Hadrian Exhibition in London Connection with the "Project for the New American Century" - Ratifies Obama Mid East Position

The journalist of this article, Martin Kettle is a day late and a dollar short, and talking to the wrong candidate.

Kettle cites the Hadrian Exhibition as a lesson to be learned by Obama, which actually Obama has Long been advocating, and was opposed to the Trumped Up/ Phony Invasion of Iraq from the Begiining, and apparently the author doesn't realize that Obama is running against John McCain NOT Geo Bush, although it LOOKS like a Bush Third Term.

[Note: Hadrian was emperor of Rome from 117 to 138 AD, and was a builder, philospher, humanist, and extraordinary consolidator and administrator of the Empire. Hadrian was the third of the Five Good Emperors, or the second of the recently proposed ulpio-aelian dynasty]

Kettle says: "You see, senator, Hadrian's predecessor Trajan had staked everything on conquering Mesopotamia, which of course is the modern Iraq. At first Trajan successfully persuaded Romans that the war was going well, but in fact the mission was overstretched and gradually his campaign was undermined by a widespread local insurgency. So when Hadrian became emperor of Rome in 117 AD, just about the first thing he did after his inauguration was to withdraw the Roman legions from Mesopotamia, Assyria and Greater Armenia. All this came as a shock to the Roman psyche, which had been nurtured on endless tales of triumph, but in the end it made much better sense to bring the boys home. It meant Hadrian was able to consolidate Rome's boundaries and concentrate on the military campaigns that truly threatened Rome's security.

Kettle does fail to mention the other important similarities, Trajan's goal was Roman World Domination, as was the Geo Bush Neo Cons, all who were members of the PNAC ( Project for the New American Century,) whose goal of American World Domination, was couched in Neo Imperialism and Colonialism. PNAC policies, that have so miserably failed, and so evilly conceived to benefit US Corporation Oligarchies, is now largely dormant, BUT its individual members who where so galactically WRONG, are still busy posing as Experts, with their "war mongering" in Op-Ed pieces and spouting on Right Wing Rant TV Talk Shows. doing their "spinning" to convince us that down is up.

Project for the New American Century; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century

Please scroll down to the bottom to see who the illustrious members were. Remember them well!!!!!!!

What Hadrian Can Teach Obama

Senator, a trip to the British Museum's exhibition will be of far more benefit than hanging out with gloomy Gordon Brown

London Guardian. UK

Martin Kettle

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

As you know, senator, there are two main objects of your day in London. One is to gladhand some of those big campaign donors who are allowed to live in the UK tax-free and so still have serious money in the bank to offer you. The second, of course, is to be seen by Americans in a setting that tells them you are already a leader on the world stage.

Unfortunately, no one Stateside can recognise this new gloomy Gordon Brown guy or that preppy David Cameron fellow who is lining up to succeed him. That's why we've fixed the session with Tony Blair, since most Americans think he's still the man in charge there anyway. And it's why we want you to do that press availability in front of the No 10 door as well. That should send all the right messages for the weekend talkshows.

However, senator, we also now advise a late change to your London schedule. The truth is that you have a lot more to offer the UK politicians than they have to offer you. So we propose cutting back your facetime with Brown and the rest in favour of something much more photogenic that we think would benefit you more. That something is a visit to the British Museum's brand new exhibition about the Emperor Hadrian. This may seem a bit left-field but here's the reason why it couldn't be more relevant to you today.

You see, senator, Hadrian's predecessor Trajan had staked everything on conquering Mesopotamia, which of course is the modern Iraq. At first Trajan successfully persuaded Romans that the war was going well, but in fact the mission was overstretched and gradually his campaign was undermined by a widespread local insurgency. So when Hadrian became emperor of Rome in 117 AD, just about the first thing he did after his inauguration was to withdraw the Roman legions from Mesopotamia, Assyria and Greater Armenia. All this came as a shock to the Roman psyche, which had been nurtured on endless tales of triumph, but in the end it made much better sense to bring the boys home. It meant Hadrian was able to consolidate Rome's boundaries and concentrate on the military campaigns that truly threatened Rome's security.

Senator, you should know that not everything about Hadrian was as inspired and successful as the withdrawal from Mesopotamia. There are some sections of the British Museum exhibition that you should definitely avoid visiting until after election day. In particular there is a searing section which describes how he was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of (Terrorist /Insurgent )Jews during a revolt against Roman ( Proper Authority) rule starting in 132 AD. So be certain to say very publicly that Hadrian offers eternal lessons both for good and for evil. Apart from that, the Hadrian visit will be all gain. It will show you understand the world better than President Bush. And in the end, that's what this campaign is all about anyway, senator.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/23/barackobama.london

Italians Devise Device to Fight Rising Food Prices

A text messaging service set up by the Italian government is helping its citizens to haggle on their high food street prices.

What a great idea for the US. ......Except Geo Bush would veto it as being Anti Robber Baron, and Anti- American Capitalism, and Unlawful Interference with the Right of Business to Exploit the Underclass.

Italians Dial Up Best Food Price

BBC World Service By Alka Marwaha July 27, 2008

A text messaging service set up by the Italian government is helping its citizens to haggle on their high street.

The rising cost of food is a growing concern for many people across the world.

There have been protests, and even riots, in countries including Mexico, India and Egypt, clear evidence of the struggle that many people are now facing.

However, if Italians feel that their local food retailer is charging unreasonable prices, they can now call on a new service to help them haggle or walk away.

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After a few seconds you will receive an SMS that will tell you the different prices in the different areas of Italy Luca Di Maio, Consumer Federation, Rome ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to a short message service (SMS) text system set up jointly by the Italian agriculture ministry and consumer associations, shoppers can check the average price of different foods in northern, central and southern Italy.

With prices spiralling out of control in some parts of the world, some people feel that it is high time consumers could check just how much traders are profiting.

Luca Di Maio is a consultant for the Consumer Federation in Rome, and explains that the new system lets consumers type the name of the food product they want to price check into their mobile phone and send a free text message to a dedicated number.

"After a few seconds you will receive an SMS that will tell you the different prices in the different areas of Italy", he says.

Trading tomatoes

BBC reporter Emma Wallis from BBC World Service's Culture Shock programme decided to find out how much 2kg of tomatoes cost in a market in Rome.

She found that the wholesale price of a kilo of cherry tomatoes is 69 euro cents (54p).

Whereas the retail price in the north is 2.9 euros, in central Italy it is 2.8 euros, while in the south its 1.85 euros.

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We are in a free market and consumers should be able to buy or not buy, or go around and check for better prices Luca Di Maio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By contrast, for bigger tomatoes the wholesale price is 62 cents compared with 2.15 euros in the north, 1.85 euros in central and 1.50 euros in the south.

However, the tomatoes are bought by the wholesalers for only 22 cents a kilo from the farmers.

Mr Di Maio explains that the problem facing Italian shoppers is that there are a large number of traders and prices can vary hugely between them.

He explains that the price checking system is there to let the consumer know and understand the pricing dynamics of the market, and make a more informed choice.

"We are in a free market and consumers should be able to buy or not buy, or go around and check for better prices", he adds.

Dealer's prices

Emma Wallis hit the streets of Rome to find out how many people had actually heard about the new price checking service.

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Markets are more efficient when you have got more information Tom Standage, Economist magazine ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've heard about this line and I think it's a great idea" said one woman, adding that everyone puts the prices they feel like putting.

"If you stroll down this market for instance, there are courgettes for two euros, 2.5 euros and 1.5 euros, you never know which ones to choose", she adds.

Another woman explains that she would be interested in using the price checking service, but only in certain situations.

