Podcasts about Italian

Classic film noir meets sleazy Italian exploitation this week as Sakana and Dr Ethan drop by to check out The Glass Key (1942), directed by Stuart Heisler, and the magnificently named Strip Nude For Your Killer (1975), directed by Andrea Bianchi. We dive deep into the lives and travails of The Glass Key's wonderful cast (including Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Brian Donlevy) and the its striking similarities with Coen brothers' later masterpiece, Miller's Crossing. Then, stay tuned for Ethan, Joe and especially Rob trying hard not to embarrass themselves expressing their... appreciation for Edwige Fenech in Bianchi's lurid giallo. This time, we manage to have a deep discussion without spoiling the plots of either film, so we won't be calling out Spoiler Territory this week. Want to get in touch? You can reach us on caliber9fromouterspace@gmail.com Theme music: "The Cold Light of Day" by HKM. Check out HKM on #SoundCloud or Bandcamp "Stripped" by Depeche Mode

Rememoramos nuestra estancia y la música que pudimos disfrutar en estos eventos internacionales celebrados el pasado mes de noviembre: Folkelarm, en Oslo, y Napoli World, en esa ciudad italiana. We look back on our stay and the music we were able to enjoy at these international events held last November: Folkelarm, in Oslo, and Napoli World, in that Italian city. - Mikey Kenney - Scarecrow festival - Tiny little light - Anders Lillebo - Halling etter Halteguten - Munnspill - Hialøsa - Eken - Scanian very old pop - Britt Elise Skram - Firegangar og springdansar frå Vistdal - Dåm - Tilibo - Vito - Woo la ba - Ole Andre Farstad - Du ringar, VI springar - Streng på streng - Meelodi - Kolli - The great blue wheel - Rydvall Mjelva Carr - Souvas - Heartspin - Mariaa Siga - Lagne boote - Lagne boote [single] - Magalí Sare & Manel Fortià - Tonada de cabestrero - Fang i núvols - Sinfonia Ensemble & Christian Di Fiore - Moulin - Zampogna e...

New year, clean slate, and maybe time for a closer look at the person managing your money. Joe Saul-Sehy and OG kick off 2026 by answering the question many Stackers quietly wonder about: Is my financial advisor actually good at their job? Rather than talking theory or credentials, they break down five real-world red flags that signal an advisor might be more focused on products, commissions, or their own ego than on your goals. These are the subtle warning signs you'll never see in a glossy brochure but you'll absolutely feel over time. The 5 red flags: • Poor communication that keeps you in the dark • Office culture that feels off • Confusing jargon (often a feature, not a bug) • Unclear or hidden fees • Products over process Plus: Doug's Italian food trivia, New Year's breakfast burrito chaos, and a reminder that you're allowed to expect clarity and respect. Question for you: What's the biggest green flag or red flag you've seen from a financial advisor? Share in the comments—your story might help another Stacker avoid a costly mistake. The Red Flags Your Financial Advisor Hopes You Miss New year, clean slate, and maybe a closer look at the person helping you manage your money. In this episode of The Stacking Benjamins Show, Joe Saul-Sehy and OG kick off the year by pulling back the curtain on a question many Stackers quietly wonder about: Is my financial advisor actually good at their job? Rather than talking theory or credentials, the guys break down five real-world red flags that signal an advisor might be more focused on products, commissions, or their own ego than on your goals. These are the subtle warning signs you'll never see in a glossy brochure but you'll absolutely feel them over time. From how an advisor communicates (or doesn't), to what their office culture tells you, to why confusing jargon is often a feature not a bug, this episode gives you practical ways to evaluate whether your advisor is truly on your team. And because this is Stacking Benjamins, the serious stuff is balanced with laughs, a little New Year's chaos, and Doug's trivia detour into Italian food. If you've ever wondered whether you should stay, ask better questions, or quietly run for the exit, this episode gives you the confidence to decide. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: The top five red flags that signal a subpar financial advisor Why great advisors focus on process and goals, not hot products How poor communication quietly sabotages your financial progress What an advisor's office environment and staff behavior can reveal Why unclear fees and excessive jargon should make you nervous How to check public records without feeling overwhelmed ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: A fresh start to the year with breakfast burritos, Doug's trivia break on Italian food, a reminder that you are allowed to expect clarity and respect, plus community updates and what's coming next. HERE'S A QUESTION TO THINK ABOUT: What's the biggest green flag or red flag you've seen from a financial advisor? Share your experience in Spotify comments or bring it to the Basement Facebook group. Your story might help another Stacker avoid a costly mistake. Because the right advisor doesn't just manage money. They help you sleep better at night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patreon preview. Unlock full episode at https://www.patreon.com/stavvysworldHappy New Years folks!! We ring in 2026 with a live call show where we talk directly to our beautiful Patreon members on Discord. Stav and Eldy help callers including a man whose Italian professor dad is marrying one of his students, a woman whose military vet family friend abruptly left his wife and kids, and an update from an all-time caller whose mother was murdered in Albania.If you'd like to be a part of future live call episodes, subscribe at www.patreon.com/stavvysworld to get access to the Stavvy's World Discord channel where these live calls are taken.☎️ Have a question for a regular episode? Call 904-800-STAV and leave a voicemail to get advice!

Kick off 2026 with a special edition of the Global DJ Broadcast: New Year's Rehab. Markus Schulz takes you on a journey through the sultry, sexy and euphoric moods of the afterhours, blending indie dance, Italian disco-inspired sounds and hypnotic late-night grooves. This standalone mix captures the essence of the early morning hours where music turns introspective, playful, and irresistibly addictive. Perfect for winding down after the celebrations or for embracing the start of a brand-new year.   Tracklist:   01. Hellmuth - Can't Resist 02. The Organism vs. John Summit, HAYLA & Millero - Serotonin Where You Are (Markus Schulz Mashup) 03. John Lord Fonda & Damon Jee vs. Tall Paul - Les Dunes d'Altair de Voodoo Ray (Markus Schulz Mashup) 04. Monococ - Pressure 05. Frankey & Sandrino - Acamar 06. Hellmuth - Stockholm Syndrome 07. Rex the Dog - Change This Pain for Ecstasy 08. David Tort & Kurt Caesar - Clear All Patterns 09. Alessa Khin - Hanami 10. GENESI, Wave Wave & Roland Clarke - Phones Down (Hellmuth Rework) 11. Damon Jee & Demian - Memories 12. Architectural vs. Stylo & Space Motion - Never Be Yours Again, Boy (Markus Schulz Mashup) 13. Ed Ed - The Ellcrys 14. Laurent Garnier - Man with the Red Face 15. Infektion vs. MODEON - Disco Crazy Armor (Markus Schulz Mashup) 16. Kollektiv &Turmstrasse - Stalker: Cold Love 17. Frankie Knuckles presents Director's Cut - Your Love (Director's Cut Signature Mix) 18. Luka Cikic - Floating in Desert 19. Dave Brody - Eclipse (Guy J Remix) 20. Ame, Trikk & Jens Kuross - Don't Waste My Time 21. Empire of the Sun - We Are the People (Adam Sellouk Remix) 22. Eagles & Butterflies - The Trip (Jennifer Cardini & Damon Jee Remix) 23. Deep Dish x Eynka featuring Wrabel - Midnight  

L'Italia racchiude storia millenaria, capolavori artistici e paesaggi naturali unici. Dal Colosseo alla Torre di Pisa, queste cinque meraviglie di cui parliamo oggi mostrano la straordinaria varietà del paese.Start learning Italian today!1. Explore more simple Italian lessons: https://italianmatters.com/2242. Download the Italian Verb Conjugation Blueprint: ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/freebieverbblueprint⁠⁠⁠3. Subscribe to the YouTube lessons: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/italianmatters⁠⁠⁠The goal of the Italian Matters Language and Culture School is to help English speakers build fluency and confidence to speak the Italian language through support, feedback, and accountability. The primary focus is on empowering Italian learners to speak clearly and sound natural so they can easily have conversations in Italian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was first published in May 2025. New episodes will resume on January 6, 2026.  Keep the narrative flow going in the new year! Subscribe now to skip ads, get bonus content, and enjoy 24/7 access to the entire catalog of 500+ episodes. Original show notes: President Donald Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act during peacetime is unprecedented, a part of his larger effort to portray undocumented immigrants as wicked and threatening as he seeks to deport them en masse. What is not unprecedented is the federal government weaponizing the law to shred constitutional protections and civil liberties. During the Second World War, the administration of Franklin Roosevelt arrested and incarcerated Italians, Germans, and Japanese aliens under the 1798 statute, but also interned roughly 100,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry — one of the most egregious violations of civil rights in U.S. history. In this episode, the eminent historian David M. Kennedy takes us back to those perilous years and their important parallels to the current crisis. Recommended reading: Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 by David M. Kennedy

Send us a textHappy New Year, everyone! Our entire staff here at FC 2.0 headquarters wish you nothing but the best. That's very much unlike the end-of-life journey the Italians offered their once-admired dictator at the end of WW2. If you didn't know that factoid, strap it in for a 2026 ride. David invested his time during the biggest worldwide party of the year learning such knowledge and we, loyal listeners, are always generous with what we discover. If Jesus thought it important to connect in regional dialects so we could know, so do we. Dude!!

Rudolph Valentino died one hundred years ago on August 23, 1926. In an effort to celebrate the life of the Italian mega star, the Golden Silent Films Podcast is dedicating its sixth season to Rudolph Valentino.With that in mind, we are spending 2026, thecentennial of Valentino's death, paying tribute to the man, the myth and the legend. Rudolph Valentino was truly all three of those and this season on the podcast, we will take you through the fact AND the fiction. Follow his life, fromhis childhood in Italy to the dancehalls of the United States and ultimately the silver screens across the globe.Each month, we will bring you great Valentino content,from the biographical to various movie breakdowns and so much in between. You'll journey alongside the legendary lover from birth to death and beyond. Join us to experience the life, loves and legacy of one of the brightest stars Hollywood ever produced.A huge "Thank you!" goes out to friend of the show Jameson Quinn for providing the voice over for this trailer. Quinn is a talented and creative actor and director and all-around great guy who set the stage for this year perfectly!Bluesky - @goldensilentscastInstagram - goldensilentscastTwitter/X - @goldensilents1#valentino #rudolphvalentino #latinlover #hollywood #silentfilm #silentfilms #silentmovie #silentmovies #classicfilm #moviestar #italy #italian #pittsburgh #filmpodcast #filmdiscussion #filmhistory #vintage #season6 #newseason #moviehistory #italianfilm

“The 2025 Singles Release Retrospective!” remembering the songs of AUGUST! Black-eyed peas, collard greens, smoked sausage, sweet Italian sausage, and sprouted lentils in a ham broth. Dinner tonight. Happy New Year! The Music Authority Podcast...download, listen, share, repeat…heard daily on Belter Radio, Podchaser, Deezer, Amazon Music, Audible, Listen Notes, Mixcloud, Player FM, Tune In, Podcast Addict, Cast Box, Radio Public, Pocket Cast, APPLE iTunes, and direct for the source distribution site: *Podcast - https://themusicauthority.transistor.fm/  AND NOW there is a website! TheMusicAuthority.comThe Music Authority Podcast! Special Recorded Network Shows, too! Different than my daily show! Seeing that I'm gone from FB now…Follow me on “X” Jim Prell@TMusicAuthority*The Music Authority on @BelterRadio Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7 pm ET & Wednesday 9 pm ET*Radio Candy Radio Monday Wednesday, & Friday 7PM ET, 4PM PT*Rockin' The KOR Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 7PM UK time, 2PM ET, 11AM PT  www.koradio.rocks*Pop Radio UK Friday, Saturday, & Sunday 6PM UK, 1PM ET, 10AM PT! *The Sole Of Indie  https://soleofindie.rocks/  Monday Through Friday 6-7PM EST!*AltPhillie.Rocks Sunday, Thursday, & Saturday At 11:00AM ET!January 1, 2026, Thursday, Happy New Year…hour two…@The Vibeke Saugestad Band - Hey Now Sunshine [The Sun Sessions] (@Rum Bar Records)@TheHighFrequenciesMusic - Modern Love [Jem Records Celebrates David Bowie] (@Jem Records)@Broken Colours - Before The Sun@65MPH - The Line@The Sun Sawed In ½ - Fall in Slow Motion [Triptych] (koolkatmusik.com)@BillyOliverMusic - I Dream In Blue@Little Billy Lost – Tonight (@FezzKoKo Records)@Muscle Souls - I Stole Your Records@West Coast Music Club - Serendipity [Faded Scrapbook]@The Peppermint Kicks - Too Sweet (Oh Yeah!) [Pop Rocks In My Chewing Gum] (@Rum Bar Records)@Trelane & The Squires Of Gothos - Mary Mary (@Damaged Goods Records)@New Math - When I Was Young (@Propeller Sound Recordings)@Maple Mars - Couldn't Have Been A Better Time (@Big Stir Records)@TheMidnightCallersNYC – Changes [Jem Records Celebrates David Bowie] (@Jem Records)@Chris Richards And The Subtractions - Make Any Vows (@Futureman Records)@The Flashcubes - If These Hands [Make Something Happen - A Tribute To The Flashcubes] (@Big Stir Records)@The Hellflowers – Spanish Bombs [Teenage Radio] (@Rum Bar Records)@The Won't Quit Band – She Never Called (@DanSnakeVitaloMusic)

