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Exclusive Interview With World Famous Singer

Lyric Opera ReviewLucia Di Lammermoor

In This Edition:

News

Music Legend Steven Tyler

Sirio Maccioni Great Culinary Entrepreneur

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Editorial..................................................................................................................1Exclusive.Interview.With.Patrizio.Buanne............................................2-3Interview.With.Sirio.Maccioni...................................................................4-5Celebrity.News.................................................................................................8-9Artist.Ricardo.Santos.D’Alfonso..................................................................10Lyric.Opera.“Lucia.Di.Lammermoor”....................................................11Rosanna.Bartoletti............................................................................................12Steven.Tyler.........................................................................................................13Calendar.Of.Events.........................................................................................14Antonio.Stradovari...........................................................................................15Day.With.Antonia.Sparano.Geiser......................................................16-17Italian.American.History...............................................................................19Archeologist.Find.The.Hometown.Of.Biblical.Giant.Goliath...............................................................................20-21Italy’s.Forgotten.Earthquake.Remembered............................................22Operation.Harvest.Moon.Part.3of.3..........................................................23Center.Spread..............................................................................................24-25Vernonian.Chronology.Of.Early.Roman.Republic........................26-27Benetton.Group.Going.Solo........................................................................29Campus.Belvedere...........................................................................................30NIAF.in.Picture................................................................................................31English.Italian.Puzzle.....................................................................................32Nadia.G..Pizza.Recepie.................................................................................32Don.Manzullo..................................................................................................33Dominic.R..Massaro.......................................................................................33Health.Tips.........................................................................................................34Dr..Rosenfield....................................................................................................35Chef.Elizabeth.Karmel..................................................................................37Q&A.With.Chef.Masaharu.Morimoto....................................................38Antonucci’s.Café.Review...............................................................................38USA.News:.Summer.Fun.Tips...................................................................39Restaurant.Guide...............................................................................................40USA.News.Healthy.Recepies........................................................................41Environmental.News.......................................................................................42History.Of.St..Rocco.Di.Potenza............................................................44-45The.Village.of.Elmwood.Park.......................................................................46

Index.of.Advertisers..........................................................................................48

Patrizio Buanne

Pg. 2-3

Steven Tyler

Pg. 13

Sirio Maccioni

Pg. 4-5

Elizabeth Karmel

Pg. 37

Antonia Sparano - Geiser

Pg. 16-17

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

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EditiorialBennenti

In discovering our Italian American heri-tage and meeting notable celebrities one can only be inspired. Yet at the same time, one can appreciate the incredible task that it most be to reach such heights. These iconic individuals are

examples of how determination and resilience can feed the awesome sup-ply of energy needed to succeed. We at Amici Journal thank them for this inspiration and gift of a lifetime.

In this edition of Amici Journal we have World-renowned singer and songwriter Patrizio Buanne . We also have a number of interesting articles, which bring us closer to our roots. However as the summer, comes to an end and fall months begin, Americans will suffer from burnout, reduced productivity, diminished creativity, stress, depression, due to our current economical downfall in the USA, as well as throughout the world. This is a tragic time for all, regardless of any ethnic heritage you may ascertain

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion,” wrote John Ad-ams. “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

It’s not hard to appreciate the wisdom of Adams in practical terms. A profoundly immoral people would be an unruly mob. Huge amounts of compulsive, often violent, force would be needed to maintain the most basic order.

The American Constitution is among the highest achievements of hu-man enlightenment. It is not a cage designed to hold a nation of brutal savages. If we would live as free people, governed with the minimum possible degree of compulsion, we must strive to deal with each other in a moral way, because we have to trust each other.

How can a Moral people unfortunately suffer with the presence of deeply immoral leaders? This is why there is so much unrest in the World today; it has become a power struggle. Which brings me to the, situa-tion here in America, the economy and the debt ceiling issue has not only diminished the financial level of businesses, it has made the consumer, bewildered of what is happening. Therefore we receive a Domino effect of such, occurrence as we are receiving today.

Discussion of these matters is often dismissed as the stuffy chattering of moralistic busybodies, but it’s actually a question of cold logic. We live beneath a gigantic government, so huge that it consumes or controls more than half of what America produces. Much of this government is justified in explicitly moral terms. We are always being lectured that everything from government-run health care, to vast subsidies for “alternative en-ergy,” is the “right” or moral thing to do.

Even by others standards of collective ethics and submission to the State, it makes no sense to expect proper moral engineering from deeply immoral people. His sins of betrayal, deception, and negligence are the exact opposite of everything liberals expect us to believe about the demi-gods they would empower to manage our lives.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.

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“The Family is the Country of the heart. There is an angel in the Family who, by the mysterious influence of grace, of sweetness, and of love, renders the fulfillment of duties less wearisome, sorrows less bitter. The only pure joys unmixed with sad-ness, which it is given to man to taste upon earth are, thanks to this angel, the joys

of the Family.” Giuseppe MazziniFall 2011/ 1

There is a tendency for all people who have attained success to rest on their lau-rels—bank their profits, wallow in the glory of their achievements and take it easy. But singer Patrizio Buanne is not that kind of person. A musical superstar on several continents, he could be living like a prince anywhere he wants without ever working again. Why not? Is he crazy? Wouldn’t most of us take the money and run, or live the life of Riley and not worry about a thing? But Patrizio Buanne is a genuine artist, and he does what he does because he lives in a special world, where “I need to show that I am versatile,” which he does by reinvigorating himself in performance over and over again. What’s more, Patrizio Buanne has a well-articulat-ed philosophy of his art and his approach to it.

He started on the road to success by wanting “to ful-fill the desire to honor my father,” who was a serious music lover and who nur-tured his son accordingly. Has he accomplished that? “Yes I did. This is the rea-son why the music I think is

great is recorded on my albums—as a tribute to my father,” asserts Patrizio. But this is nowhere near the end of his journey into the international

Patrizio Buanne Brings Romance in His Bariton Voice to America

music scene. “It is important for me to update.” But this is not just to add more tunes to his rep-ertoire. “I still keep singing as if a song was written for me.”

This quest for uniqueness is the signature of a true artist. “Whose name comes to mind when you think of ‘Fly me to the Moon?’” he asks. Frank Sinatra. But Patrizio doesn’t interpret it with the same familiar swinging suavity as Sina-tra with Count Basie’s band. “I do it as a bal-lad,” with the traditional string bass instead of the now-favored bass guitar. But while Buanne strives to realize a feeling of originality with his music, he doesn’t believe that younger singers are doing the same. “They are copying me.” And why is this such, a bad thing, especially when Patrizio Buanne commands so much respect and acclaim? “Unless singers discover what is really right for them,” and not simply copy someone who’s made the grade, “they will never find their identity.”

Although Patrizio has certainly made his mark on the music world—and he’s definitely one of the brightest young talents there is—he still laments the lack of the really great singers. “Where are the new Carusos, the Pavarottis, the Sinatras?” Here again we can see that this is a man who is truly immersed in his life’s work, not someone (and there are many examples of this type of performer) who has had a run of good luck and then calls it a day. Like when he found a song done by someone else in English (“Angels,” by Robbie Williams) that he knew would be perfect for him if he could only record it in Italian. Williams turned him down at first, but Patrizio persevered and finally got permis-sion to redo the song. The result was a huge hit that everyone associated with the Italian. A less-er artist would not even have bothered to pursue such an undertaking.

By: John Rizzo

/Fall 20112

Patrizio is still trying to storm the castle walls of the American market and seems to be making some progress. In reference to that issue he says, “Yes, that is what I was asking myself. It might take a lifetime. My management company tells me that I’m doing better.” But he doesn’t worry about this sort of thing and is constantly striv-ing to find any kind of market where his artistry is appreciated. One of his great virtues was his ability to sing in a number of foreign languages. The last time we talked to him he had performed in Italian, Polish, English, French, German and Spanish. After a recent Asian tour, “I sang in Chinese, Japanese and Maylay.”

Despite his assertion that his style is “as original as Neapoletan pizza,” he has still not completely come to terms with the city where he was raised. As far as music is concerned, “It is the best of the best.” And Naples can surely lay claim to one of the world’s greatest music traditions, being the cradle of the Bel Canto and Baroque opera and the hometown of Enrico Ca-ruso. But Patrizio also has found that this city can be, “the worst of the worst,” and here we do not have to go into detail about Naples’ “dark side.” For now he is content to visit his native city for “spaghetti con vongole.” At the same time, he has not aggressively exploited his fame in Poland, where he got his first big break, per-forming for a crowd of 85,000 gathered to see Pope John Paul II. These uneven, or perhaps un-expected, relationships with certain places, add to the man’s universal humanity.

Buanne has cut three huge-selling CDs—L’Italiano (2005), Forever Begins Tonight (2007) and Patrizio (2009). In a business where the name of the game is New CDs, the singer will be releasing a new one (untitled at this time). It will come out first in the U.K. and be made available shortly thereafter. We don’t have to wait long, however, to enjoy his outstanding singing. He will be making a tour of the States this fall, hitting Chicago in September. It will be interesting to see if he plays guitar to accom-pany himself on any numbers. “I still play when I interpret certain songs, but I just sing much more.”

In a very recent survey of high school stu-dents, the youngsters rated “Fame” above all other virtues. I suppose many of us would jump at the chance to be truly popular—or at least that might be our initial inclination. But real Fame is a two-edged sword. Take Patrizio Buanne, for example. He’ll tell you, “Thank God there’s a balance. Naturally it’s good to be appreciated by so many people. I even have many fans in Australia. But then there’s the lack of privacy, the paparazzi. Even my personal assistant and other of my people get mistaken for me and have problems.”

His Italian identity is very important to this artist and he thinks about different aspects of it. “Italians are the greatest singers in the world, and I’m proud of my traditions. I don’t like the overuse of Italian stereotypes, especially as gangsters. I saw five minutes of The Sopranos and I never watched it again. The language they use is not my language.” Who else but someone very aware of his heritage would release his first

major CD with a title like L’Italiano?

There are many talented singers who have tremendous appeal—for a limited time, until their novelty wears thin. But Patrizio Buanne does not belong to this group of artists who are likely to be here today and gone tomorrow. This is because Patrizio thinks carefully about which song to perform, what is really and truly right for him. In this way he has a better chance of achieving his own unique style. This leads to a body of work that withstands the all-powerful test of time, and this bodes well for the singer’s future. But in terms of enduring appeal this artist also has a sense of history. As Patrizio Buanne puts it, “My albums amount to a dream of an Italy that is no more.” So with each foot planted firmly in the past and “what’s happening now,” we can proudly expect this L’Italiano to become one of the greats of all time.

What separates Patrizio from other great artists? Is it the natural grace of his voice, the “rugged” good looks, or the confident, casual, respectful attention that he gives to his audi-ence? Or is it just the basic trust he evokes in people?

The Amici Journal has provided a simple word to describe all of the above;

“Simpatico”.

Patrizio Buanne With Sophia Loren

Patrizio Buanne in Concert

Fall 2011/ 3

best Italian restaurant in Las Vegas!”) and, most recently, New Delhi, India.

Why French? “You have to go back in history,” Maccioni explains. “After the war [World War II] Italy was almost totally de-stroyed, while French cuisine was considered the best.” The owner of a French restaurant in New York—what nationality does Sirio Maccioni consider himself? “Definitely Ital-ian! No one can ever take that away from me.”

Sirio Maccioni has interesting roots. He was born and raised in Montecatini Terme in the heart of the beautiful, undulating hills of Toscana, about halfway between Florence and Lucca. Visitors to this area note the con-stant “Pop! Pop! Pop” of the shotguns of bird hunting enthusiasts, probably the most well known of whom, at one time, was Giacamo Puccini. Apparently this area is a magnetic draw to outdoorsmen from all over the world. “Montecatini Terme is mostly a resort,” says Sirio, whose father was a concierge in one of the town’s many hotels. From this situation he got his first experience working in restau-rants.

For Maccioni’s incredible success in a very, very tough business, he has been recognized as a New York “Living Landmark,” along with the likes of Walter Cronkite and George Steinbrenner. He is bemused by the high acclaim lavished on him by his fellow New Yorkers. “I don’t understand exactly what that means. I still work seven days a week.”

He just keeps on going, running Le Cirque as best he can, with the best help he can get. “Our chef now is Craig Hopson, the son of an English hotel manager.”

Not everything has gone so smoothly re-

During the research process preceding the article on Michael Galata that appeared in the last issue of Amici Journal, the name Sirio Maccioni kept coming up regularly. When asked just who is Sirio Maccioni, Galata said, “He is the God of Fine Dining!” Strong words. But in fact Sirio Maccioni is arguably the most successful independent restaurateur in the world. He is bolstered in this position by the efforts of his wife, Egidi-ana (“Egi”) and three sons, Mario, Marco and Mauro.

Sirio Maccioni can lay claim to owning and running the Numero Uno fine restaurant in New York City, the famous Le Cirque. And you know what Frank Sinatra said about this town —”If I can make it here...” Speaking of Old Blue Eyes, it was none other than Frank Sinatra who sponsored Maccioni to live in the States in 1956. At that time Sirio had been a chef on ocean liners. He had been doing this for some time and had made his mark in “Cuba,” which “was the place to go,” be-fore Castro. “I was once the guest of Batista, the chef at the Tropicana,” recalls Maccioni. “When I came to New York, I worked in The Colony [Restaurant], at 61st and Madison for 10 years.”

He opened his flagship restaurant, Le Cirque, in the Mayfair Hotel in 1974. In 1997 the restaurant moved to the Palace Hotel and in 2006 it reopened in its current loca-tion in the Bloomberg Tower building at 151 East 58th Street. In 1995 an Italian version of Le Cirque, “Circo,” featuring Egi’s recipes, opened for business at 120 West 55th Street. In the last two decades he has established successful spinoffs of both the French and Italian eateries in Las Vegas (“We have the

SIRIOMACCIONI

By John Rizzo

Sirio Maccioni, founder of the famously known Le Cirque. is a force of nature. A simple Tuscan farmer’s son, with great ambition came and conquered New York by excercising the idea that a restaurateur is not only a purveyor of fine food, but is also a stylish struggle of celebrity and high society. The great Maccioni, has yet to shed his Old World ways or, for that mat-ter, his magnificently English dialec, Siriohas reigned supreme over his little duchy two res-taurants in New York and others in Las Vegas, Mexico City, and beyond for the past 34 years, collecting presidents, popes, moguls, and movie stars as friends and loyal customers.The family business, Maccioni, his wife,

Egidiana, and their three sons, Mario, Marco, and Mauro is the subject of A Table in Heaven, a well-received behind-the-scenes documentary that once premiered at the Sundance Film Festi-val, focusing on Le Cirque’s big move from the Palace Hotel on Madison Avenue to the Bloom-berg building on East 58th Street.In the film’s most searing scene, Maccioni is

shown reacting with devastation to a less-than-glowing July 2006 review of the new establish-ment by New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni—a name that these days he can’t bring himself to even utter. Never mind that Maccioni changed chefs, revamped the menu, and Bruni has recently filed a much rosier reassessment.Amici Journal is honored to have had this ex-

clusive interview with such an outstanding in-dividual, and world-renowned celebrity, known throughout the culinary restaurateur, industry. And an individual with a charismatic way that would leave one astounded!

The Great Culinary Entrepreneur

/Fall 20114

Mr. Maccioni Overlooking His Staff

garding England. For two years it was widely publicized that the latest Le Cirque would open in London. “We have had some difficulties,” admits Maccioni. Another Le Cirque will open soon, which attracts not only local gourmets, of course, but also well known celebrities. “Re-cently Al Pacino dined at Le Cirque,” informs Sirio. “He is a very interesting man.”

This economy is also interesting, as most of us know only too well. It has affected Sirio Mac-cioni, like all God’s children. “We are still at-tracting the same number of diners,” he claims, “but they are spending 25-30% less, especially on wine.” This too, will pass, especially for a man who has fulfilled the American dream so brilliantly.

The author of a best-selling autobiography, Sirio Maccioni is coming out “with another book, with all the recipes of Le Cirque.” It might be a good idea to acquire this book, specifically anyone seriously (no pun intended) interested in the restaurant business. After all, how could you do better than by learning from the best?

Grand Opening of Aria Resort & Casino City Center Las Vegas

“I like to make drama, but I don’t like to have stupid drama. You know, for many years, I was able to attract the very best people. For me, one of the best customers in the restaurant in the last 20 years was a guy that manufactured chairs in Queens. But he always used to come in with the most beautiful women, and he drank the very best wine, so I don’t want to get involved or get excited. The best wine, and he liked the most beautiful women. And I think, from my point of view, especially today, there are not enough stars and kings and presidents to fill a restau-rant, even though I’ve had most of them. So, you

know, you do your job.”