"I do my shopping pretty quickly but I do try and check prices when I can. But I trust this stall holder so I wouldn't really need it here," she says.

But she was not sure she would use the service for shops.

In perspective

According to Tom Standage, business editor at The Economist magazine, markets are more efficient when you have more information.

"If you are in a supermarket and there's a price for tomatoes and that's the only piece of information you have, you've got no idea whether you should be protesting by not buying it," he says.

He explains that for supply and demand to work at its best, consumers need to be able to compare different prices from suppliers on the spot, something the texting service and others like it should help make easier.

"There are even services where you can scan a barcode in with your mobile phone and it tells you how much the internet retailers are selling a particular product for," he says.

If a price is too high, people will not buy the product and the trader will have to drop it, he adds.

With many analysts warning that high food costs are here to stay, Italian consumer are unlikely to be the only ones hoping to find the High Street's best prices.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/7525175.stm

An Italian American Tradition Fades: The Accordian

Like the author, my early years, before I went off to College, Military, etc, was filled and enriched with the Sounds of the Accordion at Weekly, and Special Occasions.

Italian Memories

When Accordion Music Ruled the Airways

Italians R Us by Cookie Curci

July 28, 2008

When my Italian grandparents, Isolina and Salvatore Rizzolo, immigrated to this country at the turn of the century, they knew there was a dream here worth attaining. Like many of their generation, they brought with them the music of their old country, music that both inspired and comforted them while they searched for that dream.

My Nonna Isolina was a whiz on the concertina (a musical instrument similar to the accordion, but with buttons instead of a keyboard). She played it as a child in the streets of her hometown of Abruzzi, in the province of Pescara, Italy. She beguiled me for hours with her wonderful stories of the old country, how she and her little band of musicians would roam the cobble stoned streets of her town playing their tunes for tips and handouts. Playing the concertina was not only a way for grandma and her siblings to earn money, but, more importantly, it was a joyful way for them to express themselves in a lifestyle that was often filled with economic suffering and political suppression. So, it was only natural, when these children of Italy made that courageous journey of a lifetime to the new world that they took with them the musical instruments that had given them so much comfort and pleasure.

My grandparent's taste in music was simple. They shared the same musical philosophy as famous accordion man Lawrence Welk who once said, "If they can't hum it after I play it, then it's not for me".

Most Italian immigrants found it difficult to keep a job or to find career prospects. For many, the ability to play the accordion or concertina served as a way to increase their income by playing in little bistros and cafe's.

Like most Italian American's, who grew up in the 1940s and '50s, the accordion was more than just a musical instrument; to me it was like a piece of household furniture as familiar to us as our grand Philco radio or Packard Bell TV set. In a way, it was an extension of ourselves, our family traditions and our heritage.

Our Italian ancestor's talent for playing the accordion shouldn't be compared to the abilities of professionals such as Lawrence Welk or Dick Contino. Instead, they should be judged by the amount of joy and entertainment they brought their family and in that sense, their talents and contributions were immeasurable.

My grandmother, like many who came with her across the sea, planned many times to return to her homeland, but world events or the economy prevented her from ever going home again. I remember how Grandma would sit alone in her room, for long hours, playing her concertina. By the look of contentment that shown in her eyes, I suspect she was returning, again and again, if only in memory to her home and family, to the beautiful coastal region of Pescara, Italy, and to the echo of music made by a little band of musicians skipping down the cobble stoned streets of Abruzzi.

My grandparents are gone now, but sometimes, on warm summer nights, when soft, southern breezes blow, I think I can still hear their timeless rendition of "O Solo Mio" echoing through the neighborhood, reminding me of a special time in my life, of love and family bonds that will never fade away.

Today, we diehard fans of the accordion can still fondly remember the days when the concertina was one of our favorite instruments and its melodic music was tops on the modern music charts.

Soft relaxing sounds played by recording stars such as the unforgettable "Three Suns" secured accordion music a lengthy say on the 1940s and '50s top tune music charts their beautiful rendition of the enchanting and romantic, "Twilight Time."

With a flashy, energetic style, accordion virtuoso Dick Contino wooed audiences across the country with his powerful rendition of 'Lady Of Spain and Return to Sorrento." Contino's accordion was much more ornate than others of his elk. His accordion shimmered and sparkled brightly under the stage lights adding glamour and excitement to his performances and to the accordion. Dick Contino is an exceptional talent and a beloved Italian-American icon whose fans will tell you that he can make his accordion almost sing, and that his fast moving fingers play the many pearlescent keys and buttons like a fast moving hummingbird, just too fast for the eye to see. I was fortunate enough to attend one of his concerts in San Jose and I can verify their opinions of this tantalizing entertainer.

Inspired by Contino's success on the accordion it didn't take long for every Italian American household to own an accordion of their own, with the profound hope and desire to also become famous.

When I was a kid, Just about everyone had at least one relative who could really play the accordion. The rest of us just picked out tunes and struggled with those heavy bellows.

In my family it was my Aunty Ann Furduto who possessed that kind of talent. She was honored to take lessons from the popular musical instructor Louis Figone. in 1939 when the World's Fair came to San Francisco, she performed daily with Mr. Figones' most talented students. Later, in the 1940s, she and her group, known as the Quintets, played at concerts on the beach at Santa Cruz, CA, and were featured weekly on the San Francisco radio station KGO am and KFRC am. In those days if you played the accordion you were well respected. but as sought after and esteemed as accordion music once was, sad to say, like many of those popular instruments we once loved, it has become just another thing to lose favor with the fickle public. The era of the accordion will have to remain just a happy memory , a time to wistfully look back on and remember with a smile, along with our banjos and xylophones boxed away in attics and closets across America.

cookiesmemories@aol.com

http://www.italiansrus.com/articles/subs/accordion.htm

Italian American Baseball Players

Italians R Us has compiled a rather extensive list of Italian American Baseball Players by position.

It is impresssive and for us old timers brings back some fond memories.

http://www.italiansrus.com/resources/baseball.htm
Then Click on the Position and a chart will appear.

Compliments to Anthony Parente at anthony@italiansrus.com

www.Italiansrus.com

Obama in Europe Treated as Rock Star - Italy Disappointed

While many were expecting Obama to show inexperience in his Mid East /European Trip, he instead showed a Knowledge and Demeanor that left even the Sophisticated in Awe, and the Masses Giddy, and turned his tour into Rock Stat status and created "EUbama-mania".

Obama is giving Europeans a reason to admire and love America again, after the Arrogant, War Mongering, Bush Years, that made Europeans wondering how could the America that they once had respected and even loved, gone so far astray,

What was even more striking is that Obama did not pander, he told Europe that more was to be expected of them, but the sacrifices would yield great results, and they applauded even louder!!!!!!!

Original article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/an-american-in-paris_b_115017.html?view=screen

Lesson of Fort Lawton Mustn't Be Lost

In August of 1944, at Fort Lawton, Seattle WA, an entire unit of drunk armed Black soldiers, rioted and stormed the barracks of unarmed defenseless Italian POWs, and beat them merciless, landing many Italians in the hospital, and lynched one, Private Guglielmo Olivotto,

More than 40 black soldiers were subsequently tried in the war's largest court-martial, prosecuted by a very capable young Leon Jaworski, who went on to prosecute at Nuremberg and Watergate. Twenty-eight of the Fort Lawton black soldiers were convicted of rioting, and two of the 28 were also convicted of manslaughter in the death of the Italian POW. None served more than four years in custody, but all of the convicted were dishonorably discharged.

