and the way she has designed our small garden. To me it has become a refuge from all that is stressing and unpleasant. I might be a good Chef, however my wife is a far better gardener, then anything I can do in the kitchen. So the next time, someone will ask me, why I do what I do. My answer is quite simple; it’s all about a slowly sipped martini, and walking around our “Imperial Garden” and holding my wife’s hand!” Fall 2010 / 3
Recipes by Nick Stellino Nick Stellino’s Mantova’s Cannelloni
Chicken Scaloppine Marsala
Ingredients
Ingredients
• 1 recipe Fresh Pasta Sheets Medium Batch or 1 pound of Store-bought dry cannelloni or manicotti • 1 recipe Tomato Sauce Mantovan • ½ pound Ricotta cheese • ½ pound fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼ inch dice • 6 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese • ¼ pound Prosciutto, finely chopped • 2 Eggs • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Parsley • ½ teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
Marsala Sauce • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 5 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced • 1/2 cup chopped onions • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes • 1 cup Marsala wine • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 2 tablespoons softened butter mixed with 2 tablespoons flour into a soft paste (optional)
Directions
Chicken Scaloppine • 2 pounds chicken scaloppine, pounded thin • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon pepper • 6-8 tablespoons flour • 8-10 tablespoons extra-light olive oil • 4 ounces grated Romano cheese
Prepare the Fresh Pasta Sheets. Prepare the Tomato Sauce Mantovan according to the directions on page xx. P\lace a large pot of water on to boil. Lightly grease a 9” by 13” lasagna pan or baking dish. Cut the fresh pasta sheets into 5-inch squares. Fill a large bowl with ice water mixed with a few extra tablespoons of olive oil. Cook 3-4 pasta squares at a time in the boiling water to al dente, about 1 minute. Or if you are using dry pasta, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Lift the pasta out and plunge them directly into the ice water. Drain and place the pasta flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta. If you are stacking or storing the pasta for later use, be sure and brush or spray each piece with a little extra oil to prevent them from sticking together. Cover the cooked pasta with plastic wrap until ready to use. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella and 1 ½ cups of grated Parmesan. Stir in the proscuitto, eggs, parsley, and the pepper to form a thick cheese filling. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread half of the tomato sauce Mantovan on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon ¼ cup, of the cheese mixture onto the middle of each pasta square. Roll the cannelloni into fat cigars and place, seam side down, onto the tomato sauce in the pan. If you are using dry pasta, fill each piece with a pastry bag. Repeat with the remaining pasta and cheese filling. Drizzle the cannelloni with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Bake the cannelloni in the preheated oven until completely heated through and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cannelloni rest for 5 minutes before serving.
4 / Fall 2010
Directions Marsala Sauce: Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat until the garlic starts to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and red pepper flakes, and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and stir up any brown bits that might be clinging to the bottom of the pan. Boil for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and pepper. Bring to a boil once again and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If you like the sauce thicker, bring it back to a boil and add the butter-flour paste, 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking well and waiting 1 minute before adding more of the paste, until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. Stir well and keep warm. For the scaloppine: Sprinkle the chicken scaloppine with salt and pepper. Dust the scaloppine lightly with flour, shaking to remove the excess. Heat half of the olive oil in a large saucepan on high, and quickly brown half of the chicken on both sides for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a paper-lined platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining oil and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken. Bring the Marsala Sauce to a boil, add the chicken, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Place the scaloppine on a serving tray, spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with Romano cheese.
Pasta “Sidewalk Cinderella” Pasta Puttanesca
Chocolate Zabaglione Zabaglione al Cioccolatto con le Fragole Marsalate
Ingredients
Ingredients
• 3 quarts water (salt optional) • 4 tablespoon olive oil • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, cut in half • 4 garlic cloves, sliced • 1 tablesppon drained capers • 1 tablesppn snchovy paste • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley • 1 1/4 cups Chicken Stock • 1 cup Tomatoe Sauce • 1 pound pasta - ziti, penne or spaghetti • grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)
• 1 cup sweet Marsala wine, divided • 1/4 cup sugar • 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate • 8 egg yolks • 8 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Directions
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil with or without the optional salt. Pour the olive oil into a large saute pan set on medium heat and cook stirring well to dissolve the anchovy paste. Add the parsley, chicken stock and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until just tender. Drain well and add it back to the pot. Pour the sauce on tip of the pasta and cook over medium heat, stirring well to coat the pasta with the sauce, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the Romano cheese, if you wish.
In a bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the Marsala wine and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the strawberries and mix well. Let marinate for at least half an hour. In a small saucepan, melt the cream and chocolate over low heat. Set aside and keep warm. In the top of a double-boiler, whisk the egg yolks and 8 tablespoons sugar to a creamy consistency, beating well for about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the egg mixture, or you will make sweet scrambled eggs. Remove from the heat and add the remaining Marsala wine. Bring the pan back over the heat and continue to whisk until the egg mixture almost doubles in size, 3 to 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Add the melted chocolate cream to the egg mixture and continue to whip it with the whisk. Divide the marinated strawberries among six to eight serving bowls, top with the Chocolate Zabaglione, and decorate with the optional sweetened whipped cream and grated chocolate, if you like.
Chef’s Tip: It’s vvery important that cooked past not sit around waiting to be saucedas it will quickly develop a gummy texture. Always wait until the sauce is ready before cooking your pasta and toss the cooked pasta immediately with thr sauce.
Optional Garnish: • Sweetened whipped cream and grated chocolate for topping
Chef’s Tip: For an elegant presentation, serve in martini glasses and top with a whole strawberry.
Fall 2010 / 5
ITALIAN-AMERICAN
H I S T O RY 1920’s
One of America’s favorite entertainers, James F. Durante (1893-1980) was born in 1893. Although his formal schooling ended in the eighth grade, he learned to play piano, eschewing his father’s preference for classics, he opted instead for the popular ragtime of his day. Durante’s career received a big boost when he teamed up with them in the “Clayton, Jackson, and Durante” act that became one of the most popular nightclub acts of the 1920s. He also wrote a number of comedy tunes such as “Inka Dinka Doo” and “Umbriago,” and starred in Broadway’s 1929 hit musical “Show Girl.”
1930’s
Giulio Gatti-Casazza (1869-1940) who was born in Udine, Italy was the beneficiary of extensive education at major universities as well Genoa’s Naval School of Engineering. He left the world of engineering, however, to conduct the opera orchestra in Ferrara. From there he went to La Scala Opera House in Milan where he gained such fame that in 1908 New York’s Metropolitan Opera House invited him to become manager and director. He served until 1936, a tenure longer than anyone at the Metropolitan.
1940’s
Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) was an incomparable Italian American legend. In 1939 Frank was discovered singing in a local club by famous bandleader Harry James who hired him as his featured singer. Sinatra, was more than merely a singer, he was a phenomenon able to inject a sexual element that was enormously attractive to young female audiences who swooned deliriously. By 1944 Sinatra was recognized not only as the nation’s premier popular male vocalist, but also one whose style became the model for a whole generation of singers.
1950’s
Concetta Rose Marie Francanero born in 1938 in the Italian section of Newark. Recognizing that she had musical talent, her father presented her with an accordion when she was three years old. At 10 years of age she began to appear on Arthur Godfrey’s popular television program and at his urging changed her name to Connie Francis. Her first big hit, “Who’s Sorry Now” in 1958, sold a million records and propelled her into the first ranks of popular singers. 6 / Fall 2010
1970’s
Mario Puzo (1920-1999) became one of the most famous and perhaps controversial Italian American novelists and screenwriters. Sex, violence and crime were the ingredients that Hollywood desired and these were what he was determined to provide in his 1964 work The Godfather. A best selling book, it naturally drew Hollywood’s interest, especially that of director Francis Ford Coppola, who was also of Italian heritage. Puzo and Coppola teamed up to become screenwriters that prepared the work for the screen with the movie “The Godfather” the result. The movie was a huge hit and winner of nine Academy Awards in 1972.
1980’s
In 1975, a group of prominent leaders in both the private and public sectors including several Italian American members of Congress formed the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). The objective of the organization was to establish a presence in Washington, D.C., in the hopes of bringing attention to specific Italian American issues in the nation’s capital and to provide an umbrella organization for the nation’s significant Italian American population. Accordingly, NIAF is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation, legally incorporated in the District of Columbia, dedicated to preserving and protecting Italian American heritage and culture.
1990’s
Lou Carnesecca (1925- ) became Archbishop Molloy High School. He went on to become the coach of the highly respected St. John’s University basketball team from 19661970 and from 1974-1992. The number of victories during his time at St. John’s, 526 versus 200 losses, rendered him twenty-fourth in winning percentages among all time Division I winning basketball coaches. Having 18 seasons in which his teams won 20 or more games were among the highlights of his long career that led one rating service to name him National Coach of the Year in 1981 and another in 1985. In 1991 Carnesecca was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame. He was also honored by the Italian government with the title of Cavaliere and was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
NIAF News Monthly A monthly bulletin for Italian American organizations and media outlets, dedicated to promoting the language, culture and traditions of Italians and Italian Americans.
October 2010 Celebrate During The Month Of October October is the perfect time to visit Italy if you are interested in attending a food festival. Alba, Italy’s Piedmont region, holds an annual festival for its white truffles or “trifola.” In addition to a truffle market, the event also includes a donkey race in which the districts of Alba compete against each other. Romans believed truffles were the food of the gods and considered them an aphrodisiac, but during the Middle Ages people became more fearful of their powers. Truffles are ideally eaten thinly sliced over simple dishes. In Montalcino, Tuscany, “La Sagra del Tordo,” or the “Feast of the Thrush,” is celebrated on the last weekend of October. The festival involves not only large feasts and processions, but also an archery contest between four neighborhoods: Pianello, Travaglio, Ruga and Borghetto. Not all Italian festivals have deep roots. One newcomer is Eurochocolate, an annual gathering of chocolate producers and consumers in the piazzas of Perugia, home of the famous Baci chocolates. Begun in 1982, this festival of cultural events, tastings, summits and shows draws chocolate lovers from around the world. If you are staying in the United States in October, National Italian American Heritage Month is celebrated every October. NIAF will hold its annual convention and gala as well as the release of its public service announc ments celebrating our rich heritage. View them at www.niaf.org.
Prayers For The Italian Soul Since mealtime gatherings are an important Italian tradition, readers may find this book usful: “Bless This Food: Ancient & Contemporary Graces from Around the World,” an anthoogy of mealtime blessings. For each prayer, author Adrian Butash provides biographical information about the composer and context, as well as a few words about the value of the prayer. Butash includes prayers composed by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Father John Giuliani, a priest of the diocese in Bridgeport, Conn., who in 2006 won a Mother Teresa Award. Giuliani’s prayer reads “Bless our hearts to hear in the breaking of bread the song of the universe.” The book also includes a child’s grace in American Sign Language and a guide to saying “Bless this food” in 19 languages—including Italian. Visit www.adrianarts.com.
NIAF Council Member Helps With Community Initiative NIAF Council Member Bert Cutino, co-founder and COO of the Sardine Factory Restaurant in Monterey, Calif., helped established the Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy. For at-risk youth and first-time offenders, the Academy provides an opportunity to gain classroom training, work experience and transferrable skills that will help them become employable in the culinary and hospitality industry. Students enrolled in the program will work with academic instructors that will help them meet the California standard requirements to obtain their high school diploma. Cutino explains this initiative serves as a benefit not only for Monterey County’s troubled youth, but also for the county’s economically vital hospitality industry. “Restaurants and hotels are always looking for trained staff,” Cutino said. “In the culinary center, we’ll teach everything they need— from knife skills and sanitation, to service and wine pairings—so the kids can get the jobs they need and the hospitality businesses can get the employees they need.” To learn more about the Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy or to make a contribution, call 831-444-3533 or go to www.ranchocieloyc.org.
Italian Experience In The Big Apple What began only a year ago as a blog about the Italian experience in New York City has developed into a full bilingual web site, www.nuok.it, that features articles and interviews and allows readers to share their own eperiences in the city through an iPhone app and a photo-sharing site. The site originally featured only content written in Italian, but has since launched a growing English-language section: Nuok in English. In addition to interviews with Italian celebrities and residents of New York City, the site also features sections like “Hmus”—discussions about America, Italy and the futures of each. Nuok has also designed a second site, “This is Nuok,” that offers an Italianlanguage guide to the city based on its subway lines. A reality television-style documentary is in development. Visit www.nuok.it.
Popular Children’s Series Will Be Available in Italian Popular children’s series “Bobby Boo World” will soon be available in Italian. The first volume, “Bobby Boo e la Babysitter a sorpresa,” will be followed by additional releases in Italian. The stories emphasize interaction with a website, www.bobbybooworld.com, and encourage youngsters to have fun and do good works. The Italian adaptations are the work of NIAF Council Member Mario DiBlasio, M.D. and Maria Di Blasio Ricci.
Search for NIAF on Facebook & Twitter for latest events! News Monthly Coordinator Natasha Borato 1860 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 Contributing Writer Gina Ghilardi and Ginan Nakshbendi, Research Carlo Piccolo, Director of Communications Elissa Ruffino, Director of Pubilcations Monica Soladay Please send your group or city’s news of Italian-American exhibits, cultural events, scholarships and special events to Elissa Ruffino at the above address or e-mail elissa@niaf.org. Events/programs noted are not necessarily endorsed or sponsored by NIAF.
Fall 2010 / 7
Broadway’s look at
Vince Lombardi: Inside the man and the legend
By Joe Cosentino
There are many men and women who are considered sport’ icons in the world. Their accomplishments have been well documented. Like Babe Ruth, who is synonymous with baseball, and so many others who have left an indelible image on the field of play and are enshrined in Halls of Fame across the continent; they are larger than life and even bigger into the hereafter. These sports figures are blessed with superior skills and minds that allow them to rise above all others and achieve the accolades their talents require. They live on in the minds of sports fans after the final out, buzzer or whistle that ends the competition.
No one man or woman deserved that status more than Vince Lombardi, the head football coach of the Green Bay Packers, one of the greatest teams in sports history. Lombardi was a huge presence not only on the football field, but was an imposing force in the NFL as well as in the lives of the players and people he encountered. Lombardi professed that “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”. He made players rise to reach new levels of skill and reshaped a ragtag team into a winner. The formula for excellence is more than just talent and ability. He emphasized that hard work and desire are essential components of success in any field of one’s interest.
He is so revered for his sheer force in professing a victorious attitude, the NFL named its championship trophy after him. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the NFL Super Bowl. Now the great coach is the subject of a new play, “Lombardi” written by Eric Simonson and based on the book, “When Pride Still Mattered: A life of Vince Lombardi” by David Maraniss. The play opens on Broadway’s Circle in the Square on Oct. 21 (Previews begin Sept. 23). The play cuts to the heart of the man and the legend. “Lombardi is a man who overcame great adversity late in his life,” said Joe Favorito, the associate producer of ‘Lombardi’. “He was not a perfect person, he sacrificed a lot to be successful and that’s reflected in the play.” Favorito, who like Lombardi graduated from Fordham University, has teamed with co-producers Tony Ponturo and Fran Kirmser to merge sports and drama on the Broadway stage. Eric Simonson was brought in to carve a 90-minute play from more than the 500 pages of Maraniss’ book. Simonson, an accomplished writer and director, is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble in Chicago. He has received six Tony award nominations and received the Academy Award in 2006 for his documentary short “A Note of Triumph”. “I read the book many times,” said Simonson, who grew up in Wisconsin. “I had a lot of the information in my brain. I needed to find a dramatic story that I could tell … as I was writing the characters and their relationships, all the information that I felt was important fell into the play.” The play covers a week in Lombardi’s life during the 1965 NFL season between the overtime win, 13-10, against the Baltimore Colts to the NFL Championship win, 23-12, against the Cleveland Browns. It was the Packers third NFL championship in five years. The Packers were in the midst of an amazing run that would include winning the first two Super Bowls; in 1966 over the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, and over the Oakland Raiders, 33-10, in 1967. Those two wins forever cemented the Packers
8 / Fall 2010
and Lombardi into legendary status as one of the greatest teams in NFL history and elevate Lombardo to be deemed one the greatest coaches of all time.
Light, who is a veteran stage actor, gained fame playing opposite on the hit comedy “Who’s the Boss” with Tony Danza. “It’s brings you into the Lombardi house and into the locker room,” notes Favorito. “It will be a great story for Italian Americans, young people who aren’t familiar with the Lombardi legend, a great opportunity for sports fans to embrace Broadway. It’s a great opportunity for people who love theatre to see a story they may not have ever heard before.”
Lombardi was 45 on Feb. 2, 1959 when he became the general manager and head coach of the Packers. He worked in the off-season as a banker and considered giving up coaching when he got the call from the Packers. He had been a successful assistant coach at Fordham and at Army (U.S. Military Academy at West Point) before becoming the offensive coach for the New York Giants. “He had been passed over many times for head coaching positions, due to the ‘old boys’ system that took care of who they wanted,” said Favorito. “He thought being Italian was one of the reasons he was discriminated against and that comes across in the play. It’s not something that was ever really stated.”