“ The food. It goes together. You cannot try to do anything if you don’t feel that you have good food. Food can be a very different indication of what food is all about. To me it determines. If it’s a cassoulet or an Italian dish, the sausage and beef, I go downtown. If you tell me that, with all due respect, it’s nouvelle cuisine, I don’t go. Now, you eat better in New York.... The big thing is, you need a place to go to eat. For many years, it’s been changing, but always there are fine restaurants. One comes up, and another one went down. Everything has been done, going

back many years ago.”

Sirio Quotes

Fall 2011/ 5

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Leonardo DiCaprio is “smitten” with new squeeze Blake Lively.

The actor — who split from longtime love Bar Refaeli a few weeks ago — first met Blake at an NYC busi-ness meeting back in November.The pair’s romance has been hotting up of late, and the duo were seen getting cozy at a Grand Prix-viewing bash aboard a yacht?“Her face lit up when Leo was talking,” a source said.“He had introduced Blake as his girl-friend. I would say they’re totally smit-ten!“I’ve never seen him like this with a girl.”Sources recently claimed Leo dumped Bar because she didn’t want to have chil-dren.

“Leo told Bar he expected kids if they walk down the aisle,” a source said.“While Bar sees herself as being a mom down the road, and wants a family, her career is on fire right now.“She knows that she’s not going to get many modeling assign¬ments with a pregnant belly.“Leo is so angry that he basically told her to ‘take a hike’ — he feels like he was wasting his time with her.”

LIZA Minnelli will receive the Investec Icon prize at this year’s Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards.

The singer-and-actress — famous for her roles in Cabaret and Sex and the City 2 — will be presented with the accolade at the ceremony on July 1 at the London Hilton hotel and she admits she is “delighted” to have been chosen as this year’s recipient.“What a great honour it is to receive this pres-tigious award,” she said. “The work of Nordoff Robbins helps so many people, and I am truly delighted to be invited to the Silver Clef Awards this year.”Nordoff Robbins is the chosen charity of the British music industry and its aim is to provide therapy to vulnerable people through music in a number of different places across the UK in-cluding schools, day centers, hospitals and care homes.David Munns, the chairman of the charity, add-

ed he was “proud” to be giving Liza the prize.“We are extremely pleased to be awarding Liza Minnelli with the Investec Icon Award,” he said. “She is a true star and such a magnificent artist, we are very proud to be honoring her at the Awards in July.”Among the other winners this year are Tinie Tempah, who will receive the Best Newcomer accolade, and Annie Lennox, who will go home with the prestigious 02 Silver Clef Award.

JOHN Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston had lunch with Liza Minnelli,James Taylor and friends at Ser-

endipity 3 in New YorkAccording to New York Post gossip column Page Six, the group — who were joined by the Travolta’s baby son Benjamin – finished off the meal with a surfeit of sundaes, includ-ing Travolta’s favorite, hot fudge. Minnelli and Taylor had butterscotch, while Preston opted for a “Coward’s Portion” banana split.Travolta and Minnelli crossed paths at the TV Land Awards taping here on Sunday, where Travolta received an honor for his classic series Welcome Back, Kotter and Minnelli attempted to sing New York, New York. Meanwhile, it’s been claimed that Travolta has told Preston that he’s ready for another baby — just four months after the couple welcomed baby son Ben.“Baby Ben rocked John and Kelly’s world and they’ve never been happier,” a source said.

“Neither one can keep their hands off the baby. They’re mesmerized by his every coo and gurgle.“Baby Ben has given them a desperately needed fresh start.“Because her pregnancy with Ben was so challenging, Kelly said this time she’d con-sider a surrogate or even adoption.“Kelly and John both realize that family is all that’s really important.“The only thing that would make them hap-pier is to share their love with one more baby. John is crazy about the idea and told Kelly they should make the project their No. 1 pri-ority.”Meanwhile, the devoted parents also dote on their 10-year-old daughter Ella — who’s said to be delighted with her baby brother.

/Fall 20118 / Fall 2011

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Kara says Paula got her stoned! KARA DioGuardi has re-vealed Paula Abdul whipped her up a batch of pot brownies!The former American Idol judge lived with Abdul for a short period of time, and when Abdul left for va-cation, a tempting plate a delicious baked goods was left sitting in the kitchen!“There were these, little nuggets, little, you know, take six, not a lot. Six hours later I was like, ‘heeeey, what’s going on?’” DioGuardi re-called.”“I fell out of bed, on the floor, I

stumbled downstairs and I was like, ‘I ate too much.’ And the ambulance comes and is like, ‘This bitch is as high as a kite.’”DioGuardi spent three days in the hospital, hallucinating while hooked up to an IV drip.“The maid took them out, she was in the hospital, I had six, I almost died,” says DioGuardi.

Paula Abdul, set to Join X-Factor Judging PanelPAULA Abdul is set to reunite with Simon Cowell!According to the Associated Press, Cowell has managed to persuade Abdul — his former co-judge on American Idol– to join him on the judging panel of his new show the X Factor.Abdul will join a judging panel with British singer Cheryl Cole, former Def Jam president L.A. Reid and Cowell when the talent competition premieres on Fox in the fall.

Cowell had long been clear about his hope that his friend Abdul would join the show.“She’s very passionate and she cares,” he said earlier this year. “And she has good taste in music, though you didn’t always see that on TV.”

Madonna refuses to be photographed, at Party Madonna doesn’t want to be seen!The pop diva apparently banned photographers from taking pictures of her at a MoMA party Monday night because she “didn’t feel she looked her best”.According to New York Post gossip column Page Six, Madonna sneaked in through a private entrance sport-ing black Henry Kissinger-like frames, red lipstick and a black blazer which made her look like a hot grad-school teacher.It was recently revealed that Madge

— who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars — is making Lourdes, 13, do odd jobs to pay for her new mo-bile phone.“Madonna will make her run er-rands or tidy her room,” a source told Britain’sSunday Mirror news-paper.“She always tries to teach her about the value of money and how impor-tant it is to earn things as it makes you

appreciate them more.”

Jennifer Lopez is hoping to embrace her Latin roots for her new show. The American Idol judge and her husband singer Marc Anthony will travel to 21 countries across the Americas where they will ask local people to help them find “world’s most extraordinary talent” for Q’Viva! The Chosen.“With this show we hope for the first time to unite all of the Latin cultures and make some-thing that makes everybody proud,” Jennifer said.“This is like me being able to really, really go, ‘I am Latina, and this is who we are! Isn’t it fabulous? Isn’t it amazing? Doesn’t it bring tears to your eyes and make you want to dance and smile and jump and stay up all night?’”The couple will work with tour directorJamie King and according to Jennifer, will travel to

“places people wouldn’t normally look, where all of this rich talent lives and wouldn’t nor-mally be discovered,” including clubs, bars, dance studios and festivals.Marc added they hope to be “literally guided by the [local] people, leaving no stone un-turned”.The people discovered on their travels will be brought to Hollywood, where the stars to create “the ultimate live show” will mentor them.“It really is a show for the 21st century,” Jen-nifer said. “It’s unprecedented in that it’s global and it’s local. We’re going to do our best make the most amazing show that the world has ever seen.”

Fall 2011/Fall 2011/ 9

The Vineyard

Neda- Child...cries for Iran

A City in Flames

Gypsy Dance Flames

Riccardo SantosD’ Alfonso, Artist

www.fineartamerica.com

Riccardo Santos D’ Alfonso is of Spanish Italian decent; he was born in Rochester New York. He has been studying art since the early age of 8. And his actual skill to paint started at the age of nine. At that early age, he watched his father creating a wonderful fresco (mural painting) of the Sacred Blessed Mother. His Father made Ricardo, an apprentice in a hos-pital. It is there he viewed a potential to follow him in the Visual Fine Arts. Artists, have went back in his family, bloodline for generations, even cen-turies. Through this artistic bloodline in the D’Alfonso family, which has left its mark in Spain, France and of course Italy. The D’Alfonso family is in various parts of Italy in Abruzzi, Pezcara, Sardagna. And after found them in Sicily. That is where the Medici family inquisition and extinction. Ricardo says “ I prefers to leave that behind, and not go into details” The families’ art trade goes back many more centuries then Ricardo has researched, so he looks at the current art and its progress ascertained in America.

The D’ Alfonso family arrived in America through the Ellis Island shore. It was Ricardo’s Great Grandfather that kept the families together to maintain a relationship, and maintain a family element, in the great country of America. It wasn’t until the younger D’Alfonso’s moved on as they got older, they separated and headed in to many different directions from California to New York, and Canada to Mexico. It wasn’t until their move to Mexico that the family became prosperous and made headway in business and Entrepreneurship, one of the D’Alfonso relatives opened a fruit shipping company, that in later years was purchased by the now very successful Dole corporation. Others of the family were involved in diamonds and various gemstones.

Also Restaurants, and politics were of an interest to the D’Alfonso fam-ily, and that is where they made their career.

Since the D’Alfonso family was so proud to be in America the Military was choice of many, they fought in battles, in the first and second World War, as well as Korea and Vietnam. And the children of the D’Alfonso members have also chosen a Military life as well.

However, Ricardo has chose the world of Art, artists, and artisans, it is filled with a mixture of self-teaching in the artistic arts. He has found that music plays a big role in art, well at least for Ricardo it is, he has found Flamingo music and dance has enriched his paintings, in his An-cient Spanish, Sicilian and Romanic-Arabic culture.

This something, that Ricardo says, “The instinct and Soul is in me something I have yet to understand, but keep on searching internally, and I do believe to have grasped this through my Artworks and Music.”

Ricardo has studied and researched many of the great masters in his-tory, for which he has also been deeply inspired, for their deep passion in the arts, and sacrifices of contributions they made to Society as a whole. And have enriched the artist in his daily routine, in their paintings. And this does not just include Italy, there are Spanish, Venetian, French Dutch as well as Russian masters of the art that have made the art world of today a much easier task, since their sacrifices have added to our mental capabil-ity to put on canvas, what the felt in their daily lives.

One thing is for sure, Ricardo D’Alfonso is an artist, and it is demon-strated in every one of his masterpieces.

Amici Journal advises those art lovers to go to his website, and in view-ing you can realize what an Artist Ricardo is. And feel free to, purchase one of those extraordinary pieces, to decorate your home with the knowl-edge and History of a real Artist.

By Andrew Guzaldo

Distinguished

/Fall 201110

Giuseppe Filianoti as EdgarMetropolitan Opera

Susanna Philips as LuciaSanta Fe Opera

Lucia Production Set design by Wilson Chin

2011-201222 LYRIC OPERA SEASON

When the castrati were replaced by wom-en, did the style of Italian opera singing actu-ally change all that much? We know that there are formal differences in the structure of the solo number between the castrati-dominated Baroque and Classical periods and the prima donna-dominated Romantic era. But in both pe-riods the lyrical passages were distinguished by extended periods of recitative in a free rhythm, in which the plot of the opera was related, and actual song in the arias or ensembles set to a regularly metered rhythm, for the expression of emotion. This differentiation between recitative and aria to relate plot or express emotion did not really change until Verdi, when the recitative and ensemble became more intertwined for the sake of the ever-increasing importance of the drama in opera.

With the American and French Revolutions, society underwent a cataclysmic change. Ever since Day One of civilization, people had lived

in a class-conscious society of one type or another. At the same time, women were severely restricted by tradition to certain roles that did not in-clude singing or acting in public (if they were respectable). The 18th century revolutions and the Napoleonic wars changed all of this for good. Not sur-prisingly the revolu-tionary social changes were reflected in the opera. Nineteenth-cen-tury audiences no lon-ger wanted to see tepid dramas of ancient gods and heroes, nor did they want to see men portraying women. They wanted to see flesh and blood characters in desperate situations and they wanted to see women and more women on stage. As a matter of fact the novelty of women performers was so appealing that, in the early Bel Canto period, it was quite common for women to portray men, rather than the other way around. This was not such a big deal to composers, who had long favored the up-per register for melody.

Romantic literature, in depicting ex-treme emotion and escapist settings, also focused on the travails and relationships of female characters, and this literature became the most im-portant source for the subjects of Romantic

opera. One such work was the 1819 novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, by Sir Walter Scott. It became the subject of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lam-mermoor (1835) with a li-bretto by Salvatore Camma-rano, who collaborated eight times with this composer and four with Verdi, including the text for Il trovatore (1853). Along with Rossini’s comic Il barbiere di Siviglia (1815), Lucia is one of the most fa-mous and popular Bel Canto operas of all.

Following in the footsteps of Mozart, Rossini favored a multi-movement aria, which evolved into the formal scena. By the time of Donizetti, Rossini’s formula had settled into one of four movements: Recitative, a slow Aria, an Interlude (which could be more

solo recitative, news from another character or even a chorus) and, lastly, a cabaletta. It was in this last, fast or jaunty movement, that the sing-er would be able to show off his or her technique. Today we call the kinds of runs, trills, ornaments and other sorts of florid melodies, typically found in the cabaletta, “col-oratura” singing. (By the way, the term cabaletta is derived from the Italian word caballo or horse, probably because, com-pared to the other move-

ments of the scena, this movement “gallops.”)The cabaletta initially had but one purpose,

to showcase the virtuosity of the soloist, an idea that came directly from the improvisatory style of the castrati. They were the ones who really developed the florid style of singing. But because audiences developed an appetite for more realis-tic drama in opera and, at the same time, the de-sire for women singers as opposed to castrated males, the castrati basically became extinct. But the practice of coloratura singing continued for more than half a century after the castrati ceased to exist. In Lucia di Lammermoor, more than in any opera in the standard repertoire, especially in the “Mad Scene”, the art of coloratura singing is exploited to the max. Even though the notes are written out by the composer and the music

is not improvised, what we have in this work, and oth-ers of its kind that are not so popular, is the spirit of the castrati on full display. We need look no further than Lucia to have a pretty good idea of how the castrati sounded and how good their technique was. None but the very finest sopranos who are masters of the coloratura style dare take on this role.

We are fortunate that the Lyric Opera 2011-2012 season will be include this quintessential Italian Ro-mantic opera whose musi-cal highpoint is the Great Sextet. It should be an in-

teresting staging as it will be directed by a fine singing actress, Catherine Malfitano.

Lucia di Lammermoor

By John Rizzo

Lucia di Lammermoor

Lucia di Lammermoor

Fall 2011/ 11

F U N E R A L H O M E8300 W. Lawrence Ave.

Norridge , Il.(708) 456 - 8300

www.cumberlandchapels.com

Owners and OfficersMr. Anthony J. Lupo Sr.Mr. Anthony J. Lupo Jr.

Mr. Michael A. CarbonaraMr. Peter M. MartinoMr. Louis A. Martino

All at Lyric Opera of Chicago are deeply saddened by the death of Rosanna Bartoletti, wife of Lyric Opera artistic director emeritus Bruno Bartoletti and for decades a beloved figure at Lyric in her own right. Mrs. Bartoletti, who was married to Maestro Bartoletti for 58 years, died today at the age of 84 of a respiratory ailment in a hospital at Forte dei Marmi, a summer resort in Italy frequented by her family for many years.

Like her husband, Mrs. Bartoletti was a native of Sesto Fiorentino, where she was born Rosanna Sandretti on July 4, 1927. Like the late Luciano Pavarotti, she was originally an elementary-school teacher. On July 1, 1953 she married Bruno Bartoletti, whom she had known since their high-school days. Maestro Bartoletti was rapidly estab-lishing himself as one of Italy’s most brilliant young conductors. He made his American debut at Lyric Opera in 1956, and his wife made the trip for the first time two years later. Thereafter she traveled an-nually to Chicago with Maestro Bartoletti, and Lyric Opera artists as well as backstage staff relished the charm she exuded to everyone.

“I first met Rosanna in 1964,” recalls Lyric Opera general director William Mason. “She was Bruno’s soul mate, and everyone in the theater loved her.”

Those who spoke Italian at Lyric delighted in Mrs. Bartoletti’s memorable Florentine wit. Her conversations were often peppered with phrases taken from operas, always applied at the most oppor-tune moment. She was immensely proud of knowing from memory the words and music of countless works of the Italian operatic rep-ertoire. Until recent years, when illness curtailed her traveling, Mrs. Bartoletti was a constant presence at her husband’s rehearsals and performances, both in Chicago and internationally. At Chicago’s Civ-ic Opera House she could invariably be seen sitting directly in back of the conductor’s podium, in the seat that bears Bruno Bartoletti’s name.

Mrs. Bartoletti’s final trip to Chicago with her husband – tremen-dously emotional for both of them – was for Il trovatore in 2006. Mae-stro Bartoletti was conducting a new production of Verdi’s opera, commemorating the 50th anniversary of his American debut leading the same work.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Bartoletti is survived by their daughters, Chiara and Maria, and by five grandchildren: Livia, Filip-po, Arianna, Margherita, and Nicolò. Maestro Bartoletti, as well as the rest of the family, was at Mrs. Bartoletti’s side at the time of her death.

Rosanna Bartoletti

/Fall 201112

By Andrew Guzaldo Steven Tyler was born Steven Victor

Tallarico on March 26, 1948, classical musician and pianist. Son of Susan and Victor A. Tallarico Steven is of Calabrian descent. American musi-cians of Italian descent such as, Frank Sinatra dominated big band music; the only vocalists with some reported Italian blood that made this rock-dominated list are Springsteen, Tyler, and Frankie Valli. For such a small group, Jews did just fine with Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Art Garfunkel.