Goldberg joins "The View" executive producer Brian Teta to discuss working with director Rob Reiner on "Ghosts of Mississippi" after his death over the weekend. She also shares about her experience guest-starring in Italian soap opera "Un Posto Al Sole," what she's wishing for this Christmas and she celebrates one year since she launched the All Women's Sports Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

And just like that, it's the end of 2025! But it's not over yet, we have the fabulous Kate Hudson to see us out of the year. Kate joined us for breakfast in the midst of a whirlwind tour for the brand new film Song Sung Blue, which is a beautifully touching film. Over breakfast, we talked about everything from making the film with Hugh Jackman, her love of a dirty martini, the family's epic annual New Years Eve plans, being caught in the LA fires, meeting Neil Diamond, when the perfect age is to watch Overboard, and we discover that Kate's Italian family come from mafia roots! What a way to end the year, thank you for popping round Kate, hope you have a fabulous 2026! Kate's new film Song Sung Blue is released in cinemas on New Year's Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 160: of the American Grown Podcast in the Colortech Creative Solutions studios with returning guest, Track & Field Coach at Cedar Crest High School Rob Bare.In this episode, we welcome back Rob Bare, Cedar Crest Track & Field coach, physical education teacher, author, and lifelong runner—for his first appearance since Episode 1 in 2022.Rob joins us to celebrate an incredible milestone: 50,000+ lifetime running miles—equal to running around the Earth twice. But for Rob, the miles have always been about more than running. They're about service, leadership, and impact.We talk about the Kids Heart Challenge at Ebenezer Elementary nearing $1 million in total donations, Cedar Crest Track & Field's continued success with four Division I athletes this spring, and Rob's work with the Men Wear Pink campaign.Braving Your AdversityMen Wear Pink CampaignSHOW SPONSORS:College Knowledge Foundation. Your path to higher education.Cleona Coffee Roasters. A small batch coffee roastery & coffee shop, veteran & first responder owned located inside 911 Rapid Response in Annville PA.Angelo's Pizza. Enjoy mouthwatering Italian dinners.Triggered 22. Support a local veteran and help spread awareness for PTSD & #22aday.Hossler Engraving. Looking for unique handcrafted gifts for all occasions Zach has you covered.Modern Gent Customs. We don't make basics...We make statements.Hains Auto Detailing. Have your car smiling from wheel to wheel.Boyer's Tavern. Proper food & drinks made by slightly improper people.Sip or Snack break.SIP: Garage Beer.SNACK: Jurgy.OFFICIAL STUDIO SPONSOR: Colortech Creative Solutions takes your creative projects from visualization to realization. We've been doing so since 1980 all while keeping your budget in mind.To see photos of today's guest follow on social media:IG: AmericanGrownPodcastFB: American Grown Podcast or visits us at American Grown Podcast

Celebrate the New Year with some fabulous guests from New Jersey to Pennsylvania! We're celebrating the end of 2025 and beginning 2026 with The Monterey Grill, Dolce Italian inside the W Hotel, and cheers-ing a toast at Space Bar! *Food Farms And Chefs Radio Show, Episode 342

On this week's episode of The STL Bucket List Show, host Lucas Farrell sits down with Nick Sansone of Sansone Group. Nick is a St. Louis real estate leader with deep family roots in the region, and a huge passion for supporting local businesses, restaurants, and the community. In this conversation, Nick shares what it's like building a family business where the company name is also the family name, and why relationships, trust, and showing up in real life still matter more than ever.We cover:Nick's St. Louis roots, Italian heritage, and early memories that still shape the family todayThe Sansone family approach to business, culture, and carrying a legacy forwardWhy relationship building is still the real “secret weapon” in real estateThe old-school habits that stand out now, handwritten notes, follow-ups, and in-person meetingsNick's favorite St. Louis staples, from The Hill to Carl's Drive-InAdvice for the next generation trying to break into real estate and stand out in an AI-heavy world

Listen to me now and believe me later! This week on the Scary Spirits Podcast, we're not just celebrating New Year's Eve—we're taking you straight to the end of the world! That's right, we're reviewing the explosive 1999 apocalyptic horror-action film “End of Days“, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's the ultimate showdown between good and evil, and trust me, this episode will pump you up! Join your hosts, Karen and Greg, as they dive deep into the chaos, the demons, and the nonstop action that made “End of Days” a cult classic. They'll break down the story, the shocking twists, and the epic battle to save humanity before the clock strikes midnight. And because this is the Scary Spirits Podcast, they're not just talking—they're drinking! You'll hear them mix up a powerful, themed cocktail called the Apocalypse Bourbon Cocktail. It's bold, it's strong, and it's the perfect drink to toast the end of the year. So grab your glass, get ready for judgment day, and join us for an episode that's bigger than the Terminator, scarier than the devil himself, and more fun than a New Year's Eve party in Hollywood. Don't miss it—download now and subscribe! Hasta la vista, boring podcasts! Apocalypse Bourbon Cocktail • 1 oz bourbon• 3/4 oz Kahlua• 1 oz peppermint schnapps• 1 oz vodka Instructions: Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice. Add all the ingredients to the shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into glass over ice. Garnish as desired. Source: callmepmc.com A Brief Synopsis: A private security guard finds himself caught up in an apocalyptic conflict. The Devil’s only chance of getting out of his eternal prison is to mate with a chosen girl in the last hour of the millennium, and the guard finds himself having to protect the woman from an enemy in whom he does not even believe. Some of the topics discussed and highlights of this episode include: We learn about the invention of Kevlar in 1965. Do you know when the first subway ran? Karen tells us all about the Italian friar and priest Thomas Aquinas. Our rating of the film: This movie was OK. It took us 3 cocktails to get through it. Take our online survey! We want to know more about you! Please take our survey. All questions are optional and you can remain completely anonymous if you prefer. Tell us what you like or would like to hear more of! All music on the Scary Spirits Podcast is provided by the band “Verse 13”. Please check them out. You can listen to all their music on their Bandcamp page. Get social with us! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram Subscribe on YouTube to watch Greg attempt to make all the featured cocktails Follow @ScarySpiritsPod Questions, comments or suggestions? Shoot us an email at info@scaryspirits.com As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small percentage of qualifying purchases through our links.

La salvezza come cammino collettivo, e il vero significato del Natale Il sistema universitario italiano sotto accusa Venezia celebra la creatività di Mariano Fortuny ed Henriette Negrin La nostalgia come forma d'arte

We finish one year and start the next with an ode to good food.  Emilia Fox is an English actress and presenter. She is best known for playing Dr Nikki Alexander in the popular long-running TV series Silent Witness, a role she has been playing since 2004, when Nick was still at university and Angela was on TV with Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen. Emilia is with us to chat about the upcoming series of the show (its 29th!!) which lands on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in early 2026. But before that, we have (just enough) time to go through Emilia's likes and dislikes, which have been made into a novella with a limited print run... of three. Emilia is passionate about seasonal and Italian food, and could eat roast chicken every day, so immediately enters into Angela's good books.  We begin the show by serving a perfectly chilled vodka martini with a twist. This is followed by a butternut & toasted pumpkin seed risotto, paired with a glass of Ricossa Barbera Appassimento Piemonte DOC. There's no need for rice fear as Angela guides Emilia and Nick through her risotto method and top tips.  This is a heart-warming dish, recipe and guest with which to start 2026. We get Emilia's love of great food, her stories of being a (very sackable) waitress and how she deals with dead bodies on set. Plus, a few thoughts for potential New Year's resolutions. Bellissimo!   You can watch full episodes of Dish on YouTube and, new for this season, on Spotify.  All recipes from this podcast can be found at waitrose.com/dishrecipes A transcript for this episode can be found at waitrose.com/dish If you want to get in touch with us about anything at all, contact dish@waitrose.co.uk Dish from Waitrose is made by Cold Glass Productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 2025 ticks out its final hours, here's one last episode of ALILI for the year, and it's buonissimo! Journalist, author, content creator and linguist Sophia Smith Galer joins me to share the love for Italian. Our conversation has a focus on the sociolinguistic dynamics of Italian, namely how this national language fits into the lives of speakers up and down the peninsula, and how it might be harming the other languages of Italy in the process. Sophia also shares her personal relationship with Italian, as a ‘heritage language' of hers that she is now working to promote in London.Support the language-loving mission by joining the ALILI Patreon here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/ALanguageILoveIs⁠⁠Sophia's splendid website: ⁠https://www.sophiasmithgaler.com/⁠Pre-order How to Kill a Language here: ⁠https://www.sophiasmithgaler.com/how-to-kill-a-language⁠ Sample of Italian (by speaker Sebastiano) from here: ⁠https://wikitongues.org/videos/sebastiano_20131103_ita/⁠Host: Dr. Danny BateGuest: Sophia Smith GalerAudio Mixing and Mastering: Jeremiah McPaddenMusic: Acoustic Guitar by William KingArtwork: Willow Marler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Brown Bag crew celebrates the end of 2025 by recapping their most chaotic highlights, ranging from Mariah Carey’s viral "Bonnie and Clyde" stories about Tupac to the bizarre "Italian brain rot" taking over the internet. The comedy peaks during a high-stakes Homie Helpline where they debate if a girlfriend should pay to fix the car she keyed during a breakup, followed by the crew roasting Vic for his "one-year tattoo" and Angie for her bread-induced constipation. [Edited by @iamdyre

Bradley Jay Fills In On NightSide with Dan Rea MasterChef 10 contestant Kenny Palazzolo has been cooking since he was a kid. He was born and raised in Little Italy in the North End of Boston and grew up in a family with generations of great cooks. Kenny stopped by and taught the basics of cooking classic Italian dishes at home! Get out those pans and start chopping garlic now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bradley Jay Fills In On NightSide with Dan Rea MasterChef 10 contestant Kenny Palazzolo has been cooking since he was a kid. He was born and raised in Little Italy in the North End of Boston and grew up in a family with generations of great cooks. Kenny stopped by and taught the basics of cooking classic Italian dishes at home! Get out those pans and start chopping garlic now!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our first time reviewing a country-inspired week! We scrutinize the Italian jokes, Ify declares himself a cannoli truther, and Mike is unimpressed by Italian baked goods.Check out our merch at maxfunstore.com.Please support us at maximumfun.org/join, follow us on Instagram @tvcheffantasyleague, and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

