Panoram Italia Vol. 1 No. 2

WINTER 2006 • VOL.2

I TA L I A

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T H E C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E M A I L E D T O I TA L I A N / C A N A D I A N H O M E S I N T H E G R E AT E R M O N T R E A L A R E A

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Messaggio dell’editore Grazie, grazie di cuore per le tante lettere di sostegno fatteci pervenire. Sono sempre di più convinto che stiamo offrendo un servizio necessario alla nostra meravigliosa comunità italocanadese del Quebec. E’ attraverso la comunicazione che si raggiungono i traguardi di un certo livello ed è insieme che occorrerà continuare ad operare nel nostro cammino verso l’emancipazione e l’affermazione della nostra cultura unica. Siete pregati, cari lettori, di continuare ad inviarci i vostri suggerimenti e messaggi elettronici.

La maggior parte dei messaggi giuntici sono state richieste per far parte dell’indirizzario.Va chiarito che l’elenco utilizzato per l’invio postale è stato quello compilato elettronicamente partendo dalle pagine bianche ed aggregando i nominativi a consonanza italiana. Questo metodo non è esente da errori, ragion per cui siete pregati di parlare della nostra rivista ai vostri amici e famigliari affinché il maggior numero possibile possa riceverlo a casa. Il nostro indirizzario consiste finora di oltre 55.000 recapiti , sia di particolari che di imprese, ma il numero sta crescendo quotidianamente. Altre 25.000 copie vengono distribuite sempre gratis in vari punti commerciali sparsi su tutto il territorio dove risiede la nostra comunità.

Méssage de l’éditeur

Publisher’s Note

Merci, merci beaucoup pour les nombreuses lettres d’appui que vous nous avez envoyées. Je suis de plus en plus convaincu que nous offrons un service nécessaire à notre merveilleuse communauté italo-canadienne du Québec. C’est par le biais de la communication que l’on peut atteindre des buts d’un certain calibre. C’est ensemble qu’il faudra continuer à travailler dans notre chemin vers l’émancipation et l’affirmation de notre culture unique. Chers lecteurs, vous êtes priés de continuer à nous faire parvenir vos suggestions et vos courriels.

Thank you, for your many letters manifesting your approval. More than ever, I am convinced that we are providing a much needed service to our wonderful and dynamic Italian/Canadian community of Quebec.

Communication is the first step to achieving anything worthwhile. Together, we will continue to uplift our people as well as our unique culture. Please keep on e-mailing your thoughts.

La plus part des messages reçus ont été des requêtes pour être inscrit à notre liste d’envoi. Elle a été compilée à partir des pages blanches et en regroupant électroniquement des noms à consonance italienne.

Cette méthode n’est pas parfaite et il y a eu des erreurs commises. Voilà pourquoi nous vous prions de parler de notre magazine avec vos amis et membres de vos familles afin qu’ils puissent la recevoir chez eux. Notre liste d’adresses comprend plus de 55,000 noms de personnes et d’entreprises, mais le nombre est en train de croître chaque jour. 25,000 autres copies sont distribuées gratis en différents endroits, surtout commerciaux, sur tout le territoire où notre communauté réside.

On another note, the greatest amount of e-mails were sent by people wanting to be added to the mailing list. Please understand that our mailing list is derived from a software which identifies Italian sounding names in the white pages. Since this is not a perfect science, continue to tell your friends and family about our community magazine so that we may be able to reach the greatest number of Italian/Canadian residences and businesses possible. Thus far, our mailing list consists of approximately 55,000 households and businesses. This number is growing daily. As well, we leave an additional 25,000 copies in business establishments all over the community. All this is free of charge.

Approfitto per ringraziare tutti i sostenitori i quali con l’acquisto di un annuncio pubblicitario hanno reso e continuano a rendere possibile la nostra iniziativa editoriale. Ve ne siamo grati anche a nome di tutta la comunità. Parlando con voi mi sono reso conto che state fornendo il vostro aiuto alla rivista Panoramitalia con passione, perché convinti dell’importanza del traguardo prefissoci, ma anche perché fa senso economicamente. Avete, infatti, per la prima volta l’opportunità di farvi conoscere da tutte le famiglie d’origine italiana.

Je profite de l’occasion pour remercier nos commanditaires. Grâce à l’achat d’une annonce publicitaire ils ont rendu et continuent de rendre possible la publication de notre magazine. Je vous en suis gré au nom de toute la communauté. En parlant avec vous je me suis rendu compte que vous êtes en train de fournir votre aide à Panoramitalia avec passion parce que vous êtes convaincus de l’importance du but que nous voulons atteindre, mais aussi parce qu’il y a un gain économique pour vous. Vous avez, en effet, pour la première fois l’opportunité de vous faire connaître par toutes les familles de la communauté italienne.

To our advertisers, I would like to say thank you sincerely on behalf of myself and the community we serve. Without your support this wonderful initiative would not be possible. From speaking with you I have come to the conclusion that most of you are very passionate about supporting Panoramitalia Quarterly not only because you realize the importance of our mission but also because it is good business. For the first time, you have an opportunity to reach all Italian /Canadian households in the greater Montreal area.

Vorrei annunciare l’inizio di un inserto nuovo: I NEONATI DELL’ANNO che, sono certo, diventerà in breve una tradizione sulle pagine di Panoramitalia. Siete pregati di informare i vostri amici o parenti che nel corso del 2006 hanno avuto la gioia di accogliere un nuovo membro nelle loro famiglie, di farci pervenire la foto del neonato/a con nome e cognome sia del bebé che dei loro genitori e con la data di nascita. Pubblicheremo gratis i nominativi e le foto ricevuti nell’edizione primaverile della rivista. (vedi p. 49)

Je vous mets au courant d’une nouveauté éditoriale : LES BEBES DE L’ANNEE. Je suis certain qu’elle va devenir tout de suite une tradition de Panoramitalia.

Vous êtes priés d’en parler avec vos amis et vos familles qui au cours de l’année 2006 ont eu la joie d’accueillir chez eux un nouveau membre de nous faire parvenir une photo du bébé avec la date de naissance, le nom et le prénom du bébé et de ses parents. Nous allons publier toutes les photos reçues gratis dans l’édition du printemps. (voir p.49)

Lastly, I would like to announce a new tradition we plan to begin within the pages of Panoramitalia Quarterly in the section, BABIES OF THE YEAR. Please tell your family and friends, that have had the joy of welcoming a new member to their family in 2006, to send us their baby’s picture along with his/her name, date of birth and the name of the parents and we will publish it, free of charge, in our spring edition. (see p.49)

Vi giungano i più sinceri auguri di Buon Natale e di un prospero anno nuovo.

Antonio Zara, editore

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année.

Antonio Zara, éditeur

Please accept my sincerest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year.

Antonio Zara, publisher

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C O N T R I B U T O R S

Q U A R T E R L Y

PANORAM

I TA L I A

MARIO DI FLAVIO

FILIPPO SALVATORE

LAURA CASELLA

JOEY FRANCO

DANIELA SCOPPA

MASSI MILIANO

AICHA CISSÉ

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PhilipLoGreco nasce a Toronto nel 1984.

Torna a Palermo,dove poi è cresciuto, con la famiglia quando ha appena un anno. Il padre Salvatore, resosi conto del talento del figlio, gli fa conoscere il mondo del pugilato, un interesse che aveva egli stesso coltivato.

Philip LoGreco est né à Toronto en 1984. Il retourne avec sa famille à Palermo, où il grandit, lorsqu’il n’a qu’un an. Son père Salvatore, une fois qu’il se rend compte du talent naturel de son fils, l’introduit dans le monde de la boxe, un intérêt qu’il avait lui-même cultivé.

Very quickly, Philip found that he was quite capable in the ring. At the age of ten he and his family returned to Toronto where he continued to box, winning national titles every year in his age group. By the time he was 17 he returned to Italy and joined the military with whom he trained for the next several years. He fought in twenty countries, became Italian national Champion before finally deciding to become a professional Welterweight fighter. He was offered to fight in Italy, New York and New Jersey but chose Montreal as the city that he would live in and fight out of. “My years in Italy were priceless and I am Italian, but I am also very proud to be in Montreal. The people are warm and I still feel like I’m in Italy, I love it here.” Philip Lo Greco turned pro last March, he is still undefeated and has won most of his bouts by knockout. In December the 22 year-old will take another big step in his career as he will be fighting a very important match at the Montreal Casino. “It’s not enough to have talent,” says Philip, “you need skills, hard work, a bit of luck but most of all, the support of the people. I feel I have that in Montreal.”

In breve Philip si rende conto di avere le carte in regola per combattere nel ring. All’età di dieci anni, Philip torna a vivere con la famiglia a Toronto dove continua a praticare il pugilato e vincendo vari titoli nazionali nella sua categoria. A diciassette anni torna di nuovo in Italia e si arruola nell’esercito che gli consente di continuare ad operare nel mondo del pugilato per diversi anni. Ha avuto incontri in ben venti paesi, ed è diventato campione nazionale italiano prima di decidere di diventare pugile nella categoria dei pesi medi. Ha ricevuto proposte di combattimenti in Italia, a New York e nel New Jersey, ma ha scelto Montreal come sua dimora fissa. “ Gli anni trascorsi in Italia non hanno pari e mi sento italiano, ma sono altrettanto fiero di vivere a Montreal dove la gente è calorosa e mi sembra di stare ancora in Italia.

Mi piace tanto abitare in questa città.”. Philip LoGreco è diventato pugile professionista il mese di marzo scorso. Finora ha vinto per KO tutti gli incontri sostenuti. A dicembre il ventiduenne raggiungerà un altro traguardo nella sua carriera e avrà un incontro importantissimo al Casinò di Montreal. “ Non basta avere la stoffa, spiega Philip, ci vuole anche grinta, tanto allenamento, un pizzico di fortuna ma soprattutto ci vuole il tifo, l’incoraggiamento degli spettatori, cosa che sento di avere qui a Montreal.”.

Philip se rend vite compte de posséder ce qu’il faut pour se battre dans le ring. Il a dix ans quand il revient vivre avec sa famille à Toronto où il continue de pratiquer la boxe pendant plusieurs années. Entre-temps il gagne différents titres dans sa catégorie d’age. Il retourne de nouveau en Italie à dix-sept ans et s’engage dans l’armée. Ceci lui permet de pratiquer son sport préféré pendant quelques années. Il s’est battu dans vingt pays différents et il est devenu champion national italien avant de décider de devenir boxeur professionnel dans la catégorie des poids moyens. Il a reçu des propositions de combats en Italie, à New York et au New Jersey, mais il a choisi d’avoir pignon sur rue à Montréal. « Les années vécues en Italie sont inoubliables et je me sens italien, mais je suis autant fier de vivre à Montréal où les gens sont chaleureux et j’ai l’impression d’être en Italie.

J’aime beaucoup habiter cette ville. ». Philip LoGreco est devenu boxeur professionnel le mois de mars dernier. Il a gagné par KO toutes les rencontres soutenues jusqu’à maintenant. Ce jeune homme de vingt-deux ans attendra bientôt un nouveau but dans sa carrière, il va se battre dans le Casino de Montréal au mois de décembre. « Il ne suffit pas avoir du talent, dit Philip, il faut en même temps de la poigne, beaucoup d’entraînement, un peu de chance, mais il faut surtout l’encouragement des supporteurs et je crois l’avoir ici à Montréal. ».

Photo: Geraldo Pace

Philip Lo Greco was born in Toronto in 1984. At the age of one, his parents moved the family to Palermo, Sicily. Growing up in Italy, the young boy’s energy level was so high that his father Salvatore got him involved in boxing, a lifetime passion of his own.

Mario DiFlavio, Managing Editor Translations by Filippo Salvatore

La garanzia della tecnica tedesca con il calore e la cortesia italiani

EDITORIALE

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Editorial

La violenza della realtà virtuale

Filippo SALVATORE

Il 13 settembre 2006 verso l’una pomeridiana un giovane vestito con un impermeabile

nero e con i capelli corti, all’ indiana, è entrato armato di pistola e fucile nella caffetteria del Dawson College a Montreal ed ha cominciato a sparare all’impazzata uccidendo una ragazza, Anastasia De Sousa e ferendo altri 19 studenti . Questo episodio di follia violenta commesso da Kimveer Gill, il nome dell’assalitore, è durato pochi minuti grazie al pronto intervento della polizia che lo ha circondato, isolato ed egli ha finito col suicidarsi vicino all’incrocio di Atwater e de Masonneuve.

Varie sono state le ragioni invocate per spiegare

va) più mantenere una chiara linea di demarcazione tra il suo

Domanda:

questo gesto insensato. Forse quella che maggiormente aderisce

mondo immaginario ed il mondo reale. Il mondo ridotto a

al vero va cercata nel sito web del giovane assassino. Descritto

fumetti nei giornaletti dei bambini è un plausibile parallelo per

come una persona introversa, di poche parole, incapace di sta-

capire come funzionava la mente di Kimveer Gill.

I siti web che banalizzano la violenza o incitano all’odio razziale, o che illustrano atti degradanti (come la pornografia o la pedofilia) vanno controllati malgrado il rischio di censura della libertà di espressione personale?

Sì No Votate e spedite la risposta all’indirizzo elettronico seguente:

bilire un dialogo e di aprirsi agli altri, Kimveer Gill si era rifu-

Si tratta di una forma di immaturità (oppure di

giato in un mondo fittizio, virtuale, la cui irrealtà era diventa-

super lucidità) che gli faceva rigettare il nostro mondo reale

ta la sua sola vera realtà. La sua alienazione sociale ed il con-

tanto monotono, tanto banale, tanto opprimente. La rabbia

seguente risentimento provato nel sentirsi un escluso, un falli-

dell’impotenza e la violenza coltivate nella sua irreale realtà

to, lo spingeva a cercare un mondo di violenza tipico del gusto

virtuale sono due possibili motivi che lo hanno spinto a met-

neo-gotico, alla moda tra una certa categoria di giovani al

tere in pratica la vendetta contro l’umanità, in modo teatrale,

giorno d’oggi.. Il suo era un vuoto esistenziale riempito delle

da eroe, come mentalmente se l’era tante volte immaginata.

immagini caduche, eccessive, violente dei video che guardava e

Purtroppo la differenza e la tragica conseguenza è che la vio-

riguardava per ore intere. Gli atti di violenza che apparivano

lenza perpetrata il 13 settembre contro persone inermi ed

sullo schermo del suo computer erano diventati per lui un

innocenti e contro se stesso è stata reale ed ha lasciato una

piacere, una catarsi, a tal punto che non riusciva (o non vole-

traccia indelebile di dolore in tante persone.

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Editorial

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La violence de la réalité virtuelle Le 13 septembre 2006 vers une heure de l’après midi, un jeune homme aux

Filippo SALVATORE

cheveux courts vêtu d’un imperméable noir est entré, pistolet et fusil à la main, dans la cafétéria du Collège Dawson à Montréal et a commencé à tirer au hasard. Il a tué une fille Anastasia De Sousa et a blessé 19 autres étudiants.

Cet épisode de folie commis par Kimveer Gill, le nom de l’assaillant, a duré quelques minutes seulement grâce à l’intervention presque immédiate des agents de police qui l’ont encerclé et il a fini par se suicider près de la rue Atwater.

On a donné plusieurs raisons pour expliquer ce

Le monde tel qu’il est présenté dans les bandes dessinées

geste insensé. Celle qui semble être la plus proche de la vérité

pour enfants est un parallèle plausible pour comprendre

on devrait la chercher dans le site web du jeune assassin.

comment l’esprit de Kimveer Gill fonctionnait. Il s’agit

On l’a décrit comme un introverti, incapable de

d’une forme ou bien d’immaturité ou bien de lucidité

dialoguer et de s’ouvrir aux autres. Kimveer Gill s’était

suprême qui le poussait à rejeter notre monde réel, si mono-

réfugié dans un monde fictif, virtuel, dont l’irréalité était

tone, si banal, si oppressant.

devenue sa seule véritable réalité. Son aliénation sociale et le

La rage de l’impuissance et la violence cultivées

ressentiment qu’il éprouvait par le fait de se sentir un exclu,

dans l’irréel de sa réalité virtuelle sont deux des motifs pos-

une faillite, le poussaient à rechercher un monde de violence

sibles qui l’ont poussé à mettre en exécution sa vengeance

typique du goût néo-gothique, à la mode auprès de certains

contre l’humanité. Il l’a fait d’une manière théâtrale, en

jeunes gens. Il remplissait son vide existentiel avec les images

héros, ainsi qu’il l’avait imaginée autant de fois. La différence

caduques, excessives des vidéos qu’il regardait pendant des

est que la violence perpétrée le 13 septembre dernier contre

heures. La violence sur l’écran de son ordinateur était dev-

le monde et contre soi-même a été réelle et vient de laisser

enue pour lui un plaisir, une catharsis, à un point tel qu’il ne

une trace indélébile de douleur chez beaucoup de gens.

réussissait plus ou bien il ne voulait plus garder une ligne de démarcation entre son monde imaginaire et le monde réel.

Malgré le risque de censure aux libertés individuelles, êtes-vous pour le contrôle des sites web qui banalisent la violence, qui incitent à la haine raciale ou qui illustrent des actes dégradants comme la pornographie ou bien la pedophilie Oui Non Votez et envoyez votre réponse au courriel suivant: info@panoramitalia.com

Editorial

Afghanistan, the new Vietnam The war between the Talebans and the Nato troops in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly deadly. Fortytwo Canadian and several Italian soldiers have already been killed. Guerrilla attacks are becoming more frequent and violent. The pacification of the country looks dim, aleatory. The Canadian military command has openly criticized its European allies for not doing enough in the common fight against the taleban guerrilla.

Are we on the verge of the “Vietnamization” of Afghanistan? Many hints seem to point towards that direction. Western soldiers are not perceived like liberators or cooperators. They appear rather as invasion troops and engender suspicion and resentment. The laughter and the mockery of Afghans at the sight of dead or wounded Italian soldiers last September is a case in point.

The French and the Americans in Vietnam – and the Russians in Afghanistan - had to arrive at this conclusion: it is impossible to win against a hostile population. The Vietcongs were not and the Talebans are not simply “terrorists”. They were and are the expression of an autochtonous guerrilla movement, of its deeply felt traditions.

The failed attempt to colonize Afghanistan by the British in the 19th century and the Russians’ military defeat two decades ago are proof that the NATO troops are dealing with a warlike people who are fighting on familiar ground and who consider fighting against the “infidels” their spiritual duty. During the last world war Italian partisans had towards the German army a similar attitude and could rely on the tacit support of the population, as was the case for the Vietcongs in Vietnam and as is the case for the Talebans in Afghanistan today.

Why is it impossible to win in Afghanistan?

Because the Afghans’ way of thinking does not correspond to our western notion of democracy. For a very long time their obedience and allegiance has been going to the Prophet’s teachings and to the local war-lords. It is a late-feudal conception of both life and of the exercise of power. This explains why the Karzai government is unable to control the

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different regions of the country. Ethnic origin and clan spirit are sacrosanct values. Afghans believe in them and are ready to die for them.

Who are in truth the Talebans? They are the sons of the peasants who are growing poppies soon to be transformed into opium and heroin. They have a deep-rooted, ancestral, unavoidable resentment towards westerners. The NATO military presence on their soil nourishes it on a daily basis. This is why it is impossible to bring peace to Afghanistan and to win militarily. This is why both Canada and Italy need to acknowledge the “vietnamization “ process going on in Afghanistan and let the various ethnic groups living there find their own arrangements or simply let them fight against each other.

This is why both Ottawa and Rome, as well as their European allies, ought to leave Afghanistan, and the sooner the better.

Are you for the withdrawal of Canadian and Italian troops from Afghanistan?

Yes No Send your reply to: info@panoramitalia.com

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LETTERE AL DIRETTORE

le courrier des lecteurs

Letters to the editor Filippo Salvatore

Le reazioni al primo numero del trimestrale Panoramitalia sono state entusiaste. La maggioranza dei lettori che ci ha inviato messaggi in italiano, inglese e francese si è felicitata con noi in quanto ha trovato la rivista “ interessante, graficamente bella, fresca, ricolma d’informazioni”, capace di “saldare la nostra identità, vecchia e nuova”.

Le risposte alla domanda posta alla fine dell’editoriale intitolato “ bandiere ed identità”, se valeva la pena fare uno sforzo particolare per mantenere vive la lingua e la cultura italiane in Canada, sono state numerose nelle tre lingue. I più hanno risposto “ sì”, anzi la considerano “ la priorità numero uno” per le generazioni nate in questo paese. Coloro che hanno detto “no” hanno fatto riferimento ad esperienze personali per arrivare alla conclusione che “ l’erosione della nostra lingua e della nostra cultura è inevitabile”. I lettori che hanno usato l’italiano nelle loro risposte sono i più convinti difensori della nostra italianità.

I lettori di lingua francese hanno sottolineato un aspetto importante: la mancanza di spazio adeguato ad articoli in lingua italiana e soprattutto in francese. Altri hanno anche fatto notare che la qualità della traduzione in francese di alcuni articoli lasciava a desiderare. Queste sono critiche positive che io ed il resto della redazione della rivista prenderemo in seria considerazione per evitare di commettere gli stessi errori nei prossimi numeri. Buon Natale

“I recently visited my parents and found your quarterly magazine on the kitchen table…I started reading and was immediately hooked! Thank you!

Jessica “Congratulations! Your magazine is refreshing and very close to home…Keep up the good work. Thank you.”

Gloria.

“Sì...sono molto disposto a fare, faccio ed ho fatto sforzi particolari per mantenere viva la lingua (piu’ bella del mondo) e l’identita’ italiana in Canada. Ne vale la pena e “l’assimilazione” dentro un’altra cultura non significa necessariamente perdere qualcosa: e’ piuttosto un acquisto.

Gugliemo (Willliam) D’Onofrio, oaq, irac, Architecte “I just saw the first issue of your magazine…the magazine is great…Thank you. It’s nice to read about our young and old culture!”

Lisa Maggio.

La réaction à la première parution du trimestriel Panoramitalia a été extraordinaire. La majorité de lecteurs qui nous a écrit en italien, en français et en anglais s’est félicitée avec nous. Ils ont trouvé notre publication « intéressante, agréable à regarder, rafraîchissante et remplie d’information ».

Elle est perçue en outre comme « une soudure entre notre vieille et nouvelle culture ».

