(ANSA) - Messina, October 2 - Rescue workers in Sicily counted at least 18 dead and ten missing on Friday in the wake of violent flooding and mudslides in and around Messina with the death toll expected to rise.
Dispatched to supervise relief efforts, civil protection chief Guido Bertolaso said ''the first priority is to focus on relief efforts before we start talking about whose fault this is''.
Bertolaso said rescuers were doing ''everything humanly possible'' to help survivors stranded in the areas hardest hit but that the mudslides covering roads and railways made getting to them''extremely difficult''. Some four hundred people have been evacuated from their homes by boat and helicopter, according to local officials who added that at least 40 were injured, some of them seriously.
When: September 24, 2009 (Thursday) 7:30 pm Concert:Giada Valenti "Tribute to Love" http://www.giadavalenti.com/index.htm Description: Giada Valenti’s new show is a unique and entertaining program that appeals to the romantic spirit. With her great storytelling and emotional vocal skills Giada takes her audience on a virtual trip through the most romantic places on earth, performing timeless songs as “Speak Softly Love” (theme from The Godfather). Her selections are a blend of the past and the present. Sponsored by Italian American Museum. Where: DiCapo Theatre
184 East 78th Street, Manhattan Contact: (212) 965-9000 for tickets http://www.dicapo.com/ Price: $25 & $35
When: October 1, 2009 (Thursday) 8:00 pm (For One Night Only) Concert:Pino Daniele http://www.pinodaniele.com/ Description: For the first time in the United States, self taught guitarist Pino Daniele will perform his music which has captured world wide attention. Defined as “Taramblu,” Daniele’s music is a fusion of Tarantella, Blues and Rumba. Where: Apollo Theatre
253 West 125th Street, Manhattan
For ticket information contact: Ticketmaster (212) 307-4100; Box office: (212) 531-5305 www.ticketmaster.com/apollotheater Price: ~$43-$73
John Dabbene's Garibaldi-Meucci Museum tells tales of Italian pride - not myths
If you see something, say something." That has long been John Dabbene's motto.
For Dabbene, who heads Staten Island's Garibaldi-Meucci Museum and serves as president emeritus of the National Commission for Social Justice, the credo is not a solicitation for public help in the war against terrorism.
It's a rallying cry against negative images of Italians - wherever found.
Dabbene, 71, has waged the battle - gratis - for much of his life.
"I have never gotten paid for anything I have done in the last 30 years working for the Italian-American community," he said. "I do this because of my love for my heritage."
Dabbene, of Fresh Kills, has seen a lot over the years - and what he's said about what he doesn't like has resonated through our culture.
An Italian policeman who saved thousands of Jews in the Second World War before dying in a Nazi concentration camp is to be commemorated by the Italian Post Office in the centenary of his birth.
If you see something, say something." That has long been John Dabbene's motto.
An Italian policeman who saved thousands of Jews in the Second World War before dying in a Nazi concentration camp is to be commemorated by the Italian Post Office in the centenary of his birth.