Dan Lauria stars in LOMBARDI, opening on October 21, 2010 at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre. Photo © Joan Marcus.
The play is currently in rehearsals at Center on the Square. Directed by Thomas Kail, the cast includes Chris Sullivan as Jim Taylor, Robert Christopher Riley as Dave Robinson, Bill Dawes as Paul Hornung, Keith Nobbs as Michael McCormick, Judith Light as Marie Lombardi and Dan Lauria as Vince Lombardi.
Dan Lauria in LOMBARDI. Photo © Joan Marcus.
“The message from this play is, ‘No matter what you do, if you stay focused and work hard you will be able to achieve a higher level in any field you wish’,” says Favorito. Lauria has a striking resemblance to the great coach. However, he sees no problem portraying the coaching legend. “I understand the man, not just from a football standpoint, but for his passion for what he wanted to do and accomplish,” said Lauria. “I’m getting all the insight about how the man really was from football people and all of a sudden the legend stuff disappears and you get to the person.”
Dan Lauria and Judith Light in a scene from LOMBARDI. Photo © Joan Marcus. Fall 2010 / 9
Pentagon Continues to Send American Jobs Overseas, Weaken U.S. Defense Industrial Base WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today said the Pentagon has again flouted the Buy American Act by planning to use American taxpayer dollars to purchase 21 Russian-made helicopters for use in Afghanistan when a less expensive American-made alternative is available, sending American jobs overseas and weakening the U.S. defense industrial base. In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Manzullo asked the Pentagon to re-evaluate its procurement policies that have continually allowed the Department of Defense to bypass American companies and purchase foreign products with American tax dollars against the spirit of the Buy American Act, which requires at least 50 percent of all goods and services purchased by the government to be made in America. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command recently announced its intent to purchase 21 Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to train Afghans, claiming the Afghans are familiar with the aircraft. American-made Sikorsky Aircraft says its S-61 model is similar in size and ease of operation and is actually less expensive than the Russian version. United Technologies owns Sikorsky as well as Rockford’s Hamilton Sundstrand, which supplies each Sikorsky S-61 with fuel pumping equipment made in Rockford. Manzullo said the Pentagon’s decision to buy Russian instead of American helicopters sends taxpayer dollars overseas instead of putting Americans back to work. In addition, it takes business away from an American defense contractor and further weakens the U.S. defense industrial base, the manufacturing sector that makes weapons that protect Americans from our enemies. “If we can’t start converting the Afghans’ helicopter fleet away from Russian technology now, what makes us think that we’ll be able to sell them U.S.-made helicopters in the future? The Afghan forces will be even more reluctant years from now to buy from U.S. sources with a large contingent of Russian-made equipment already in stock,” Manzullo said. “Now is the time for Afghanistan to bite the bullet and upgrade to better U.S. technology, especially when the U.S. taxpayer is footing the bill and massive unemployment continues to plague the American manufacturing sector.” For many years, Manzullo has been on a mission to change the Pentagon’s misguided procurement policies that often favor foreign companies over American manufacturers. As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, he subpoenaed a 3-star General in 2001 and convinced the Army to cancel a contract for Chinese-made U.S. Army berets and give the work to an American firm. In 2003, he convinced the Air Force to stop using Russian-made titanium in aircraft procurements, which helped to save the U.S. titanium industry when it was on the ropes. Finally, he also persuaded the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Pentagon to change their plans to supply the new Iraqi armed forces with American-made M-16s instead of Russian-made AK-47s when using U.S. taxpayer dollars. Manzullo has also led several legislative efforts in the House to strengthen the Buy American Act. 10 / Fall 2010
Manufacturers Welcome Lipinski-Manzullo Call for Increased Focus on Manufacturing
WASHINGTON -- The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) this week submitted congressional testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection on the “National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010” (H.R. 4692), introduced by Representatives Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) and Don Manzullo (R-IL). This bill would establish a Manufacturing Strategy Board and Task Force with a goal of focusing more attention on manufacturing and coordinating government’s efforts to ensure our nation’s competitiveness. Recently, the NAM unveiled its “Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America,” which details manufacturing’s priorities and calls on lawmakers and candidates to think strategically about the policies needed for manufacturers in the United States to compete in the global economy. While the NAM is encouraged by the Congressmen’s efforts to highlight manufacturing as a priority, as our nation and manufacturing struggle to recover from the recession, we believe the four-year period of review this legislation calls for is simply too long. The reviews should be conducted on a yearly basis in order to remain competitive. “Manufacturers appreciate the leadership of the Committee and Representatives Lipinski and Manzullo in addressing the future of manufacturing in America,” said NAM President John Engler. “But we need to act now with sound policies. Our nation has lacked a comprehensive strategy to bolster manufacturing and help level the playing field in an ever-competitive global marketplace. Our Manufacturing Strategy provides a blueprint for the policies needed to enable manufacturers to create much-needed jobs and compete globally.” Specifically, the NAM Strategy puts forth the following goals: • The United States will be the best country in the world to headquarter a company. We want companies to be based in the United States. • The United States will be the best country in the world to innovate, performing the bulk of a company’s global research and development. • The United States will be a great place to manufacture, both to meet the needs of the American market and serve as an export platform for the world. “The Strategy calls for comprehensive action on critical policies such as tax, energy, education and regulation,” said Engler. “Our nation’s leadership in manufacturing is under fire, and now is the time for lawmakers and those seeking office to embrace and adopt our Manufacturing Strategy.” For more information from NAM, contact Jeff Ostermayer at 202-637-3090.
The Honorable Judge Dominic R. Massaro By John Rizzo It is hard to imagine a time when the American political landscape was more fractious than it is now. It seems like anything a Republican is for, a Democrat is violently against, and vice versa. For any individual and his beliefs to command the respect of both parties these days strikes us as a hopeless fantasy. And yet, “I’m a Republican and I was originally appointed to the bench by Mario Cuomo [a Democrat] and subsequently by George Pataki [a Republican] and David Paterson [another Democrat],” says Dominic R. Massaro, Justice of the New York Sate Supreme Court for a quarter century. That a man who is both trusted and honored by three New York governors should be perhaps the foremost champion of preserving Italian culture in the United States should be of great comfort to all Italian Americans. Judge Massaro is a third generation Italian with Sicilian and Campagnese roots. His grandfather on his Sicilian side was a stone mason who, in 1898, helped build the venerable St. Philip Neri church in the Bronx, where Massaro was born and raised. “Many of the men, like my grandfather, who worked on the reservoirs, were Italian immigrants,” the Judge explains. “Every night, after work, each man would haul a stone from the quarry to the site of the church, which was built from these stones.” No wonder Italian culture has survived in this country for so long when so many of the immigrants worked so hard to establish a spiritual and social center in their communities. “It was history that was my greatest interest as a youth,” recalls Massaro. “I was fortunate to know John La Corte” (founder of the Italian Historical Society of America). “From him I learned things like Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to explore the Hudson River and that an Italian-American, Charles Bonaparte, was the first Director of the FBI.” It is fitting that a man so fascinated with Italian history in his youth would wind up being the current historian of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). Love history as he might, early on Judge Massaro decided not to pursue it as a career. “I turned towards magistry of the law,” he says, “for a very practical reason: one could make a lot more money at it than history.” He earned a bachelors degree in economics and a masters degree in government from New York University, a masters degree in criminal justice from Long Island University, and got his JD from New York Law School. “My first area of specialty was in Labor Relations.” As a public official, he has served as New York city and state Human Rights Commissioner, and on the Appeals Board of the U.S. Selective Service System,
before being appointed to the bench, which, as the Judge points out, is “the highest public achievement for any lawyer.” In his public career, Judge Massaro has earned a host of honors, but it is probably the recognition for his efforts to preserve Italian culture that is closest to his heart. As he puts it, “It’s like rounding out a circle.” One of his most remarkable activities along these lines is heading the American Society of Italian Legions of Merit for the last five years, which regularly awards “mini-grants” to deserving organizations. He was a leader in the seemingly eternal—and now successful—struggle to achieve official recognition for Antonio Meucci as being the first inventor of the telephone. Recently, “I’ve been involved in the effort to have the College Board reinstate Advanced Placement credits for high school students in Italian language studies.” In discussing some of the many famous Italian Americans he has come to know, Judge Massaro mentioned actress Lorraine Bracco, best known for her memorable roles in The Goodfellas and The Sopranos. According to him, “She’s a delightful woman.” Wouldn’t someone like the Judge totally shun an Italian American who has sunk so low as to make a living by perpetuating negative Italian American stereotypes? “There was a time when I was more animated by this issue,” claims Judge Massaro, “and I am not at all in favor of these depictions.” But now he is more concerned with the lack of knowledge about Italian culture by many of those who purport to be its advocates, while spending so much energy demeaning actors who play Italian gangster types in films (roles, by the way, which are very much in demand by the American public). “Every now and then you hear about the Romans,” says the Judge, “and once in a while the Renaissance is mentioned.” But one gets the feeling that Judge Massaro knows he has a long way to go to shed more light on a brilliant culture that should be held in much higher esteem by its direct descendants. So what does the future hold for making Italian culture more well known to more people? “Of course there may be some depreciation,” admits the Judge realistically. But he also believes that “the moral posture” that springs from the magnificent artistry and creative ingenuity of Italy will always assert itself as long as civilization lasts. As he so eloquently states, “We are all trustees of this rich heritage.”
Fall 2010 / 11
Feature Story By Andrew Guzaldo On July 24th, filmmaker Robert Rothbard and producers Romeo Antonio, Mike De Lorenzo, Fred Caruso, Gabe Videla and Jeffery Cordone had their Los Angeles premiere for their award-winning, Indie Festival charmer, Pizza With Bullets to the AcWriter-director Robert Rothbard, 2 startion on Film International lets, cinematographer Tony Palmieri, Film Festival in Pasadena. another starlet, and executive producer Noted actors such as Talia and actor Romeo Antonio. Shire of iconic films such as Rocky and The Godfather, Vinny Pastore of the hit HBO series The Sopranos, and Tony Devon (I Am Legend, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and countless others memorable films and TV shows), and comic Mike Marino (Cookie, Crooks) lead an ensemble cast of hot young Hollywood stars such as Danny Nucci (Titanic, Castle, Criminal Minds), Ronnie Marmo (General Hospital), Caroline D’Amore (Sorority Row, Entourage, 90210), Executive producer and actor Romeo and Toni Trucks (Bar- Antonio, writer-director Robert Rothbard, bershop, Music and Lyrand producer Jeffrey Cordone ics). This movie racked up many awards at this prestigious festival. In addition to Rothbard and Devon winning the Alan J. Bailey award for best screenplay at the Action on Film International Festival, Rothbard also won the excellence in screenwriting award. Talia Shire won the lifetime achievement award and Caroline D’Amore won the best supporting actress award at Action on Film International as well. This film was also nominated for the best editing at the Action on Film Writer-director Robert Rothbard, acInternational Film Festitor Ronnie Marmo, actress Caroline D’Amore, producer Jeffrey Cordone, and val. Other awards this film has won are the Platinum co-producer Jonathan Way. Remi award for romance theatrical film 2010 at the Worldfest Houston International film festival 12 / Fall 2010
Actress Caroline D’Amore walks the red carpet at the Action on Film Festival. She won the best supporting actress award for Pizza with Bullets at this festival.
as well as the Las Vegas film festival Golden Ace award for excellence in filmmaking. At the Garden State film festival, Talia Shire won the Beacon Award Vincent Pastore won the Wave of Excellence award, and Ronnie Marmo won the Robert Pastorelli Rising Star award. Also, Talia Shire received a best supporting actress nomination for the Hoboken International film festival. This film was an official selection at the Garden State film festival, the Worldfest Houston International film festival, the Hoboken international film festival, the Staten Island film festival, the Detroit Windsor International film fest, the Albuquerque film festival, the Rhode Island film festival, the Syracuse International film fest as well as the Action on Film International.
