The Figting Irish ITALIAN Generals

At Notre Dame, Italian quarterbacks and Notre Dame national championships go hand-in-hand. So when you're mentioning Carideo, Bertelli, Guglielmi, Lamonica,Tripucka and Montana, don't overlook the Italian-American quarterbacks who directed Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973, Terry Hanratty and Tom Clements. Hanratty and Clements are Irish names, you say? True. But their mothers were Italian.

THE ITALIAN FOOTBALL GENERALS FOR "FIGHTING IRISH":

For decades the Notre Dame football program has been heralded as one of the finest in the country. The Fighting Irish have always boasted a strong and talented offensive attack, led by some of the greatest quarterbacks in football history, including four Heisman Trophy winners. But here I am concerned with those Italian generals who commanded Fighting Irish victory marches....

A pair of outstanding Italian quarterbacks, early in Notre Dame's Dynasty; Frank Carideo, a coffin-corner kicker, led Rockne's troops in 1929 and 1930 to two unbeaten campaigns and two national championships. (Until that time, Notre Dame's only national title had been won by the 1924 Four Horsemen team quarterbacked by Harry Stuhldreher), and Angelo Bertelli, a baseball, hockey and football player from West Springfield, Mass., who gained national attention with his pinpoint passing in Notre Dame's opening victory over Arizona in 1941, his sophomore season. He was immediately tabbed "The Spingfield Rifle" and his touchdown passes spurred the Irish to their first unbeaten season since Carideo's campaign of 1930.

Bertelli was a not-so-fleet-of-foot halfback in 1941, but he had quick hands and, early in 1942 he loomed as the top quarterback candidate when Coach Frank Leahy decided to do away with the famous Notre Dame box formation and try his luck with the T-formation.

In 1943, Notre Dame won its first national championship since Carideo's 1930 title and All American quarterback Angelo Bertelli, who left for the Marine Corps after the Irish had played and won six games, became Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy winner.

A leg injury frustrated Bertelli's four-year post-war attempts to scale the professional heights, yet long after retiring as Notre Dame coach, Frank Leahy called Bertelli the greatest quarterback the T-formation ever had.

Many football observers disagreed with that appraisal, including the late Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. Arch had his own candidate, Ralph Guglielmi, another Italian general who won football letters in 1951-52-53 and 54, Guglielmi, who like Bertelli won the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy, quarterbacked Leahy's last team, the 1953 Irish that won nine and tied Iowa and who many believed to be the best team in the nation that year. Guglielmi passed, ran from the split-T and was devastating on defense during the seasons of the return to single-platoon football. He was the main reason that Leahy said of those 1953 winners: "The best team I ever coached."

Guglielmi had to be great to hold off some pretty good contenders for the No. I quarterback position. Chicago's Tony Carey ("toughest man who ever played Notre Dame football"), who would probably have been an All American candidate with any other major college, fiercely but futilely dueled Guglielrni for starting quarterback. Like "Goog," Carey was a letterman for four seasons.

Besides Carey, in 1954 Guglielmi had to overshadow another great player, a sophomore quarterback who also could do everything well and whose name was Paul Hornung. No wonder why Arch Ward wrote: "Gus Dorais, Jimmy Phelan, Joe Brandy, Frank Thomas, Harry Stuhldreher, Frank Carideo, Angelo Bertelli, Johnny Lujack ... we saw them at the peak of their skill. And, take it or leave it, Guglielmi tops them all."

Most Notre Dame fans would like to forget Joe Kuharich's elevens of 1960-61-62 (They won a total of twelve of their thirty games), but many would question how much that record could be blamed on Kuharich's No.1 quarterback, Daryle Lamonica.

Lamonica, whose daring play in the professional ranks was later to earn him the name of "Mad Bomber," didn't fancy Kuharich's pedestrian offense. A rumor on the campus those days had Lamonica missing practice and playing golf for three consecutive days. When a priest asked him what was going on, Lamonica reportedly replied: "I don't need to go to practice. I already know both of Kuharich's plays."

Surprisingly, the following Friday, the priest saw Lamonica heading for the practice field. "I thought you knew both of Kuharich's plays," chided the priest. "I do," said Lamonica, "But I have to find out which one he is going to use against Michigan State tomorrow."

With the pros, Lamonica sat on the Buffalo Bills bench behind Jack Kemp for several seasons before being shipped to Oakland, where Coach John Madden said: "I wouldn't trade Lamonica for 0.J. Simpson."

Daryle Lamonica was the spark that gained the Oakland Raiders their first status in the pro game. In 1967 and 1969 he was the American Football League's Most Valuable Player. He was Oakland's big man until losing the job to Ken Stabler during the 1973 season.

During the years 1972-73-74-75, Ara Parseghian was rewarding Fighting Irish fans, including that perfect 1973 season, climaxed with a scintillating win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that earned Notre Dame a national championship.During those years Italian quarterback named Frank Allocco saw occasional action, but mostly played in the shadow of Tom Clements.

And so we come to the most recent Italian general ... the one I knew best and will remember most ... Joe Montana. I mean, of course, the one and only Joe Montana, who in the third game of the 1977 season came off the bench to rally Notre Dame to victory over Purdue, after Notre Dame had suffered a devastating defeat to Mississippi a week earlier. From that point on, Montana became another Italian general leading Notre Dame victory marches.

The marriage between Montana and Notre Dame created sparks. Montana is a free-spirit, and the Irish take football seriously. But in Dan Devine, Montana found a coach who understood. Before Devine's arrival, Montana was considere too free spiritited. On one depth chart he was listed 10th out of 10, behind a few walk-ons.

But Devine saw something in Montana that other coaches were blind to. He was patient. Montana sat out the 1976 season with a shoulder separation. As a matter of fact, Joe's first three years at Notre Dame were almost a waste, until he got a chance to start full-time in 1977 and took the team to the national championship.

Coming back from impossible odds to achieve unbelievable accomplishments fit Montana's style. Comebacks. Nobody did it better than Montana. His legend has yet to be fully appreciated, but it will grow through the years.

John Huarte won the Heisman; Terry Hanratty had a stronger arm; Joe Theismann was a better athlete; and Tom Clements was more consistent; but nobody-nobody --- could rally a team like Joe Montana.

Montana's miracles started in 1975, when he rallied the Irish to twenty-one fourth quarter points against the Tar Heels of North Carolina. The 21-14 victory set the stage for a similar tour de force against the Air Force the following Saturday. Trailing 30-10 in the final quarter, the Irish inserted Montana. Again, he came, he threw, he conquered. Final score: Notre Dame 31, Air Force 30.

These two scintillating comebacks made the difference between an 8-3 Irish season and what would have been 6-5.

As it was mentioned earlier, Montana was sidelined by a shoulder injury in 1976, but resumed his heroics in the 1977 Purdue game. In the fourth quarter he rallied the Irish to a seventeen point burst and a 31-24 victory. Later in the year, against the deafening noise put out by a hostile Clemson crowd, Montana again spearheaded a fourteen point fourth quarter, and the Irish emerged from "death valley" with a 21-17 win. These cardiac conclusions were mixed with stunning upsets of Southern Cal and Texas (Cotton Bowl), as Notre Dame rolled to the national championship. There was little doubt that Montana's performance in the Purdue game turned the season around and that Joe was the key in the drive to the title.

The 1978 season, however, got off to a disastrous start. Notre Dame lost its first two games and it seemed that Montana and the Irish had lost the magic. Why weren't the comebacks coming? The reality that a second national title was impossible was taking its toll on team morale.

Well, the Irish slowly picked up the pieces and started to win again. There was even a patented fourth quarter rally to beat Pittsburgh, as Montana showed signs of his old stuff again. As the season unfolded, Notre Dame kept winning, but there loomed an ominous cloud on the horizon-Southeim Cal, the perpetual nemesis.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Trojans had built an impressive 24-6 lead, and Irish hopes seemed hopeless, and when Montana hit Kris Haines for a 57- yard touchdown, it appeared that it would merely make the final score a little more respectable.

But before long the Irish were driving again and momentum seemed to be on their side. Returning to his old brilliance, Montana lead the team to another score, and Notre Dame suddenly trailed by only five points, 24-19. The Trojans were getting scared. Did Montana have it in him for yet another comeback?

Now less than two minutes remain. Montana drops back ... throws to Holohan ... TOUCHDOWN! ... Notre Dame 25, Southern Cal 24. Pandemonium!

Montana, who had remained properly stoic throughout the ordeal, leaped in jubilation; his joy was ineffable. Notre Dame players were delirious; Southern Cal players were crying. Now it was a matter of time as the two teams lined up for the extra point, and when Montana's pass for a two-point conversion fell incomplete, nobody was too worried. The Irish were not to be denied.

But they were. Aided by an official's mistake on a play that could have clinched an Irish victory, Southern Cal mounted a drive that led to a field goal and a 27-25 victory. The devastated, desiccated Irish stared in disbelief. The impossible dream had become a nightmare.