Fluent Fiction - Italian: New Year Revelations: A Night at Piazza San Marco Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2025-12-31-08-38-20-it Story Transcript:It: La Piazza San Marco era viva.En: La Piazza San Marco was alive.It: Luci scintillanti danzavano sulle facciate degli edifici antichi.En: Twinkling lights danced on the façades of the ancient buildings.It: La gente rideva, abbracciava, e il loro fiato era visibile nell'aria invernale.En: People laughed, embraced, and their breath was visible in the winter air.It: Era la notte di Capodanno e l'eccitazione era contagiosa.En: It was New Year's Eve, and the excitement was contagious.It: Luca e Giulia erano lì, tra la folla, aspettando il nuovo anno.En: Luca and Giulia were there, among the crowd, waiting for the new year.It: Luca guardava il cielo.En: Luca looked up at the sky.It: "Giulia," iniziò, ma poi si fermò.En: "Giulia," he began, but then stopped.It: Sentiva una morsa allo stomaco.En: He felt a knot in his stomach.It: Il suo lavoro era diventato una prigione e desiderava il cambiamento.En: His job had become a prison, and he longed for change.It: Sognava una vita diversa, ma la paura di fallire e deludere la famiglia lo attanagliava.En: He dreamed of a different life, but the fear of failure and disappointing his family gripped him.It: Giulia, con un sorriso, strinse la mano di Luca.En: Giulia, with a smile, squeezed Luca's hand.It: "Che c'è?"En: "What's wrong?"It: chiese, i suoi occhi brillanti come le luci attorno a loro.En: she asked, her eyes shining like the lights around them.It: Era ottimista, sempre pronta a vedere il lato positivo.En: She was optimistic, always ready to see the bright side.It: Ma anche lei aveva le sue paure, il suo timore per il futuro.En: But she also had her fears, her concerns about the future.It: Luca esitò.En: Luca hesitated.It: Poi guardò i fuochi d'artificio che iniziavano a illuminare il cielo.En: Then he looked at the fireworks that began to light up the sky.It: Erano bellissimi, colori vivaci esplodevano in ogni direzione.En: They were beautiful, bright colors bursting in every direction.It: Il momento era perfetto.En: The moment was perfect.It: "Giulia," disse con più decisione, "voglio cambiare carriera.En: "Giulia," he said with more resolve, "I want to change careers.It: Voglio seguire la mia passione.En: I want to follow my passion.It: Ma ho paura."En: But I'm scared."It: Giulia rimase un attimo in silenzio.En: Giulia paused for a moment.It: Poi, con un sorriso dolce, abbracciò Luca.En: Then, with a sweet smile, she hugged Luca.It: "Non devi avere paura.En: "You don't need to be afraid.It: Se è quello che desideri, dovresti provarci.En: If that's what you want, you should go for it.It: Io ti sosterrò sempre."En: I will always support you."It: Le parole di Giulia erano come una luce nell'oscurità.En: Giulia's words were like a light in the darkness.It: Luca si sentì sollevato, come se un peso enorme gli fosse caduto di dosso.En: Luca felt relieved, as if an enormous weight had fallen off his shoulders.It: Aveva trovato il coraggio di parlare dei suoi piani, e l'incoraggiamento di Giulia gli diede la forza di andare avanti.En: He had found the courage to speak about his plans, and Giulia's encouragement gave him the strength to move forward.It: Mentre i fuochi d'artificio continuavano a esplodere sopra di loro, Luca si sentì fiducioso e chiaro sul suo futuro.En: As the fireworks continued to explode above them, Luca felt confident and clear about his future.It: La Piazza San Marco, con la sua atmosfera gioiosa e festosa, sarà ricordata come il luogo in cui prese la decisione più importante della sua vita.En: La Piazza San Marco, with its joyful and festive atmosphere, would be remembered as the place where he made the most important decision of his life.It: Il nuovo anno prometteva nuove avventure.En: The new year promised new adventures.It: E con Giulia al suo fianco, Luca era pronto per affrontarle tutte.En: And with Giulia by his side, Luca was ready to face them all. Vocabulary Words:the façade: la facciataembrace: abbracciothe breath: il fiatocontagious: contagiosathe crowd: la follathe knot: la morsathe stomach: lo stomacothe prison: la prigioneto long: desiderarethe failure: il fallireto disappoint: deludereto grip: attanagliareto squeeze: stringereto shine: brillarethe bright side: il lato positivoconcerns: timorethe hesitation: l'esitazionethe resolve: la decisionethe passion: la passionesweet: dolcethe courage: il coraggioenormous: enormethe weight: il pesoto fall off: cadere di dossothe encouragement: l'incoraggiamentothe atmosphere: l'atmosferato promise: promettereto face: affrontarejoyful: gioiosato explode: esplodere

 About Amrit DhaliwalAmrit Dhaliwal is the CEO and founder of Walfinch, one of the UK's fastest-growing home care franchise networks. His journey into social care didn't start in a boardroom but behind the counter of an Italian deli and inside a Mary Antoinette–style tea room he built from scratch. After studying economics and history, Amrit quickly realised corporate life wasn't for him and threw himself into entrepreneurship, learning business the hard way through hospitality, long hours, and very little sleep.A chance introduction to domiciliary care through his now-wife's family led him into the care sector as a franchisee. There, he saw first-hand the inefficiencies of paper-based systems and outdated models. He built and sold his first care brand, then founded Walfinch to reimagine home care and franchising: tech-enabled, scalable, values-led, and built to empower “everyday” entrepreneurs to succeed.Today, Amrit is focused on building a £100 million network across 100 locations, while reshaping how the UK thinks about aging. For him, care is not just about survival, but what he calls “time to thrive”, combining wellness, technology, and community so older adults can live better, not just longer.About this EpisodeIn this energising episode of The Matrix Green Pill Podcast, host Hilmarie Hutchison talks with Amrit Dhaliwal about how he went from running an Italian deli and tea room to leading a national home care franchise network that's redefining both aging and entrepreneurship.Amrit shares the gritty early days of working multiple jobs, commuting long hours, sleeping four hours a night, and learning business by doing. He explains how becoming a care franchisee opened his eyes to serious gaps in the sector, from filing-cabinet systems to clunky franchising models, and how those frustrations became the blueprint for Walfinch.Amrit also shares practical advice for business owners considering franchising their model: why you must treat “being a franchisor” as a different business, the importance of mentors who've actually done it, and how not to fall into the trap of chasing money instead of learning.At its heart, this episode is about building businesses that care deeply and scale wisely, and about rebranding aging from something people endure to a stage of life where they truly have time to thrive.Quotes3:50 - My passion is very much with other entrepreneurs and really focused on trying to change how we think about aging in the UK and how we think about entrepreneurship within the social care space. 5:00 - We need to be more technology driven. 6:17 - Franchising is where you can get an average entrepreneur and make them successful. It's not just about getting the top-tier entrepreneurs and making them successful. 7:52 - I really pride myself on me and my team being able to sort of outwork people. 8:12 - There is no substitute for hard work. 9:11 - I'm all about resilience. I think there is no mindset that is more kind of useful than that. 10:01 - Having that growth mindset is very important, but actually really just being super, super resilient because actually business is really hard and you get knocked down on a regular basis, and the ability to stand up and go again is the ability to win. 15:07 - Having clear values is really important. 16:03 - Having awkward conversations regularly is important, making sure that you've got a clear set of values and vision and also people align in that vision and they understand those values. 24:07 - Don't chase money. Focus on learning, finThe Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

On this episode of the Nonsense Podcast, we kick off a New Year podcast episode with a wild Kelly Fact about how Italians used to celebrate New Year's Eve — by throwing furniture out the window to symbolize getting rid of the old and making room for the new… while also wearing red underwear for good luck. Naturally, this sparks a chaotic discussion about Assassin's Creed lore, how the franchise should've ended, and why Attack on Titan eventually became too much for FNBob despite being one of the most popular anime of all time.From there, we unfortunately (but inevitably) dive back into P. Diddy news, with Henvincible joking about parties returning if he's released, while FNBob fires back with jokes about someone throwing a party inside R. Kelly's old Chicago house — including an uncomfortable conversation about unused bathrooms.The episode shifts into full nerd culture podcast mode as the crew recaps their visit to Gundam Base Chicago, the first Gundam store in the United States, and later being invited to the Sonic Speed Café Chicago grand opening. We talk exclusive merch, themed food, pop-ups, and networking with other content creators and podcasters in the city.To close things out, FNBob taps fully into his ruthless positivity era, acknowledging that 2025 has already been a rough year, but forces the FN Crew to count their wins anyway — from Henvincible's streaming growth, Kelly's dog training success, and the continued growth of the Nonsense Podcast and FN Entertainment. A laid-back New Year reflection podcast episode packed with jokes, pop culture, gaming talk, and real moments.

Elbit Insurance and Italian Strikes https://www.greenleft.org.au/2025/1444/world/italian-dockworkers-lead-global-actions-end-genocide https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/allianz-and-aviva-drop-elbit-systems-insurance-after-pro-palestine #peoplearerevolting Peoplearerevolting.com movingtrainradio.com

We're back! It's time to preview the January 2026 movies that will air on Hallmark Channel. Lost in ParadisePremieres Saturday January 3 8/7cStarring Lacey Chabert and Ian HardingWhen the founder of a high-end fashion company gets marooned on an "deserted" island with a chef, romance blossoms as they work together to survive.A Melbourne MatchPremieres Saturday January 10 8/7cStarring Mallory Jansen and Ryan CorrGeorgie, a travel writer, travels to Melbourne for an assignment where she meets Zach, an Australian ex-footballer who agrees to be her tour guide and shows her that there's more to life than work.Love on the AmazonPremieres Saturday January 17 8/7cStarring Jaicy Elliott and Rafael de la FuenteGabby travels to the Amazon to reach her sister, a researcher, and meets a rugged riverboat Captain named Ryder.Caught by LovePremieres Saturday January 24 8/7cStarring Rachael Leigh Cook and Luke MacfarlaneWhile on a journey of self-discovery, a resort guest gets swept into an undercover investigation for stolen jewels that turns into an unexpected and adventurous romance.Missing the BoatPremieres Saturday January 31 8/7cStarring Emilie Ullerup and Kristoffer PolahaStrangers Kelly and Parker both end up on the same Italian cruise, but after missing the boat during a stop, they're forced to team up and race across southern Italy to catch up. Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The best way to learn Italian doesn't involve memorizing verb lists. Here are 7 effective techniques (in our humble opinion) to get better and better at Italian. Learn about our Online Italian School and get a free mini lesson every week: https://joyoflanguages.online/italian-school Subscribe to our new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@joyoflanguages.italian?sub_confirmation=1 Get the bonus materials for this episode: https://italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast/The-Best-Way-to-Learn-Italian Today's Italian words: Vorrei uno spritz = I'd like a spritz Ho una prenotazione = I have a reservation Sono americano = I am American Vivo in Canada = I live in Canada Vivo in Inghliterra = I live in England

206: On this episode, HK gives us a timepiece and a model variant 5 years too late? The ATF is making some changes to FORM 1 & 4 Stealth Arms makes an XC Ruger resurrects the Red Label Jaki gets comfy with her new holster Tony has bitch hands And Zaffiri makes complete slide packages If you guys want to save some on your own set of sexy Italian wood furniture from Woox for your shotgun, AR, bolt or lever gun be sure to use code: laughnload10 For that Blackout Coffee link to support the show click https://www.blackoutcoffee.com?p=SJxs6gMea Be sure to use code LNL20 if it is your first order and get 20% off! Thanks for all of your guy's support! We love ya! Please help us out by rating and reviewing the podcast! Thank you! Got questions? Email us at pewtimepodcast@gmail.com If you want to book Tony for a class email him at performancegun@gmail.com Looking for some new range wear? Head over to https://www.laughnload.com to check out some of the shirts, hats, hoodies and more that are currently available. What to check out some more from us you can search Laugh n Load on IG, FB and YouTube. FB: https://www.facebook.com/252407111792056/ IG: https://instagram.com/laughnload?igshid=tm0tboj9syru YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvK8P5NQ_sCpz1Hwasmd62QB