Pizza With Bullets, an audience pleasing romantic comedy, tells the story of Don Vito Perspirino (Vincent Pastore), an aging mob boss who is suddenly revived from his deathbed by the drifting aroma of pizza into his bedroom, delivered by a charming young pizza maker Johnny Casanova (Marmo), who the Don thinks is his long lost son. The Don’s obsession with Johnny sparks dysfunction with the members of his crime family, specifically Gino (Tony Devon), his second in command, who had takeover objectives that have now been thwarted by Don Vito’s reWriterdirector Robert newed health. Johnny is a Casanova engaged Rothbard receives his to gorgeous Lisa (Caroline D’Amore), who’s best screenplay award unaware he’s into the mob (Don Vito’s family) for the film Pizza with for 100 thousand, Bullets at the Action on plus in gambling Film Festival debts. Johnny tries to politely dismiss the Don’s growing fatherly advances while dealing with the evil Gino who wants to knock off both the Don and Johnny. What happens is a sequence of events and funny character clashes that culminates in a surprising confession, happy reunion and just reward for the not so “Good fella’s.” Director Robert Rothbard had this to say about his film, “People wanted to see a feel good movie. Viewers liked the redemption and hope of families being reunited after several decades. The financial struggle of Johnny’s Tony Devon, who character mirrors the current (economic) situplayed Gino in Pizza ation we’re all in. As a director, I was looking With Bullets. for the truth in the characters and authenticity and I got that through my fine cast of actors and also through the support of all the wonderful producers involved with the project as well.” Photos By: Action on Film International Festival
LET IT FLOW - Terry Richardson shoots Sisley’s new campaign with wit, eroticism and freshness LET IT FLOW is the forthcoming Sisley autumn-winter 2010/2011 advertising campaign for the launch of the brand’s new collections for men and women. There are surprises in store. The first is the return of photographer Terry Richardson who, for many years in the recent past, produced Sisley’s best-known, most provocative campaigns. The second is the bond between the look and mood of next winter’s collection and the brand’s DNA, its essential, original, fascinatingly seductive style, an eternal distinctive trait of Sisley apparel. So LET IT FLOW, don’t take ourselves too seriously… Thus, clothes and dress styles are set in the situations and places of daily life: a supermarket, a launderette, a pub. The normality of the atmosphere of suburban New York is seen through Richardson’s unorthodox eye. If, on the one hand, in his paradoxical way he exposes the irony that is behind even the most innocent attitudes, on the other, he perceives and perfectly illustrates the collection’s nature, which seeks above all to play at taking us by surprise. Attraction and mockery, innocence and raciness, boldness and elegance are the magically harmonious opposites of the Sisley style, which Richardson’s photos describe with clear irreverence on the pages of fashion magazines and newspapers and on small and large outdoor advertising in the world starting over the next few weeks. For further information: www.sisley.com www.benettongroup.com/press
Whimsical design by Kronkron I love the colorful, cheerful, whimsical aesthetic of Kron by KronKron shoes. They look like coming right out of the Wonderland after being on a Galapagos adventure and on an African safari. The thick soles and heels make them super-comfy while the use of fine suede, patent leather and velvet put the Kron shoes in the luxury range. Tinted in bold color blocks in mix with white, black and gray, decorated with bows, frills and tassels this could sound a little too much but they can be a true staple in an imaginative wardrobe. Kron shoes are designed by the owners and founders of KronKron, Hugrún Árnadóttir (a fashion designer graduated from Studio Berçot in Paris) and Magni Þorsteinsson (who previously worked as a hairstylist). They have been in the shoe business since year 2000 when they launched their first store and by 2004 they developed KronKron, a fashion-forward store focusing on up-and-coming designers as well as innovative leading brands in the industry. www.kronkron.com Fall 2010 /13
Verdi’s Macbeth By John Rizzo
T
he creative fires ignited by Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal Macbeth from a play to an Italian opera nearly scorched the composer to his soul. He came up with a great opera, but in the process he demonized his most faithful librettist, Francesco Maria Piave, and caused great consternation to all others involved in the project. As we have noted before, Giuseppe Verdi was not the kind of genius, like Mozart and Donizetti, who could abstract his art from his personal feelings, and at this time he had become highly enamored of one poet’s philosophy versus the highly commercialized Italian libretto tradition. But he was still an artist with an artist’s temperament who longed to enjoy the commercial success of his operas, while his dedication to the essence of Shakespeare’s mighty tragedy was absolute. (“This tragedy is one of the greatest creations of man,” he wrote.) And when the opera premiered in 1847, he felt confident enough about its quality to dedicate the work to his benefactor, erstwhile father-in-law and lifelong friend and admirer, Antonio Barezzi, to whom he wrote: For many years, I have intended to dedicate an opera to you who have been my father, my benefactor and my friend. Here now is this Macbeth which is dearer to me than all my other operas, and which I therefore deem more worthy of being presented to you. I offer it to you from my heart; accept it in the same way; let it be witness of my eternal remembrance and the gratitude and love of your most affectionate
VERDI
In 1846, after taking an extended recuperative rest from the travails of his self-described “galley years,” the thirty three-year-old Verdi became ever closer to his friend, Count Andrea Maffei, the estranged husband of Clarina Maffei, whose Milan salon had proved to be so beneficial to the young composer. Maffei was drawn to Verdi like everyone else who ever knew him, like moths to a light. He desperately wanted to write a libretto for the composer, and although creating lyrics was new to him, Maffei possessed solid literary credentials. He was especially respected for his translations of Shakespeare, Milton, Schiller and Goethe. Verdi consulted him while working on Attila and commissioned him to compose the libretto for I masnadieri, which was based on Schiller’s Die Räuber, and which Verdi intended to be performed in Florence during the 1847 Carnival season. Maffei also suggested that Verdi adapt Macbeth, which the composer agreed to, while commissioning Piave to write that libretto. As it turned out, the Florentine Teatro della Pergola could not supply an adequate tenor for the lyrical hero of Masnadieri so, although Verdi had begun work on this opera, lacking the tenor while having recourse to the celebrated baritone Felice Varesi, I masnadieri was temporarily shelved and Macbeth, with its baritone protagonist, went forward. As work progressed on Macbeth, it was clear that Verdi, who had written out a script for the entire opera in prose, was extremely unhappy with Piave’s libretto. “POCHE PAROLE” (fewer words), wrote Verdi to Piave repeatedly. Then the composer insisted on strict metrics, something he had not done before. As the libretto neared completion Verdi wrote to the hapless Piave, “Of course you’re not in the slightest bit in the wrong except for having neglected those last two acts in an incredible way.” And when Maffei re-wrote Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene and the third act Witches’ Chorus, Verdi humiliated Piave further by informing him, “Ah well! Sant Andrea [as the composer called Maffei] has come to my rescue...by changing almost everything.” If that were not enough, Verdi said of Piave’s work, “I wouldn’t have your drama for all the gold in the world.” As a final insult, on the program for the premiere, Piave’s name was not even mentioned. 14 / Fall 2010
Nor did the very respected artists, baritone Felice Varesi (Macbeth) and soprano Marianna Brabieri-Nini (Lady Macbeth) escape Verdi’s narcissistic dedication to perfection. On the evening of the final dress rehearsal, which was in those days attended by many spectators, the prima donna recounts how Verdi insisted on her and Varesi rehearsing the Act I duet one more time, even though the theater was filled with an audience. According to her, in “the foyer,” Varesi complained, “...for God’s sake, we’ve already rehearsed it a hundred and Thomas Hampson fifty times!” to which Verdi responded, “I wouldn’t say that if I were you, for within and Nadja Michael half an hour it will be one hundred and in MACBETH. fifty-one!” What made Verdi act the way he did towards Piave, and why was he so obsessed with Macbeth? To answer the first part of this question we must ask another—why didn’t Verdi have Andrea Maffei compose the libretto (and many subsequent others) in the first place? The man was the Italian translator of Shakespeare, he had probably the best understanding of any poet of what a libretto should be, and Verdi believed his verses to be more “elegant” than those of any librettist available. But we must remember that Verdi had the most profound theatrical instincts of any dramatist since Nadja Michael Shakespeare, and he had seen Maffei’s work on a libretto—the book to I masnadieri. Although most critics agree that Schiller’s Die Räuber is a first class candidate for an Italian opera subject, they also agree that the relative failure of this work is because of a poor libretto. Piave may have been a hack, and Maffei an elegant poet, but Verdi knew that penning a successful libretto requires a specific talent that Piave had and Maffei didn’t. The one could give Verdi what he needed to achieve his artistic goals—the other couldn’t. As for Verdi’s seemingly overbearing posture towards this opera, it’s sufficient to say that it was a genuine Shakespearean Thomas Hampson subject that stirred the composer’s artistic juices as no other had before. Unlike many of his early operas, with which Verdi was more or less content to see sink into obscurity, he tracked the progress of Macbeth’s popularity with great interest. When he was asked to make some revisions for a French production in 1865, he was only too glad to do so. The version we see today includes the 1865 changes while retaining most of the 1847 material. Interestingly, the librettist whom Verdi hired to make the textual changes to the revised version was Francesco Maria Piave. LYRIC OPERA PERFORMANCES OF MACBETH Friday, Oct.1 - 7:30 pm, Wednesday, Oct.6 - 7:30 pm, Saturday, Oct. 9 - 7:30 pm, Tuesday, Oct. 12 - 7:30 pm, Friday, Oct. 15 - 7:30 pm, Monday, Oct. 18 - 7:30 pm, Thursday, Oct. 21 - 2:00 pm, Sunday, Oct. 24 - 2:00 pm, Saturday, Oct. 30 - 7:30 pm For tickets call 312-332-2244, ext.5600, or visit www.lyricopera.org
Joyce Garro is a native of Chicago, and Entertainer of the World
By Andrew Guzaldo
Since Growing up in a loving Italian family with everyone, always singing, music has always been a part Joyce Garro’s life. The music was usually, led by “Nonna” (Grandma), and her Mother playing the accordion, and Dad making up the words to the songs! Joyce began singing and playing the piano in grammar school, she played the organ in church, and was the only kid in the adult choir. In high school, she taught herself to play the guitar; she shortly after then joined a folk group, and acted in musical theatre. In her, first musical playing, she was, Maria in the West Side Story, play. Joyce attended Eastern New Mexico University and went on to perform at the San Juan Bar and Café Melodrama Theatre in Silverton, Colorado and began singing in ski resorts there and in Durango, Co. until she moved back to Chicago and sang in bands like Joyous Noise, Hot and Sunny, before moving to Los Angeles. She was lucky enough, or should we say talented enough that after auditioning with NBC, she became one of the well-known Golddiggers Joyce replied “the best years of my life, with the Golddiggers,” she recalls, was performing in Monte Carlo, Acapulco, Montreal, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles- including Dean Martin TV specials, the Mike Douglas Show, the Tonight Show. One of the highlights of her time with the Golddiggers was a four week tour with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. After only a few years with the Golddiggers, Joyce decided it was time to become a solo artist once again. She performs at many, well known Nightclubs and Showrooms the Los Angeles and Chicago area. She is, blessed to, perform with the best musicians accompanying her. Many times, Joyce will surprise her audience by accompanying herself at the piano or with her guitar. She not only sings in English, but also remarkably enough in Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Armenian, Greek, and even a song in Japanese! Joyce’s jazzy style includes an extensive repertoire of the Great American Songbook. Joyce was twice, honored to sing our National Anthem for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. She has often sung the Italian Anthem for many Italian-American events at the Casa Italiana, in Los Angeles. She’s has even sung the Irish National Anthem in Gaelic for the Ireland Fund Dinner honoring Donald O’Conner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel! Being proud of her Italian American, heritage she continues to perform for many Italian Festivals sharing stories about Dean Martin and singing many of the songs that Dean made famous. Now, that’s “Amore”! Joyce has recorded with many talented musicians, including radio and television commercials. Her most recent CD, “Good Morning, Lord” includes bonus tracks recorded with David Benoit. She continues to perform solo, and with various group combinations for Corporate Events, donates her time and talent to charitable endeavors, including VA Hospitals, and USO shows. Joyce loves a party, and knows the importance of music to make a gathering successful. She earnestly approaches every engagement and has a special gift for choosing music that will best fit your event. With her unique ability, She can easily personalize lyrics, bestowing tribute to a special honoree. Although Joyce was a Dean Martin Golddigger, she continues to dig for the kind of gold that’s found in our hearts. Her spiritual nature reveals itself when she declares her motive is to promote unity and peace through song. This is also evident in her latest CD, “Good Morning, Lord,” which includes many spiritual songs composed by Joyce. Joyce finalizes by her quote “Family is most important, one strives to live a life by the Golden Rule, and the 10 Commandments, always with a song of love in ones heart.” Visit Joyce Garro at www.JoyceGaorro.com
Honoring Luciano Pavarotti
By Sharon Bianconi
Luciano Pavarotti, was born October 12, 1935 and passed, September 6, 2007, an Italian operatic tenor, who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time. He was one of “The Three Tenors” and became wellknown for his televised concerts and media appearances. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others. Luciano Pavoratti, one of the most famous singers of all time, and the greatest opera singers of our century. Now three years after his untimely death, we honor Luciano for his contribution to the world with his music and his humanitarian efforts, which raised millions of dollars for the poor and victims of war. Pavarotti began his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy. He sang in opera houses in the Netherlands, Vienna, London, Ankara, Budapest and Barcelona. The young tenor earned valuable experience and recognition while touring Australia at the invitation of soprano Joan Sutherland in 1965. He made his US debut in Miami soon afterwards, also on Sutherland’s recommendation. His position as a leading lyric tenor was consolidated in the years between 1966 and 1972, during which time he first appeared at Milan’s La Scala and other major European houses. In 1968, he debuted at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera as Rudolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème. At the Met in 1972, in the role of Tonio in Donizetti “La Fille du Régiment” he earned the title “King of the high Cs” when he sang the aria “Ah mes amis ... pour mon âme”. He gained worldwide fame for the brilliance and beauty of his tone, especially into the upper register.[1] He was at his best in bel canto operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles and Puccini works such as La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. The late 1970s and 1980s saw Pavarotti continue to make significant appearances in the world’s foremost opera houses. Pavarotti received seventeen standing ovations after a production of “Daughters of the Regiment” at the Metropolitan arena in New York, a twelve minute standing ovation in 2004 at his last operatic performance at the Met. And is in the Guinness book of records for one hundred sixty seven curtain calls for a performance. Loved by millions all over the world for his beautiful voice, his humility, kindness, generosity and above all his love for all people, He gave us a gift of himself, always wanting to make people happy. May we always remember him, this wonderful Italian man who gave so much. It is told that he received hundreds of letters saying that his music and his voice had helped many to recover from depression, and he answered all of these letters as a priority. He had a voice and manner that cannot and will never be duplicated. He was given a voice from God, and he used it to bring joy to others. May he rest in peace; his memory and his voice will live on forever! Pavoratti Fall 2010 / 15
Pappas Honors Chicagoland’s Ethnic Chambers Of Commerce Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas presents an award of excellence to Diane Van Hoof, chairperson BelgianAmerican Chamber of Commerce, in Pappas’ downtown Chicago office. Chambers of Commerce and business organizations representing many of Chicagoland’s ethnic communities were honored at the gathering. “These organizations help keep ethnic heritage alive by supporting companies owned by members of their communities and encouraging their people to do business with them. Strengthening individual ethnic groups makes for a stronger Chicagoland, which we recognize and honor,” Pappas said.
Pappas Honors Chicagoland’s Ethnic Chambers of Commerce Chambers of Commerce and business organizations representing many of Chicagoland’s ethnic communities were honored today in the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. “Cook County is as diverse an area as our country has, and our ethnic communities are devoted to maintaining themselves and honoring their various heritages,” Pappas said. “That traditionally is done with music, song, dance, food and language. “But the ties that bind are also economic. These organizations help keep ethnic heritage alive by supporting companies owned by members of their communities and encouraging their people to do business with them. Strengthening individual ethnic groups makes for a stronger Chicagoland, which we recognize and honor.” Representatives of 49 ethnic chambers of commerce and business organizations were to receive Awards of Excellence from Pappas in a reception held at 3 p.m. in her office in Room 112 of the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark Street in Chicago. The communities represented included African-American, Albanian, Arab, Asian, Australian, Austrian, Belgian, British, Bulgarian, Canadian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Finnish, French, Ghanaian, German, Greek, Hispanic, Indian, Iranian, Irish, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latino, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malaysian, Mexican, Norwegian, Palestinian, Pakistani, Filipino, Polish, Puerto Rican, Russian, Romanian, Scottish, Serbian, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
Daudistel To Be Named Interim Provost at UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso President Diana Natalicio has announced that Howard Daudistel, Ph.D., Dean of UTEP’s College of Liberal Arts, will be named Interim Provost of the University effective September 1, 2010. “We are most fortunate to have an individual with Howard Daudistel’s extensive administrative experience prepared to assist us during this critical transition in UTEP’s academic leadership,” Natalicio said. “I look very much forward to working with him Howard Daudistel to continue our progress toward becoming the first national research university with a 21st century student demographic.” The provost is the chief academic officer, with responsibility for leading UTEP’s commitment to achieve nationally recognized academic 16 / Fall 2010
program and research excellence while continuing to provide higher education access and opportunities to residents of the Paso del Norte region. A national search process is underway to identify, evaluate and recruit candidates for this provost position, and a permanent appointment is anticipated by the end of the fall 2010 semester. With more than 35 years of service at UTEP, Daudistel is looking forward to his new role. “I am delighted that I can serve the University in this capacity,” Daudistel said. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and deans as well as with President Natalicio to achieve our research and scholarly goals and continue providing outstanding educational services to our students and community.” A graduate of the University of California-Santa Barbara, Daudistel joined the UTEP Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1974. Throughout his academic career he has received awards for his teaching, research and service, as well as grants for research and educational programming from several organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The National Science Foundation, and the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. In addition to serving as Liberal Arts Dean for many years, Daudistel has held numerous administrative positions at the University, including chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Chair of the Social Work Department, Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, interim Chair of the Department of Communication and Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Supreme Court Upholds 2nd Amendment In 5-4 Decision WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court held Monday that the Constitution’s Second Amendment restrains government’s ability to significantly limit “the right to keep and bear arms,” advancing a recent trend by the John Roberts-led bench to embrace gun rights. By a narrow, 5-4 vote, the justices signaled, however, that less severe restrictions could survive legal challenges. Writing for the court in a case involving restrictive laws in Chicago and one of its suburbs, Justice Samuel Alito said that the Second Amendment right “applies equally to the federal government and the states.” The court was split along familiar ideological lines, with five conservative-moderate justices in favor of gun rights and four liberals opposed. Chief Justice Roberts voted with the majority. Two years ago, the court declared that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess guns, at least for purposes of selfdefense in the home. That ruling applied only to federal laws. It struck down a ban on handguns and a trigger lock requirement for other guns in the District of Columbia, a federal city with a unique legal standing. At the same time, the court was careful not to cast doubt on other regulations of firearms here. Gun rights proponents almost immediately filed a federal lawsuit challenging gun control laws in Chicago and its suburb of Oak Park, Ill, where handguns have been banned for nearly 30 years. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence says those laws appear to be the last two remaining outright bans. Lower federal courts upheld the two laws, noting that Supreme Court precedent bound judges on those benches, and that it would be up to the high court justices to ultimately rule on the true reach of the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court already has said that most of the guarantees in the Bill of Rights serve as a check on state and local, as well as federal, laws.Monday’s decision did not explicitly strike down the Chicago area laws, ordering a federal appeals court to reconsider its ruling. But it left little doubt, that they would eventually fall. Still, Alito noted that the declaration that the Second Amendment is fully binding on states and cities “limits (but by no means eliminates) their ability to devise solutions to social problems that suit local needs and values.”
Garden Walk through Elmwood Park, Illinois, or was it?
By Andrew Guzaldo
Recently, in July 2010 there was a Garden Walk through the village of Elmwood Park Illinois. This was conducted by the Elmwood Park Garden Club, Women’s organization. While noted in the local periodical one can see the winner. There were 13 different walk tours in Elmwood Park, Illinois. After reading the results of the above, Amici Journal felt it imperative to see the gardens that were not even mentioned. Although this periodical speaks only of 8 gardens they hesitated to mention the other 5 gardens. So our creative designer/photographer Rita Ostasz of Amici Journal went to the various areas that were not mentioned. It is understandable why the pictures of 4 were not shown however we concluded! In our decision it seems more then just a choice of Garden Beauty. There was another Participant in the 13, which was not even mentioned it was Mr Frank and Tina Piscopo residents at 1724 75th Court in Elmwood Park, Ill. Mr. Piscopo, has cherished his Garden for, he has sweat and toiled in his place of enjoyment for many years. After being notified that he was a participant, he was quite enthused, and with that he began the usual trimming and care to his garden. Only this time, he shinned up his various unique and beautiful statues throughout his magnificent walkway, of history. It seems odd, that his garden, that was walked through by approximately 50 women, from the organization. Did not even mention he was a participant. Therefore we address the following, that we here at Amici Journal find that the Piscopo residence was duped into an ambiguous event, which left a beautiful garden not even mentioned in the prior mention periodical. Upon interviewing the EP Womens Club, that ran the event, I asked how they conducted the winner of the Garden? her reply, to much of my amazment was “We do not pick the winner, that is done by the periodical in question” Therefore we are pleased and honored to do so in our Amici Journal. In comparison to the winner, anyone can see that the beauty of the Piscopo residential garden is resolute in every sense of what a real Beautiful garden is. We admire the Piscopo’s for beautifying the village of Elmwood Park, and hope that the Garden Club, is in agreement with our conclusion!