Why so many white southerners? Well, pop-ular music requires singers with soul, natural-ness, and unschooled talent, and Scots-Irish men of humble origins seem to have it. But Jewish talent contradicts the idea. Another possibil-ity is that there is greater extraversion among southerners, an important trait for performing.

There’s really no way around it: Steven Tyler is a likable guy. But what do you expect from a man with a reputation as one of the most charis-matic front men in rock history?

That’s all well and good, but being an ‘Ameri-can Idol’ judges means getting your hands dirty. And as Howard Stern pointed out in an impromptu interview with the Aerosmith singer yesterday morning, fans and critics are already labeling Tyler “the new Paula Abdul.”

The legendary rocker hinted that the Abdul comparison might be due to his recent stint in re-hab, but assured listeners that he’s bringing his A-game to ‘Idol’ while not being overly critical.

Tyler told the press during a conference call yesterday, “I’m not going in there to be a harsh judge or overly bearing. I’m just bringing my Italian ‘I know how to work a room Aunt Phyl-lis’ honesty.”

But as someone who had to work his way to the top before institutions like ‘American Idol’ and YouTube existed, it’s only natural to wonder if Tyler’s perspective on the contestants might be a bit skewed.

The 62 year-old admitted to having an initial bias to the concept at first. “I didn’t like the idea that someone could be an ‘Idol’ or call them an ‘Idol’ if they didn’t do their dues and play clubs and drag their balls through glass,” Tyler said.

But he soon came to terms with the times. “It’s a different world today. Out of 700 there were 40 that were like ‘oh my god,’ and now we have 20. When you watch it, you kind of fall in love ...” In fact, Tyler revealed that his contact with ‘American Idol’ extends beyond one sea-son, should things work out for both parties.

Of course, it’s only natural for fans to look to Tyler to find the rockers in this season’s crop of contestants, a bias he says viewers should not be worried about. “I have a good ear for all kinds of music and not all great voices make great rock stars. Some people with not so great voices make great rock stars.”

As for finding the next “Steven Tyler” amongst the group, the new judge did reveal that he hasn’t “heard a lot of (rock), but what I have heard has come out the wormhole. For every week that I brought along someone that was great, they were given the wrong song and the wrong key and that’s the heartbreak. There do one-kid that’s got a great rock element, he’s totally off the wall but what rocker isn’t? I hope he makes it through, he’s amazing.”

Rock Star Steven Tyler American Idol Judge Is Of Calabrian Descent

Fall 2011/ 13

Imagine - that the dim spot lights on a stage focus on a tenor with his pianist, and in the shadows are the orchestra and a chorus…The pianist be-gins playing the melody, you can feel every note, and other instruments join in …and then you hear the suave voice of tenor Micheal Castaldo sing-ing the song lyrics in the Ital-ian la guage, resonating on

certain words sending chills to the listeners…and then suddenly the words change to a catchy phrase in English: I Pray a little pray’r every day…

PRAY’R will soon be available on iTunes and Amazon.com

www.michealCASTALDO.com

Lucia di LammermoorLiric Opera Presents

Dates of performance: October 10October 13 (Matinee)October 15 (Matinee)October 19October 22October 28November 1 November 5

For more information call 312-232-2244 or

visit www.lyricopera.org

••••••••

2011 NIAF VETERANS DAY October 27, 2011The National Italian American Foundation

(NIAF) is committed to helping returning Italian American veterans become effective leaders in the next stage in their lives by developing the skills necessary to succeed both professionally and personally. NIAF invites you to apply to participate in an inspiring day for returning

Italian American armed service veterans of the Iraqi Conflict and the War in Afghanistan, who are transitioning to the civilian workforce. The event will feature accomplished speakers including business executives and en-trepreneurs, who will address in a series of panel discussions topics such as leadership training, goal driven initiatives, and how to apply the lessons learned in the military order. The event will also provide a base of professional support among Italian

American veterans and will feature a networking lunch. In addition, each participant will be paired with a mentor, who will serve as a contact and source of assistance throughout this transition. This event is part of the annual NIAF Gala weekend. All participants

will be invited to join NIAF in the remaining activities, including a spe-cial Military themed black-tie dinner held later that evening and the 36th Anniversary Gala Awards Dinner on Saturday, October 29th. For selected participants, all expenses for the weekend will be paid. All interested Ital-ian American Veterans of the armed services are encouraged to apply.Applications are due August 19 and the selection will be announced

September 2. For any questions or additional information, please con-tact Guy Filippelli, the Veterans Transition Program Chairman at vetsprogram@niaf.org.

https://www.niaf.org/vetsprogram/vetsprogram_reg_form.asp

Mark your calendars for NIAF’s 36th Anniversary Awards Gala Convention Weekend- October 28-29, 2011 in the nation’s capital -- celebrating the Italian American heritage and all things Italian. Don’t miss out on all the excitement, register today at www.niaf.org/gala.

•

NIAF’s 36th Anniversary Awards Gala

Kenneth J. Aspromante to be inducted into the National Italian American

Sports Hall of Fame!

Former MLB player and field manager Kenneth J. Aspromonte, a mem-ber of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Board of Di-rectors who also serves as chair of the Foundation’s fund development committee and vice president for the southwest region, will be inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (NIASHF) dur-ing its 33rd Annual Induction and Awards Gala. The gala will be held on October 22, 2011 at the NIASHF Museum in Chicago, IL.Aspromonte will be joined by three prominent Italian Americans in sports including Tedy Bruschi, former linebacker for the New England Patriots, Tom Izzo, head coach of men’s basketball at Michigan State University and a recipient of the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports during NIAF’s 35th Anniversary Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., and Angela Ruggiero, four-time Olympic medallistDuring his long career in baseball, Aspromonte played second base with the American League’s Boston Red Sox, WashingtonSenators, Cleve-land Indians and Los Angeles Angels of the American League and the National League’s Milwaukee Braves and Chicago Cubs. He also man-aged the Cleveland Indians from 1972 to 1974. Following his baseball career, he was the Coors beer distributor in Houston for 25 years.

October 22,

NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN SPORTS HALL OF FAME

/Fall 201114

SA He was born in Cremona Italy, and worked in Cremona for the majority of his life. He worked as a Luthier (meaning those who work with stringed instruments) Although he was Italian, he would inscribe his violins with Latin slogans, hence, the violins became known as Antonius Stradivarius violins, or merely Stradivarius violins, rather than Stradivari vio-lins. His mentor was believed to be Nicolo Ama-ti, who also came from a very famous family of violinmakers. The reason why the Stradivarius violins are so expensive and famous is because of the quality of their sound. Many musicians have not only owned the violins, but have pre-ferred them, over any other violin. The sounds of these infamous violins resonate beautifully, and produce very powerful tones. They are rich, refined, and deep in sound, and project very clearly over a distance. These violins are thought of as good-quality instru-ments, and musicians delight in playing them, for they are very easy to play on. They are re-sponsive to the touch of a finger, and one does not feel like he or she needs to press firmly in or-der to produce a sound. Some of the Stradivarius violins differ in quality and sound, however. Not every single Stradivarius instrument sounds the exact same, or is as good as the other. There are some, which are believed to be of better quality than others. No one truly knows exactly why the sound of the Stradivar-ius violins is so wonderful, but there are many theories as to what makes a violin a good violin. The quality of the wood is a definite factor, as well as the shape of the instrument, the thick-ness of the wooden plates that are placed in the belly and the back of the instrument, and the varnish of the wood. Even though no one really knows how exactly he formed his violins, or what methods he used, it can definitely be said that he incorporated advanced geometry and mathematics into his craftsmanship. He built over 1,100 instruments, but merely 650 of them survive today. Violins produced by Antonio Stradi-vari during the late 17th and early 18th centu-ries are reputed to have superior tonal qualities. Dendrochronological is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year. Studies show that Stradivari used Norway spruce that had grown mostly during the Maunder Minimum, a

period of reduced solar activity when relative-ly low temperatures caused trees to lay down wood with narrow annual rings, resulting in a high modulus of elasticity and low density.The main objective was to determine whether wood can be processed using selected decay fungi so that it becomes acoustically similar to the wood of trees that have grown in a cold cli-mate (i.e. reduced density and unchanged mod-ulus of elasticity). This was investigated by incubating resonance wood specimens of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplata-nus) with fungal species that can reduce wood density, but lack the ability to degrade the com-pound middle lamellae, at least in the earlier stages of decay.Microscopic assessment of the incubated speci-mens and measurement of five physical prop-erties (density, modulus of elasticity, speed of sound, radiation ratio, and the damping factor) using resonance frequency revealed that in the wood of both species there was a reduction in density, accompanied by relatively little change in the speed of sound. Thus, radiation ratio was increased from ‘poor’ to ‘good’, on a par with ‘superior’ resonance wood grown in a cold cli-mate. Stradivarius violins are known for be-ing extremely famous and expensive as well. A Stradivarius violin made during the time period in which Antonio Stradivari lived is believed to be the most famous and expensive violins. If the violin was produced in the 1680’s, it could be worth more than hundreds of thousands of dollars today, if it were to be sold. If a violin was produced during the period between the early 1700’s up until 1720, otherwise known as the “golden period,” and the violin is in good condition, it is sold at very high prices. A vio-lin produced during this period can be priced at over millions of dollars. Not many Stradivarius violins are sold however, for many of them are owned today by either musicians, or organiza-tions and foundations such as the Stradivari So-ciety. The highest price that a Stradivarius was sold for was $3,544,000, but this was merely the highest price bought at a public auction. The bidder’s was reported to be anonymous. This vi-olin was called the Hammer, and was produced during the golden period, in the year 1707. Be-fore it was sold at over three million dollars, the violin’s price was estimated to be no less than 1.5 million, and no more than 2.5 million dol-lars. But on May 16, 2006, the bidder bought the violin, and the bid was recorded into history as the highest price an individual has ever paid for the Stradivarius violin at a public auction. Pri-vate sales of Stradivarius violins have exceeded this price, however, so the Hammer remains merely the highest priced violin sold at a public sale.

Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644, and died in 1737, and in his 93 years, he estab-lished himself as the greatest violinmaker in the history of mankind.

By Andrew Guzaldo

Fall 2011/Fall 2011/ 15

…Eating brunch I started asking…

Q.: When did your family move to United States?

A.: My mother Maria Marzia Maiello, aged ten, moved to Northern America with her mother in December 1930 with her brothers, but her father had already settled there since 1920. They left Naples on the 29th November 1930 onboard of “Vapore di Bandiera Italiana Roma”, through Gibilterra and reaching American coasts after nine days. The third class ticket cost 2,250 lire each, plus 15 lire harbour tax and 360 lire emi-gration tax, spending a total of 9,143 lire. They arrived in New York harbour on December 8, 1930. They saw the Statue Liberty from the ship and they knew that it was the symbol of their freedom.My father Tony was born in America, but spent much of his youth in Italy. His father, an im-porter of wine and other items, travelled every few years with his whole family between Italy and America. Dad grew up in the town of San Benedetto, which is so close to Caserta, and my mother’s birthplace Santa Nicola.

Q.: How was the first impact at the “New Land” for your mother, her brothers and your grand-mother?

A.: My mum remembered that they had to go through Ellis Island immigration and that took a lot of time. They were tired and had to wait in a big room for the arrival of my grandfather Gi-ulio. They were happy to be introduced to their papa and felt a familiarity to him since they had grown with his brothers in Italy. It was night by the time they took a taxi to the apartment that Papa had rented and furnished for them in Brooklyn, at 146 20th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues.My mother remembered that Italy had been warm at the time of their leaving; New York was so cold! Francesco and Domenico, her brothers, were wearing short pants and they were all freez-ing, but reuniting with their papa was a huge and very humbling experience for them all. They had been very happy in Italy; they truly didn’t want to leave their homeland. Grandma certain-ly didn’t want to leave her widowed mother and her work in her store. But, they came with hope and a promise of better times for all of them.

Q.: So, did your parents meet in Italy, in Santa Nicola?

A.: No! They met here in Brooklyn.

Antonia Sparano was born in the United States in Kingston, New York, however her mother, Maria Marzia Maiello was born in Italy, in 1920. She was raised in the small Italian town of San Nicola La Strada, 20 miles north from Naples. At the age of ten Maria fled her native Italy, with her mother, Vincenza and brothers, Francesco and Domenico to spare, as she said, her kids from the “rising tide of fascism” in 1930. They left everything and everyone they had behind, to find freedom, work and eventual comfort in the United States. Those were the Great Depression years in America. They reunited with Maria’s father who had already made the move almost eleven years before. Here started the story of her family migration…

A story that was common to more than 4,000,000 Italians who left their country for the “promised land” between 1880 and 1924 in search of a new life and new opportunities. Some of them worked hard and reached their goal, some just tried but soon got disillusioned and went back to Italy, some others unfortunate-ly managed to bring to the USA the worst we had in Italy, and that’s how they made fortune. As a matter of facts, around Italian immigration and the figure of the Italian immigrant we find the rise of common places and stereotypes that as it always happens, tended to generalize concepts, but, if on one hand the concepts to oversimplify were funny and innocent ones, like saying that all Italians drink Espresso and eat pizza, others were likely to depict the worst side of the Ital-ians, inexorably linking the image of Italy to the idea of mafia, criminality and fascism.

The label that was soon generated has been worn for long time, and made Italians feel dif-ferent and “unrelated” to the surrounding uni-verse. All immigrants had to face the experience of feeling suspended between two worlds, be-ing at a certain point too far from the their own country, but still too distant from the arrival one: they felt like not being Italians anymore, but not being Americans yet. This feeling of “suspended identity” gave birth to some of the masterpieces of Italian American literature, ‘cause the writ-ing of the own experience was a kind of attempt of reconstructing the selves, it was the way of giving expression to the private sufferance and giving words to the inner displacement.

In October 1997, Antonia Sparano Geiser started to document her “oral family history”, her intention as stated by herself was “not to let my Mom’s stories be lost to time and to share them with the next generation of family who, not as fortunate as I didn’t hear them first hand from my grandmother or her mother”.

By: Michela Valmori

Interview with Italian American“Second Generation Migrant writer”

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/Fall 201116

Q.: Why did they escape from Italy?A.: My family was escaping an oncoming dic-tatorship with Mussolini. My grandmother Vin-cenza simply stated she “didn’t want her two sons to get involved in what she saw was a com-ing war”.Oddly enough her two sons did get involved in war world II but, served proudly as United States citizens against the very powers that they ran away from Italy, with their mother as young teenagers.

Q.: How was life when your family ar-rived in America?

A.: It was in the midst of the Great Depression. There was much poverty here in the States. The Stock Market had crashed a year before, in 1929, and my grandfather was out of work on disability due to an accident he had at work. So, whatever money or treasures my grandmother had brought with them from Italy were soon again.

Q.: What were the biggest difficulties they had to face?

A.: The biggest difficulty they had, after arriving here, was the fact that there was no money once their treasures and savings were gone. They all pooled their money to purchase whatever they might need. My grandmother had owned and run a grocery store in San Nicola, the poverty they were subjected to here in New York was humiliating and very humbling to her.She came from a very well respected family. Her brother owned and ran the bakery and bread store. Her father was like a town elder, dignified and greatly respected in San Nicola.But, as the poverty continued with the Depres-sion the children and also my grandmother be-gan to think they had made a mistake in coming to America. They had such a loving and extend-ed family in San Nicola, they really had no one here in America.

Q.: Where and how did your family live?

A.: They came to Brooklyn and lived in an Ital-ian neighborhood, and there they did not experi-ence much prejudice. Soon enough my grand-mother impressed a shop owner with her sewing skills and he set her up with a shop sewing ma-chine in her apartment for her to work on.Francesco, the oldest child, went out to work shining shoes, Domenico worked in a store and Maria, my mother would work cleaning off strings from the newly sewn clothes in a factory sweat shop.

Q.: Did they have enough money to live?

A.: Salaries were very low and sometimes they ran out of money; when they were short and needed foodstuffs, they said the Jewish lady that owned the food store would let them buy on credit. They always praised that Jewish lady and always paid their bills once the money came in.

Q.: Those were years in which a lot of Italians moved to America in search of a new life. Do you think that behind your family “memoir” we can meet some constants?

A.: There are always similarities in the stories of immigrants. Constants, being many things. Some immigrants were soldiers of fortune, oth-ers, seeking religious freedom, or simply seek-ing adventure.I have great respect for my ancestors, who faced diversity and survived despite the circumstanc-es. They arrived from Italy with dignity and their indomitable spirits. With strong work, ethic, in-telligence and perseverance they became proud American citizens.They brought their stories and shared them to keep the memory of Italy alive in their hearts, repeating them lovingly and always with laugh-ter and tears.

Q.: How was the feeling of Americans towards Italian immgrants?