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the neglected connection between economic austerity and political repression in the early years of Fascist Italy.Drawing on the groundbreaking work of economist Clara Mattei, we delve into how Mussolini's regime used budget cuts, regressive taxation, and mass layoffs not just to balance the books, but to crush the Italian working class. We examine the "Two Red Years" (Biennio Rosso) that terrified the bourgeoisie and how Fascism was welcomed by liberal elites as a necessary tool to restore order and protect private capital.From the hiking of third-class rail fares to the slashing of veteran benefits, we unpack how economic policy was weaponized to reverse the democratic gains of the post-WWI era. Was austerity the true engine of the Fascist counter-revolution?Key Topics:Austerity as Repression: How economic policy was used to discipline the working class.The Liberal-Fascist Alliance: Why mainstream economists supported Mussolini.The Biennio Rosso: The socialist uprising that terrified Italy's elites.The Motto "Nothing for Nothing": De Stefani's ruthless approach to public spending.Resources:"Austerity and Repressive Politics: Italian Economists and the Early Years of the Fascist Government" by Clara Mattei (Institute of Economics, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna)Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, for our final episode of the year, I am joined by someone whose life story reads like an atlas: the actor, writer, and now podcast host, Richard E. Grant.Born in Swaziland, now known as Eswatini, in southern Africa, Richard grew up in a world of big landscapes, no television, and endless imagination. From there he moved to London in the early 1980s, and very quickly became unforgettable figure on stage and screen - from his iconic role in Withnail & I, all the way through to Gosford Park, Jackie, Star Wars, Saltburn, and his Oscar-nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?Throughout it all, running beneath the red carpets and film sets, there has been travel. He spent 33 summers at a beloved farmhouse in Provence with his late wife Joan, brocante shopping and watching the seasons change. He's had close encounters with sharks while scuba diving off Mozambique, checked into seedy hotel suites in Las Vegas, and floated on the still waters of Lake Como.And now, his travel stories telling them in a new way. Richard is the co-host, of the brilliant new podcast Hotels with History with travel pr Jules Perowne - a series that dives into the scandals, intrigue, glamour and ghosts of some of the world's most legendary hotels.So, sit back, pour something festive, and join me as we step inside the seven travel chapters of Richard E. Grant.Destination Recap:Eswatini (Formerly Swaziland) London, England MozambiqueProvence, France Masai Mara, Kenya and Tanzania Las Vegas, Nevada, USAPassalacqua, Lake Como, ItalyRitz Paris, France The Mark Hotel, Manhattan, New York, USAMkhaya Game Reserve, Safari, SwazilandIsraelGrand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Giza, Egypt SpaceRichard is co-host of the Hotels with History podcast, Season 1 out now I'll be back with a new season of the podcast in the Spring.With thanks to...Citalia - If you're dreaming of your own Italian adventure, visit Citalia.com to start planning today.Naturhotel Forsthofgut – if, like many of our guests, you're dreaming of an alpine escape rooted in harmony with nature, visit forsthofgut.at to start planning today.Beaverbrook Hotel - Escape the everyday and discover Beaverbrook for yourself, a truly indulgent country-house retreat just outside London. Find out more and book your stay at beaverbrook.co.uk.Thanks so much for listening today. If you want to be the first to find out who is joining me next time, come and follow me on Instagram I'm @hollyrubenstein, and you'll also find me on TikTok - I'd love to hear from you. And if you can't wait until then, remember there's the first 14 seasons to catch up on, that's over 165 episodes to keep you busy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode, I'll provide you with the ultimate guide on how to use bene and buono in the best way possible. I have already talked about these words over time, but because they are still challenging for some Italian learners, I decided to summarize the rules and tips to help you master this topic! :)Read the script:https://ilazed.com/2025/12/30/spiegazione-di-bene-e-buono/___________________________You can book a trial lesson with me by writing an email at: ilalazed@gmail.com or on:www.ilazed.comlanguatalk__________________________You might be interested in:Bene o Buono?audioscriptTrucchi per usare Bene e BuonoaudioscriptBravo, Buono e Bene:audioscriptTecniche per aumentare il tuo vocabolario:audioscript__________________________On my website: ilazed.comfree exercisestips for learning Italianexplanation of the Italian languageinfo and curiosity about the Italian culture___________________________Follow me on my socials:https://www.facebook.com/italianwithilazed/https://www.instagram.com/ila_zed/https://twitter.com/ila_zedhttps://www.pinterest.it/ilalazed/

Episode #212 of the Last Call Trivia Podcast kicks off with a round of general knowledge questions. Then, we're puffing out our chest for a theme round of “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” Trivia!Round OneThe game begins with an Anatomy Trivia question that asks the Team to identify what organ the vitreous humor is a part of.Next, we have a Food Trivia question about a type of Italian food item.The first round concludes with a Television Trivia question about a TV sitcom with episode titles inspired by song titles by classic rock bands like Queen, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin.Bonus QuestionToday's Bonus Question is a follow-up to the Television Trivia question from the first round.Round TwoWe're coming into the second half with nothing but confidence for a themed round of “Fake It ‘Til You Make It” Trivia!The second round starts with a Psychology Trivia question that asks the Team to name the “syndrome” of fearing that you'll be found out as a fraud.Next, we have a People Trivia question about a scientist who held the position of Warden of the Royal Mint.Round Two concludes with a Movies Trivia question about a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.Final QuestionWe've reached the Final Question of the game, and today's category of choice is Geography. We're looking this one up and down.For today's Final, the Trivia Team is asked to place four South American capital cities in geographical order, from north to south.Visit lastcalltrivia.com to learn more about hosting your own ultimate Trivia event!

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Finding Balance: A Tale of Exams & Friendship in Firenze Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2025-12-30-08-38-20-it Story Transcript:It: La biblioteca di Firenze era un luogo magico.En: The biblioteca of Firenze was a magical place.It: Il soffitto alto, le pareti foderate di quercia scura e il profumo di libri antichi rendevano l'ambiente speciale.En: The high ceiling, the walls lined with dark oak, and the smell of ancient books made the atmosphere special.It: In uno dei tavoli in legno, sotto la morbida luce verde di una lampada, Alessio stava studiando.En: At one of the wooden tables, under the soft green light of a lamp, Alessio was studying.It: Fuori faceva freddo, l'inverno era arrivato, ma dentro la biblioteca c'era calore e tranquillità.En: Outside it was cold, winter had arrived, but inside the biblioteca there was warmth and tranquility.It: Alessio era concentrato sui suoi libri.En: Alessio was focused on his books.It: I suoi esami finali erano vicini e lui doveva mantenere la borsa di studio.En: His final exams were approaching, and he had to maintain his scholarship.It: Sentiva una grande pressione.En: He felt a great deal of pressure.It: Giulia, invece, era seduta poco distante, con un sorriso sereno sul volto.En: Giulia, on the other hand, was sitting not far away, with a serene smile on her face.It: Lei studiava, ma sembrava non avere nessuna preoccupazione.En: She was studying, but seemed to have no worries.It: Alessio non poteva fare a meno di sentirsi geloso di quanto fosse rilassata.En: Alessio couldn't help feeling jealous of how relaxed she was.It: Una sera, in prossimità di Capodanno, la tensione diventò troppa.En: One evening, near Capodanno, the tension became too much.It: Alessio chiuse il suo libro di scienze e si avvicinò a Giulia.En: Alessio closed his science book and approached Giulia.It: "Come fai a essere così tranquilla?"En: "How do you stay so calm?"It: chiese, cercando di nascondere la sua ansia.En: he asked, trying to hide his anxiety.It: Giulia alzò lo sguardo e sorrise.En: Giulia looked up and smiled.It: "Cerco di bilanciare lo studio con la vita.En: "I try to balance study with life.It: Faccio delle pause, parlo con gli amici, e mi godo le piccole cose," rispose dolcemente.En: I take breaks, talk with friends, and enjoy the little things," she replied sweetly.It: Alessio sospirò.En: Alessio sighed.It: "Io non riesco mai a rilassarmi.En: "I can never relax.It: Ho paura di perdere la mia borsa di studio."En: I'm afraid of losing my scholarship."It: Giulia lo ascoltò attentamente, poi aggiunse: "Alessio, siamo tutti preoccupati.En: Giulia listened attentively, then added, "Alessio, we are all worried.It: Anche io ho delle difficoltà.En: Even I have difficulties.It: A volte mi diverto troppo e poi mi ritrovo con poco tempo per studiare."En: Sometimes I have too much fun, and then I find myself with little time to study."It: Questa confessione sorprese Alessio.En: This confession surprised Alessio.It: Non aveva mai pensato che lei potesse avere problemi simili.En: He had never thought that she might have similar problems.It: I due parlarono a lungo quella sera.En: The two talked for a long time that evening.It: Capirono di non essere soli nelle loro paure e si promisero di sostenersi a vicenda.En: They realized they were not alone in their fears and promised to support each other.It: Insieme, crearono un piano di studio che includeva pause e momenti di svago.En: Together, they created a study plan that included breaks and leisure moments.It: Decisero persino di festeggiare insieme la vigilia di Capodanno, per rilassarsi prima degli esami.En: They even decided to celebrate New Year's Eve together, to relax before the exams.It: Mentre i giorni passavano, Alessio iniziò a notare la differenza.En: As the days passed, Alessio began to notice the difference.It: Studiare diventava un po' meno pesante, e lui si sentiva più sereno.En: Studying became a little less burdensome, and he felt more at ease.It: Arrivò il giorno dell'esame e Alessio si sentì pronto.En: The exam day arrived, and Alessio felt ready.It: Sapeva di aver fatto del suo meglio.En: He knew he had done his best.It: Alla fine, capì che non si trattava solo di studio, ma anche di vivere.En: In the end, he understood that it wasn't just about studying but also about living.It: Balance era la parola chiave.En: Balance was the key word.It: Grazie a Giulia, Alessio scoprì che un equilibrio tra il lavoro e il benessere personale era essenziale.En: Thanks to Giulia, Alessio discovered that a balance between work and personal well-being was essential.It: I due uscirono dalla biblioteca, pronti ad affrontare il futuro e i suoi esami, insieme.En: The two of them left the biblioteca, ready to face the future and its exams, together. Vocabulary Words:the library: la bibliotecathe ceiling: il soffittothe wall: la paretethe oak: la querciathe table: il tavolothe lamp: la lampadathe warmth: il caloretranquility: la tranquillitàthe scholarship: la borsa di studiopressure: la pressioneserene: sereno/athe smile: il sorrisothe tension: la tensionecalm: tranquillo/aanxiety: l'ansiato balance: bilanciaresweetly: dolcementeto sigh: sospirareto relax: rilassarsiattentively: attentamentedifficulties: le difficoltàconfession: la confessioneto promise: prometterethe break: la pausaleisure: lo svagoto celebrate: festeggiareburdensome: pesanteease: sereno/ato face: affrontarebalance: l'equilibrio

