BACKPEDALING?

Did da Vinci draw this? In the United States, we’ve yet to have any kind of meaningful conversations about limiting the ease with which people (even non-citizens!) can purchase handguns. Conversations, mind you, not radical legislative measures. The 2nd...

When Christ Moved to Italy

September 7th is quite an auspicious date in history.  For on that date in A.D. 70, the city of Jerusalem was fully occupied by the Roman Army after a siege of four months.  Observant Jews still mourn this siege every August 10th (Tisha B’Av) when their Great...

Italian Cooking without the Love

Have you been to Manhattan’s Little Italy lately?  It’s not so much a cultural enclave as a street bazaar at mealtimes.  It’s three blocks of restaurants, each with a pitchman out front luring you in.  These eateries are lined up tooth-by-jowl, every tenement has an...

LUIGI? HOW ABOUT MARIO (SAVIO)?

Luigi Mangione’s recent court appearance seemed to confirm what that infamous video footage from December 4th, 2024 suggested—namely, that he literally assassinated United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson on the dark, early morning streets of downtown Manhattan. Luigi...

Generals, not Degenerates

To gauge the magnitude of the defamation of Italian Americans perpetrated by Puzo, Coppola, Scorsese, and Chase, we need to visit only one area of our immense contributions to America:  military service. I’m not just talking about the millions of our brethren who...

SICILIAN STIRRINGS

The late Dominic DiFrisco, president emeritus of Chicago’s Italian American cultural organization the JCCIA (Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans), was originally from New York (the Bronx) and came to the Windy City in 1962, representing Alitalia Airlines...