Les réponses à la question posée à la fin de l’éditorial « Drapeaux et identité », à savoir s’il valait la peine de faire un effort particulier afin de sauvegarder la langue et la culture italiennes au Canada, ont été nombreuses dans les trois langues. La majorité s’est prononcée pour le « oui » et considère la sauvegarde de l’italianità au Québec « la priorité numéro un » pour les générations nées ici. Ceux qui ont répondu « non » ont donné des exemples personnels pour expliquer que « l’érosion de notre langue et culture est inévitable ». Les lecteurs qui ont répondu en italien sont les défenseurs les plus acharnés de notre ítalianità.

Nos lecteurs francophones ont souligné un aspect important : le fait qu’il n’y avait pas assez d’italien et surtout de français dans Panoramitalia. Plusieurs ont aussi souligné que la traduction de quelques articles laissait à désirer. Je prends ces commentaires comme une forme de critique positive et je m’engage, avec l’équipe de rédaction de la revue, à les prendre en grande considération afin de les éviter dans l’avenir. Joyeux Noël.

The response to the first issue of Panoramitalia quarterly has been overwhelming. The majority of our readers that has sent messages in Italian, French and English congratulated us for an “ informative, eye-catching, refreshing and interesting” magazine that welds together “our old and new culture”.

The answers to the question asked at the end of the editorial “Flags and identity” as to whether it is worthwhile to make a special effort to keep the Italian language and culture alive in Canada, have been very many in the three languages. The majority answered “yes” and views it as “ the top priority” of the Canadian-born generations. The ones who said “no” gave personal instances why the’ erosion of our language and culture is inevitable” as well as the final loss of the Italian language. The readers who wrote back in Italian are the staunchest defenders of our “italianità”.

Our French language readers underlined an important point, namely that Panoramitalia does NOT give enough space to Italian and especially to French. Several also underlined that some of the articles in French were not properly translated. I take these comments as positive criticism and I and the rest of the team at Panoramitalia will take them into account to avoid making them in future issues. Merry Xmas

“ I wish you all the success with this magazine and honor you for the great work, it truly is a beautiful magazine that brings Italian-Canadians closer to our roots.”

Rosie “Grazie mille per la copia che ho ricevuto del nuovo Panoramitalia. BELLISSIMO! Interessante & informativo. CONTINUATE IL BEL LAVORO. E importante per la comunita Italiana! Grazie mille e AUGURI.” Raffaele Battista “Complimenti, la rivista si presenta bene: forma, colori, la lingua italiana e’ eccellente…rispondo alla domanda dell’editoriale: SI dobbiamo sforzarci di parlare italiano il piu possibile…veicolare l’italianita’ e la nostra cultura deve essere la nostra soddisfazione e il nostro motto. Saluti a tutti del giornale, un vostro lettore.”

Giuseppe Russo

J’ai été agréablement surpris de recevoir votre nouveau magazine hier. Bravo pour votre initiative et merci pour la lecture. Un bémol par contre; contrairement à ce qui a été écrit dans les “Notes de l’éditeur”, le magazine n’est pas rédigé en anglais, français et italien. En fait, les articles sont en anglais et seules les 17 premières pages sont trilingues. Par la suite, des pages 18 à 52, c’est en anglais uniquement (sauf les publicités...)

Pourquoi?

Félicitation quand même pour ce magazine et en espérant que vous metterez davantage d’italien et de français dans les prochains numéros.

Merci, Stéphane Bellavigna “I would like to thank you for the recent issue of your magazine. My family and I find it truly entertaining and we look forward to receiving future issues. Regards,” Enrico Venditti

Answers to the last issue’s question Are you willing to make an effort in order to keep the Italian language and identity alive in Canada? Is this worthwhile, or are we inexorably condemned to assimilation? Yes. No. Please, cast your vote and email your answer to Panoramitalia magazine.

“I strongly believe that we need to keep our language, customs, traditions and identity alive…My feelings on this subject are very strong. Along with the hockey, the soccer, the dance classes and the skating, education should be the top priority. It is entirely up to the parents to instill that in their children so they will pass it on to their children.”

Sincerely, Pauline Bagnoli. “ No to assimilation, if you stand up and fight to pursue tradition. But there is work to be done. I am 3rd generation Italian and I don’t speak the language…but I proudly wear my name and make wine like my Grandfather used to, tradition stays and communities evolve and adapt. Unite to keep our roots alive…it doesn’t matter if you’re green, white or red! Thanks, Simon Masella.

“Born to Italian parents, Italian was the first language I learned and still speak today. I am proud to say that I am Italian…When my children were born, we decided to speak to our children solely in Italian…Unfortunately once my youngest began attending preschool, he began speaking less and less Italian…I eventually reverted to speaking mostly in English to our children…To answer your question, no I am not willing to make more of an effort than I already have in keeping the Italian language and identity alive in Canada.

My children are proof that “we are inexorably condemned to assimilation”. M.A. , Pierrefonds,Qc. “ Dear editor and staff: First let me congratulate you on your first edition of Panoramitalia Quarterly. I found your magazine refreshing, informative and interesting. I look forward to your next issue…an overwhelming YES on making an effort in order to keep the Italian language and identity alive in Canada. Respectfully submitted, Frank Baldassare, D.D.O.Quebec.

“I think it is worth the effort to keep the Italian culture alive and well in Canada but at the same time I also know it is simply postponig the inevitable erosion of our culture.

So why do it? Because we like it. So let’s enjoy it while we’ve got it. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

We can always go back to Italy if it means that much to us.” J.C. Messieurs, Mon mari, qui est d’origine italienne, vient de recevoir votre nouvelle revue “PanoramItalia”, qui nous a intrigués, a premier chef, et que nous avons trouvé intéressants après l’avoir feuilletée. Permettez-nous de vous signaler cependant que nous avons été surpris de constater le peu d’espace réservé aux articles français. Même quand vous avez des articles en trois langues (anglais d’abord, français et italien), les titres sont plus souvent en anglais. Mais, que diable, parlez-vous de la communauté italienne de Toronto... ou de celle de Montréal, au Québec, là où la majorité de la population est d’origine française?

Comme journaliste francophone, je suis persuadée que si l’on parle de votre nouvelle revue dans certains médias, du moins francophones, cet aspect sera vite dénoncé. Et c’est dommage, car on ne parlera pas de l’excellente idée, de la facture des plus agréables, de la variété des sujets abordés et des collaborateurs... Christiane Dupont-Rachiele E’ con piacere che abbiamo ricevuto la rivista Panoramitalia trimestrale .Vogliamo rispondere alla domanda fatta in seguito all’editoriale di Filippo Salvatore intitolato: bandiere ed identita’... la nostra risposta alla vostra domanda e’: Si’. Noi siamo sempre stati disposti e abbiamo creduto alla ricchezza della nostra lingua e cultura italiana per legarla ai nostri discendenti, e questo senza diminuire l’impatto delle altre due culture del Quebec su di loro. Infatti,noi, tutti, ci sentiamo a nostro agio nelle tre culture. Troviamo triste il vedere dei nonni fare sforzi per parlare inglese ai nipotini, allora che potrebbero fargli un bel regalo che dura tutta una vita.

Rita e Filippo Camarda

I

20 64

I vini d ’Italia/L ’Italie et ses vins/Italian wines

A

Par Gabriel Riel-Salvatore

La Campanie en bonne compagnie

Le cépage Fiano produit sans doute les meilleurs crus de la zone. Le Fiano di vec Naples, sa capitale colorée, l’époustouflante côte amalfitaine, Avellino DOCG Campanaro 2004, de la maison Feudi di San Gregorio, composé à 100% de Pompéi la ville musée et bien sûr le Vésuve dont la crête enneigée Fiano, en livre un exemple éloquent. Ce superbe vin dominé par des odeurs de noisettes fumées renferme l’un des plus fameux volcans de l’histoire, la Campanie a et de silex où s’exprime en filigrane des arômes de fruits exotiques tels l’ananas et la papaye tout pour plaire. Nos ancêtres latins établis dans la région bien avant étonne par son unicité (rien à voir, ni à envier aux chardonnay de ce monde). Ce vin à la robe l’arrivée du Christ appréciaient déjà cette zone côtière, chaude et fertile, tant pour ses abondantes or pâle brille par son élégance. Racé et fringant, il possède une belle rondeur signalée par un récoltes que pour ses vins prisés par les empereurs de la ville reine. Celle-ci portait même le nom côté beurre de noisette légèrement grillé laissant poindre de Campania Felix, en référence à cette terre de bonheur. une belle vivacité en fin en bouche. Merveilleux sur des De nombreuses variétés de vignes prospèrent toucrustacés ou du poisson. jours aujourd’hui sur les sols volcaniques de la région. Certaines Saq, 10296466, 38$ *** et demi (et même plus) tel le Greco implanté par les colonies helléniques dont il tire son TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE FRIULISitué sur les pentes fertiles de la région du Vesuvio, nom, font figure de fossiles vivants issus d’une longue tradition VENEZIA GIULIA entre Naples et Sorrento, le Avalon Bianco de AOSTA vinicole. Région de l’Italie méridionale reconnue à travers le VENETO LOMBARDIA Mastroberardino, composé ici à 100% de Coda di Volpe, monde pour sa gastronomie– nul ne saurait résister à la fameuse PIEMONTE affiche lui aussi une couleur dorée plutôt discrète. Moins pizza napolitaine-, la Campanie a toutefois peu d’échos en EMILIA-ROMAGNA LIGURIA avenant que les vins précédents, il demeure néanmoins un dehors de ses frontières en matière de bons vins. Une mentalité produit fort agréable qui mérite attention, ne serait-ce encore paysanne longtemps orientée vers une production de vin de MARCHE TOSCANA Riviera Italiana une fois pour goûter ce cépage caractéristique baptisé ainsi table bon marché explique sans doute cette situation. Presque UMBRIA Mar Adriatico par Pline le jeune pour l’aspect pointu de sa grappe lui au bord de l’oubli il y a quelques années, plusieurs cépages ABRUZZI rappelant une queue de renard. À sa bouche légèrement LAZIO ancestraux uniques à cette zone du Mezzogiorno font mainMOLISE vanillée s’accompagnent des saveurs évidentes de pêche tenant l’objet d’un regain d’intérêt impensable il y a dix ans. blanche marquées par une minéralité typique aux sols PUGLIA CAMPANIA Comptant une quantité impressionnante de BASILICATA volcaniques. Je l’ai essayé avec des linguine sauce crème et SARDEGNA cépages indigènes, les experts s’entendent pour dire que la asperges et champignons sautés, déglacés au balsamique Campanie possèdent au moins cinq à six variétés phares aptes Mar Tirreno blanc, garnies de fines tranches de Prosciutto di Parma et de à faire de grands vins. Fiano, Greco, Falanghina, Coda di CALABRIA crostini de Parmigiano Regiano. Un délice. Importation Volpe, Piedirosso et Aglianico représentent désormais des privée (disponible dans les bons restaurants), ** et demi cépages que plusieurs producteurs comme Mastroberardino et Mar Mediterraneo L’Aglianico, aussi surnommé le nebbiolo du sud, Feudi di San Gregorio en tête ont décidé de cultiver avec une Mar Ionio SICILIA compose l’essentiel de l’appellation Taurasi. Issu lui aussi attention particulière, ravivant ainsi des traditions séculaires de terroirs volcaniques montagneux, Le Taurasi Selve Di associées à la vinification de ces raisins uniques au monde.

Luoti DOCG 2001, de Feudi di San Gregorio, fait essenCes deux figures de proue à l’origine de l’essor qualtiellement d’Aglianico, présente une robe dense aux reflets itatif de la région sont heureusement disponibles au Québec. grenat. Des notes de cèdre, de cerise noire, de framboise, de tabac et de chocolat anisé caracLa première et la plus ancienne des deux institutions, s’affiche comme le fer de lance de la révotérisent son bouquet riche et fragrant. L’étoffe de ses tannins ne trompe pas. Déjà fin, mais pas lution aujourd’hui entamée dans le secteur, poussant la recherche des meilleurs terroirs vers les encore souple, ce vin vieillira encore à merveille pendant 6 à 7 ans. Il s’accorde dès maintenant zones montagneuses d’Avellino et de Taurasi. La deuxième évoque un style plus moderne visant à sans problème avec du gibier à poils et aux viandes rouges servies saignantes et bien juteuses. maximiser le potentiel des cépages locaux en mettant de l’avant leur incroyable potentiel.

Pour les plus patients, les versions plus âgées fourniront l’accord idéal pour des plats mijotés aux Particulièrement prometteurs, comme en fait foi un bon nombre de vins blancs de la ville herbes et aux champignons. d’Avellino, bénéficient d’une exposition optimale et d’une variété de sols idéaux à la production de Saq, 907741, 34,75$ *** bons vins. Située en altitude, cette zone confère aux vins un aspect frais et minéral fort intéressant qui Pour finir, le Lacryma Cristi del Vesuvio 2003, de Mastroberardino, un classique selon le fameux œnologue italien Luigi Veronelli produit parmi les plus grands vins blancs d’Italie. sur nos tablettes vendu sous l’appellation Rosso del Vesuvio, représente sans conteste le vin de Fort agréable, le Greco di Tufo DOCG 2003, du producteur Mastroberardino, la Campanie le plus connu chez nous. D’un rubis foncé aux teintes déjà légèrement orangées, composé à 100% de Greco di Tufo, présente une belle robe paille claire qui laisse il présente au nez de beaux effluves de prune mûre et de fraise accompagnés d’une bonne touche transparaître au nez de beaux arômes d’abricot frais et de poire accompagnés d’une légère d’épice giroflée. Riche, ce vin fait à 100% de Piedirosso, laisse une sensation agréable de chaleur note minérale rappelant la cire d’abeille. Vive et pimpante à l’attaque, la bouche livre un et de rondeur en bouche. Son fruit discret rappelle surtout les baies des champs. Des notes fruité charmant se terminant sur une finale évoluant vers l’amande fraîche. L’influence du poivrées en fin de bouche offrent structure et matière à ce vin aux tannins assez droits. À terroir volcanique, surtout constitué de tuf, apporte une sensation agréable de fraîcheur. Un déguster accompagné de viande rouge. beau vin parfait sur des coquillages, des fruits de mers assaisonnés au citron ainsi que du Saq, 972869, 21,95$ ** et demi poisson grillé. Saq, 411751, 22,30$ ***

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nostalgie

The

Letter

22 64

I

NOSTALGIA

Nostalgia The year was 1994. My wife Angela and I decided that the time had come to take our two boys,

Adam and Anthony, then 8 and 6 years old, to Italy. After all, I was 8 years old when we immigrated to Canada. In 1962, my parents Adamo and Giulia, my little brother Peter and I boarded that great ship "The Vulcania" in the port of Naples and set off for our biggest adventure Now, 32 years later, we organized this trip to Italy not only to get more of Italy (my wife and I had been back 3 times before this one but we never seem to get enough!) but also to introduce our children to their roots.

This is THE trip. You know that trip that many of you made to retrace the steps of your youth. The trip where you showed your kids where you came from, where you were born, where you lived and played, and where you showed them what your front door actually looked like…This vacation exceeded all of our expectations. We had a wonderful time. We did all the things you would expect to do on such a trip. We visited with most of our extended family, we went from table to table…

One evening, four weeks into our 6-week vacation, we ran into an old friend.

We had spent a lot of time with him on our last trip to Italy. He was surprised to see us again and seemed disappointed that we had not let him know sooner that we were in the country. He immediately invited us to a party he was throwing at his country place the following day.

At the party, Angela and I were mingling and introducing ourselves to the other guests when suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder. This stranger got my attention, introduced himself and asked me if I was that little boy he had been best friends with over 3 decades earlier. I stared at him for a moment but, I confessed, did not remember him at all. He was astonished that I had forgotten. He then proceeded to recount specific details from my youth in Italy such as where I lived, the

La

color of my bicycle, etc. to the point that I could no longer doubt him. For the remainder of our vacation, we spent most of our time with him and his family.

After returning to Montreal, we kept in touch and we even went on a Carribean vacation together with our wives. I must confess though, that during all this time I still did not remember him as a child in Italy.

In 1997, he gave me a call to let me know that he and his wife would be coming to Montreal to attend a wedding. They would be arriving at the airport very late but he would truly appreciate it if I could pick them up so that we could spend some time together, albeit not much, before going to his relative’s home. Of course, I was glad to oblige.

Naturally, Angela greeted them with a little "spuntino" even though it was 1 o’clock in the morning by the time we got back to my house. While we were enjoying a bite and a drink together, I got up from the table for a second. When I returned, there was and old AIR MAIL letter under my plate. Intrigued, I took it, examined it, and began to open it. Suddenly, an overwhelming rush of emotions came over me.

This was no ordinary letter. As I read through it, I could not hold back the tears…I cried uncontrollably. I had written this letter to my best friend shortly after moving to Canada. Yes, my beloved old friend had kept it all these years and had proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he had indeed been an important part of my life all those years ago.

Tony Zara

Lettera

Nel 1994, mia moglie Angela ed io abbiamo deciso di fare un viaggio in Italia con i nostri figli, Adam ed Anthony, rispettivamente di otto e sei anni. Dopo tutto, mi son detto, io non avevo che otto anni quando sono emigrato in Canada. Nel 1962 sono salpato dal porto di Napoli con il bastimento Vulcania verso la più grande avventura della mia esistenza in compagnia dei miei genitori, Adamo e Giulia e di mio fratello minore Peter.

Dopo 32 anni mia moglie ed io abbiamo fatto un viaggio di ritorno in Italia non solo per conoscerla meglio – non erano bastati i primi tre viaggi precedenti a farcela conoscere tutta!ma anche per permettere ai nostri figli di scoprire le loro radici.

Questo è stato IL viaggio in quanto mi sono mosso a ritroso ed ho riscoperto le esperienze dell’infanzia e nel riviverle ho indicato ai miei figli dove ero nato, dove avevo giocato, dove avevo vissuto, come era veramente l’uscio di casa. Questa particolare vacanza è andata aldilà di ogni mia aspettativa. Ci siamo divertiti molto ed abbiamo fatto tutto quello che si fa durante un viaggio del genere: visitare i parenti e spostarsi da una tavola imbandita ad un’altra.

Una sera, durante la quarta settimana del nostro soggiorno, abbiamo incontrato per caso un mio vecchio amico .Ci eravamo visti molto con lui durante il nostro viaggio precedente.

Sorpreso nel rivederci e rattristato che non ci eravamo fatti sentire prima, ci ha subito invitato ad una festa in campagna il giorno seguente.

Nel corso della festa, mentre Angela ed io stavamo facendo conoscenza e chiacchierando con gli altri invitati, ho sentito un colpetto sulla spalla. Incuriosito, ho guardato lo sconosciuto che si è presentato e mi ha domandato se io ero il ragazzino che era stato il suo compagno di giochi oltre tre decenni prima. L’ho guardato per un po’, ma, devo ammetterlo, non mi ricordavo affatto di lui.

Rimase molto sorpreso che io lo avessi dimenticato. Si è poi messo a raccontare esperienze dettagliate della mia infanzia: dove vivevo, il colore della mia bicicletta, al punto che non riuscivo più a dubitare di lui. Ho trascorso il resto del mio soggiorno in Italia in compagnia sua e della sua famiglia.

Dopo il mio ritorno a Montreal, ci siamo tenuti in contatto e siamo andati insieme in vacanza, con le nostre mogli, nei Caraibi. Devo ammettere tuttavia che non mi ricordavo di lui bambino in Italia.

Nel 1997 mi ha chiamato e mi ha informato che sarebbe venuto a Montreal per partecipare ad un matrimonio. Siccome l’arrivo era previsto di tarda sera, mi ha chiesto se potevo andare a prenderlo all’aeroporto per trascorrere qualche ora insieme prima di andare a casa dei parenti. Naturalmente mi ha fatto tanto piacere accontentarlo.

Nel giungere a casa nostra Angela ha offerto uno spuntino a lui ed a sua moglie anche se era l’una di notte .Ad un certo punto mi sono alzato dal tavolo per qualche attimo e al mio ritorno ho trovato sotto il mio piatto una vecchia lettera inviata VIA AEREA. Incuriosito, l’ho presa, l’ho guardata e stavo per aprirla. All’improvviso sentii un’emozione irresistibile invadermi. Quella non era una lettera qualsiasi. Nel leggerla non sono riuscito a trattenere le lacrime… ed ho pianto a dirotto. Era la lettera che io stesso avevo scritta al mio migliore amico Roberto subito dopo il mio arrivo in Canada. Sì, il mio caro amico l’aveva conservata da allora, dimostrando che era stato senza l’ombra di dubbio una parte importante della mia vita tanti anni prima.

Tony Zara

Remebering

‘We will move on,

I

se souvenir

23 64

RICORDARSI

but never forget’

By Sabrina Marandola

Princess Diana’s death. The collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City.

And most recently, and even closer to home, the shooting rampage at Dawson College.

The Dawson shooting is one of those tragedies in the last decade in which every Montrealer can vividly recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when its news first broke.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 Although still officially summer, it felt more like a crisp autumn day, with a cooler temperature and the sun’s rays occasionally poking through the clouds.

As a reporter at The New 940 Montreal, I was assigned to cover a press conference at City Hall that morning. The property valuation figures were to be released, and every newsroom in the city figured that would be the day’s top story.

But all of that changed at 12:41 p.m. It only took seconds for our studio phone lines to begin flashing; our radio station was getting calls from people telling us they were Dawson students, and that there had been a shooting at their CEGEP. Some callers sounded frantic, but that was not enough to clue me into the magnitude of mayhem that was spilling from inside Dawson’s walls onto the downtown streets of Atwater, Sherbrooke and De Maisonneuve.

I arrived near the scene after 1 p.m. Hundreds of Dawson students were briskly coming towards me, as I pushed my way against the crowd to try to approach the building.

Every single student had a cell phone clutched to his ear. I could overhear their conversations. “Mom, there’s been a shooting at Dawson…someone came in and started shooting…Yes, I’m okay…I’m not in school anymore.”

I stopped to talk to several students, some telling me they heard gunshots, others in tears saying they saw their fellow classmates get shot. The closer I got to the eight-storey building, the more police cars I could see. There must have been at least 50 patrol cars in sight,

Students wore pink that sunny Monday afternoon – and were greeted with applause by teachers, staff and family – ... as red police-tape blocked off major arteries to traffic. Dozens and dozens of officers from the SWAT team were also on site, running in rows – military style – towards the building.