Seattle journalist Jack Hamann's, who had no legal experience, and in a search for "perfect" justice, rather than "fair" justice, was able to build a grandiose appeal out of a molehill of distorted trivialities that he documented in his book ,On American Soil, which raised a chorus of anguish (and sold a lot of books) that in this PC society prompted the exoneration of all convictions and the bestowing of Honorable dIscharges. I'm sure the Black soldiers must have enjoyed a proud moment that they were heralded for beating defenseless men.

Now, Tony DeCesare, 93, living on Staten Island, a former US WWII GI, was in the same Hospital, when those 40 Italian POWs were brought in,all bleeding badly. These Italian POWs were unarmed, and were stormed at their barracks by US Black Soldiers armed with all kinds of weapons.

But what struck him more than anything else, the thing that haunted him for 64 years, was what a medical officer said to the men on the ward: "You patients, you haven't seen anything. Any of you talk, you're going to get court-martialed."

DeCesare repeats it again and again, trying to convey how much it struck him at the time and made him keep quiet about the event for so long. "I swallowed that for 64 years,

He held his tongue and carried the burden for 64 years until he was incensed by the "apology for the mistake of the convictions".

When he read the distorted revisionist "version" he was infuriated, and stepped forward to validate the original convictions.

WHERE is the Apology for all those Italian POWS beaten mercileely by a riotous crowd of thugs, for no reason, and

WHERE is the Apology for the Lynching of Pvt Guglielmo Olivotto ????

Why are we Celebrating a group of 40 Riotous Rogue Thugs??????

The more extensive version of the Facts of this Ignoble Chapter in my:

ANNOTICO Report : "Lynching of Italian POWs at Ft Lawson, in Seattle, WA, Gets Correction of Revisionism" dated April 26, 2008 , or

"A Staten Island Trombonist Breaks a 64-Year Silence About a Military Race Riot", Village Voice by Tony Ortega, April 22nd, 2008 http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0817,raw-deal,419583,1.html

Below you will find the Perpetrators become Victims Fairy Tale.

Original article:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/372304_robert26.html

Drowned Roma Girls:"The Picture that Shames Italy". A Prejudiced Distortion

The European Newspapers in their sensationalist and anti-Italian manner have made a small tragedy, one of Epic proportions, and portray the Italians as crass and without care. There have been a torrent of these denigrating stories for the last week.

The Reports are that two Roma girls drowned in the surf, and were left to lie un cared for, while beach goers appeared indifferent.

Now, the Photographer states that "the picture that shames Italy". was cropped, telescopic and the reportage distorted the situation.

"Several holiday makers jumped into the water to try to save the two (Roma) girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in. Many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident.

It would have been un seemingly for people to be gathered around the bodies like vultures, or from morbid curiosity.

Other bathers respectfully kept their distance, until ambulances arrived to transport the girls to the morgue.

The use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than

they in fact were.

Pic Reveals Half-Truth

I Africa

Fri, 25 Jul 2008

A picture of two drowned Roma girls lying amid sunbathers on an Italian beach — which sparked a wave of criticism against Italy — did not tell the whole story, the photographer said on Friday.

The photo — published in several European newspapers — showed Italians sunbathing, talking on cellphones and apparently ignoring the nearby corpses, which were partially covered by beach towels with their feet poking out.

"I took several pictures — some showed holidaymakers going about their business, on others people were visibly concerned, or were helping to carry the coffins," Alessandro Garofalo told AFP.

Garofalo (30) — who works for the Naples daily Il Mattino — added: "On the photographs which the foreign newspapers picked out, everybody seemed indifferent.

"But in reality, only about half the people present acted as if nothing had happened, but many people either lent a hand or left the beach after the incident."

He added that his use of a telephoto lens made the sunbathers on the beach at Torregavata north of Naples look closer to the bodies than they in fact were.

British newspaper, The Independent was typical in adverse comments — calling the image "the picture that shames Italy".

But Garofalo said "several holidaymakers jumped into the water to try to save the two girls, who did not know how to swim", and then covered the bodies as they lay on the beach for about an hour until coffins were brought in.

http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/1047240.htm

Italian Runner, Dorando Pietri, Saved The Olympics from Oblivion

The Olympics, the dream-child of Baron Pierre de Coubertin had foundered since its modern-day beginnings in 1896. The inaugural Games, in Athens, were sparsely attended, with only 176 athletes from 12 countries represented. The 1900 (Paris) and 1904 (St. Louis) Olympics were mere sideshows for the world's fairs they accompanied.

"The 1900 and 1904 Games had been so terrible,because they didn't have the best athletes in the world competing against each other. No one cared." The Olympic movement was in serious trouble.

On July 24, 1908, an estimated 75,000 spectators filled White City Stadium to await the conclusion of a newfangled competition called the marathon. The race was invented in 1894, when one of De Coubertin's collaborators, suggested adding a long-distance test to the 1896 Olympics. The contest began in the town of Marathon and concluded in Athens as a way to commemorate a storied moment in Greek history.

De Coubertin approved the 40-kilometer race (about 25 miles) despite the fact that few athletes alive had ever trained for -- much less competed in -- anything longer than three miles. Thus was born what one writer has called "the most audacious of races."

In 1908, the course began at Windsor Castle and ended 26 miles later at the stadium. Once inside, runners had to complete a partial lap, measured at 385 yards, so as to finish in front of the royal box. (In 1924, the odd and random distance of 26 miles 385 yards became the marathon standard.)

The favorite was Canada's Tom Longboat, an Onondaga Indian who had captured the 1907 Boston Marathon in record time. The U.S. entered seven runners, including a slight Irish American lad named Johnny Hayes. Italy's Dorando Pietri went unheralded; many reporters believed that Pietri was his first name.

Tens of thousands of spectators lined London's roads to cheer on the 55 runners (from 16 nations) sweltering in the afternoon heat. Longboat held the lead at the 17-mile mark, when he suddenly dropped out.

Wearing red pantaloons that reached his knees and a white kerchief to shield his dust-covered hair, Pietri took control at the 25-mile mark. But he had reached the edge of human endurance; he then collapsed repeatedly, only to be aided to his feet. "He was helped by the officials," says Olympic historian Bill Mallon, "in clear violation of the rules."

A groundbreaking photograph captured Pietri's desperate last effort at the finish, supported by two attendants. Medical staff carried away Pietri to the hospital, as the Italian flag was hoisted. Meanwhile, Hayes entered the stadium and completed his lap.

The U.S. team lodged a protest. Pietri was disqualified and Hayes awarded the gold medal. Hayes' victory was the last for a U.S. Olympic marathoner until Frank Shorter broke through in 1972.

Hayes was the champ, but Pietri was the hero. The next day, after he was released from the hospital, Queen Alexandra presented him with a silver cup. Photographs of the race's conclusion -- among the first sports-action images ever produced -- appeared in newspapers around the world. (Can be seen on the LA Times Web Site)

Pietri, the Unknown, showed such courage in falling from exhaustion, but still getting back up, too numerous times to count,, touch the hearts of the Spectators, who marvelled at his indomitable spirit, and embraced him to their hearts

The media uproar turned Pietri into an international star. Afterward, he, Hayes, and Longboat turned pro and crisscrossed the U.S. in a series of big-money races. Their well-publicized duels, including an indoor, mano a mano match in New York's Madison Square Garden, created the first marathon craze in this country.

Only this year, one century later, did Hayes finally escaped Pietri's considerable shadow, when he was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, N.Y.

But their legacy extends beyond the track; their memorable race, during the most memorable of the early Olympic Games, helped save the nascent Olympic movement from oblivion.

"Had the debacles of the 1900 and 1904 Games been repeated, the Olympic movement probably would not have survived or, at best, deteriorated into little more than a minor sporting organization with little influence."