Committed to an appearance in the Cotton Bowl against a brash and surprising Houston team, the dispirited Irish had to slough off their disappointment and begin preparations. It would be Joe Montana's last game for Notre Dame. Neither he nor we will ever forget it.

After taking an easy 12-0 lead, the Irish saw the momentum swing wildly to Houston. By halftime, Houston led 20-12 and when the second half resumed, one player-Joe Montana-was missing. Piercing cold and cutting winds had lowered his body temperature to 96 degrees.

While he sat wrapped in blankets, shivering, and being fed chicken soup, cut and bleeding from the rock salt used to clear the field after an ice storm struck Dallas, he could hear the roar of the crowd as Houston kept pouring it on. Pathetic! Notre Dame was getting humiliated and Montana was out of action.

But the home remedy worked. Later in the third quarter, the team doctors gave him permission and Montana entered the game. At first, frustrations were compounded when he quickly threw a pair of interceptions, giving him four for the day. Ignominious defeat seemed certain.

With 7:23 remaining in the game and Houston leading 34-12, the Irish blocked a punt and turned it into a touchdown. At least this would alleviate the humiliation.

But all of a sudden, the tide began to turn, and the Irish were driving again. Could the combination of Irish momentum and Montana magic work one more time? Irish fans were filled with ambivalence: they yearned, they hoped, they prayed for a miracle finish. But they were skeptical; the last second loss to Southern Cal was still an open wound.

Inexorably, the Irish advanced and when Montana scored on a two-yard run and completed a pass for the two-point conversion, Notre Dame was in striking distance. By now the Irish defense abounded in adrenalin and quickly stopped Houston. Getting the ball on a punt, and trailing 34-28, the Irish were ready to make their move.

Montana started to drive the team; spirits were sky high. Joe set up to pass, was trapped, scrambled beautifully for a first down; and then tragedy struck- he fumbled when he was tackled. Once again, skepticism dueled hope.

But Notre Dame's still aroused defense held the Cougar's on a fourth down gamble. There were thirty-five seconds to go and forty-nine yards to cover. It was now or never. Montana gamely drove the Irish to the Houston eight yard line with two seconds to play. It couldn't have been more dramatic; the Comeback Kid's last play for Notre Dame could be his most spectacular.

Rolling to his right, Montana hit Haines in the comer for a touchdown and the tying points. Pandemonium! But things didn't come easy for this team and there was still the extra point to be made.

T'he extra point was successful, but jubilation was curtailed; the Irish were offside. They would have to kick again. Skepticism and hope were roaring to a photo finish. You couldn't write a scenario like this. Irish fans were basket cases, but they managed one last look, one last prayer.

Joe Unis made it! Notre Dame 35, Houston 34! The usually reserved Father Hesburgh led the band in the Victory March. Both he and long-time athletic director "Moose" Krause agreed that this was the greatest comeback in Notre Dame history. Even greater than the 1935 Ohio State game? I'm not so sure.

But whether THE greatest or one of the greatest comebacks in Notre Dame history, how appropriate that it was led by the incomparable Comeback Kid, Joe Montana.

Let us not overlook, Frank Tripucka, Irish quarterback in 1948 (brother-in-law of Angelo Bertelli), and father of Irish basketball star Kelly Tripucka.

At Notre Dame, Italian quarterbacks and our national championships go hand-in-hand. So when you're mentioning Carideo, Bertelli, Guglielmi, Lamonica and Montana, don't overlook the Italian-American quarterbacks who directed Notre Dame to national championships in 1966 and 1973, Terry Hanratty and Tom Clements.

Hanratty and Clements are Irish names, you say? True. But their mothers were Italian.

http://www.irishlegends.com/pages/herbs/herbsarticle4.html

Cherry Mine Disaster - C-SPAN 3 Discussion - Sunday Nov 29

In a coincidental follow up to my Report of November 26th " Coal Mine Disasters Remind Of Early Italian Immigrant Hardships & Mans Inhumanity to Man" You will want to view this Program as it is Aired OR Online, at the URL below.

Our thanks to Karen Tintori, author of "TRAPPED: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster" and to Walter Santi for Reminding me of the Important Dawson AZ Mine Disaster, in which EIGHT of the Santi Clan lost their Lives. Dawson has the sad legacy of having the highest number of Italian worker deaths to occur during the history of Italian emigration. There were "Disasters" at Dawson in 1913 and 1923. As I state in my Report, those Disaster mentioned were in NO WAY inclusive, and were merely the tip of the Scope of the Long, Long List of Miseries.

Video Clip: http://dawson.vps.it/video.php

The only appropriate way to commemorate the Victims of these Disasters is to work toward making this Country a More Humane place for ALL it's Citizens, and Require Legislation, when appropriate to RESTRAIN Corporate GREED that would make "disposable" Serfs of us All.

THE CHERRY MINE DISASTER

On Sunday, November 29, 2009, C-SPAN 3 will air a panel discussion by four authors who have written about the historic Cherry Mine disaster, which claimed the lives of 259 men and boys in northern Illinois 100 years ago

this month. The program was hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, which recently opened a magnificent installation about the disaster, covering two floors. "The Flames Caught Us" will close in March.

Ray Tutag Jr.'s musical presentation followed our panel discussion. Check your local listings for time,

The Cherry Mine disaster still stands as the worst coal fire in US history, and its third worst coal disaster for loss of life. It was the first instance of the application of workers compensation in this country, prompting Illinois to pass workers comp legislation the following year; it changed mine, mine safety and child labor laws, spurred the creation of the Bureau of Mines (before Cherry, mine legislation was left to the states; it led to the creation of the mine rescue stations, bringing equipment and trained men closer to the mines.

Help for Cherry's trapped miners had to come from downstate at Urbana-Champaign and from Pittsburgh.

The show will also be aired online at the following link, once it airs on television.

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/289877-1

It is an amazing story of heroism and survival. Picture the Titanic and the Tower of Babel set in an underground coal mine -- one that had been declared fireproof I'm thrilled C-SPAN is bringing this little known, yet historically significant, disaster to a wider audience..

Most of the victims of the Cherry Mine Disaster were recent Italian immigrants from Emilia-Romagna, and that every year in Fanano, Italy, the emigrants who died in the disaster and who survived are remembered with great ceremony.

The Italian government repatriated the Italian widows and orphans who wished to leave Illinois after the disaster.

Karen Tintori, author

TRAPPED: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster

www.karentintori.com

"Foxy Knoxy Trial" - Sex-Murderer also sued for $37 Million

Italian law allows plaintiffs to attach requests for Civil damages to Criminal Proceedings, which was done in this case in August. I am unable to determine Whether the Level of Burden of Proof is the same in Both Proceedings.

Whereas, In the US, Civil Plaintiffs allow the Prosecutors to dig up all the evidence, and pursue the criminal case and meet the high standard of Burden of Proof of "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" Guilt, ( law theorists believe that reasonable doubt cannot be quantified (75-99%) , BUT regardless of the outcome, then Plaintiffs File the Civil Suit, using the same evidence, but with a need to ONLY meet the Much lower standard of Burden of Proof of "Preponderance" which is 51%.

Think of O.J. Simpson who was found Not Guilty in Criminal Proceedings, and Guilty in Civil Proceedings and ordered to pay in excess of $10 Million.

Millions Sought in Damages in Italy Murder Case

Associated Press, November 27,2009

PERUGIA, Italy — A lawyer representing the family of a British college student who was slain in Italy is seeking euro25 million ($37 million) in damages from an American and two other defendants accused in the 2007 killing.

Lawyer Francesco Maresca said in court Friday that the family of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher is seeking the compensation from Amanda Knox, of Seattle, co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito and Ivorian Rudy Hermann Guede, who was convicted in a separate trial. They all deny wrongdoing.

Prosecutors have asked the eight-member jury in Perugia, Italy, to give Knox and Sollecito a life sentence. A verdict is expected next week.

Kercher's body was found in the apartment she shared in the central Italian city of Perugia with Knox on Nov. 2, 2007. Prosecutors believe the Briton was the victim of a drug-fueled sex game.

Knox and Sollecito, who have been jailed since shortly after the slaying, were in court Friday, as well as their families.

After making his closing remarks, Maresca acknowledged to reporters that the three defendants would not be able to pay some $12 million each. He said the amount requested was "symbolic" because human life is invaluable.

Italian law allows plaintiffs to attach requests for civil damages to criminal proceedings.

During Friday's sessions, damages were sought also for Diya "Patrick" Lumumba — a Congolese man who owns a Perugia pub where Knox worked and whom the American initially accused of being the killer. Because of her accusation, Lumumba was briefly jailed. He was later cleared and is seeking defamation damages from Knox.

Defense lawyers will make their closing arguments in the next sessions.