Meanwhile, the media-savvy students were overloading the grid with cellular calls. In the first three minutes of the shooting, more than 400 cell phone calls were made, as students tried to reach their parents, called the media, or were text-messaging their friends to try to locate them.

At this point so early in the afternoon, what was taking place at Dawson College was still unclear. There were varying accounts – some students saying there was more than one gunman, some saying they saw several people had been shot, and others recounting they saw dead bodies. New developments were unfolding by the second.

Meanwhile, the shooting quickly made international headlines. Newsrooms from around the world contacted The New 940 Montreal to get the latest information. Interview requests poured in from across Canada, the U.S., England, and even as far away as Australia.

Back on the ground, students I spoke to vividly recounted what they saw as they frantically evacuated the building – running outside holding their arms above their heads.

“There’s puddles of blood everywhere…Trails of blood and broken glass all over the Atrium floor,” one 18-year-old said to me. Another told me he saw the gunman. “He looked like someone out of The Matrix,” he said. “He was tall, thin, and dressed all in black. He was wearing a black trench coat, black leather boots to the knee, and he had a black Mohawk.”

I didn’t know it at the time, but that Dawson student had described 25-year-old Kim veer Gill to a tee. While I was trying to get information on the field, more pieces of the puzzle were flooding our newsroom. Students bombarded our phone lines to tell us, live onair, what happened, what they saw, and that they were safe.

James Santos was one of them. He called in to describe how he was held hostage by the gunman – ordered at gunpoint to carry a heavy sac, and then grabbed by the shooter and used as a human shield so that police wouldn’t shoot.

Santos described how the gunman, before turning a gun on himself, shot and killed his friend before his eyes. The rest of the world only found out a day later he was talking about 18-year-old Anastasia De Sousa.

It was after 4 p.m. when the rain started to fall. Police, who were amazingly on the scene just after 12:41 p.m., had set up a post to give reporters information: 10 injured and at least one dead, they had said.

As the hours elapsed, those numbers went up. I was off to the Montreal General Hospital to learn more about the state of the victims. The main entrance was filled with Dawson students. We later learned 20 people had been injured – 11 critically.

After hours of standing in the rain, I went back to the studio, only to find news conferences going on into the night, and our phone lines still blinking incessantly. Our extensive coverage continued until midnight, and picked up again at sunrise. No one on our team got much sleep. But then again, no one did – especially not Dawson students.

In the days that followed, I spoke to many more Dawson students. Time and again, they shared with me how they were having trouble sleeping…eating…being. They felt uncomfortable to be alone, and sought companionship and a sense of solidarity more than ever.

Perhaps out of the fear of being alone, or perhaps out of determination to find normalcy, Dawson students banded together to “reclaim” their school. They organized several initiatives on their own.

First, they built a shrine of flowers as pink as can be outside Dawson’s Atrium entrance to pay homage to 18-year-old shooting victim Anastasia De Sousa. Despite the wet weather, students and Montrealers alike came in droves, as flowers and notes multiplied until the memorial had grown to reach the sidewalk by Monday.

Students’ second initiative was to “take back” their school, and to try to return to the student life they had known before Sept. 13. Students decided that when Dawson would open its doors Monday morning for the first time since the rampage, they would gather outside the second-floor Atrium doors and enter in unison at 12:41 p.m.

Students wore pink that sunny Monday afternoon – and were greeted with applause by teachers, staff and family – as they crossed the threshold of their CEGEP at the exact same place and time Kimveer Gill had done five days before.

The rain was back on Tuesday, Sept. 19. It was pouring, as dozens of reporters and several hundred Dawson students gathered under the gray sky on Hochelaga Street, just outside the small stone church of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

This was the day for people to bid a final adieu to Anastasia. It seemed as though even Mother Nature was weeping, as Dawson students stood outside the Polish church – many under pink umbrellas – to listen to the 90-minute ceremony on speakers.

Many who were present were friends, others were classmates, and others complete strangers.

“I felt compelled to come

w w w . p a n o r a m i t a l i a . c o m

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Meet Louis Burri…

By Mario Di Flavio

W

hen you meet Louis Burri for the first time you know immediately that he’s the type of guy who can get things done. The voice is clear and loud with a touch of urgency, his eyes are bright and alert and his movements are quick and sure. It is these characteristics that give him away. You think to yourself, “What does this man do for a living?” He’s quick to help anyone within his field of vision or earshot that may need a hand.

Young or old, man or woman, he’s the first one there. That’s when you realize that this person has to be someone who dedicates his life to the service of others. He is sensitive to the well being of people and physically prepared to face danger head on in order to ensure the safety of his fellow human beings. With his intelligence and physical attributes Louis could have been anything he wanted to be, but it’s that innate sensitivity and genuine concern for the security of people that made him what he is today and what he has been for the past twenty years. Louis Burri is a firefighter.

He is the middle child of three, one older sister, one younger, born in Montreal but raised in Laval. His father, who worked as a head chef for most of his life, is Swiss, his mother, a seamstress, is Italian. The 42 year-old Burri remembers his childhood as happy and very active. He was the type of child who liked to keep busy and loved interacting with people.

“A team atmosphere has always appealed to me, playing or working, I like being part of a group.” says Louis. He attended J.F.K. Elementary School in Chomedy and Laval Catholic High School, describing himself as an average student. He loved anything physical, namely sports, and of course thrived on all activities that required social interaction, but no particular subject in school sparked his interest enough to give him a clear cut picture of what he would do in the future.

It wasn’t long before the young Burri decided that he wanted to serve the public in some way. He considered the military, among other things, but finally applied to the police force and the fire department. He first went through a battery of tests for the police force, and while waiting for an answer, tried out for fire school. He loved every minute of it and put aside all other thoughts about doing anything else. He would become a fireman.

“I remember my father dropping me off at the school for the entrance exams, walking into the gym and seeing seven hundred other applicants, only forty-five of whom would be chosen that year. My heart sank. In one instant, I felt completely discouraged. All of the hope and happiness that I had felt after finding something I really wanted to do just vanished. For one thing, I’d attended English school all my life and the exams would be written in French. The majority of the other young men hoping to be selected were French Canadians from Montreal, Laval, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and Drummondville. I must have been the only Italian in the place.” He almost walked out, but the thought of doing anything else with his life was not an option. He took a deep breath, focused on his objective, and moved forward.

At that time St. Maxime was the only school in Quebec that offered the course. It was going to be there or nowhere else. Remembers Louis, “There were five hours of exams.

That day I was always the last guy to finish every test because I took more time with each question, but I did finish.” At the end of the day he left with mixed feelings and really didn’t know how he had done. He took off to Florida with a couple of his buddies for about a week to keep his mind off things while waiting for the reply that would determine his future.

While on vacation his mother called him and told him that he’d received a letter from the school. “I told her not to touch it, I’d read it when I got home.” He returned, went straight to his room, stared at the letter for a while then opened it. They had accepted him.

He got through the one year intensive training course (intensive being the operative word, training has since been changed to a three year program) with the same determination that had not allowed him to quit the first time he walked into that gym. Louis offers, “It was tough but I stuck with it. Sometimes people have the idea that all it takes to be a

“...Firefighters are like family, they eat, sleep, laugh, cry, fight, live and die together and that’s a bond that is universal and unbreakable.”

fireman is size and strength, but there is a lot more to it. Apart from being in good physical condition, one needs a combination of people skills, the ability to make quick decisions during critical moments and the endurance to cope with tremendous mental and emotional strain.”

Something else that got him through was the support of his fellow recruits. “We began working as a team and things got easier for all of us. That’s when we realized that this was how we would get through school, the job, and life threatening situations if it ever came to that. We would always depend on each other. It’s the only way.” Burri completed his training and began applying to various fire departments in numerous cities and this wasn’t going to be any easier. “I applied everywhere, calling and asking if there was an opening, over and over until they were probably sick of me.” But Louis’ relentlessness finally paid off and two years after completing his training, he was hired by the city of Laval Fire Department.

“You spend the first six months of your probation proving yourself while the other guys watch to see how well you interact with everyone. Firemen have a great sense of humour and like to rib each other, especially the new recruits.

They also like someone who takes initiative and there is always something to do around the station. We train, check and clean our equipment and generally try to get along between calls.”

How difficult is it to live with four other guys, day in and day out, eating, sleeping and working together? “ It’s not that easy at times,” says Louis, “ when you’re with the same people for 14 hours straight, you can get on each other’s nerves! But you get past that because the next thing you know, the same guy that pissed you off can be saving your life an hour later. You leave it behind when that call comes in.”

So what is it really like being in the middle of a fire? “ Most of the time you’re blind, you can’t see your hand in front of your face for how much smoke there is and you are inside a building that you’ve never been in. One man has control of the fire-hose, the other is feeling his way through the smoke. You don’t know what to expect when you turn every corner and the heat is incredibly intense. Add, flames, toxic or explosive gases and a burning, unstable structure and you pretty much get a good idea of what it’s like. There have been times when I found myself saying, what the hell am I doing here?”

Louis Burri woke up on the morning of September 11th, 2001, turned on the television and saw something that would change his perspective about his job, his peers and his life forever. “Like every one else I was shocked by what I saw but it wasn’t until things became clearer as to what was going on that I really got hit.” By the time the tragedy ended three hundred and forty-three firemen were dead. “People were running for their lives out of the buildings before they collapsed while these firefighters were running into the burning towers. It sent chills down my spine when I saw that.” Louis confides that one of the greatest fears that firemen have is to go home with one man less. “It’s probably the biggest phobia that I have about my job, those fire stations in New York lost entire companies and crews. I don’t know how I would be able to handle that. I can’t imagine what it was like.”

The tragedy of September 11th didn’t make Louis want to quit but it did make him think. “I know I would never want to do anything else, I love what I do, it’s in my blood and I think it’s the best job in the world, but it did make me look at things differently. For the first five to ten years you don’t think about danger or dying that much, you just go to work. That day really brought home the reality of the risk involved in our profession. After that I made it a point to tell the rookies to be cautious, trust their instincts and never take unnecessary risks, they’ve got another twenty years to go on this job.” The events of 911 definitely changed the world’s view of firefighters, (not that they were ever seen in a negative light) we just recognized to which extent they put their lives on the line so that others may live. It also re-enforced the caring and respect that firemen like Louis and his crew have for each other regardless of city, country or continent. “I have been to Ground Zero and I visited fire stations in New York and spoke to some of those guys.

Firefighters are like family, they eat, sleep, laugh, cry, fight, live and die together and that’s a bond that is universal and unbreakable.”

Today Louis is happy with his life, he savours every moment spent with his girlfriend Nadia, family and friends and after twenty years, his career continues to invigorate him. “Every day presents a new challenge, something I’ve never seen or experienced and finding ways to deal with such obstacles is what’s stimulating about my job.” Developing a relationship between the fire department and the public is also very important to Louis. “We sometimes go out on the truck and scout around meeting and chatting with citizens who usually have questions for us as well as visit people in their homes and educate them during Fire Prevention Week.”

My last question to Louis is: “How do you go home after a bad day at work and shut out the awful things that happen?” His answer: “You don’t, really. Hours later you may be thinking of the guy you pulled out of a car wreck that day or a little girl whose home just burned down and hope they’re alright. Firefighters care about people.”

The response is genuine, there is no doubt, yet I still wonder how these men deal with the constant threat of personal risk and uncertainty on an everyday basis. Maybe Louis is right, it’s in their blood to help others. So they take a deep breath, focus on their objective and move forward. Thank you Louis, thank you gentlemen.

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ADVERTORIAL

By Shauna Hardy

Our world seems to be getting faster with every day that passes. Hectic schedules, long work days and an arm’s length of commitments mean many of us barely have enough time to spend with our families, let alone, make a home-cooked meal. But now, thanks to Anna Marabella and her Piatto Pronto catering business, people are getting a chance to enjoy wholesome food without any of the hassle.

Anna’s love for food started at an early age.

With two

working parents and as the eldest of four children, the budding chef was often in charge of making sure her siblings were well-fed. But while Anna perfected her Italian cooking, she was also drawn to recipes inspired from her new environment.

“We grew up in a very multiethnic area of Montreal; even the smells on the street were different. But with two Italian parents, you can imagine that they weren’t quite as excited as us about trying new things.

Even things like Shepherd’s pie and chicken pie were a big departure.”

Anna’s passion for cooking didn’t wane once she had reached adulthood. Along with her own four children, there was always an assortment of relatives and friends that were dropping by. “At our house the piatto was always pronto! It was like Grand Central Station - the last stop that everybody made before going home.” Anna made sure that there was always something good to eat when someone came through the door.

Her cooking proved to be irresistible. Soon, single parents of her children’s friends began asking if she would mind preparing a few extra dishes for them. Then, one day, a friend, tired of the food available by her local catering truck, suggested that Anna approach the owner with her own food. “In December of 2002, I started supplying that first truck with 5 different plates a day, by March, we were servicing 12 trucks with 80 plates a day!”

Soon after that, Anna began providing local schools with the same high-quality food. Children eagerly gobbled up her extensive offerings ranging from chicken cacciatore and various kinds of pastas to cabbage rolls and the ever-popular beef stew.

While she had been doing business with the catering trucks from her own kitchen, the extra volume produced by the school contracts required a larger venue. She and her husband searched for a space, but nothing was quite to their liking. Then she heard about a piece of property located at 1700 St. Elzear West – she could hardly believe her ears. It turns out that this venue was the very spot she used to deliver her plates for her first catering job four years ago.

“As soon as I heard about the location, I just knew that this was the right spot, that it was meant to be,” she says with a smile. “We’ve come full circle. I began by delivering five plates here and now we’re putting out between 500 and 650 plates a day from the very same spot!”

While Anna’s staff is busying themselves in the super-sized kitchen, busy passers-by can pop into Piatto Pronto’s inviting front of shop space for a quick cup of coffee or a delicious meal. Open from six in the morning until six in the evening, the café’s hours will appeal to both the early bird and the busy person on the go.

“The goal is to provide fast, good, affordable food,” explains Anna. “It is very much in demand. Everything is packaged in take-out containers. If people stop in for lunch, they can sit down and have a bite and then take the rest back to work with them if they don’t have time to finish.”

Enjoying a wholesome home cooked meal couldn’t be easier thanks to single servings and family-size portions that can be handily picked up on the way home.

After a career that included stints with Air Canada and 13 years with the Royal Bank, Anna Marabella can hardly believe that she is making a living doing what she loves.

“I never thought that I would be making money from my hobby,” she says. “Food for me, means family, it means getting together and being surround by the people that you love. I wanted to be able to preserve as much of the Old World traditions that my parents instilled in me and pass those same values and feelings on to my kids.”

Whether it’s in the schools, at her café or through private catering contracts, Anna Marabella is also managing to pass on those same feelings of good will to her customers.

But does she ever get tired of cooking?

“No, I still love to cook at home,” she confides. “When I go into the kitchen I tune everything else out, it’s just me and the food.”

“Food for me, means family, it means getting together and being surround by the people that you love...”

1700, Boulevard Saint-Elzéar Ouest, Laval (Qc) H7L 3N2 T.450.687.1514

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AFFARI

affaires

Business Consider the flexibility of a spousal trust to save taxes – or to protect your assets

By Peter Pomponio Whether you want to minimize taxes or ensure that your children end up with certain assets, a spousal trust is a tool that may be appropriate for your needs.

To help explain the flexibility of a spousal trust, I’ve outlined two scenarios: Scenario 1: How to save taxes through a spousal trust Problem: Phil and Lorraine each have an annual income of about $60,000. Most of their income is from investment assets that they each hold in their own names. They are concerned that if they leave everything to each other when the first of them dies, the surviving spouse’s income, which would include the income from the deceased spouse’s investments, would be much higher and would therefore be taxed at a much higher tax rate.

Solution: Phil and Lorraine could provide for each other by leaving their respective investment assets in a spousal trust for the surviving spouse in their wills. In this way, the income earned on the deceased spouse’s assets would be taxed in the trust, rather than in the hands of the surviving spouse. This presents a significant opportunity to reduce taxes, since the income of a spousal trust is taxed at the same graduated marginal tax rates that apply to an individual. If permitted by the will establishing the trust, and if appropriate elections are filed by the trustees, even where trust income is actually paid to the spouse, it can still be treated as the trust’s income for tax purposes (Benefit +/- $9,000 per year).

Scenario 2: How to protect your assets using a spousal trust Problem: Parents Mark and Stephanie, both in their 60s, want to make sure that their three children will inherit the assets that they had each accumulated throughout their marriage, including money that Stephanie had inherited from her parents. For a variety of reasons, each is reluctant to leave all of their assets directly to the other spouse after the first of them dies. For example, each is concerned that the surviving spouse might spend the money lavishly, or otherwise squander or mismanage the assets, leaving less for the children. Another

concern is that the surviving spouse might marry again or enter into a new common-law relationship, so that some or all of the assets might go to the new spouse or partner, leaving little or nothing for the children when the surviving spouse later dies.

Solution: An effective way for Mark and Stephanie to provide for each other, while also protecting their assets for the ultimate benefit of their children, would be for each to establish a trust for the surviving spouse in their wills. The assets of the deceased spouse would then be held in the trust while the surviving spouse is alive. The trust would provide that the income would be payable to the surviving spouse for as long as he or she is living. The will should also specifically address whether, and to what extent, payments of capital may be made to the surviving spouse. This typically depends on various factors and circumstances. For example, if the primary objective of the trust is to provide for the financial comfort of the surviving spouse, the trustees could be given broad discretion to make payments of capital to the surviving spouse as and when the trustees consider it appropriate. Alternatively, if the primary objective is to ensure that the assets in the trust are maintained for the benefit of certain children, then the will may prohibit capital payments or may restrict such payments to certain limited purposes only.

When establishing a spousal or other trust, care must be used to ensure that the trust is appropriate for your needs and that it is established and administered properly to make sure you end up with the intended results. The information in this article is provided solely for informational and educational purposes and is not intended to provide individual financial, investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Professional advice should be obtained prior to acting on the basis of this information.

– Peter Pomponio is a Vice President of Assante Capital Management Ltd. He is the owner of the Ville St-Laurent Branch and practices as a Senior Fully Licensed Financial Planner from the Ville St-Laurent office. He can be reached at (514) 832-5100, or by e-mail at ppomponio@assante.com.

This material is provided for general information and is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to compile this material from reliable sources however no warranty can be made as to its accuracy or completeness. Before acting on any of the above, please make sure to see me for individual financial advice based on your personal circumstances.

CE QUE VOUS CONDUISEZ, NOUS MOTIVE...

VOLVO LAVAL 2350, BOUL. CHOMEDEY, LAVAL (450) 682-3336 www.volvolaval.com Volvo. pour la vie

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FAMIGLIA

famille

Family

Intercultural Affair

Marriage: An

By Sonya Legault-Cesta The 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding portrays the reality lived by many intercultural couples in contemporary society: from cultural misunderstandings to family differences. Now replace the Greek family with Montreal’s Italian famiglia and the same story can be told. As Italians, we are loud and proud. Most importantly, many of us value marriage as the core of the family unit.

Since the Italian community is highly integrated in Montreal’s multicultural setting, many Italians marry outside their culture. Céline Pilon (24) and Michael Monardo (25) got engaged last January and have set their wedding date for May 10, 2008. Their union is an intercultural blend: French-Canadian meets Italian. Pilon is a language student at Concordia – she studies both Italian and Arabic – and Monardo is an engineer at Bombardier. Intercultural unions are “very common” in Montreal, emphasize both Pilon and Monardo.

Similarly, my engagement to my fiancé, Joseph Ojeil (24), is a product of multiculturalism. In this case, my Italian culture meets his Lebanese origins. Two Mediterranean cultures intertwine in cosmopolitan Montreal.

The interconnection of two cultures is a prevalent aspect that entails particular challenges concerning values, money, language use, and traditions.

Often, cultures are in tension with one another. “One culture is always stronger [or attempts to be stronger] than the other,” said Monardo. Hence, as individuals of different ethnic backgrounds must deal with marriage preparation, they, oftentimes, must also face culture clashes and, in turn, learn to negotiate cultural meanings.

Marriage and Values For many Italians family is a fundamental principle that implies trust, honesty, and respect, according to Monardo. He explained that his parents have been married for a very long time and that such commitment has influenced his own choice to marry and raise a family in the near future.

The same holds true for Pilon. When asked about values, she emphasized that her parents have also taught her the same values and that marriage is an essential point in starting a family. One could thus say that common values are an intrinsic part in shaping the union between two people – regardless of their respective cultures. Similarly to Pilon and Monardo, my fiancé and I believe that family, respect, and loyalty are important elements strengthening our commitment to one another. In these cases, different cultures converge when individuals stand for common values.

Marriage and Money Marriage implies wedding, which ultimately implies money. Traditionally, Italian weddings are famous for their magnitude and expensive quality. Forget the typical four-service meal. We “absolutely” need the seven-course feast: antipasto, zuppa, pasta, granita, salad, meat – either vitello or fish – and finally dessert. Do not forget the red and white wine, aqua minerale, and the open bar. From the number of guests to the quantity of food, everything is either numerous or in large portion. That’s because many Italians follow the concept of “la busta” which entails that every guest brings an envelope containing a significant amount of money as a present for the newlyweds. Let’s estimate $150 (minimum) per guest. That money oftentimes pays off the cost for the reception hall. In other words, relatives, friends, and paesani contribute to the bride and groom’s start-off as a married couple. However, such concepts can raise certain issues. Pilon emphasized that it can pressure young couples “to have a big PowWow.” Also, what happens when some guests cannot afford to put a substantial amount in the envelope, she added. Both Pilon and Monardo agreed on having a classic Italian wedding with good food and service but with a shorter guest list. “200 people- max,” said Monardo.

Marriage and Language Use Language is a big deal when two cultures interconnect. I speak three languages fluently: French, English, and Italian. My fiancé is also trilingual: French, English, and Arabic. French and English are thus used interchangeably. However, my learning of Arabic remains tricky. His parents are constantly repeating and writing down words for me – actually, my father-in-law is my own personal Arabic-to-French dictionary. Every word said in French is almost always repeated in Arabic: “oui” = “eh.” On the other hand, my fiancé has less trouble understanding and speaking Italian since my mother, my grandmother, and myself use the language when speaking to him – let me tell you that Italian is also easier to learn than Arabic. Both we and our respective families see the importance of passing all four languages onto our children in the future. The more languages you know, the more open you are to the world, as my mother always says. That is the beauty of intercultural marriage.