OLYMPICS

The Fallen Hero of the Modern Olympics

PHOTO: Dorando Pietri of Italy staggers to break the tape at the end of the 1908 Olympic marathon in London, but the fact that he received aid from officials during the last few hundred feet caused him to be disqualified, and the gold medal to be given to John Hayes of the United States.

A century ago, in 1908 at London, Dorando Pietri's stumbling, staggering finish in the marathon provided a dramatic spectacle that may have rescued a floundering Olympic movement.

The Los Angeles Times By David Davis, Special to The Times
July 24, 2008

Half a lap.

Just a half-loop around the track, and the gold medal for the marathon at the 1908 London Olympics was his.

But for Dorando Pietri, exhausted and dehydrated after running 26 miles under a harsh sun, 385 yards might as well have been one mile. Five times he fell; a hush fell over the crowd, broken only by fervent cries.

"Let him alone!"

"That's not sport!"

Finally to the finish line, aided by two officials, in a time of 2:54:46, whereupon Pietri collapsed. No one knew whether he would survive.

One hundred years ago, on the day that the plucky Pietri concluded his gold-medal dreams in a London hospital, the Olympic movement was in serious trouble.

The dream-child of Baron Pierre de Coubertin had foundered since its modern-day beginnings in 1896. The inaugural Games, in Athens, were sparsely attended, with only 176 athletes from 12 countries represented. The 1900 (Paris) and 1904 (St. Louis) Olympics were mere sideshows for the world's fairs they accompanied.

"The 1900 and 1904 Games had been so terrible," says Olympic historian David Wallechinsky, "because they didn't have the best athletes in the world competing against each other. No one cared."

De Coubertin's vision was further marred when Rome, the host city for the 1908 Games, withdrew at the last minute following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. London, the replacement, had scant time to prepare.

But mighty Britannia was the birthplace of organized sports, and the 1908 Olympics were well-planned and forward-thinking. For the first time, countries selected the athletes for their teams, ensuring top competition for the Games, with 2,023 participants from 22 countries. The Brits erected White City Stadium in West London -- the first stadium built specifically for the Olympics. The steel-and-concrete oval was so vast that swimming events were held in a 100-meter pool within the infield. A rabid press corps descended to chronicle every controversy at the "Battle of Shepherd's Bush."

On July 24, 1908, an estimated 75,000 spectators filled White City Stadium to await the conclusion of a newfangled competition called the marathon. The race was invented in 1894, when one of De Coubertin's collaborators, linguist Michel Bréal, suggested adding a long-distance test to the 1896 Olympics. The contest began in the town of Marathon and concluded in Athens as a way to commemorate a storied moment in Greek history.

De Coubertin approved the 40-kilometer race (about 25 miles) despite the fact that few athletes alive had ever trained for -- much less competed in -- anything longer than three miles. Thus was born what one writer has called "the most audacious of races."

In 1908, the course began at Windsor Castle and ended 26 miles later at the stadium. Once inside, runners had to complete a partial lap, measured at 385 yards, so as to finish in front of the royal box. (In 1924, the odd and random distance of 26 miles 385 yards became the marathon standard.)

The favorite was Canada's Tom Longboat, an Onondaga Indian who had captured the 1907 Boston Marathon in record time. The U.S. entered seven runners, including a slight Irish American lad named Johnny Hayes. Italy's Dorando Pietri went unheralded; many reporters believed that Pietri was his first name.

Tens of thousands of spectators lined London's roads to cheer on the 55 runners (from 16 nations) sweltering in the afternoon heat. Longboat held the lead at the 17-mile mark, when he suddenly dropped out. Unconfirmed reports indicated that he had ingested strychnine, the performance-enhancer of choice during this era.

Wearing red pantaloons that reached his knees and a white kerchief to shield his dust-covered hair, Pietri took control at the 25-mile mark. But he had reached the edge of human endurance; he collapsed repeatedly, only to be aided to his feet. "He was helped by the officials," says Olympic historian Bill Mallon, "in clear violation of the rules."

A groundbreaking photograph captured Pietri's desperate last effort at the finish, supported by two attendants (one of whom was falsely identified as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes). Medical staff carried away Pietri as the Italian flag was hoisted. Meanwhile, Hayes entered the stadium and completed his lap.

The U.S. team lodged a protest. Pietri was disqualified and Hayes awarded the gold medal. Hayes' victory was the last for a U.S. Olympic marathoner until Frank Shorter broke through in 1972.

Hayes was the champ, but Pietri was the hero. The next day, after he was released from the hospital, Queen Alexandra presented him with a silver cup. Photographs of the race's conclusion -- among the first sports-action images ever produced -- appeared in newspapers around the world.

The media uproar turned Pietri into an international star. Afterward, he, Hayes, and Longboat turned pro and crisscrossed the U.S. in a series of big-money races. Their well-publicized duels, including an indoor, mano a mano match in New York's Madison Square Garden, created the first marathon craze in this country. Irving Berlin marked the occasion by writing his first hit song, titled "Dorando."

This year, one century later, Hayes finally escaped Pietri's considerable shadow, when he was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in Utica, N.Y.

But their legacy extends beyond the track; their memorable race, during the most memorable of the early Olympic Games, helped save the nascent Olympic movement from oblivion.

"Had the debacles of the 1900 and 1904 Games been repeated, the Olympic movement probably would not have survived or, at best, deteriorated into little more than a minor sporting organization with little influence," according to Mallon and collaborator Ian Buchanan.

It's clear, too, that from that point, sports would no longer be perceived as "leisure activity," practiced only by the wealthy and the titled. Now, sports would be many things: athletic spectacle featuring well-trained competitors and the aura of celebrity; commercial enterprise, complete with stadium deals and corporate sponsorships; unscripted entertainment for an increasingly urbanized society with discretionary income; and endless fodder for a voracious media.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-marathon24-2008jul24,0,6228393.story

Italy Has Undeserved Crime Reputation. EU and US Look to Thine Selves!

This is a follow up to the rather ignoramus column "Winners at Cannes are hits in Italy too" written by Christine Spolar's, in the Chicago Tribune, "Italy Fights Crime" July 7. and responded to by Rosario A. Iaconis of the Italic Institute."Italy Fights Crime" on July 13, and Reported by me on July 18,

Now Chuck Goudie on July 21, in the Chicago Daily Herald displayed his limited Arkie Intellect that once again Rosario A. Iaconis responded to on July 23.

Before I give you Rosario's response, allow me to repeat just a couple of paragraphs of my previous Report.

"The FBI reported that in 2006 there are almost 30,000 gangs, 800,000 members in the USA,,

There are 15,000 Gang related deaths each year in the USA.

Incidentally, in Chicago from January - March, there were 87 killings through the first three months, down from 88 this time last year.

Goudie's Column Repeats Stereotypes

Letters to Editor

Chicago Daily Herald

July 23,2008

Chuck Goudie's conflation of fact and fiction regarding Italy's crime problem smacks of a hoary stereotype (June 21).

While it is indeed true that the Italian government has deployed 2,500 soldiers to patrol its cities, such a sinewy approach to street crime - much of it perpetrated by illegal third world immigrants - does not signify that the land John Milton called "the seat of civilization" has morphed into a peninsular Gotham City.

In truth, il bel Paese remains one of the EU's low-crime nations.

According to three unimpeachable sources - the United Nations; the International Crime Victims Survey; and the U.S. Department of Justice - Italy's murder rate of 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants is significantly lower than the EU average of 2.8 per 100,000.

England and Wales, Canada and New Zealand are all more murderous countries.

