It Takes All Kinds

I came across an interesting statistic last week on blood donations.  Of the 400,000 donors last year 78% were White, 16% Black, 2% Hispanic, and 2% Asian.  Whites and Blacks contributed more than their census populations would suggest: Whites are 60% of the...

Italy’s Meloni Wins Her Budget

…and Benito Mussolini Is Still Dead Mirabile dictu: Prime Minister Meloni’s center-right coalition is holding — thus far. The Italian parliament’s approval of Ms. Meloni’s annual budget without any political turbulence is the latest signal that she is governing...

That Fine Italian Glad Hand

Big-city American mayors have been in the news lately, specifically, Eric Adams in New York (decrying the busing of migrants to his city) and Lori Lightfoot in Chicago (the same, although she is also dealing with out-of-control crime). The first Asian American and...

The Other Storia Segreta

Eighty years ago today, a little known dispute between the Axis powers came to a head when the Royal Italian Army occupying southern France refused to turn over thousands of French and foreign Jews to their German ally. The Italians had been occupying a section of the...

What’s in a Name?

One of my favorite television commentators is Dana Perino of FOX News.  You may recall her from the W. Bush Administration when she was the White House Press Secretary, the second female to have the job.  Clearly, Perino is an Italian surname but in the all...

Master of Media

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article on the Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life. It seems this Christmas classic was a financial flop when it premiered in 1946.  In fact, Capra’s production company Liberty Films took a loss of $25,000 – $400,000...