For Pilon, languages and intercultural marriages are a luxury. “I knew I didn’t want to marry a Quebecois,” she said. By broadening her cultural spectrum, she was able to immerse herself in different languages and cultures.

Something she finds very appealing – and so do I. Majoring in Italian studies, Pilon does not see language as an obstacle. She mentioned that, at first, it was somewhat difficult to keep up with conversations at her fiancé’s house.

However, her schooling has enabled her to speak Italian fluently. Among themselves, Pilon and Monardo converse in English. In addition, the couple has also stressed the role of the grandparents in passing language on to children.

“Grandparents play a very important role [in keeping] the traditions alive,” said the couple. Hence, as intercultural couples must make sure that their future children know both French and English, they must also learn to incorporate their native languages into their household – the greater the effort, the greater the reward.

Marriage and Traditions Every culture defines itself through its traditions. For Italians, this means making the tomato sauce in nonno or nonna’s garage, making the wine, and having Sunday pasta with the family, according to Monardo. In his case, Monardo specified that his culture overshadows his fiancé’s French-Canadian culture: “We [Italians] expose [our culture] a lot.” Pilon does not mind one bit. Her motto: “Qui prend mari, prend patrie.” She decided that she will take on her fiancé’s last name once married. Pilon strongly believes that “the man” represents the family unit. When asked about her identity as a person, she claimed, “I’m still Céline. I’m not giving up my identity. I’m just giving up my last name, which is not my self.”

Getting married in a Catholic church is an important tradition for Italians – as it is for most Catholics. In this situation, both couples share the same religion. Pilon and Monardo have therefore decided to have a religious ceremony. The same applies in my case.

My fiancé and I will celebrate our wedding in a Catholic church. However, one issue arises: where to find a priest that speaks both Italian and Arabic. Since we have decided to use both languages at the ceremony, we will have to investigate this matter further.

Intercultural marriage involves many discussions – and sometimes disagreements. It also entails playing around with one another’s culture and creating something new. For example, my fiancé and I have decided that we will be giving our children his last name. However, their first name will be Italian. That way, people can acknowledge their intercultural origins.

Intercultural marriage – like any other marriage – demands work on behalf of both partners.

That’s where values, languages, and traditions come into play.

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ADVERTORIAL

Food Lover’s Heaven

By Shauna Hardy

It doesn’t matter whether you are an amateur chef who adores cooking good food or simply someone who loves eating fabulous creations; everybody knows that the foundation for taste-bud tingling fare lies in its ingredients. For over 52 years, Fruiterie Milano has been filling that niche, providing delectable, high-quality provisions that satisfy both the gourmet and the gourmand.

When Vincenzo Zaurrini was only one month old, his father left Italy to begin paving the way for his family in Montreal. Nine years later, the stage was finally set and Vincenzo departed from Celano, in the province of Aquila, boarding the boat Rex, bound for New York and finally arriving into Montreal by train.

“Milano’s is a little bit like a museum featuring its greatest works of art,” explains Vincenzo. “The only difference is that our works of art just happen to carry the labels of some of the world’s most prestigious importers and suppliers.”

There is plenty of space devoted to Verona oils, pasta and balsamic vinegar, as well as Favuzzi’s high-end imported goods including Corsini coffee and delectable Solania Italian tomatoes. You’ll also find Bertozzi’s tempting cookies, Italian cakes and imported coffee.

The first years in his new city were lean ones. Cramped quarters and a shoe-string budget were simply par for the course. By the time Vincenzo was 14, he had left school in order to get a job and help support his family.

Strong-willed and enterprising, Vincenzo’s humble beginnings laid the ground work for future success. In 1954, fortune whispered gently in his ear, persuading him to open a business of his own. That business was Fruiterie Milano: the first supermarket in Quebec to feature Italian products.

Featuring imports from Italy and around the world, Fruiterie Milano’s original storefront, located at 6862 Saint-Laurent boulevard, occupied a meagre 15 feet. But thanks to its high-quality, tempting products, the store quickly outgrew its modest beginnings. Rapid expansion was needed and after no less than six rounds of renovations since it opened its doors, Milano’s storefront is now 175 feet long, occupying 12 times more floor space than the original.

People from all over the city flock to Milano’s for its variety and the fact Vincenzo Zaurrini that there is something to accommodate any budget. Along with an amazing selection of olive oils, there is also a wide selection of balsamic vinegars that range in price from under $5, for every day use, to a few hundred dollars, for those very special occasions.

“Milano’s is a little bit like a museum featuring its greatest works of art,”...

With over 12,000 square feet of floor space, the store is a veritable Garden of Eden, filled with magnificent and tempting products that are a dream for any food aficionado. Along with the usual brands, the store also has a sophisticated line of products that will truly turn any meal into a feast. There are fresh pastas made exclusively from eggs and wheat, pure pork sausages, hundreds of delectable types of cheeses, and an amazing meat counter that features everything from legs of lamb to tender veal.

In the 52 years that it has been opened, Milano’s has become an institution - loved not only for its products, but for the friendly service and wise advice offered by its employees (many whom have been with the company for over 10, 20 and 40 years). At 81-years-old, Vincenzo Zaurrini is still manning the helm at his beloved grocery store, and he shows no sign of slowing down.

“What makes me most proud is to see the grandchildren of my first customers coming to the store to make their purchases,” he says.

“That is truly a sign of success.”

6862, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal

T.514.273.8558

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RITRATTO

portrait

Profile

What’s Next For Sabrina Perri?

By: Daniela Scoppa As she prepares to say goodbye to the place that has been her second home for six years, 28-year-old Sabrina Perri has mixed emotions about her future. “It makes me very uncomfortable not knowing what I’m going to be doing,” she says. “I’m not sure where I’m going to be a year from now. I set goals in my mind to work towards something.” Her mentality of setting goals has worked very well in the past for this young and very successful scientist.

This past August, Perri finished writing and submitted her Ph.D. thesis in order to obtain a Ph.D. in Experimental Medicine from McGill University. The topic of her thesis is one that is based on research that is fairly new to the realm of science. Since September 2000, Sabrina has been researching the use of cell and gene therapy as a strategy to treat brain and breast cancer at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, which is attached to the Jewish General Hospital and affiliated with McGill University.

Perri says that when cancer cells grow, they require a blood supply to feed them oxygen and nutrients so the cancer can enlarge, a process referred to as angiogenesis. “My research focuses on preventing blood vessels from being attracted to the tumor site,” she says trying to find the correct words to explain her complex work simply. “Essentially, I’m attempting to ‘starve’ the tumor so it doesn’t grow and spread.”

The use of cell therapy as a therapeutic strategy is novel since it exploits a patient’s own cells to treat the cancer instead of conventional treatment methods such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. According to Sabrina, there’s still a lot of research to be performed in this field since this type of therapy is currently being validated in animal models of cancer, but she is very confident that in the future, cell and gene therapy will be used in conjunction with current cancer treatments. “We can combine chemotherapy and gene therapy strategies in order to achieve greater efficacy. It can make for a better treatment, especially for cancer patients where conventional therapies have failed,” she says of her ongoing research.

Her time investigating the numerous possibilities for gene/cell therapy in the lab is coming to an end as she is performing the last few experiments for a 3rd publication in a scientific journal. She will defend her thesis this coming January in front of friends, family, esteemed science professors, and many others, which she says “is a lot of pressure but a challenging experience.” But she is nevertheless confident that it will go well for her, always staying focused and positive in order to achieve the goals she has in mind. According to Sabrina, that focus is what has gotten her to where she is today.

Born on August 30th in St. Leonard, Quebec, Sabrina, along with her younger sister was raised in a home where education was always put first. Both her parents were teachers (ironically her father was a high school science teacher, her mother an elementary teacher who is now

the vice principal of a school) and Perri says her father’s science background was one of her influences in her current choice of career. She says that from a very young age, she was unlike the average child. “I remember when I was seven or eight years old I considered my backyard to be a science haven. I was very curious about insects and I still recall picking up ladybugs,” she says smiling. “The typical young girl plays with dolls and here I was looking at bugs!”

Her interest in science really peaked for her when she entered her first science fair at the age of 12. It was at that age she began visiting labs and she started off with a really simple experiment that measured the water content in fruits and vegetables. From that day on, she was hooked.

Along with school, Sabrina kept entering science fair competitions and kept on winning prizes. In 1995, while at Villa Maria High School, she collaborated with McGill University and developed a device to monitor the levels of toxins in water called the MicroBiolumiscan. The device not only won her many major awards at the provincial, national, and international level but she also traveled to Kuwait among many other places for it and met Queen Elizabeth. It also allowed her to discover another aspect of science that interested her: the business side.

She tried to market this new invention to a number of companies and although some were interested, it didn’t pan out because Sabrina became busy with school and other things in her life. Glad for the experience the invention granted her, she is now interested in pursuing the business sector of science and is in search for a job in that area all while focusing on cancer.

“I felt compelled to pursue graduate studies in the field of oncology since there is a great need for the development of more effective therapies,” she says about her current lab work.

She says she realized it’s an area where a lot of research still needs to be done. “Medical research is a field that requires persistence and motivation, and knowing that your research may contribute to the development of novel therapies makes the experience a very rewarding one.” Perri spends many weekends at the lab but says it’s a choice she’s made and has been making for years.

Sabrina remains undeterred and keeps herself on track by always doing things she enjoys.

From an early age until the present, Perri also does things other than school and work such as her participation in science fairs and sitting on student council at McGill University. Since October of 2005, she has been bringing her scientific expertise to a new start-up company called Cellugen, which is developing a cell-based therapy for leukemia.

She also participated in last year’s first Weekend to End Breast Cancer, which took place August 26-28. In order to raise money to be able to do the walk (participants must raise $2,000 each), she helped make a calendar, which featured female scientists, including herself, posing in outfits donated by local stores.

She ended up selling the calendars across Canada and generated a $7,500 profit. The walk, she says, was inspirational. “Although my research is focused on breast cancer, this provided me with an opportunity to fight cancer in a different way. People came out of their homes and cheered us on while we walked. It was a very emotional experience,” she says of the 60-kilometer walk around Montreal.

Doing all these activities on the side have caused Sabrina to give up certain things like spending time with old friends. She says she’s lost contact with a lot of friends because of the lifestyle she’s chosen. “We drifted apart over the years because of lack of time,” she says while pondering on what her regrets in life have been. “I’m trying to create more of a balance now in order to include that component in my life. It’s important.”

After receiving over ten graduate fellowships and research awards since 2001, some for being an outstanding student and some for the research she has done, many may think Sabrina Perri will not have any problems finding a job once her Ph.D. is done. However, this vibrant young woman still frets over her future like any highly ambitious person would.

As she looks at what’s to come in her life she says that she definitely wants a family all the while enjoying what she loves. Some say she’s been lucky in life by having great guidance, a supportive family, and many experiences that others may never get. But Sabrina credits all in her life to one thing. “You create your own luck and you work hard at maintaining that luck,” she says while adding that the environment you choose for yourself has a lot to do with success. “Surround yourself with people that inspire and motivate you to reach your full potential. The best qualities of a person come out when they’re doing what they do best.”

Life stories

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histoire de vie

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Angel’s Blood Runs Through her Veins STORIE DE VITA

Patrizia Durante always figured motherhood would change her life, but never did she imagine bringing her baby girl into this world would actually save her life. “This child was meant to save my life,” Durante says of her now five-year-old, blond-haired Victoria.

By Sabrina Marandola

It all began in the summer of 2001. “I was 26 years old, and 26 weeks pregnant, and I remember telling my husband Louie how great I felt,” recalls Durante of that July. “I didn’t have any problems, I was full of energy, and I was feeling super-well.”

Durante went for a routine glucose test in her third trimester of her pregnancy that July. The news that came back changed her forever. “There was something wrong, so I did the test again, and then I had to go back for a bone marrow biopsy,” Durante says, adding that she never expected the results she got.

“My cells were abnormal. They told me I had Leukemia.”

The 26-year-old, who had been married for two years and was pregnant with her first child, was diagnosed at Cité de la Santé Hospital as having ALL – a type of Leukemia that most commonly affects children. “I was in shock…and in complete denial,” Durante says. “So many questions were racing through my mind: what will happen to me, to my baby? I thought something was wrong with the baby.” Doctors were also in awe. Durante’s case was doubly rare; first, she was an adult diagnosed with a children’s Leukemia, and second, Durante was pregnant. “Because I was pregnant, doctors didn’t see this very often – if ever,” Durante says, adding that the timing if her cancer diagnosis made the experience even more frightening and stressful.

“It was too late to terminate the pregnancy – thank God for that – but 26 weeks was too early to give birth.” Durante was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital. She spent two days there, having catheters installed in her chest, and was ready to undergo chemotherapy – all while carrying her unborn daughter.

“The doctors told me the chemo wouldn’t harm the baby because it doesn’t go through the placenta,” Durante says.

“I was very concerned. I asked myself, ‘How can people smoke and harm the fetus, but then do chemo and not harm the fetus?’ But they assured me my chemo would not enter the bloodstream.” So Durante braced herself for her first month of chemotherapy. She spent the entire month of August in and out of the hospital, receiving treatment.

“I felt great during my chemotherapy,” Durante says.

“I didn’t feel sick at all, and at the end of the month, I still had all my hair.” Doctors found this strange, and a bone marrow biopsy later revealed Durante’s body was not responding to the chemotherapy at all. “It was having no effect on me whatsoever,” Durante says. After that biopsy was done in August 2001, Durante was diagnosed as having two types of Leukeima: ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), often found in children, and AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia), which most often affects older adults.

The presence of AML is what caused Durante’s chemotherapy treatments to be ineffective. After one month of no progress, the disease had spread to 86 per cent of her body. The outlook was not good. Meanwhile, during her stay in hospital, Durante had been reading up on pregnancy. She says she’ll never forget the day she read page 115 in Pregnancy to Parenthood. “There was a paragraph on how to bank your cord blood. It explained that the blood in the umbilical cord of a newborn could cure diseases, including Leukemia…I felt, right then and there, that this child was meant to save my life,” Durante recalls of her unborn daughter Victoria Emily. “If I was not pregnant, I never would have had a glucose test, and I would never have known I had Leukemia at a time when I wasn’t even showing any symptoms yet.”

A nurse at the Royal Victoria agreed.

“They told me, ‘She’s an angel. You should name her Victoria Angel.’ From that day, I knew I was going to call her Victoria Angel.” But doctors weren’t as certain. “Dr. [Pierre] Laneuville, [head of the Hematology/Oncology department at the Royal Victoria] told me cord blood works from one child to another, but not for adult patients,” Durante says. “I kind of believed him, but I wanted to save it anyway. I don’t know why.” Upon

being diagnosed with ALL and AML during her 31st week of pregnancy, it was time for Victoria Angel to come into the world. “They had to induce me because I needed to start a more aggressive chemotherapy that would harm the baby. So, they had to get her out,” Durante says. “The doctor’s goal was to save mother and child.”

Meanwhile, Durante and her husband Louie Tiano persisted on saving the umbilical cord. Royal Victoria coordinator Louisa Ciofani came through for them. “She arranged with Ste. Justine Hospital to have my umbilical cord stored, free of charge.” Four days after Durante was induced, on Sept. 2, she gave birth to three-and-a-half pound Victoria Angel. “She was so beautiful and petite,” recalls Durante.

Two days after Victoria Angel was born, Durante began “heavyduty” chemo. “It was a very bad month of September,” she says. “I was losing my hair, vomiting, had nausea and fever.”

October wasn’t any easier. Victoria Angel was at the Montreal Children’s Hospital undergoing heart surgery for a heart murmur. “I was bald and green, and I would go see her,” Durante says. “The hardest part of having Leukemia was not being able to be with my child. You have sweet images of motherhood: taking your baby home to their nursery for the first time, breastfeeding in a rocking chair. I had none of that.

She didn’t even know me, and that was the hardest part.”

Durante’s chemotherapy continued into the fall, and as the holidays approached, she wanted nothing more than to be home for Christmas. She got her wish. “On Dec. 22, my fever broke, and my blood counts were up. I got to go home for Christmas.

I was so excited. I put up the tree, I went to the mall and bought gifts for everyone. I even put up lights outside, all by myself.”

Christmas was merry for Durante and her family, and the New Year brought good news. “The doctors called me in January to tell me I was in remission.” But that all changed in February, when Durante had a relapse. Dr. Laneuville had searched the world’s bone marrow banks for a perfect match, but there was none. Durante was facing death for a second time.

“I thought to myself, I can’t die. I have a baby now,” Durante says. Dr. Laneuville and a team of specialists were willing to try a blood transfusion using Victoria Angel’s cord blood. “They told me there was a 25 per cent chance it would work, so it didn’t look good.” Durante says, adding that her daughter’s blood was a half-match. There was the risk her body could reject it. Beyond that, “the problem is that there’s not enough blood. By the time my blood system reproduces, I have no immune system, so I could catch an infection and die.”

In March, Durante underwent 10 days of chemotherapy to get her blood count to zero. On the 11th day, Victoria Angel’s cord blood was infused into Durante’s body. It was now a waiting game – the cord blood would either reproduce an entire system of healthy stem cells, or Durante could die waiting. Staff at the Royal Vic disinfected two rooms for Durante, switching her between the both of them every other day to reduce her exposure to germs.

On April 20, Durante’s 27th birthday, she got a gift. “My blood count was at 0.5.

The nurses told me, ‘Congratulations. Today you can go for a walk in the hall,” Durante recalls. “I remember I used to be ashamed to walk in the hall – everybody’s bald and walking with poles. I didn’t want to face reality. But this time, I was so proud.” Just 48 hours after her stroll in the corridor, Durante got the news of a world-first: her daughter’s cord blood transfusion worked. “I could go home. That’s how fast it was. The cord blood worked.”

Durante spent the next several weeks in and out of the hospital to treat infections, get vaccines and do blood work. Three months later, she was pronounced “cured.”

“Victoria and I have the same blood in our veins,” Durante says. “Miracles do happen, and all of this has taught me that life is very precious. You have to enjoy every moment.”

2006 New Nouveaux Gouverneurs 2006

Davide Scalia & Antonina Salvaggio

The Gov

Nuovi Governatori 2006

Saturday, October 14th, 2006 saw the beginning of a new era for the Fondation Communautaire Canadienne-Italienne.

Il ricavato del 22° Ballo dei Governatori è di $300.000 Le Premier Ministre Jean Charest à la 22e édition du Bal des Gouverneurs 2006 New Governors

Peter Pomponio & Giuliana Cefalono

Josie Sciascia & Joe Magri

Governors

Silvia & Tony Le Donne

Nuovi Governatori 2006

Nouveaux Gouverneurs 2006

Salvatore Ulisse & Vivian Metropoulos

Rosine Izart, Giuseppe & Elina Borsellino, Carmine d’Argenio

Raffaele Papalia & Carmine D’Argenio

Massimo & Lynn Papalia

Prime Minister of Quebec Jean Charest and his wife Michele Dionne

Mirella & Lino Saputo

Domenic Pappadia & Marianna Simeone

Marco Miserendino & Marie Di Genova

Benito Migliorati & Toni Meti

Diana F

vernor’s Ball T

heir 22nd annual Governor’s Ball took place at the Sheraton Laval, and ushered in a new administration made up of President Carmine D’Argenio who

has taken over from Mario Gallela. Vice Presidents Massimo Papalia and Enzo Reda, Secretary Roberto T. De Minico and Directors Maurice Rinaldi and Angela Civitella round out the team. Raffaele Papalia was Chairman of the Ball this year organizing this fantastic event with the Executive Comitee and the help of many including Paolo Catania and Nadia Saputo. The Organization raised $300 000 net this time around which will be re-distributed through various organizations in the community. The theme of the evening was “La Dolce Vita” inspired by the Fellini classic and entertained over 650 people including Prime Minister M. Jean Charest, Italy’s General Consul M. Sergio Monti and of course most of the 245 Governors of the FCCI.

Ferrara, Sam Scalia, Ilias Kaperonis and Anna Colarusso

Mariano De Carolis & his wife

Sergio Monti

U

na nuova pagina nella storia della Fondazione Comunitaria Italo-Canadese ha avuto luogo sabato, 14 ottobre scorso. Il ventiduesimo Ballo dei Governatori si è svolto allo Sheraton di Laval sotto la presidenza del neo-eletto presidente Carmine D’Argesio, (subentrato a Mario Galella ) coadiuvato dal suo nuovo direttivo: i vice- presidenti Massimo Papalia ed Enzo Reda, il segretario Roberto T. De Minico ed i direttori Maurice Rinaldi ed Angela Civitella.

Raffele Papalia ha avuto l’onere di organizzare il ballo di quest’anno con il contributo del comitato esecutivo e l’ausilio di tanti altri tra cui vanno ricordati Paolo Catania e Nadia Saputo. Il ricavato della serata è stato di $300.000 che verranno ridistribuiti a vari organismi della comunità italiana del Quebec.

LA DOLCE VITA,titolo del film di Federico Fellini ed un classico della cinematografia mondiale, è stato il tema scelto della serata alla quale hanno partecipato oltre 650 persone, tra cui il Primo Ministro Jean Charest e consorte ed il Console Generale reggente Dr Sergio Monti. Non potevano mancare, ovviamente, i 245 governatori della Fondazione.

Lyne Richer & Roberto T. De Minico

Louie Reda & Joanne Cardone

U

ne nouvelle page dans l’histoire de la Fondation Communautaire Italo-Canadienne s’est ajoutée samedi, le 14 octobre 2006 lorsque la 22e édition du Bal des Gouverneurs a eu lieu au Sheraton de Laval. Le nouveau président Carmine D’Argesio a pris la relève de M.Mario Galella .Les autres membres du nouveau exécutif de la Fondation sont : Massimo Papalia et Renzo Reda, viceprésidents, Roberto T. De Minico, secrétaire, Maurice Rinaldi et Angela Civitella , directeurs. C’est M. Raffaele Papalia qui a eu la tache de d’organisation du bal avec l’aide du Comité Exécutif et de Paolo Catania et Nadia Saputo.

Les profits de la soirée ont été de $300,000.Ils seront redistribués à différentes organisations communautaires pour soutenir leurs activités. Le thème choisi pour la soirée a été LA DOLCE VITA, titre du film de Federico Fellini et l’un des classiques de la cinématographie mondiale. Plus que 650 personnes y ont participé; parmi elles on a remarqué la présence du Premier Ministre M. Jean Charest accompagné de son épouse, du Consul Général d’Italie ad interim M. Sergio Monti et des 245 gouverneurs de la Fondation.