As for the good old USA, it may well be the murder capital of industrialized nations. Even the statistics-averse Mark Twain would agree that Mr. Goudie's take on Italy is more than a bit simplistic.

Rosario A. Iaconis, Vice Chairman, The Italic Institute of America, Mineola, N.Y.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=222458&src

Italy's Rossi Wins US Moto Grand Prix at Laguna Seca

Valentino Rossi's 66th career victory finally conquered one of the two tracks he had yet to win on in MotoGP. The track in Misano, Italy - site of the San Marino Grand Prix - is the only course where Rossi has yet to win since the MotoGP class was introduced in 2002.

Italy's Rossi Wins US Grand Prix

USA Today

The Associated Press

July 21, 2008

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — Valentino Rossi won the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the Italian rider his first victory at Laguna Seca.

Rossi's 66th career victory stopped defending world champion Casey Stoner's winning streak at three races. Rossi finished the 32-lap race in 44 minutes, 4.311 seconds with a top speed of 97.72 mph to set an event record.

"For sure, the race was unbelievable," Rossi said. "It was a great battle with Casey. It was fun, a lot of fun in this race."

With the victory, Rossi finally conquered one of the two tracks he had yet to win on in MotoGP. The track in Misano, Italy - site of the San Marino Grand Prix - is the only course where Rossi has yet to win since the MotoGP class was introduced in 2002.

"We knew we had to be perfect to win today," said Rossi, whose previous best finish at Laguna Sega was third in 2005. "We made a few changes this morning in warm-up that made us faster in the race."

Stoner, the runaway winner at the event last year and the pole-winner Saturday, finished second in 44:17.312 after crashing in slow turn 11 on lap 24, but remounted to challenge Rossi. Stoner tried to become just the third rider to crash in a grand prix but still win, but Rossi was not to be denied.

Chris Vermulian finished third after a second-place showing behind fellow Australian Stoner last year.

Stoner stills leads championship standings with 212 points, 35 ahead of Vermulian.

American Nicky Hayden, who was third early, struggled with his Michelin tires. He - and others - had been sent wrong tires from Michelin's shop in France. He finished fifth.

"Obviously at my home race I hoped to put up a better fight than this," Hayden said. "It was certainly a tough weekend. We struggled a bit with the tires."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/2008-07-20-3375341902_x.htm

Italy's New Rock Bands

While Italians may enjoy "pop" music from the outside world, the outside world has more of an inclination to enjoy "pop" music with English/American lyrics.

Now some Italian rock bands are incorporating English lyrics into their music, and making small inroads into the "outside" world.

"Disco Drive", "Settlefish", "Cut", and "Verdena" are eyeing England and America.

Italy's New Rock Bands

Italy isn’t renowned for its rock bands, but a host of new acts are embracing English lyrics and preparing for global acclaim

London Times

July 20, 2008

Throughout the history of western culture, the art of the Italian peninsula looms large. From the Romans to the Renaissance, from Vivaldi to Visconti, Italians have always been ahead of the pack. In one cultural field, however, Italy has struggled to export: rock music. That seems about to change. The Turin-based punk-funk band Disco Drive received 8/10 in the NME for their second album, Things to Do Today — the first time in living memory an Italian guitar band had won critical praise in the British music press. Back in a country that is happy to import indie rock, but often reluctant to embrace its own practitioners, it was a momentous occasion. “We went on a show on Italian MTV, and that was the first question,” laughs Disco Drive’s singer and guitarist, Alessio Natalizia. “ ‘How do you feel about getting 8/10 in NME? Did it change your life?’ ”

Disco Drive’s music is experimental, exciting and supremely easy to dance to. They believe rock sounds best when sung in English, and make no bones about the desire to take their music outside their homeland. “There is a big issue in Italy, within the major-label system — if you don’t sing in Italian, you won’t get big,” explains their drummer, Jacopo Borazzo. “The mentality in the system is, ‘If you want to do this, you have to do that. Sing in Italian.’ ”

Despite their refusal to do so, Disco Drive still have the domestic clout to play to about 1,000 people a night. The rock scene in Italy is potentially lucrative, but Disco Drive are just one of an increasing number of bands there with global ambitions. They recently made their ninth visit to Britain, while Settlefish and Cut, both from Bologna, completed their fifth and first tours respectively earlier this year, playing to small but enthusiastic crowds across the UK.

“There’s still a surprise factor,” admits Settlefish’s lead singer, the half-Canadian Jonathan Clancy. “ ‘You’re Italian? You play rock music?’ People tend to think Italy is a Third World country with regards to music, but bands that are big in the UK are also big in Italy. We’ve seen every band we ever wanted to see in Bologna since we were 15.”

Settlefish certainly sound as if they’ve enjoyed a rich musical education: their brand of rock is a catchy combination of Fugazi attack and Pavement melodies. They believe Italian rock’s lack of international success has more to do with bands’ willingness to take the easy route than with outside prejudices. “Automatically, bands in Italy get good money from playing at home, so they tend to stay,” Clancy says. “We started playing France and went to America and England. If you’re willing to get 100 bucks and sleep on the floor, you can get a show anywhere.”

Ferruccio Quercetti, guitarist and front man for the ferocious rock’n’rollers Cut, believes that, as well as the bands themselves, the Italian music industry should take the blame for preventing past generations of artists from competing with the English-speaking mainstream and underground. “Italy is a strange country,” he says. “It’s so close to itself. It has its own music and show business. The problem is that it’s been hard to get Italian bands to an international audience, because there’s no structure. The labels aren’t used to getting bands distributed abroad. There are lots of good bands that lived and died in Italy without anybody noticing outside. Settlefish and Disco Drive are starting to tour abroad consistently, and that’s helping a lot.”

Disco Drive, Settlefish and Cut have all sprung out of the Italian indie underground, singing in English and ready to take on the rest of the world. The Bergamo-based band Verdena have a different problem. Signed to Universal, they’re one of Italy’s biggest rock acts, regularly playing to audiences of 3,000. Now they’re preparing to export their extravagantly loud brand of stoner-rock to Britain. They completed their first full UK tour in early June and are planning their first English-language release. “We’ve always written in English,” says the singer/guitarist Alberto Ferrari. “The Italian lyrics come at the end, and making them fit an English rhythm is really tough. We only want to improve our art, but we’ll never conquer the UK.”

Ferrari is being prematurely modest. There is much musical potential in this untapped corner of the rock world — although critical approval in the English-speaking world may come with some unexpected hitches.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4352105.ece

Obama Skips Italy in Europe and Mid East Tour

It was disappointing that England, France, and Germany will be on Obama's Europe itinerary, but Italy will not! !!!

Each of those three have the three highest GDP, and have the greatest influence in Europe.

Italy and Spain are both slightly behind in GDP, but both have less political influence. Spain historically, Italy because of the apparent political instability, And Italy's current Leadership.

Obama might had thought it would be "uncomfortable" to meet Berlusconi, since Berlusconi was King Geo. Bush's lap dog.

However,I believe it would have been wise to "charm" Berlusconi, and been a 'bold' move, and the Italians are the most Pro Obama of all European countries, and his reception would have been phenomenal.

Europe: Presidential Candidate Excludes Italy from Visit

Adronokos, Greece

July 18, 2008

Rome, 18 July (AKI) - The decision by US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to exclude Italy from his first high-profile visit to Europe comes as "no surprise" to experts in Rome.

Obama is scheduled to begin his trip to Europe, his first major visit abroad as a presidential candidate, this weekend. It will include Britain,France and Germany.