"The lawyers of the civil plaintiff are on the same side as the prosecutor, but with the same problem: they both lack evidence, " said Knox lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova. "We are serene, and we are ready to explain our positions."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hUwNJptZbnCIsu90VqOzxS7S2fzQD9C82N080

Coal Mine Disasters Remind Of Early Italian Immigrant Hardships & Man's Inhumanity to Man

Italian Immigrants, especially from 1840, with no English speaking skills, (unlike the Irish), and no trade skills, were disproportionately represented at the lowest level, back breaking, and dangerous jobs, such as coal mining, and railroad builder, and suffered the most, with many as indentured servants (fancy name for slavery) as Field workers in the Carolinas, with Armed Negroes as their Overseers.

One might argue whether it was better to be a "House Nigger" on a Plantation, or Even a Slave Field Hand, OR Slaving 12 hours a day in a dark, dank,moist, and dusty, coal mine, contracting "Black Lung", and the more you worked the deeper in debt you were to the "Company Store", constantly facing the probability of being buried alive. Eight year olds were sent into the Mines to work.

The Monongah Coal Disaster -1907

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nq2ryRSdpk&NR=1

By 1907, In the first 50 years of Coal Mining, more Miners were killed than on BOTH sides of the Civil War.

US Coal Fatalities Twice as much as Germany, Three times as England, Four times as France.

100 Year Remembrance of Cherry Coal Mine Disaster on Nov. 13th 1909, at Cherry IL

259 miner's lost their lives (6 min film link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7HSCuelBw&feature=player_embedded#

Find out more about this story at:http://guitarjourney.tripod .... --

Farmington Mine Disaster, West Virginia, November 20, 1968

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-L9_Nb7Ss&feature=related

The same year of the Assassinations of JFK, and MLK, 78 Miners died in Explosion.

SIXTY Years after the Cherry and Monangah Disasters, West Virginia, or the US Congress did Nothing,

These are just one of Many Coal Mine Disasters, and innumerable Industrial disasters, resulting from an

indifferent Capitalistic Ribber Baron Greedy Capitalists, who thought of their employees as "disposable".

Only until Unions forced Government to enact Safety REGULATIONS did conditions improve to an almost tolerable state.

I dislike Bureaucracy as much as the next person, But the only Counterweight to the GREED of Big Business/ Corporate Oligarchy/ Robber Barons is GOVERNMENT REGULATION. And ONLY when those Regulations are ENFORCED, NOT like when Republicans gain the Presidency, and or Congress to Appoint Anti-Regullation Agency Chiefs, or "water down" Regulations.

Please don't tell me Unbridled CAPITALISM is Most Efficient and Effective when Left alone. How Effective were the Mortgage Brokers, the Banks, The Auto Makers recently? How Effective were the Stock Brokers, Investment Houses, and Industry CEOs leading up to the 2000 Stock Crash, Or the Earlier Savings and Loan Scandal.

As Citizens of the US we ALL own it's RESOURCES, and those Resources are NOT there merely to be PLUNDERED by the ELITES, and the rest of us to be used as "Disposable" Labor, or "Canon fodder" for Fear Mongered Invasions to Enrich US Corporate /Oligarchy Interests.

Raising Italy's Profile and Reach

I'm not sure whether Italy has raised its Profile because of, or in Spite of Berlusconi.

How il Cavaliere has Raised Italy's Profile and Reach

Financial Times; By Mr Rosario A. Iaconis; November 9 2009

Sir, Demeaning Italians on the world stage has long been de rigueur in Berlin, Paris and London. However, in attempting to convey the method to Silvio Berlusconi's peripatetic "peekaboo" politics (Global Insight, November 5), Guy Dinmore reinforced the selfsame anti-Italian stereotypes he claims to deplore in the capitals of Europe.

For all his convoluted business entanglements, complex legal problems and over-the-top persona, il Cavaliere has actually raised Italy's global profile and geopolitical reach.

Whereas British, French and American troops in Afghanistan resemble colonial interlopers, the Italians are seen as guardians and protectors. Whereas German soldiers call in unwarranted air strikes on civilians, Italian peacekeepers provide food, clothing and medical supplies to the local populace. And in South Lebanon, Israel has asked General Claudio Graziano to extend the Magic Boot's command of UN troops for another six months.

On the economic front, Italy’s second sorpasso of Britain must surely rankle Gordon Brown, the UK’s scandal-plagued prime minister. And both Germany and France cannot understand how “fickle” and “lightweight” Italy has a lower unemployment rate than either nation. Moreover, the Germans must be positively livid over Sergio Marchionne’s decision to reinvigorate Chrysler’s product line with the cheeky Cinquecento (500) and the august Alfa Romeo. After its disastrous merger with the rigidly Teutonic Daimler Mercedes-Benz – and the ensuing clash of corporate cultures – Chrysler will welcome Fiat’s Continental elegance, space-age Italian automotive technology and sense of mission.

Excluding Italy from Europe’s central directorate, particularly when it comes to the big power conference on Afghanistan and the P5+1 Iran Contact Group, is as specious as it is counterproductive. Britain, France and Germany would be wise to remember what Edward Gibbon knew quite well: that "the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous" occurred on Italy’s watch.

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

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9df16964-cccd-11de-8e30-00144feabdc0.html?catid=97&SID=google

Carl's Jr. Stops Mobster Ads After Complaints

Another Example that Activism Works !!!!!! Make your Views and Opinions known.

Carl's Jr. Stops Mobster Ads After Complaints
By Mark Brandau

; Nation's Restaurant News;November 11, 2009

CARPINTERIA, Calif. Carl's Jr. has discontinued an ad campaign for its Chicken Parmesan Sandwich after the mob-theme promotions drew protests from two Italian-American advocacy groups.

Late last week the California Italian-American Task Force and the National Italian-American Federation praised CKE's decision not to extend the media buy for ads, which were developed by agency Mendelsohn Zien. The commercials for the new sandwich, which ran prominently during the World Series, featured mobster and garbage men characters that the advocacy groups said depicted Italian-Americans in a negative, stereotypical light.

CKE also put an end to a branded Facebook application where customers could take a quiz to determine which "made guy" their personalities matched.

"NIAF was pleased to see the positive steps taken by Carl's Jr. Restaurant to remove negative, inaccurate and unfair characterizations in their recent commercial advertisements," said Jeff Capaccio, the group's regional vice president for the Far West. "These advertisements only fuel further incorrect assumptions about an entire ethnic group. The foundation is committed to promoting a positive image of Italian-Americans and removing falsehoods that perpetuate ethnic, racial and other discrimination." ....

CKE officials said that the company tries to remain receptive to criticism and objections to its advertising.

"CKE Restaurants Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, adopts a creative approach to our advertising," said Beth Mansfield, director of public relations for Carpinteria-based CKE. "It is intended to communicate the core message of our premium-quality food to our target audience of 'young, hungry guys.' We do not aim to exclude or offend any other groups with our efforts, but merely to appeal to and amuse a very specific audience. We understand that not everyone may view our advertising the same way, so we respect all views and welcome comments and feedback.

"To this end, we have decided to not extend our current media buy for the Parmesan Chicken Sandwich," she continued. "The commercials may still appear infrequently in limited markets, as stations sometimes give us 'bonus' airings, but the ad campaign formally ended Sunday, November 8."

CKE operates or franchises 1,212 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee's locations in 42 states and 14 countries.

http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?menu_id=1368&id=375630

'Jersey Shore' Offends, UNICO Protests

The NJ Chapter of UNICO is one of the few UNICO chapters that hasn't from it's inception taken a "I'm Italian-Please Like Me"position, and instead has struck back at Negative Stereotypes. The almost 40 Comments that accompany the article are either obvious Bigots who say "That's Italian", or the Overwhelming response that ridicules the caricature.

Wop, Dago, Guinea and Guido are all Italian Ethnic Slurs. No Better than Nigger, Spics, Chinks, Slant Eyes, or Kikes.

Sure there are Guidos, like there are Blacks who revel in being "Niggas", Latinos who revel in being a "Homies", or "GangBanger", or Jews who take pride in being "Scammers", but you don't "celebrate" them, or show them as "typical", OR STEREOTYPES, It's "PROFILING" and Defamatory!!!!

UNICO, NIAF, & Sons of Italy must also realize there are a Large Population of Italian Americans that are STILL stuck in that "No Way Out Zone".Those must be Identified and Educated and Encouraged to rise above their "Airhead" Mentality.

Click here: YouTube - MTV'S "JERSEY SHORE" NEW SERIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWRXZWGzzI

'Jersey Shore' Offends, UNICO Protests Use of 'Guido'

The New Jersey Star Ledger; By Vicki Hyman; November 24, 2009

MTV's "Jersey Shore," which premieres next week, stars eight twentysomethings looking for fun at the beach. But an Italian-American group has protested the use of Italian stereotypes in promoting the show.

"Jersey Shore," the MTV reality show that claims to lift the veil over "one of the Tri-state area’s most misunderstood species - the GUIDO" (as per its press materials), is offensive to Italian-Americans and shouldn't air, says Andre Dimino, the president of UNICO, the national Italian-American service organization based in Fairfield.