Nick & Iolanda Di Tempora

Joanne & Maurizio Rinaldi

Jean Marcel De Magistris, Rita De Santis, Luisa Biasutti & Emanuele Triassi

Enzo Reda & Angela Civitella

Rita De Santis & Jean Marcel de Magistris

Johnny & Grace Colonna

Flano & Julie Castelli

Recipes

The

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ricette

r e c e t t e s

The last time we heard, Joe Mercuri and Mario Di Flavio were busy at work. Mario with his magazine and Joe with his restaurant.

As the second issue of Panoramitalia Quarterly and the holiday season approaches, they are both faced with several challenges. Mercuri with the busy holiday rush of the restaurant business and Di Flavio with keeping his calories down so that he could compensate for the extra weight he knows he is going to gain when Christmas and New Year’s come along. (lose weight now-eat more later) This theory may not be enough for Joe or Mario as they found out recently when collaborating on their second effort. When climbing the three flights of stairs to Joe’s loft where they create recipes the two realized that they weren’t as fit as they used to be when they played soccer together years ago. This may have to do with Mario’s insistence on taste-testing every recipe…twice. Needless to say when they got their breath back, they decided that they will be working on the ground floor from now on. This time around, a little luxury, a homey one-pot meal and a decadent dessert are the three recipes that they know will add a touch of refinement, that down- home feeling and perhaps some romance through the holidays and beyond.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mario Di Flavio, Managing Editor Panoramitalia Quarterly.

White trufflerisotto The month of December brings with it a multitude of special things. Gifts and little luxuries that we would not ordinarily indulge in the rest of the year. One such treasure that nature offers is Tartufo Bianco D’Alba also known as White Truffle. In this case choosing risotto as the vehicle to accentuate its potent and distinctive flavour.

2 tablespoons olive oil 4 tablespoons white onion (diced smaller than grains of rice) 1 cup dry white wine

1 cup of risotto rice (preferably Carnaroli) 4 to 4 1/2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable or water brought to a simmer) 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 tablespoons good quality truffle paste salt (sprinkle)

instructions Heat olive oil at medium heat in a deep heavy sauté pan. Stir in onions and cook slowly until softened and translucent (do not brown), then add rice and stir with a wooden spoon, toasting the rice and coating it evenly, at this point add white wine, do not stir rice, once the wine has evaporated, stir rice to prevent sticking and start adding 2 ladles of simmered stock at a time, cooking at all times over a low simmer. Keep repeating until rice reaches “al dente” texture about 17 to 20 minutes, then stir in truffle paste. Remove from heat and add cheese and butter, taste for seasoning. Plate and slice white truffle on the top and serve immediately.

Shortribstew

January comes along and after having eaten to much of everything that is good, bad and sometimes ugly, we yearn for something simple, healthy and easy to prepare. Since January is the time for root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and celery root, why not enjoy them in a medley? What better way to do this than in a meaty, chunky short rib stew, slow-cooked, bubbling on the stove on a cold, white, winter’s eve.

3 pounds boneless short rib, cubed, 1 inch thick, silver skin and fat trimmed (ask your butcher) Canola oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 bottle red wine inch slab Prosciuttino 1 yellow onion diced 16 baby globe carrots (partially cooked) 12 red pearl onions peeled (partially cooked)

2 parsnips peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick (partially cooked) 12 small finger-length potatoes scrubbed & sliced (partially cooked) 2 garlic cloves crushed, skin on 1 bay leaf 4 sprigs Italian parsley, chopped 2 sprigs thyme 12 small button mushrooms, sliced in half 4 cups veal stock

instructions Season meat with salt and black pepper evenly, heat oil in a large pot, add meat in small batches ( not over crowding or meat will boil instead of searing) when meat is browned, remove, drain fat. Wipe pan clean and add onion, sweat until translucent. Put back beef, add garlic, bay leaf, mushrooms and red wine. Reduce by _, add veal stock, thyme and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1hr 15 minutes, add root vegetables and slow cook for further 30 to 45 minutes. Adjust seasoning, finish with parsley and knob of butter.

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Torta

Caprese

There can only be one ingredient that emerges at the forefront of all others in February. With the 14th day of the month beckoning and the excitement of romantic promise in the atmosphere, it fulfills all of our Earthly (and possibly Heavenly) desires.

This Valentine’s day, the dark seductive temptress that we have come to know as Chocolate, will infuse herself into the soft, dense, voluptuous form of a Torta Caprese 225 grams (8oz) unsalted butter (softened) 225 grams (8oz) sugar 4 large eggs (separated)

1/4 pound blanched, sliced almonds (toasted) 1/4 pound blanched, halved hazelnuts (toasted) 225 grams (8oz) bitter chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8 inch deep round pan. Coarsley grind almonds and hazelnuts in food processor them add chocolate, whip the butter and sugar in electric mixer until pale and light (ribbon stage) Add egg yolks one at a time, then the nuts and chocolate mixture. Beat the eggwhites until they form soft peaks (don’t over mix) Fold one quarter into chocolate mixture to loosen then fold mixture in remaining egg whites. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Check by inserting a skewer, should come out clean when done.

The

Holidays feste

f ê t e s

A Christmas Story

By Mario Di Flavio

There are quite a few images, sounds and scents from the past that have never left me. They are forever imprinted in my mind and the holidays make up a big part of them. Christmas and the weeks leading up to it were a combination of several things. Re-verifying my latest report card to make sure my grades (in my case, hoping that the “A’s” and “B’s” I got would overshadow the “D” I received for behaviour) were good enough to merit a really nice present. Once I realized that no matter what, in my mother’s eyes the “D” for behaviour would completely obliterate everything else (Italian mothers want their boys well behaved) things looked grim.

A stunning performance in the school Christmas pageant may possibly earn you points but that’s hard when you’re playing the “third angel from the left”.

I had no choice, be as sweet as I can from now on…

Mario... behaving and pray. With my hope renewed my next step was to consult with the various catalogues: Miracle Mart, Consumer’s distributing, Canadian Tire and Radio Shack. After much deliberation, I would eventually find what I wanted for Christmas. I usually picked out three. One that I had no chance of getting (that “D” is very tough to overcome), a second, which was the one I really liked (but you shoot as high as you can with the first) and a third in case you really mess up before school is over (which can happen).

Then there is the campaigning, you walk around the house with the catalogue and make sure your parents see you with it. You circle the item with a pen, bring it to the supper table, bathtub, bed, etc. I can still see myself in stores with my mom and sister while they shopped, locating the coveted prize, holding it, staring at it through the package or reading everything on the box, imagining what it would be like if it were mine. I would stand there for what seemed like hours, sweating because of my snowsuit or winter jacket and beginning to regret the fooling around at school.

As Christmas approached and after having conducted extensive, strategic searches throughout the house, I started worrying a little. By the 23rd of December, which also happened to be my cousin’s birthday, it was all getting to be too much for me. I sat and watched as my cousin as he opened his birthday presents, and thought “poor bugger doesn’t know he’s gonna get the short end of the stick”, I could hear the relatives now, “Here’s your present, it’s for your birthday and Christmas.” Every kid’s nightmare.

But I had bigger fish to fry, it was now the morning of Christmas Eve, which has always been my favorite. I was allowed to open one little gift, maybe to keep me busy while my mother cooked all day and my father set up the basement with long tables and chairs that would accommodate my mom’s side of the family. Playing underneath the Christmas tree, the smell of food throughout the house and waiting for everyone to show up, that was the best part.

We ate ravioli or lasagna with mini meatballs inside the lasagna! Big meatballs and chunks of tender beef in tomato sauce. Crispelle were deep-fried dough in oil, crisp on the outside, chewy inside. Platters with home made pizza were on every table. Cauliflower, zucchini and celery “fritti” (fritters) which I ate despite my dislike of vegetables only because they were fried. (I’ll eat dirt if it’s deep-

fried). Then we’d have beef, veal and chicken cutlets, roasted rabbit and Baccala which everyone knows by now is salt cod, soaked in water for a day then coated in flour and (you guessed it) deep-fried! My memory of the rest of the meal at this point gets fuzzy as the kids would usually begin to drift away from the table and begin their fun.

By the time we’d had our sweets, like panettone, a big, golden, puffy cake with raisins, torrone (nougat), fruit and walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and “castagne” (chestnuts) which we’d roast in the oven and assorted cakes and cookies, the men were playing cards, the ladies chatting and we (the children) were worked up into a frenzy. I could still see it now from my then 4- foot viewpoint, the tables strewn with “Pisa” soda pop bottles, coffee cups, and platters of fruit. Broken shells from the nuts rolled up into napkins and Italian playing cards being whipped, slammed and thrown about.

“We’re opening the presents, we’re opening the presents!” The sound came to me but it was muffled. I was underneath the coat pile on the bed (where else), but I think I heard right. Coats flew as I threw them off of me in every direction, furs smelling of old lady perfume, ski-jackets, gloves, scarves and hats, all over the place as I struggled to find the edge of the bed. When I did I hit the floor and took off like a light dragging a scarf from my foot. Kids came running out of rooms, closets and bathrooms, pants still down, shirts hanging out, colliding into each other, rosy cheeked, laughing nervously.

I couldn’t see the floor for how many presents there were, every child got a gift from every uncle and aunt and of course from their own parents. As my grandfather watched his 9 little grandchildren screaming, laughing and smiling excitedly as they opened their many brightly wrapped toys and gifts, something he always did and would continue to do through the years, he must have thought how far he and his family had come.

What a night! Wait a minute, there was one present left, a big one behind the tree. Time stood still as I saw my mom watch my dad reaching to pick it up, smiling as he walked over to me and laid it down in front of me. As I tore open the present I thought to myself “I’ll be good all the time from now on, I promise…I’ll be good a lot…most of the time…I’ll try to be good… I’ll…” I couldn’t believe it! My mom and dad had gotten my beloved gift, my castle with knights and dragons and soldiers and horses and secret passage ways and towers… Oh how happy I was.

Time has gone by and things have changed, they’re still great, just different. Some faces are gone, and some new have appeared.

When Christmas comes, I count my blessings now, and am happy just to look across the table into the faces of those I love, and of course… I still try to be good.

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STORIA DI NATALE

histoire de noël

Season

Christmas story

The Spirit of the

By Shauna Hardy

Magic literally seems to hang in the air during the Christmas season. Anticipation and excitement skip happily hand in hand toward days that are defined by warmth, caring, sharing and love. But while we might live in a North American society that is defined more and more by the “gimme gimme’s”, it seems that the true spirit of Christmas is still thriving within the Italian community.

As a young girl growing up in Southern Calabria, Gisella Beccherini remembers special days that were defined by closeness. “With five children in the house, we didn’t have as much money as today, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of being surrounded by family and by love,” she says.

“The gifts weren’t like what you get here,” she continues. “Instead it was special Italian candies that you only received at Christmas and Easter. My parents used to joke with every child, if

seems that the desire to stay true to those values, at least on a secular level, is stronger than ever.

Steven Rosati is the father of two very animated little boys: Anthony is eight-years-old and his brother Massimo is five. Christmas is an incredibly important time in their young lives, but it has little to do with the pretty presents that lie under the tree. Steven and his sisters have made a conscious agreement to contain the number of gifts that are given when they all unite each year.

“It’s a funny thing with kids,” he says with a laugh. “Sometimes they’ll get a bigger kick out of the box than from what is exactly inside it.”

Each year, the family unites at his mother, Franca Venturelli’s house, and his children get to play with their seven other cousins who all fall within a similar age group. This provides the most excitement of all. “The parents tend to go a little crazy with all the noise, but it’s really a good thing,” says Steven.

“With five children in the house, we didn’t have as much money as today, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of being surrounded by family and by love,” you’ve been bad you’ll get a lump of coal, if you’ve been good you will receive candies and oranges.”

When it comes to the Christmas season, Gisella’s warmest memories are of midnight mass and of the mouth-watering meals that followed. Tables were overflowing with traditional dishes including crispelle, lasagna and baccala, a tempting dried salt cod dish.

While she immigrated to Canada as a young girl, Gisella continues to try to pass on her Italian roots to her children. “It is the feeling of togetherness that is most important during the Christmas season,” she reveals. “Family is the most important thing in a home – those values are what you must pass along to your children.” Still, the season is tinged with a certain bitter sweetness. “I wish I still had my parents,” she reveals quietly. “We were always together; we were

Steven’s favourite memories don’t stray too far from what his sons experience each year. As a child, he savoured the delicious lasagna; adored the laughter-filled gatherings of over 20 family members. “My favourite part was staying up until one or two o’clock in the morning, playing sett’ e mezzo with the entire family. People would pass around leftovers, stuffed olives, tangerines and of course the warm, cinnamon-scented ponce.”

Like Gisella, Steven’s voice gets a little softer as he talks about the importance of family, the way that it felt to be all together, late at night in a packed church for midnight mass. “You could just feel the meaning,” he says quietly. While his boys aren’t old enough to sit through the mass, Steven says that he definitely plans upon initiating them to the tradition as soon as they are of a suitable age.

Steven’s mother also tries to teach the boys about past Christmas traditions.

“My mother comes from Verni in the region of de Luca, Tuscany. She tries to explain to my kids why she is serving a certain dish, or the meaning behind a specific ornament. I think she feels a responsibility to pass those traditions on to the next generations, to make sure that they continue.”

Christmas for Steven is built upon fun, happy memories. “That is why we look forward to getting together each year so much. Everybody is so happy together, that becomes the main focus – presents just take a back seat.” Steven Rosati is an extremely lucky man. That happiness that he experienced as a child is something that he still experiences as an adult. The get-togethers are just as big and as loud as years gone by and his family is making a concerted effort to keep it that way. Perhaps that is the biggest legacy that he is leaving his sons – a love of family, a love of wonderful home cooked food, late nights and lots and lots of laughter. That is perhaps the best Christmas present that anyone, young or old, could ever hope for.

Gisella (holding doll) and her family. Christmass a long time ago...

never one without the other. I really miss that feeling now that my parents have passed away.”

But Gisella still finds a way to honour her mother’s memory during the holiday season. “I still do things the way that my mother used to do in Italy. I make her crispelle, her panna de espagne, and panetone. It makes me feel good to continue those traditions, it’s like my mother is still here with us, at the table. I want to pass along her memory to my children, through those traditions.”

While midnight mass is a popular tradition, Father Giuseppe De Rossi, has noticed that numbers have steadily declined. “It’s rare that parishioners just show up for that one special night,” he observes. “People either come every Sunday, or they don’t come at all.”

While religion is an incredibly important element of Christmas, especially the Italian Christmas, Father De Rossi says that people simply do not have time for it anymore – even if they have an interest in practicing. “Our society has become more and more complicated over the years,” he states. “People simply do not have enough time for everything anymore. Unfortunately, as a result, we are losing the ceremonies and our ability to express. That is ultimately what the Church is for, it is a place where we go to express and celebrate those values that we love.”

Perhaps the religious element is becoming increasing faint in modern times, but it

...Gisella (head of table) some years later, holding her own son at Christmas.

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STORIA DI NATALE

Christmas story

Perchè la nascita di Cristo si celebra il 25 dicembre?

Cos’è il presepio? Chi è Babbo Natale? Chi è la Befana?

Natale, dal latino nativitas, si ricollega a tradizioni ormai millenarie legate al solstizio d’inverno. Il solstizio d’inverno ( momento dell’anno in cui il sole raggiunge la sua massima declinazione, ossia quando la lunghezza della notte è maggiore di quella del giorno, si verifica il 21 dicembre).

Gli antichi Romani celebravano il solstizio in onore di Saturno, dio dell’agricoltura, e per chiedergli un buon raccolto. Con l’avvento del Cristianesimo la commemorazione del Natale, il giorno in cui Dio ha preso le spoglie umane per redimerci dal peccato originale e per riaprirci le porte del paradiso, è stata fissata nei primi tre secoli della nostra era prima il 25 aprile, poi il 24 giugno ed ancora il 6 gennaio (cosa che gli ortodossi continuano a fare). Sono stati i padri della Chiesa che nel 336 hanno spostato e fissato la data della nascita di Cristo al 25 dicembre.

Un aspetto della celebrazione tipicamente italiano del Natale, e certamente l’unica autenticamente cristiana, è il presepio o presepe.

Il presepio è stato ideato nel 1233 da San Francesco d’Assisi, che ha celebrato la nascita del Salvatore con figure viventi: la Madonna, San Giuseppe,il bambino Gesù, i re magi, i pastori eccetera. L’idea ha avuto molto successo e si è subito imposta in tutto il mondo cattolico.La celebrazione della natività si è trasformata nel corso dei secoli e nel Sei-Settecento è diventato, soprattutto a Napoli e nei paesi iberici , presepio immobile fatto di statue in legno, pietra e terracotta. Mirabile è il presepio permanente nel museo di Capodimonte a Napoli.

Qui a Montreal i presepi hanno trovato la loro sede naturale nell’Oratorio di San Giuseppe, dove per anni, un italo-montrealese, Salvatore Sama, ha fatto rivivere in modo creativo la nascita di Gesù.

Al giorno d’oggi in Italia, come pure nelle diverse comunità d’origine italiana sparse per il mondo, esiste un presepio, anche se piccolo, in quasi ogni casa ai piedi dell’albero di Natale.

L’albero di Natale sembra essere nato in Egitto, dove aveva all’inizio una forma di piramide in legno.Si trattava di un simbolo propiziatorio di benessere. Nel 1500 è stato l’ex monaco tedesco Martin Lutero ad introdurre l’abete come simbolo natalizio. I suoi seguaci protestanti hanno poi cominciato a metterci sopra le candeline,simboli di luce e di fede.

Babbo Natale, tanto comune nei paesi nordici, ha come punto di riferimento un personaggio vero, San Niccolò o San Nicola di Bari. La festa di San Nicola ricorre, ad onor del vero, il 6 dicembre, ma poi le celebrazioni di San Nicola e Natale si sono fuse ed oggi sono celebrate allo stesso tempo. Dall’originale Anatolia, il vescovo Nicola è stato adottato in Italia nel Medioevo e dall’Italia la sua figura è passata in Francia,in Germania, in Olanda, nei paesi scandinavi e da lì è arrivata in America Settentrionale, dove ha assunto definitivamente il nome di Santa Klaus e l’aspetto dell’odierno Babbo Natale, un vecchio gioviale vestito di rosso, dalla barba lunga e bianca che abita nel Polo Nord e va in giro portando regali ai bambini sulla sua slitta trainata dalle renne.

Un’altra festa che si ricollega alle celebrazioni natalizie è l’Epifania,che ricorre il 6 gennaio .Con i tre Re Magi arriva, per i bambini italiani, anche la Befana, una vecchia brutta,sdentata e con il naso adunco, vestita di nero, che va in giro volnado su una scopa e che mette nelle calze appese al camino, doni e regali per i bambini bravi e carboni per quelli cattivi.

Filippo SALVATORE

Edith Provost Chansons pimentées pour

cuisine al dente!

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hen Edith Provost first elaborated the concept for the Cooking cd series little did she know that her venture would translate into 25, 000 sold copies. On October 3rd Ms. Provost decided to honor Italy and launched Cooking 3 – Chansons pimentées pour cuisine al dente! The third cd in the series album is a discovery of the wonders of Italy. The CD, which contains a handbook with a dozen recipes and wine selection, also offers a remarkable compilation of Italian music and cooking secrets from Quebec’s most renowned chefs. Ms. Provost showed great enthusiasm for the final result.

“I’ve always loved Italy, from the food to the music and the culture. I wanted to share this admiration for the third edition and it’s come out even better than we could have imagined.”

Amateurs will easily be inspired by the voices of singers like Marco Calliari, Vincenzo Thoma, Giorgio Conte and Gianmaria Testa – among many others – as they concoct exquisite Italian cuisine from the comfort of their home. From the entrée to the espresso, Cooking 3 is a worthy guide. Producer Larry Mancini was certainly ecstatic about presenting what he deems “a fine tribute to our culture”.

“We are proud to present with a compilation of Italian music to the Quebec market.

This is a great opportunity to discover our heritage and why we are so greatly proud of it.”

The CD is now available in stores under the label Divine Musique, distributed by SÉLECT.

2 1. Roberto Stabile, Chef du restaurant Primo e Secondo 2. Vincent Martineau et Édith

Le Gourmet Hot & Spicy

Provost 3. De gauche à droite: Vincenzo

FINE CUISINE ORIENTALE • FINE ORIENTAL CUISINE

Thoma,

Larry

Mancini, Marco Luciani Castiglia, Marco Calliari

• Plus de 80 mets à volonté alléchants

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fraîchement préparés • Vaste sélection de fruits de mer • Atmosphère musicale exceptionnelle • Un chef de renommée mondiale • P l u s d e 1 0 0 v i ns populaire s du chef Roberto Stabile du restaurant Primo & Secondo à Montréal (Petite Italie) Ingrédients pour 4 entrées ou 2 plats principaux

Découvrez la LIVRAISON ET RÉSERVATIONS • DELIVERY & RESERVATIONS Le Faubourg • Ste-Catherine O. I 1616, rue Ste-Catherine O. Montréal T 514.937.6000 T 514.731.1818 Décarie • Jean-Talon I 7373, boul. Décarie Montréal T 450.973.1818 Laval • Chomedey I 1955, boul. St-Martin Ouest, Laval T 450.656.1818 Brossard • Longueuil I 5605, boul. Taschereau Brossard

- 680 ml de bouillon de cèpes (à défaut, utiliser du bouillon de poulet ou de légumes) - 80 gr de beurre à la température de a pièce (en réserver 30 gr pour la finition)

- un demi-oignon haché finement - 60 gr de cèpes coupés en dés - 120 gr de riz Carnaroli - 15 gr de parmesan râpé - 10 ml d'huile de truffe blanche

Dans une casserole, porter le bouillon à ébullition. Dans une sauteuse, faire fondre 50 gr de beurre. Faire sauter les oignons à température moyenne de 2 à 3 minutes. Ajouter les cèpes et faire sauter encore 2 minutes. Incorporer le riz et le faire sauter de 2 à 3 minutes en brassant constamment. Verser une cuillerée de bouillon sur le riz et mélanger doucement jusqu'à ce qu'il soit absorbé. Répéter la dernière opération jusqu'à ce que le riz soit tendre et crémeux (environ 25 minutes). Retirer du feu et ajouter le reste du beurre, le fromage parmesan et l'huile de truffe.