The US presidential candidate will also travel to the Middle East and is planning stops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This is not good news for Italy," said Ettore Greco, the director of the Rome-based Instituto Affari Internazionali, in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

Greco recognised that Obama may not have the time to include all the European capitals in his trip.

"But there is a widespread perception in the United States that these three countries [Britain, France and Germany] are the ones that count," he said. "Italy's weight in Europe has diminished."

"The previous centre-left government was divided on foreign policy issues and while it's still too early to comment on the current centre-right government [elected in April], the general impression is that it is not too good on foreign policy.

"Previous centre-right governments between 2001 and 2006 also did not have an especially enthusiastic position on European integration."

He said Italy's diminished importance was also evident in its exclusion from crucial negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — plus Germany are trying to get Iran to stop enriching and reprocessing uranium. Italy is not part of this group.

"Iran is a major issue for Obama and it is understandable that he will want to discuss the issue with the leaders," said Greco.

Obama has advocated direct diplomacy with Iran as well as tougher threats of economic sanctions and strong incentives to persuade Tehran to change its behaviour.

Franco Pavoncello, a political analyst at Rome's John Cabot University, stopped short of calling Obama's European tour a snub, but noted Italy's exclusion.

"It's not flattering to Italy," Pavoncello. "It certainly is the only European G8 country that has been left out."

However Pavoncello said that there was no need to exaggerate the importance of the decision.

"Obama has limited time and limited media coverage in Europe. He probably wants to get two to three 'punches' out of this trip and not dilute it too much," he said.

Pavoncello also referred to the close relationship between the current leaders of Italy and America.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi welcomed US President George W. Bush to Rome last month, calling him "a personal friend of mine and also a great friend of Italy" and Bush responded warmly.

Both analysts agreed that despite Italy's exclusion, Obama's trip to Europe was important for his campaign.

"Foreign policy remains his [Obama's] weakest point in the presidential campaign because his rival [Republican Senator John McCain] is an experienced figure," said Greco.

The trip will also gives Obama a chance to work on the transatlantic relationship that has suffered since the US and Europe, particularly Germany and France, disagreed over the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Obama brings a fresh perspective to the relationship.

"He's the new kid in town, the unknown candidate," said Pavoncello.

The Democratic candidate is already widely popular in Europe.

American media reports say polls reveal that if they could vote in the US, between 53 percent and 72 percent of the British, French and German public would pick Obama.

"It really depends on how his performance is," said Pavoncello. "He's a great speaker and a captivating man and it will certainly raise his visibility."

"But it won't necessarily help him because he's not running in Europe."

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.2347999729#

Crimes in US Under Rated, Over Exaggerated in Italy

It is remarkable how myopic and blinded the US is to it's Gang Violence problem, and absolutely paranoid (assisted by Bush that preaches "fear") about so called domestic terrorism,BUT is so critical about crime in other countries, especially Italy.

For instance, The Federal Bureau of Investigations reported that in 2006 there are almost 30,000 gangs, 800,000 members in the USA,, and over 2,500 areas of the USA are affected, and there were 670,000 Firearm Assaults in the US between 2001-2005. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/154465/gang_violence_in_america.html

There are 15,000 Gang related deaths each year in the USA. That is 5 World Trade Centers each year, year after year.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gang_related_deaths_occur_within_the_US_each_year

We have a HUGE "Security Force" looking for Muslim Terrorists, are finding NONE, and NoOne seems Concerned about the

REAL GANG (Terrorist) THREAT !!!

Our comparable View of ourselves and the world is DISTORTED, and our Understanding of what the REAL THREAT to us is CONTORTED.

Christine, as a mere reporter I don't expect you to know much, or rise above stereotypes, BUT , I suggest you get your facts straight, and get your own house in order, before you pass judgement on others.

Incidentally, Violent crime is up nearly 6 percent in Chicago compared with last year, based on data from January through March.

The biggest rise has been in robberies up 16.3 percent There were 87 killings through the first three months, down from 88 this time last year. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/29/chicago.violence/

Thanks to Rosario A. Iaconis ofThe Italic Institute of America for responding to this Chicago Tribune article !

Italy Fights Crime

Chicago Tribune

July 13, 2008

Letters to The Editor:

This is in response to "Winners at Cannes are hits in Italy too" (News, July 7).

Despite Tribune reporter Christine Spolar's assertions regarding "the relentless criminality of Italian society," citizens up and down the Magic Boot stand shoulder to shoulder in support of Rome's sinewy anti-Mafia efforts.

Unlike other nations that simply talk about declaring war on crime and terrorism, Italy has long been in the forefront of the struggle to root out evildoers, big and small.

Having weathered the depredations of the Red Brigades in the late 1970s and the Mafia in the early 1990s, the Italians coupled a superior intelligence network with muscular commando units to capture the likes of Patrizio Peci, a key member of the Red Brigades, and Toto Riina, the Mafia's "boss of all bosses."

They also rescued American Brig. Gen. James Dozier in the 1980s, decimating the Red Brigades.

With the capture of Salvatore Lo Piccolo in Sicily not long ago, Italy continues its highly successful campaign to crush the Mafia.

And the Italians' show of unity in bolstering the "pentiti" informer system demonstrates how a democracy can adopt draconian measures yet still uphold the rule of law.

Rosario A. Iaconis
Vice chairman
The Italic Institute of America
Mineola, NY.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/print/chi-0713vplettersbriefs5jul13,0,2599924.story

Ronaldinho Signs with Milan AC - Fans Estatic

Ronaldinho scored 91 goals in 200 appearances in five seasons at Barcelona, and helped lead the club to consecutive Spanish league titles in 2005 and '06, and the Champions League trophy in 2006.

Milan finished a dismal fifth in Serie A last season and was eliminated by Arsenal in the second round of the Champions League. This season, Milan will play in the second-tier UEFA Cup.

This year Milan AC is aiming for a quick rebound, back to the top of European football, now that Ronaldinho has joined Kaka and Alexandre Pato in an all-Brazilian attack.

Fans see real deal: Ronaldinho signs AC Milan contract during presentation

The Canadian Press - MILAN, Italy
July 17, 2008

MILAN, Italy — The news conference was called to show off Ronaldinho, AC Milan's new star, before the Brazilian star had his name or his number on the team's red-and-black jersey. Ronaldinho didn't even have a contract yet.

So Thursday night's presentation at Meazza Stadium began a few minutes late and was hastily turned into a signing ceremony.

"Put your signature here," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani told Ronaldinho, as they sat side-by-side in front of TV cameras, and the player took pen in hand and signed the papers.

Galliani told reporters that right down to Thursday night "there were all kinds of problems," the Italian news agency Apcom reported. "It got down into the nitty-gritty, such as the rating of the bank giving the guarantee" for the transaction to acquire Ronaldinho from FC Barcelona.

Even before he signed, Ronaldinho, speaking in Portuguese, told the news conference that "I already feel home here."

"It's a really special moment," the player said. "Everyone wants to be on this team for the importance of Milan's history. Putting on this jersey is already a victor for me," Ronaldinho said.

AC Milan is aiming for a quick rebound, back to the top of European football, now that Ronaldinho has joined Kaka and Alexandre Pato in an all-Brazilian attack.

Milan finished a dismal fifth in Serie A last season and was eliminated by Arsenal in the second round of the Champions League. This season, Milan will play in the second-tier UEFA Cup.

Ronaldinho told reporters that while his time with the Spanish club "had been very positive, with great victories, at a certain point the championship titles weren't coming any more, there were disappointments and displeasure, and thus the time came to part ways."

"Here I can go back to being happy and to reaching new personal and team objectives," he said.