A.: Italians occupied at that time the lowest step of society. When they built the Erie Canal in upstate New York, the Italian immigrants were paid less than the African Americans. Ital-ians had to work hard to gain trust, because a lot of Italians were behaving badly, committing crimes and being linked with the Black-hand. So, being a honest Italian was made difficult but they worked hard and persevered to gain the re-spect of the Americans.

Q.: How did you get to the idea of documenting your family’s experi-ence?

A.: I simply didn’t want the stories I heard as a child to be lost to the next generation. I had no idea of what I was getting into at the time. I had purchased a computer from a friend and typed up a little memory of my mother from Italy. When I brought it to her I thought she would be pleased... she read it, slammed it on the din-ing room table and commented, “Do you think my life is only one page?” “Oh, no”, I thought, “here we go” and that became nine months of working on a manuscript.Bella Mamma had a wonderful memory; I end-ed up with a 200 page manuscript and a mother insisting that we publish the “book”! That year was truly the best year of my life.

Fall 2011/ 17

1960 Hollywood Discovers

Italian American Women Although some Italian American females such as the Taliaferro sisters, Edith and Mabel, of the silent film era and others like Esther Minciotti, who played in the 1955 Acad-emy Award winning movie “Marty,” have per-formed in movies from the beginning, but they did not come into their own until the 1960’s. This development seemed to coincide with growing recognition in this country of the tal-ents of post-World War II Italian actresses such as Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren, and Gina Lollabrigida.

1961 John Ciardi, the most celebrated of

Italian American poets, translates Dante’s Divine Comedy

In the post World War II period Ciardi taught in various universities until 1961 when he left teaching to concentrate on literary pursuits. He had already achieved fame. In 1940, when he published “Homeward to America”, an award-wining work that speaks to the division between the Old and New Worlds. His book “What Does a Poem Mean”, published in 1960 was widely used as a poetry textbook in high schools and colleges. In 1961 Ciardi attained another career milestone with his translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. One of several translations of this classic, Ciardi’s effort that innovates by utiliza-tion of a tense, economical and modern verse idiom, is considered one of the best of the genre.

1962 Anthony Celebrezze, the first

Italian-born to become Cabinet Mem-ber as Secretary of Health, Education,

and Welfare

Anthony Celebrezze’s (1910-1998) In selection for a cabinet post in 1962 that cou-pled ethnicity with political considerations. An-thony, one of thirteen children, who was born in southern Italy in 1910, was brought as an infant to live in a humble Italian enclave in Cleveland, Ohio, where as a young man he sold newspapers and worked on a railroad track gang. Demon-strating a penchant for education, Anthony at-tended John Carroll University and Ohio North-ern University where he received his law degree in 1936 and became a lawyer. He interrupted his profession during the Second World War to serve in the Navy. Shortly after the war he en-tered local politics, gained election to the Ohio State Senate, and followed that up with election as mayor of Cleveland in 1953. As municipal chief he established a coveted political record that earned him re-election in 1955, 1957, 1959, and 1961.

1963 Jack Valenti From Texas Italian

Enclave to Influence in Washington Sicily was the Italian background of Jack Joseph Valenti who was born in Houston. Working in the daytime while attending night school at University of Houston. He received an MBA degree from Harvard University. A lieutenant, Valenti saw extensive service during Second World War as fighter pilot stationed in Italy where he flew fifty-one combat missions for which he won many awards including the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1952 he co-founded an advertising and political consulting agency that in 1955 led to a meeting with fellow Texan and then United States Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, Valenti was in the motorcade on that fateful day and he accompa-nied Lyndon B. Johnson on Air Force One as Johnson was sworn in as president. From 1963 to 1966 Valenti served as First Special Assistant to the President, only the second presidential advisor to actually live in the White House and the first Italian American to have such a close advisory role.

1965 Tomie DePaola, introduces America’s

Children to Italian heritage For the last two generations Tomie De Paola has been regarded as among the most fa-vorite authors of children’s books in this coun-try. Born in 1934 in Meriden, Connecticut of an Irish American mother and an Italian American father and encouraged by his mother, an avid reader, he was inclined toward reading and drawing as a youngster, creating his own book for his sisters at age ten. From the outset the content of his books reflected both his Irish heri-tage and his Italian ancestry. It also bespoke of a strong devotion to the Catholic faith that is evi-denced by the many murals he drew that adorn church walls and monasteries in New England. De Paola first received acknowledgement for his artistic talents when he won a $2,000 schol-arship to study at highly regarded Institute in Brooklyn where he graduated in 1956. In 1965 he combined his extraordinary ability as an illus-trator with a desire to write for children in two physical science books. That was the beginning of a prolific career during which he has written and/or illustrated two to four books annually -a feat that has produced over two hundred books.

1969 Mario Puzo writes The Godfather, which later is made into an Award-winning

yet often criticized movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Mario Puzo (1920-1999), who was born in New York City, became one of the most fa-mous and perhaps controversial Italian American novelists and screenwriters. He was raised in Hells Kitchen --in its day a boisterous and wild section of New York --where he became a school drop out in order to help the family economically after his father’ desertion of the family. Following his Army hitch in the Second World War when he served in Germany, he returned to civilian life in Long Island and worked as a civil servant to support his wife and five children. He also enrolled in courses in the New School for Social Research and Columbia University. After a stint writing “Pulp Fiction”, in 1955 Mario wrote his first novel, “The Dark Arena”. In 1964 he wrote The Fortunate Pilgrim essentially an account of his immigrant family’s survival of hardships in the interim between the Great Depression and the immediate post World War II period. This latter has earned acclaim from discerning critics for its credibility in reflecting the Italian American experience. He realized that while these works elicited literary praise, they did not attract the attention of Hollywood that would bring him wealth. He decided to go into the Godfather business. 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.

1966 Vince Lombardi, who set the

precedent for tough football coach Vincent Thomas Lombardi (1913-1970), one of the most successful professional football coaches, was born in Brooklyn, the son of an immigrant father. He attended Ford-ham University when the college played a big time schedule and where he played football becoming a part of its fabled “Seven Blocks of Granite” line. After graduation he worked in the insurance field, studied law at night school and also played minor league football for the Brook-lyn Eagles. From 1939 to 1947 Lombardi taught several subjects and coached football at St.. Ce-cilia’s High School in Englewood, New Jersey. In 1954 Vincent Lombardi entered professional football becoming offensive coach for the New York Giants and helped them attain the National Football League Championship in 1956. This background led the moribund Green Bay Pack-ers to hire him as head coach in 1959. Utiliz-ing an unusually rigid training regimen, he was prepared to turn around the fortunes of a team inured to defeat, accomplishing it almost imme-diately with a winning season in 1958. For this achievement he was voted Coach of the Year. Lombardi’s career flourished as he proceeded to lead the Packers to five National Football League Championships including winning the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. In 1969 he became head coach and general manag-er of the Washington Redskins, and once again helped reverse the sinking fortunes a seemingly inept professional football team as he led them to their first winning season in 14 years.

Source: http://www.niaf.org/milestones/index.aspFall 2011/ 19

Archaeologistsfind the Hometownof Biblical Giant Goliath

Archaeologists find the Hometownof Biblical Giant Goliath

But as archaeologists continue excavation at Gath , the Biblical home of Goliath, the giant warrior improbably felled by the young shepherd David and his sling -- they are piecing together the history of the Philistines, a people remembered chiefly as the bad guys of the Hebrew Bible.Close to three millennia ago, the city of Gath was on the frontier between the Philistines, who occupied the Medi-terranean coastal plain, and the Israelites, who controlled the Inland Hills. The city’s most famous resident, accord-ing to the Book of Samuel, was Goliath, famously felled by a well-slung stone.

The Philistines “are the ultimate other, almost, in the biblical story,” said Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, the archaeologist in charge of the excavation.

The latest summer excavation season began this past week, with 100 diggers from Canada, South Korea, the United States and elsewhere, adding to the wealth of relics found at the site since Maier’s project began in 1996.

In a square hole, several Philistine jugs nearly 3,000 years old were emerging from the soil. One painted shard just unearthed had a rust-red frame and a black spiral: a decoration common in ancient Greek art and a hint to the Philistines’ origins in the Aegean.

The Philistines arrived by sea from the area of modern-day Greece around 1200 B.C. They went on to rule major ports at Ashkelon and Ashdod, now cities in Israel, and at Gaza, now part of the Palestinian territory known as the Gaza Strip.

At Gath, they settled on a site that had been inhabited since prehistoric times. Digs like this one have shown that though they adopted aspects of local culture, they did not forget their roots. Even five centuries after their arrival, for example, they were still worshipping gods with Greek names.

Archaeologists have found that the Philistine diet leaned heavily on grass pea lentils, an Aegean staple. Ancient bones discarded at the site show that they also ate pigs and dogs, unlike the neighboring Israelites, who deemed those animals unclean -- restrictions that still exist in Jewish di-etary law.

Diggers at Gath have also uncovered traces of a destruc-tion of the city in the 9th century B.C., including a ditch and embankment built around the city by a besieging army — still visible as a dark line running across the surround-ing hills.

The razing of Gath at that time appears to have been the work of the Aramean king Hazael in 830 B.C., an incident mentioned in the Book of Kings.

Gath’s importance is that the “wonderful assemblage of material culture” uncovered there sheds light on how the Philistines lived in the 10th and 9th centuries B.C., said

Seymour Gitin, director of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and an expert on the Philistines.

That would include the era of the kingdom ruled from Jerusalem by David and Solomon, if such a kingdom ex-isted as described in the Bible. Other Philistine sites have provided archaeologists with information about earlier and later times but not much from that key period.

In 604 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded and put the Philistines’ cities to the sword. There is no remnant of them after that.

Crusaders arriving from Europe in 1099 built a fortress on the remains of Gath, and later the site became home to an Arab village, Tel el-Safi, which emptied during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948. Today Gath is in a national park.

An Israeli town founded in 1955 several miles to the south, Kiryat Gat, was named after Gath based on a mis-

identification of a different ruin as the Philistine city.The memory of the Philistines -- or a somewhat one-

sided version -- was preserved in the Hebrew Bible.The hero Samson, who married a Philistine woman,

skirmished with them repeatedly before being betrayed and taken, blinded and bound, to their temple at Gaza. There, the story goes, he broke free and shattered two support pil-lars, bringing the temple down and killing everyone inside, including himself.

One intriguing find at Gath is the remains of a large structure, possibly a temple, with two pillars. Maeir has suggested that this might have been a known design ele-ment in Philistine temple architecture when it was written into the Samson story.

Diggers at Gath have also found shards preserving names similar to Goliath -- an Indo-European name, not a Semitic one of the kind that would have been used by the local Canaanites or Israelites. These finds show the Philistines indeed used such names and suggest that this detail, too, might be drawn from an accurate picture of their society.

The findings at the site support the idea that the Goliath story faithfully reflects something of the geopolitical real-ity of the period, Maeir said -- the often-violent interaction of the powerful Philistines of Gath with the kings of Jeru-salem in the frontier zone between them.

“Gath fills a very important gap in our understanding of Philistine history,”

Gitin said.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re one day going to find a skull with a hole in its head from the stone that David slung at him, but it nevertheless tells that this reflects a cultural mi-

lieu that was actually there at the time,”

Fall 2011/ 21

It was 3:32 in the morning when the ground shook on April 6, 2009. Buildings swayed and thousands in Abruzzo heard the deafening roar of the earthquake. The epicenter was L’Aquila, the capital, and the devasta-tion was catastrophic. To say it was life-changing for tens of thousands of people would be an understatement. To film producer Robert Corna, it was

an event that moved him to action. “When I heard about it, the first thing that concerned me was if my family was ok,” says Corna. He had relatives in nearby Avezzano, Italy (itself, the center of a quake in 1915). It was his grandfather’s hometown. “I called them and they said they were fine. Then I thought, ‘what can I do? How can I help?’ I figured the best way was

to use my skills and talents to tell people about what was happening. So I went straight there with a crew and began filming.”

Robert Corna is a native Clevelander, raised in Bay Village and a gradu-ate of St. Ignatius High School. In his relatively short career in the film business, Corna has had production roles in feature films like Mel Gib-

son’s “Passion of Christ”, Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York”, “The Devil’s Advocate” with Al Pacino, “Angels and Demons” with Tom Hanks and HBO’s Mini-Series “Rome” as well as the current se-ries, “Nurse Jackie”. And while he is understandably proud of his work on those projects, Robert is drawn to telling stories of impact through his own documentary work. In 2009

his film, “Tiny Tears”, a story of children living throughout the world with HIV and AIDS, played to sold out crowds at the Cleveland International Film Festival. He has also previously produced a film on the 2004 Tsu-nami in Thailand.

But the L’Aquila earthquake is a story that hits close to home for Corna and he was drawn to record the event and bring the message to the world.

His timing has been critical. Short-ly after the quake in L’Aquila, the people of Haiti were struck by their own disaster less than 9 months later – and that was followed by story after story of other tragedies that captured the world’s atten-tion…and diverted it from Italy. Therein lies the theme and title of his documentary on the earthquake in the Abruzzo region – “Italy’s Forgotten Earthquake”.

Initially, the L’Aquila earthquake was a top news story. The world ral-lied to help. The government of Italy went to work pretty quickly to aid the stricken area. Temporary housing was set up, volunteers from every-

where swarmed to assist. Money began to flow in, at least for a while, from all over the world. But the job of recovery has been a long, arduous task – and it still continues, today, albeit quietly. “You have to remember, this isn’t just houses that are demolished, there are tens of thousands of lives that are on hold, in limbo. The corner coffee shop is shut down. The local restaurant owner has no restaurant. People have been uprooted, some of them having to move hours away from their homes, trying to start over with virtually nothing”, says Corna.

His film depicts not only the damage and loss suffered by this disaster, but also the fortitude and determination of the people of the Abruzzo re-gion. “The resolve of the people is what strikes me most. On the one year anniversary of the earthquake, the people of L’Aquila got together not to mourn, but to celebrate…celebrate their lives and their new beginning. It’s amazing. These people lost everything, but they cling to their families and their hopes that L’Aquila will rise again. And they truly believe it – and so do I.”

Robert’s passion for the project was contagious and he was able to enlist the services of an incredible team of production and post-produc-tion professionals who donated their time and talent to the project. Actor Danny Aiello provided the narration for the movie at no charge. Corna also called upon other Clevelanders to pitch in to help. They included Andrew and Jared DePolo, Italian American brothers from Olmsted Falls who composed all the music in the film. Media 2 Aidem, a non-profit film production company based in Cleveland that produced the film. John Murtha (Bay Village) co-wrote the film, Jordan Greytak (Parma) and Tri-C provided the sound mix, Danielle Shellito DiBenedetto (Bay Village) produced the poster art and Jake Grace created original artwork.

Early on in the production process, Robert turned to the Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation for help. The NOIA Board of Directors was quick to provide financial assistance to get the project underway. It was literally 2 years in the making and ultimately premiered on the anniver-sary of the earthquake, April 6, 2011 at the Capital Theater in the Gordon Square Arts Center of Cleveland to a crowd of about 300 people.

“I thought it was fitting to not only premier in Cleveland, but also on the anniversary,” says Corna. “I know the Italian American people from Northeast Ohio invested their time and energy to raise money for the vic-tims and I wanted to show them, first, what is happening there.” More than 20 Italian and Italian-American organizations in Northeast Ohio rallied to form the Abruzzo Earthquake Fund of Northeast Ohio and set out to raise money through the sale of t-shirts, wristbands and various fundraising events from May 2009 through June 2010.

Among those in attendance at the premier was Dr. Santa Casciani, direc-tor of the Bishop Pilla Italian American Studies program at John Carroll University. Dr. Casciani was in her hometown of Castelnuovo on April 6, 2009 and experienced the quake, first hand. Her home was destroyed in the earthquake and her accounts of the events of that day and the months that followed were documented in the film. “She was an incredible help with this project,” said Robert. “She not only shared her story, she helped during production and also post-production.”

As far as Robert Corna is concerned, the work has only just begun. His hope is to remind the world that Italy still suffers from the effects of this disaster. His plan is to use his film as a means to spread the word that the suffering continues but so does the rebuilding. “The message needs to get out there. Italians around the world – especially in America need to understand what is happening and find a way to support their homeland. The work has just begun.”