Bien mélanger et servir.

Vin suggéré en accord-met, tel que mentionné dans le CD Cooking 3 : Vin rouge, Brunello di Montalcino, San Felice, Toscane

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Events

PA N O R A M I TA L I A Terry Fox Quarterly Magazine Launch

On October 3rd, PanoramItalia celebrated months of assiduous work during the official launch of our new quarterly at BMW Laval. The evening not only commemorated fruitful collaborations between PanoramItalia and its business partners, but also paid tribute to on-going friendships.

“Tony is a personal friend of mine and it gives me great pleasure to take part in celebrating the success of a magazine that fosters such an inspiring sense of community. BMW is proud to be associated with PanoramItalia,” said BMW Laval president Carmine D’Argenio. Publisher Tony Zara, who deemed past issues collectables, expressed his desire to make PanoramItalia a household brand when it comes to coverage of the Italian community. “We’re celebrating the community and the new generation who’s coming out. The yearly Panoram has gained instant credibility and benefits from a fine reputation. Our Quarterly will hopefully expand on it.”

The successful evening featured an exhibit of Lancaster watches, delicious food by L’Unique Restaurant and exciting prizes. “We’ve always had an admiration for a fine magazine like Panoram. It has helped increase the popularity of Lancaster and given us great exposure. We hope to bring the brand to the next level with PanoramItalia,” said Lancaster president Carlo Scalzo.

Mario Di Flavio, managing editor of Panoramitalia quarterly eagerly anticipated the release of the first issue. “The response thus far, has been extremely positive. From the

By Aicha Cissé

On September 17, thousands of people gathered around the Globe to take part in the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, The tradition was very much alive in St-Leonard as dozens of runners paid their own tribute to the late athlete at Parc Delorme. What began as a small run four years ago quickly gained popularity and soon, people of all ages gathered to run for cancer research. The event, a great family activity for many participants, raised over 5500$ for the Terry Fox Foundation.

“I would like to thank all of the sponsors for their contribution, as well as the amazing volunteers who have helped make this day a success. On behalf of the committee and the Terry Fox Foundation, I would also like to thank all the participants in the 2006 Saint Leonard Terry Fox Run. You have all contributed to Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope.

“Because of all your hard work, contributions, and dedication to the cause we will, one day, find a cure for cancer,” said main organizer Dr. Sabrina Polletta whose father, Ugo Polletta, single-handedly raised an outstanding 2600$ for the St-Leonard run.

“Grazie a tutti quelli che hanno partecipato alla Giornata Terry Fox. È stata una bellissima giornata!

Con il vostro aiuto e appoggio, puo darsi un giorno troveremo la cura per il cancro. Speriamo che ci vediamo l'anno prossimo!” added Sabrina.

design and look of the magazine to the style of the articles and stories, people (and not only Italians) seem to be taking a very keen interest in Panoramitalia Quarterly. I take great pride in what we (publisher, editors, writers and design team) have accomplished and look forward to perfecting our work with each issue. I therefore wish to congratulate our staff, particularly our young writers, who, through their talent, hard work and utmost professionalism have achieved something that they and the entire community should be proud of. Grazie ragazzi!”

S U B S C R I B E T O O U R Y E A R LY E D I T I O N

5 1 4 . 3 3 7 . 7 8 7 0 www.panoramitalia.com Back row: Gabriel Riel-Salvatore, Filippo Salvatore, Joey Franco, Flano Castelli Front row: Tony Zara, Geraldo Pace, Stéphanie Lanza, Aicha Cissé, Julie Siciliano, Mario Di Flavio

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by Aicha Cissé

Dustin Ciarla

By Giuseppe Valiante

Whether it’s managing a million dollar portfolio, debating Harvard students or defending a title in Karate, to Finance graduate Dustin Ciarla, it’s all about one thing, the art of communication.“If you can’t communicate there is no point in how much you know, because no one will ever know and they can’t take part in what you’ve learned,” he said.

The son of a German mother and an Italian father graduated in 2006 from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business with distinction. An honour bestowed upon him for his 3.45 G.P.A. and numerous extracurricular activities that include memberships on the Finance and Investment Student Association (FISA); president of the JMSB Debate Club; and the John Molson Competition Committee (JMCC).

His Norshield scholarship for excellence in finance compliments his time being a member of the Concordia University Kenneth Woods portfolio management profile where he and six other students managed an investment portfolio worth over 1 million dollars. His communication skills were refined with his participation in the Commerce Games, a competition where universities across the country get together and compete in commerce-based disciplines. In 2004 Ciarla won the bronze medal in the strategy case competition, where he was one of the youngest participants. He has also finished high in other Commerce Games and the debating nationals at Carleton University. The 23-year old has also helped organize debate trips to Harvard, Queens, MIT and Sherbrooke.

“You always have that guy in the corner who could do math at lightning speed. But when it came to a social setting, or even business setting, they fall short because they can’t express or voice themselves,” His debating experience, he said, has taught him imperative qualities such as choosing to voice his opinion and asserting himself. “You always have that guy in the corner who could do math at lightning speed. But when it came to a social setting, or even business setting, they fall short because they can’t express or voice themselves,” Ciarla said, determined not to be one of those students. He attributes this confident attitude partly to his teachers at university who pushed him. One of these teachers was Ciarla’s Marketing prof, who he said really motivated him to set realistic goals and aggressively pursue them.

Ciarla’s set goals have led him to the other corner of the world. He’s been to Japan twice. The first time was a two-week stint for a Karate competition, (he has a black belt) and the second for an exchange through JMSB. “It’s different and refreshing,” Ciarla said about Japan. He explained that the biggest difference between there and Canada is “the level of politeness and unity. You go out there and everything is picture perfect about how people treat one another.” But the mentality in Japan of what Ciarla calls “work work work work” is not a notion that he necessarily adheres to.

He said it’s very important to relax, take a break from work and make sure that there is enough time in the day to do what he enjoys. Activities such as producing music, playing soccer and snowboarding help him to escape from his studies and plans for the future, which at the moment are uncertain.

He is presently deciding whether he will go and learn Mandarin in China, or teach English and travel in Japan. Whatever the decision, he is hoping to come back in one year and study law at McGill University but admits it still might not be what he wants to do for the rest of his life. He said he was interested in setting up a private practice, get into politics, or possibly working for non-governmental organizations. But for the moment, he has decided to stick with law–maybe. “As I feel there are so many opportunities I could pursue, law seems to be the best outlet to satiate my intellectual curiosities,” he said.

Solstizio The bad weather may have delayed the show, but it didn’t stop the 6th edition of Soltstizio from turning a rainy Sunday afternoon into a memorable folkloric soiree. The College Jean-deBrebeuf housed the festival which featured over 100 young Italians, Polish and French-Canadian performers.

“An event like Solstizio is a chance to showcase our love and appreciation of folklore. These young performers are proud of their roots and culture and what better way to express this than by dancing and singing folklore?” said coorganizer Helena Piccirilli.

The show was divided in two parts and presented an incredible array of dancing and singing ranging from Italian folklore songs (La Crijanza di San Giovanni in Galdo) to Polish dancing (Ensemble Folklorique Tecza). Performers of all ages sported traditional clothing to commemorate the wealth of their heritage. Le Spighe di Ielsi, a group of children, received much praise as they performed folkloric Italian dances under the gaze of proud parents. Les Pieds Legers de Laval also impressed many by carrying out intricate dance routines to the cheering crowd.

Amidst the smiling faces in the crowd, we could find that of Lafontaine deputy Tony Tomassi – one of the major contributors to the event.

‘It was beautiful. I was amazed by the children. This event is a celebration of our origins and it’s great to see young people embrace it. We’re also celebrating our multiculturalism.”

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Breast Cancer

C I B PA Golf Tournament

By Aicha Cisse

Donation

By Joey Franco

Wednesday, October 4, 2006 A charity cocktail was held at the Governor’s Hall at the Leonardo Da Vinci Center, where members of the ItalianCanadian Community Foundation welcomed the board of directors of the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. White wine and shrimp cocktails were not the motive for the get-together, a $55,000 cheque was the real raison d'être for the gathering.

On June 5th, the Italian-Canadian Community Foundation held their 19th annual golf tournament at the StRaphael golf club. The ICCF raised over $220,000 during the golf tournament alone. The board of Trustees of the ICCF decided to donate a quarter of the proceeds to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Italian-Canadian Foundation of Quebec has always strived to rally the Italian spirit in a philanthropically inclined manner. For over 29 years, the foundation has been raising funds and generously redistributing the money raised to non-profit organizations. Millions of dollars have been raised since the birth of the ICCF. Manon Durocher, Executive Director of the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation, was delighted to accept the donation on behalf of the QBCF. The QBCF is committed to funding breast cancer research as well as promoting education and awareness for breast cancer. The slogan of the QBCF is; believe, fight, win.

France Margaret Bélanger, vice chairman of the board of directors for the QBCF said “this $55,000 donation is the single largest amount that has been donated to the foundation at once”.

Research is the only means possible in finding a cure for breast cancer. This donation on behalf of the ICCF was made in hope of finding a cure for this disease.

The 2006 edition of the CIBPA Golf Tournament exemplified a remarkable take-over by the younger generation. Ex-president Tony Loffreda handed over the torch to young entrepreneurs Michael Palermo and Alessandro Sangiovanni who organized yet another successful event at a different venue: the Challenger Golf Club. Aside from serving as a fundraising vehicle, the tournament allowed many of the members to re-kindle with old acquaintances while networking with potential business partners and above all, to enjoy themselves.

“We made sure we went big on this one and that all our sponsors received recognition. We’re slowly building ourselves to a higher level,” noted tournament organizer and Royal Bank Business accounts Director Michael Palermo.

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Tony Loffreda and Michael Palermo

Giancarlo Biferali, Rocco Caruso and Giovanni Chieffallo

CIBPA Montreal president Rocco Caruso saw this tournament as a way to introduce the association to potential members and to appeal to the youth. The organization aims at increasing the number of members by another 10% within the next year.

“Our main appeal resides in the fact that we promote networking and we have an amazing bursary program for young students since 1961. Our bursary program has served as a template for other cultural associations namely the Lebanese. A day like this is an occasion to renew friendships and encourage social interactions,” explained Caruso.

He also stressed the importance of this year’s appeal to the youth whom he deems the ‘new blood’ of CIBPA. Board member Lilly Renda envisioned the growth of CIBPA with the involvement of more women.

“There are 10-15% women in the association. We want to break the stereotypes and show women how much they can contribute to CIBPA. It’ll give the organization more visibility and it will have a bigger impact.”

Leonardo Ciarla, Director of Fundraising and development at Accesss (The Alliance of cultural communities for equality in the health and social services) and also member of CIBPA on the organizing committee for this year’s tournament says that in the meantime, CIPBA is well on its way to attracting more members and maintain the existing members’ contribution by investing so much in not only the Italian community but also in the business and professional community in Québec.

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Light the night

By Aicha Cisse

On September 22nd, hundreds of participants ‘lit the night’ with illuminated red and white balloons for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening Walk aimed at raising awareness to blood cancers. Walkers of all ages gathered at Jean Drapeau Park for the fundraiser sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, a pharmaceutical firm devoted to the development and commercialization of new molecules to fight cancer. The event featured delicious food (pogo sticks, moon paper, tiramisu, etc.) along with music and entertainment for all (clowns, raffles).

with insight into the devastating effects of blood cancer and inspires them."said Rudy Putns, President and CEO of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

The importance of cancer research was particularly highlighted when leukemia survivor Patricia Durante took the stage to share her miraculous story. After being diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia during her first pregnancy at age 26, she underwent intensive chemotherapy which failed to eradicate the disease. She was later cured by an experiment with frozen stem cells from her then-born baby’s preserved umbilical cord. The woman held a mes-

“It costs 1 million dollars to develop cancer drugs. Every dollar is important and you all make a difference here tonight,” declared Jean-Paul Bedard from Bristol-Myers Squibb. The annual walk, which was being held in Montreal for the first time, usually takes place in 240 venues in North America.

“We have been particularly impressed by the exemplary dedication of the employees involved in our fund-raising campaigns for this walk. I suppose their work provides them

sage of hope as she presented “the miracle that saved her life”: her daughter Victoria Angel.

Together, participants silently marched down the alleys of Park Jean Drapeau holding white balloons for cancer victims and red ones for the people supporting them “for a future without blood cancer.” The 45-minute walk included a minute of silence for cancer victims and raised over142, 000 $.

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Bocce Final at the L’Acadie Bocciodromo

Stephane, Marco, Lena, Phil

The L’Acadie Bocciodromo was the venue for the 5th annual CFMB bocce tournament. The tournament began on Tuesday September 5th and travelled to 14 parks and bocciodromos across the island of Montreal. Men and women, young and old, experienced and not so experienced players, all took part in the tournament. The finals ran from 9:00am to noon and was broadcast live on CFMB 1280am by Nick De Vincenzo and Silvana Di Flavio.

The tournament was organized by Nick and Silvana from CFMB along with Cecilia Fazioli and Gino Canuto. The first edition of the tournament had only 70 players, over the years the tournament grew in size and popularity. The 2006 edition of the tournament attracted over 360 players stated Gino Canuto, “it’s a record for us, our biggest tournament yet”, said the enthusiastic organizer.

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By Joey Franco

Silvana, Cecilia, Gino, Nick

Cecilia Fazioli was keen about the human aspect of the tournament, “It brings together the Italians, it’s not only about playing, it’s about being together as a community.

We have a woman who is 78 years old, she never played a tournament and this year she’s playing for first place, for me it’s the highlight of the tournament” said Fazioli.

Marco, Lena, Stephane, and Phil finished second in the youth category. Stephane was delighted from his team’s performance, “we’ll be back next year, hopefully there’s going to be more competition for us” jokingly stated the vice champion of the youth category. “It was a good experience, it’s my first time playing and second place isn’t bad” said Phil.

Trophies and medals were awarded to the winners and runners-up. Congratulations to all the winners and participants.

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avis légal

Legal Advice par Roberto T. De Minico

SURVOL DES SUJETS ABORDÉS LORS D’UN DIVORCE Dans notre société, les litiges familiaux sont de plus en plus nombreux et affectent les couples mais aussi tous les membres de la famille. Lorsque les problèmes conjugaux ne sont plus surmontables, plusieurs optent pour un divorce. Dans cette optique, nous survolerons, divers aspects de tels litiges sans toutefois entrer en détails dans leurs technicalités juridiques.

Les biens des parties Tous les couples mariés sont soumis à l’application des règles du patrimoine familial. La seule exception est les couples déjà mariés lors de l’entrée en vigueur de ces règles qui avaient, jusqu’au 31 décembre 1990, la possibilité de s’y soustraire par une convention d’exclusion signée devant un notaire Les biens qui composent le patrimoine familial sont la résidence familiale et les résidences secondaires qui servent à la famille, les meubles qui garnissent ces résidences et qui servent à l’usage du ménage, les véhicules automobiles qui sont utilisés pour les déplacements de la famille, les droits accumulés durant le mariage à titre de régime de retraite ainsi que les gains inscrits au nom de chacune des parties en application de la Loi sur le régime des rentes du Québec.

Il est toutefois important de noter que ne sont pas inclus dans le patrimoine familial, les biens qui sont devenus la propriété d’une des parties par succession et/ou donation avant ou pendant le mariage.

Lorsqu’il y a partage des biens faisant partie du patrimoine familial et sauf entente à l’amiable entre les parties, ce ne sont pas les biens physiques qui sont partagés mais bien la valeur de ces biens. En effet, c’est la valeur de ces biens, à laquelle sont déduites les dettes qui ont été contractées pour l’acquisition, l’amélioration, l’entretien ou la conservation de ces biens, qui est, en règle générale, partagée à part égales entre les parties.

Lors du divorce, il y aura également dissolution du régime matrimonial et le partage des biens qui en font partie. Le régime matrimonial « par défaut » au Québec est le régime de la société d’acquêts, à moins d’opter, par contrat de mariage passé devant un notaire, pour un autre régime matrimonial tel que la séparation de biens.

Les enfants Lors d’un litige matrimonial, les parties devront également aborder la question de la garde des enfants et de la pension alimentaire pour ces derniers.

La décision de confier la garde des enfants à l’une ou l’autre des parties ou d’attribuer aux parties la garde partagée des enfants devra être prise dans l’optique du meilleur intérêt des enfants.

Dans l’éventualité où une garde exclusive était accordée à l’une des parties, les relations parent-enfant avec l’autre partie devront être favorisées et des droits d’accès seront accordés au parent non gardien de la manière la plus élargie possible.

Afin de subvenir aux besoins des enfants, une pension alimentaire sera également accordée en tenant compte des revenus des deux (2) parents, le tout selon des barèmes fixes établis par les autorités gouvernementales.

Autres Parmi les autres sujets qui seront touchés dans le cadre d’un divorce, notons également l’attribution d’une pension alimentaire entre conjoints et d’une prestation compensatoire afin de pallier à l’apport fait par un conjoint au patrimoine de l’autre.

Dans le cas d’un litige contesté lors desquels un déséquilibre existe quant à la situation financière de chacune des parties, notons que la partie plus faible financièrement aura également la possibilité de demander à la Cour, l’octroi d’une provision pour frais afin de lui permettre d’acquitter à tout le moins, une partie des honoraires de son avocat.

Cette option s’avère souvent nécessaire afin de s’assurer et de veiller au respect des droits et des intérêts tant de la partie qui la demande que des enfants.

Tous les litiges matrimoniaux ne sont pas contestés et ne se terminent pas en guerre entre les parties, bien au contraire. D’ailleurs, il en va de l’intérêt des enfants que les parents puissent s’entendre. Plusieurs jugements de divorce sont obtenus suite à une entente entre les parties est entérinée par la Cour et des services de médiation et des séminaires existent afin de favoriser les règlements des conflits et des relations plus harmonieuses entre anciens conjoints.

Events

By Aicha Cissé

& Breast Cancer On September 16th, Ferraris proved to be yet again amazing vehicles, this time as fundraisers for a worthy cause. Luigi Della Grotta, original Ferrari distributor in Canada, contributed to the CIBC Run for the Cure by offering rides in his what he deems ‘the epitome in finest cars’ in order to raise money for breast cancer.

Organizer Lina Kumar saw this first association with the Ferrari Club as “a dream come true for everyone.”

“We got raffles, a bake sale and the fact that we got Ferraris this year truly gave us more visibility. They’re exclusive cars and it’s a generous gesture from the club to have teamed up with the CIBC this year.” added Kumar.

The event proved to be quite successful as tons of people rushed to the parking lot of the Fairview Pointe Claire shopping mall to admire the impressive display of Ferraris. Race cars aficionados had the choice between 31 vehicles – 26 were labeled with different sponsors – with rides starting at 50$. 94.7 Hits FM Radio provided music from an on-site booth and encouraged people to participate in the fundraiser.

“This is a chance to ride a Luigi Ferrari,” said Luigi Club Ferrari VP Marc Belcourt before emphasizing how Luigi Della Grotta is known “only selling his cars to those he finds worthy.”

“Breast Cancer is very close to everyone’s heart. We’re combining people’s love of nice cars with an important issue like cancer research. We’ll probably do it again next year,” added Marc Belcourt.

ANTONIO ABRUZZESE Avocat/Attorney

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Tél.: 514.257.7090

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AVVENIMENTI

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AVVENIMENTI

événements

Events

Vilallonga Exhibit Supports Children with Intellectual Disabilities On October 11th, the Parisian Laundry housed a major exhibit on behalf of children and adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities. Entitled “For Those Who Cannot Speak”, the event showcased surrealist legend Vilallonga who exhibited 72 of his masterpieces for sale for the first time. McGill University Dean of Medicine Dr. Fuchs was Master of ceremony and Prime Minister Jean Charest was guest of honour at the event which served as a fundraiser for the Miriam foundation - a volunteer membership organization committed to improving the quality of life for families challenged by mental illnesses. The exhibit was certainly a success as it attracted over 600 people who rushed to the Parisian Laundry to admire the exclusive paintings.

500,000$ was raised with the sale of 57 paintings. It’s just a matter of time before the other chef-d’oeuvres are sold.

Hosts Salvatore Guerrera and Diane Proulx Guerrera were extremely pleased with the record attendance and great response shown to a cause they hold close to their hearts – their daughter Vanessa was diagnosed with autism 24 years ago.

“We’re very happy that so many people came. This exhibit is an investment and a contribution to help others. My wife and I are grateful with the support we had to care for our daughter, but that’s not the case for many families dealing with intellectual disabilities. We must continue to support them and the Miriam Foundation is a great benefactor for those families,” noted Mr. Guerrera.

“In her book, Hillary Clinton says that it takes a village to raise a child; this statement takes a harsh meaning when it comes to the realities of caring for a disabled child,” said Mrs. Guerrera.

Indeed, the exhibit gave a voice to “Those Who Cannot Speak” on that evening.

Le 11 Octobre dernier, le Parisian laundry était l’hôte d’une grande exposition au profit des enfants et adultes atteints de déficiences intellectuelles. Mettant en vedette le célèbre peintre Vilallonga, l’événement intitulé « Pour ceux qui ne peuvent s’exprimer » était une opportunité d’acheter 72 de ces chef-d’œuvres inédits. Parmi les invités, on comptait Dr. Fuchs, doyen de la faculté de médecine de l’université Mcgill qui agissait à titre de maître de cérémonie et l’invité d’honneur: le Premier ministre Jean Charest.

L’exposition était aussi une levée de fonds pour la fondation Miriam, une organisation à but non lucratif visant à accroître la socialisation des personnes souffrant de déficiences intellectuelles et faciliter leur intégration dans la communauté. La soirée s’est avérée un franc succès, attirant une foule record de plus de 600 personnes.

57 toiles ont trouvé acheteur, ce qui a permis de ramasser des fonds de plus de 500, 000$! Ce n’est plus qu’une question de temps avant que les autres œuvres d’art ne s’envolent.