Ronaldinho scored 91 goals in 200 appearances in five seasons at Barcelona, and helped lead the club to consecutive Spanish league titles in 2005 and '06, and the Champions League trophy in 2006.

After he signed, Ronaldinho stepped onto the field to the cheers of fans, who attended the presentation for free.

The Rossoneri won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007, and lost the 2005 final to Liverpool.

Barcelona said AC Milan will pay US$33.6 million for Ronaldinho and an additional $6.4 million if the Italian club clinches a place in the 2009-10 Champions League.

The transfer amount was considerably less than what Barcelona said Manchester City had offered.

AC Milan owner and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has said Ronaldinho is "worth" the money.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7-H3143TTJQSVYrXuTiYXH5N7pQ

Collegian Visits Sicily to Discover Source of Her Pride

Jennifer Imbro, like most Italian Americans, wanted to know why she was so proud of her Italian-American heritage. She was able to immerse herself for a short while, and got a marvelous taste, but she still doesn't realize that there is SO much more to look forward to.

Going Abroad to Go Home Hendrix College Events and News CONWAY, Ark. USA July 14, 2008 Jennifer Imbro’s great-grandfather came to the United States from Italy in 1914. This summer, nearly a century later, Imbro voyaged back across the Atlantic to discover her homeland. Although Imbro, a Little Rock resident, is also one-quarter Swedish, she strongly identifies as an Italian-American. Her naturally blonde hair disguises the fact that her family makes their own marinara sauce from scratch. Her father has spoken Italian since childhood, and she is working to learn it, too. Imbro is entering her senior year as an International Relations and Global Studies (IRGS) and Economics and Business double major. A study-abroad experience is mandatory for IRGS majors, and Imbro tailored the requirement to fit her own interests. Her two-week trip gave her a chance to reflect on her ancestry, as part of a larger self-designed Odyssey project called “The Composition of an ‘Italian’.” “I’ve always wanted to know why I’m so proud of my Italian-American heritage,” Imbro said. “It’s simpler to just be ‘American,’ but Italian-Americans always seem to say they’re Italian-Americans. My mom has Swedish heritage, but she doesn’t say she’s a Swedish American.” Imbro wanted more than the typical tourist experience in Italy. She searched HomestayWeb.com and quickly found a kind, English-speaking Sicilian woman eager to host her. Imbro stayed with her and her 16-year-son in Palermo, just two hours away from the tiny fishing village where her great-grandfather grew up and where some of her family still lives. The home stay allowed Imbro to get a much more personal view of Sicily, including visiting the family’s farm in the country. The property was home to 150-year-old olive trees – and the ruins of a medieval town. It wasn’t until midway through the two-week stay that Imbro realized she was staying with Palermo’s aristocracy. “I had been wondering why all the guys my age, the brother’s friends, dressed so preppy, with sweaters tied around their shoulders,” she laughed. “These were the richest of the rich, so it was not the typical Sicilian experience in that respect.” Imbro did have the chance to meet a more typical Sicilian family – her own. “I met my father’s cousin, who is a working teacher, and my dad has never even had the chance to meet him,” she said. “My dad was kind of living vicariously through me. I could send him all the pictures of his aunt he hasn’t seen since he was 4, who just started sobbing when she saw me.” Imbro used several of her relatives as research subjects, asking them why Italians and Sicilians are so proud of their heritage. She also asked them to define what makes an Italian an Italian or Sicilian a Sicilian. Imbro casually discussed these topics with a wide range of people, but she asked her host mother and three of her relatives to write out their responses, for use in the appendix of the research paper she is writing. Several of the responses focused on Sicilian history, a series of conquests by foreigners that has melded Arab, Norman, Greek and other influences into a unique regional culture. “They said it can be because of the convergence of the cultures, and it can be because they’ve been around since centuries B.C.,” Imbro said. “They don’t really know why they have the pride – they just believe themselves to be the best. It was almost ridiculous, like: ‘We have the best looking people; we have the best culture; we have the best history; we have the most beautiful cities.” Sicily is home to several remarkably well preserved Greek temples, of which the Sicilians are also intensely proud. “I’ve always wanted to go to Athens and see the architecture, but the Sicilians I met told me, ‘You wouldn’t even enjoy going there after seeing this,’” Imbro said. “That’s what I mean by pride: Even their Greek temples are the best!” The pride was also apparent in the near-religiosity with which the Italians watched Italy soccer games. In the half-hour leading up to a match, the streets were packed with cars of fans desperate to get home to see it. During a Euro Cup match, businesses closed and the streets and sidewalks emptied. When Italy lost, Imbro’s host family appeared devastated. Imbro’s indifference to the sport earned her some flak. The gist: “How can you be an Italian-American if you don’t watch (and worship) Italy soccer games?!” Moments like that throughout the course of her stay allowed Imbro to parse the Italian and American halves of her hyphenated identity. In some ways, the things she had associated with being Italian were actually very American. Imbro had expected Italians to act like her relatives in New York and Philadelphia, with the Atlantic aloofness. As it turned out, the Sicilians were very warm and open – more like the Southerners she had met living in South Carolina and Arkansas. On the other hand, Imbro had ascribed some of her father’s behaviors to his Italian upbringing. He had retired from Wall Street in order to buy and run a small business, so he could spend more time with his family. When Imbro told her host brother and his friends that story, they were taken aback. “They respected it, because family is very important to Sicilians, but they also said that they would never take that same chance, that that’s a very American mentality,” Imbro said. “In Italy, if you have a secure job you would never leave it, and your family would understand because you’re the father, you’re the patriarch, you’re the breadwinner.” One of the most surprising moments for Imbro was when she watched her host family cook. Making seafood sauce involved combining a can of pasta sauce with a can of tuna – near sacrilege to the American Imbros. “My father thinks that’s horrible,” Imbro said. “But our family came over in 1914, so it’s kind of like a time capsule. They’ve progressed over there, just like we have, and no one really has time to sit at home all day and make sauce from scratch.” Although Sicily was not entirely what Imbro expected, she fell in love with the place and the people. “I could totally live there for the rest of my life and be completely happy,” she said. “They asked me to stay for another month or two, but I couldn’t change my flight. I would love to go back. As long as I learned the language and developed some patience for sitting in traffic, I could definitely live there.” In the meantime, Imbro is spending the rest of her summer working for her father’s business, Party Time Rental and Events. In her free time, she researches the politics, culture and architecture she observed in Sicily. “There are so many different aspects that were magnified by my trip, and now I want to research all of them,” Imbro said. “It’s like Pandora’s Box; it’ll never stop.” * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Imbro’s trip was sponsored and partially funded by the Hendrix Odyssey program, a curricular program that offers funding and credit for experiential learning projects at home and abroad. "Your Hendrix Odyssey: Engaging in Active Learning” is a major component of the Hendrix curriculum. The philosophy is, “You learn more when you do more.” Each student is required to complete three Odyssey experiences selected from six categories: artistic creativity, global awareness, professional and leadership development, service to the world, undergraduate research, and special projects. Imbro’s project was Global Awareness. Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. http://www.hendrix.edu/eventsnews/eventsnews.aspx?id=28156

Hadrian: Military Mastermind, Master Builder, One of World's Greatest Leaders at the British Museum

There has been a perception of Hadrian (AD117 to AD138) - given to us via the Victorians and then Marguerite Yourcenar's ever-popular fictional autobiography of the emperor (1951) - that Hadrian was somehow different, a maverick, a Greek-loving peacenik more interested in architecture and boys than in securing the legacy of mighty Rome.