Fall 2010 / 17
Bari: Italy’s True Taste Of Southern Hospitality By Flora Brunetti Surrounded by three major bodies of water, nestled between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas lies the coastal landscape of the region of Apulia, in southern Italy, on the heel of the boot shaped country. Here lays a magnificent and charming province of Bari, the capital of the region. It is a part of Italy, most known to have had much influence from its neighbors across the Adriatic, Greece, which is only about a six hour ferry ride across the sea. Mostly built around farmland, Bari is beaming with coastal seaside, glorious olive groves and vineyards sure to please the country lover’s needs. Built around friendly people, fresh seafood, and historic buildings, any tourist could find something unique and special about this less visited tourist destination. The region of Apulia has 1000 hours more sunlight a year than the rest of the country which makes this sun drenched area produce some of the best wine. Local wine makers can be found in just about every region and its towns, along with miles of olive trees far beyond your expectations. Filled with the warming charm of the Pugliese people, Bari has real southern hospitality. The biggest tourist destination in Bari would be the town of Alberobello, which has been named a World Heritage Site because of its prehistoric buildings called Trulli, which is a form of construction that is used with bricks without the mortar, and the stones are laid on top of each other. A truly remarkable way of living, stone houses were used because it is much warmer in the south and gives it a more Mediterranean feel than the north of Italy. For a more adventurous perspective of the region, take a bike ride from Alberbello through the lush Valle d’Itria which is one of the prettiest cultural landscapes in southern Italy. The town of Mola di Bari, a place to call home for the owners of Venus Travel, is a charming coastal town that runs along the Adriatic Sea. A seaport town, Mola accounts to most of the seafood and agricultural produce for that region of the country. Mostly flatlands, farms make up most of this vast land and the locals take great pride in what has been passed down to them from generation after generation. The city center consists of the famous piazza and promenade along the water, where you will find most of the locals bustling through their day
18 / Fall 2010
or enjoying an espresso and pastry at one of the many café’s. Take a stroll along Via Pesce and you will be entranced by the smell of freshly baked focaccia bread, since Mola’s bakeries make some of the finest in all of Italy. The piazza is home to Chiesa Matrice, or Mother Church, dating back to the 13th century. Visit the church in September and you will be amazed as the Molese people celebrate the “Festa Della Madonna” where the whole town takes time to honor Mary with parades, music and lots of food. The city of Bari can be great for shopping, visiting cathedrals and Baroque architecture. You will find most of this in the main center of town along with a great view of medieval castles, which can also be seen in the smaller, surrounding towns as well. The region of Apulia has other notable towns such as Andria, where you could visit the Castel Del Monte, one of southern Italy’s most talked-about landmarks. It rises from a hilltop and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle is completely restored with decorative marble columns and fireplaces, and the doorways and windows are covered in corallite stone. Each visitor will experience a taste of authenticity and a fondness for the charm of southern Italy. For real southern hospitality and a taste of the country, southern Italy has everyone beat. The charming province of Bari can stack up to its bigger competitive cities in Italy by having its own unique sense of old world charm and historical landmarks, sure to make any visitor experience, a memorable one. The difference of being in a part of Italy where there are no tourists or major landmarks or city traffic, is you feel like you are truly in the countryside surrounded by humble people and a down to earth way of life.
Regional Dishes
The regional cuisine of Bari include specialty seafood, and vegetable dishes as well as a special type of flour or dough used for breads and pasta, that are not traditionally found in any other part of Italy. These dishes include baked rice with potatoes and mussels, and stuffed peppers, filled with either meat or breadcrumbs. The most famous food items that most people will recognize today that came out of the region of Bari, would be orecchiette, which is pasta shaped like an earlobe, along with the famous tomato bread Focaccia.
History of Vibo Valentia
By Andrew Guzaldo
Vibo Valentia is an agricultural and commercial center, this unique Roman town, was destroyed by the Arabs in the 9th century, and was rebuilt by Emperor Frederick II in the 13th cent.The town has suffered from numerous earthquakes (especially in 1783 and 1905), but Frederick II’s castle still stands. There are also a number of Greek ruins. In 1928 Vibo Valentia was known as Monteleone di Calabria.
The ancient castle known as Norman-Hoehenstaufen Castle was built around 1000 AD and is located on the site of the Greek Hipponion civilization. This is one of the most visited sites in the city due to its heritage and history. The architecture of the castle is quite noteworthy; the nearby temples on the site were used for constructing this ancient castle during the Greek civilizations. In 1783 the castle was damaged quite extensively due to the earthquake but has been carefully restored since then. At the site of the Greek colony of Hipponion are the ancient walls as well as the remains of the eight towers that were found at the location. The walls are quite impressive in size and it is believed that these were mainly built to protect the colony from invasions of the enemies. This Church of Santa Maria Maggiore e San Leoluca cathedral was built in the 9th century in place of an ancient Byzantine basilica. The church is built in the renaissance style of architecture and has a high marble altar built in the 18th century. There is also a sculpture of Madonna Della Neve from the 16th century. The architecture and the interiors of the church are quite impressive; the exterior has been carefully restored to its original glory.
The Church of Santa Ruba is one of the most important churches in Vibo Valentia. The church had been built by Pope Callixtus II and it has quite an interesting style of architecture. Unlike the other churches found in these regions, which generally are built in the Baroque or Renaissance style of architecture, this church has a huge cupola which is inspired from the oriental architecture. The Church of Rosario is located at the site of an ancient Roman temple, dating back to 1337. In the earthquake of 1786, the church was all but destroyed. It has been restored and rebuilt since then. Church of Rosario is built in classic gothic style and the interiors are quite impressive with their attention to details, there are impressive artworks and the altar is quite magnificent. The State museum is located within the Norman Castle and is one of the best museums in the city. The museum showcases the history and culture of the city. It also exhibits various remains and findings that were found from the Hipponion Greek colony in the region. The tours here are multilingual and visitors can get pamphlets and information booklets to know more about the exhibits. Fall 2010 / 19
4 th Century Discovery uncover St Peter and St. Paul through Laser Technology
Archeologist Professor Fabrizio Bisconti , indicating discovery of 4th-century icons: Apostles Peter and Paul in a catacomb under Rome ROME — Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church, guiding researchers through the dank, musty catacombs beneath Rome to a startling find: the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul. Vatican officials unveiled the paintings Tuesday, discovered along with the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew in an underground burial chamber beneath an office building on a busy street in a working-class Rome neighborhood. The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique that allows restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the brilliant dark colors of the paintings underneath. The technique could revolutionize the way restoration work is carried out in the miles (kilometers) of catacombs that burrow under the Eternal City where early Christians buried their dead. The icons were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb of an aristocratic Roman woman at the Santa Tecla catacomb, near where the remains of the apostle Paul are said to be buried. Rome has dozens of such burial chambers and they are a major tourist attraction, giving visitors a peek into the traditions of the early church when Christians were often persecuted for their beliefs. Early Christians dug the catacombs outside Rome’s walls as underground cemeteries, since burial was forbidden inside the city walls and pagan Romans were usually cremated. The art that decorated Rome’s catacombs was often simplistic and symbolic in nature. The Santa Tecla catacombs, however, represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said. “The Christian catacombs, while giving us value with a religious and cultural patrimony, represent an eloquent and significant testimony of Christianity at its origin,” said Monsignor Giovanni Carru, the No. 2 in the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, which maintains the catacombs.
20 / Fall 2010
Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul at Santa Tecla, timing the news to coincide with the end of the Vatican’s year of St. Paul. Pope Benedict XVI also said tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul “seemed to confirm” that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint. Vatican archaeologists announced the image of Paul was not found in isolation, but was part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles – Peter, John and Andrew – surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. “They are the first icons. These are absolutely the first representations of the apostles,” said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs. Bisconti spoke from inside the intimate burial chamber, its walls and ceilings covered with paintings of scenes from the Old Testament, including Daniel in the lion’s den and Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. Once inside, visitors see the loculi, or burial chambers, on three sides. But the gem is on the ceiling, where the four apostles are painted inside gold-rimmed circles against a red-ochre backdrop. The ceiling is also decorated with geometric designs, and the cornices feature images of naked youths. Chief restorer Barbara Mazzei noted there were earlier known images of Peter and Paul, but these were depicted in narratives. The images in the catacomb – with their faces in isolation, encircled with gold and affixed to the four corners of the ceiling painting – are devotional in nature and as such represent the first known icons. “The fact of isolating them in a corner tells us it’s a form of devotion,” she said. “In this case, saints Peter and Paul, and John and Andrew are the most antique testimonies we have.” In addition, the images of Andrew and John show much younger faces than are normally depicted in the Byzantine-inspired imagery most often associated with the apostles, she said. The Vatican’s Sacred Archaeology office oversaw the two-year $73,650 (euro60,000) project, which for the first time used lasers to restore frescoes in catacombs, where the damp air makes the procedure particularly difficult. In this case, the small burial chamber at the end of the catacomb was encased in up to two inches (five centimeters) of calcium carbonate. Restoration using previous techniques would have meant scraping away the buildup by hand, leaving a filmy layer on top so as not to damage the painting underneath. Using the laser technique, restorers were able to sear off all the deposits by setting the laser to burn only on the white of the calcium carbonate; the laser’s heat stopped when it reached a different color. Researchers then easily chipped off the seared material, revealing the brilliant ochre, black, green and yellow underneath, Mazzei said. Similar technology has been used on statues, particularly metallic ones damaged by years of outdoor pollution, she said. However, the Santa Tecla restoration marked the first time lasers had been adapted for use in the dank interiors of catacombs. Many of Rome’s catacombs are open regularly to the public. However, the Santa Tecla catacombs will be open only on request to limited groups to preserve the paintings, she said.
Saint Cabrini,
a Chicago Story
By: Lee DeMars
I was sitting in Ignotz Restaurant on Chicago’s South Oakley Avenue when the owner, Roger, who is well rooted in the neighborhood and Catholic with a devotion to Mother Cabrini, asked me if I might be able to check into an old rumor that she was embalmed at the local funeral home. I had written an article on events that occurred around the early part of the 20th century involving the nearby St. Michael Catholic Church and the fascist influx in this area as a result of immigration from Tuscany. In researching the article I became friends with Robert Bacigalupo, the owner of Anzilotti-Bacigalupo Funeral Parlor, and whose Grandfather opened the Bacigalupo Funeral Home in Chicago in 1895 located at 200 S. state street (under the old numbering system). His recollections were instrumental in my research. To tell the truth I didn’t know much about Saint Cabrini other than she was a Religious Person, well known and revered in Chicago, so I did an Internet search on her and learned that she did die in Chicago in 1917 and that she is now buried in New York. So, as a favor to Roger I called the owner of the funeral home Bob Bacigalupo. Bob, as he told me to call him early on in our previous conversations, was matter of fact as he told me that Saint Cabrini was not embalmed in his Funeral Home but in her room at Columbus Hospital, which she founded. He further stated, in the same direct manner, that following the rules of their order other nuns were present in the room during the procedure. He then floored me with the next fact said in the same factual tone, that her blood had not coagulated and was placed into jugs and sent to Rome looking fresh. I stopped him at this point remembering that she died in 1917 and Bob was 80. Quick math meant that he had been born eight years after her death, so I, a little incredulously, asked him how he knew these things. His answer was immediate, “My Grandfather did it.” Bob told me that his Grand Father brought a casket and special equipment with him to the room because the rules of the order precluded her being undressed for the procedure. A wake and service were subsequently held there. He went on to tell me how his grandparents were friends with SC in Chicago and that she was a dynamic worker who toiled right along side of the laborers building the hospital, even mixing cement and bricklaying. They were also in attendance at her Beatification in Rome and had heard from her order that her blood had arrived there still un-coagulated. I thanked Bob and reported my findings to Roger. By now my curiosity prompted me to learn about her life. Along with the deep respect I gained for her, one little tidbit I came across really touched me. When she was a little girl in Italy visiting her uncle, who was a Priest, she made little paper boats putting violets in them, sending them out in the waters of the nearby canal imagining they were missionaries off to China and India. What a prophetic beginning of an incredible life of service, and an arcane story that came to light close to the 100th anniversary of her death.
Fall 2010 / 21
Fruit -La Frutta-
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Amici d’ italia italian american association
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The purpose and eligibility of Amici d’ Italia (Friends of Italy) is dedicated to the promotion of the Italian American heritage.
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CALL FOR DETAILS JOIN US! So together we can make a difference WE CAN ALL GIVE TOGETHER TO OUR ITALIAN COMMUNITY, AND PUT OUR IDEAS TO WORK!
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“A Country is not a mere territory; the particular territory is only its foundation. The Country is the idea which rises upon that foundation; it is the sentiment of love, the sense of fellowship which binds together all the sons of that territory.” Quote: Giuseppe Mazzini
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CALL: 773-745-6755 FAX: 773-745-8678
Fall 2010 / 27
Cook to Cook, Cugine to Cugina An Interview with Serena Palumbo of “The Next Food Network Star” BY JOHNNY “MEATBALLS” DECARLO Italian-born, Serena Palumbo is one of the finalists on the hugely popular show, “The Next Food Network Star,” which airs every Sunday at 9pm (now in its sixth season). She’s a New York girl whose instructional videos, “Cooking In Manhattan” can also been found on you tube. Serena says her nonna is “the patron saint of marinara sauce.” Can she become a fixture on Food Network? Is there room for two Italian princesses? JOHNNY DECARLO: As a finalist on “The Next Food Network Star,” how do you feel you rate among the competitors this year? It seems that each season, the challenges get more and more difficult. What do you bring to the table (no pun intended) that makes you stand out from the pack to the selection committee? SERENA PALUMBO: First and foremost Johnny, please call me cugina Serena, because I think that if we start talking families we will find that we have at least a great great grandfather in common! As for what I bring to the table...well rustic Italian cooking, of course! I am not a trained chef and I have never worked in a restaurant so obviously I do not have great knife skills like Brad [Sorenson], for example...but I have the taste buds, the curiosity and creativity. I have traveled a lot in Italy and abroad before coming to the US and I am very curious about food so I have eaten some quite unusual dishes. I like to feel like Anthony Bourdain in “No Reservations.” I go to the little restaurants where the food is really rustic and genuine and I take plenty of notes...I have a little red diary where I take notes of flavor combinations and places I have been to and I love. I think this gives me a leg up on all the other finalists. JD: Love the rustic cooking, cugina! Now, another cugina, Giada De Laurentiis, is a mentor with the selection committee and during the premiere episode, Wolfgang Puck jokingly asked if there was “enough room on Food Network for two Italian princesses,” to which Giada replied, “the more the merrier.” Do you think there is more pressure on you to specifically impress Giada, and to show why there is indeed enough room for two Italian-born female celebrity chefs on the network? SP: I think Giada is amazing and I can only hope to be as graceful and classy as she is, her food is great and I actually have all her books, so I am definitely a BIG FAN! During the Camera Challenges it has been great to have her giving us feedback because she is insightful since she has been in this business for many years. Having to cook for her is challenging for me because I want to impress her but most importantly because she is a real expert of Italian food and I do not want to mess up! I see myself as the nerdy Italian cousin of the viewers that is a little funny and clumsy and speaks with an Italian accent cooking like nonna would. JD: She’s definitely an expert; her books are all on my shelf as well! Now, according to your bio, you actually were a ballerina and an attorney. How did you make the transition to chef, and now to television chef? SP: I am still an attorney I work in-house, now. I am no longer a ballerina because I am not so young and flexible (and skinny) anymore. I started my webisodes “Cooking In Manhattan” for fun and I love each and every one of them...I think it is the best hobby I could possibly find, but like every hobby you get more and more passionate each day and when the opportunity of being on the Food Network arrives, you know you CANNOT refuse that. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and also it is a lot of fun, so I decided to give myself a break from the desk job and prove America that we Italians are the best cooks, even if we do not have the official training! JD: Well said. At times, female celebrity chefs aren’t taken seriously and I’ve heard some food critics even infer that many are recognized for being “eye candy” and not for what they cook. What would you say to anyone who may be unsure of your dedication to the culinary arts, and have you found yourself at any disadvantages simply because you are a young, attractive woman? SP: This is a recurring issue for me and for any other good-looking woman in the world. As for me I can say that I have found my place in the sun in the corporate world because of hard work, otherwise I would have been on a plane back to Italy long ago. I’d rather be evaluated for who I am and what I do than the way I look. Good-looking women can cook, as much as anyone else, the fact that nature and genetics are on your side does not mean that you are just an eye candy. I am 28 / Fall 2010
sure you love your mother’s meatballs and they are delicious…and I am also sure that your mom is a very good-looking lady, right? JD: She certainly is, and my whole passion for cooking stems from her and my grandmother. You mentioned your web series, “Cooking In Manhattan,” which has a pretty large following. I actually first learned about you by watching you cook meatballs on that show. Obviously meatballs are my favorite food, and you put a few twists on that recipe by not frying them and by adding lemon zest. They look delicious! How did you come up with these particular twists, and do you often add your own personal touches to such classics? SP: Oh my meatballs are really good! You should try them…I love classic Italian dishes but I often personalize them. For example I put cinnamon and cumin in Bolognese Sauce and marinate lamb in a mint chimichurri, and make pannacotta with Greek yogurt. Cooking is the only outlet for my creativity so I try different things…sometimes certain recipes come out from the pantry because I did not have time to buy fresh ingredients, some other times I have way too many tomatoes and I need to use them before they go bad! JD: I would love to try them! Maybe we’ll face off and let Bobby Flay judge! Just kidding! If you had to pick, what is your favorite food to cook and your favorite food to eat? SP: My favorite food is seafood but I am finding myself craving pizza now that I do not live in Naples anymore (I went to law school there)….I have not been experimenting with pizza much but I eat a lot of seafood so I guess that would make it one of my favorite ingredients to cook with. Second only to eggs, because a frittata can be the highlight of your breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it is the ultimate blank canvas. JD: My grandparents were born in Italy and I’ve traveled there myself, so I often compare the differences and similarities between my family’s dishes and what I ate in Italy to the Italian and Italian-American food here in New Jersey and New York. You were born in Salerno and have been living in the U.S. since 2004. How would you say the food in Italy compares to the food in America, in particular the East Coast? SP: Italian American food is the ultimate melting pot (no pun intended). It is nice to see the traditions of Italian cooking coming together with the American trends. Some people are very snobbish about Italian American food but I beg to differ, it is like every other aspect of culture: if you move to another country you bring your roots with you and you mix your traditions with the ones you find where you go. In the East Coast in particular the relationship between Italian food and Italian American food is blurred because the connection between the two is still very strong. This is what I love about Italian food actually, it is the common denominator to so many countries and to be honest with you I still have not found a single person that does not appreciate it. JD: As an East Coast guy, I pride myself on discovering Italian restaurants that serve true Italian cuisine like pizza Napoletana, which is what I consider REAL pizza. I personally have found that too many establishments (especially a lot of the franchises) skimp on the quality of ingredients and a lot of what they try to pass off as “authentic” are not even close to that. How does the food on the West Coast (where “The Next Food Network Star” was filmed) compare to the East Coast in that regard? SP: I cannot agree more on the pizza Napoletana, that I consider the one and only PIZZA. I recently started craving pizza because when I was living in Italy it was easy to find one, but now…not so much. I do not like franchises so I look for pizzeria that have a real Italian Pizzaiolo making my pizza. I am a big fan of traditional toppings, no pineapple for me thank you very much! West Coast pizza is more influenced by trends…I like my pizza old fashioned, but that does not mean that I would not try it! JD: As someone who does food demos myself and is familiar with the
“entertainment factor” that has to be added in when you are cooking in front of cameras, I think you’d probably agree that it’s pretty difficult to cook on TV, while simultaneously being informative and entertaining at the same time. Is it nerve-wracking, and if so, what is your secret to always keeping that smile on your face? SP: I focus on the message that I need to convey! I am very talkative both because of my national origin (Italians are chatty if you haven’t noticed) and because of my job as an attorney. I have learned to edit myself a little and focus on the tips and tricks I want to teach people…I think the best suggestion I can give is to accept yourself with all your quirks and trust that the public will like you because of who you are…even if you are nerdy like me! JD: Well my large, talkative Italian family and me are all rooting for you! I know you can’t say whether or not you actually won the title of “The Next Food Network Star,” but regardless of that, do you see yourself as someone who will remain in the public eye on TV no matter what? SP: Obviously I cannot disclose anything but I can tell you that I love teaching people how to cook. It is such a basic need and still in New York so many of my friends eat take-out every night. I would love to help in resuscitating the tradition of the family dinner, preparing food together as an enjoyable activity and not as a boring but necessary task. I have a busy lifestyle and still I try to cook as much as possible and my husband helps me out a lot, he is the sous chef in the kitchen. The atmosphere in my kitchen is very similar to the one that you could feel in my house in Salerno. If I have the chance to bring back the playful aspect of cooking and the pleasure of having all the family preparing dinner and sitting together at the table, I would love to do that! JD: You know that’s exactly what I try to do, recreate that old-school family experience. I had that growing up, and it’s a shame that this is dying out in 2010. But we can revive it for sure cugina! It was a pleasure chatting with you, and I wish you the best of luck and continued success. Follow Serena on “The Next Food Network Star,” every Sunday at 9pm, only on Food Network!