Québec, 2004, acrylique sur toile Pour les organisateurs Salvatore Guerrera et Diane Proulx Guerrera, ces chiffres records sont une manifestation d’un intérêt grandissant pour une cause qui leur tient bien a cœur puisque leur fille Vanessa vit avec l’autisme depuis 24 ans. « Nous sommes très heureux que tant de gens soient venus. Cette exposition est à la fois un investissement et une contribution sociale. Ma femme et moi sommes extrêmement reconnaissants du support que nous avons reçu de nos proches pour prendre soin de notre Vanessa. Ce n’est malheureusement pas le cas pour plusieurs familles qui se trouvent seules face à ce défi. Nous devons les supporter et la fondation Miriam aide à les soutenir. » mentionna Mr. Guerrera. « Dans son livre, la sénatrice Hillary Clinton nous rappelle que ça prend tout un village pour élever un enfant. La dure réalité des familles qui s’occupent de personnes handicapées va au-delà de ces paroles. » déclara Mme Guerrera.

Certes, « Ceux qui ne peuvent pas s’exprimer » ont trouvés une voix lors de cette exposition.

par Aicha Cissé

Photos: Pascal Germano

Vilallonga

Parisian Laundry

From left : Jonathan Guerrera, Vilallonga, Diane Proulx-Guerrera, Vanessa Guerrera, Salvatore Guerrera

P.M. Jean Charest, Dr. Fuchs, Nick Tedeschi

I NEONATI DELL'ANNO 2006 L'INIZIO DI UNA TRADIZIONE

ECCO I VOLTI DELLA NOSTRA NUOVA GENERAZIONE. Les bébés de l'année 2006 • commencement d'une tradition.

Voici les visages de notre nouvelle géneration.

Babies of 2006 • The beginning of a tradition.

They are our future generation.

Le foto, corredate di nome e cognome dei bambini e dei genitori, e data di nascita vanno inviate all'indirizzo della redazione di Panoramitalia. Saranno pubblicate gratis nell'edizione primaverile.

Envoyez les photos des bébés avec le nom et le prénom de l'enfant et des parents et date de naissance à l'adresse de la revue Panoramitalia. Elles paraîtront sans aucune charge dans l'édition du printemps.

Send us your baby’s picture along with his/her name and the name of the parents and date of birth and we will publish it free of charge in our spring 2007 edition.

Ida Bambino June 21/06 Proud Parents Mr. & Mrs. Family

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Who ever said dressing up for the winter had to be annoying? Well it doesn’t have to be anymore. Here are five trends for you ladies, and you gentlemen, making you wish winter would last a little longer (okay maybe not, but you’ll love dressing up anyway!).

By Laura Casella

Dress-up

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1. Tie it in a Bow This holiday season, bows are not only for presents. A sweater or blouse trimmed with a satin bow below the waistline or under the bustline, or even around a low ponytail will put the perfect touch to any holiday look.

2. Lady in Red Spice up this season’s fashion scheme of blacks, whites, and grays with something red. A red belt is your best bet to update the look of any outfit. Want more glamour? A pair of red high-heeled shoes will liven up even the plainest black dress.

2. Eggplant is good for you Purples are very, very in. From pullovers to sweaters, royal purples and eggplants rule. If you’re not fond of the color but want to stay up to date, opt for a deep blue color instead, or light lavender if you want to make a statement.

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(Left: Hilary Radley, red peep toe shoe, courtesy of Chaussures Rubino)

3. Furry Feet Making your feet freeze in the winter is not cool.

Keeping them snuggled tight in a warm pair of furry boots is. Ahhhhh….

1. Buckle up A thin, leather belt is a must-have accessory this season. Added to your jeans or pants, a belt will dress up any look. Get a red one if you really want to stand out.

3. Goodbye Baggy Those days of loose-fitting jeans are over. Jeans are getting slimmer and slimmer, especially around the ankles. The new looks of the season are straight leg and tapered leg. Go with dark denim for a great, classic look.

4. Neck Warmer Keep your neck warm this winter with a thick, knitted scarf in a trendy color. If you want to skip the fuss of arranging a scarf, try a turtleneck to stay current and classy.

5. Get the Boot Ankle boots in darker, earthier colors are in-try a pair in brown leather with a slim shape and laces to keep the look dressy and professional.

Choose suede for a more casual look.

4. Check Me Keep your body warm under a belted, checkered plaid coat this winter. Black and white, gray, or off-white schemes match with everything.

By Laura Casella

Winter Itch

5. Love for Gloves Longer gloves that reach just below the elbow are making big news this season.

Knitted for the day, and leather for night, your hands have never looked so good.

With cold temperatures outside, and warm heating inside, our face will most likely become dried out and flaky during the long winter months. Want to know how to keep your skin feeling soft? The answer is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Here are my picks to staying smooth all winter long. try Aquasource Non Stop by Biotherm.

The equivalent to 5,000 liters of spa water, you will feel instantly refreshed, and smooth. Made to provide you with 24 hours of hydration so you won’t need to reapply throughout the day. ($41-50ml)

spread some Aquapower by Biotherm Homme.

As soon as it is applied, your skin will feel fresh and smooth for hours. Use it every morning on a cleansed face, and also after shaving to soothe and moisturize the skin. ($29.50-75ml)

*Bonus Tip: The place that will become most dry this winter? Your lips. Licking them will not moisturize them. What’s a simple lip trick the whole family can use without spending tons of money on lip balms? Moisturize them with Vaseline.

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Rush

Holiday

By Laura Casella

With so many things to do, presents to buy, food to prepare, and kids to run after, you rarely have any time for yourself during the holidays, let alone the time to dress. Here is some advice to help keep time spent in front of the closet to a minimum.

So it’s the night of your office Christmas party and you don’t know what to wear. For starters you don’t want to go too dressy, but still want to look sexy and elegant. My advice would be to go with a simple knee-length skirt, high boots, and a fitted sweater or blouse. Or if you’re not in the mood for a skirt, your favorite pair of black pants topped with a silk camisole will do the trick. If you have to wear a suit even outside the office, make sure it’s velvet, which makes it festive and chic.

It’s now Christmas morning and you’re receiving the in-laws along with your parents, and other family for lunch. In the midst of all the preparation and cooking, you have two excited kids in the house. So what can you wear that is comfortable, yet puts you in the holiday spirit? My advice is to wear a full, bell-shaped skirt, which is comfortable yet feminine. It doesn’t hug tight around your body, which will allow you to run after the kids, and eat all you want without feeling bloated. Wear it with an off the shoulder sweater, or if you’re too hot, a simple three-quarter top will do. Add a necklace or earrings for a final touch and voilà…you’re ready for the festivities to begin!

Merry Christmas!

Brrrr... A little extra care

Just like your wardrobe will undergo some changes during the winter season, so should your hair care routine. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind.

1.Protect your hair from those strong winds by using a deep conditioner such as, Pantene’s Pro-V Repair & Protect Winter Rescue, every week.

2. Keep your use of heat-styling products to a minimum. Straightening and curling irons can cause further breakage and dryness to the hair. Opt instead for a fresh bun, or classic ponytail a couple of days a week.

3. Shower in cold water. Although, it may be tempting to take a long, hot shower, the heat can dry out your hair even more. Try to keep water at lukewarm temperature, and rinse out your shampoo and conditioner with cold water to retain moisture.

4. Don’t step out with wet hair! Damp hair can actually freeze, and break in cold weather. So those last minute morning showers are over, especially if you have long hair.

5. Get your hair trimmed more often. Dryness usually starts at the ends, so keep those trips to the salon more frequent.

Enjoy!

Italmoda Inc. 6873 rue St-Hubert, Montréal (Qc) H2S 2M7 T.: 514.276.1360

By Laura Casella

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Artee Cinema

NOVITÀ

nouveautés NewReleases Filippo Salvatore

IL MERCANTE DI PIETRE (THE STONE MERCHANT) 2006, Renzo Martinelli

Il milanese Renzo Martinelli è un regista scomodo, perché affronta argomenti controversi (la resistenza smitizzata in Porzus (1997), le colpe e responsabilità della catastrofe e dell’alluvione in Vajont(2001).Nel suo ultimo film, Il Mercante di Pietre “lancia un pressante richiamo all’Europa affinchè recuperi e ribadisca la propria identità cristiana”. Il film insegue Al Qaeda in Somalia,in Turchia, in Francia, in Inghilterra ed anche in Italia. E ribadisce che nessun paese occidentale può considerarsi al riparo di atti di terrorismo da parte dei wahabiti, dei fondamentalisti islamici..

Un cristiano convertito all’Islam (Harvey Keitel) è un mercante di pietre preziose che pratica il terrorismo in nome di Allah seguendo la strategia della colomba.

Individua una donna, la seduce e se ne serve come strumento inconsapevole di distruzione, di violenza.

Jane March incarna la moglie di un professore d’università (Jordi Molla) che ha perduto le gambe nell’attentato all’ambasciata americana a Nairobi nel 1998. Sua moglie, senza saperlo, trasporta sul traghetto Calais-Dover che attraversa La Manica, una bomba sporca fabbricata dal capo di una cellula terroristica islamica (Murray Abraham). Martinelli è uno dei primi registi, a livello mondiale, ad occuparsi, basandosi su una meticolosa documentazione storica, del terrorismo islamico.Questa produzione, italo-inglese, è un libero adattamento del romanzo di Corrado Calabrò “Ricorda di dimenticarla”. Se l’opposizione all’islamismo è manicheo, e perciò criticabile, il film è accattivante grazie ad una tensione costante ed alla superba interpretazione di Keitel, Molla e Abraham.

Food for thought: Martinelli sul terrorismo islamico: “ La grande calamita del mondo musulmano è stato l’Afghanistan. La lotta contro i sovietici è stata trasformata in una lotta panislamica...Se non si interromperà questa tendenza, l’Europa rischia di essere islamizzata nel giro di 50-100 anni...“Il Mercante di pietre” è stato proposto sia a Venezia che a Cannes. Ci hanno detto che il film era bello, ma che non se la sentivano. E questo la dice lunga sul diffuso clima di paura che si respira. Ormai l’occidente non fa più certe cose per il timore che la comunità musulmana possa offendersi o scatenare reazioni. Ma questo atteggiamento, evidentemente, è l’inizio della resa… La cosa agghiacciante del “Mercante di pietre” è proprio questa: che nulla è inventato. La strategia della “colomba” esiste, molti attentati sono stati fatti per mezzo di donne inconsapevoli, e i cristiani convertiti sono in continua ascesa” (La Padania).

Arte

Nuovomondo (Golden Door) 2006, Emanuele Crialese L’America nel corso dell’Ottocento e del Primo Novecento è stata la terra promessa degli europei poveri. “L’America sarà la terra mia, col sole e la luna giganti” scriveva il poeta lucano Rocco Scotellaro. Ma tra i sogni e le utopie immaginate dai contadini del Mezzogiorno d’Italia, che per non essere briganti si trasformavano in emigranti, c’era la realtà cruda.

L’esperienza migratoria è scandita in tre tempi: l’abbandono straziante di quello che di più caro si aveva nel proprio paese, il viaggio in terza classe su un bastiIl regista Emanuele Crialese mento che doveva attraversare l’oceano Atlantico spesso in tempesta ed il trattamento umiliante ricevuto all’arrivo a destinazione.

Il film Nuovomondo del giovane regista, Emanuele Crialese, classe 1965, siciliano ma residente a Roma, dopo una esperienza americana, documenta scrupolosamente queste tre fasi. All’inizio del Novecento il contadino Salvatore Mancuso decide di emigrare negli USA.Comincia il viaggio, funestato da una tempesta, che finisce ad Ellis Island, l’isola delle lacrime e porta d’oro ai grattacieli di New York. Salvatore e la sua famiglia sono sottoposti ad un’umiliante quarantena. Vengono scartati coloro che sono affetti da malattie o da imperfezioni fisiche e poi devono superare un esame di intelligenza e di attitudini.Se la caveranno Salvatore e la sua famiglia? E’ quello che il film ci fa scoprire. Emanuele Crialese, già vincitore nel 2002 della settimana della Critica a Cannes con “Respiro” dirige un film sincero, commovente, che affronta un fenomeno fondamentale,quello dell’emigrazione dell’Italietta, con una narrazione dove prevale il mitologico, nella fase iniziale, e l’intimistico, l’idillio tra Salvatore (Vincenzo Amato) e Lucy, una inglese(Charlotte Gainsbourg), nella parte centrale,quella del viaggio in bastimento, ed il realismo nella conclusione, l’America guardata con occhi nuovi, così com’è veramente, con il suo razzismo e le sue opportunità. Varrebbe la pena vedere questo film in parallelo con Lamerica di Gianni Amelio per capire quello che l’Italia di oggi è diventata e ricordare quando “gli albanesi eravamo noi”. Il film Nuovomondo è stato scelto per rappresentare l’Italia ed è in competizione per l’Oscar 2006 (film in una lingua diversa dall’inglese).

Un’immagine del film Nuovomondo

A MILANO MOSTRA SU

UMBERTO BOCCIONI PITTORE E SCULTORE FUTURISTA Fino al 7 gennaio 2007 al palazzo Reale di Milano è stata allestita una mostra dedicata all’arte scultorea di Umberto Boccioni, figura di spicco del futurismo italiano e delle avanguardie storiche del primo Novecento europeo. La mostra curata da Laura Mattioli con catalogo edito da Skira, raccoglie una settantina di sculture del grande artista calabrese, meglio conosciuto come pittore. Esse testimoniano la sua passione per il movimento plastico e lo studio di forme aperte proiettate nello spazio. Alla composizione “chiusa” della statua, alla Michelangelo, Boccioni ne contrappone un’altra, plasticamente dinamica, “aperta”, in cui ambiente esterno, luce e movimento interagiscono.

Il percorso espositivo di Palazzo Reale si articola in tredici sale che illustrano le varie fasi della scultura di Boccioni. L’estetica rivoluzionaria è resa più esplicita da fotografie del primo Novecento e da opuscoli, come quello di Roberto Longhi del 1914, che costituisce, con il Manifesto Tecnico della Scultura Futurista, scritto da Boccioni stesso nell’estate del 1912, i primi testi critici importanti dell’avanguardia artistica italiana. Alcune delle opere esposte di maggior interesse sono: “ Fusione di una testa e di una finestra”, “testa+casa+luce”, il ritratto ad olio di Margherita Sarfatti intitolato “Antigrazioso”, studio su “La Bottiglia”, “Dinamismo di cavallo in corsa + casamenti”. La mostra milanese sottolinea come per Umberto Boccioni, dal 1912 al 1915, anno della sua morte in guerra, la ricerca scultorea ha

Umberto Buccioni, Autoritratto obbedito ad un’idea originaria, quella della “scultura d’ambiente” che cerca nel dinamismo delle figure la compenetrazione degli spazi tra la figura stessa e l’ambiente che la circonda.

Prevale quindi nella mostra di Palazzo Reale la trasformazione verso l’astratto della figura per mezzo del moto e dell’azione dello spazio su di essa.

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MUSIC

musica

Musique La sera del 27 agosto del 1979, assieme alla moglie Dori Ghezzi, viene rapito dall’anonima sequestri sarda, che lo terrà prigioniero per oltre quattro mesi. Per il cantautore questa è un’occasione in più per comprendere la realtà del popolo e della strada, tanto che al processo perdonò i suoi rapitori, ma non i loro mandanti. Gli esordi lo vedono in compagnia dell’attore Paolo Villaggio (caro amico d’infanzia e non ancora diventato Fantozzi) ad animare le feste di bordo sulle navi da crociera.

Ma i due non sono soli ed un giovane Silvio Berlusconi si esibisce con loro… non si può certo dire che la vita poi abbia riservato loro lo stesso destino!

Il brano che portò Fabrizio De André al successo fu La canzone di Marinella, anche grazie alla cover realizzata da Mina. Di tutte, però, a riassumere meglio la sua grandezza è senz’altro “Il Testamento di Tito”.

La musica che lo accompagna è sempre semplice, ma diretta al cuore. In fondo De André, come Pasolini, hanno combattuto l’uomo borghese ipocrita e superbo, quella stessa borghesia che li ha linciati e criticati da vivi, per acclamarli e riconoscerli quali i grandi poeti che sono stati, solo dopo la loro morte.

Grazie De André per averci insegnato che, citando le tue parole, “Nella pietà che non cede al rancore……ho imparato l'amore”.

Fabrizio De André… l ’ultimo anarchico Di Massi Miliano Nato a Genova il 18 febbraio 1940, Fabrizio De André è il cantastorie dei deboli, dei diseredati. Il contenuto politico dei suoi testi è forte e quasi sempre diretto a condannare l’iniqua distribuzione delle risorse tra gli uomini.

Faber, come lo chiamavano gli amici e gli ammiratori, cresce nella Genova del dopoguerra ed è proprio contro la guerra ed i suoi orrori che ha spesso “puntato” la penna. Pezzi quali Andrea o La guerra di Piero narrano storie tristi di uomini, troppo spesso solo ragazzi, che “in cambio della loro vita ebbero solo una croce”. Temi tanto attuali ancora oggi che la guerra la fanno i professionisti ed i governi la “usano” con superficialità, senza alcun timore di perderne il controllo. A De André, poi, va riconosciuta la capacità di spogliare di ogni superfluo storie di re (Carlo Martello ritorna dalla battaglia di Poitiers) e di assassini (Il pescatore), per estrarne e subliminarne l’essenza umana.

CLASSIFICA DEI BRANI ITALIANI PIÙ SUONATI DALLE RADIO IN ITALIA ARTISTA

TITOLO

1. Zero Assoluto 2. Modà 3. Luca Carboni 4. Giancarlo del Duca 5. Dolcenera 6. Gianna Nannini 7. Tiziano Ferro 8. Piero Pelù 9. Ligabue 10. J.Ax 11. Finley 12. Neffa 13. Raf 14. Carmen Consoli 15. Fabio 16. Alex Britti & Edoardo Bennato 17. Luca Dirisio 18. Eros Ramazzotti 19. Fabri Fibra 20. Dabbono Emanuele

Sei parte di me Quello che non ti ho detto Malinconia Canzone Piove Io Ed ero contentissimo Lentezza Cosa vuoi che sia Ti amo o ti ammazzo Sole di settembre Il mondo nuovo Dimentica Tutto su eva Materazzi ha fatto goal Notte di mezza estate Se provi a volare Bambino Nel Tempo Applausi per fibra Scritto sulla pelle

I Recommend… By Massi Miliano Zero Assoluto – Scendi The Zero Assoluto adventure began over ten years ago, when the young Matteo and Thomas, still in college, released the single Ultimo Capodanno. The video of this song sees the participation of Francesco Totti and other Roma Team players. Released in the 2004, this album is light and fresh as a summer day. Light are the lyrics, the melodies and the arrangements. Their style? Hard to say… light pop, light rap, light R&B! After this album, Zero Assoluto released three singles: Semplicemente, Svegliarsi la mattina (Sanremo 2006) and Sei parte di me.

Gianna Nannini – GRAZIE Probably to compensate for the depth of Fabrizio De André, I chose another “light” album, and this time it’s light rock. Gianna Nannini’s latest album was and still is a great success in Italy, even though I don’t think this is her best album. Her voice is always characteristic : warm but with a raspy tone that sometimes gives that off-pitch effect. The opening track, Sei nell'anima has a captivating melody and sentimental lyrics, while other songs show the energy always present in her music.

Musique Ambiance Le Temps des Fetes et

Par Massi Miliano

LOST GEM

By Massi Miliano Fabrizio De André in concerto Vol. I e II (1979/80) Arrangiamenti PFM Because we are proudly talking about Fabrizio De André, in this issue I would like to go back to the first months of the year in 1979, when the artist performed a series of famous concerts from which a double album was drawn, published on the Dischi Ricordi label. But he wasn’t alone and one of the most renewed italian progressive rock bands accompanied his voice: the PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi). Besides Italy, the PFM has been very popular abroad, often present in the British and American charts. Last year’s worldwide tour, brought the group to Canada. This album is available on CD, but for those who will have the chance to find the double vinyl version released in 1989, treat it with care: besides the artistic value, it is in great demand among collectors! (In the picture, the LP cover).

On me demande de vous proposer des morceaux de musique italienne qui puissent faire de trame sonore au période des Fêtes. Malgré la tache est à l’apparence facile, ces jours son faits de moments et surtout d’émotions différents, qui demandent des mélodies et des rythmes très variés.

Prêts ? Alors… On y va! Il est 2h00 de l’après midi de la veille de Noël. Il me reste seulement à acheter les cadeaux pour: ma mère, mon père, mes grand parents, mon frère, sa femme et leur trois enfants, mon voisin et ma copine… "seulement"!

Il n’y a même pas une minute à perdre! J’ai besoin de rythme et de motivation, alors dans ma voiture j’écoute Penso Positivo (Jovanotti), La mia banda suona il rock (Ivano Fossati), Il gatto e la volpe (Edoardo Bennato) et Una donna per amico (Lucio Battisti). Ouf ! À 18h05 je sors du dernier magasin. Dèjà en retard pour le souper chez mes parents… Et finalement on est tous ensemble sur le notes de O è natale tutti i giorni (Luca Carboni), Voce 'E Notte! (Renzo Arbore), Celeste (Zucchero), Canzone dalla fine del mondo (Modena City Ramblers – unplugged version) et Quella carezza della sera (New Trolls). Mais quand la soirée est fini, tous sont partis et je reste seul avec ma « douce moitié » c’est le moment d’être romantique et de lui donner mon cadeau. Quoi de mieux que de le faire sur les mélodies de Bella senz’anima (Riccardo Cocciante)?

Si elle a aimé mon cadeau? Je ne le sais pas… Comme toujours c’est très difficile de comprendre ce que les femmes pensent! Joyeux Noel à tous!

Libri, livres,Books

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RECENSIONI

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recensions Reviews F.S.

Poetry

Liborio Lattoni, Carmina Cordis

(Songs from the Heart) Collected, edited and translated from Italian into English with a critical essay by Filippo.Salvatore, Montreal, ALMA, 2005 Liborio Lattoni, (Urbisaglia, Macerata 1874- Montreal 1958). Pastore protestante metodista, insegnante, poeta, figura di spicco della comunità italiana di Montreal della prima parte del 20° secolo.

Va considerato il primo importante poeta di lingua italiana in Canada ed un illustre pioniere della letteratura italo-canadese contemporanea.

Before multiculturalism became a national policy, before post-colonialism became e trendy intellectual discourse in English Canada and before la révolution tranquille became the rallying cry and a defining moment of French Québécois intellectuals, Liborio Lattoni was writing about the richness of the Italian cultural heritage and defining the Canadian reality and identity in multicultural and post-colonial terms. He was the first ItalianCanadian poet to deal with the majestic theme of exile and with hybrid identity and to develop a new feeling of belonging to his adoptive country.