Hadrian, it now appears, was a supremely talented political and military strategist. He was the consummate politician, ruthless but charming, brutal but loving. He is now commemorated (in contrast to his warlike predecessor) as a cultured philosopher. He pops up again and again in this show in his many magnificent sculptural incarnations: as the toga-clad priest, the barbarian-trampling commander, the bearded peacemaker, the mighty benefactor. Which was the real person?

Hadrian at the British Museum

London Times

July 16, 2008

We all know the wall: that long line of stone that rises and falls across rough northern landscapes. It is one of the wildest and loveliest of our tourist spots. But the Romans who once paced its bleak ramparts with their spiked wooden pila were protecting the northernmost perimeter of the world's greatest empire: the empire that - stretching from Scotland to the Sahara, from the Atlantic to the Euphrates - was ruled from AD117 to AD138 by Hadrian.

But what do we know about him? The British Museum,...turns its attention to: Hadrian: Empire and Conflict, it invites us to speculate on what this most fascinating and complex emperor might really have been like.

This is a show that Gordon Brown should go to see. It follows the progress of an ambitious but prudent second-in-command who finally gets to power by being adopted by his predecessor, the Emperor Trajan, on his deathbed. But leadership, Hadrian discovers, is far from plain sailing. Trajan may have been a warrior hero, but things were very over-stretched. Although the effects had not yet reached the public, the empire had been brought almost to breaking point by a war in the Middle East.

Hadrian was no ditherer. He dealt with the problem decisively. He ordered a swift withdrawal of troops in what was only the first of the many military, legal and economic reforms that, over 21 years, this emperor was to effect. The historian Edward Gibbon may have interpreted his retraction as the moment that the rot set in, but the final decline of empire was still a long way in coming and Hadrian's political wisdom, along with his cultural contributions (most prominent among them his architectural prowess), have left him with a reputation as one of the world's finest leaders. His achievements were outstanding. His legacy was immense.

The British Museum now assembles a spectacular show whose exhibits range from the heftiest stone pieces to the most fragile slips of papyrus with anything from portrait sculptures, through stone inscriptions and architectural models, to coins and mosaic pieces in between. Invest in the catalogue. It is a model of clarity, lavishly illustrated and relatively brief. It is the tiny details that snag the imagination: the tiny crease in the ear of Hadrian, for instance, that, apart from suggesting that he might have suffered from coronary artery disease, add a realism to the images that scattered his vast empire. Sometimes the plainest-looking exhibits carry the most momentous stories. In a stone inscription the name Syria-Palestina is used instead of Judea for the first time.

Sometimes the impact of pieces will be immediate and startling. As you look into the faces of a series of painted “mummy portraits” you feel you are staring into the eyes of the subjects that Hadrian (who, spending more than half his reign on journeys throughout the empire, must have met more of his subjects than any ruler before him) encountered. Other objects need more imaginative work. A length of lead piping must stand as a metonym for the luxury of the incredible villa at Tivoli.

Among the most appealing sections of this show is that dedicated to Antinous, the beautiful Greek boy with whom Hadrian fell in love. Curators let the museum's wonderful silver Warren Cup with its flagrant scenes of sodomy set the stage for a liaison which at that time was considered quite normal. What was odd, this show suggests, was the cult that ensued after Antinous' death in a Nile flood. The mourning Hadrian not only founded an entire new city in his honour but commemorated him in various god-like incarnations including as the Egyptian deity Osiris, who (complete with perfectly polished pectorals and loincloth bulge) meets the visitor at the entrance to this show.

Was it the depth of his grief that made Hadrian create this gay icon? The exhibition suggests another slant. Hadrian, the first emperor to sport a full Greek-style beard, was nicknamed “the Greekling” for his love of Hellenic culture. Now by celebrating this passion through the apotheosis of a Greek boy, he kept a potentially rebellious sector of society safely pacified. He made the Greeks feel an appreciated part of his empire. It was an adept political move.

Hadrian is certainly most often commemorated (in contrast to his warlike predecessor) as a cultured philosopher. He pops up again and again in this show in his many magnificent sculptural incarnations: as the toga-clad priest, the barbarian-trampling commander, the bearded peacemaker, the mighty benefactor. Which was the real person?

Our stock picture is that of the robed thinker. But the sculpture that propagated this image is re-examined in this show. The portrait head, it now appears, does not actually belong to the thinker's body. They have just been stuck together by mistaken archaeologists. This sculpture becomes a metaphor for an exhibition that sets out to break down the accepted image into its component parts and then reassemble it again.

The most haunting part of this show is that which displays objects found in the so called “cave of letters”, a rocky crevice in a parched wadi into which a group of Jewish civilians crawled. They hid there from the Romans, who were putting down their revolt...

This show has a spacious and unhurried feel. Each item is given the opportunity to speak. And the exhibition finds a particularly evocative setting in the specially adapted space of the museum's round reading room, the dome of which is a direct reflection of the Pantheon, whose spectacular rotunda - the largest un-reinforced concrete dome in the world - Hadrian pioneered.

The Pantheon was constructed as a forum for the emperor. Now, in an exhibition that occupies its 19th-century descendent, Hadrian once more discovers a stage from which to speak. The questions he asks resonate today. What price do we pay for peace?

Hadrian: Empire and Conflict is at the British Museum (020-7323 8299), July 24-October 26

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4338412.ece

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There's More to Hadrian than Wall-Building

A military mastermind who retreated from Iraq, a politician motivated by peace, and a lover of Greek culture and Greek men - there?s more to Hadrian than wall-building, reveals the director of the British Museum

Sunday London Times

Neil MacGregor

July 6, 2008

We think we know the Romans. Countless books, films, plays and pieces of music have been inspired by an empire that, at its height, in AD117, stretched from the site of modern Glasgow in the north to the Sahara desert in the south, and from the Atlantic to Basra. Hollywood sword-and-sandal epics from Quo Vadis to Gladiator, as well as the BBC's Rome, give us the impression of an empire at once brutal and noble, heroic and corrupt, bloody and decadent - an empire of slavery but also of many freedoms, of multiple identities, all drawn together in the service of Rome and its emperors. But how much do we know? It can be hard to glimpse the real empire through the histories that have survived the centuries, histories that are invariably biased depending on who wrote them, when and, above all, for whom.

Sometimes one has a chance to glimpse the real emotions of ordinary Romans, living their lives under this extraordinary empire. The Vindolanda tablets, housed in the British Museum, slightly predate the emperor Hadrian and his instruction to build his eponymous wall separating England from Scotland (Caledonia) in AD122. Vindolanda fort already existed, first constructed in the late first century. Soldiers from all over the empire were billeted there, of Celtic, Germanic, North African or Syrian origins: a multi-national force guarding the extremes of the realm. Excavations at the fort in 1973 revealed an extraordinary cache of wooden writing tablets, official military documents and personal letters concerning the day-to-day issues of life in the army. They reveal complaints about the cold, illnesses, receipt of care parcels providing socks and underpants, invitations to birthday parties and so on. These truly are the humble building blocks of history and are surely similar to the e-mails and text messages soldiers send home from Iraq today. At their most basic, they show how little has changed in nearly 2,000 years. There is another connection between these two regions: for the north of England and Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) were once the northern and eastern borders of the Roman empire, under the enigmatic emperor Hadrian.

In many ways, Hadrian seems familiar to us. There is a perception of him - given to us via the Victorians and then Marguerite Yourcenar's ever-popular fictional autobiography of the emperor (1951) - that he was somehow different, a maverick, a Greek-loving peacenik more interested in architecture and boys than in securing the legacy of mighty Rome. But how true is this portrait, and what of Hadrian's legacy? Why is he still important now? These are the questions an exhibition at the British Museum is seeking to address. A huge number of archeological finds connected to Hadrian and exc