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Facing Fears and Fireworks: A New Year's Eve in Venezia Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2025-12-30-23-34-02-it Story Transcript:It: Luca guardava fuori dalla finestra del suo piccolo appartamento a Venezia.En: Luca looked out the window of his small apartment in Venezia.It: La città brillava sotto le luci natalizie, e l'aria era fresca e piena di aspettative.En: The city sparkled under the Christmas lights, and the air was fresh and full of expectations.It: Era la vigilia di Capodanno, e i canali riflettevano i colori delle luminarie, unendo cielo e acqua in un unico spettacolo.En: It was New Year's Eve, and the canals reflected the colors of the lights, merging sky and water into a single spectacle.It: Giorgia, la sua amica d'infanzia, era piena di energia.En: Giorgia, his childhood friend, was full of energy.It: Entrò nella stanza con un gran sorriso e disse: "Luca, questa sera sarà indimenticabile!En: She entered the room with a big smile and said, "Luca, tonight will be unforgettable!It: Non vedo l'ora di vedere i fuochi d'artificio in Piazza San Marco."En: I can't wait to see the fireworks in Piazza San Marco."It: Luca sorrise timidamente.En: Luca smiled timidly.It: Amava l'arte e la tranquillità del suo studio, ma il suo cuore batteva di più davanti all'idea di affrontare la folla.En: He loved art and the tranquility of his studio, but his heart beat faster at the thought of facing the crowd.It: Sapeva che la sua condizione poteva manifestarsi in qualsiasi momento.En: He knew his condition could manifest at any moment.It: "E se dovessi svenire?"En: "What if I faint?"It: pensava.En: he thought.It: La paura era una compagna costante.En: Fear was a constant companion.It: Giorgia sembrava leggere nei suoi pensieri.En: Giorgia seemed to read his thoughts.It: Si avvicinò e aggiunse: "Non ti preoccupare, Luca.En: She approached and added, "Don't worry, Luca.It: Ci sarò io con te.En: I'll be with you.It: Nessuno ti giudicherà.En: No one will judge you.It: Staremo insieme.En: We'll be together.It: Promesso."En: Promise."It: La sua voce sicura lo tranquillizzò.En: Her confident voice reassured him.It: Decise di fidarsi di lei, almeno per quella notte speciale.En: He decided to trust her, at least for that special night.It: Indossò un caldo cappotto e uscì, sentendo l'aria fresca sulla faccia mentre camminavano lungo i vicoli stretti e antichi di Venezia.En: He put on a warm coat and went out, feeling the fresh air on his face as they walked along the narrow, ancient alleys of Venezia.It: La città era viva.En: The city was alive.It: La musica riempiva le strade, e il profumo delle caldarroste invadeva l'aria.En: Music filled the streets, and the scent of roasted chestnuts invaded the air.It: Giunsero in Piazza San Marco, affollata di persone e di suoni di festa.En: They arrived at Piazza San Marco, crowded with people and festive sounds.It: I minuti passarono.En: Minutes passed.It: Proprio quando i primi fuochi illuminarono il cielo, Luca sentì quel solito senso di vertigine.En: Just as the first fireworks lit up the sky, Luca felt that usual sense of dizziness.It: Respirò profondamente, cercando di non farsi prendere dal panico.En: He breathed deeply, trying not to panic.It: Giorgia, accanto a lui, lo prese per mano.En: Giorgia, next to him, took his hand.It: "Vieni, sediamoci un attimo," disse dolcemente, guidandolo verso un angolo tranquillo della piazza.En: "Come on, let's sit down for a moment," she said gently, guiding him to a quiet corner of the square.It: Luca si lasciò cadere su una panchina di pietra.En: Luca let himself fall onto a stone bench.It: Giorgia rimase accanto a lui, il calore della sua presenza più confortante di mille parole.En: Giorgia stayed beside him, the warmth of her presence more comforting than a thousand words.It: Le luci dei fuochi riflettevano nei suoi occhi chiari, e Luca si sentì in pace.En: The lights of the fireworks reflected in her clear eyes, and Luca felt at peace.It: "Vedi, non sei da solo," disse Giorgia con un sorriso.En: "See, you're not alone," said Giorgia with a smile.It: "Sei più forte di quanto pensi."En: "You're stronger than you think."It: Luca annuì, sentendo il battito del cuore lentamente calmarsi.En: Luca nodded, feeling his heartbeat slowly calm.It: Guardò verso il cielo, i fuochi che disegnavano forme colorate nell'aria.En: He looked towards the sky, the fireworks painting colorful shapes in the air.It: In quel momento, non c'era paura, solo gratitudine.En: In that moment, there was no fear, only gratitude.It: La serata finì con loro due seduti insieme, avvolti nel silenzio e nel rumore dei festeggiamenti in lontananza.En: The evening ended with the two of them sitting together, wrapped in silence and the distant noise of celebrations.It: Era una notte in cui Luca aveva superato uno dei suoi timori più grandi.En: It was a night when Luca overcame one of his greatest fears.It: Aveva capito che appoggiarsi agli altri non era una debolezza, ma una forza.En: He had realized that leaning on others was not a weakness, but a strength.It: Rientrando verso casa, con Giorgia al suo fianco, Luca si sentiva diverso.En: Returning home, with Giorgia by his side, Luca felt different.It: Sapeva che affrontare le sue paure era possibile.En: He knew that facing his fears was possible.It: Con un'amica come Giorgia, nulla sembrava più insormontabile.En: With a friend like Giorgia, nothing seemed insurmountable anymore.It: E con questo pensiero, era pronto ad accogliere il nuovo anno con un cuore più leggero e speranzoso.En: And with this thought, he was ready to welcome the new year with a lighter and more hopeful heart. Vocabulary Words:expectations: le aspettativespectacle: lo spettacolochildhood: l'infanziafireworks: i fuochi d'artificiotimidly: timidamentetranquility: la tranquillitàcrowd: la follacondition: la condizioneto faint: svenirecompanion: la compagnato reassure: tranquillizzareancient: anticoto invade: invaderedizziness: la vertiginepanic: il panicoquiet: tranquillobench: la panchinapresence: la presenzacomforting: confortantegratitude: la gratitudinesilence: il silenzioto overcome: superarefear: il timoreto lean (on someone): appoggiarsiweakness: la debolezzastrength: la forzato approach: avvicinarsinarrow: strettoto guide: guidareto welcome: accogliere

Buongiorno Italia. Podcast di cultura e lingua italiana.Il nostro libro: qui. Vuoi fare lezione di italiano con me? QuiVuoi 10$ di crediti su Italki? QuiVuoi la trascrizione di questo podcast? - QuiVuoi sostenermi con una piccola mancia? QuiFacebookYouTube InstagramEmailDiventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/buongiorno-italia-podcast-di-cultura-e-lingua-italiana--5962623/support.

Send us audio files for future episodes in our free Schwa Mill telegram group: https://t.me/+TJTAfM5tEyQ1ODMxWelcome to the Schwa Mill, where we review pronunciation files you send us and give feedback to help you achieve a more natural American English sound the next time you talk!❗❗❗❗❗❗Each week I do more than 10 group classes on American English pronunciation and communication training. Want to catch them ALL for a huge discount? Become a Youtube Channel Member to watch every live session, past session, and future session! Press JOIN and be part of the American Accentric level.Who am I? My name is Geoff Anderson. I got my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2012, and have been teaching since 2010. I've studied Italian to around level C1-C2. I was also an IELTS examiner for the speaking/writing tests for 3 years.More on Fluent American at www.fluentamerican.com#americanenglish #fluentamerican #pronunciation

rWotD Episode 3162: L'isola dei famosi season 12 Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Tuesday, 30 December 2025, is L'isola dei famosi season 12.L'isola dei famosi 12 is the twelfth season of the reality television L'isola dei famosi and the Italian version of the reality show franchise Survivor, aired in prime time on Canale 5 from 31 January to 12 April 2017. It was the third edition broadcast by Mediaset, hosted by Alessia Marcuzzi for the third consecutive time, supported in the studio by columnist Vladimir Luxuria, and with the participation of the envoy Stefano Bettarini. It lasted 73 days, had 14 castaways and 11 episodes and was held in Cayos Cochinos (Honduras).The stories of the castaways were broadcast by Canale 5 in prime time with variations on Monday evenings (episodes 2–4), Tuesdays (episodes 1, 5–10) and Wednesdays (eleventh and final episode), while the daily strips in the day-time was entrusted to Canale 5 (from Monday to Friday) and Italia 1 (everyday). Furthermore, the day-time was broadcast on La5 and Mediaset Extra with the addition of unpublished material with the title of L'isola dei famosi - Extended Edition, the duration of which varied from 175 to 180 minutes.The edition ended with the victory of Raz Degan, who was awarded the prize money of €100,000.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:54 UTC on Tuesday, 30 December 2025.For the full current version of the article, see L'isola dei famosi season 12 on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Justin.

This week, Jason is joined by one of the biggest breakout stars in Netflix's reality TV world, Chloe Veitch! Chloe first rose to fame on Too Hot To Handle, quickly becoming a fan favorite with her humor, honesty, and a big personality. She went on to compete on The Circle and later on Perfect Match, and most recently hosting Sneaky Links After Dark, building a reputation as one of the most recognizable faces on Netflix reality universe. Beyond television, Chloe has leveraged her fame into a career as a model, influencer, and content creator, connecting with millions of fans across social media. Chloe opens up about her early dream of pursuing a career in London's West End, how her relationship with money has evolved, and why she used opportunities as a form of escapism growing up. She shares how getting signed to a boutique London agency at 18 — and taking an unpaid modeling job — unexpectedly led to Too Hot to Handle, plus the reality show she almost joined and why she played The Circle more strategically. Chloe breaks down how TV exposure turns into brand deals, the hard lessons she's learned about valuing income, why being single performs better on reality TV, and the one show she would never do again. She also dives into hosting — landing her first job without an audition but needing to sell the concept to Netflix — getting off ADHD medication, controlling the energy in the room, knowing when to walk away from relationships, launching her Big Sister radio segment with the Unwell Network, the power of loyal followers, standing firm on non-negotiables, and the advice she'd give her younger self. Chloe reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can't afford to miss! Host: Jason Tartick Co-Host: David Arduin Audio: John Gurney Guest: Chloe Veitch Stay connected with the Trading Secrets Podcast!  Instagram: @tradingsecretspodcast  Youtube: Trading Secrets Facebook: Join the Group  All Access: Free 30-Day Trial  Trading Secrets Steals & Deals! Northwest Registered Agent: Northwest is your one stop business resource. Learn how to build a professional website, what annual filings your business needs to stay in good standing, and simple explanations of complicated business laws. Don't wait, protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes! Visit [https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/tradingsecretsfree] and start building something amazing! Quince: From Mongolian cashmere sweaters to Italian wool coats, Quince pieces are crafted from premium materials and built to hold up without the luxury markup. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to Quince.com/tradingsecrets for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Upwork: Instead of spending weeks sorting through random resumes, Upwork Business Plus sends a curated shortlist of expert talent to your inbox in hours. Trusted, top-rated freelancers vetted for skills and reliability.... and rehired by businesses like yours. Right now, when you spend $1,000 on Upwork Business Plus, you'll get $500 in credit. Go to Upwork.com/SAVE now and claim the offer before 12/31/2025.