By: Dennis Castiglione

Italy’s Forgotten Earthquake

/Fall 201122

Part 3 of 3

Operation Harvest Moon

The Corpsman told me to calm him down best I could, so I grabbed his arm and hand and held him. He had multiple chest wounds and had probably lost a lot of blood. He be-gan to talk in a calm, almost surreal calm voice, he called out “Mama” three times, gasped once or twice and calmly passed. I remember thinking at the time that he was the only one who was safe. It was most likely around 2300 hours when I was finally Hilo lifted out to the aid station. They were still shooting at us when the chopper lift-ed off. Most of the glory of Harvest

Moon goes to 2/9 and 2/7. (2/7 had a Medal of Honor winner on the last day) But it is a fact that of the 407 total enemy killed during the entire 12

day operation, (92) were killed by Lima Company on the first day. Of the 45 Ma-rine KIA’s, 15 were from the first day. Of the 218 Marine WIA’s, 43 were from the first day. Our Battle lasted hours, well into the early morning hours of 10 December, and for those lucky enough to make it to Hill 43 without a scratch the battle then evolved to hand to hand combat. General Walt relieved General Henderson of his command on the after-noon of 10 December 1965, one day after

the Operation began (General Henderson was Regimental commander, his removal is a good indicator that I am correct about my theory that the brass screwed up big time). And ever since that day, I’ve often wondered if, taking Catholic Communion on Tuesday had saved my life on Wednesday! Before I came over to Lima 3/3, I won a Bronze Star on 13 Sept

65, while I was with Golf 2/9 that was a bad day but nothing like the first day of “Opera-tion Harvest Moon”! The action in which I won the Bronze Star was a day patrol not more than a few miles from where Operation Harvest Moon began. The Que Son Valley was a hot spot that I would visit a 3rd time before my tour of duty was completed. Jack Swallows informed me that he wasn’t able to call in any artillery support that day because Battalion took control of the fire mis-sions. This command error was most likely due to the fact that we were sent in to help the ARVN troops and battalion didn’t want us to kill any Friendly Forces by mistake. (the can’t shoot till shot at rule of engagement got us again). The Kid who Died in my arms that day, was LCPL Larry Dean Borschel a Radio Man from H&S Company who was attached to Lima Company’s FO “Forward Observer”. The same mortar barrage that got me may have killed him. I left his name out of this story when I first wrote it because I wanted to spare his family any new pain. I’ve since talked with two of his Sisters and now feel that he should be named.

Fall 2011/ 23

La SpeziaMarvelous Regions Of Italy

he Romans did not have a common era like we have. Instead, they called their years after the two supreme magistrates, the con-suls. The year that corresponds to our 59 BCE (Before Common Era), was known to them as ‘the year in which Gaius Julius Caesar and Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus were consuls’. As long as one had a list of magistrates, one could date all past events. Using a similar list, we are able to convert Roman year names to our year numbers.Originally, the pontifex maximus was responsible for the maintenance of the official version of this list, which was published at the end of the sec-ond century BCE. However, there are two problems, which are usually ignored by modern historians.

The Roman year did not start on 1 January, but on 1 September (in the fifth century) or 1 July (in the fourth century). A Roman year name should after conversion have two elements (300/299’), not one (‘300’). If it has only one element, it is almost certainly inaccurate.The list seems to be incomplete. Probably, four couples of consuls are missing. This is the main problem.A third chronological problem may be mentioned in passing. Because of the irregular intercalation of months, exact dates mentioned in our sources do not correspond with our calendar dates. For example, the poet Ennius writes that ‘the moon blocked out the sun in darkness on June’s fifth day’, which is a description of the solar eclipse on 21 June 400 BCE.

To return to the main problem: it was already recognized in Antiquity, and three solutions were proposed. The first one was to accept a period of anarchy of several years in the 360’s. This was not a bad solution, because it is certain that there was at least one year in which the tribunes Licinius and Sextius forbade the election of magistrates. The hypothesis that this period lasted longer than one year can not be falsified, and this may be the reason why the great Roman historian Titus Livy (59 BCE - 17 CE) accepted this solution.The second solution was to introduce three fictional couples of magis-

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trates following one year of anarchy in the 360’s. The names of the six fictional consuls are Papirius and Vivius, Sacraviensis and Caeliomonta-nus, Priscus and Cominius, and are mentioned in a document from Late Antiquity known as theChronicle of the year 354.The third solution is that of the Roman antiquarian Marcus Terentius

Varro (116-27), a contemporary of Julius Caesar. He introduced four years in the second half of our fourth century BCE in which Rome was ruled by dictators. These years are, in the Varronian chronology, 333, 324, 309 and 301.There is not one single argument to corroborate this constitutional ab-

surdity, which is just an all too transparent attempt to invent historical precedents for the annual dictatorship of Julius Caesar in 48 BCE. In fact, there are indications that falsify Varro’s idea:

The dating of the expulsion of Rome’s last king, Tarquin the Proud, in 510. Varro must have liked this date, because it offers a nice syn-chronism with the expulsion of the tyrant Hippias from Athens. (And it must have been appreciated more generally. Writing a century later, Pliny the Elderwas also aware of it.). However, it is simply wrong. A fragment from the city chronicle of the Greek town Cumae, quoted by the Greek scholar Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Roman Antiqui-ties, 5.36), proves that the battle of Aricia in the second or third year of the Roman republic, took place in 505/504; this means that the republic was founded in either 507/506 or 506/505 The dating of the foundation of Rome in 754/753. Varro obtained this year by multiplying the number of known kings, seven, by 35 regnal years. It must be noted that there are still Italian scholars who ignore the radiocarbondates and maintain that the hill top villages of Rome were united -the equivalent of the founding of a city- in the middle of the eighth century, which is a century too late.

Although the Varronian dates are clearly erroneous, they can be found in almost every publication on the ancient history of Rome.Livy is better. His History of Rome since its foundation contains the

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Varronian Chronology of Early

Roman Republic

/Fall 201126

most complete list of magistrates available. We can use it to convert Ro-man year names into our year numbers, and can see where the four miss-ing couples of consuls must be placed.To start with, in Livy’s History, the career of Marcus Valerius Corvus lasts 46 years and the peace with Tarquinii lasts forty years. This means that we can rely on his list of magistrates for the years between 347/346 (351, according to Varro) and 299/298. This may even be corroborated, if Livy’s statement in 7.28, that in the consulship of Gaius Marcius Rutilus and Titus Manlius Torquatus the sky turned dark, is a reference to a solar eclipse; in Livy’s chronology, this year corresponds to our 340/339 and that is correct, because a eclipse took place in the early morning of 15 September 340. (Varro and his modern epigones want us to believe that this happened in 344.)

To sum up: we can be certain about Livy’s datings in the years after 347/346 BCE. All Varronian dates can be converted to our era.However, there is no external check for the preceding period. The inva-sion of the Gauls offers the point where we can restart our analysis. As we have already seen, Polybius states that this happened in 387/386. Livy mentions 34 groups of magistrates and 5 years of anarchy for the years until 347/346, which means that his relative chronology is one year too short.

Counting backwards from 387/386, the problems disappear. Livy and Varro are more or less in agreement on the colleges of magistrates. Using 387/386 as starting point (instead of Varro’s 390), we arrive at 506/505 as the first year of the Roman republic, which is in line with the date men-tioned above.

This suggests that the list of magistrates for the fifth century is reliable, and that we can count backwards from 387/386 BCE. Two arguments may corroborate this.

Using this system, the year in which Marcus Fabius Vibulanus, Mar-cus Folius Flaccinator and Lucius Sergius Fidenas were military tri-bunes with consular powers, is identical to 430/429 BCE (and not Varro’s 433). The plague that is mentioned by Livy for this year,

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is perhaps identical to the one described by the Athenian historian Thucydides under the year 429 BCE.The Sicilian general Dionysius became sole ruler of Syracuse in 409 BCE; until then, Syracuse had been a democracy. According to Varro’s chronology, the Romans bought grain from the tyrant in 411, which is impossible. According to Livy, it was 408/407, which fits excellently.

All this suggests that Livy’s chronology is essentially reliable, except for the years between 387/386 and 347/346. Four couples of consuls are miss-ing and Livy has used an extended anarchy to compensate this.

It is possible to be a little bit more precise about the location of the missing colleges. Fabius Pictor (quoted by Gellius, Attic Nights, 5.4.3) states that the first plebeian was consul in the twenty-second year after the invasion of the Gauls. These events took place in 390 (Varro) and 366 (Varro). In fact, only nineteen colleges are known for this period, which narrows the location of the missing colleges to the interval between 390-366 (Varro).

Finally, it must be noted that Livy is not the only one who uses an extended anarchy. Varro used it too and must have found it in sources he could not ignore. Moreover, the three couples of magistrates in the Chron-icle of 354 CE (Christian Era) must have been invented to fill an awkward gap in a consular list. This suggests that the tradition of an extended period of anarchy in the 360’s was well established. In fact, the easiest solution to all chronological problems is simply to accept Livy’s list as it is, including a long period of anarchy and an uncertainty margin of about one year. This does not solve all problems, but results in a far better chronology than the common Varronian chronology.

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Fall 2011/ 27

The agreement for production under license and distribution of Benetton products by the Syrian Samha Group has expired and will not be renewed: the Benetton manufactur-ing hubs are now consolidated in well-defined geographical areas which, due to logistical re-quirements, do not include the middle-eastern area and are exclusively centred on direct pro-duction.The renewed strategic plans of the Samha Group are now orientated towards a different type of offer and positioning of the merchan-dise produced and distributed.Benetton Group will continue to invest in Syria, serving the Syrian customers with its fashionable and colourful clothes distributed through “United Colors of Benetton” shops.During a meeting at Villa Minelli in Ponzano Veneto, the Italian headquarters of the Benet-ton Group, Luciano Benetton, Chairman of the Benetton Group, hosted Ahmed Samha, Chairman of the Samha Group, thanking him personally for the “Effective and profitable brand development activity undertaken in the markets of Syria, Egypt and Jordan, assuring a high quality product at competitive prices” and adding that, “With different strategies in the future, the possibility of the two Groups work-ing together again is not to be ruled out.”Mr. Samha gave his thanks, stating that it had been a great satisfaction “to feel part of the Benetton family and to have been able to col-laborate in the success of an entrepreneurial project of an international and global level”. He too expressed his hope that “his entrepre-neurial projects would cross paths again with those of the Benetton Group in the future”.Today, the Benetton Group is present in 120 countries around the world. Its core business is fashion apparel: a group with a strong Ital-ian character whose style, quality and passion are clearly seen in its brands, the casual United Colors of Benetton and Sisley, brand for “in-dependent people”. The Group produces over 150 million garments every year. Its network of over 6,000 contemporary stores around the world, offers high quality customer ser-vices and generates a total turnover of over 2 billion euro.

After more than 15 years of fruitful collaboration, the Samha Group and the Benetton Group are taking differ-ent paths.

http://www.benetton.com/Fall 2011/ 29

Campus Belvedere

Campus Belvedere

With breathtaking views of the Verrazano Bridge and New York harbor as a backdrop, the for-merly Roebling-Stirn mansion is getting a makeover!! Once the conversion of this 1908 land marked gem turned Italian Arts and Cultural Center is complete it will change the landscape of New York City forever! More importantly, Casa Belvedere and its surround-ing three acres of hilltop property salutes the tens of thousands of Italian immigrants whose hard work and sacrifices greatly contributed to the building of this great nation. Finally a fitting tribute honoring a centuries-old and rich heritage, culture and people!! The following provides an Arial view of this extraor-dinary vision and this extraordinary project:

The First Floor will continue to be used as an Exhibition Space and affords Special Event and Dining OpportunitiesA demonstrative/instructional kitchen will be housed to the left of the foyer and dining areas, affording its own separate entrance for special cooking demonstrations and more inti¬mate gatheringsThere will be a Members Only Dining Room and Restaurant in the lower level, as well as a banquet hall accommodating up to 120 guestsThere will be a Members Only Wine Cellar in the lower levelThe Second Floor will be dedicated to the beginnings of a Cu-linary Academy offering classes for the average food enthusiast as well as a Training Plat¬form for Chefs with 15 individual cook¬ing stations. Additionally a temperature-controlled class-room will be dedicated to chocolate making and more, with an

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www.casa-belvedere.org

adjacent baking room.The Italian Language Classes will also be housed on the 2nd floor of the man¬sion.The Solarium, to the right of the Build¬ing, will be rebuilt to its original 1908 Roebling-Stern grand splendor!A new Outdoor Terrace will be constructed to the rear of the Mansion, directly above the existing veranda, and is designed with a tip of the hat to Classic Roman Architecture.

A New Free Standing Building, rear of the mansion:A new Free Standing Building will be built at the rear of the prop-erty matching the architecture of the mansion and integrat¬ed into the campus themeThis new Building will be a fully equipped Culinary Academy and Arts Building offering classes in Classic Italian Cuisine, Baking, Bread Making as well as additional Ex¬hibit Space and banquet facility

Italian-American Museum:An Italian-American Museum will be incorpo¬rated as a 4th building on the grounds of the Campus (not yet placed on the current campus renderings)Surrounding Property:The hill to the rear of the property will be trans¬formed into a small Boutique Vineyard for members and students. The Vineyard will be incorporated into the Academy’s Teaching Cur¬riculumA Greenhouse, replete with Fresh Herbs and Vegetables will be maintained by the Cook¬ing Academy Students and will be used year round. Complimenting the Greenhouse will be an or-ganic garden with the appropriate seasonal fruits and vegetables that can thrive in New York climate.The front of the building will be an environmentally sensitive parking area utilizing a grass paving systemAdditionally, enjoy spectacular views of New York Harbor and the Ver¬razano Bridge from Campus Belvedere, the premier

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“Campus Belvedere, The First Italian Arts and Cultural Campus in the entire Country begins to take shape in Staten Island, New York....” “Cam-pus Belvedere, The First Italian Arts and Cultural Campus in the entire

Country begins to take shape in Staten Island, New York....”

For more info on naming opportunities, membership, sponsorship or to find out how you can get involved in this noble cause that will preserve and promote our great heritage and culture for perpituity, please call 718-273-7660or write info@casa-belvedere.org. To make a donation, small or large, please visit www.casa-belvedere.org and click “Donate Now”. Consider leaving a legacy in loving memory of a family member or simply to honor your family name, ask about our various naming opportunities today.

/Fall 201130

NIAF in PicturesA monthly look at the Foundation’s eventsand activities

July 2011

To learn more about these and other events, visit www.niaf.orgAll inquiries should be directed to Elissa Ruffino, Director of Communications, elissa@niaf.org

Mayor Bruno Mancuso addressing theguests

Minister of Defense Ignazio La Russa and theMayor of Sant’ Agata Bruno Mancuso withColangelo

NIAF Delegation in ItalyJune 7

NIAF Leadership with (center) Hon. Maurizio Lupi,Vice President of Italy’s House of Representatives,in Rome

Vice President of Palermo CalcioGuglielmo Miccichè, Vice President ofAlitalia Salvatore Mancuso, 12-time MLBAll-Star Mike Piazza and NIAF ChairmanJerry Colangelo

NIAF President Joseph V. Del Raso, Esq.presenting Hon. Lupi with NIAF’s officialmedal

NIAF Frank J. Guarini Public Policy Forum

Palermo, Italy

Robert E. Carlucci, NIAF Board Member,with keynote speaker Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, Attorney General of Virginia,and Gabriel A. Battista, NIAF Treasurer

Cuccinelli addressing the audience during the event on Capitol Hill

Cuccinelli with Washington Times Reporter PaigeCunningham

June 23

Fall 2011/ 31

Across2. Pear4. Branches6. Makes8. Cutlet11. Chicken12. Steak13. Turkey14. Sausage16. Lunch meat looks like sausage17. Ham

Down1. Earth3. My (fem. sing)5. Beef6. Filet7. Veal9. Noses10. Pork11. Bacon13. Tripe15. Lamb

English to Italian Puzzle

Grocery List3 ½ C canned San Marzano tomatoes3 garlic cloves, minced5 basil leaves, torn½ C Italian flat leaf parsley, minced1 tsp dried basil1 tsp dried Greek oregano½ tsp hot chili flakes¼ C extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp Parmigianno, finely grated¼ pound Salami di Genoa1/3 C baby spinach½ C marinated kalamata olives, pitted & halved½ C Pegorino cheese, grated1 pound fresh buffalo mozza-rella, sliced ¼” thick rounds½ C fresh baby spinach, juli-

ennedSea salt & freshly cracked pepper

GearMedium mixing bowl1 Pizza pan

This all-dressed pizza rocks: Salty Salami di Genoa, tangy Kalamata olives, a sweet n’ spicy tomato sauce, and just enough fresh baby spinach to make you feel like your eat-ing healthy :PServings: 820 minutes + dough

Easy

Tomato SauceIn a large bowl, hand crush tomatoes. Add: olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, chili flakes, Par-migianno, and lots of cracked pepper. Mix. Cover and let it sit in the fridge for 3 hours, or overnight.

The ToppingsSlice salami into strips, the mozzarella into rounds, pit and halve the kalamata olives, and finely grate the Pergorino.

Skiaff it TogetherPlace oven rack at the bottom, and preheat at 475 degrees F. Grease the pizza pan with 2 tablespoons of leaf lard and work the dough to fit into the pan. Spread a ¼ cup of sauce onto the dough. Place the pizza in the oven, and cook for 5 minutes to pre-crisp the crust.