Johnny “Meatballs” DeCarlo is a New Jersey celebrity chef and a weekly food and entertainment writer. Johnny conducts meatball demonstrations and cook-offs at various specialty stores, pizzerias and Italian feasts. In the fall of 2010, he will be featured on a new major cable series. To read Johnny’s blog, CUGINE CORNER, check him out at: www.i-italy.org/bloggers/cugine-corner Fall 2010 / 29
Juke Box Amore
By Cookie Curci
As a writer of nostalgia, I revel in enjoying the memories and passions for things and events that have faded into the past. Things, such as the grand old Wurlitzer juke box that once held a place of honor in my Dad’s 1940’s soda shop, and the classic chromed Seeburg jukebox that later took center stage in the 1950’s and ‘60s. As the youngest child in my family, I led a charmed existence absorbing all the sights and sounds of my family’s musical tastes. When Mom and Dad pressed the buttons on the colorful jukebox, it was usually to select the big band sound backing up the “the voice” of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra. When my older brother, Tony, selected a tune it was usually sung by one of the romantic Italian-American crooners of the day: Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, ( Antonio Benedetto) Vic Damone, (Vito Farrinola,) Jerry Vale (Genaro Louis Vitaliano), Don Cornell (Luige Varlaro). Frankie Laine (Frank Paul LoVecchio) Pop tunes stayed on the jukebox a long time in those days, long enough for music fans to memorize the button keys of our favorite songs. To this day, I can still recall B-6, Dino’s “That’s Amore” and C-4 Sinatra’s “Strangers in the night”. Other jukebox buttons gave us the teenage singing idols of the day, which , nine times out of ten, was a young Italian American singer from South Philadelphia. Singers such as: Frankie Avalon ( Frank Avollone) with his hit song-Venus, Bobby Rydell ( Roberto Ridarelli) hit song-Wild One, Fabian.( Forte), hit tune,”Turn me loose” Bobby Darin (Robert Cossotto) hit tunes- “Mack the Knife” and “Splish Splash”, Franki Valli (Frank Casataluccio )-hit tune “Big Girls Don’t Cry and Joey Dee(jospeh Di Nicola- hit tune “At the hop” The music scene of the 1950s brought a renaissance of Italian American singers to the pop world. These singers and their songs flirted for the boys when they didn’t have the courage to speak. Other times, these singers made musical love to us as our fancies took flight at their tender words and phrases. Amidst this sea of Italian male vocalists was one lone girl singer who managed to make her mark in the world of rock and roll. Her real name was Concettta Rosemarie Franconero, better known as Connie Francis. She was one of the few Italian American female singers to make it on the pop charts. She was also the only popular teenage Italian American singer to record the music of her heritage. Her million selling album “Italian Favorites” and the song “Mama” became a mainstay in every Italian American home. Her rock and Roll hits included “Stupid cupid”, “Where the boys are”, “My happiness” and “Among my souvenirs”. These Italain American singers spoke to a generation… and for a generation. Frank Sinatra’s singing style remains an unequaled blend of defiant tough-guy and gentle lyricist, a musical style that continues to appeal to every age and generation. His W.W.II recordings, “I’ll be seeing you” and “I’ll Never Smile Again” topped the charts week after week and spoke to the thousands of young men and women separated by the war. Sinatra’s music touched the heart of a generation in a way no other singer ever has. Dean martin’s warm, romantic, “Everybody loves somebody “ style, endeared him to the pop culture that loved a good time and good music. His recording of “That’s Amore” remains one of America’s most played tunes. Few of us can hear this happy song without feeling just a little bit better afterwards. Perry Como, like most of his Italian-American singing peers, was born to immigrant parents.” Perry Como’ had 148 top 40 hits during his career, among them: “Prisoner of Love”, “Wanted” and “It’s impossible.
30 / Fall 2010
While Dean and Frank were busy forming the “rat pack, and Perry Como was starring on a new medium called television, another singer from “Philly”” was making his mark in the music world. Teens were listening to a new Italian-American voice on the jukebox. His name was Mario Lanza, (Arnold Cacozza), and he managed to bring his operatic voice to pop music. His song “Coma Prima”, and “The most wonderful night of the year” topped the charts and opened the doors for future Italian tenors to follow. Al Martino’s musical styling earned him a place as one of America’s most popular crooners. His recording of ‘Spanish eyes” is among the worlds top 50 most requested songs. Many of us can still remember punching those favorite keys on the jukebox to hear this song over and over again. The Italian-American singer has always symbolized romance, tradition and love. And they were as unique from one another as they were many, each one bringing something different to his music. The music we listened to and the crooners who sang the songs we loved had a great impact on the 20th century’ music world. Through their songs we recall the loves and romances of our lives. Musical moments twinkling in my grandmother’s eyes each time she placed an old, 78 rpm, record of Caruso on her Victrola, the secret glow that passed between my Mom and Dad whenever they heard “their song” , “I’ll be seeing you”sung by Francis Albert Sinatra.
Lake Michigan shipwreck found after 112 years MILWAUKEE – A great wooden steamship that sank more than a century ago in a violent Lake Michigan storm has been found off the Milwaukee-area shoreline, and divers say the intact vessel appears to have been perfectly preserved by the cold fresh waters. Finding the 300-foot-long L.R. Doty was important because it was the largest wooden ship that remained unaccounted for, said Brendon Baillod, the president of the Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association. “It’s the biggest one I’ve been involved with,” said Baillod, who has taken part in about a dozen such finds. “It was really exhilarating.” The Doty was carrying a cargo of corn from South Chicago to Ontario, Canada in October 1898 when it sailed into a terrible storm, Baillod said. Along with snow and sleet, there were heavy winds that whipped up waves of up to 30 feet. The Doty should have been able to handle the weather. The ship was only five years old, and the 300-foot wooden behemoth’s hull was reinforced with steel arches. But it was towing a small schooner, the Olive Jeanette, which began to founder in the storm after the towline apparently snapped, Baillod said. The Doty probably sank when it came to the schooner’s aid. All 17 of its crew members died, along with the ship’s cats, Dewey and Watson. As a maritime historian Baillod spent more than 20 years researching the shipwreck. He knew that swaths of debris had washed up afterward in Kenosha, about 40 miles south of Milwaukee. But he found news accounts that it had last been seen closer to Milwaukee, near Oak Creek. Meanwhile, a Milwaukee fisherman in 1991 reported snagging his nets on an obstruction about 300 feet under water. The observation was largely forgotten for decades until diving technology improved enough to enable exploration at that depth.
A number of explorers did some preliminary scouting on the lake’s surface in recent months, using deep-sea technology to find a massive submerged object. Divers waited until last week to descend, when the weather was just right. As soon as they got to the lake floor they knew they had found the Doty. “It felt so good to solve this,” said Jitka Hanakova, 33, a diver and captain of the charter boat that led the exploration. “This ship has been missing for so many years and it’s one of the biggest out there.” Divers found the ship upright and intact, settled into the clay at the lake’s bottom. Even the ship’s cargo of corn was still in its hold. The Doty is so well-preserved because it’s in a cold, freshwater lake. It’s also far enough below the surface that storms don’t affect it. Those same factors mean the crew’s corpses are likely intact as well, Baillod said. Their bodies are probably still in the boiler room, where the sailors must have huddled as the ship went down, he added. While details of the sinking remain unclear, Baillod said the most likely explanation is that rudder chain snapped while the Doty was turning around to aid the Olive Jeanette. That would have left the 20-foottall ship at the mercy of 30-foot waves that would have dumped tons of water on the fragile wooden hatches. “When the rudder broke (the crew) must have known they were going to die,” Baillod said. “They probably had a good hour to contemplate their fate until the cargo holds collapsed.” There are no plans to raise the Doty, which is now the property of the state of Wisconsin. The ship will remain preserved indefinitely where it is, rather than exposing it to air that would cause it to rot away within a few years, Baillod said. Few divers are expected to disturb it. It’s in such deep water that only a small group of highly experienced divers can access it, Hanakova said. Thousands of ships remain submerged in the Great Lakes, some vessels scuttled and others the victims of shipwrecks. Lake Michigan has about 500 dive-worthy ships still to be found, Baillod estimated. He said his next target is the largest known missing ship: the car ferry Pere Marquette 18. He said it went down in 1910, about 20 miles from the southeastern Wisconsin shore. The new technology that made finding the Doty possible can also help locate the Pere Marquette, he said. “What’s nice about finding these ships is, it contributes to our cultural history,” he said. “Many people are disconnected from history so it’s nice to reconnect to our past — to maybe look out today and think of the wooden steamships that were out there 100 years ago. Fall 2010 / 31
The Joy Of Growing Up Italian I was well into adulthood before I realized that I was an American. Of course. I had been born in America and had lived here all my life. But somehow it never occurred to me that just being a citizen of the United States meant I was American. Americans were people who ate peanut butter and jelly on mushy white bread that came out of plastic packages. Me? I was Italian. For me… as I am sure for most second generation Italian-American children who grew up in the 40’s and 50’s. There was a definite distinction between us and them. We were Italians. Everybody else – the Irish, German, Polish, Jewish – they were the “MERI-GONNIS”. (Americans to the Italians). There was no animosity involved in that distinction. No Prejudice. No hard feelings. Just – well. We were sure ours was the better way. For instance, we had a bread man, a coal man and the ice man. A fruit and vegetable man, a watermelon man and a fish man. We even had a man who sharpened : knives and scissors who came right to our homes, or at least right outside our homes. They were the many peddlers who plied the Italian neighborhoods. We would wait for their call, their yell, their individual and distinctive sound. We knew them all and they knew us. Americans went to the stores for most of their foods – what a waste. Truly. I pitied their loss. They never knew the pleasure of waking up every morning to find a crisp, hot loaf of Italian bread waiting behind the screen door. And instead of being able to climb up hitch a ride, most of my “MERRI-GONNI” friends had to be satisfied going to the A&P. When it came to food, it always amazed me that my American friends or classmates only ate turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or rather, that they only ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Now we Italians – we also ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce – but only after we finished the antipasto, soup, lasagna, meatballs, salad and whatever else mama thought might be appropriate for that particular holiday. This turkey was usually accompanied by a roast of some kind just in case assortment of fruits, nuts, pastries, cakes, and of course: homemade cookies. No holyday was complete without some homemade baking, none of that store bought stuff for us. This is where you learned to eat a seven-course meal between noon and 4 p. m., how to handle those chestnuts, and put tangerine wedges in the homemade red wine. I truly believe Italians live a romance with food. Speaking of food – Sunday was truly the big day of the week! That was the day you’d wake up to the smell of garlic and onions frying in olive oil. As you laid on bed, you could hear the hiss, as the tomatoes were dropped into the pan. Sunday we always had gravy (the “MERRI-GONNI” called it sauce) and pasta (they called it macaroni). Sunday would not be Sunday without going to Mass. Of course, you couldn’t eat before going to Mass because you had to fast before receiving communion. But the good part was we knew when we got home that we’d find hot meatballs frying, and nothing tastes better than newly fried meatballs and crisp bread dipping into a pot of gravy. There was another difference between US and THEM. We had gardens, not just flower gardens, but huge gardens where we grew toma32 / Fall 2010
toes, tomatoes and more tomatoes. We ate them, cooked them, and jarred them. Of course, we also grew peppers, basil, lettuce and squash. Everybody had a grapevine and a fig tree. In the fall we made our homemade wine, lots of wine, and of course the gardens thrived. We also had another thing our American friends didn’t have. “A Godfather!!” (GUMBA) . We also had a Grand-father!! It’s not that they didn’t have a Grand-father. It’s just that they didn’t live in the same house or the same block. They didn’t see him at least once a day, like we did. I can still remember my Grandfather telling me how the family lived in a rented tenement and took in boarders in order to help make the expenses. How he decided he didn’t want his children, five sons and two daughters to grow up in his environment. All of this of course in his own version of Italian/English, which I soon learned to understand quite well. When he saved enough, and I could never figure how, he bought a house. This house served as the family headquarters for the next 40 years. I remember how he hated to leave and would sit on the back porch and watch his garden grow. When he did leave for a special occasion, he had to run home quickly, after all, “who’s watching the house and garden.” I remember the holidays, when all the relatives would gather at Grand Father’s house and the tables would be full of food, homemade wine and music. Women in the kitchen, men in the living room and kids everywhere. I must have a half of million cousins, first and second and many related, but it didn’t matter. Grandfather, with his pipe in his mouth, hid fine mustache trimmed, would sit in the middle of it all and grinning his mischievous smile. His dark eyes twinkling, surveying his domain, proud of his family and how well his children had done. One a policeman, another fireman, another with his trade and of course there was always the rouge. The girls all married well, fine husbands and healthy children that knew respect. He achieved his goal, came to America and found a new life in Chicago. The children and their children, reaching their goals that was possible through Grandfather and his great country. Grandfather died at the age of 76 and things began to change. Slowly the Uncles and Aunts cut down their visits, as their families were getting larger. The family gatherings grew fewer and something seemed to be missing, even when we were together, at my mother’s house. The old feeling wasn’t there anymore and the changes that came about. Children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. We visit once a year and meet at weddings and funerals. A lot of other changes, grandfather’s old house is covered with aluminum siding, although Uncle still lives there. The garden is gone and the last of the wine drunk long ago. The fig tree is gone, as it wasn’t covered in the winter. Years ago we made rounds visiting family and friends at the holidays, now me, occasionally visit the cemeteries, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends and relatives. The holidays have changed too. The great quantity of food we once consumed, without ill effect, is no good for us anymore. Too much starch, too much cholesterol, too many calories. No one bothers to bake anymore – too busy. It’s easier to buy and too much is no good for you. We meet at our house now, at least my family, but it’s not the same. The differences between US and THEM aren’t so easy defined anymore, and I guess that’s good. My grandparents were Italian, my parents were Italian-Americans, I’m American-Italian and my children are American-Americans. Oh, I’m an American all right, and proud of it, just as my Grandfather would want me to be. We are all Americans now: the Irish, Germans, Polish, and Jews. US citizens all - but somehow I still feel a little bit Italian. Call it culture, call it tradition, call it roots. I’m really not sure what it is. All I do know that my children have been cheated out of a wonderful piece of heritage. They never knew my grandfather.
