Columbus Day is Bigger than Him

Andrew Yang is in dire need of a tutorial in world history.  In a shambolic interview with the Daily News Editorial Board, the New York City mayoral contender displayed his profound ignorance of one of humanity’s most epochal events: “I’ve always found it odd...

Much Ado About Apu?

As a fan of The Simpsons TV show, I’ve always found its mixture of irreverence and cultural awareness (i.e, spoofs of literary works) a bracing source of fun, both entertaining and enlightening.  Just as the Monty Python troupe made me want to be an English...

The Devil Incarnate

In Merry Ole England there was a phrase that summed up Anglo-Saxon contempt for Italian ideas infecting England: “the Italianate Englishman is the devil incarnate.”  This concept was born around 1535 with the translation of Machiavelli’s The Prince...

MEDIA CON JOB

You’ve heard the expression that it’s not ethical to speak ill of the dead; however, what if that dead person was a total scoundrel? I’m speaking of financial scammer Bernie Madoff, who passed away in prison last week. Madoff was one of the most prolific scammers in...

Who’s Counting?

Italy’s new Prime Minister Mario Draghi (DRA-ghee) is spouting a form of “Italy First” these days, and getting accolades from Italians and Europeans alike.  The bold Draghi recently seized a shipment of Covid vaccines stored in a Rome warehouse that were destined...

La Serenissima – The Serene One

Anyone lucky enough to travel to Italy has probably visited one of the “Big Three” cities: Rome, Florence, and perhaps the most intriguing city of all: La Serenessima, aka, “The Serene One”, aka, Venice (Venezia in Italian). Every city in every nation on...