UNICO, which also protested the portrayal of Italian-Americans as mobsters in "The Sopranos," says "Jersey Shore," which premieres Dec. 3, plays into another stereotype -- young, dumb fist-pumping guys with a severe hair gel addiction. Teasers for the show spotlight the "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos" (their words, not ours) working out, working on their tan, and working on their hair.

Dimino despises the term "Guido." But the word is embraced by the show’s stars (not all of whom hail from New Jersey, mind you), and they are seemingly not without some cultural pride: - I am a good-looking, well-groomed Italian who’s very, very good with the ladies,- boasts one. [RAA: And you have a College Degree in What ??]

The cast only goes by their first names, and they include two personal trainers, one of whom refers to his abs as "the Situation", a deejay with own personal tanning bed, and a student who goes to the gym in full makeup and hopes to make a splash "with all the juiced-up men"

Dimino says he hasn't heard back from MTV, nor does he expect to. "Trash television sells, and they'd be more interested in making money than how they're offending a great group of people."

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2009/11/jersey_shore_offends_italian-a.html

Italy, Where all the Women Seem Genetically Curvaceous Like Sophie Loren

Contrary to the US, where the Models are Wafer thin, But Real Women (and Men) look like they are Related to the Pillsbury Doughboy,

In Italy, In CUISINE, as in all things, they believe in MODERATION.

How can People spend so much Money on Diets that don't work, when the Simple answer is SKIP the Unhealthy foods, SMALL PORTIONS of Various Foods, and SAVOR the Food, don't just SHOVE it in. BESIDES. If You Don't Put it In, You don't have to Take it off !!!!!!!!!

Getting into shape, Italian-style

Italian women seem to have Sophia Loren's curves in their DNA. So when in Rome ...

Los Angeles Times; By Nina Burleigh; Writing From Rome; November 25, 2009

As Thanksgiving approaches, my friends at home are pondering how to endure holiday feasting and still slip into their size 0s, even though the wafer silhouette is overdue to be replaced as an ideal in these dire times. I have been away from Manhattan only five months and, suddenly, I want amplitude. Living in Italy, where all the women seem genetically curvaceous and not so troubled by extra flesh, natural ectomorphs like me seem like wraiths of the financial apocalypse. I just don't fit in among these robust specimens.

I've always been thin; I was born that way. I was the 99-pound high school graduate, the butt of every sunken-chest joke from sixth grade on. People speculated about tapeworms.

Forgive me if you want to look starved, but being skinny is not all it's cracked up to be. For one thing, I'm perpetually cold in winter. For another, my children will never remember snuggling against a soft shoulder. And my poor husband -- condemned to life in bed beside a skeleton.

Italian women make me feel "meager." That is the word the Italians would use if they felt rude enough to explain how I look to them. The root of both the Italian and French words for thin (magro and maigre, respectively) is related to our word for not having enough. It is not at all a flattering word, not a pretty notion.

Frescoes of plump Madonnas suckling holy babies are on every wall here. All summer long, their rightful heiresses stroll the Italian streets, flesh spilling over necklines, hips rolling without shame. Their bosoms don't appear to be man-made either, and they are on display among all age groups up to a very ripe old age that all Italian women seem to agree on.

It's as if there is some subspecies difference between us, some Sophia Loren DNA they all share. Italian women are rounder than American women as a rule, and yet, they don't run to obesity the way we do. Maybe it's the olive oil, maybe it's the wine, the lauded Mediterranean diet. I suspect it has something to do with generations of three-course lunches, consumed at leisure.

I know I can never eat my way to Sophia Loren's curves, but in order to put some meat on my bones, I have taught myself how to consume the customary Italian antipasto, pasta and secondi (preferably a slab of osso buco or a filet), followed by a dolce and a coffee at least a few times a week at dinner. When we got here, I used to watch people in restaurants tuck away this amount of food and shake my head in disbelief. Now I know how they do it. It's a way of eating, one that involves time but also yogi-like deep breathing. Inhale the aroma, bring fork to mouth, taste, chew, swallow. Breathe deeply. Rest. Repeat.

The other night as I was practicing my newfound skills at one of these dinners, I sat next to a charming Italian gentleman of a certain age -- a diplomat, lawyer, musician and all-around Neapolitan charmer. We talked about olives, wine and Silvio Berlusconi, and every once in a while he murmured, "Grandissima Nina, grandissima" in an admiring tone. I overheard him saying the same thing to the woman on his left: "Grandissima Alessandra, grandissima."

The way it rolled off his tongue made me feel warm, extroverted, fascinating, large. I looked it up when I got home. It's the feminine form of grandissimo, a word that means "very large, tall, high, wide, deep or great."

I guess Italian women hear such compliments all the time. Today, after a month of more or less concerted eating, I notice that my size 4 pants are getting a bit tight. This pleases me, but unfortunately the weight is all in my potbelly, where I tend to pack it on. No hips, no swelling bosoms for me. Still, I feel a little less meager. By next summer, maybe I can find an old flea-market corset and push some of this new-grown flesh in the right two directions.

Ahh, grandissima Nina, grandissima!

Nina Burleigh is an American author and journalist living in Italy, working on a book about the Amanda Knox trial.

latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-burleigh25-2009nov25,0,6794094.story

California was Made by Italians, in Three Waves, Claims Museum Director

The Italians arrived early in the development of California, and therefore had opportunities not available in the East, Midwest and South.

The Italians came in Three Waves: The first arrivals, flocking to the state from the mid-19th century until shortly before World War II, were driven by poverty and struggle. Members of the second group, from the period just before the war until 1970, were largely middle-class Italians who wanted to join their relatives or escape postwar ruins. The third group - entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals and academics - was drawn by opportunities not available in Italy.

The first wave of Italian immigrants established farms, canneries, factories, wineries and banks, as well as Santa Clara University, the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco Opera Company. Their legacy survives today: Del Monte, Italian Swiss Colony, Bank of America, Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. and Jacuzzi whirlpools are just a few examples.

Museo ItaloAmericano: Italians in California

San Francisco Chronicle; By Patricia Yollin, Special to The Chronicle; Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Paola Bagnatori stared at the photograph on the wall of the San Francisco museum that she runs. For once, she wasn't simply staging an exhibition - she was in it.

The picture was taken in November 1946. She was 17 years old on a ship headed for America. Italy was virtually bankrupt; and Bagnatori's father, a colonel who'd been looking forward to a dignified and comfortable retirement, no longer had a pension.

"He didn't know how to do anything. He basically had to start his life over," said Bagnatori, managing director of the Museo ItaloAmericano at Fort Mason, where an exhibition titled "In Cerca di Una Nuova Vita" ("In Search of a New Life") examines Italian immigration to California from 1850 to the present.

Starting over is a major theme of the show, which runs through March 28 and takes visitors into the lives of the Italians who came to California in three waves spanning almost 160 years.

The first arrivals, flocking to the state from the mid-19th century until shortly before World War II, were driven by poverty and struggle. Members of the second group, from the period just before the war until 1970, were largely middle-class Italians who wanted to join their relatives or escape postwar ruins. The third group - entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals and academics - was drawn by opportunities not available in Italy.

Like many immigrants, Col. Bruno Civoli, Bagnatori's father, spoke no English when he landed in California. Unlike most, he had belonged to the country's elite military caste and enjoyed a life of privilege and prestige. But 35 years in the king's army didn't count for a thing when he had to find a way to support his wife and two daughters in San Francisco, their new home. So he decided to import inexpensive souvenirs from his native Florence and sell them to gift shops around town.

"Every day he'd make the rounds with his little bag, to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, the Cliff House," Bagnatori recalled.

The trinkets Civoli peddled are on display at the museum, along with his sword and medals awarded by King Vittorio Emanuele III. They are among many objects - along with historic photographs, text panels and a digital exhibit - that tell the stories of the Italian immigrants who helped shape California.

There's the wedding dress worn by Genoa-born Nina Bertolone on Sept. 18, 1921. There's a model of the ocean liner Rex - among the last ships to leave Europe for America carrying immigrants and Jewish refugees - built by one of its passengers in the 1940s. There is a stonemason's sledgehammer, a horseshoeing pedestal, a Jesuit's crocheted stole, a 1906 ravioli-maker and a 1920s ballot box from the Scavengers Protective Association.

"I was struck by how far-reaching the impact of Italians on California culture has been," said exhibit coordinator Mary Serventi Steiner. "They arrived early in the development of the state, and therefore had opportunities in many areas."

The first wave of Italian immigrants established farms, canneries, factories, wineries and banks, as well as Santa Clara University, the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco Opera Company. Their legacy survives today: Del Monte, Italian Swiss Colony, Bank of America, Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. and Jacuzzi whirlpools are just a few examples.

"After reading about these old Italians, I have to tell you: California was made by Italians," Bagnatori said. "I know I sound very chauvinistic. I wasn't like that before."

By 1910, Italians controlled 80 percent of the fishing industry in California. In the 1920s, almost 12 percent of the foreign-born population in the state was Italian. In 1932, there were 36 scavenger companies in San Francisco, where Italians were the garbage kings.