When 5 minutes are up, take pizza out and add another ¼ cup of sauce. Shkiaff the pizza back into the oven and cook for an-other 5 minutes. (We want the crust to develop some backbone, so it can handle all the toppings.) Take pizza out again, and add your toppings: 1 layer of Mozzarella rounds, sprinkle with Pe-gorino, add salami strips, and kalamata olives. Put pizza back in the over and cook for a final 5 minutes. Immediately remove it from the pan, and sprinkle with juli-enned baby spinach.

G-Style Pizza

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/Fall 201132

In Observance of the Attack on September 11, 2001

100th Anniversary Award to Justice Dominic R. Massaro The 100th Anniversary edition of the oldest continuing Sons of Italy award, the prestigious “Equality Award” is given annually by New York’s oldest continuing OSIA local lodge, Loggia Uguaglianza No. 83 of The Bronx, will be given to New York Supreme Court Justice Dominic R. Massaro at the lodge’s annual dinner in September. He joins a long list of high personalities who have awarded this, high Honor over the decades. Justice Massaro, himself a 53-year member of OSIA, enjoys a prominent and distinguished half cen-tury career, including the Presidency of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations since (1991-1994). He holds more than 200 awards, honors and citations presented over the years, including all of the most important Italian American recognitions nationwide.’ Most recently, he received the “Four Freedoms Award” from the Italian American labor movement in the United States (2010) The Jurist’s impeccable creden-tials combine with sterling rectitude to see him as one of the few Americans who have been conferred with Italy’s highest decoration: “Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”

By U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo

“God Bless America”

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, started like an ordinary day. I rode to the Capitol with Congressman Lee Terry and at 9:30 a.m. crossed the 14th street bridge, a quarter mile from the Pentagon.

Ten minutes later, the airplane struck the building. As I entered my office, my staff was watching thick smoke pouring from the Pentagon. I sent them home. With no ride myself, I asked my scheduler and legislative assistant, Katy Whitfield from Crystal Lake, to take me home. As we left, we heard rumors of bombs exploding at the State Department, the Senate and on the Mall. We even heard a rumor that the Sears Tower in Chicago-suffered the same fate as the World Trade Center in New York.

Members of Congress and staff moved quickly and silently from the office buildings. The sense of shock was so intense that most people, including myself, felt nothing but a sense of disbelief. We heard what we thought was an explosion, but it could have been a sonic boom from a fighter jet passing over the Capitol.

Members of Congress were summoned to return to the Capitol at 7:15 p.m. Speaker Hastert led us in silent prayer on the Capitol steps. Congress-man Rohrabacher of California started us singing “God Bless America.”

On Wednesday, September 12, I went to the Pentagon to thank the fire-fighters who responded to the tragedy. I spoke with several of them. There must have been a thousand people representing countless emergency and security agencies. There was even a chapel. I talked to two exhausted firemen who were trying to get some rest. “The American people want to thank you,” I said. “Thank you,” they responded. “We’re tired. We just worked 12 straight hours.” The plane struck the building on its side, one wing up, the other down. It tore open a 200-foot-wide hole. The fire burned for more than 24 hours, reaching up to 1,400 degrees. And, yet, right next to the hole in the building stood a computer, a desk and some filing cabinets unscathed by the fire. The acrid smoke, charred building and response teams made it look like a war zone. It was.

On Thursday, September 13, the shock had not left and I still couldn’t sleep. I saw Congressman Gary Ackerman from New York. I asked him if he knew how many constituents and friends he had lost. He said he

didn’t know; tears poured from his eyes. I embraced him as he told me his intern’s 23-year-old brother perished in the World Trade Center. Con-gresswoman Nydia Velaquez, also from New York, waited 11 agonizing hours before finding her niece, who worked in the building.

We voted Thursday for emergency funding to help the injured and miss-ing, to rebuild the destruction and to give our military the resources to wipe our planet clean of the cowardly animals who committed these hei-nous acts. We also voted to urge Americans to fly their flags. As we were being briefed in the House Chamber, a fire alarm sounded to evacuate us from a bomb threat.

I attended a weekly Bible study with several members of Congress. Our leader, Ted Yates, received the following e-mail (in broken English) from Poland, where Ted and his family ministered for several years:

We are shocked and deep touch of this what happend in last Tuesday in States. I want assure you,and all other American friends about our solidarity, and our prayers which we bring to God’s Throne. Poland is plunge in mourning. President proclaimed national mourning for next 3 days. There are thousands of flowers and ever burning fires next to Amercan Embassy in Warsaw. Polish people had hard history but this kind of brutality stoped our breathing. We are with you.

Yours in Christ, Piotr P. Waclawik.Today is a new day. Our nation and our people are forever changed.

And we are stronger than ever.My offices have been flooded with calls from northern Illinois residents

offering messages of hope and seeking ways to help. Doctors, nurses, fire-fighters and truckers offered to drive to New York to help the victims and missing. Seniors on fixed incomes offered cash donations. Thousands stood in line for hours to give blood.

I am overwhelmed by the sense of compassion and patriotism that has grasped our country. While our military protects us, our people will in-spire us to heal and rebuild the greatest nation in the world.

God Bless America.

Fall 2011/ 33

Tips to Put a Stop to Early Aging Dermatologists can’t stress it enough: How you treat your skin now will affect its future appearance. While it may seem silly to worry about wrinkles long before you have any, it’s true that prepara-tion pays off.According to dermatologists, more women in their, twenties are ask-ing for anti-aging tips. So, what can you do keep your skin looking young and healthy? Kiehl’s since 1851, a company that specializes in skin and hair care formulas derived from natural ingredients, offers the following tips:

Rest up. There’s a reason “you look tired” and “you look great” aren’t synonymous. But did you know that the position in which you sleep can also affect your looks? If you sleep facedown, fluid can collect beneath your eyes. Try sleeping face-up with your head slightly elevated with pillows. If you do wake up with facial swelling, try tapping the skin beneath your eyes or apply-ing a cold compress.Apply vitamin C. Your skin contains more vitamin C than any other antioxidant, including the much-touted vitamin E. To keep vitamin C at an optimal level, make sure you are applying a skincare formula that contains plenty of vitamin C.

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“Vitamin C helps keep skin even and bright, and it offers po-tent antioxidant protection from environmental stressors, such as pollution and sunlight,” said Dr. Adam Geyer, fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, Instructor in Clinical Der-matology at Columbia University and Kiehl’s Brand Ambassa-dor.Two of Kiehl’s products, “Powerful-Strength Line-Reduc-ing Concentrate” to improve tone and texture all over the face and “Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate” formulated specifically for the eye area to boost radiance and minimize wrinkles, contain 10.5 percent vitamin C. Unlike many retinol products, they won’t cause photosensitivity and irritation and are gentle enough for twice-daily use. Apply them after cleans-ing, both day and night to obtain the greatest results.Reduce your sodium intake. You can make your doctor and your skin happy at the same time! When you eat too much sodium, you can cause your body to shift fluid into extra cellular spaces, especially beneath your eyes. Avoid excess sodium intake to benefit both your health and your skin.

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Innovations in Women’s Health Shine Brightly at Local Events Nationwide Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of women’s health con-ditions have come a long way, baby. In honor of women’s health, the popular health and wellness website, Everyday Health.com, is work-ing with the HHS Office on Women’s Health and da Vinci Surgery to present “Women’s Works: Tools for a Healthier You.” Free edu-cational programs are taking place at over 250 hospitals nationwide throughout the month of May. Each will shine a light on the advances and innovations in some of the conditions that affect women.“Fear prevents a lot of women from making the necessary appoint-ments for medical tests to stay healthy,” explained Jenny Sucov, editor, EverydayHealth.com. “We wanted to focus on five major conditions affecting women -- from fibroids to breast cancer to osteo-porosis -- and dispel some old beliefs about what’s involved in certain procedures. Ultimately, we want to educate women and encourage them to take charge of their own health.”Here’s a glimpse at some of the findings:

Heart Disease. Researchers are working on better ways to eval-uate heart disease in women, and even routine assessment of risk factors like high cholesterol. For example, a recent study showed that a woman’s menstrual cycle can impact her choles-terol levels.

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Breast Cancer. A new Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, custom designed for the breast, eliminates the need to compress breast tissue and produces a 3D image in as little as 10 seconds. The CT scanner can also detect tumors as small as 3 mm that are difficult to see on a mammogram.Fibroids. Some fibroids don’t need treatment, or can be managed by taking birth-control pills or other drugs. But others do require surgery, in some cases a hysterectomy. In the past, a hysterecto-my would require many weeks of painful recovery, leaving large scars. Thanks in part to newer robotic surgery techniques, like da Vinci Surgery, hysterectomy patients can leave the hospital the next morning with only a few tiny (1/2 to 1 inch) incisions to heal, reaching full recovery within days.Osteoporosis & Osteo arthritis. Advances are being made in the treatment of osteoporosis, including new drugs, like Forteo, de-signed to increase bone mass rather than just prevent bone lossGestational Diabetes. Left untreated, gestational diabetes can lead to overweight babies. New testing standards announced in March, according to the American Diabetes Association, may mean more women affected by the condition will have the chance to reduce their blood-sugar levels.

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Lighting Can Be Your Eyes’ Best Friend As You Age Everyone experiences changes in their eyesight as they age. For many, it means buying reading glasses to read a menu, newspaper or other small print. According to the American Lighting Association (ALA), changing the lighting in your surroundings can go a long way to enhance reading ability and increase comfort.“Often, the first thing people notice as they get older is their loss of ability to see distance,” notes Terry McGowan, director of engineer-ing & technology for ALA and owner of Lighting Ideas in Cleve-land. “That happens around age 45 and is called presbyopia. By 60, most people have a ‘fixed focus’ optical system and need glasses. After age 60, eye and visual system changes accelerate, so that less light reaches the eye. Therefore,” McGowan says, “people need more light to see details as they age.” Paul Eusterbrock, president of Holktter International, a lighting manufacturer that has championed lighting developments and prod-ucts to help aging eyes, agrees. “The main issue is the quality of

light,” he says. “Research shows that a 60-year-old needs twice as much light as a 30-year-old. Most of the commonly found lighting guidelines are written with the 30-year-old user in mind,” Euster-brock explains. Is there a magic light bulb that will work for everyone? McGowan and Eusterbrock say no. “This may sound strange, but the perfect bulb is whichever one the user finds works best for them,” McGowan says. “Individual vision varies so much -- especially as people age -- that it’s difficult to develop lighting recipes that are one-size-fits-all,” he says.Whether you are old or young, the basic rules of good lighting apply: have sufficient illumination with little or no glare, and use diffused lighting to minimize shadows. If energy savings is a concern, Mc-Gowan recommends selecting compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and LED bulbs with warm tones (look for 2700-3000K on the box) and a high color-rendering index of 90 or more.

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Healthy

/Fall 201134

All books AvAilAble

At AmAzon.com

What you need to know about high blood pressure?

By Doctor Isadore Rosenfeld

As I investigate the various diseases or problems that afflict most of the Americans, I find that blood pressure is quite a common problem that has deteriorated the healthy life of many. It is not just the senior citizens but even middle-aged men and women who are troubled by blood pressure. This is because there are several origins to this problem and as life is spontaneously picking pace, people are becoming more and more negligent of their health and fitness.What is blood pressure?High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It is basically the resistance to the flow of blood by the arteries. The heart pumps the blood with a certain force, which is termed as the systolic blood pressure. The force against the arterial walls when the heart relaxes is known as diastolic blood pressure. The systolic (the nat-ural force with which the blood is pumped by heart) and the diastolic (the arterial resistance or the force needed against arterial walls) are the two parameters to detect the blood pressure.What Causes Blood Pressure?There are quite a few reasons that bring about hyperten-sion. Some primary causes are listed below:

In many a cases hypertension is ge-netic. Those parents who suffer from acute blood pressure, in most of the cases their children too sooner or later undergo the same problem.Imbalanced diet largely provokes blood pressure. A diet rich in salty food and excess, of fluids increment,s the amount of fluid in the body. Kid-neys at time are not able to pass the extra liquid and sodium by way of urine. The liquid and sodium thus accumulated increments the blood volume and so the blood pressure.High cholesterol level of the body is the cause of thickening of the walls of the arteries. This makes the flow of blood more troublesome and leads to blood pressure.Malfunctioning of the kidney or ad-renal gland produce blood pressure.Stress is a big factor behind hyper-tension. Addiction to alcohol, smoke and other narcotics paves the way for high blood pressure.Tobacco contains nicotine that con-stricts the arteries along with acceler-ating the heartbeat of the individual. This increases the pressure of blood

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in the body.Stress too is threatening for blood pressure patients. It boosts the heart rate of narrows the blood vessels that supply blood to all parts of the boy.

What after blood pressure?Life is not that easy for those who suffer from blood pressure. Blood pressure can be the cause of many se-vere problems. Patients’ of hypertension are more prone to paralytic attacks, brain hemorrhage, nervousness and heart failure.What can keep aside the hazards?Medicines are available to customize the blood pressure at normal levels. These drugs are prescribed by the phy-sician and should be eaten regularly. An escape from the daily dose might land you in trouble. So one should not be careless here.

A diet rich in essential nutrients for instance minerals like calcium and potassium is seen to avert the risk of high blood pressure.Avoid fatty food and addictives. Ex-cess of alcohol, smoke and tobacco are too fatal to be imagined.Go for regular check ups. If you can-not make to the clinic evenly, get a sphygmomanometer (instrument to check blood pressure) at home and measure the blood pressure in rou-tine.Avoid going to heights and activities like trekking.Don’t let stress rule your mind and body.If you are a patient of hypertension, in case of any other trouble such as excess of urine or feeling of uneasi-ness etc., consult your doctor before taking any medicine or comprising on your daily dosage.Managing blood pressure can be easy if you start loving your health and be-come more judicious and consistent in taking care of it.

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Fall 2011/ 35

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Elizabeth Karmel is on a mission. The North Carolina born chef has spent much of her career encouraging women to barbecue, founding a website called “Girls at the Grill,” writing cookbooks, and of course, run-ning the kitchen at Hill Country -- one of New York’s best barbecue joints. Hill Country is famous for its Texas meat market-style atmosphere and Karmel’s exceptional brisket, chicken and ribs. So it’s not surprising that Karmel has her fair share of male fans as well.

“Forty percent of my Girls at the Grill readers are men,” Karmel says. “Underneath the girl-centric speak, men realized there was a lot of great outdoor cooking information, tips and recipes on the site.” Grilling en-thusiasts can also sample her southern cooking at this week’s Chefs and Champagne, a James Beard Foundation tasting event, which will be held this, Saturday, July 23rd, at Wolffer vineyard in Bridgehampton. She’ll be serving smoked Texas Tenderloin with white shoepeg corn pudding for the occasion.

What did you want to be growing up? Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. But I couldn’t be happier as a chef.

What was your first job in food and what did you learn?

My first job in the food industry was as a waitress, and I learned that I wasn’t very good at waiting tables, but I was very good in the kitchen. I was demoted from a waitress and promoted to assistant manager in one day and was tasked with creating the breakfast menu. Thus, a chef was born!

What compelled you to move from the down south to New York?

And what do you miss most about it living in the city?Job opportunities drove me to the big city – New York is the center of the food world in the US. The thing I miss most about living in the South is fresh seafood and seasonal produce, especially summer toma-toes, strawberries and peaches. And of course I miss Biscuitville!

Why do you think grilling is perceived as a man’s world and why

do you think the typical griller is a man?Grilling used to be perceived as a man’s world because it was all about building a fire. With the proliferation of gas grills that are as easy to turn on as flipping a switch, women have joined in the fun and men have since gravitated toward gas grills.

What inspired you to create Girls at the Grill in the first place? When you first created back in 2001, were you met with a lot resistance from men? Do you still experience resistance?Quite the opposite actually. In fact, 40 percent of my GATG viewers are men. Underneath the girl-centric speak; men realized there was a lot of great outdoor cooking information, tips and recipes on the site.

What’s your favorite dish to cook on the grill and why?

I have a motto: If you can eat it, you can grill it! I love just about any-thing cooked on the grill, from a perfectly cooked steak to grilled pizza to a grilled banana split sundae.

Any quick grilling tips for ladies who’ve experimented with rubs, smokers and the bbq world?

My tip for ladies and anyone else with less confidence at the grill than they could have: it’s 10 percent skill, 90 percent the will to grill! And starting with great ingredients is a given. Check out the basics here: girlsatthegrill.com

Is this your first time cooking at Chefs & Champagne? What

are you serving up?Yes, this is my first year cooking at Chefs & Champagne, and we are thrilled to be included. With Hill Country Barbecue Market, we’re serv-ing smoked Texas Tenderloin with white shoe peg corn pudding

Whose dishes are you most excited to try at this year’s Chefs

and Champagne?This event has such a great line up of chefs so I hope to try everyone’s dishes, but I am looking forward to ending my night with a sweet treat from Zac Young.

This year’s chefs and champagne is honoring Emeril Lagasse. How do you think he has influenced the culinary world throughout

his career? I credit Emeril for making food fun and accessible to the American audience. He’s been instrumental in bringing food as entertainment to America and allowing all of us to follow him and have exciting culinary careers.

