News Briefs Santis, Boston’S New Italian Can of the Year Award
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VOL. 118 - NO. 40 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, OCTOBER 3, 2014 $.35 A COPY Boston City Hall Celebrates Italian Heritage Month by Sal Giarratani L-R: Giuseppe Giangregorio, State Representative Sal DiDomenico, Maria Capogreco, City Councilor Michael Flaherty, City Councilor Bill Linehan, Consul General of Italy in Boston Nicola DeSantis, City Councilor Sal LaMattina, City Councilor Mark Ciommo, 2014 South Boston Italian American of the Year Award Recipient George Locascio, Pamela Donnaruma, City Councilor Timothy McCarthy, Co-founder of October as Italian-American Heritage Month Lino Rullo, Domenico Savior Teker and Richard Leccese. On Wednesday, October 1st, as Italian Heritage Month, The festivities kicked off civic and community groups out the year. CASIT was the Commonwealth of Mas- which began in 1999 thanks at Boston City Halls’ Pie- in Massachusetts founded in 1995 by Maria sachusetts celebrated the to then Governor Argeo Paul monte Room where a recep- During the celebration, Gioconda Motta and provides 15th anniversary of October Cellucci. tion was hosted by Boston George Locascio of South grants to Boston area schools City Councilors Michael F. Boston was presented a City for books, teacher salaries Flaherty and Sal LaMattina Council citation honoring and other materials all for Among the many dignitar- him for receiving the 2014 the use of promoting the Ital- ies present were Nicola De South Boston Italian Ameri- ian language. News Briefs Santis, Boston’s new Italian can of the Year award. Despite the gloomy skies by Sal Giarratani Consul General, Domenico Following the ceremony and rain, for all those cel- Savio Teker, Director of Edu- inside City Hall, a flag rais- ebrating Italian Heritage cation at the Consulate, City ing took place outside on Month, it was “una bellis- After 20 Years, ‘Shawshank Councilors Mark Ciommo, City Hall Plaza. Entertain- sima giornata.” Redemption” Still Must See Film Tim McCarthy, Steve Murphy, ment was provided by stu- The signature event for I still love watching “Shawshank Redemption” Ayanna Pressley, State dents in the Elliot Public the start of Italian Heritage which premiered back in the fall of 1994. Actors Senator Sal DiDomenico, School’s Italian Language Month was held later in the Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman were great in State Representative Aaron program. The program is evening in the House their roles in this prison classic. It remains a Michelwitz, Lino Rullo, one sponsored by CASIT (Centro Chamber of the Massachu- must-see movie. I put it right up there with the of the co-founders of October Attivita Scolastiche Italiane) setts State House. More de- 1966 classic “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul as Italian Heritage Month with funding from the Ital- tails on the State House cel- Newman and George Kennedy. If you’re a guy, the and members of the many ian Government as well as ebration will be provided in car wash scene is something else. Italian American cultural, fundraising events through- next week’s addition. Mainstream GOP Rejoiced After Besting Tea Party Primary Foes That was then but this is now. Over on MSNBC, the moonbat talking heads are gloating over the Republican primary winners who now look in trouble. In Oklahoma, the Dems are backing the Democrat over US Sen. Tom Cochran, who they pushed over into victory over his Tea Party oppo- nent last spring. In Kansas, US Sen. Pat Roberts looks in bad shape against an Independent oppo- nent next month. Both seats could be lost to the GOP in the mid-term elections next month. They are smiling over at MSNBC which has to be bad news for mainstream Republicans. Third Of Americans Have No Retirement Savings More than a third of American adults have no (Continued on Page 5) Students from the Eliot Public School Italian Language Program entertained the crowd with Italian songs. THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON This office is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PMPM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, OCTOBER 3, 2014 Res Publica by David Trumbull Columbus and the Last Hope of Mankind October 3, 2014 ATLAS, OTHER VERSIONS “We do not read even of the discovery of this continent, with- Stories about Atlas are stage for this last act, was out feeling something of a personal interest in the event; with- told at least three times that o Hercules being out being reminded how much it has affected our own fortunes in tales from mythology. informed not to enter the and our own existence. It would be still more unnatural for us, The first one identifies sacred garden, but to therefore, than for others, to contemplate with