The statistics in the exhibition are startling, the stories moving and the characters memorable. One of them is Sicilian fisherman Antonino Alioto, whose peers could not figure out why he consistently caught more fish than they did. His secret was his fishing net, which was green rather than the usual brown. He had dyed it to blend into the water so that the fish wouldn't notice.

The "third wave" section of the exhibition focuses on 32 relatively recent immigrants, ranging from Federico Faggin, inventor of the world's first microprocessor, to Roberto Crea, who helped discover artificial human insulin. Through video interviews, many can be seen and heard whenever visitors touch the screen of a digital panel.

"I miss espresso," composer and musicologist Luciano Chessa says in one interview. "You move here and you start missing the things from Italy you never cared about when you were there. There was never any great joy of experiencing cappuccino when we were in Italy. And yet here it becomes a very important Italian ritual."

In Cerca di Una Nuova Vita: Through March 28. Noon-4 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Free. Museo ItaloAmericano, Building C, Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard at Buchanan Street, San Francisco. (415) 673-2200. www.museoitaloamericano.org.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/24/DD1H1ANTQK.DTL

The Italians have a Cure for that Overstuffed Thanksgiving Feeling

Every culture has its methods for taming the cranky beast within. The French have Chartreuse,all through Central Europe, the stunning purity of eaux de vie, in Germany, herbal schnapps like Underberg.Yet no country can match Italy for the sheer variety of digestive preparations available, The Italians view a smoothly running digestive system as crucial to one’s health and happiness, and therefore offer dozens of countermeasures for keeping distress in check.

These digestives, or digestivos, are known collectively as amari. The word refers to the bitterness, derived from quinine, that unifies this disparate group of liqueurs.Among the amari are various stylistic subsets. Some are made with artichokes, like the well-known Cynar. Others incorporate black truffles, or the husks of green walnuts. Perhaps the best known are the fernets, which refers not just to the famous Fernet-Branca but to an entire run of bracingly bitter amari.

An Italian Lesson for the Overstuffed

The New York Times; By Eric Asimov; November 25, 2009

CONSIDER your stomach. No, not as it is now, in repose before the feast, awaiting the pleasures to come. Consider it as it will feel Thanksgiving evening, after the nibbles and noshes, the hors d’oeuvres, the sides and the turkey, the rolls, the stuffing, all that wine, the second helpings, the “oh, just a little more,” the pies, the cookies and, of course, the chocolates without which no meal would be complete.

Bloated? Overstuffed? More than a little uncomfortable?

The ancients anticipated these woeful moments of distress. Wise to the sensitive ways of the digestive system, they brewed tonics and elixirs intended to remedy such afflictions of excess. These homemade restoratives, generally herbs, plants and other botanicals blended into an alcohol base, live on commercially today in the form of digestives.

By digestives, I do not mean the general run of after-dinner drinks: the brandies, grappas and other distilled products that are meant as a pleasantly intoxicating extension of the meal. Nor do I refer to dubious customs like the trou Gascon, a shot of raw young Armagnac, taken at a midway point in a huge meal, that is said to blaze a hole in the stomach, creating room for more food.

Digestives were historically intended as palliatives, meant to counter all sorts of ailments and physical imbalances. They may no longer be assigned quite the same medicinal value today as they were a few hundred years ago, but count me among the many who believe they can help to settle that queasy feeling.

Every culture has its methods for taming the cranky beast within. The French have Chartreuse, the infused herbal liqueur that, in its elixir form, is said to have curative powers. All through central Europe, the stunning purity of eaux de vie can wake up the senses from their postprandial torpor. In Germany, herbal schnapps like Underberg are intended to calm the stomach. You can even find Underberg sold in American drugstores, in three-packs of one-shot bottles, despite its alcohol level of 44 percent.

Yet no country can match Italy for the sheer variety of digestive preparations available, for good reason. The Italians view a smoothly running digestive system as crucial to one’s health and happiness, and therefore offer dozens of countermeasures for keeping distress in check.

These digestives, or digestivos, are known collectively as amari. The word refers to the bitterness, derived from quinine, that unifies this disparate group of liqueurs. Hundreds of amari are produced in Italy. Each has a proprietary formula that generally includes various herbs, roots, flowers and spices, which are macerated in alcohol, sometimes blended with a sweet syrup and tempered in barrels or bottles.

Among the amari are various stylistic subsets. Some are made with artichokes, like the well-known Cynar. Others incorporate black truffles, or the husks of green walnuts. Perhaps the best known are the fernets, which refers not just to the famous Fernet-Branca but to an entire run of bracingly bitter amari.

Restaurants in Italy may offer a dozen selections of amari after a meal, but in the United States the choices are usually limited to a few well-known brands, like Fernet-Branca and Averno, as well as Campari, now better known as an aperitif, with the addition of soda and lemon peel, or as an essential component of the Negroni cocktail, along with gin and sweet vermouth.

One notable exception is Convivio, the southern Italian restaurant on the East Side of Manhattan, where Levi Dalton, the sommelier, has put together a list of amari that currently stands at two dozen or so bottles. Mr. Dalton encourages curious diners to try a flight of amari, which reveals how strikingly different each example can be.

Nonino, for example, the well-known grappa producer in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, makes Quintessentia, an amaro that wraps the bitterness in a cocoon of sweetness, more a dessert-like addition to a meal than a soothing anodyne. Lorenzo Inga in the Piedmont, on the other hand, produces Mio, a complex herbal potion that spreads warmth through the mouth. Del Capo, from Caffo, a distiller in Calabria, has a menthol flavor that is almost eye-tearing, with a lovely herbal complexity, while S. Maria al Monte from Nicola Vignale in Liguria offers an herbal bitterness that can cut through the last vestiges of any meal.

With some exceptions, I often find that amari can be a little too sweet. Averna, for example, can be almost cloying, not what comes to mind when seeking relief. At those moments I would look to the fernets, which are loudly, proudly bitter. Convivio offers a half-dozen fernets, like a head-clearing version from Girolamo Luxardo of Veneto; the mild, complex Fernet d’Italia from Da Peloni in Lombardy; and the ubiquitous Fernet-Branca, which, with its strong but beautifully balanced minty bitterness, is difficult to surpass. This is not to be confused with Branca Menta, a sweet version of Fernet-Branca with mint flavor added.

Amari can be surprisingly versatile. Mr. Dalton offers them as aperitifs and cocktails, as well. He also has an excellent selection of chinati wines, largely Barolo, that are traditionally infused with quinine, herbs and spices, and sweetened with sugar. Chinati are also considered digestives, although when I first encountered a Barolo chinato in the Langhe, it was given to me for a cold.

With an alcohol content that can range from 20 to 40 percent, amari may seem a potent way to punctuate a long, tiring meal. Rather than that final shove over the edge, I prefer to think of them as a gently invigorating path back from the abyss.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/dining/25pour.html?_r=1

Chocolate for All Courses of Dinner, an Italian Tradition

Italians have been adding chocolate to pasta, risotto, polenta and meat dishes since the 1500s when cacao beans first arrived from the New World. They immediately began experimenting with chocolate, adding it to many savory dishes."Chocolate, the 'food of the gods,' conquered not just the candy shop, but also the kitchen"

The cacao bean, from which chocolate is made, is not itself sweet. "Like so many other seeds -- pepper, fennel, cardamom and caraway -- cacao beans are a spice.""It's only the addition of sugar that makes chocolate sweet. Fine dark chocolate, like fine wine, has an amazingly complex taste profile, with hundreds of distinct nuanced aromas and flavors," "Chocolate is, or should be, in everyone's spice rack."

Chocolate for Dinner, an Italian Tradition

Channel 5 News, Fayetteville , AR; Francine Segan; November 22, 2009

Most of us think of chocolate as something just for dessert, but the Italians have been adding it to pasta, risotto, polenta and meat dishes for centuries.

"Chocolate, the 'food of the gods,' conquered not just the candy shop, but also the kitchen" says Riccardo Magni of ICAM, one of Italy's premier chocolate makers, based in the city of Lecco in the northern region of Lombardy.

This is not so surprising if you reflect that the cacao bean, from which chocolate is made, is not itself sweet. Or, as G.B. Mantelli, marketing director at Venchi, an artisanal chocolate company based in Turin, puts it, "Like so many other seeds -- pepper, fennel, cardamom and caraway -- cacao beans are a spice."

Italian chefs noted this fact back in the 1500s when cacao beans first arrived from the New World. They immediately began experimenting with chocolate, adding it to many savory dishes.

"It's only the addition of sugar that makes chocolate sweet. Fine dark chocolate, like fine wine, has an amazingly complex taste profile, with hundreds of distinct nuanced aromas and flavors," continues Mr. Mantelli. "Chocolate is, or should be, in everyone's spice rack."