The book in on sale at Concordia University bookstore, 1455 de Maisonneuve Bld W. Or you can order it via email: salvatorefilippo@hotmail.com

Poesia

Valerio Magrelli, Didascalie per la lettura di un giornale (Torino, Einaudi,1999)

Traduzione in francese e con una prefazione di Francis Catalano- Instructions pour la Lecture d’un journal, Ecrits des Forges, Trois Rivières, Québec 2005

Premio di traduzione letteraria canadese John Glasso per il 2006.

Francis Catalano vient d’être proclamé lauréat du Prix de Traduction John Glassco pour 2006.Le prix accompagné d’une bourse de 1000$ lui a été remis le 30 septembre à l’Université Concordia. Le jury a été conquis par l’esprit de Catalano en symbiose avec celui de Magrelli : concision, incision, justesse. Le traducteur, lui-même poète, a su transposer en français l’ironie laconique, savoureuse, des jeux de langage de l’auteur.

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CALENDARIO

calendrier

Calendar www.panoramitalia.com

DÉCEMBRE • DECEMBER

JANVIER • JANUARY

FÉVRIER • FEBRUARY

DICEMBRE

GENNAIO

FEBBRAIO

VENERDI, 19 GENNAIO, 2007 – 19h30 SABATO, 20 GENNAIO 2007 DOMENICA, 21 GENNAIO, 2007 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci TEATRO (Italiano) Teatro Mirella e Lino Saputo

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2007 ACCÉSSS’ FIRST FUND RAISING GALA Hotel La Plaza Holiday Inn salon Ambassadeur ABC 420, Sherbrooke W., Montréal For confirmation of your presence, please contact: 514-287-1106

LUNEDI, 11 DICEMBRE, 2006 – 19h30 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci FILM (Italiano) Piccolo Teatro “I Soliti Ignoti…Vent’Anni Dopo” ENTRATA GRATUITA (Posti limitati) ……………………………………………

SAMEDI, 16 DÉCEMBRE, 2006 – 21h00 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci MUSIQUE Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Production Sénécal présente “Spectacle de Noël” Sabato 16 dicembre, ore 16,30 Festa Annuale (25oanniversario) dell’Associazione Guglionesana del Quebec USCONIUM BUFFET VILLA ITALIA 8600 MAURICE DUPLESSIS, R d P. INFORMAZIONI E BIGLIETTI: NICOLA TEL 514 324-5239. Invitato d’onore: IL SINDACO DI GUGLIONESI, prof. Cloridano Bellocchio

LUNEDI, 18 DICEMBRE, 2006 – 19h30 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci FILM (Italiano) Piccolo Teatro “Regalo di Natale” ENTRATA GRATUITA (Posti limitati)

Teatro Stabile Leonardo da Vinci Presenta “Classe di Ferro” ……………………………………………

FRIDAY, 26 JANUARY, 2007 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci MUSIC Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo EAST FoundationPresents “A night with Elvis Presley” Contact Anna Pimental at 514-323-9950 ……………………………………………

SAMEDI, 27 JANVIER, 2007 – 15h00 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci THÉATRE POUR FAMILLE (Français) Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Arrondissement Saint-Léonard Présente “Souris Bouquine raconte…Une aventure au Far West” Renseignements : 514-328-8400 ……………………………………………

DIMANCHE, 28 JANVIER, 2007 – 19h30 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci THÉATRE (Français) Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Arrondissement Saint-Léonard Présente “Avaler la Mer et les Poissons” Renseignements : 514-328-8400

VENDREDI, 16 FÉVRIER, 2007 – 19h30 SAMEDI, 17 FÉVRIER, 2007 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci THÉATRE (ITALIANO)

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2007 Le Madison Reception Hall The Sabrina & Camillo D’Alesio Foundation’s 3rd Annual Fundraising Gala Information/tickets : 514-671-0058

Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Gruppo L’Oratorio Presenta “Chist’ matrimonio sa’ dda fa’” Commedia Billets : 20$ ……………………………………………

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VENDREDI, 9 FÉVRIER, 2007 – 20h00 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci DANCE Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Arrondissement Saint-Léonard Présente Le Groupe Rubberbandance dans “Perspective Élastique” Renseignements : 514-328-8400

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2007 The Vita Children’s Foundation, formerly known as The Vita Fund, will be holding the 2007 edition of its “A Night for life” benefit gala on Saturday. February 10, 2007 at the elegant Club de golf Métropolitain Anjou. Honorary Co-presidents: Nick De Santis and Mauro Biello.

We look forward to seeing you at this special Valentine gala to benefit children with cancer. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Daniela De Santis at 514-730-7155 or at info@vitachildrensfoundation.com

DIMANCHE, 18 FÉVRIER, 2007 – 16h00 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci MUSIQUE Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Arrondissement Saint-Léonard Présente “Orange for Tea de Tricycle” Renseignements : 514-328-8400 ……………………………………………

SAMEDI, 24 FÉVRIER, 2007 – 20h00 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci MUSIQUE Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Les Production JazzWorldQuest Présente “Musique du Monde” ……………………………………………

DIMANCHE, 25 FÉVRIER, 2007 – 19h30 Centro Leonardo Da Vinci THÉATRE (Français) Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo Arrondissement Saint-Léonard Présente “Visite à Monsieur Green” Renseignements : 514-328-8400

E-mail your events and we will post then on our web site immediately. info@panoramitalia.com

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World

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MONDO

Filippo Salvatore

9/11, cinque anni dopo.

L’11 settembre scorso è ricorso il quinto anniversario dell’attacco alle Torri Gemelle del World Trade Center di New York e del Pentagono da parte dei fondamentalisti islamici di Al Qaeda.Cerimonie di commemorazione delle vittime hanno avuto luogo a New York e nelle diverse capitali occidentali. A Roma il Presidente della Repubblica Giorgio Napoletano si “è stretto simbolicamente attorno al popolo americano a nome di tutti gli, italiani ed ha ribadito che la barbarie ed il terrorismo vanno combattuti. “ I valori che ci ispirano sono quelli della pace e della democrazia, della libera espressione delle idee, della coesistenza tra modelli sociali e credi religiosi e del rispetto della diversità. Su queste basi si fondano le ragioni stesse del nostro vivere quotidiano. Nessuna minaccia… potrà indirci a rinunciarvi.” Anche il Primo Ministro Canadese Stephen Harper ha espresso ad Ottawa sentimenti analoghi.

Il CO$TO del petrolio dell’Iraq In Iraq la presenza di truppe americane e britanniche non riesce ancora a stabilizzare la situazione, anzi si è sull’orlo della guerra civile tra curdi, sunniti e sciiti.Gli americani, più che i liberatori del popolo iracheno, sono una vera forza di occupazione militare.La loro presenza è motivata dal controllo delle ingenti risorse petrolifere più che dal desiderio di eliminare la dittatura di Sadam Hussein il quale sta subendo un processo per crimini di guerra e si trasformerà in simbolo di eroismo pan-islamico se la sua condanna a morte verrà eseguita.

Siamo pronti, noi occidentali, a pagare il petrolio cento dollari o forse di più al barile? Ad abbassare il nostro tenore di vita? A trattare con maggiore giustizia il mondo arabo? Cosa faremmo se i seguaci di Bin Laden controllassero le sabbie bituminose dell’Alberta, l’acqua dei grandi laghi ed i pozzi di petrolio del Texas a dell’Alaska? Rimarremmo impassibili a guardare, o prenderemmo anche noi le armi? Ecco alcuni quesiti su cui occorre riflettere ed alcune domande a cui occorre rispondere per capire in parte l’ ineliminabile violenza in Iraq.

Notizie non confermate parlano di oltre 600.000 morti dall’inizio delle ostilità nel 2003.

I soldati italiani in Libano.

In Libano dopo un mese di bombardamenti e lanci di missili tra esercito israeliano e palestinesi (militanti sciiti di Hezbollah) assicurata in parte dal contingente militare italiano che è sbarcato nella parte meridionale del paese per assicurare il rispetto del cessate il fuoco. La situazione resta tuttavia molto volatile, addirittura esplosiva. I rapporti tra islamismo, (una ideologia politica che nulla ha a che fare con l’Islam che è una religione rivelata) subentrato al comunismo come ideologia aggregante transnazionale, e mondo occidentale sono basati sul sospetto e sul confronto. I frequenti atti di terrorismo delle frange oltranziste in Inghilterra, in Spagna ed in altre parti del mondo ne sono la conferma. L’incomprensione e la violenza più che il mutuo rispetto ed il dialogo sembrano purtroppo caratterizzare il rapporto tra le tre grandi civiltà monoteiste: ebrea, cristiana e musulmana le quali, va ricordato, credono tutte e tre nello stesso Dio. Non ci sarà pace nella terra dei cedri e degli olivi se i palestinesi non avranno una loro patria, se non si riconoscerà allo stato d’Israele il suo diritto all’esistenza e se le comunità cristiane, sunnite e sciite non riusciranno di nuovo a convivere in pace come hanno fatto per secoli. Purtroppo ogni tentativo fatto precedentemente per trovare un accordo tra i belligeranti è stato fatto sfociare nel sangue. Il Libano e la Palestina sono da decenni il campo di battaglia preferito di chi vuole uno scontro di civiltà. Il tono ed il contenuto di tante dichiarazioni di ambo i fronti sono da guerra santa e da crociata. E chi osa fare un discorso alternativo ed invita al dialogo viene minacciato o eliminato. La missione dei soldati italiani in Libano, un vero nido di vipere, si annuncia estremamente pericolosa, costosa e lunga.

PASSAPORTI ELETTRONICI PER I CITTADINI ITALIANI DAL 26 OTTOBRE Dal 26 ottobre scosrso le ambasciate ed i consolati italiani hanno cominciato ad emettere passaporti elettronici, provvisti di foto e di microprocessore sopra cui viene poi impressa l’impronta digitale del titolare. Il vecchio passaporto consentirà ai cittadini dell’Unione Europea di entrare o di transitare negli USA per soggiorni della durata massima di 90 giorni. I titolari dei passaporti emessi dopo il 26 ottobre avranno bisogno del visto per recarsi negli Stati Uniti. Il passaporto cartaceo tradizionale verrà rilasciato solo in casi di urgenza per i viaggi negli USA. Il costo del passaporto elettronico è di 44,66 euro ( 63,90 dollari canadesi) per il libretto di 32 pagine.

Gli italiani che vivono all’estero sono 3,5 milioni, 60 milioni gli oriundi Sono tre milioni e mezzo gli italiani residenti all’estero, mentre gli oriundi, ossia persone di origine italiana, sono oltre 60 milioni. Queste stime sono contenute nel rapporto Italiani nel Mondo realizzato dalla fondazione Migrantes, E’ l’Europa il continente dove vive il maggior numero di cittadini italiani, al di fuori dei confini nazionali con un insediamento di quasi 2 milioni di persone e di circa il 60% delle presenze totali. Seguono l’America Meridionale e Settentrionale con il 34,4 % e l’Oceania con il 3,6%. Gli italiani residenti in Argentina sono 404,330. ( la popolazione argentina è quasi al 50% d’origine italiana). Negli Stati Uniti vivono oltre 180,000 italiani, mentre in Canada sono 125,554.

Gli emigrati, che hanno mantenuto la cittadinanza italiana, hanno in genere un basso livello d’ istruzione ed un’età avanzata . Gli ultra sessantacinquenni sono il 36,4%, in Canada, il 25% sia in Francia che in Argentina ed il 22,4% in Australia.

Per quanto riguarda la provenienza regionale, il 58.5% degli iscritti all’anagrafe dei residenti all’estero sono siciliani, con oltre mezzo milione, mentre i lombardi, con oltre 250,000 persone, costituiscono la percentuale più alta degli imprenditori italiani all’estero.

Il rapporto della fondazione Migrantes stima in oltre 60 milioni le persone con origini italiane. Sono 800,000 in Australia, 1,3 milioni in Uruguay, 1,3 milioni in Canada, 15 milioni in Argentina, 31 milioni in Brasile e 15,7 milioni negli Stati Uniti.

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By Joey Franco

ESPO THE GREAT The Quebec Remparts, along with their head coach and former NHL legend Patrick Roy enter the 2006-2007 LHJMQ (Quebec junior major hockey league) season as the defending champions of the ever prized Memorial Cup. The opening game against Drummondville ended in a dissapointing 6-2 loss. The Remparts went on to lose their second game 6-0 against Victoriaville. Quebec’s home opener versus Chicoutimi also resulted in a loss, 3-2 for the Saguenéens de Chicoutimi. Three games, three losses, and no goals from Esposito, not even a third star recognition. Was Espo’s first year with the Remparts just a fluke, nothing but hype?

September 24th 2006, the Remparts host the Halifax Mooseheads in front of the more than 7200 fans which showed up at the Colisée Pepsi to pay tribute to Guy Lafleur, an ex Rempart. Quebec is winning 6-4 with a little more than a quarter of an hour to go until the end of the game. Halifax ties the game as the 3rd period draws near the half-point mark. Nothing seems to be going as planned for the Remparts. Quebec is playing shorthanded with just over five minutes left, and, as if all part of a script, the Remparts score the game winner. Hubert Genest recuperated the puck and provided a fabulous assist for his team-

mate, the man who wears the number seven on the back of his shirt, the shirt which reads, ESPOSITO. Yet, the most interesting feat lies somewhere in between winning the Memorial Cup last season and losing the first regular season game against Drummondville.

While most 18 year-olds were busy taking summer courses, working at their part time jobs at the local supermarket and clubbing, Angelo was in Europe winning a gold medal for team Canada at the Under-18 world championships.

Espo was named captain of the Canadian U-18 national team. Under his leadership, and with the help of his two goals and three assists, team Canada was able to win the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament. The U-18’s finished on top of their group beating Switzerland (53), Sweden (4-1), and Slovakia (4,1). Team Canada beat the United States 3-0 in the final game of the tournament.

Somewhere in Angelo’s room, next to his childhood trophies, team pictures, and his collection of baseball caps, hangs the gold medal he won for his country. We’re proud of you Angelo, Keep up the good work!

Place your announcements in PanoramItalia Quarterly free of charge Marriage, Births, Memorials

HOCKEY 2006-2007

Following a disappointing early elimination against the Carolina Hurricanes last season, the Canadiens aim for speed and offence in the 2006-2007 NHL season. The key signings for this season were; 2006 Stanley Cup finalist Sergei Samsonov, and former Pheonix Coyote forward Mike Johnson. Russian born Samsonov will team up with country mate Alex Kovalev, to form a talented offensive line. Samsonov will have to fill the void left

by Jan Bulis, after signing a free agent contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

Mike Johnson, is an all around player, attacking and also defending when necessary. The American is not known for his goal scoring abilities but by his leadership qualities and ability to motivate his teammates.

In order to gain solid defensive ground, Canadiens GM Bob Gainey decided to trade Montréal born forward Mike Ribeiro in exchange for the defensive Janne Niinimaa. Ribeiro, after a lackluster season, was disappointed by the news. Ribeiro was reputed to have poor work ethics, and, in my opinion, failed to capitalize on most of his chances during the playoffs.

Coach Guy Carboneau has opted to sign youngster Guillaume Latendresse over prospect forward Andrei Kostitsyn. It is a dream come true for the hard-hitting Quebec native. They key player for the Habs is the man which stands between the posts. Cristobal Huet came off a successful season wi th the highest save percentage in the National Hockey League last season. Huet will need to repeat his stellar performance if the tricolore wish to reach the post season this year.

Photo: Geraldo Pace

By Joey Franco

clearly brilliant

A D V E RT I S I N G . C O M M U N I C AT I O N . D E S I G N

6100, boul des Grandes-Prairies, St-Léonard [Québec] H1P 1A2

www.cassidesign.com

514.327.4404

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By Joey Franco

Life after Germany 2006 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost, poet The 2006 FIFA World Cup is now, and forever, part of the history books. We each have our little keepsakes and mementos to remind us of that magical month in the summer of ’06. A poster of Cannavaro in your room, the flag you had with you on July 9th, maybe a picture of yourself in PanoramItalia!

Players, like fans, must also move on. The azzurri exchange their blue national team jerseys for their club side kits. This year is different from most of the years I remember in Italian soccer. The way I recall it is that after a disappointing tournament, the azzurri would return and play in Serie A. This year instead, the triumphant players return not only to Serie A, but Serie B, and La Liga in Spain.

The relegation of Juventus, the old lady of Italian soccer, sparked a mass exodus to other teams including foreign leagues. The most notable transfers include; Ibrahimovic and Vieira to Inter Milan, Cannavaro, Emerson and Former Juve coach Capello to Real Madrid, and Zambrotta and Thuram to F.C. Barcelona.

The true champions of Juventus F.C. are Buffon, Nedved, Camoranesi, Trezeguet, and Captain Del Piero, who have chosen to remain at the Torinese club despite starting the Serie B championship at -17 points.

Any of these players, including the three Italian world champions could have taken the easy way out and opted to play with another major European club with fleshier salaries.

Instead, unlike Capello and Co., they chose the road less traveled, together, they are making the difference for the bianconeri. If any team in Italy can recuperate and make it back to serie A it’s la vecchia signora.

The 2006-2007 Serie A season has its fair share of controversy. The sports justice ethics deployed by officials is clearly questionable. A.C. Milan, despite having been involved in the recent scandals, are competing in the most prestigious club competition in Europe, the UEFA Champions League.

The most contemptible image to date, which is etched in my mind, is a picture of the current Inter jersey with the scudetto smack in the middle. The 2005-2006 title was awarded to Inter after both Milan and Juventus were penalized in conjunction with scandals. The ’05-’06 season should have been annulled, instead, it was disreputably awarded to F.C. Internazionale.

Who are the real racketeers, the clubs or the magistrates? Where is the real justice?

This season is the real “tainted” season. With the points penalization Reggina received, the Calabresi have practically no chance of remaining in the top flight, relegation seems inevitable. Fiorentina, which boasts an impressive array of players including world champion Luca Toni, are determined to fight until the end despite points reduction.

“La nazionale” began their campaign for the 2008 European Championship, which will be held in Switzerland and Austria, with little success. Roberto Donadoni, the 43 year old head coach did not have a brilliant start with the national team, managing only one point in the first two games of the qualifiers. It won’t be an easy task for Donadoni to step into Marcello Lippi’s shoes, especially when Francesco Totti has refused to play with the azzurri.

Fortunately the second set of EURO 2008 qualifying matches saw the azzurri score a full six out of six points beating the Ukraine 20 in Rome, and Georgia 3-1 in Tbilisi.

La nazionale stands with seven points in their group, just behind France and Scotland who both have nine points.

A win against Scotland on March 28th will place the Italians in a good position to qualify for EURO’08.

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Sports

2006; Torino, e la quarta stella

Il 2006 è l’anno del cane secondo il calendario chinese tradizionale e l’anno del l’aquario secondo l’astrologia moderna occidentale. Secondo me, il 2006, è l’anno dell’Italia.

L’avventura Italiana inizia a Torino, la città atraversata dal Po, capoluogo del Piemonte, prima capitale dell’Italia unita, e terza città olimpica italiana dopo Roma e Cortina D’Ampezzo. 56 anni dopo Roma ’60, i giochi olimpici sono tornati in Italia.

Alle 22 del 10 febbraio Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Presidente della Repubblica Italiana. ha dichiarato ufficialmente “aperti i XX Giochi Olimpici Invernali”.che si sono svolti sotto “il Braciere più grande della storia a cinque cerchi”. Undici sono le medaglie vinte dai 184 atleti azzurri, cinque d’oro e sei di bronzo.

C’è stata una grande delusione : la mancata vittoria di Giorgio Rocca. Lo sciatore alpino ha fallito il traguardio olimpico. La gioia è toccata a un altro Giorgio... DiCenta. Due medaglie d’oro conquistate dallo sciatore di fondo, fratello di Manuela DiCenta (7 medaglie olimpiche per Manuela). Il 26 febbraio, si è spento il braciere olimpico con le note di Andrea Bocelli che ha cantato “Because We Believe”.

Il 9 Luglio 2006, il capitanodella nazionale azzurra di calcio Fabio Cannavaro alza la coppa del mondo nel cielo azzurro di Berlino, come aveva fatto Zoff 24 anni prima a

Di Joey Franco Madrid. C’è voluto un quarto di secolo per ridere, piangere, urlare come aveva fatto Tardelli tanto tempo fa in Spagna. Sembrava così distante quel rigore di Baggio nel Rose Bowl di Pasadena.Il fiatosospeso prima dell rigore segnato dai Grosso ha fatto dimenticare l’incubo e la delusione provati 12 anni prima. Questa volta la vittoria italiana è firmata Lippi.

Il giorno in cui l’Italia ha pareggiato con gli americaninon avrei mai creduto che saremmo diventati campioni del mondo. Ma quei monelli azzurri ci hanno creduto e sono riusciti a spuntarla, ricordandoci, come aveva cantato Bocelli a Torino, che bisogna crederci.

La grinta di Gattuso, la regia di Cannavaro, la furbizia di Grosso, la perfezione di Pirlo, hanno contribuito a farci vincere il Mondiale. Certo c’è voluto anche un pizzico di fortuna; però, partita dopo partita, tappa dopo tappa, rigore dopo rigore, abbiamo superato il mondo intero.

Il 2006 ha dimostrato a tutti che il popolo Italiano è capace, capace di organizzare, di vincere, di essere il migliore. Il 2006, non ce lo scorderemo mai, sopratutto grazie alla squadra orchestrata dal Mister con i capelli bianchi, Marcello Lippi. grazie Marcello, Grazie Azzurri e auguri Italia!

If you wish to advertise in the pages of PanoramItalia Quarterly please call 514.337.7870

Mondiale Winemaking Centre

330 Cremazie West, Montreal, Quebec H2P 1C7

Contact: Donato 514.271.0873

Why buy wine when you can make your own? If you’re a passionate wine connoisseur, the Mondiale winemaking centre is a worthy stop-over. Equipped with high-end technology, this centre will allow you to create and customize your own drink in only five weeks.

The process is very simple: you pick your homemade vinification kit in which you add yeast to begin the fermentation. You can choose between sterile, concentrated and fresh juice. Each winemaking kit can fill up 28 bottles. The centre takes care of the maintenance while your wine ferments for two weeks. On the third week, the Mondiale staff siphons, adds stabilizers and filters your wine. At the end of the fifth week, the center contacts you to bottle your product. You can label your wine bottle with a personalized tag. You can now add your homemade wine to your collection.

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