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How to Use Benvenuto! and Italian Holiday Party Conversation “Benvenuto!”* and its variations (Benvenuti! Benvenuta! and Benvenute!) are frequently used Italian interjections that all mean “Welcome!” Guests (gli ospiti) to an Italian household can expect to hear these words as a warm greeting before crossing the threshold into the home (casa) of the host or  hosts (la padrona di casa/il padrone di casa or gli ospiti).**   Whether family, friend or acquaintance, every guest will be greeted warmly as a sign of the Italian dedication to hospitality for all. And, of course, the Italian Christmas season, which starts in early December and lasts until early January, …

I write in response to André Dimino’s article “Hey, NEA! No Way!” about the NEA’s resolution concerning Columbus Day. First, let me establish my bona fides to address this issue. My father, maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandparents were all born in Italy — every drop of my blood traces back to Italy. So, I am as Italian as one can be. I am also a teacher of 26 years experience, and for the last 18 years, I’ve been a dues-paying, rank-and-file member of the National Education Association. In fact, for 17 of those 18 years, I’ve held some kind of …

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 …

How to Use Bello with Singular Nouns Bello is an Italian adjective that one will use often when visiting the “bel paese”—so many people are and places are beautiful, nice, and lovely in Italy!  But, the form of this adjective will change according to the masculine or feminine form of the noun (person, place or thing) it modifies, the number of “things” that are beautiful, and also according to where this adjective is placed in the sentence. When referring to a person, bello/bella are used to mean handsome and beautiful, as well as nice, or lovely.  Places or things can be beautiful, and also nice or lovely.  The …

I am an only child. My parents were had the foresight to realize that they did not need more than one of me! As an only child, I became very self-sufficient, or at least self-dependent. So my social skills are a mess and I don’t delegate very well … among other flaws. In high school and college, when I had to work on a project in which team participation was required, I was either the person who rode other people’s coattails, or the person who took charge and did all the work. No in-between for me. My report cards, those …

The long winter months are upon us and you already thinking about preparing your home for the open market in the spring. What if I told you there are a few simple DIY improvement projects that can significantly raise your appeal to a potential buyer? And by cutting out the professional contractor, you could save more than half on your project! The proper insulation could save you or a new buyer up to 50 percent per year in energy costs. Insulating your attic is a simple low-skill project that most DIY’ers can pull off. Make sure never to stand on …

Mortgage rates have ticked down to their lowest level since 2016 and may be going lower. As of early September, the 30-year fixed was at 3.5 percent and the 15-year fixed was at 3.125 percent. This is all happening while the stock market is near all-time highs and unemployment is near all-time lows. Rates usually are a lot higher under these types of circumstances so why are we so low and possible heading lower? Tariffs and the trade war. The Trump administration is putting on a full court press with China trying to rebalance trade back to the U.S. This …

Buono is an adjective that will come up quite often when one starts to learn Italian, and it’s one that you’ll use often while traveling — so many things are good in Italy! But, the form of this adjective will change according to the masculine or feminine form of the noun (person, place or thing) it modifies, the number of “things” that are good, and also according to where this adjective is placed in the sentence.  Sound complicated?  Well, it is… a little bit.  But luckily, there are many “commonly used phrases” spoken every day in Italy that use the …

A number of people have written to me with the same question, which means it’s a good time to address this for everyone. (Please write questions to me at italianroots@comcast.net at any time.) Readers have looked up films in the catalog on Familysearch.org, and the catalog tells them that the images for those films are online. So they go to look at the images, and Familysearch tells them “Nope you can’t see these!” Well, that stinks! To explain this situation, we need to talk about legal agreements for a moment. Familysearch has to negotiate with each repository of documents for …

Here we are headed into fall, another seasonal change — which we know we have no control over, other than doing our part to lessen climate change. Autumn in Pullman is an interesting season because a whole new view of the community is revealed to us. As the leaves change color and fall from the trees, decorating the ground in lyrical shades of sienna, auburn, red and yellow, we begin to see more clearly the urban masterpieces created by architect Solon S. Beman and landscape designer Nathan F. Barrett. Beman’s Queen-Anne style was exactly what George Pullman wanted to see. …