Among the most classic and simplest uses of chocolate in savory food is as a topping to certain pasta dishes. One simple recipe is to toss cooked pasta with ground walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese and top it with grated dark chocolate. Chocolate is also incorporated into fillings for ravioli, such as the Italian fall favorite pumpkin-chocolate ravioli served with a brown butter sage sauce.

Even pasta itself can be made with chocolate. It's delicious served with meat or cheese sauces. "Most recipes say to mix the flour and cacao powder together at the start," explains Alessandra Bertucci, the third-generation owner of Pastificio Piemontese, an award-winning artisan pasta maker in Alessandria, Italy. "But we add the cacao powder later, after the dough has already gone through the pasta machine once or twice." This technique not only makes it much easier for the dough to hold together, but also yields a more tender, flavorful pasta.

"Chocolate adds a lovely toasted flavor and a delicious aroma as well as infusing a dish with a silky finish," notes Riccardo Ferrero, executive chef at Turin's historic Del Cambio Restaurant. "Chocolate adds a lovely shine to sauces, much nicer than butter. It can be a prized flavor component for any course, in everything from antipasto to dessert. It's wonderful in salad dressing too, because chocolate mellows the vinegar's acidity."

Chocolate adds an accent to many of Del Cambio's savory dishes, including some that have been on their menu for over 100 years. One of the most popular is vitello brasato -- braised veal -- which is cooked in a sauce of Barolo wine finished with chocolate and served with polenta. Chef Ferrero also bakes delicious chocolate bread that he serves both in the restaurant's breadbasket and with a selection of cheeses.

One of Italy's popular savory chocolate creations is agrodolce, "sour and sweet" sauce for pork or wild game, made from reduced vinegar or wine seasoned with dark chocolate.

"In Tuscany, chocolate is a key ingredient with venison and wild boar," notes Remo Vannini, executive chef of Florence's L'Incontro at Hotel Savoy. "Like wine, vinegar or lemon juice, chocolate provides just the right touch of acidity. We Italians add a hint of chocolate to many sauces. Chocolate acts not only as an emulsifier, adding natural thickness to sauces, but also enhances the other flavors. It is wonderful with game meats, but lovely too with chicken and beef."

Fabio Picchi, owner and chef of Florence's famed Cibreo restaurant, fondly recalls enjoying savory chocolate dishes as a child in Florence: "Cooking with chocolate has a long history here in Tuscany. My grandmother always cooked savory chocolate dishes on Sundays during the winter." Chef Picchi serves an updated version of his grandmother's "chocolate rabbit" at Cibreo, a delicate stew seasoned with hints of candied orange peel.

Picchi waxes poetic on the subject of cooking with chocolate: "Chocolate's flavors persists for hours; its one of the only foods with such lingering after-taste. Besides its spectacular flavors, chocolate also has emotional resonance. Chocolate for dinner? Yes! It's every child's dream, a dream we Italians have made come true for centuries!"

A variety of Recipes are available at the website.

http://www.kfsm.com/lifestyle/food/sns-200911111751tmsfoodstylts--v-c20091122nov22,0,1941731.story

Azzurra Win Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice

Italy's Azzurra won, captained by Francesco Bruni. Emirates New Zealand finished second, and the Russian Synergy team third, with UK Team Origin closed fourth. British/French All4One, US BMW Oracle, and two others were also rans

The eight teams will meet again in March 2010 when the second Louis VuittonTrophy regatta takes place in Auckland, New Zealand.

Azzurra Win Louis Vuitton Trophy

Francesco Bruni's Italian crew on Azzurra staged a demonstration of 'match racing made simple' when they completed a 2-0 victory over Emirates Team New Zealand to become the first winners of the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice.

London Telegraph; By Kate Laven;November 22, 2009

Fresh from their emphatic defeat of Ben Ainslie's Team Origin, the Italians put in a flawless performance to drum the favoured Kiwis firmly out of contention in an early morning light airs contest in the Baie des Anges.

In the first race, Azzurra went ahead on the first beat then simply covered the Kiwis for the rest of the race to complete the win by 25 seconds. Half an hour later they were back in action and immediately took control.

They won the first cross which augured well. More than 80 per cent of first cross winners in this regatta have gone on to win and once again, Bruni opted to cover for the rest of the race and despite an attack from the Kiwis on the final run, ran out winners for the second time, this time by 17 seconds.

The two wins in the best of three series handed the Italians a notable victory that few forecast when the regatta opened two weeks ago. Emirates New Zealand finished second and the Russian Synergy team third with Team Origin closing on fourth.

The eight teams will meet again in March 2010 when the second Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta takes place in Auckland, New Zealand

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/sailing/6628718/Azzurra-win-Louis-Vuitton-Trophy.html

"New Moon"- Twilight in Volterra Italy, or Montepulciano?

The "Twilight" Phenomenon continues with sequel "New Moon", that sold an astounding $140 Million on it's first 3 day weekend. Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novels are about Vampires, Werewolves, Desperate Longing, and Romance. 80% of viewers are women, half being teenagers, and half being "mature" (?).

The ancient Tuscan hilltop town of Volterra provides the climactic backdrop to "New Moon", but another Tuscan town, Montepulciano, was chosen as the main location for the film and a five-day shoot during which teenage fans booked every hotel room for miles.

Volterra, was described by Strabo the geographer, writing in the first century, as city walls high on the crest of a hill, being steep to the very top and difficult to ascend. D H Lawrence, as the town that was an "inland island, still curiously isolated and grim". However, on a sunny day seen from a distance in the bright autumn light, made it hazy and golden, like a mirage in a fairy tale. The collection of medieval buildings dominated by the 13th-century Palazzo dei Priori, now the town hall, looms over the square, making it seem small and dark. The only way out was through narrow alleyways and streets made black by the tricks of light and shadow, creating a very medieval intimacy.

On the other hand, Montepulciano's main square is all about Renaissance light and symmetry and, a certain aristocratic froideur, which, suits Meyer's description of the Italian vampires being "the nearest thing to royalty".

Interestingly, Volterra, the successor to Velathri, was founded in the seventh century BC, and was one of the most important Etruscan cities, before falling in the third century BC to Rome, after which it was known as Volaterrae. One of the most significant collections of Etruscan art in Italy is housed at the Museo Guarnacci.

Twilight in Volterra: The Inspiration for Vampire Movie: New Moon

Stephenie Meyer's vampire novels have put an Italian hill town on the map. Bronwen Riley falls for Volterra.

London Telegraph, UK; By Bronwen Riley; November 21, 2009

The New Moon movie was inspired by some unlikely locations, including Volterra in Tuscany, where there is plenty to appeal to medievalists

When human teenager Bella and her unearthly beautiful vampire friend Alice arrive in Volterra in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling vampire novel New Moon, they do so at top speed in a stolen yellow Porsche. More afraid of negotiating tortuous Tuscan hill towns in a hire car than of being bitten by vampires, I arrived by bus in the company of an English couple in crumpled linen, two earnest American students and a handful of curiously silent Italians.

As we wound cautiously up the hill, 1,800ft high, I braced myself for an awe-inspiring sight. In the same situation, Meyer's heroine says: "I stared at the ancient sienna walls and towers crowning the peak of the steep hill? I supposed the city was very beautiful. It absolutely terrified me. 'Volterra,' Alice announced in a flat, icy voice."

It is not only Meyer's heroine who found Volterra daunting. Strabo the geographer, writing in the first century, described the city walls high on the crest of a hill, as being steep to the very top and difficult to ascend. For D H Lawrence the town was an "inland island, still curiously isolated and grim". Seen from a distance on this sunny day, however, the bright autumn light made it hazy and golden, like a mirage in a fairy tale.

Once out of the bus, though, I felt an instant chill; the sun gave only an illusion of warmth in a biting wind that threatened winter. While vampires don't feel the cold, they certainly don't like the sun, which was an encouraging thought as I made my way to the Piazza dei Priori, the still-beating heart of the town. This is the main attraction for fans of New Moon, the second in the sensationally successful Twilight series, and its clock tower in particular, home in the film to the Volturi, a coven of elite vampires.

The collection of medieval buildings dominated by the 13th-century Palazzo dei Priori, now the town hall, loomed over the square, making it seem small and dark. The only way out was through narrow alleyways and streets made black by the tricks of light and shadow.

In May this year, Volterra received a blow more deadly than a stake through the heart. Although the ancient Tuscan hilltop town provides the climactic backdrop to Meyer's New Moon, another Tuscan town, Montepulciano, was chosen as the main location for the film and a five-day shoot during which teenage fans booked every hotel room for miles.

It seems the town's very medieval intimacy doomed Volterra's hopes of starring on film. Montepulciano's main square is all about Renaissance light and symmetry and, it must be said, a certain aristocratic froideur, which, I suppose, suits Meyer's description of the Italian vampires being "the nearest thing to royalty". But the most unforgettable thing for me when I visited was the delectable Tuscan scent of truffle oil and Vino Nobile, Montepulciano's famous wine, in the air.

