Columns

Here we go again, rolling into another year whether we’re ready for it or not. After all these years, one thing we’ve learned for sure is that we’re moving ahead regardless of how we feel. Let’s take a look at some of the happenings from 2022 as we look forward to good things to come. Pullman is always a happening place, ever since President Obama proclaimed it a national monument. As a part of the National Park System, the Ranger staff is always busy doing their job of promoting the park and enticing new visitors. The programs they have promoted …

The power of movies has proven itself time and time again throughout history. Cinema often mirrors the plights of society or recounts life-changing events. Such is the case with Peter Miller’s documentary film, “Projections of America.” My first encounter with Miller happened in 2006 when I reviewed his stunning, heartfelt documentary, “Sacco and Vanzetti.” Since then, I have remained in contact with Miller on social media and followed his projects. One of them is Miller’s 2015 documentary, “Projections of America” in which he focuses on the years immediately following World War II when Hollywood was called upon by the U.S. …

Every day, we all compare the characteristics of one person, place or thing to another — and many times these characteristics are similar or the same. For instance, there are so many places in Italy that are beautiful, and one may be as beautiful as another! Or one place in Italy may have as many important sites of interest as another. In these cases, to make a comparison we must use the Italian adverbs come and tanto… quanto to relay the meanings “as,” “as well as,” and “as much as.” When comparing two different nouns — people, places, or things …

Among the best in the rarified and highly dangerous world of speed skiing, Ivan and Simone Origone risk life and limb to hurtle down slopes at close to 160 miles per hour. Two Italian brothers are trailblazers in speed skiing, often described as the fastest non-motorized sport on Earth. Simone Origone, 43, is the most decorated speed skier of all time, with a resume that encompasses 13 World Cup wins, including the last one in 2022. His brother, Ivan, 35, holds the speed skiing world record, which he set in 2016 at 158.424 miles per hour. Speed skiing takes place …

As mortgage rates cross the 6-percent threshold, home sales are cooling down significantly. And with fears of a recession looming across the national economic landscape, the real estate market appears to be firmly in what experts refer to as “correction” stage. Many professionals are emphasizing that the market is readjusting to stabilize itself from the prior madness. Bear in mind that activity tends to naturally decelerate in the fourth quarter, making it the slowest three-month stretch of the year. With schools in session and the holidays approaching, most people will push back the selling and moving processes until the spring …

Last month, I told the story of a young man named Paolo who died so long ago that nobody remains who can tell anything about him. There are a few impersonal government documents and a grave monument that acknowledge his presence on the earth, but today there is simply no way to ask anyone anything about him. Today, I want to put a sense of urgency on talking to your living relatives who are old enough to remember people who died long ago. I have lost several relatives in the past couple of months. They lived far away and they …

Christmas is a time for celebration, but how we celebrate has changed over the centuries. How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you embrace the more secular version embodied by Santa Claus with his big bag of presents, or the more religious one in which gifts are given in recognition of God’s gift to us of His Son Jesus Christ? One tradition I embrace is the Christmas story told by Mario Avignone who is the originator of this column. Fr. Pierini asked him decades ago to start writing Petals as a way of keeping Roseland alive in our hearts. In my …

“The olive is the land’s most precious fruit but it cannot be harvested without effort. The harvesters work for 7 to 8 hours a day, and in the colder seasons, the effort is tremendous because the job needs to be done quickly. There are direct orders from the owner who urges them because the fruit cannot stay on the ground. Otherwise, it will rot.” In his 1967 documentary “Tempo di raccolta,” Luigi Di Gianni follows Calabrians as they work in the groves collecting olives for the annual harvest. The majestic beauty of the trees, the equal majesty of generations of …

Between 1893 and 1940, hundreds of Italians from Sassano, a small commune in the region of Campania in Southern Italy, settled on Armour Avenue (now known as Federal Street) between 47th and 51st streets in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. My sojourn began in 2002 when my oldest daughter, Elizabeth, received an assignment from her eighth grade social studies teacher, Dan Wall, to “Find out which ancestors came to America, when and why.” My father’s sister, Rosemary Cavallone, and her husband, Rosario di Miele, told the tale of Francesco “Thethen Cheek” Cavallone and Rosa Libretti, who were among the first …

Between July 1, 1847, and July 14, 2021, 5,614 U.S. stamps were issued. Among them, eight Italians and 21 Italian Americans were depicted. Thirty showed Christopher Columbus. He initially appeared on two stamps in 1869. In 1893, a set of 16 stamps commemorating the discovery of America was released, 12 of which portrayed Columbus. In 1992, the Postal Service issued a modified version of one of the 1869 stamps; reissued the set of 16 with the date changed from 1892 to 1992; and released a new set of four stamps for the quincentennial of Columbus’ first voyage. The first Italian …