2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide Email us for info on
CHICAGO AND SUBURBS, IL 3 Olives Restaurant / Twist Lounge 8318 W. Lawrence Ave. Norridge, IL 60706 Phone: (708) 452-1545 Agostino’s Ristorante 2817 N Harlem Ave, Chicago, IL agostinogustofino.com (773) 745-6464 Amalfi Ristorante 298 Glen Ellyn Rd. Bloomingdale, IL 630-893-9222 Capri Ristorante Italiano, Inc. 1238 W. Ogden Ave. Naperville, IL 60563 Phone: (630) 778-7373
Spacca Napoli Pizzeria 1769 W. Sunnyside Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Phone: (773) 878-2420 Venuti’s Ristorante & Banquets 2251 W. Lake St. Addison, IL 60101 Phone: (630) 376-1500 Via Carducci 1419 W. Fullerton Chicago, IL 60614 773-665-1981
John Mineo’s Italian 13490 Clayton Rd. St. Louis, MO 63131
Phone: (414) 963-9623
Phone: (215) 238-9983
Phone: (314) 434-5244
Mama Yolanda’s
Modesto Tapas Bar
Italian Restaurant 746 S. 8TH St. Philadelphia, PA 19147
& Restaurant 5257 Shaw Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: (215) 592-0195
Phone: (314) 772-8272
Mio Sogno Italian Restaurant 2650 S. 15TH St. Philadelphia, PA 19145 Phone: (215) 467-3317
Tony’s Restaurant 410 Market St. St. Louis, MO 63102 Phone: (314) 231-7007
NAPLES, FL Trattoria Milano Italian 336 Tamiami Trail N Naples, FL 34102 Phone: (239) 645-2030 Bellagio of Naples 492 Bayfront Pl. Naples, FL 34102
Cafe Zalute & Bar 9501 W. Devon Rosemont, Il
NEW YORK, NY
Gioacchino’s Ristorante & Pizzeria 5201 St. Charles Rd. Bellwood, IL 60104 Phone: (708) 544-0380
107 Salem St.
La Piazza 410 Circle Ave., Forest Park, IL Phone: (708) 366-4010 www.piazzacafe.com
187 North St.
Ristorante Al Teatro 1227 W. 18th Street Chicago, IL 60608 (312) 784-9100
Dolce` 241 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: (239) 430-7020
Phone: (847) 685-0206
Porretta Ristorante & Pizzeria 3656 N Central Ave Chicago, IL 60641 Phone: 773-736-1429
Carini’s La Conca D’oro 3468 N. Oakland Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211
Vince’s Italian Restaurant 4747 N. Harlem Ave. Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: (708) 867-7770
Custom House 500 S. Dearborn St. Chicago, IL 60605 Phone: (312) 523-0200
Osteria via Stato 620 N. State St. Chicago, IL 60610 Phone: (312) 642-8450
Stars Restaurant Review Rating!
BOSTON, MA Bacco Ristorante & Bar
Boston, MA 02113 Phone: (617) 624-0454 Fiorella’s Newton, MA 02460 Phone: (617) 969-9990 Sorento’s Italian Gourmet 86 Peterborough St. Boston, Ma, 02215 Phone: (617) 424-7070
Trattoria Milano Italian 336 9TH St. N Naples, FL 34102 Phone: (239) 643-2030 Locanda Verde 377 Greenwich St (corner of N.Moore and Greenwich) New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 925-3797 Tarry Lodge 18 Mills St. Port Chester, NY 10573 Phone: (914) 939-3111 Carmine’s 2450 Broadway New York, NY 10024 Phone: (212) 362-2200 Massimo al Ponte Vecchio 206 Thompson St. New York, NY 10012 Phone: (212) 228-7701
MILWAUKEE, WI Alioto’s 3041 N. Mayfair Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53222 Phone: (414) 476-6900 Buca di Beppo 1233 N. Van Buren St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Phone: (414) 224-8672
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Concetta’s Italian Restaurant 600 S. 5th St. Kuleto’s St. Charles, MO 63301 221 Powell St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: (636) 946-2468 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Phone: (415) 397-7720
Ricardo’s Italian Cafe Mescolanza 1931 Park Ave. 2221 Clement St. St. Louis, MO 63104 San Francisco, CA 94121 Phone: (314) 421-4833 Phone: (415) 668-2221 Puccini & Pinetti 129 Ellis St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: (415) 392-5500
Ristorante Umbria The Old Spaghetti 198 2nd St. Factory San Francisco, CA 94105 727 N. First St. St. Louis, MO 63102 Phone: (415) 546-6985 Phone: (314) 621-0276 ST. LOUIS, MO Favazza’s 5201 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139 Phone: (314) 772-4454
Dante & Luigi’s 762 S. 10th St. Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: (215) 922-9501
Carrabba’s Italian Grill 10923 Olive Blvd. Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Phone: (314) 872-3241
MILAN, ITALY Al Dollaro Via Paolo Cannobio, 11 Galleria Cafe Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II, 75 Ristorante Pizzeria Dogana Via Dogana, 3 Phone & Fax: 02 8056766
CONTACT US FOR RATES TO BE LISTED IN OUR NATIONAL RESTAURANT GUIDE
Fall 2010 / 33
MISSION OUT OF CAMP EVANS
By Dave Shows
The 6 man team was all G.I. no Montagnyards. The only man on the team whose name I remember for certain was Ken Storm. This was Ken’s first mission. The ATL was with me for several missions and was damn good but for the life of me I could not remember his name, although I tried for many years. Ken Storm, and Bill Hand were able to tell me that the ATL was Ron Bitticks. We inserted just before dark in what appeared from the air to be a bomb crater on the side of a densely wooded mountain. We discovered that it was not a bomb crater but was a man made clearing. Filled with fallen trees, it took a good bit of effort to get out over the jumble of logs. We spent the night a ways up the mountain from the clearing and the next day we made our way to the top of the mountain, at the top we found a network of heavily used trails. We also found what appeared to the remnants of a stone fence, and what we thought might be the stone foundation of an old building. We proceeded down the other side of the mountain into a large valley. As we crept our way down we kept hearing periodic single rifle shots, some apparently from the same mountain we were on, others far away. When we got within perhaps a 100’ of the valley floor we realized that these single rifle shots were coming from back up the mountain behind us perhaps 100 ft or so above our position above the valley floor, and perhaps several hundred feet to either side of the route we had taken down the mountain, and apparently from the opposite mountain side facing us. We later heard this repeated many times, one shot, wait a couple of minutes then another a couple of hundred yards or so from the first, wait a few minutes then another shot and so on in a circle around the valley floor. We decided that it was trail watchers or guards signaling and we were within their perimeter. We tried several times to make sit reps, but had almost no commo, we could hear static and occasional words over the radio, and the base was not hearing us any better. We continued sneaking down a steep sharp ridgeline near the valley floor, and ran into a cleared area, which was about the size and shape of a large bomb crater. From the air everyone had thought they were bomb craters, which is apparently what the enemy had wanted. The cleared area was surrounded by a low wooden fence in the wood line (not visible from the air) and was planted with green grass-like plants. As we continued downward along the ridge we found a similar disguised field on the other side of the ridge. We hunkered down near the bottom of the ridge perhaps 30 to 50 foot above the valley floor and spent the night. The guard’s shots continued at regular intervals every couple of hours, and we could occasionally hear voices coming from the valley. The next morning our commo was so bad we decided we had better get out of there back up the mountain we had just come down where we hoped we could reestablish commo. As we started sneaking up past the second “field” we had found, the field suddenly filled up with several women tending the plants, and three or four uniformed NVA guarding them. We laid there in the wood line just a yard or so from the edge of the field for a couple of hours until the group left going back down into the valley. We were unable to call in the sighting. We sat there for a while making sure we were alone and before we could start back up, we started hearing a noise that seemed to be coming from the woods beyond the first field we had seen. It sounded like chopping on a tree with an axe. This kept up for sometime, eventually I decided to leave the team with Ron the ATL and attempt to sneak around the first field to see if I could see what they were doing, and where exactly they were. As I 34 / Fall 2010
was moving the noise stopped. When I got perhaps 50 yards or so from the team along the upper edge of the field, I could see a group of men in the bottom moving below where the team was waiting, several shirtless men (I remember thinking they were large and muscular for Vietnamese) who were carrying long sections of trees which had been de-barked. These poles were about 6 or 8 foot long and obviously quite heavy. Several-uniformed NVA with rifles accompanied the group. I could see and hear that they were laughing and talking as they moved past. The team could not see them but could hear their voices and movements. I laid on the edge of the field until the group was out of sight, and then snuck back to the team. Ron and I were standing at the front of our little column studying the map and trying to pick a route to get us back up the mountain as quickly as possible with out being seen by the guards. I suddenly caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and probably 20 feet to the side of us a saw a pair of eyes staring at me through the brush. I went for my gun and was already starting to pull the trigger when Ron grabbed my arm and whispered to me “it’s Storm”. The face was still looking at me and I gradually began to recognize Ken. I have never gotten over the sickness in the pit of my stomach realizing just how very close I had come to shooting him. If Ron had not been so alert, to see what was going on, and so quick to grab me I would certainly have shot Ken. Ken had slipped off to the side of our column to respond to a call of nature, Ron who was facing toward the team, and the others behind me had seen him go, I was facing up the mountain with the team to my back and had not. For years I wondered if Ken ever knew just how very close that had been. If it had not been for Ron, I would have killed him in 1968. When I got to talk to Ken in 2008, he clearly remembered the incident as well as I did. One of the first things he said to me was “thanks for not shooting me” and then he asked if I still had that gun I pulled on him. He said that it taught him a lesson, one that he almost didn’t live long enough to learn. He said that he never again got out of sight of a team without being certain that every one on the team knew where he was and what he was doing. We both owe a heavy debt to Ron. We regrouped and were just about ready to try to sneak out again when a helicopter came overhead. The Lt. (I don’t remember his name) was in the chopper, and I think Bill Hand was with him but I’m not sure of that. The Lt. was giving me hell for not making scheduled sit reps and calling in sightings. When he understood the commo problem he asked why we didn’t move to establish commo. I remember telling him that everyway we moved that morning we seemed to be running into enemy troops. He said he was going to put another team out to act as a radio relay and to sit tight. We asked him if we should attempt to snatch a prisoner if they came back into one of the fields. He advised if we got a good opportunity without endangering the team to go ahead. I remember we got a chuckle out of that, how do you kidnap one enemy soldier from a group when you had poor to nonexistent commo, and no way of arranging an immediate extraction without involving a good dose of risk? Later that day another helicopter came back into the area and went all over the area of the valley. He was equipped with a “max sniffer” devise and after awhile reported that the valley was full of people (thanks a lot we had already figured that out). I believe we may have stayed there one more night listening to people moving all around us. As we were still lying low (I remember that we made hot tea from instant packs with lemon while we were waiting, the first time I ever drank hot tea), helicopters came back into the area and the Lt. advised that he was extracting us immediately and directed us to the second field where we had seen the women working. We had
going out by McGuire rig, and I’m not sure why we didn’t, I know Ron was all for it, and if the Lt. was listening to Bill Hand I know he would have been all for it. I was willing but not keen on the idea. I never would have admitted it back then, but I was always afraid of heights, and hated rappelling and rope extraction. I did it when I had to, but I never liked it. In hind sight I suppose the Lt. made the decision to come down into the field which was just barely large enough for a chopper, and get us out as rapidly and unexpectedly as possible. I’m positive it was the right decision. Ships hovering above the triple canopy long enough to hook us up and pull us out would have been too tempting and too easy of a target for too long. The Lt. must have thought all of this out, I didn’t until much later. We lay in the woods beside the field as gun ships went up and down the valley not firing, just hoping to get the other folks to hide, which apparently worked. When our chopper got near the ground in the field we made a dash for it and jumped on from both sides before its skids had even reached the ground. I remember all of us yelling as we got aboard to get the hell out of there. We kept expecting to be fired on but there was no response from the woods as we flew away. It seems to me that the Lt. was aboard that ship that picked us up but I’m not positive of that. Later in de-briefing, as we were trying to describe what we had seen, and trying to describe the plants we had seen being cultivated, Ron reached into his pack and produced a good handful of the plants roots and all. It was one of those “duh” moments for me, “why didn’t I think of that”. Ron was a great ATL, he frequently made up for any shortcomings on my part. We were told that the plants were a type of rice that did not require a flooded paddy. I remember we discussed plans for putting a team
in as a radio relay, and taking a small very light team back into the valley to see if we could see more of what was going on there. I remember everyone on the team was eager to try this. Apparently the decision was made to do an “arc-light” (massive bombing attack) on the valley very soon after we left it. As a team we were disappointed we wanted the chance to go back in and do some more LRRP’ing, I think there was something seriously wrong with us at that time. Chuck Awe was the RTO on Evans during much of this mission, and he and I later got to discuss it at some length when we met up on Fort hood in early 1969. I never stopped thinking about this mission over the years, partially because of the heavy adrenalin rush of being so close to so many of the enemy for so long without being seen, and partially because of the near tragedy with Ken. I didn’t start trying to put together this account until the summer of 2007 when I was talking to Doug Parkinson about it. I would love to see the debriefing and team notes from that mission, to see just how accurate my memory is after all of these years, and to put names to the others involved. Since I originally wrote this, I had the wonderful opportunity to talk at length with Ken Storm, due to a big helping hand from “Dutch” Pete Eisentrager. Ken reviewed this for me and has helped me out in some areas where my memories had failed me. Most significantly he told me that the Atl on the team was named Bitticks first name unknown. He also verified that this was his first LRRP mission and we talked a good bit about the “almost” friendly fire incident. Subsequently Bill Hand told me that the Atl was Ron Bitticks.
Little fanfare for 7th anniversary of war in Iraq BAGHDAD – Seven years after the first bombs in the war to oust Saddam Hussein, Iraqis went about their business Friday with little observance of the anniversary, looking to the future with a mixture of trepidation and hope. Perhaps more important in the minds of many was the ongoing wait for final results from the country’s second nationwide parliamentary election. The milestone will determine who will oversee Iraq as U.S. forces go home, but could also point the direction the fragile democracy will take down the road — deeper into the sectarian divide that followed Saddam’s fall, or toward a more secular, inclusive rule. “Now we have democracy and freedom, but the cost was dire and Iraqis have paid that price,” said Raid Abdul-Zahra, 38, a technician in Najaf. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition appears to be ahead in the tight race. With almost 90 percent of the vote counted as of Thursday, his coalition was leading in 7 of Iraq’s 18 provinces compared to 5 provinces for his closest rival, the Iraqiya coalition led by secular Shiite Ayad Allawi. Al-Maliki’s coalition also has about 40,000 votes more in the overall vote count. Many, especially between the countries’s, Sunni-minority that dominated Iraq during Saddam’s rule, blame the U.S. for the sectarian violence that erupted after the invasion. “Failure is the word that should be linked with the U.S war. The Americans brought people to power, but those people are specialized in reprisals, blackmail, inflaming sectarianism and robbing,” said Mohammed Thabit, a retired teacher from Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit. While violence has plummeted since the height of the bloodshed in 2006 and 2007, attacks continue, although in much smaller numbers.On Friday, at least five people were killed across Iraq. Three people died when a bomb exploded in the Sadr City slum in east Baghdad; gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier in Baghdad; and a roadside bomb in the northern city of Mosul killed an Iraqi soldier, police and hospital officials said. All spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Many Iraqis view the U.S. withdrawal plans with mixed feelings — pride that their country is regaining its full sovereignty but also concern that the lull in violence may break and bloodshed return.