To explain the Volterrans' disappointment for those as yet uninitiated into the Twilight phenomenon, Meyer's saga has sold 42.4 million copies worldwide. The film of her first book, Twilight, was a huge box-office success and now New Moon, released this weekend, is confidently expected to be a similar hit with teenagers (and "Twilight mums") the world over. For those more interested in art than arteries, however, this news can surely only be good.

In Volterra, there is plenty to appeal to medievalists: beyond the square is the duomo, consecrated in 1120, and 13th-century baptistery, and the delightful city art gallery, housed in the 15th-century Minucci-Solaini palace, a building as enjoyable as the collection. Its inner courtyard gives a wonderful sense of interior lives in the confines of a medieval hill town, the feeling of being enclosed yet overheard and overlooked, of needing constantly to watch your back and above your head.

On the same street is the Palazzo Incontri-Viti, which, though built towards the end of the 16th century, propels the visitor towards a more outward-looking chapter in Volterra's history. This building is still occupied by the descendants of Giuseppe Viti (1816-60), a merchant who travelled the world selling Volterra's most famous commodity - alabaster.

But all these are mere diversions in comparison with the real attraction of Volterra - the Etruscans. Although Meyer claims to have written the Italian chapter before spotting Volterra on a map of Italy and quite understandably thinking that the name was perfect for her plot, her ancient subterranean vampires are surely inspired by Volterra's original inhabitants, who are known dimly to us only through the contents of their graves.

Velathri, founded in the seventh century BC, was one of the most important Etruscan cities, before falling in the third century BC to Rome, after which it was known as Volaterrae. One of the most significant collections of Etruscan art in Italy is housed at the Museo Guarnacci. This is a period piece in its own right, with some displays virtually unchanged since the 1870s: cabinets stuffed with row upon row of objects, including a quite overwhelming display of funereal urns in alabaster and terracotta on the ground floor. Crammed together on rows of shelves, each one has the image of a man or woman reclining as at a banquet on top of the urn, staring out at the gaping visitors.

It is worth visiting Volterra for this museum alone and for just one exhibit, a bronze votive figure of a boy, extraordinarily elongated in form. It is known as the Ombra della Sera, or Shadow of the Night, presumably because it looks like the long shadow cast by a person at twilight. There is something so striking about it that I returned time and again to look at it. Thought to date from the third century BC, it looks incredibly modern - the work of Giacometti is usually used in the same breath. The boy's haircut is pure Peter Pan.

By the time I left the museum, the light was beginning to fade. I would have to save the archaeological park for another day but there was just time to race to the "Balze", the eroded cliffs outside the medieval walls. I walked through the city gate, leaving the confined space of the medieval world and entering a more relaxed suburb of small houses and workshops, of children returning from school and caged canaries hung outside houses, twittering in the last of the light.

Etruscan Velathri was many times larger than the medieval settlement, a fact that became plain as I approached the remains of the Etruscan walls, gigantic blocks of stone, clinging on to the edge of the cliffs as the landscape rippled away into the dusk. Beyond the cliffs, the land lay in great gashes, the results of erosion and alabaster mines old and new. A gigantic red sun began to fall away as the shadow of the Volterran night crept over the scene. The air was chill and I was keen to avoid any vampiric entertainments that may be laid on for visitors after dark. It was good to think that I could retreat to the warmth of my luxurious palazzo hotel in nearby Siena, hopefully under the protection of the city's emblem of the wolf - in Meyer speak, werewolves and vampires can't stand each other. Volterra was mercifully vampire free - for the moment at least.

• Bronwen Riley is the author of 'Transylvania', published by Frances Lincoln (Ł30).

GETTING THERE

Citalia (0871 664 0253; www.citalia.com) can tailor-make a variety of holidays across Italy, including short breaks to Siena, the best base for visiting Volterra, Montepulciano and the rest of southern Tuscany. It offers three nights- b&b at the five-star Grand Continental in Siena from Ł379 per person. The price includes free room upgrade, a three-nights-for-the-price-of-two deal (saving Ł350 per couple), car hire and return flight from Gatwick.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Volterra's tourist office (www.volterratur.it or www.volterraitaly.com ) offers New Moon walking tours (weekly in winter, currently 5.30pm Saturdays; ?25/Ł22; reservations required). The office also offers a New Moon three-day package tour for ?315 (Ł281).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/6616301/Twilight-in-Volterra-The-inspiration-for-vampire-movie-New-Moon.html

EBay Removes Offers of Mussolini Brain, Blood Samples

Samples taken in 1945 on authorization from the coroner's office, were offered by a macabre/mercenary collector near Geneva.

The Ad violated Italian law and an eBay policy against selling human body parts.

EBay Removes Mussolini Brain, Blood Samples

Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 22, 2009

ROME (JTA) -- The online auction Web site eBay said it took down an ad offering biological samples from Benito Mussolini before anyone could bid on them.

The asking price was $22,000 for samples of the brain and blood of Italy's World War II fascist dictator, who was executed by anti-fascist partisans in 1945 at the end of World War II.

A collector near Genoa in northern Italy had placed the material for sale, the Italian media said Sunday, along with a letter from a medical technician saying he had taken the samples in 1945 on authorization from the coroner's office.

The ad, which appeared last Friday, violated Italian law and an eBay policy against selling human body parts, eBay said.

Mussolini's granddaughter Alessandra, a far-right member of the Italian parliament, denounced the ad.

The Italian eBay site has numerous items of Mussolini memorabilia and collectibles for sale, including autographs, photos, bank notes, publications and various knick-knacks.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/11/22/1009346/ebay-removes-mussolini-brain-blood-samples

Perugia Student Killer Amanda Knox Case Goes to Jury

Two years after Amanda Knox of Seattle, is alleged to murder her roommate, Britisher Meredith Kercher, the case goes go to the Jury of six laypeople and two professional judges

I have followed this case all this time, and the number of times that Amanda has changed her story, and wrongly accused others of the murder, is astounding.

The Prosecutors put on a Meticulous Case including a very modernistic 20 minute Film Reenactment with Avatars. Amanda was described as "narcissistic, aggressive, manipulative, angry, transgressive and easily given to disliking people who she disagreed with or whose ideologies differed." She also tended to try to dominate and was obstructive.

Prosecutor Asks for Life Sentence for Knox

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ; Special to SPI From Andrea Vogt; Saturday, November 21, 2009

PERUGIA, Italy -- Italian prosecutors requested life sentences for Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito after a dramatic day of closing arguments that included an animated film reenactment and an emotional declaration by the Seattle native on trial for murder.

Knox, 22, of West Seattle, is being tried in Perugia, Italy, alongside her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher on Nov.1, 2007. On Saturday, she took a deep breath as lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini began to announce the harsh sentence he is seeking.

Just before, he read this Latin phrase about justice from ancient Roman jurist Eneo Domizio Ulpiano: Iustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas ius suum cuique tribuendi. Iuris praecepta sunt haec: honeste vivere alterum non laedere, suum cuique tribuere. ( Justice is the constant and perpetual will to render to every man his due. Live honestly, don't hurt others and to each his own).

"You must give them what they deserve," Mignini told the jury of six laypeople and two professional judges. "Ergastolo."

Life imprisonment, which carries no minimum term in Italy. But also requested 9 months of daytime solitary confinement for Knox and two months of solitary confinement for Sollecito. A slightly harsher penalty was requested for Knox because in addition to sexual assault, murder, simulating a crime scene and theft (for taking Kercher's two cell phones and 300 euros in rent money) she also is charged with slander for falsely accusing Congolese pub owner Patrick Lumumba, who was cleared of any connection with the crime after two weeks in jail. Another African man, Ivory Coast immigrant Rudy Guede, was eventually charged and convicted for his role in the murder. He is now appealing.

Knox, who became emotional and wept yesterday during Mignini's reconstruction, Saturday stared straight ahead, refusing to watch the 20-minute film re-enactment that was shown to the court, with her as lead protagonist of the brutal murder scenario. Afterwards she decided to make a spontaneous declaration calling Mignini's theories "Puro fantasia" or "pure fantasy."

"It is not the truth," she said. "Meredith was my friend. I did not hate her," she said in Italian, her voice quivering with emotion. "The idea that I wanted to vindicate myself against someone who was always nice to me is absurd." Knox also took issue with the prosecutor's claims that she really knew Guede, who she said she had no relationship with. Knox's lead counsel, Rome attorney Carlo Dalla Vedova echoed his client's criticism, adding that the case was "totally lacking in proof."

"This is a trial," he told the Seattlepi.com." You bring in evidence, not an animated film."

Co-prosecutor Manuela Comodi did address evidence in her morning summation, mostly by criticizing defense consultants' use of "shell games" to distort and discredit the forensic evidence presented in the case. She defended the work of police biologist Patrizia Stefanoni and other police forensic investigators and appealed to jurors to use common sense when considering the reliability of defense consultants' testimony.

"At the scene of the crime there is a footprint made in blood on the bathmat and Knox and Sollecito's footprints made in blood on the floor," Comodi said. "and these were supposedly made at some different time because they stepped in bleach or rust or fruit juice? It's up to you to decide."