How did you end up writing a book about Pizza on the Grill?

What are some of your favorite toppings and combinations?After my first bite, I was hooked on grilled pizza! I see crust as a blank canvas, and I started experimenting with all of my favorite flavors from around the world. I realized that 99 percent of the ingredient combina-tions worked really well and decided to write my cookbook, Pizza on the Grill, with my favorite grilled pizza partner-in-crime, Bob Blumer. Once you try pizza on the grill, you’ll never want to eat it any other way.

You were raised on BBQ in North Carolina and a bbq chef yourself, so I’m sure you’re a tough critic. Other than Hill

Country, what are some of your favorites?I love the barbecue world and am lucky to have so many great friends who make incredible barbecue. For baby back ribs, nobody does it bet-ter than Mike Mills of 17th Street Bar & Grill; I also love Ed Mitchell’s Eastern Carolina pulled pork; John Stage and Jeff “Cooter” Coon at Di-nosaur Bar-B-Que in Harlem make killer saucy pulled pork; I go to Blue Smoke for Kenny Callaghan’s salt & pepper beef ribs; At Hemingway, South Carolina’s Scott’s Bar-B-Q, Rodney Scott’s barbecued cracklings are to die for. I also love his peppery South Carolina whole hog.

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Hill Country’s Elizabeth Karmel

Fall 2011/ 37

While the Upper East Side is a per-fectly lovely place to live -- with plenty of great grocery stores,

delivery options and old school Italian joints -- it isn’t exactly a dining destination. Af-ter all, dining out is entertainment, and like anything else, we all want to see the new hit movie, broadway show, or eat at the new, hot restaurant. With the opening of Jean Georg-es’ The Mark and Cascabel Taqueria, the Upper East Side has certainly gotten better, but it’s still got quite a ways to go. While it’s not my first choice, I’ve always been an open-minded eater, so I was happy to meet friends at a place they love called Anto-nucci’s Cafeon 81st Street, just off Third Avenue. Now, I’ve lived in New York for over fifteen years and I’ve never heard of Antonucci’s, which is surprising considering I spend most waking hours thinking about food. I assumed it would be good by uptown standards (I live uptown so I can say that) or even old school Italian standards, but not citywide foodie standards.

When I got to the entrance, I had deja vu of eating at the very same ad-dress when Butterfield 81 once occupied the space. It was a rainy, chilly night, so I expected to find a half empty dining room, but the dining room was buzzing with what seemed to be a neighborhood crowd. The owner, Francesco Antonucci, formerly owned and cooked at Remi’s, a popular northern Italian restaurant in midtown, before moving uptown to open this eponymously named restaurant. Antonucci himself stands by the door greeting guests with news of a sweetbread special, tripe alla parmigia-na, or grilled whole fish this evening. The walls are curiously painted pink and peppered with artwork, some of which looks rather expensive. I’ve gotten so used to brand new restaurants with ambitious young chefs and chic decor that I sometimes forget about neighborhood warhorses, like Antonucci’s, that locals return to week after week. It was a warm, welcome change and so was the breadbasket filled with long breadsticks, focaccia and flatbread. The best part was the homemade ricotta encircled in a warm, sweet tomato sauce (pictured below) that accompanied the breadbasket. Honestly, I could’ve spent the evening eating the ethereal ricotta with a big glass of wine and been content. I’ve been to so many old school Italian joints that offer a couple wines by the glass and call it a day, but Antonucci’s has an impressive wine list with ten whites by the glass and ten reds by the glass.

We started with deep-fried arancini flecked with ham and mozzarella and, more importantly, fried squash blossoms stuffed with the same dreamy ricotta made in-house. While it’s hard to reinvent calamari, Antonucci’s does just that with a stellar appetizer of seared calamari paired with a sharp pepper jelly and pistachio vinaigrette. There’s a great chopped kale salad with salty ricotta and a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette and a grilled, whole orata, terrifically moist and fresh. But the sauteed calves liver might just be the best liver dish I’ve had to date. The livers were sauteed to succu-lent perfection and served with vinegary onions, which beautifully offset some of the fat, over parmesan-laced polenta.. (It was right up there with the bone marrow-braised octopus fusilli at Marea and April Bloomfield’s oyster pan roast with uni crostini.) For dessert, we shared a banana souffle (pictured below) and warm molten cake. While the molten cake was good in a generic, melting chocolate kind of way, the banana souffle was a phe-nomenal cloud of deliciousness.

I’d happily go out of my way to eat there again. (In fact, I’m going for lunch this week.) I still want to sample the braised tripe, steamed clams with homemade sweet sausage, and the daily risotto. While Antonucci’s Cafe may not be new, it’s new to me and it’s well worth a visit... or two.

It’s fair to say that no one in America (and perhaps the world) can cook Japanese food quite like Chef Masaharu Morimoto. The original Iron Chef &

formerNobu chef is just as skilled at turning out traditional sushi and kaiseki meals as he is at Asian fusion. (And it takes a lot for a chef to convince me of the merits of fusion.) And yet, somehow whimsical creations, such as sashimi with burrata or a foie gras croissant with a soft duck egg and red miso achieve a level of bril-liance. The Hiroshima-born culinary superstar

went from being a bad boy, who used to sneak out a window to go downtown when he was an ap-

prentice in Japan, to owning restaurants all over the world, everywhere from New York to New Delhi.

While he no longer returns to Japan since he no longer has family there, Morimoto is one of several big-name chefs raising funds for the Red Cross relief efforts there. Those who donate $10 or more will even receive a copy of some of his best recipes. What did you want to be when you grew up?A professional baseball player. Do you still play? And have you gotten to cook for any pro fessional ball players?Unfortunately, I no longer play. But yes, I have cooked for some Japanese major league players, such as a former Yankee Hideki Matsui, former Met Kaz Matsui, and non-Japanese players, such as Alex Rodriguez and many players on the Phillies. What was your first job in food and what did you learn?I was fortunate enough to be a sushi chef at a sushi restaurant where I learned everything a sushi chef had to know. Training to be a sushi chef is notoriously difficult. Can you share any anecdotes that really tested your drive to succeed in the kitchen?When I was still an apprentice, I lived upstairs from the sushi restaurant. It’s a typical training life for sushi apprentices in Japan. Their entire life is spent at the restaurant. But I would sneak out of a window after midnight and go out to downtown areas almost every night. I would push a car from the restaurant’s parking lot without starting the engine, so that nobody would notice. Apprentices were not supposed to do anything like that and we were meant to only follow the restaurant’s rules. I was a maverick from that point on. That part of me has never changed. I believe it has positively impacted my creativity. It’s terrific that you’re contributing recipes to support Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Chefs seem very quick to get involved in philanthropic activities. Why do you think that is?Chefs cook food for people. Although our food doesn’t directly go to those who suffer in Japan, it goes to people who donate their money to buy the food, and the money goes to those who suffer. We know and have the means to help others. Many of your dishes are very complex. How can home cooks adapt your recipes ? Some of my recipes may be very difficult and complex for the home cook, but I hope they can learn something new and get ideas from my cookbook and restaurants that they can use in everyday food. Can you offer any tips for people who want to make their own sushi as a hobby?Sharpen your knife before making sushi. What’s the most important kitchen tool to own? High-quality knives. How often do you get to visit Japan? Do you still have a lot of family there?I rarely visit Japan because I don’t have many family members there. Who has been the toughest competitor you’ve faced on Iron Chef? Every chef has been a tough challenger. You’ve already accomplished so much, so how do you stay motivated to pursue new culinary aspirations? The culinary world is so deep that there are always a lot of things for me to explore. So what’s next for you this year?I’m opening a few restaurants this year; a couple of them don’t serve su-shi. I’m excited to do something new. Address: 170 East 81 St., nr. Third Ave.

Phone: (212)570-5100

Antonucci’s Cafe - Reviewed

Antonucci’s Cafe - Reviewed

Antonucci’s Cafe -Reviewed

Antonucci’s Cafe - Reviewed

Q & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu Morimoto

Restaurant Girl

Address: 88 Tenth Avenue between 15th and 16th streetsPhone: (212) 989-8883

Q & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu MorimotoQ & A with Chef Masaharu Morimoto Antonucci’s Cafe -

ReviewedAntonucci’s Cafe -

ReviewedAntonucci’s Cafe -

ReviewedAntonucci’s Cafe -

Reviewed

/Fall 201138

USA NEWS

Entertaining Tips, for the Summer!

Tips to Plan a Fun Family Reunion

Celebrate the warmer days by hosting an outdoor summertime party or barbecue. It’s easy to add pizzazz to an outdoor party and stay on budget, with accessories and color.Here are some inexpensive ways to add character to your outdoor get-togethers:

Make it colorful. For a fast way to give your party a sense of style, color-coordinate your bowls, plates and cups in atten-tion-grabbing colors. Dollar General stores (www.dollargen-eral.com) sell plastic tableware in bright colors and patterns. These items are inexpensive enough to buy in multiples, so if you plan on hosting several parties, you can use one color per occasion, then invite guests to your “pink party” or “orange party.”

•

Pep up your decor with peppers. Add a memorable touch by serving condiments or finger foods in hollowed-out green, red and yellow peppers. Simply cut the stems, and fill the peppers with ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce or any other condi-ment. Depending on the peppers’ colors, you may be able to coordinate them with the rest of your tableware.

•

Create a field of dreams. Silk flowers can create a beautiful centerpiece or be used in smaller arrangements around the table. Add a whimsical touch by purchasing a variety of silk flowers and planting them upright in the ground. Use them to mark paths through the yard or to the food tables and seat-ing areas. Silk flowers are inexpensive at stores like Dollar General and are economical enough to buy in large quantities. They’re also more durable than real flowers and can be used again and again.

•

Find unique ways to deter bugs. Certain herbs and flowers repel insects. For instance, sprigs of parsley or tansy may help keep ants at bay, while lavender or mint could drive flies away. Set up decorative bowls of herbs in various spots near the guests’ seating. A larger bowl can be the striking center-piece of a table. Keep your food safe from unwanted company with mesh food covers.

•

As extended families spread out throughout the country, it becomes more difficult to get everyone together. Holding a family reunion, then, gives everyone a chance to meet, catch-up and learn a little more about their family history.

Follow these tips to ensure a fun, rewarding family reunion experience:

Create a family reunion committee. You will need at least two people to plan location, food, activities, budget, mail-ings, payments and record keeping. The better organized your committee; the more smoothly your reunion will run. You can never start planning too early -; you will need to start at least a year ahead of time * Pick a theme. Designing your reunion around a theme can make planning activities, food and deco-rations more creative. Family history themes such a celebrat-ing an anniversary a birthday or a cultural heritage feast, for example, is always popular.

•

Develop a budget. Your budget will influence the rest of your decisions regarding housing, food and activities. When in doubt, plan for affordability -; as much fun as a Caribbean cruise might be, it’s unlikely that every family member can afford to attend.

•

Plan housing. If possible, choose a location that offers a range of lodging choices. National parks, for example, often have hotels nearby and may have cabins or tent-camping available, giving your guests plenty of options.

•

Keep the kids entertained. Don’t presume that the grandpar-ents or teenagers will act as babysitters for the whole reunion. Ask for volunteers, and rotate babysitting duties. Arranging competitions, like three-legged and costume races, will keep kids happy. You can even present the winner with a trophy; Plaque maker plus (www.plaquemakerplus.com) offers a vari-ety of trophies, including “Trophy Dudes” with bendable arms and legs.

•

But arranging a reunion can be a massive undertaking, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. However, with a little planning, anyone can pull off a successful family reunion.

Create activities. Adults might be content to sit around and chatter, but integrating the whole family can be a challenge. Try giving each family member a family tree to fill out, or ar-range a friendly game of family trivia. And don’t forget to take a family photo. Plaque maker Plus can even create heirloom-quality wooden plaques or acrylic images, so you can offer a unique souvenir to any family member who wants one.

•

Fall 2011/ 39

2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide

Email us for info on Stars Restaurant Review Rating!

MASSACHUSETTS

Bacco Ristorante & Bar107 Salem St.Boston, MA 02113 Phone: (617) 624 - 0454

Fiorella’s187 North St.Newton, MA 02460 Phone: (617) 969 - 9990

Sorento’s Italian Gourmet86 Peterborough St.Boston, Ma, 02215 Phone: (617) 424 -7070

WISCONSIN

Alioto’s3041 N. Mayfair Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53222Phone: (414) 476 - 6900

Buca di Beppo1233 N. Van Buren St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 Phone: (414) 224 - 8672

Carini’s La Conca D’oro3468 N. Oakland Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211Phone: (414) 963 - 9623

FLORIDA

Trattoria Milano Italian336 Tamiami Trail NNaples, FL 34102 Phone: (239) 645-2030

Bellagio of Naples492 Bayfront Pl. Naples, FL 34102 Phone: (239) 430 -7020

Trattoria Milano Italian336 9TH St. N Naples, FL 34102Phone: (239) 643 - 2030

NEW YORK

Locanda Verde377 Greenwich St(corner of N.Moore and Greenwich)New York, NY 10013 Phone: (212) 925-3797

Osteria Del Circo120W. 55th St.New York, NYPhone: (212) 265-3636

Tarry Lodge 18 Mills St. Port Chester, NY 10573Phone: (914) 939-3111

Carmine’s2450 Broadway New York, NY 10024Phone: (212) 362-2200

Massimo al Ponte Vecchio206 Thompson St. New York, NY 10012Phone: (212) 228-7701

PENNSYLVANIA

Dante & Luigi’s762 S. 10th St. Philadelphia, PA 19147Phone: (215) 922-9501

Dolce`241 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19106 Phone: (215) 238-9983

Mama Yolanda’s 746 S. 8TH St. Philadelphia, PA 19147Phone: (215) 592-0195

Mio Sogno Italian Restaurant2650 S. 15TH St. Philadelphia, PA 19145 Phone: (215) 467-3317

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Kuleto’s221 Powell St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: (415) 397-7720

Mescolanza2221 Clement St. San Francisco, CA 94121 Phone: (415) 668-2221

Puccini & Pinetti129 Ellis St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Phone: (415) 392-5500

Ristorante Umbria198 2nd St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: (415) 546-6985

MISSOURI

Favazza’s5201 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139Phone: (314) 772-4454

John Mineo’s Italian13490 Clayton Rd. St. Louis, MO 63131 Phone: (314) 434-5244

Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant5257 Shaw Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110Phone: (314) 772-8272

Tony’s Restaurant410 Market St. St. Louis, MO 63102 Phone: (314) 231-7007

Concetta’s Italian Restaurant600 S. 5th St. St. Charles, MO 63301Phone: (636) 946 -2468

Ricardo’s Italian Cafe1931 Park Ave. St. Louis, MO 63104Phone: (314) 421- 4833

Carrabba’s Italian Grill10923 Olive Blvd. Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Phone: (314) 872-3241

The Old Spaghetti Factory727 N. First St. St. Louis, MO 63102 Phone: (314) 621- 0276

Contact Us For Rates To Be Listed In Our National Restaurant Guide

SAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CASAN FRANCISCO, CA

ILLINOIS

3 Olives Restaurant / Twist Lounge8318 W. Lawrence Ave.Norridge, IL 60706 Phone: (708) 452-1545

Agostino’s Ristorante2817 N Harlem Ave, Chicago, IL Phone: (773) 745-6464

Amalfi Ristorante298 Glen Ellyn Rd. Bloomingdale, ILPhone: (630) 893-9222

Capri Ristorante Italiano, Inc.1238 W. Ogden Ave.Naperville, IL 60563Phone: (630) 778-7373

Custom House500 S. Dearborn St.Chicago, IL 60605 Phone: (312) 523-0200

Gioacchino’s Ristorante & Pizzeria5201 St. Charles Rd.Bellwood, IL 60104 Phone: (708) 544-0380

La Piazza410 Circle Ave., Forest Park, IL Phone: (708) 366-4010

Osteria via Stato 620 N. State St.Chicago, IL 60610Phone: (312) 642-8450

Ristorante Al Teatro1227 W. 18th StreetChicago, IL 60608 Phone: (312) 784-9100

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria 1769 W. Sunnyside Ave.Chicago, IL 60640Phone: (773) 878-2420

Venuti’s Ristorante & Banquets2251 W. Lake St.Addison, IL 60101Phone: (630) 376-1500

Via Carducci1419 W. FullertonChicago, IL 60614Phone: (773) 665-1981

Vince’s Italian Restaurant4747 N. Harlem Ave.Chicago, IL 60634 Phone: (708) 867-7770

Cafe Zalute & Bar9501 W. DevonRosemont, IlPhone: (847) 685-0206

2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide

2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide

2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide

2010 - 2011 national italian restaurant guide

PENNSYLVANIAPENNSYLVANIA

FLORIDAFLORIDA

WISCONSIN

MASSACHUSETTSMASSACHUSETTSILLINOISILLINOIS

NEW YORKNEW YORKMISSOURI MISSOURI

/Fall 201140

AmericanCatfish andPeppercorns

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Salt to taste2 tablespoons black peppercorns2 tablespoons white peppercorns2 tablespoons green peppercorns2 tablespoons red peppercorns

2 tablespoons mustard seeds3 tablespoons canola oil16 ounces fresh spinach1 clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakesMatchstick vegetables

Season catfish fillets on both sides with salt.Grind all peppercorns and mustard seeds in a coffee or nut mill. Spread peppercorn mixture on a small plate. Press one side of each fillet into the peppercorn mixture.Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add fillets

peppered side down, cooking no more than two or three at a time, depending on size of pan. Do not over crowd pan or allow pan to cool with each addition.Sauté catfish for about two minutes to form a crust. Care-fully turn fillets and cook for two more minutes, or just until the fillets are semi-firm.Sauté spinach, garlic and crushed red peppers in one-tablespoon canola oil.Arrange equal portions of sautéed spinach and match-stick vegetables on each of six plates to cover the bot-tom of the plates. Place catfish fillets peppercorn side up on top of vegetables.

