Joy can seem as hard to come by nowadays as hand sanitizer, but at least there’s good news when it comes to joy. You don’t have to wait for a restock at Target. The supply is limitless if you know where to look. If you’re lucky enough to be sheltering in place with someone you care about, you can begin your quest with a great big hug. Studies show that an embrace of 20 seconds or more releases a flood of hormones that elevate your mood and promote relaxation and happiness. There have been hugs aplenty at our house since …
Read More »West Leyden High School
della classe d’italiano 3 e Prof. Sourbis Il ventidue novembre gli studenti che seguono i corsi delle lingue moderne hanno avuto l’opportunità di scoprire la cultura delle lingue imparata a West Leyden nel Modern Language Festival. Attività da scegliere erano: papel picado, cucinare Salsa latina, le crepes, giochi Africani-Francesi, un Escape-Room, pulseras, e una caccia al tesoro chiamata Amazing Race Italian Style. Oltre alle attività, si poteva anche comprare tamales, focaccia, o cornetti per assaggiare i sapori delle culture. Per “Amazing Race Italian Style” gli studenti sono stati divisi in squadre. Ogni squadra doveva scegliere un nome di un marchio italiano …
Read More »2020 Italian Patron Saint Calendar
ATTENZIONE! All events are subject to cancellation or postponement due to the coronavirus outbreak. Please call first to check on the status of the event. Each year, more than three-dozen Italian patron saint celebrations grace the Chicago area. Kept alive by paesani from villages and cities across Italy, these events preserve some of the most cherished of our traditions. Festivities range from simple religious services to solemn masses and processions to family festivals that last several days. But they all have one thing in common: devotion to the spiritual protectors of la bell’Italia. At press time, information was available …
Read More »We’ve endured far worse
I can’t recall the last time a film was as simultaneously popular and polarizing as “Green Book.” The story about the unlikely friendship that blossoms between a casually racist Italian-American bouncer and an elitist African-American concert pianist during a road trip through the South in 1962 was a fan favorite, earning $322 million at the worldwide box office. It also cleaned up during awards season, netting Oscars as well as Golden Globes for best picture, supporting actor and original screenplay. But the cinematic rendition of the real-life sojourn taken by Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga and Don Shirley attracted as much …
Read More »A GREAT way to see Italy
Nowadays, there are as many ways to tour Italy as there are cities to visit and sights to see. You can travel with a companion, charting your own course and booking everything yourself, or you can sign up for a large-group tour that takes you by the hand and attends to every detail. And then there are the countless small-group options dedicated to exploring the country’s many facets and out-of-the-way places. When my wife and I decided to celebrate our 35th anniversary in Italy, we invited my family along for the ride. From that tiny seed a truly magical adventure …
Read More »Rockford association honors two titans
Frank Perrecone and Frank Fiorello were honored at the Greater Rockford Italian American Association’s annual Hall of Fame and Special Recognition Awards Banquet. A principal at the law firm of Ferolie and Perrecone, Hall of Fame inductee Perrecone is a former chairperson of GRIAA and a long-time volunteer at its events, including Festa Italiana. Special Recognition Award recipient Fiorello of Las Vegas established the Pumpkin Path in Caledonia, the main setting for the 10 children’s books he has written and illustrated. He also is the former newsroom artist and illustrator at the Rockford Register Star.
Read More »Forbes salutes William Blair’s Salvino
William Blair financial advisor Thomas Salvino has been named to the Top Wealth Advisors in America list by Forbes magazine for the second year in a row. He was named to Barron’s Top Advisors in America list from 2015 to 2017, and he was also included among the 20 Rising Stars of Wealth Management by Institutional Investor News in 2007, the same year he received the Outstanding Advisor Award from Registered Rep Magazine. A member of the Salvino Wealth Management Team, Thomas, along with his brother John and father Al, manage customized investment portfolios for individuals, families, trusts and foundations.
Read More »The NEA blew a teaching moment
When the Representative Assembly of the National Education Association recently voted in favor of replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it offered precious little by way of justification. Here is the full text of its resolution: “The National Education Association believes that the history of colonization needs to be recognized and acknowledged in every state. To do so, the Association believes that the name of the current holiday known as ‘Columbus Day’ should be renamed and recognized as ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ in recognition of the early indigenous peoples who were living in the United States before colonization by European …
Read More »New indy film a real game changer
A feeling of dread always comes over me when I read a passage like this one from the news release for “Bottom of the Ninth,” which trumpets its Italian-American street cred. “The film is about a man who returns to the Bronx after serving 17 years in prison for a violent mistake he made as a kid, ultimately robbing him of a professional baseball career and the love of his life.” “Here we go again,” I thought. “Another film that leans too heavily on tired Mafia tropes instead of standing on its own two feet.” The foreboding persisted throughout my …
Read More »Families create cultural legacies at Loyola’s Rome Center
Both a haven and a springboard for exploring Italy and the rest of Europe, Loyola’s Rome Center has been attracting generations of families like the Turanos since opening its doors in 1961. Ivy League schools are known for their legacy enrollments: students who attend because their parents attended and so on through the generations. It’s a point of pride for the families and a tribute to the quality of the institutions they attend. But East Coast powerhouses like Harvard and MIT don’t hold the patent on generational devotion. The John Felice Rome Center has been inspiring family loyalty since Loyola …
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