unaffected minds him as a son of the send Atlas, father of the that interesting, I may say that most touching and pathetic Titan Iapetus. Atlas Hesperides, instead. scene, when the great discoverer of America stood on the deck supported the Titans in Hercules journeyed a of his shattered bark, the shades of night falling on the sea, their war against the great distance and finally yet no man sleeping; tossed on the billows of an unknown forces of Zeus, and of came to the sacred gar- ocean, yet the stronger billows of alternate hope and despair course we know that the den of Hera. It was tossing his own troubled thoughts; extending forward his ha- Titans were defeated. As located near the spot rassed frame, straining westward his anxious and eager eyes, punishment, Atlas was where Atlas was holding till Heaven at last granted him a moment of rapture and ec- forced to hold the heav- the sky on his shoulders. stasy, in blessing his vision with the sight of the unknown ens on his shoulders for all robbed of his golden apples, Remembering the advice world.” — Daniel Webster, First Bunker Hill Monument eternity. so he refused hospitality to that had been given to him, Oration, 1825 The second story is quite the stranger. Greatly an- Hercules offered to relieve In Boston we are surrounded by familiar sights — Old involved: It starts with three gered, Perseus then held up Atlas of the weight tempo- North Church, the Old State House, Old South Meeting sisters called the Gorgons. the Gorgon’s head for Atlas rarily if he would gather the House, and the other stops on the Freedom Trail — that They were awful beings, with to gaze upon, and this bulk golden apples from the gar- remind us of Boston’s unique Revolutionary War history. hair and girdles of snakes, of a king was immediately den. Atlas agreed, fetched the At 239 years distance from 1775, we are nearly two-and-a- and anyone who gazed upon turned into stone. His hair apples, and returned shortly. half centuries removed from the beginning of the Ameri- them was immediately and beard became wild for- Hercules soon discovered can War of Independence. In like manner, 1775 was a bit turned to stone. One sister, ests, his arms became the that Atlas did not intend to more than two-and-a-half centuries (283 years to be pre- named Medusa, was mortal, sloping sides of a mountain, resume his great burden, cise) removed from Columbus’ discovery of the New World. but the other two were im- and his head became the but instead, offered to deliver Independence and the Revolutionary War mark not the mortal. Perseus, a Greek summit. According to the the apples himself. Having beginning, but the halfway point in the history of European hero, was successful in a pleasure of the gods, heav- this great weight on his back civilization in America. mission to cut off Medusa’s ens, with all its stars was prevented Hercules from re- In his remarks, quoted above, Mr. Webster, on the 50th head, and was bringing it then caused to rest upon the sorting to any kind of force anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, traced the origins back to his homeland in a shoulders of Atlas. against Atlas. Through cau- of the United States not to the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock leather bag. After traveling The third story from my- tion and wit, Hercules pre- (although he mentions them in the oration), nor to the ear- for a full day he came upon thology concerning Atlas is tended to agree to the pro- lier English settlement of Virginia (not even mentioned by the realm of King Atlas. The centered around the cel- posal of Atlas, but begged him Webster), but to Christopher Columbus and his first “sight king was a huge man, who ebrated “Labors of Hercules.” to hold the sky just long of the unknown world.” possessed great wealth in His ninth labor was to fetch enough to permit a pad to be Others came here earlier — possibly the Vikings, maybe herds and land. Most pre- the golden apples of the placed upon his head. The other Europeans, and certainly the American Indians who cious to him was a beautiful Hesperides. These golden gullible Atlas laid the apples arrived most probably from Asia by land-bridge to Alaska. garden which contained apples grew in the sacred on the ground and took back But Webster — and many of us concur — begins our history golden fruit, hanging from garden of Hera, wife of Zeus, the sky. As soon as the weight with Columbus. All month we celebrate Italian-American branches of gold. and the Hesperides were was transferred, Hercules Heritage and we celebrate the brave and persevering Ital- Perseus sought only food three daughters of Atlas, who picked up the golden fruit and ian navigator who opened the way for immigrants from ev- and a place to rest for the were assigned to cultivate started his journey home.