“If the forces leave speedily, there will be a power vacuum and more problems will erupt because Iraqi forces are not loyal to Iraq but to their party affiliations,” said Abdul-Karim Moussa, 55, in Baghdad. Others think the violence will dissipate after the U.S. pulls out.”I think the violence will vanish after the American withdrawal because they are causing the violence. They entered Iraq to steal its natural resources,” said Ahmed Abdul-Hussein, 55, in Kut. In Sadr City, the stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Sheik Suhail al-Akabi described the anniversary as the “ominous day of the invasion,” and called for a demonstration on April 9, the anniversary of Baghdad’s fall, “to call for the departure of the occupying forces.” Al-Sadr’s followers have been some of the most adamant voices calling for U.S. troops to immediately leave Iraq. The U.S. military said there were no ceremonies or special events to mark the anniversary.At least 4,386 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since the war began, according to an Associated Press count. Those numbers have tapered off significantly as violence has dropped and U.S. forces have limited their operations as part of the U.S.Iraq pact under which American forces pulled out of Iraqi cities. Last year, 152 American service members died in Iraq, compared to 314 a year earlier, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press using data from the U.S. Defense Department. The number of troops in Iraq has also dropped significantly since the height of the war in October 2007, when the U.S. had about 170,000 troops in the country. About 95,000 remain, and that number is expected to fall to 50,000 by the end of August under President Barack Obama’s plan to remove all combat troops from the country. All American troops are scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. According to figures compiled by Iraq’s Human Rights Ministry and released last fall, 85,694 people were killed from the beginning of 2004 to Oct. 31, 2008 and 147,195 were wounded. The figures include Iraqi civilians, military and police but do not cover U.S. military deaths, insurgents, or foreigners, including contractors. And it did not include the first months of the war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. However, those figure are widely considered a minimum because many so many deaths went unreported. The war in Iraq has cost more than $712 billion, according to the National Priorities Project. Fall 2010 / 35
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“And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, and there was a great earthquake such as never has been seen since men were first upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it”. Apocalypse 16:18 It is hard to imagine how a people so sedate, in a setting so pastoral, should suddenly be threatened by the ferocity of war. History tells us that the ancient people of La Ciociara have been subjected to conquest many times over many centuries. They all came: the Lombards, the Franks, the Saracens, the Spanish, and finally, the French. If these invaders had anything in common, it was their tendency to do battle on the very ground that now lay beneath the Germans and Allies. The destruction of the abbey had made the Allied tactical situation worse than before. The rubble produced by the bombing now provided excellent defensive positions for the German paratroops, which were defending the mountain. The Allied ground attacks that followed the bombardment proved equally disastrous, and after several days of some of the most brutal combat in the entire Italian campaign, both sides retired to a stalemate, with no appreciable territorial change. By mid-March, yet another attack would be ordered, this time in the town of Cassino itself. Nearly five hundred planes of all types were assigned to carpet bomb the town and its immediate surroundings. When it was over, the town no longer existed. As they had done in the abbey atop the mountain, the German defenders once again rushed in to take advantage of the excellent defensive barriers provided by the rubble. By March 25, after disastrous losses on both sides, the line of battle remained essentially unchanged. This new standoff, plus the failed beachhead at Anzio, would force the Allied command to pause and carefully rethink its tactical options. Given the ghastly carnage that occurred along the Gustav Line it seems entirely appropriate that it also provided the setting for one of the most extraordinary events in the history of World War II. In the late afternoon of March 18, as if in defiant protest against man’s insanity, Mount Vesuvius reached deep into the bowels of the earth and erupted in all its fury. Situated approximately sixty miles south of Pico, the twenty-five-thousand-year-old volcano rose menacingly above the same Bay of Naples from which Domenico had sailed so many times. The first eruptions produced a lava flow that cut down everything in its path, including the nearby village of St. Sebastiano. This phase was followed by an eruption of hot ash and cinder, which blackened the skies over the entire central Italian peninsula. Waste also fell upon the villages of Ottavia and San Giorgio, where entire families perished as roofs laden with the ash crashed down upon them. Finally, the eruption changed from a lava flow into a lava fountain, spraying a deadly rain of fire around its base. The eruption also produced unwelcome military repercussions. Allied field hospitals in the immediate area were forced to evacuate their wounded, regardless of their condition. The severe strain this placed on medical personnel was further compounded by the sudden need to treat the many civilians who were also caught up in the conflagration. Vesuvius was also able to do what the entire German air force had failed to accomplish since the invasion of Italy had begun: destroy an entire American bomber wing. Over eighty planes that had 36 / Fall 2010
been stationed east of Terzigno were pummeled by hot ash, which destroyed them on the ground. In Pico, every person, animal, crop, and house was covered with an abrasive carpet of dust. As the Forte family stood looking up at the darkened sky, they were awed by what appeared to be the glitter of a million fireflies. What they actually saw was the reflection of the sun on the tiny crystallized particles of volcanic ash that hung suspended in the air. Gaping upward, Maria Civita wondered aloud, “Was it a sign? Did the fist of God come crashing to earth in order to crush the obscenity of this war?” It was the grandfather, lost in the past, who remembered witnessing this very scene nearly a half century ago and solemnly announced, “Sana convinto che sia Ie vulcano, Monte Vesuvio.” He knew with certainty that it was, in fact, the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. Finally, on March 28, having flexed its muscles, one of the most dangerous and prolific volcanoes in the world again slipped silently into hibernation. The winter campaign along the Gustav Line had seriously drained all the armies involved. In Berlin, military strategists were now focusing on the cross-channel invasion that they knew would be coming soon. As a result, Kesselring watched helplessly as most of the German Luftwaffe in Italy was siphoned off for the defense of Central Europe. This left the Allies in control of the air, and for the next several weeks, Allied bombers continued to pound any roads, bridges, and railways that might be of use to the enemy. Although Kesselring had brilliantly used the resources at his disposal to delay the Allied advance, it was now clear that the Italian Campaign had become a war of attrition-a war that Germany was losing. Von Senger’s crack paratroops were slowly being squandered amid the rubble of Cassino. This coupled with the loss of division ~fter division to France, made it clear that Italy had become the expendable front. Kesselring’s job was to tie up as many enemy resources as possible. By mid-April, Von Senger would advise Kesselring, with some accuracy, that the next Allied assault would likely include the southwestern end of the Gustav Line, as well as Cassino. Von Senger was also responsible for the defense of the entire southwest sector of the Gustav Line. His corps, which included the paratroops at the monastery, was now stretched over an eighty-mile front. His responsibilities also included the creation of a second line of defense ten miles to the rear. Operating out of a castle headquarters in nearby Roccasecca, he organized and fortified what would become known as the Hitler Line. An unsuspecting Pico was to become its critical pivot point. All previous attempts to penetrate the Gustav Line had failed, in part because they had been conducted at narrow, local points along the line and had thus enabled Kesselring to move elements of his armies around at will. He was primarily able to do this via the Pico-Itri road, the very road along which Maria Civita had taken her children on pilgrimage to the shrine less than a year ago. French General Alphonse Juin that would strip Kesselring of this advantage by broadening the attack then proposed a plan. The Allied command agreed and immediately set about organizing a new assault scheme based upon Juin’s suggestion. The attack was set for May 11,1944. After a winter and spring of continuous fighting, nearly everyone in Pico knew that the sword of Damocles now hung menacingly over their heads. The roads to and from the tiny paese were constantly clogged with German military traffic, but even if these roads were accessible to civilians, the people were reluctant to leave. Pico was everything. For centuries, it had been the stabilizing center of their culture and their faith. At the most basic level, it was the essence of their existence: their homes, their shops, their farms, and their livelihoods. To a few, the battle line at Cassino appeared to be stalled, meaning that perhaps they would remain safe. This assumption was made all the more reasonable by the fact that the Germans had not yet issued a civilian evacuation order, and they most certainly would do so if danger were imminent. Besides, Pico was in the middle of nowhere and appeared to be absolutely useless from a military standpoint. The major contradiction to this psychological opiate was the steadily increasing presence of the German army in and around the little town. For the majority of Picanos, this harsh reality dashed the myth that they would remain safe much longer. Kesselring’s planned to establish a secondary line of defense had already been put into motion. The Germans knew they must maintain control of the Pico-Itri road, and since Pico also contained the critical crossroads to Ceprano and Pontecorvo, it was the linchpin to the entire plan and must be held at all cost. If Pico was the heart of the German defensive strategy, the Pico-Itri road was its aorta.
Feelings and Emotions, of our Soldiers in harms way
Your cell phone is in your pocket. He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags. He knows he may not see some of his buddies again. He’s told he will be held over an extra 2 months. You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight. He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home. You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday. He holds his letter close and smells his love’s perfume. You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they’ll ever meet. You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything. He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their, people and remembers why he is fighting.
You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him. He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded. You see only what the media wants you to see. He sees the broken bodies lying around him. You are asked to do some thing by your parents. You don’t. He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger. You stay at home and watch TV. He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat. You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable. He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.
REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget them.
Fall 2010 / 37
America is waking up! Editorial By Mike Nasca That’s what we think we heard on the 11th of September 2001 (When more than 3,000 Americans were killed) and maybe it was, but I think it should have been ‘Get Out of Bed!’ In fact, the alarm clock has been buzzing since 1979 and we have continued to hit the snooze button and roll over for a few more minutes of peaceful sleep since then. It was a cool fall day in November 1979 in a country going through a religious and political upheaval when a group of Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Tehran. This seizure was an outright attack on American soil; it was an attack that held the world’s most powerful country hostage and paralyzed a Presidency. The attack on this sovereign U. S. Embassy set the stage for events to follow for the next 25 years. America was still reeling from the aftermath of the Vietnam experience and had a serious threat from the Soviet Union when then, President Carter, had to do something. He chose to conduct a clandestine raid in the desert. The ill-fated mission ended in ruin, but stood as a symbol of America ‘s inability to deal with terrorism. America ‘s military had been decimated and down-sized since the end of the Vietnam War. A poorly trained, poorly-equipped and poorly- organized military was called on to execute a complex mission that was doomed from the start. Shortly after the Tehran experience, Americans began to be kidnapped and killed throughout the Middle East. America could do little to protect her citizens living and working abroad. The attacks against US soil continued. In April of 1983 a large vehicle packed with high explosives was driven into the US Embassy compound in Beirut. When it explodes, it kills 63 people. The alarm went off again and America hit the Snooze Button once more. Then just six short months later in 1983 a large truck heavily laden down with over 2500 pounds of TNT smashed through the main gate of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut and 241 US servicemen are killed. America mourns her dead and hit the Snooze Button once more. Two months later in December 1983, another truck loaded with explosives is driven into the US Embassy in Kuwait, and America continues her slumber. The following year, in September 1984, another van was driven into the gate of the US Embassy in Beirut and America slept. Soon the terrorism spreads to Europe . In April 1985 a bomb explodes in a restaurant frequented by US soldiers in Madrid. Then in August 1985 a Volkswagen loaded with explosives is driven into the main gate of the US Air Force Base at Rhein-Main; 22 are killed and the snooze alarm is buzzing louder and louder as US interests are continually attacked. Fifty-nine days later in 1985 a cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, is hijacked and we watched as an American in a wheelchair is singled out of the passenger list and executed. The terrorists then shift their tactics to bombing civilian airlin38 / Fall 2010
ers when they bomb TWA Flight 840 in April of 1986 that killed 4 and the most tragic bombing, Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 259. The wake up alarm is getting louder and louder. The terrorists decide to bring the fight to America. In January 1993, two CIA agents are shot and killed as they enter CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia . The following month, February 1993 , a group of terrorists are arrested after a rented van packed with explosives is driven into the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. Six people are killed and over 1000 are injured. Still this is a crime and not an act of war? The Snooze alarm is depressed again. Then in November 1995 a car bomb explodes at a US military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia killing seven service men and women. A few months later in June of 1996, another truck bomb explodes only 35 yards from the US military compound in Dhahran , Saudi Arabia . It destroys the Khobar Towers , a US Air Force barracks, killing 19 and injuring over 500. The terrorists are getting braver and smarter as they see that America does not respond decisively. They move to coordinate their attacks in a simultaneous attack on two US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These attacks were planned with precision. They kill 224. America responds with cruise missile attacks and goes back to sleep. The USS Cole was docked in the port of Aden, Yemen for refueling on 12 October 2000 , when a small craft pulled along side the ship and exploded killing 17 US Navy Sailors. Attacking a US War Ship is an act of war, but we sent the FBI to investigate the crime and went back to sleep. And of course, we all know the events of September 11, 2001. Most Americans think this was the first attack against US soil or in America. How wrong they are. America has been under a constant attack since 1979 and we chose to hit the snooze alarm and roll over and go back to sleep. In the news lately we have seen lots of finger pointing from every high official in government over what they knew and what they didn’t know. But if you’ve read the papers and paid a little attention I think you can see exactly what they knew. You don’t have to be in the FBI or CIA or on the National Security Council to see the pattern that has been developing since 1979. I think we have been in a war for the past 25 years and it will continue until we as a people decide enough is enough. America needs to ‘Get out of Bed’ and act decisively now. America has been changed forever. We have to be ready to pay the price and make the sacrifice to ensure our way of life continues. We cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button again and again and roll over and go back to sleep. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto said ‘... it seems all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant.’ This is the message we need to disseminate to terrorists around the world. This is not a political thing to be hashed over in an election year, this is an AMERICAN thing. This is about our Freedom and the Freedom of our children in years to come. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
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One remaining myth about the benefits of estrogen -- it improves memory and slows progression of Alzheimer’s -- was refuted in a large double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in 39 clinical centers throughout the United States. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of HRT on the incidence of dementia and cognitive impairment in women ages 65 and older. Of the 4,500 women in the trial, about half received the standard estrogen-progestin combination; the other half was given a placebo. Researchers found that women who took the hormones for an average of slightly more than 4 years actually had twice the incidence of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia compared with those taking a placebo! This increase translates into only 23 more cases among every 10,000 women taking the hormone. It doesn’t sound like much -- unless you happen to be one of them! Nor did the HRT protect against mild memory loss. Another study of 16,000 women ages 50 to 79, followed for an average of 5.6 years, was stopped 3 years early because those receiving HRT had a 44 percent increased risk of stroke compared with those on placebo The Bottom Line These studies did not involve women under 65, and in all cases, the estrogen was being taken along with progestin. Subsequent research has yielded similar results when estrogen was taken alone. And these data constitute a strong case for most women not to use these hormones. This recommendation is further strengthened by the report from the government-supported Women’s Health Initiative that women taking hormones do have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer. Are there any safe alternatives to help control some of the troubling symptoms of estrogen deprivation? If you are experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, you may want to try one of the newer SSRI antidepressants, such as Paxil (paroxetine). However, do so under close doctor supervision. Some doctors also recommend that women take natural soy products (such as tofu or soymilk) to help minimize the symptoms of menopause. Because soy contains high amounts of isoflavone, or plant estrogen, it may help protect against osteoporosis and relieve such symptoms as vaginal dryness and hot flashes. If none of the soy products help and only estrogen seems to work, take the lowest effective HRT dose for the shortest possible time. If you have vaginal problems such as dryness or irritation, use the topical estrogen creams. They appear to be safe. For the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, there are many new drugs that work at least as well as estrogen Isadore Rosenfeld. M.D.C.M. F.A.C.P. Rossi Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College
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Niccolò Paganini - A Family Tree in Music H
ere is a short story about a very special person. We hope you will enjoy reading it. Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini was born in Genoa, on October 27, 1782, on Vico Fossa del Colle (later Passo della Gatta Mora) next to the harbor, the third of the six children of Francesco Antonio Maria Paganini and Teresa Bocciardo. His paternal side of the family was originally from the small town of Carro located in the province of La Spezia about 30 miles from Genoa; Giovanni Battista Paganinia, Niccolò’s grandfather married in 1745 Maria Angela Teresa Gambero and moved to the house on Vico dei Parmiggiani where they had two children, one of whom was Francesco Antonio Maria also known as Antonio, Niccolo’s father. Antonio was an unsuccessful trader, but he managed to supplement his income through playing music on the mandolin. At the age of five, Paganini started learning the mandolin from his father, and moved to the violin by the age of seven. He was composing by the age of eight and giving public concerts by the age of twelve. Given the child’s ability with music and sound, Antonio decided to make him a prodigy by imposing a very strict schedule that left him very little time to play with other children. While he found comfort in his mother’s affection, Niccolò suffered through severe punishments and starvation caused by his father’s rigid daily routines which ultimately left him with a very weak health. He had a natural genius for music which was enhanced by his love for the violin with which he was able to reproduce the most amazing sounds, from imitating the singing of birds, the voices of animals (from the cat to the donkey), to the tone of other instruments (from the flute to the horn), all these virtuoso abilities to impress his audience. He enjoyed playing tricks, like playing the majority of a piece on one string after breaking the other three. He astounded audiences with extraordinary difficult techniques and near impossible fingerings and bowings. He was so accomplished on the violin that people would say he’d made a deal with the Devil.