USA NEWS

People will do almost anything for a healthy diet that is not only nutritious, but also tastes as good. Every day it seems there are a host of new and outlandish methods to win the battle of the bulge. The Cab-bage Soup diet, the Fat Flush diet and the Blood Type diet are some of the more unusual, yet even the most ridiculous monikers do little to preserve your overall nutrition.

The reason why fad diets typically don’t work, ac-cording to sports and lifestyle dietitian Molly Kimball, RD, is that they aren’t designed to succeed in the long term. “In reality, a successful diet is one that doesn’t sacrifice flavor, taste or nutrition and incorporates your favorite foods every day -- such as tortillas and wraps.” So scratch the word “diet” out of your vo-cabulary and follow these four tips for fresh, healthy eating:

Keep calories in check. “Even if you exercise an hour every day, there are still 23 hours where you can negate it,” says Kimball. “You still have to keep an eye on what you’re eating.” She advises that you spend your calories on foods high in fiber, protein and healthy fat. Since the body takes longer to digest these nutrients, you’ll be left feeling fuller, longer. For a snack, try a quarter cup of re-duced fat cheese melted on a La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat 100-Calorie Tortilla. Low in calo-ries but high in fiber and protein, this snack keeps you powering until the next meal.

Fill up on veggies. Instead of ham, turkey and roast beef thrown between two slabs of bread with cheese and extra mayo, keep the lean pro-tein and incorporate loads of vegetables (raw, grilled or roasted) into a low-carb, high-fiber tortilla. “You’ll be slashing calories but still get the satisfaction of eating a full sandwich, along with loads of fiber-rich, nutrient-dense vegetables,” says Kimball.Choose healthy fats. Olive oil and fatty fish get a lot of attention for a reason: they’re both filled with healthy fats. The monounsaturated fat in oil and the omega-3’s in fish not only help to keep hunger at bay; they also boost your heart health by raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Get your fill of both with an Ex-tra-Virgin Olive Oil Soft Wrap from La Torti-lla Factory smeared with cream cheese and a little bit of salmon.

Lighten the foods you love. The bottom line is calories, but is giving up your favorite foods worth it? Of course not, instead of a massive burrito stuffed with cheese and sour cream, use a La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style Corn Tortilla and pile on lean protein and grilled veggies for an authentic Mexican meal that tastes great. Add more flavors with a chipotle-flavored tortilla.

Fall 2011/ 41

Reprocessing nuclear waste to extract more energy from it, while expensive and contro-versial, is indeed to this day still practiced in France, the UK, Russia, India and Japan—but not in the United States, where it was invent-ed. The process involves breaking down spent nuclear fuel chemically and recovering fis-sionable material for use in new fuels. Propo-nents tout the benefit of reducing the amount of nuclear waste, resulting in less highly radio-active material that needs to be stored safely.

Nuclear reprocessing was first developed in the U.S. as part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project to create the first atomic bomb. After the war, the embryonic nuclear power industry began work to reprocess its waste on a large scale to extend the useful life of uranium, a scarce re-source at the time. But commercial reprocessing attempts faltered due to technical, economic and regulatory problems. Anti-nuclear sentiment and the fear of nuclear proliferation in the 1970s led President Jimmy Carter to terminate federal support for further development of commercial repro-cessing. The military did continue to reprocess nuclear waste for defense purposes, though, until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War made continuous ramping up of our nuclear arsenal unnecessary. More recently, George W. Bush pushed a plan, the Global Nuclear Energy Project (GNEP), to promote the use of nuclear power and subsidize the development of a new generation of “proliferation-resistant” nuclear re-processing technologies that could be rolled out to the commercial nuclear energy sector. Federal scientists came up with promising spins on repro-

cessing nuclear fuel while minimizing the resulting waste. But in June of 2009 the Obama administration cancelled GNEP, citing cost concerns.Proponents of nuclear power—and of reprocessing in particular—were far from pleased with GNEP’s axing, especially in light of Obama’s earlier decision to close Yucca Mountain as the U.S.’s future nuclear waste repository. “GNEP may have gone away, but the need to re-cycle spent fuel in this country is more important than ever because of the government’s stupid decision to close Yucca Mountain,” said Danny Black of the Southern Carolina Alliance, a regional econom-ic development group, on the Ecopolitology blog. “Without Yucca Mountain, the pressure is on the industry to do more with recycling.”But a 2007 report by the nonprofit Institute for Energy and Environ-mental Research (IEER) would seem to justify Obama’s decision. IEER found that nuclear reprocessing would actually increase our volume of nuclear waste six fold. IEER also reported that France, which runs the worlds most efficient reprocessing operation, spends about two cents per kilowatt-hour more for electricity generated from reprocessed nuclear fuel compared to that generated from fresh fuel. IEEE fur-ther reports that the costs to build the breeder plants needed to convert spent nukes into usable fuel would “create intolerable costs and risks.”For now, U.S. nuclear plants will continue to store waste on site, with spent rods cooled in pools of water for upwards of a year and then moved into thick steel and concrete caskets. While proliferation and terrorism have long been risks associated with hosting nuclear plants on American soil, recent events in Japan underscores that even Mother Nature poses a threat. As such, advocates of reprocessing probably stand little chance of reviving plans in a political climate now so hostile to nuclear development.

Question: Why don’t we reprocess and re-use our nuclear waste like France does? Would it be possible for us to start doing so?

—Albert Jukowsky, Silver Spring, MD

Question: I understand that fast-food giant YUM! Brands, owner of KFC, are under fire by Green-peace and others for rainforest destruction. What’s the story? —Betsy Barnard, Wellesley, MA

YUM! Brands, which operates 38,000 fast food restaurants in 110 countries (including not only KFC but also Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wing Street, A&W and Long John Silver’s), has come under fire of late from Greenpeace and other rainforest advocacy groups for sourcing palm oil, paper and other goods from suppliers notorious for destroying tropi-cal rainforests in Indonesia and else-where. While McDonald’s and Burger King have worked in recent years to cut their ties with palm oil and logging com-

panies linked to rainforest destruction, YUM! Continues, to ignore calls to source their resources more responsibly.Indonesia’s tropical rainforests are home to orangutans, tigers, elephants, clouded leopards and dozens of other endangered plants and animals. Environmentalists report that 40 percent of Indonesia’s rainforests have been logged over in the last half-century, mostly to clear the way for palm oil plantations. The cleared timber is sold at huge profits for pa-per and pulp, while the palm oil brings in continuous revenue for mul-tinational corporations despite denuding lands once rich in biodiversity.Tropical rainforests also sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in their growing woody biomass; chopping them down only ac-celerates the rate of global warming by allowing more CO2 to escape into the atmosphere where it contributes to the greenhouse effect. Despite a partial moratorium on rainforest destruction announced by the Indonesian

government in May 2011, analysts believe that nearly half of the coun-try’s remaining tropical rainforests will be cleared within two decades.Over-exploitation of natural resources—and deforestation in par-ticular—is a huge obstacle to Indonesia’s growth. According to the Rajawali Institute for Asia at the Harvard Kennedy School of Gov-ernment, by eliminating its natural capital for negligible gains, In-donesia lost $150 billion in future revenues between 1990 and 2007, wiping out one-third of the country’s national savings in the process.There are “major economic risks for Southeast Asia’s agriculture and timber sectors if they don’t take prompt action to conserve their for-ests,” reports Glenn Hurowitz, senior fellow at the Center for Inter-national Policy. “Global consumers are increasingly demanding de-forestation-free products,” he says, adding that Nestle, McDonald’s, Unilever and others have pledged to obtain their palm oil from sources certified “sustainable” by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.YUM! Brands is not the only offender. Greenpeace has also targeted Mattel toys for supporting suppliers that contribute to Indonesian de-forestation. And two Michigan girl scouts were shocked to find out the cookies they were selling contained palm oil obtained from deforested land in Indonesia. They spread the word to fellow girl scouts across the country, thousands of which have stopped selling cookies as a result.Concerned consumers should write the company a letter asking them to stop using products derived from deforested rainforest lands. Greenpeace makes it easy by hosting an online form letter that sympathizers can sign onto and the group will take care of delivering your message directly to YUM! Executives.

/Fall 201142

205 W. RandolphSuite 15505839 W. Belmont Ave.Chicago, IL

L A W O F F I C E SJOEL GOULD & ASSOCIATES

Tel: 773.281.8744We also speak Polish

ATTORNEY AT LAWCivil Litigation Medical MalPracticeDUICriminal Law

•••••

The Italian tradition of a religious feast in honor of San Rocco is what our society was founded for over 106 years ago. The society has the responsibility of keeping the tradition alive of hosting a novena, anointing Mass and Feast day Mass followed by a solemn procession through the streets of the neighborhood. People make this annual pil-grimage as an act of devotion to our beloved patron San Rocco. The feast day is celebrated on the third Sunday of every August (actual feast day, August 16) starting at 11:30am mass followed by the proces-sion at 1:00pm. The procession is over 2 miles long and departs from St. William Church, where it travels through the Northwest Side of Chicago and Elmwood Park ending at the church with a special bene-diction to St. Rocco. After a concert performed by the Sicilian Band of Chicago, members and devotees alike enjoy many hours of food and entertainment. Many other organizations take part in our proces-sion helping to keep alive our wonderful tradition. Contact us for any information regarding the annual feast, procession, mass schedules, entertainment, or feast preparations. The dates and times of all events can be found on our events calendar.

Viva San Rocco!The late Paul V. Carelli, Sr., and Italian-born barber who came to

Chicago and made a personal promise to celebrate St. Roccos feast day for the rest of his life founded the Society in 1902. Carelli gath-ered his family and friends (paesani) and into the society to perpetu-ate the Old-World tradition of celebration. On September 23, 1903, the first feast was celebrated at St. Mary of Mount Carmel Church at 67th and Hermitage.

Since Carelli’s death in 1960, the society has carried on the tradi-tional feast. Annually, hundreds of devotees from across the city and suburbia join together to celebrate Mass and walk in the Procession. In 1976, after hosting the Feast for its first 74 years, the archdiocese closed the beautiful parish of St. Mary of Mount Carmel. That same year, Fr. A. Corbo, the pastor of Holy Rosary Church was the host for the annual Feast. The devotees and parishioners of the Holy Rosary Parish are truly a people of deep faith; they are a tribute to what our celebration is all about.

In 1995, after looking for a central location, we were welcomed into St. William Parish by their pastor, Fr. Robert Rizzo, and the parish council. In 2005, because of the growth in membership and the strong following of St. Rocco devotees, the Society was able to go back to the original tradition of carrying the venerated stature throughout the procession.

One hundred years after Carelli and fellow devotees began their tradition, it continues to grow in strength. The Shrine and Feast of St. Rocco are continuing to be hosted by St. William Parish, and it has been handed down through the generations. Devotees travel from many miles, or just down the street, to participate in the annual pil-grimage and to express their faith.

History of the Society

of Saint Rocco Di Potenza,

Annual Feast

/Fall 201144

If you are interested in becoming a member of the St. Rocco Di Potenza society and are a practicing Roman Catholic male of italian decent over the age of 18, contact us for application in-formation via email or to contact the St Rocco Society by phone please call the Saint William Rectory (773)637-6565.

Become A Member

Fall 2011/ 45

A G

reat

Pla

ce to

Liv

e, S

hop,

Wor

k &

Pla

y!In a day of challenges to government, especially financially, the Village of Elmwood

Park is meeting the challenges and avoiding problems through innovation and coopera-tion. President Peter Silvestri, Village Clerk Elsie Sutter and the Board of Trustees, along with their administrators, have initiated a variety of interesting and innovative ideas and programs and working on more.

On the public safety front, the village budget includes an additional police officer and participation in the Cook County Sheriff’s multi jurisdictional gang unit and a west sub-urban regional anti gang and drug unit. Under the leadership of a new police chief, former Deputy Chief Frank Fagiano, the police department is devising even more ways to combat crime. Long time Police Chief Tom Braglia retired in August.

Pubic finances are under control as the village administration conservative approach has resulted in a balanced budget. The Board recently approved a PACE mini bus service for the community. Details to follow. In addition, the village is developing the implementa-tion of greater flood prevention controls through the comprehensive flood mitigation plan developed by Christopher Burke Engineering and will consider other options in September. Although the village applied for federal funds to fund the $10 million program, approval is not guaranteed so the village is developing other options to fund the plan. Another grant was received to develop environmentally friendly permeable alleys on two blocks. This experimental project could result in additional alleys being developed in this manner to let more water sink into the ground. A multi unit residential recycling ordinance is also being considered as apartment and condo buildings are currently exempt from recycling.

The village received state conservation funds to purchase the former Elmwood Park Presbyterian Church property on Armitage and 76th Avenues for a passive park and has applied for development funds from the State also. Project funds have also been approved by the State for beatification and streetscape of the Belmont Avenue business district on the 7700 blocks. The goal is to spur economic development on the Belmont Avenue corridor.

This year was truly exciting in the community, as the village hosted a winter concert, concerts in the park, a 4th of July parade, concert and fireworks display, and a revised “Taste of Elmwood Park”. A September 11th 10-year commemorative ceremony featuring bands, children and teens, and the fire and police departments will be featured in the eve-ning at Central Park. A one-day Farmers Market will be held on the afternoon of the 11th at Central Park also. The services of the Oak Park Farmers Market coordinator have been secured to develop the Market.

The Village Board also secured the volunteer services of Diane Kmiecik, former trust’ee, as a community liaison’s to work with special cases, regarding residents needs.

Long time community activist Angela Stranges, who was elected with incumbents Alan Kaminski and Carmen Forte in April Angela Stranges replaced trustee Diane Kmiecik, who did not seek re-election.

With trustees Alan Bennett, Sam LaBarbera and Jeff Sargent, a new program entitled “Trustees in the Hall” began in August. The program will have one trustee at the Village Hall each Saturday from 10am to noon to hear comments, concerns and suggestions from residents.

Elmwood Park is a great place to live, with events and activities for people of all ages. Your departments at the village hall, public works, police and fire, parks and recreation make this village clean, safe, fun and economically sound.

Elmwood Park is committed to economic redevelopment of their commercial areas, modernizing and maximizing their police and fire services, making the village better and safer, place for all its residents and visitors.

If you have any questions please contact http://elmwoodpark.org/

The Village of Elmwood Park, stepping up to the Plate for a Better and Safe Elmwood Park Village!

Village officials join Angelo Caputo at grand opening of Caputos at Grand and Harlem

Village President and Congressmen Mike Quigley join staff and students from Elmwood Park

Middle School at Village Hall

Village’s commitment to more open space and recreation began with Central Park in 1997.

Elmwood Park routinely works with state and federal offi-cials on regional projects. Village President Silvestri joins Governor Quinn on announcing progress of a massive

Public Works programing in Illinois

The Village has purchase former EP Presbyterian Church for future park.

By Andrew Guzaldo

/Fall 201146

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ADT ....................................................................................18Bergamonte .........................................................................49Casa Belvedere ....................................................................50Credit Card Relief .............................................................36Cumberland Chapel ...........................................................12Direct TV ............................................................................43Dish Network .....................................................................47Dish Network Mediaset Italy..............................................7Dr. Vranjes Perfume ...........................................................36Game Fly............................................................................... 47Italian Festival...................................................................... 36La Campannina...................................................................... 6Law Office Joel Gould & Associate................................. 43Marines.................................................................................. 28Michael Castaldo .................................................................43Pro Flowers ...........................................................................18Red Envelope .......................................................................47Simplicity Sofa .....................................................................49Spacca Napoli .........................................................................6The Breast Cancer Research Foundation ........................47Vonage ....................................................................................49World Port Sea Food ..........................................................36

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Cover Story Photos / Andrew MillerAlexis RobertFood NetworkLyric Opera/ Lyric Opera House NIAFMichela ValmoriVillage of Elmwood Park

PHOTOGRAPHER’S CREDITS

PUZZLE SOLUTION

Gallipoli, Italy

/Fall 201148

Fall 2011/