Both Mignini and Comodi also addressed attempts by "teams" from Knox and Sollecito's hometowns to sway public opinion in the media, both in Italy and from "across the ocean." Superficial claims unfairly denigrating the Italian justice system created a "parallel trial" in the media very different from the reality unfolding in the courtroom, Mignini said. He noted, however, that the "Seattle lobby" does not necessarily reflect the sentiment of a nation."America is a big continent," he told the jury. "and not everybody there or in Seattle, thinks like they do. "

The jury retreated twice to deliberate on how to handle a controversial prosecution request to show an animated film re-enactment of the crime, which Dalla Vedova opposed, arguing it was sensationalist and would unduly influence the jury. Lawyers made references to another high-profile Italian murder case involving a young female victim currently under way in the nearby city of Garlasco, where a similar multi-media presentation was shown. The animated production, which the jury allowed to be shown, included three-dimensional avatars fashioned to look like the suspects as they walked to apartment and eventually confronted Kercher. During the depiction of escalating violence, there were fictionalized images of the partially clothed or nude victim, layered with actual images from the crime scene and real photos of wounds on Kercher's face and neck, taken during the autopsy, as well as blood-splatter analysis. The re-enactment also showed the staging of the crime scene, with Knox and Sollecito's avatars returning to the scene, taking off their shoes, bringing a lamp from Knox's room into Kercher's room, undressing Kercher to make it look like she had been raped, putting a blanket over the body and cleaning up some of the apartment with a mop. The courtroom, packed with dozens of journalists, members of the public and other observers, was eerily silent as Comodi narrated and clicked through the disturbing presentation, which ended with the audio recording of Sollecito calling the Caribinieri to report a break-in and blood in the house.

After the presentation, Mignini went directly into his final statements, capitalizing on the emotional moment in the wake of the disturbing images of the scenario and Kercher's battered face. He reminded the jury to not forget her, recalling how she had been preparing to return home to London to visit her ill mother for her birthday.

"But Meredith would never go home to embrace her loved ones," Mignini said. "Her mother, father, sister Stephanie and two brothers, who now have no choice but to go to the cemetery to be near her remains. She was literally eliminated."

Eliminated, he argued, by a young woman with a particular psychological profile. Citing the observations of an unnamed "noted criminologist" he described Knox as "narcisitic, aggressive, manipulative, angry, transgressive and easily given to disliking people who she disagreed with or whose ideologies differerd." She also tended to try to dominate and was obstructive, he added.

Chris Mellas, Amanda's stepfather, summed up his reaction to the day's arguments in one word: "unbelievable. "

"You would think after two years he could figure out Amanda," Mellas told the seattlepi.com. "But I think there's a generation gap. I don't think he wants to know. This is quite the wonderful story he thought up, but it is not based on fact and how can you convict if it is not based on fact?"

Mellas said family and friends remain optimistic that the jury will choose to acquit. At least seven family members are expected to arrive in Perugia for the December 1 and 2 closing arguments of Knox's defense and the jury decision afterwards. The jury will begin deliberating December 4, and must decide if they believe Knox and Sollecito are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, as the law prescribes. If the jury acquits, Knox will be released from prison and can take the next plane home (a ticket has already been purchased, family members said earlier this week). If convicted, the eight-member jury will immediately give sentences and establish compensation.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/412538_knox21.html

Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Why hadn't someone told me earlier that Lady Gaga is Italian American. While VERY Edgy, and Flashy, she showed her talent in song writing, performing, and fashion at a very early age, and then later developed an interest in Philosophy and Civil Rights. Her admission of BiSexuality has made her even more controversial.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta an American recording artist.better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, was born March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, New York, the eldest child of Italian American parents Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta, at age 11 she was set to join Juilliard School in Manhattan, but instead attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic school.Playing piano by ear from the age of 4, she went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mike nights by age 14. At age 17, she gained early admission to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. There, she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion and socio-political order. She later withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.is

After being signed to and quickly dropped from Def Jam Records at age 19, she moved out of her parent's house to start performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side. During this time, she was also working at Interscope Records as a songwriter for several established acts, including Akon, who, after hearing Gaga sing, convinced Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine to sign her to a performer deal. Around the same time she started taking drugs, and performing at burlesque shows: Gaga says her father "just didn't understand" at that he could not look at her for several months.

Music Producer Rob Fusari compared her style to Freddie Mercury,and nicknamed her Gaga, after the Queen song Radio Ga Ga, which she then adopted as her stage name.

She relocated to Los Angeles, and her debut album The Fame, was released in August 2008 a critical and commercial success. In addition to receiving generally positive reviews, it has gone to number one in four countries, also topping the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart in the United States. The album's first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", have become international number-one hits, and the former was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 51st Grammy Awards. In 2009, after having opened for New Kids on the Block and the Pussycat Dolls, Gaga embarked on her first headlining tour, The Fame Ball Tour.

Gaga is inspired by glam rockers such as David Bowie and Queen, as well as pop singers such as Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and Michael Jackson. She is also inspired by fashion, Andy Warhol and Grace Jones which she has said is an essential component to her songwriting and performances. To date she has sold over 20 million digital singles and more than four million albums worldwide.

Gaga appeared semi-nude, wearing only plastic bubbles, on the cover of the annual 'Hot 100' issue of Rolling Stone in May 2009.In the issue she discussed that while she was making her beginnings in the New York club scene, Gaga was romantically involved with a heavy metal drummer. Gaga described their relationship and break-up, saying of it, "I was his Sandy, and he was my Danny [of Grease], and I just broke." He later became an inspiration behind some of the songs on her debut album The Fame. Gaga also stated that she is bisexual and is inspired by beautiful women, stating I'm a free sexual woman and I like what I like. I don't want people I'm saying it because I'm trying to be edgy or underground."

Gaga was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "Poker Face" and Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction for "Paparazzi" Gaga managed to win the award for "Best New Artist" while her single "Paparazzi" won two awards for "Best Art Direction" and "Best Special Effects." In October, Gaga received Billboard magazine's Rising Star of 2009 award.^[Later she appeared on Saturday Night Live in a comic skit with Madonna and performing a part of her upcoming single "Bad Romance", from her forthcoming album titled The Fame Monster ^. Gaga attended the Human Rights Campaign's "National Dinner" on October 10th, 2009, before marching in the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. Musical style and influences

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

Website	www.ladygaga.com

Rome Unveils Theme-Park Plans

Italy, with it's Cornucopia, it's Bonanza of Historical , Cultural, and Aesthetic Marvels, does not seem to need a "Manufactured" Attraction in the form of an Amusement Park, but if that's what it's going to attract "low brow" foreign tourists, I guess we have to capitulate. Damn Shame.

Rome Unveils Theme-Park Plans

Ferretti in charge of $800 million development

By Nick Vivarelli; November 20, 2009

ROME -- Rome’s Cinecitta Ent. and the Eternal City’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, have unveiled an $800 million movie theme park based on classic titles, including “Ben-Hur” and Federico Fellini’s films, which built the fame of Cinecitta Studios, known in its heyday as Hollywood on the Tiber.

Two-time Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti (“The Aviator”) has been put in charge of the artwork for the ambitious Rome tourist attraction, modelled in part on Hollywood’s Universal Studios park.

Work on the long-gestating Cinecitta World will start next year, with the first date of its planned multi-step opening set for spring 2011, and 2014 set as the final completion target.

“It will be a thrilling voyage through the movies that made Cinecitta great,” Ferretti enthused at a packed presser, adding that the aim is to appeal to all generations, not just older cinephiles.

While organizers are keeping mum about specifics of the Cinecitta theme park’s attractions, it emerged that one ride will feature the huge slide that Marcello Mastroianni travels down as his sexual history flashes by in Fellini’s “City of Women,” on which Ferretti was the set designer.

Alemanno said Cinecitta World will aim to fill the gap that the Eternal City suffers in terms of attracting tourists, compared with Paris and London.

“Theme parks are a global phenomenon that prompts hundreds of thousands of people to travel; but Italy, and Rome in particular, has been terribly behind in this sector,” he lamented.

The park’s goal is to attract an average of four million visitors per year, said Emmanuel Gout, the former Canal Plus exec who is Cinecitta World’s topper.

Cinecitta World will be located in a 400-acre area in Castel Romano south of Rome, partly on the backlot of the former Dino De Laurentiis studio complex known as Dino Studios, which Cinecitta now owns.

Established after the 1997 privatization of Cinecitta, Cinecitta Ent. is 80% held by Italian Ent. Group whose partners include producer Aurelio De Laurentiis and fashion entrepreneur Diego Della Valle. Italian insurance giant Gruppo Generali holds the remaining 20% stake.

As previously announced, plans are also underway for a smaller more kiddie-conceived Rome theme park, the $450 million MagicLand, based on Italy’s Rainbow Studios’ global Winx fairies franchise and other Rainbow properties, also with a 2011 target opening date.