nancy pelosi speaker of the united states house - Italic Institute of ...

Anita Roddick, 64, the British founder of
_ The Body Shop chain and outspoken advocate
for the environment and animal rights,
was born Anita Lucia Perilli. Her cosmetic
chain eventually numbered 2,000 stores in
fifty countries. But, they were a means to
nobler ends. She scoffed at the idea of rejuvenating
cosmetics and used her eoonnous
profits on behalf of saving rain forests, aiding
the impoverished, protecting animals,
defending voting rights and a myriad of
other good works.
Anacleto Angelini, 93, Chilean entrepreneur who emigrated from
ltaly in 1948. He built Chile's largest forestry company, Empresas
Copec, and had a personal fortune of$6 billion, making him Chile's
wealthiest man.
Frank Balzano, 75, encyclopedia entrepreneur who began his
career with World Book Encyclopedia and retired as president of
Compton's Encyclopedia just before the home computer age. In
1971, he created the first "precyclopedia" for pre-school children.
ARMS AND THE MAN. o o
In an Italian American first, both the Chairman and Vice Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were paesani. General Peter Pace and
General Peter Chiarelli in Iraq,
above, and General Claudio
Graziano, below, In Lebanon
Admiral Edmtmd Giambastiani served
the nation through much of tbe Iraq
War. Both retired this year. The U.S.
military is well stocked with Italian
American leaders including General
Raymond Odiemo, whose 4th Infantry
Division captured Saddam Hussein, and
General Peter Chiarelli who has advocated
the pacification of Iraq through
extensive public works projects.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, the UN's
12,000 peacekeeping force in Lebanon
is led by Italian Major General Claudio
'Graziano who, in tum, replaced French
general Alain Pellegrini, another pae-
'sano. Clearly, military service is an
'ancient l Italic tradition.
ITALIAN ATTITUDE
A recent survey by Pew Global Attitudes
reveals that 67% of Italians are against
immigration to their country from the Middle East and North Africa.
However, 68% favored globalization (versus only 59% of
Americans). And when it comes to culture, 70% of Italians believe
theirs is superior. Only 55% of Americans and, surprisingly, 30% of
the French and British thought their culture was superior to others.
Other reasons Italians can be proud is that their health system was
XXXIV, 2008
rated #2 in the world (the U.S ranked 37 111 ), and an Italian-built module,
the Columbus Laboratory, was lifted into space by NASA as a
vital addition to the International Space Station. Italian astronauts
have also become a common sight in space.
L'ITALIANO, SI!
Last March, the Italian Parliament voted to make Italian the official
language of Italy. Seventy-five of the lawmakers fought the resolution,
claiming that the rights of dialect speakers would be trampled.
One die-hard even harangued his parliamentary fellows in a
Venetian dialect until his microphone was abruptly cut off.
Ironically, even "standard Italian" is a dialect of Latin, the Mother
Tongue of all Italians.
A WOLF COMES HOME
Italian Americans have fought in every war this
nation has waged. That fact was brought home
recently with the recovery of the remains of Pvt.
Francis Lupo of Cincinnati from a First World
War battlefield in France. Lupo, whose name
means wolf, was one of 300,000 Italian
Americans that served during the Great War
(10% of U.S. forces). A member of the First
Infantry Regiment, the 23-year old Lupo lost bis
life at the Second Battle of the Marne on July 21,
1918. His remains were the very first identified
by the Pentagon's new P.O.W.-M.I.A.
Accounting Command and have now been
interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Four
divisions of Italian troops also fought at the
Marne and helped stop the German
advance. Interestingly, it was Italian­
Pvt. Luigi Merola, great
uncle of the Managing
Editor, who was killed on
French General Gallieni who stopped the the Western Front in 1918.
first German invasion at the Marne in 1914 Like Pvt. Lupo, he was one
of 300,000 Italian
with his "Taxi-cab Army." Another coin­ Americans who served in
cidence is that one of the first investors the First World War
and settlers in Jamestown, VA, in 1607
was a Lupo family. You can't get more American than that!
POLITICAL OVERDOSE
Partly because their 1946 constitution cursed them with a surfeit of
small political parties and partly because they are cynical by nature,
Italian voters are expressing disdain for the "Brahmins" who rule
them. A new book, The Caste, not only reveals a Litany of absurd
pork barrel give-aways and sclerotic politicians, but it names names
from Parliament to town mayors across the country. An intimidated
Parliament reacted by dropping some pork and cutting their own
pension abuses. Another new development is that some parties are
now asking their rank and file to choose new party leaders in one
huge national primary instead ofbackroom style. Americans should
pay attention. We haven't heard our patriotic old saw, "the system
works." uttered in forty years.
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