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2011

August 8, 2011

Bond Rating Agencies Moody’s and S&P are advised – “Don’t be mess’n” with Italy.

Tom Verso

For years many have talked about the biases of Bond Rating Agencies like Moody’s and S&P and the negative affects they have on investors, financial institutions and nations....

July 19, 2011

Italian Women in fiction: from “La Scapigliatura” to Lisa Scottoline...“You’ve come a long way baby!”

Tom Verso

Southern-Italian American students have (albeit very limited) opportunity to study female representations in Italian Renaissance literature and in Italian American literature. ...

June 26, 2011

Silvana Patriarca’s “Numbers and Nationhood – Writing Statistics in Nineteenth-Century Italy” (aka ‘statistics without numbers’)

Tom Verso

Professor Patiarca’s book is a very important book, especially for students of southern-Italian descent. However, it is a very very difficult read that matter-of-factly evokes...

May 24, 2011

South of Rome-West of Ellis Island....BLOG INDEX

Tom Verso
From South of Rome to West of Ellis Island

List of blog articles and ‘links’ by category in mostly reverse chronology...last update 7/18/16

May 10, 2011

Napoleon, Ferdinand and Italian American Ancestors - “When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled”

Tom Verso
Napoleon (lf.) Ferdinand (rt.) & “Travelers Attacked by Brigands” by Nicolaes Bercahem

Italian America bourgeoisie/literati, acting the de-facto role of Northern Italian tourist agents, promote the Streets of Florence and Milan. While the reality of southern-Italian...

April 21, 2011

DeLillo’s “Underworld”: No Patria Meridionale History – No southern-Italian American Culture

Tom Verso
"Little Italy"...Southern-Italian American 'Urban Village'

“No history No future” – writes Don DeLillo. Southern-Italian Americans in DeLillo’s novel “Underworld” had no history, ergo they had no future. He recreates the...

April 11, 2011

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: 11th Century Origin and 21st Century Ghost

Tom Verso
King Roger II, Saint Padre Pio, Padre Pio Chapel Rochester, NY

The persistence of “Southern Question” issues, and the Padre Pio phenomenon suggests that the ‘ghost’ of the “Two Sicilies” state is still present in the form of the...

March 24, 2011

Lessons in Curriculum Patria Meridionale: Greeks come to Sicily – Causes and Consequences

Tom Verso
Greek Temple at Agrigento Sicily

Anthony a young American student, whose family left Sicily 100 years ago, stands at Taormina’s waters-edge conjuring images of ancient Sicilian Sikels viewing Greek colonial...

March 16, 2011

“Chickens come home to roost” – Italian Studies suffers consequences for aversion to Patria Meridionale.

Tom Verso

Seemingly, it does not occur to Italian Studies professors that students choose academic majors in college based on motivating high school experiences. Students enroll in college...

March 10, 2011

1989 Venice Palazzo Grassi Art Exhibition: “Italian Art 1900-1945” -“Northern Italian?”... “But, of course – need you ask?”

Tom Verso
Southern Italian Artists: Guttuso (top), Sironi (left), Boccioni

In the 1989 exhibition “Italian Art 1900-1945”, at Venice’s (totally incredible) Palazzo Grassi Gallery, the 271 works exhibited by 48 artists included only 31 exhibits by 3...