Being Honest About Being Italian American

Its all or nothing with me at times.. you might get a few posts in one week or none in two weeks. This Italian American Girl must be honest to the readers, I don't like to make things up or come up with a phony editorial calendar for the Italian American Girl site, I post when I've experienced something or think you the audience could benefit from certain cultural events or topics that you haven't heard about ten thousand other times.


I think its important for you guys to know that yes, I may not be banging out posts on a daily but I will guarantee you that I am genuine about my blog and not looking to be at every event in the tristate area or collect as many Facebook fans as possible. At times I hold back what I really want to say, because it may not be politically correct.

A lot of how I feel and my genuine character come from once again my upbringing, my parents brought me up to be me and no one else, don't follow what the kid next door is doing just be you. If it means sticking out like a sore thumb then so be it. Cultural individual-ness is what makes a person. I talked about different degrees of Italian American in another post a few months back and I feel even stronger about it now. Everyone has their own degree of Italian American, some are first generation like me, where sometimes I don't always understand the actions of other Italian Americans. (But, that's OK) The point I'm trying to make here is we're all trying to remain connected to who we are and sometimes that occurs on different levels some good, some bad and some very phony. Its up to you to decide how you want to educate or remain connected to your cultural heritage.

It's like school, when the teacher or professor tells you to always use a credible source.

Ciao-
Margaret

Photo: Copyright of Italian American Girl - 2010

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Italian Music Festival in New York - October 8 - 13th

After a successful 2009 inaugural edition in Los Angeles, Hit Week (http://www.hitweek.it//) -- the only North American festival showcasing Italy's current music scene -- adds New York City to its annual calendar.

New York audiences, no strangers to genre defying new-generation Italian artists such as Jovanotti, Vinicio Capossela and Carmen Consoli, will be treated to live concerts and DJ sets by an all-star line-up of Italian talent headlined by Ludovico Einaudi, Elisa, Negrita and Roy Paci. The intimate surroundings offered by Manhattan's top club venues will set the stage for Stateside fans to take a deeper look into these, and more to be announced, top-flight Italian acts already known on the international scene. The traditional Columbus Day Week provides an intriguing backdrop for (H)it Week’s modern musical discovery and exploration.

LUDOVICO EINAUDI Special (H)it Week Performance: Friday, October 8, 2010 @ Angel Orensanz Foundation
Info.: (310) 736-1756
Tickets: http://www.inticketing.com/events/102436

ELISA: Monday, October 11, 2010 @ Highline Ballroom
Info.: http://www.highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=1529
or (212) 414-5994

NEGRITA and ROY PACI & Aretuska: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Info.: http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/1330
or (212) 796-0741

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East Hanover Italian American Club Honoring Columbus Day - Interviews with Cake Boss & Alicia Vitarelli

The East Hanover Italian American Club is honoring Columbus Day with a weekend-long celebration.

On Friday, October 8, EHIAC will hold its traditional Columbus Day Dinner Dance honoring noteworthy Italian Americans. The EHIAC Italian festival starts on Saturday, October 9, at Lurker Park in East Hanover. The weekend is capped off with one of the biggest Columbus Day parades in the state of New Jersey on Sunday, October 10.

For more information, log onto http://www.EHIAC.com.

As they do every year, the East Hanover Italian American Club recognizes standout citizens in the Italian-American community. Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro has been tapped as Italian-American Man of the Year. News 12 New Jersey's Alicia Vitarelli get this year's honor as Italian-American Women of the Year.

Lisa Marie Latino, head of Long Shot Productions (http://www.longshotproductions.tv) interviewed Buddy and Alicia about this prestigious award.

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Rick Steves - Rome, Italy: Ancient Wonders

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In Memory Of Those Lost On September 11, 2001 -

Its been nine years already since the attacks on 9/11; seems like it was yesterday. We can pray for peace and support those who lost a loved one. Sending prayers and support to victims families and friends of September 11th.

You can still help the families of the victims of 9/11 by donating to Families of September 11 click here:

http://www.familiesofseptember11.org/donate.aspx Tweet

Jovanotti: Baciami Ancora

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On What Italian-Americans Can Teach You About Personal Finance: 10 Tips

This article was provided by guest writer and friend of Italian American Girl, Vincent Scordo. Vincent is the creator of Scordo.com an Italian American site which aims to inform and entertain readers on how to live the Italian way! Specifically, Scordo focuses on food, recipes, products with an Italian bent, saving money, home and garden tips, and how to
advice.

Here is an excerpt of his guest article:

Both of my parents were born in Southern Italy where unemployment is high and quality of life is superb. My mother, A., made it to the 7th grade and my father, T., received the equivalent of a technical high school diploma. Both of my parents immigrated to the US in 1975 and are currently debt free, own their own two-family home, and have plenty of cash in savings. They are, in many ways, leading the American dream - by not adopting the principles of American consumerism.

The lessons below may be be described as "old school" and overly simplistic, but the hard truth is that each tip works! And, moreover, are used frequently by recent immigrants to the United States (and are often forgotten by the 2nd or 3rd generation):


Tip 1: "Save like you have no job and 6 mouths to feed."
For my parents, saving was akin to a religion. They didn't save 10 or 20 percent of their paycheck; rather they saved close to half of their take home pay. I suspect the urge to save is an instinctual feeling for many recent immigrants who arrive in a new country with no job and no home. The ability to save such a large percentage of what they made was dependent on controlling how much they spent each week. If you live well below your means you can save a large percentage of your weekly income.

Read the rest of Scordo's article here:

On What Italian-Americans Can Teach You About Personal Finance: 10 Tips

Photo: Copyright of Vincent Scordo Tweet