After a celebrated run off-Broadway and rave reviews, Irene Lucio has returned to the role of Isadora in the groundbreaking play. LIBERATION explores the universal themes of freedom, identity, and resilience, set against the backdrop of historical and contemporary struggles for justice. Isadora is an Italian immigrant filmmaker who entered a green-card marriage. New York Theatre Guide called her performance “sharp and witty… toggling back and forth between humor and heartbreak with natural ease.” Irene is perhaps best known for her role in Jeremy O. Harris' award-winning play SLAVE PLAY where she starred as Patricia and played the role in all four forms of the show. She also wrote a Spanish series titled ‘SúperEllas' for Canela TV. A show for children about Latina trailblazers, it won the Best Non-English Program – Family Programming at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards. As a Latinx woman born and raised in Puerto Rico, Irene seeks roles which showcase the importance of diverse representation in the arts. Fluent in Spanish and a graduate of Princeton and Yale's esteemed acting program, she currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and 2 year old son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Gangland Wire, Gary Jenkins sits down with Bob Cooley, the once–well-connected Chicago lawyer who lived at the center of the city's most notorious corruption machine. After years out of the public eye, Cooley recently resurfaced to revisit his explosive memoir, When Corruption Was King—and this conversation offers a rare, firsthand look at how organized crime, politics, and the court system intersected in Chicago for decades. Cooley traces his journey from growing up in a police family to serving as a Chicago police officer and ultimately becoming a criminal defense attorney whose real job was quietly fixing cases for the Chicago Outfit. His deep understanding of the judicial system made him indispensable to mob-connected power brokers like Pat Marcy, a political fixer with direct access to judges, prosecutors, and court clerks. Inside the Chicago Corruption Machine Cooley explains how verdicts were bought, cases were steered, and justice was manipulated—what insiders called the “Chicago Method.” He describes his relationships with key figures in organized crime, including gambling bosses like Marco D'Amico and violent enforcers such as Harry Aleman and Tony Spilotro, painting a chilling picture of life inside a world where loyalty was enforced by fear.   As his role deepened, so did the psychological toll. Cooley recounts living under constant threat, including a contract placed on his life after he refused to betray a fellow associate—an event that forced him to confront the cost of the life he was leading. Turning Point: Becoming a Federal Witness The episode covers Cooley's pivotal decision in 1986 to cooperate with federal authorities, a move that helped dismantle powerful corruption networks through FBI Operation Gambat. Cooley breaks down how political connections—not just street-level violence—allowed the Outfit to operate with near-total impunity for so long.   Along the way, Cooley reflects on the moral reckoning that led him to turn on the system that had enriched and protected him, framing his story as one not just of crime and betrayal, but of reckoning and redemption. What Listeners Will Hear How Bob Cooley became the Outfit's go-to case fixer The role of Pat Marcy and political corruption in Chicago courts Firsthand stories involving Marco D'Amico, Harry Aleman, and Tony Spilotro The emotional and psychological strain of living among violent criminals The decision to cooperate and the impact of Operation Gambat Why Cooley believes Chicago's corruption endured for generations Why This Episode Matters Bob Cooley is one of the few people who saw the Chicago Outfit from inside the courtroom and the back rooms of power. His story reveals how deeply organized crime embedded itself into the institutions meant to uphold the law—and what it cost those who tried to escape it.   This episode sets the stage for a deeper follow-up conversation, where Gary and Cooley will continue unpacking the most dangerous and revealing moments of his life. Resources   Book: When Corruption Was King by Bob Cooley Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. 0:03 Prelude to Bob Cooley’s Story 1:57 Bob Cooley’s Background 5:24 The Chicago Outfit Connection 8:24 The Turning Point 15:20 The Rise of a Mob Lawyer 23:54 A Life of Crime and Consequences 26:03 The Incident at the Police Station 50:27 The Count and His Influence 1:19:51 The Murder of a Friend 1:35:26 Contracts and Betrayal 1:40:36 Conclusion and Future Stories Transcript [0:00] Well, hey guys, this is a little prelude to my next story. Bob Cooley was a Chicago lawyer and an outfit associate who had been in, who has been in hiding for many years. I contacted him about six or seven years ago when I first started a podcast, I was able to get a phone number on him and, and got him on the phone. He was, I think it was out in the desert in Las Vegas area at the time. And at the time he was trying to sell his book when corruption was king to a movie producer And he really didn’t want to overexpose himself, and they didn’t really want him to do anything. And eventually, COVID hit, and the movie production was canceled. And it was just all over. There were several movie productions were canceled during COVID, if I remember right. A couple people who I have interviewed and had a movie deal going. Well, Bob recently remembered me, and he contacted me. He just called me out of the clear blue, and he wanted to revive his book and his story. He’s been, you know, way out of the limelight for a long time. And so I thought, well, I always wanted to interview this guy because he’s got a real insider’s knowledge to Chicago Outfit, the one that very few people have. [1:08] You know, here’s what he knows about. And he provides valuable insight into the inner workings of the Outfit. And I don’t mean, you know, scheming up how to kill people and how to do robberies and burglars and all that. But the Chicago court system and Chicago politics, that’s a, that’s a, the, the mob, a mafia family can’t exist unless they have connections into the political system and especially the court system. Otherwise, what good are they? You know, I mean, they, they just take your money where they give you back. They can’t protect you from anybody. [1:42] So I need to give you a little more of the backstory before we go on to the actual interview with Bob, because he kind of rambles a little bit and goes off and comes back and drops [1:54] names that we don’t have time to go into explanation. So here’s a little bit of what he talked about. He went from being, as I said before, Chicago Outfit’s trusted fixer in the court system, and he eventually became the government star witness against them. He’s born, he’s about my age. He was born in 1943. He was an Irish-American police family and came from the Chicago South side. He was a cop himself for a short period of time, but he was going to law school while he was a policeman. And once he started practicing law, he moved right into criminal law and into first ward politics and the judicial world downtown. [2:36] And that’s where the outfit and the old democratic machine intersected. He was in a restaurant called Counselor’s Row, which was right down. Bob had an office downtown. Well, he’s inside that system, and he uses his insider’s knowledge to fix cases. Once an outfit started noticing him that he could fix a case if he wanted to, he immediately became connected to the first ward power broker and outfit political conduit, a guy named Pat Marcy. Pat Marcy knew all the judges He knew all the court clerks And all the police officers And Bob was getting to know him too During this time But Bob was a guy who was out in He was a lawyer And he was working inside the court system Marcy was just a downtown fixer. [3:22] But Bob got to where he could guarantee acquittals or light sentences for whoever came to him with the right amount of money, whether it be a mobster or a bookmaker or a juice loan guy or a crap politician, whoever it was, Bob could fix the case. [3:36] One of the main guys tied to his work he was kind of attached to a crew everybody’s owned by somebody he was attached to the Elmwood Park crew and Marco D’Amico who was under John DeFranco and I can’t remember who was before DeFranco, was kind of his boss and he was a gambling boss and Bob was a huge gambler I mean a huge gambler and Bob will help fix cases for some notorious people Really, one of the most important stories that we’ll go into in the second episode of this is Harry the Hook Aleman. And he also helped fix the case for Tony Spolatro and several others. He’s always paid him in cash. And he lived large. As you’ll see, he lived large. And he moved comfortably between mobsters and politicians and judges. And he was one of the insiders back in the 70s, 60s or 70s mainly. He was an insider. But by the 80s, he’s burned out. He’s disgusted with himself. He sees some things that he doesn’t like. They put a contract out on him once because he wouldn’t give somebody up as an informant, and he tipped one of his clients off that he was going to come out that he was an informant, and the guy was able to escape, I believe. Well, I have to go back and listen to my own story. [4:53] Finally in 1986 he walked unannounced they didn’t have a case on him and he walked unannounced in the U.S. Courthouse and offered himself up to take down this whole Pat Marcy and the whole mobster political clique in Chicago and he wore a wire for FBI an operation called Operation Gambat which is a gambling attorney because he was a huge gambler [5:17] huge huge gambler and they did a sweeping probe and indicted tons of people over this. So let’s go ahead and listen to Robert Cooley. [5:31] Uh, he, he, like I said, he’s a little bit rambling and a little bit hard to follow sometimes, but some of these names and, and, uh, and in the first episode, we’ll really talk about his history and, uh, where he came from and how he came up. He’ll mention somebody called the count and I’ll do that whole count story and a whole nother thing. So when he talks about the count, just disregard that it’ll be a short or something. And I got to tell that count story. It’s an interesting story. Uh, he, he gets involved with the only own, uh, association, uh, and, uh, and the, uh, Chinese Tong gang in, uh, Chicago and Chicago’s Chinatown. Uh, some of the other people he’ll talk about are Marco D’Amico, as I said, and D’Amico’s top aide, Rick Glantini, uh, another, uh, connected guy and worked for the city of Chicago is Robert Abinati. He was a truck driver. [6:25] He was also related to D’Amico and D’Amico’s cousin, former Chicago police officer Ricky Borelli. Those are some of the names that he’ll mention in this. So let’s settle back and listen to Bob Cooley. Hey, all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in studio gangland wire. This is Gary Jenkins, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. And, you know, we we deal with the mob here once a week, sometimes twice a week on the podcast. And I have a special guest that hadn’t been heard from for a while. And, you know, to be honest, guys, I’ve kind of gotten away from the outfit. I’ve been doing a lot of New York stuff and Springfield, Massachusetts and all around the country. And I kind of got away from Chicago. And we’re going back to Chicago today. And I’m honored that Bob Cooley got hold of me. Now, you may not know who Bob Cooley was, but Bob Cooley was a guy. He was a mob lawyer in Chicago, and he really probably, he heard him as much as anybody’s ever heard him, and he did it all of his own accord. He was more like an undercover agent that just wasn’t officially designated an FBI agent rather than an informant. But anyhow, welcome, Bob. [7:37] Hello. Nice meeting you. Nice to meet you. And I’ve talked to you before. And you were busy before a few years ago. And you were getting ready to make some movies and stuff. And then COVID hit and a lot of that fell through. And that happened to several people I’ve talked to. You got a lot in common with me. I was a Kansas City policeman. And I ended up becoming a lawyer after I left the police department. And you were a Chicago copper. And then you left the police department a little bit earlier than I did and became a lawyer. And, and Bob, you’re from a Chicago police family, if I remember right. Is that correct? Oh, police, absolute police background, the whole family. Yes. Yeah. Your grandfather, your grandfather was killed in the line of duty. Is that right? [8:25] Both of my grandfathers were killed in the line of duty. Wow. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why I eventually did what I did. I was very, very close with my dad. Yeah, and your dad was a copper. [8:38] He was a policeman, yeah. And in fact, you use that term. I, for many, many years, wouldn’t use that word. It just aggravated me when people would use the word copper. To me, it would show disrespect. Oh, really? I said to us in Kansas City, that’s what we call each other, you know, among coppers. Oh, I know. I know. But I know. But, you know, I just, for whatever reason, one of the things that aggravated me the most, in fact, when I was being cross-examined by this piece of shit, Eddie Jensen, the one I wrote about in my book that was, you know, getting a lot of people killed and whatever. And he made some comment about my father. and I got furious and I had to, you know, my father was unbelievably honest as a policeman. [9:29] Everybody loved him because they didn’t have to share, uh, you know, but he was a detective. He had been written up many times in true and magazines and these magazines for making arrests. He was involved in the cartage detail. He was involved in all kinds of other things, but honest as the day is long. And, and, um, but, uh, again, the, uh, my father’s father was, uh, was a policeman and he was killed by a member of the Capone gang. And, uh, and when he was killed, after he was killed. [10:05] The, uh, well, after he got shot, he got shot during a robbery after he got shot, he was in the hospital for a while. And then he went, then he went back home. He went back home to his, uh, you know, to his house, uh, cause he had seven kids. He had a big family too. And, uh, stayed with his, you know, with his wife and, and, and eventually died. And when he died they had a very mediocre funeral for him. They had a bigger, much bigger funeral when Al Capone’s brother died. But during that time when I was a kid when I was about 13, 12, 13 years old, I worked among other places at a grocery store where I delivered to my grandmother. My grandmother lived in South Park which later became Mark Luther King Drive. She lived a very, very meager life because she basically had nothing. [11:09] What they gave them for the, at that time, what they gave them for the police department was a portion of the husband’s salary when they died, whatever. It was never a big deal like it is now, you know, like it is now when policemen get killed in the line of duty. and I’m thinking at the same time I’m thinking down the road, You know, about certain things from my past did come back to affect me. [11:38] Doing what I was doing, when I got involved, and I got involved absolutely with all these different people. My father hated these people. I didn’t, you know, I didn’t realize how much. I didn’t realize much when I was growing, you know, when I