Niccolo’ Paganini became one of the first musicians to tour as a single performer. He played his own compositions which were written to be challenging to him and are considered some of the most difficult pieces for a violinist to play to this day. His love life was quite adventurous too; women with or without noble origins were very attracted to him. He was incarcerated for 10 days for having seduced a minor and had an illegitimate child, Achilles Cyrus Alexander born on July 23, 1825 in Palermo with a woman he never married, Antonia Bianchi, a singer who had been touring with him. His son traveled with him and studied foreign languages to help him while performing abroad. His frequent concert schedule, as well as his extravagant lifestyle, eventually took their toll on his health. Paganini died in Nice on May 27, 1840 due to cancer of the larynx. He had already lost his ability to speak, but continued playing the violin the night before he died. It took years before his remains were finally put to rest in 1876, in a cemetery in Parma. In 1893, the Czech violinist, Franz Ondricek, persuaded Paganini’s grandson, Attila, to allow a viewing of the violinist’s body. After the bizarre episode, Paganini’s body was exhumed once again, to a new cemetery in Parma, in 1896. Niccolò Paganini donated his violin to the City of Genova; a “Guarnieri del Gesù” (1742), which he used to refer to as “my cannon violin”. Learning about our origins can be an important legacy to our children, after all memories are not used to remember the lost time, but to start again, knowing that losing our roots inevitably leads to a loss in our identity as people who live, think and love. If you are interested in authorizing a research project in your Ancestral town, go to: http://www.myitalianfamily.com/research/home_research.htm or call us direct at 1-888-472-0171 If you are interested in traveling to your Ancestral town, go to: http://www.myitalianfamily.com/trips/ or call us direct at 1-888-472-0171
Charles Vallone Senior Broker Advisor Cell 773.936.6000
5341 West Belmont Chicago, Illinois, 60641 Office 773.282.7979 Fax 773.282.6567
Beaulieu Real Estate
chuckvallone@gmail.com www.c21beaulieu.com Fall 2010 / 41
Top 20 Fashionable Tennis Women of All Time
The sport of professional tennis has increased dramatically in popularity over the years, and I’m not too surprised why. It seems there has been a tennis boom in the number of extremely gorgeous athletes in the sport. I remember as a teen thinking that Chris Evert was pretty, and that she was a rare exception in the game. Now it appears she would be an average face of today’s game. So join me in counting down the Top 20 sexy female tennis stars of all time.
42 / Fall 2010
Daniella Hantouchova Rank 20 DOB April 23,1983 Ht, Wt 5’11”, 123 Pro Debut 1999
Gabriella Sabatini Rank 15 DOB May 16,1970 Ht, Wt 5’9”, 140 Pro Debut 1985
Tatiana Golovin Rank 10 DOB January 25, 1988 Ht, Wt 5’4”, 130 Pro Debut 2002
Sania Mirza Rank Five DOB November 16, 1986 Ht, Wt 5’7”, 130 Pro Debut 2003
Anastasia Mysinka Rank 19 DOB July 8, 1981 Ht, Wt 5’8”, 130 Pro Debut 1998
Serena Williams Rank 14 DOB September 26, 1981 Ht, Wt 5’9”, 155 Pro Debut 1995
Martina Hingis Rank Nine DOB September 30, 1980 Ht, Wt 6’1”, 135 Pro Debut 1994
Dominika Cibulkova Rank Four DOB June 5, 1989 Ht, Wt 5’4”, 120 Pro Debut 2005
Marta Domachowska Rank 18 DOB January 16, 1986 Ht, Wt 5’9”, 132 Pro Debut 2001
Jelena Dokic Rank 13 DOB February 28, 1985 Ht, Wt 5’8”, 129 Pro Debut 2000
Chris Evert Rank Eight DOB December 21, 1954 Ht, Wt 5’6” 125 Pro Debut 1972
Ashley Harkleroad Rank Three DOB May 2, 1985 Ht, Wt 5’7”, 121 Pro Debut 2000
Alona Bondarenko Rank 17 DOB August 13,1985 Ht, Wt 5’6”, 130 Pro Debut 1999
Gisella Dulko Rank 12 DOB January 30, 1985 Ht, Wt 5’7”, 125 Pro Debut 2001
Jelena Jankovic Rank Seven DOB February 27, 1985 Ht, Wt 5’8” 129 Pro Debut 1999
Maria Sharapova Rank Two DOB April 19,1987 Ht, Wt 6’2”, 130 Pro Debut 2001
Agnes Szavay Rank 16 DOB December 29,1988 Ht, Wt 5’7”, 130 Pro Debut : 1996
Elena Dementieva Rank 11 DOB October 15,1981 Ht, Wt 5’11”, 140 Pro Debut 1998
Amanda Coetzer Rank Six DOB October 26, 1971 Ht, Wt 6’1” 155 Pro Debut 1988
Anna Kournikova Rank One DOB June 7, 1981 Ht, Wt 5’8” 125 Pro Debut 1996
2010 FIFA World Cup
By Andrew Guzaldo
Holland’s defeat in the World Cup final meant, that only one of the 32 teams that competed in South Africa went home without being defeated: New Zealand. The All-Whites started the tournament as one of the lowestranking teams, and most commentators expected the Oceania qualifiers to be World Cup whipping boys. But New Zealand emerged from Group F, with three hard-earned draws to finish in third place ahead of the group’s (illustrious top seed Italy). Kiwi fans, already proud of the team’s achievement, can now boast of being the 2010 World Cup’s
only undefeated team Prior to the 2010 World Cup, the game’s organizing body, FIFA, once more rejected the use of technology to aid soccer’s match officials. But, the huge error in England’s second round match with Germany when the referee and his assistant failed to notice that Frank Lampard’s shot had crossed the line, forced FIFA president Sepp Blatter to reconsider its position. He said that the group’s next meeting will see technology back on the agenda. While this is likely to be an retread, of previous rejections, proponents of technology hope that the high profile nature of the Lampard incident will ensure a serious discussion. At this point goal-line technology is the only serious candidate, as the use of video replay has far too many issues to resolve. Goal-line technology deals with one crucial element of the game: whether the ball has crossed the goal-line or not. Though its necessity is actually a rarity in soccer matches, concession by FIFA here might appease advocates of video replays for another four years. Despite the high profile errors that marred two of the 2010 World Cup’s second round matches—Frank Lampard’s shot that crossed the line and Carlos Tevez’s offside goal— most referees emerged from South Africa with a lot of credit.
In general, the knockout stages were characterized by referees that allowed games to flow, didn’t get fooled by the players’ diving and play-acting, and got the majority of the big decisions right. Those critics of Howard Webb’s handling of the final between Holland and Spain would be better served turning their attention to the players, especially the Dutch, whose overly aggressive tactics forced the referee to produce a record number of yellow cards. While a number of the world’s best players failed to deliver in South Africa, it was refreshing to note that many of the best officials did. The winner of the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament, Diego Forlán capped a superb season that saw him win the Europa League with his club side Atletico Madrid, by helping his country to finish fourth in the World Cup. The Uruguayan striker was the inspiration behind his team’s remarkable run to the semifinal and scored five goals along the way. As he lined up a free-kick in the dying seconds of the Third Place Playoff match against Germany, most of the watching world would have been willing him to score and take the outright lead in the Golden Boot contest. Unfortunately, a beautiful strike clipped the crossbar but it was one last magical moment of drama and skill from the World Cup’s most likable player. The European Champions have added the world title to its list of honors and proved that Spain is the world’s number one international soccer team. Spain’s World Cup campaign didn’t start off well, as the team lost its opening match to Switzerland. But, it quickly recovered and in beating Holland in the final game at Soccer City Stadium, in Johannesburg. Spain became the first team to win the World Cup having lost its opener. Spain’s progress saw it struggle to break down teams who faced it with a defensive mindset and relied on a succession of 10 victories—that means it is the lowest-scoring world champions ever. But, it is impossible to deny that Spain is a worthy winner of the 2010 World Cup and as the team that always looked to play positively, Spain can be also be considered the tournament’s moral victors.
Next stop FIFA Fall 2010 / 43
Calendar of Entertainment Events Al Pacino Al Pacino brings his sensational performance as Shylock to the Broadway stage this Fall with the Public Theater’s production of The Merchant of Venice, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Antonio, a young man, pledges a pound of his own flesh to a moneylender, Shylock, so a friend can woo his lady-love in style. Antonio learns a hard lesson in loyalty, humanity, friendship and prejudice when the revenge-seeking Shylock comes to collect and he is unable to pay. Pacino and Sullivan expertly tackle one of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays, offering modern audiences a new, shattering take on this rarely performed play. The must-see event runs for only 78 performances! Don’t miss this legendary production that the Wall Street Journal declared “cries out to be seen by everyone with a passion for truly great theater. The best Merchant I have ever seen!” Dates: Previews from 19th October 2010, Closing 9th January 2011 For Show Times and ticket information please visit: www.broadhursttheater.net
Pasquale Esposito Sunday, December 19, 2010 Bayside Performing Arts Centersan Mateo, Ca 7:30 Pmpasquale In Canto To Celebrate the Seasonfeaturing Italian Tenor, Pasquale Esposito accompanied by the Mission Chamber Orchestraconducted by Emily RayTICKETS ON SALE TODAY...Don’t miss your opportunity to experience Pasquale live in concert performing Italian, French, and Spanish Opera Arias, Neapolitan songs, and original compositions all in the spirit of the Holidays.Call 408-528-6308 to order your advance tickets
Chieli Minucci
October 22 Dix Hills, NY (Long Island area) 7:30pm
been 25+ years of solid touring and we’re celebrating with this special release to commemorate this milestone in the band’s history!
Chieli Minucci solo & master class Here’s how to order: for an autographed copy by Chieli appearing at contact us at: chieli@aol.com 5 Towns College also available via CD Baby and iTunes The new Chieli Minucci & Special EFX double disc CD, with bonus ....Hope to see you at one of our 32 page booklet, ‘Without You’ is shows! now available for purchase! It’s Chieli 44 / Fall 2010
Shoppers Turn to Innovative Ways to Help Their Favorite Nonprofits this Holiday Season – And Save Money While Doing So! New York, NY, July, 2010 – No need to pull out your wallet to donate to your favorite cause this year – supporters are revolutionizing charitable giving this holiday season by ensuring that a percentage of every purchase they make is going back to their favorite nonprofit or school. In addition, these shoppers are getting access to great deals and coupons. How? By using GoodShop.com. GoodShop.com works with more than 1,500 top online retailers including Amazon.com, Target, Best Buy, Apple, Sephora, Macy’s, 1-800 Flowers, PetSmart, and Expedia among others. The shopping experience and prices are the same as going to the retailer directly, but each time you shop at one of these stores via GoodShop, a percentage of what you spend goes back to your favorite charity or school. And, even more exciting, GoodShop.com offers thousands of money saving coupons and free shipping offers so not only are you helping your cause, but you can save money while doing so. It’s philanthropy on a shoestring! Similarly, with every search conducted on Yahoo!-powered GoodSearch.com, approximately one penny is donated to your favorite charity. It’s used exactly like any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly! More than 91,000 nonprofits have partnered with GoodShop and GoodSearch and millions of people are using these sites to help these causes. GoodSearch and GoodShop have grown into a massive online grassroots movement attracting the attention of leaders in the nonprofit industry, students, bloggers, writers, and even celebrities such as Jessica Biel, Montel Williams, Thomas Ian Nicholas, and Rob Thomas who have all created videos on behalf of their favorite charities. To give you a sense of how this has worked: •UNICEF has used the money earned from GoodSearch and GoodShop to provide 160,000 children clean drinking water for a day! •A single purchase placed at retailer Gaiam.com resulted in a $284 donation to the Motion Mania Dance Theater in Maryland! •Supporters of the ASPCA, to date, have raised more than $35,000 to help animals in need! •The National Inclusion Project, which helps children with disabilities, has used the more than $14,000 its supporters have raised on GoodShop and GoodSearch to send nearly 200 children to summer camp! Internet users have found GoodSearch and GoodShop to be a compelling idea. Leslie Philips, a veterinarian in Tennessee, uses GoodSearch and GoodShop to support The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee – the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. “Why wouldn’t I use it? It makes me feel good knowing that when I’m shopping for gifts online, some of that money is going to help endangered species!” The GoodSearch and GoodShop team is revolutionizing online philanthropy so that no one is denied the opportunity to support the causes most important to them. “The response to this idea has truly been overwhelming,” said Ken Ramberg, Co-Founder of GoodSearch and former President of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com). “More than 100 new nonprofits and schools register daily and GoodSearch and GoodShop are helping make a difference in communities across the country. They are alleviating the strain in resources and making it possible for everyone, regardless of how much time or money they have, to give back.”
“La Dolce Vita” At Italian Expo 2010 By Ivana Gentile If you’ve been waiting for a chance to go to Italy without leaving the U.S. then you’re in luck because you can cherish “La Dolce Vita” by attending the fourth annual Italian Expo on Sept. 17th through the 19th in Chicago at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall A. The Italian Expo will showcase over 100 companies and vendors from Italy and the U.S. displaying and selling products such as food, wine, and handcrafted fashions and jewelry straight from Italy. Italian-American heritage organizations will be spotlighted. The unique cultures of Chicago will be present by the featuring of many talented local individuals. So what is different this year? “Chefs from some of the best Italian restaurants, emerging fashion designers, and various artists will all be present and participating in competitions in cooking, runway shows, and art installations. Guests can participate by voting on their favorite in each competition for a truly interactive experience,” said Gina Shermetaro, Marketing Manager of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce-Midwest (IACC), the organization that hosts this event. There will be a fashion competition between emerging designers such as Lara Miller and Horacio Nieto. The culinary arts competition will be among 16 of Chicago’s top Italian chefs such as Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno, Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo, and John Coletta of Quartino. Fulvio Calcinardi, Executive Director of IACC said: “Our goal is to bring together the traditions of Italy with today’s American culture. We believe that Italy’s “La Dolce Vita” is a unique lifestyle that Americans can appreciate because they love Italian lifestyle, culture, history, fashion, food, wine and tourism.” “With all the new features of 2010, Italian Expo is the ground for Italians and ItalianAmericans to meet and introduce their businesses, products, and culture to the American public,” added Shermetaro. For more information on exhibiting, sponsoring, volunteering or attending, call the Italian American Chamber of Commerce at (312) 553-9137. Ticket information, the entire entertainment schedule of events and more can be found on www.italianexpo.us. List of Participating Italian-American Associations:
• Calabresi in America Organization • Casa Italia, Inc. • Featuring displays from the Sicilian & Calabrese Museums • Italian American Executives of Transportation • Italian American Police Association • Italian American Political Coalition • Italian Catholic Federation • Italiani Uniti • Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans • Società San Biagio Platani • Sons & Daughters of Italy in America
The Food Channel® Recaps Coverage Of School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference Healthy products and innovations featured on the new foodchannelpro.com Website
SNA President Dora Rivas cuts the ribbon to open the exhibit hall as Tashard Choice of the Cowboys and Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass look on. CHICAGO (Aug. 10, 2010) As part of the Web site’s ongoing commitment to provide information to both consumers and the foodservice industry about events that help to shape the trends in food, The Food Channel (foodchannel.com and foodchannelpro.com ) crew conducted interviews and showcased products and innovations at the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual National Conference 2010 (ANC). “The country is very tuned in to school nutrition right now,” says Kay Logsdon, editor in chief of The Food Channel. “That’s why we’ve made it a priority to bring our audience the latest news and products. Our stories highlight the people and the companies who are making a difference.” More than 5,000 school nutrition professionals from around the country visited the school nutrition industry’s largest exhibit floor at the Dallas Convention Center during the 64th ANC. And at 760 exhibit booths, more than 340 companies showcased healthy, energy efficient and kid-friendly improvements in school nutrition. With school nutrition professionals working hard to meet the goals of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign, exhibitors stepped up to the challenge with new, healthier, kid-friendly products. Among the items seen this year were whole grain/multigrain products; fresh fruits and vegetables; low-fat dairy options such as flavored milks; peanut-free alternatives and healthy student favorites including wholegrain pizzas with low-fat cheese and low sodium toppings; zero trans fat, baked sweet potato fries and wedges; breaded whole-grain chicken products and high quality, calcium-rich ice cream. The Food Channel’s coverage of the event—which included daily reports, video interviews, photos and feature stories—was sponsored by the SNA and underwritten by Advance Food Company, Michael Foods , National Dairy Council, and Pinnacle Foods. For additional food news, trends, recipes, professional tips, and reviews visit www.foodchannel.com, or follow on Twitter at twitter. com/foodchannel and on Facebook at facebook.com/FoodChannel . About The Food Channel The Food Channel (www.foodchannel.com ) is a vibrant online community reaching foodies, food enthusiasts, chefs, and culinary students and professionals sharing a passion for all things food. The digital hotspot creates an intersection between enthusiasts and professionals, providing food trends, news, recipes and more. For more information, visit www.foodchannel.com. Fall 2010 / 45
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