was growing up and whatever. And even when I was practicing law and when I opened up Pratt-Mose, I would have my father and mother come along with other people. And the place was all full of mobsters. I mean, we’re talking about, you know, a lot of Capone’s whole crew. A lot of the gunmen were still alive. In fact, the ones that ran the first award were all gunmen from Capone’s mob. And never said a word, never said a word about it. You know, he met my partner, Johnny Diaco, who was part of the mob, the senator, and whatever colitis could be. My dad, when my dad was dying. [12:38] When my dad was dying, he had what they didn’t call it, but it had to be Alzheimer’s because my dad was a unbelievably, he was a big, strong man, but he was never a fighter, sweet as could be to anybody and everybody. When he started getting bad, he started being mean to my mother and doing certain things. So we finally had to put him into a nursing home. When I went to see him in the nursing, and I had a close relationship with my dad because he saved my life many times when I was a kid. I was involved with stolen cars at school. I should have been thrown out of school. It was Mount Carmel, but he had been a Carmelite, almost a Carmelite priest. [13:25] And whatever, and that’s what kept me from being kicked out of school at Marquette when they were going to throw me out there because I was, again, involved in a lot of fights, and I also had an apartment that we had across the hall from the shorter hall where I was supposed to stay when I was a freshman, and we were throwing huge parties, and they wanted to throw me out of school. My dad came, my dad came and instead of throwing me out, they let me resign and whatever he had done so much, you know, for me. Yeah. [14:00] Now when I, when I meet, when I meet him up in the hospital, I, I came in the first time and it was about maybe 25 miles outside, you know, from where my office was downtown. And when I went in to see him, they had him strapped in a bed because apparently when he initially had two people in the room and when somebody would come in to try to talk to him and whatever, he would be nasty. And one time he punched one of the nurses who was, you know, because he was going in the bed and they wouldn’t, and he wouldn’t let him take him out. You know, I was furious and I had to go, I had to go through all that. And now, just before he died, it was about two or three days before he died, he didn’t recognize anybody except me. Didn’t recognize my mother. Didn’t recognize anybody. Yet when I would come into the room, son, that’s what he always called me, son, when I would come in. So he knew who I basically was. And he would even say, son, don’t let him do this to me when he had to go through or they took out something and he had to wear one. Of those, you know, those decatheters or whatever. Oh, yeah. [15:15] Just before he died, he said to me, he said, son, he said, those are the people that killed my father. He said, and his case was fixed. After, I had never known that. In fact, his father, Star, was there at 11th and State, and I would see it when everyone went in there. Star was up there on the board as if there’s a policeman or a policeman killed in the line of duty. When he told me that it really and I talked to my brother who knew all about all that that’s what happened, the gunman killed him on 22nd street when that happened the case went to trial and he was found not guilty apparently the case was fixed I tell you what talk about poetic justice there your grandson is now in that system of fixing cases. I can’t even imagine what you must have felt like when you learned that at that point in your life. Man, that would be a grief. That would be tough. That’s what eventually made me one day decide that I had to do something to put an end to all that was going on there. [16:25] I’m curious, what neighborhood did you grow up in? Neighborhood identity is pretty strong in Chicago. So what neighborhood do you claim? I grew up in the hood. First place I grew up, my first place when I was born, I was at 7428 South Vernon. Which is the south side, southeast side of the city. I was there until I was in sixth grade. That was St. Columbanus Parish. When I was in sixth grade, we had to move because that’s when they were doing all the blockbusting there in Chicago. That’s when the blacks were coming in. And when the blacks were coming in, and I truly recall, We’ve talked about this many times elsewhere. I remember knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell all hours of the day and night. A black family just moved in down the street. You’ve got to sell now. If you don’t, the values will all go down. And we would not move. My father’s philosophy, we wouldn’t move until somebody got killed in the area. Because he couldn’t afford it. He had nine kids. he’s an honest policeman making less than $5,000 a year. [17:45] Working two, three jobs so we could all survive when he finished up, When he finished up with, when we finally moved, we finally moved, he went to 7646 South Langley. That was, again, further south, further south, and the area was all white at that time. [18:09] We were there for like four years, and about maybe two or three years, and then the blacks started moving in again. The first one moved in, and it was the same pattern all over again. Yeah, same story in Kansas City and every other major city in the United States. They did that blockbusting and those real estate developers. Oh, yeah, blockbusters. They would call and tell you that the values wouldn’t go down. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20. [18:49] As soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing and I became a policeman. During the riots, I had an excuse not to go. They thought I was working. I was in the bar meeting my pals before I went to work. That’s why I couldn’t go to school at that time. But anyhow, I took some time off. I took some time off to, you know, to study, uh, because, you know, I had all C’s in one D in my first, in my first semester. And if you didn’t have a B, if you didn’t have a C average, you couldn’t, you kicked out of school at the end of a quarter. This is law school. You’re going to law school while you’re still an active policeman. Oh yeah, sure. That’s okay. So you work full time and went to law school. You worked full-time and went to law school at the same time. When I was 20, I joined the police department. Okay. That’s who paid my way through college and law school. All right. I joined the police department, and I became a policeman when I was 20, as soon as I could. My father was in recruit processing, and I became a policeman. Yeah, yeah. But anyhow, I went to confession that night. [20:10] And when I went to confession, there was a girl, one of the few white people in the neighborhood, there was a girl who had gone before me into the confessional. And I knew the priest. I knew him because I used to go gambling with him. I knew the priest there at St. Felicis who heard the confessions. And this is the first time I had gone to confession with him even though I knew him. [20:36] And I wanted to get some help from the big guy upstairs. And anyhow, when I leave, I leave about maybe 10 minutes later, and she had been saying her grace, you know, when I left. And when I walked out, I saw she was right across the street from my house, and there’s an alley right there. And she was a bit away from it, and there were about maybe 13, 14, 15 kids. when I say kids, they were anywhere from the age of probably about 15, 16 to about 18, 19. And they’re dragging her. They’re trying to drag her into the alley. And when I see that, when I see that, I head over there. When I get over there, I have my gun out. I have the gun out. And, you know, what the hell is going on? And, you know, and I told her, I told her her car was parked over there. I told her, you know, get out of here. And I’ve got my gun. I’ve got my gun in my hand. And I don’t know what I’m going to do now in terms of doing anything because I’m not going to shoot them. They’re standing there looking at me. And after a little while, I hear sirens going on. [22:00] The Barton family lived across the street in an apartment building, and they saw what was going on. They saw me out there. It was about probably about seven o’clock at night. It was early at night and they put a call in 10-1 and call in 10-1. Assist the officer. Is that a assist the officer? It’s 1031. Police been in trouble. Yeah. And the squad’s from everywhere. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So you can hear, you can hear them coming. And now one of them says to me, and I know they’re pretty close. One of them says to me, you know, put away your gun and we’ll see how tough you are. And I did. [22:42] Because you know they’re close. And I’m busy fighting with a couple of them. And they start running and I grab onto two of them. I’m holding onto them. I could only hold two. I couldn’t hold anymore. And the next thing I know, I wake up in the hospital about four days later. Wow. What had happened was they pushed me. Somebody, there was another one behind who pushed me right in front of a squad car coming down the street. Oh, shit. Yeah, man. And the car ran completely over me. They pulled me off from under the, just under the back wheels, I was told were right next to, were onto me, blood all over the place. Everybody thought I was dead. Right. Because my brothers, my one brother who was a police kid that, you know, heard all the noise and the family came in. I tried to prostrate my house and they all thought I was dead. But anyhow, I wake up in the hospital about three days later. When I wake up in the hospital, I’m like. [23:54] Every bone of my body was broken. I’m up there like a mummy. And the mayor came to see me. All kinds of people came to see me. They made me into an even bigger star in my neighborhood. The Count lives down the street and is seeing all this stuff about me and whatever. Jumping quickly to another thing, which got me furious. Willie Grimes was the cop that was driving this quad. He was a racist. We had some blacks in the job. He was a total racist. When my brother and when some others were doing their best to try to find these people, he was protecting them. Some of them, if they caught, he was protecting them. [24:48] I was off the job for like nine months when I came back to work. I never came to the hospital to see me. I mean, everybody came. Every day, my hospital went. Because one of the nurses that I was dating, in fact, she was one of those killed. That’s when Richard Speck wound up killing her and some of the others at the same time. It was at the South Chicago Hospital. Holy darn. What they did for me, I had buckets in my womb with ice. We were bringing beer and pizzas and whatever. Every day was like a party in there. When I finally came back to work, it was 11 o’clock at night. I worked out in South Chicago, and I’m sitting in the parking lot, and the media is there. The media, they had all kinds of cameras there. Robert Cooley’s coming back to work after like nine months. They wouldn’t let me go back. [25:51] I’m walking by the squads. And Willie was a big guy. He was probably about 220, a big one of these big muscle builders and all that nonsense. [26:04] He’s sitting in the first car. The cars are all lined up because when we would change, when we would change at like 11 30 uh you know the cars would all be waiting we jumped into the cars and off we go as i’m walking by the car i hear aren’t you afraid to walk in front of my car. [26:26] I look over and he had a distinctive voice i walk over to the car and i reach in and i start punching them, and I’m trying to drag them out of the car. The cameras, the cameras are, you know, they’re all basically inside. They’re all inside. You know, as you walk in there, they’re all inside there. When I do, I eventually walk up there. But the other police came, and they dragged me. They dragged me away, and they brought me in, and whatever. We got transferred out the next day out of the district. And the first policeman I meet is Rick, Rick Dorelli, who’s connected with, who’s a monster. He’s connected with them. And, and he’s the one who told me, he said to me, you know, we played cards and he realized I was a gambler, but I had never dealt with bookmakers. And he said, he says, yeah, you want to make some money? You want to make some easy money? Well, yeah, sure. You know, uh, you know, and thinking that’s, you know, working security or something like that, like I had done back in Chicago, you know, like I had done on the south side. And he said, I want you to make some bets for me with somebody who said. [27:43] And I remember him using the term. He said, I want you to be my face. He said, and I want you to make some bets for me. He said, and he said, and if you, if you’ll do it, I’ll give you a hundred dollars a week just to make the bets for me. And then, you know, and then meet with these people and pay these people off. And I said, sure. You know, I said, you know, why? He says, because I can’t play with these. people he said i’m connected with him he said and i’m not allowed to gamble myself he said but he told me he said i’ve got a couple people i take bets from i’ve got my own side deal going so i want you to do it i want you to do it and i’ll give i’ll give you to them as a customer, and you’re gonna be a customer and he’s and he tells people now that i got this other police He’s in law school. He comes from a real wealthy family, and he’s looking for a place to bet. He’s in Gambia. He’s looking for a place to bet. [28:47] So I call this number, and I talk to this guy. He gives me a number. When you bet, you call, and you do this, and you do that. And I’m going to get $100 at the end of the week. Now, I’m making $5,200 a year, and they’re taking money out of my chest. I’m going to double my salary. I’m going to double my salary immediately. Why wouldn’t you do it? That’s fantastic money at the time. So I start doing it. And the first week I’m doing it, it was baseball season. [29:19] And I’m making these bets. He’s betting $500 a game on a number of games. And he’s winning some, he’s losing some. But now, when I’m checking my numbers with the guy there, he owes, at the end of the week, he owes $3,500. [29:38] And now, it’s getting bigger and bigger, he’s losing. I’m getting worried. What have I got myself into? Yeah, because it’s not him losing, it’s you losing to the bookie. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking, holy, holy, Christopher, I’m thinking. But, you know, I’ve already jumped off the building. So anyhow. I’d be thinking, you better come up with a jack, dude. It’s time to pay up, man. Anyhow, so when I come to work the next day, I’m supposed to meet this guy at one of the clubs out there in the western suburbs. [30:21] I’m supposed to meet the bookmaker out there. And Ricky meets me that morning, and he gives me the money. It’s like $3,400, and here’s $100 for you. Bingo. That’s great. So, okay. When I go to make the payment to him, it’s a nightclub, and I got some money in my pocket. Somebody, one of the guys, some guy walks up. I’m sitting at the bar and, you know, I hear you’re a copper. I said, pardon me? He says, I hear you’re a copper. He was a big guy. Yeah. I hear you’re a copper. Because at that time, I still only weighed maybe like, well, maybe 60, 65 pounds. I mean, I was in fantastic shape, but I wasn’t real big. And I said, I’m a policeman. I don’t like policemen. I said, go fuck yourself. or something like that. And before he could do anything, I labeled him. That was my first of about a half a dozen fights in those different bars out there. [31:32] And the fights only lasted a few minutes because I would knock the person down. And if the person was real big, at times I’d get on top and just keep pounding before they could do anything. So I started with a reputation with those people at that time now as I’m, going through my world with these people oh no let’s stay with that one area now after the second week he loses again, this time not as much but he loses again and I’m thinking wow, He’s betting, and I’m contacted by a couple of people there. Yeah. Because these are all bookmakers there, and they see me paying off. So I’m going to be, listen, if you want another place to play, and I say, well, yeah. So my thought is, with baseball, it’s a game where you’re laying a price, laying 160, laying 170, laying 180. So if you lose $500, if you lose, you pay $850, and if you win, you only get $500. [32:52] I’ve got a couple of people now, and they’ve got different lines. And what I can do now is I check with their lines. I check with Ricky’s guy and see what his line is. And I start moving his money elsewhere where I’ve got a 30, 40, sometimes 50 cent difference in the price. So I’d set it up where no matter what, I’m going to make some money, No matter what happens, I’ll make some money. But what I’m also doing is I’m making my own bets in there that will be covered. And as I start early winning, maybe for that week I win maybe $1,000, $1,500. And then as I meet other people and I’m making payments, within about four or five months, I’ve got 10 different bookmakers I’m dealing with. Who I’m dealing with. And it’s become like a business. I’m getting all the business from him, 500 a game, whatever. And I’ve got other people that are betting, you know, are betting big, who are betting through me. And I’m making all kinds of money at that time. [34:14] But anyhow, now I mentioned a number of people, A number of people are, I’ve been with a number of people that got killed after dinner. One of the first ones was Tony Borsellino, a bookmaker. Tony was connected with the Northside people, with DeVarco, the one they called DeVarco. And we had gone to a we had gone to a I knew he was a hit man, we had gone to a basketball game over at DePaul because he had become a good friend of mine he liked hanging with me, because I was because at that time now I’m representing the main madams in Chicago too and they loved being around me they liked going wherever I was going to go so I always had all kinds of We left the ladies around. And we went to the basketball game. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant, a steakhouse on Chicago Avenue. [35:26] Gee, why can’t I think of a name right now? We went to a steakhouse, and we had dinner. And when we finished up, it came over there. And when we finished up, I’d been there probably half a dozen times with him. And he was there with his girlfriend. We had dinner and about, I’d say it was maybe 10, 30, 11 o’clock, he says, you know, Bob, can you do me a favor? What’s that? Can you drop her off? He said, I have to go meet some friends. I have to go meet some friends of ours. And, you know, okay, sure, Tony, not a problem. And, you know, I took her home. [36:09] The next day I wake up, Tony Barcellino was found dead. They killed him. He was found with some bullets in the back of his head. They killed him. Holy Christopher. And that’s my first—I found that I had been killed before that. But, you know, wow, that was—, prior to that, when I was betting, there was i paid off a bookmaker a guy named uh ritten shirt, rittenger yeah john rittenger yeah yeah yeah he was a personal friend yeah was he a personal friend of yours yeah they offed him too well i in fact i he i was paying him i met him to pay him I owed him around $4,500, and I met him at Greco’s at my restaurant he wanted to meet me out there because he wanted to talk to me about something else he had a problem some kind of a problem I can’t remember what that was. [37:19] But he wanted to meet me at the restaurant so I met him at Greco’s, And I paid him the money. We talked for a while. And then he says, you know, I got to go. I got to go meet somebody. I got to go meet somebody else. I got to go straight now with somebody else. And he said, I’ll give you a call. He said, I’ll give you a call later. He said, because, you know, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. He says, I want to talk to you about a problem that I have. I said, okay, sure. He goes to a pizza place. Up there in the Taylor Street area. That’s where he met Butchie and Harry. In fact, at the time, I knew both of them. Yeah, guys, that’s Butch Petrucelli and Harry Alem and a couple of really well-known mob outfit hitmen. Yeah, and they’re the ones that kill them. I’m thinking afterwards, I mean, But, you know, I wish I hadn’t, I wish I hadn’t, you know, I wish I could save him. I just gave him. Man, you’re cold, man. [38:34] You could have walked with that money. That’s what I’m saying. So now, another situation. Let me cut in here a minute, guys. As I remember this Reitlinger hit, Joe Ferriola was a crew boss, and he was trying to line up all the bookies, as he called it. He wanted to line them up like Al Capone lined up all the speaks, that all the bookies had to fall in line and kick something into the outfit, and Reitlinger wouldn’t do it. He refused to do it no matter. They kept coming to him and asking him his way. I understand that. Is that what you remember? I knew him very well. Yeah. He was not the boss. Oh, the Ferriola? Yeah, he wasn’t the boss, but he was kind of the, he had a crew. He was the boss of the Cicero crew. Right. I saw Joe all the time at the racetrack. In fact, I’m the one who, I’m the one, by the time when I started wearing a wire, I was bringing undercover agents over. I was responsible for all that family secret stuff that happened down the road. Oh, really? You set the stage for all that? I’m the one who put them all in jail. All of them. [39:52] So anyhow, we’re kind of getting ahead of ourselves. Reitlinger’s been killed. Joe Borelli or Ricky Borelli’s been killed. These guys are dropping around you, and you’re getting drawn into it deeper and deeper, it sounds to me like. Now, is this when you – what happens? How do you get drawn into this Chicago outfit even more and more as a bookie? Were you kicking up, too? Well, it started, it started, so many things happened that it just fell into place. It started, like I say, with building a reputation like I had. But the final situation in terms of with all the mobsters thinking that I’m not just a tough guy, I’m a bad guy. [40:35] When I get a call, when Joey Cosella, Joey Cosella was a big, tough Italian kid. And he was involved heavily in bookmaking, and we became real close friends. Joey and I became real close friends. He raised Dobermans, and he’s the one who had the lion over at the car dealership. I get a call from Joey. He says, you’ve got to come over. I said, what’s up? He says, some guys came in, and they’re going to kill the count. They want to kill the count. And I said, And I said, what? This is before the Pewter thing. I said, what do you mean? And so I drive over there, and he says, Sammy Annarino and Pete Cucci. And Pete Cucci came in here, and they came in with shotguns, and they were going to kill them. I said, this was Chicago at the time. It’s hard to believe, but this was Chicago. And I said, who are they? I didn’t know who they were. I said, who are they? I mean, I didn’t know them by name. It turns out I did know them, but I didn’t know them by name. They were people that were always in Greco’s, and everybody in Greco knew me because I’m the owner. [41:49] But anyhow, so I get a hold of Marco, and I said, Marco, and I told him what happened. I said, these guys, a couple of guys come in there looking for the talent. That are going to kill him because apparently he extorted somebody out of his business. And I said, who were they with? And he said, they were with Jimmy the bomber. They were with Jimmy Couture. [42:15] I said, oh, they’re for legit then? I said, yeah. I said, can you call? I said, call Jimmy. I knew who he was. He was at the restaurant all the time. He was at Threatfuls all the time with a lot of these other people. And I met him, but I had no interest in him. He didn’t seem like a very friendly sort of anyone. I could care less about him. I represented a lot of guys that worked for him, that were involved with problems, but never really had a conversation with him other than I. [42:53] I’m the owner. So I met with him. I wrote about that in the book. I met with them and got that straightened out where the count’s going to pay $25,000 and you’ll get a contract to the… He ripped off some guy out of a parlor, one of those massage parlors, not massage parlor, but one of those adult bookstores that were big money deals. Oh, yeah. So when I go to meet these guys, I’m told, go meet them and straighten this thing out. So I took Colin with me over to a motel right down the street from the racetrack, right down from the racetrack, and I met with him. I met with Pete Gucci. He was the boss of, you know, this sort of loop. When I get finished talking with him, I come back, and here’s the count and Sammy, and Sammy’s picking a fork with his finger and saying, you know, I rip out eyes with these. [43:56] And the count says, I rip out eyes with these. And I said, what the fuck is going on here? I said, Pete, I said, you know, get him the fuck out of here. And you all at the count said, what’s the matter with you? You know, these guys are going to kill him. And now the moment I get involved in it, he knows he’s not going to have a problem. You know, he’s pulling this nonsense. [44:23] So anyhow, this is how I meet Pete Gucci and Sammy Annarino. After a while, I stopped hanging around with the count because he was starting to go off the deep end. Yeah. Yeah. [44:39] And we were at a party, a bear party with, I remember Willie Holman was there, and they were mostly black, the black guys up there on the south side. And I had just met this girl a day or two before, and the count says, you know, let’s go up to a party, a bear’s party up there on Lakeshore Drive. If we go up there, we go to this party, it’s going to be about maybe 35, 40 people in there, one or two whites, other than the players. And other than that, we’re the only white people there. When we walk into the place, there’s a couple of guys out there with shotguns. It was in a motel. And you walk through like an area where you go in there, and there’s a couple of guys standing there with shotguns. We go in and we go upstairs and, hey, how are you? And we’re talking with people. And I go in one room. I’m in one room. [45:45] There were two rooms there. I’m in one room with a bunch of people and, you know, just talking and having a good old time. And the count was in the second room. And I hear Spade. He always called me Spade. Spade, Spade, you know. And I go in there, and he’s talking with Willie Holman. I remember it was one of them. He was the tackle, I think, with the Bears and a couple of others. And this whole room, all these black guys. And he goes, that’s Spade Cooley. He says, him and I will take on every one of you. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we’re in a room, and he goes, that’s what he says. You know, him and I will take it on every one of you. And Willie did that. He calmed down. He’s telling him, calmed down. What the fuck? It was about a week or so after this. And because I had been out with the county, he’s calling me two or three times a week to go out. And we’re going, a lot of times it was these areas in the south side with a lot of blood. He liked being around Blacks. [47:00] That’s when I met Gail Sayers, and I met some of these others through him. But a lot of the parties and stuff were in the South Side out there, mostly Blacks and all. But we had gone someplace for dinner, and we’re heading back home. We’re heading back to my place, and we’re in his car. He had a brown Cadillac convertible. On the side of it, it had these, you know, the Count Dante press. And he always ran around. He ran around most of the time in these goofy, you know, these goofy outfits with capes and things like that. I’m driving and when we’re talking and I’m like distracted looking at him. And I’m waiting at a stoplight over there right off of Chicago Avenue. And as we’re there. [47:48] I barely touched the car in front of us, you know, as I’m drifting a little bit and barely touch it. There were four guys in the car and, you know, and the one guy jumps out first, one guy jumps out first and then second one, and they start screaming. And when the count gets out, the guy starts calling you, you faggot or something like that, you know, whatever. And as the other one gets out, I get out of the car. And the next thing I know, they jump back in the car, and they run through a red light, and they disappear. Somebody must have recognized them. One of the other people there must have realized who this is that they’re about to get into a little battle with. In fact, they ran the red light. They just ran the red light and disappeared. They come, no, no, no, no, no. And we go off to my apartment and I’m here with this girl, another girl I had just met a day or so before, because I was constantly meeting new people, uh, running around and, uh, we’re sitting on the couch. I’m sitting in the couch next to her and the count, the count was over there. And he suddenly says to her, he says, he says, this is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. He said, and he says, tell her how tough you are. Tell her how tough you are. [49:10] I said, you know, I said, you know, you know, and he says, tell them how tough you are. And I said, John, you know, and he walks over, And he makes a motion like this towards me. And he barely touched my chin. But I thought he broke it. He then steps back and he goes, I got to cut this hand off. He says, you saved my life. He said, you saved my life. He said, the only two friends I’ve had in the world were my father and you. He says, I wasn’t even that crazy about my mother. That’s when I said then he goes and he stands and I’m looking at it now he stands up against the window I looked up on the 29th floor, he stands by the window he says get your gun he says and I want you to aim it at me, and say now before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet, I’ll stop the bullet this guy was nuts and I said I said, what? [50:28] He says, before you pull the trigger. [50:36] Tell me before you pull the trigger and I’ll stop the bullet. He wanted me to shoot him. He stopped the bullet. When I got him out of there, Now when he’s calling me, I’m busy. I’m busy. Once in a while, I’d meet him someplace. No more driving or whatever. That was smart. I hadn’t seen him in probably five or six months. And this is, again, after the situation when I had met with Anna Randall and Gooch and the others. I’m up in my office and I get a I get a call from the county, and he said and I hadn’t probably seen him even maybe in a month or two at all and he said, can I come over and talk to you and I was playing cards in fact I had card games up in my office and, we called him Commissioner. [51:41] O’Malley Ray O’Malley, he was the head of the police department at night. On midnights, he got there at 4 to 12. He started at 4 to 12 until midnights. He was the head of them. He was the commissioner. He was in charge of the whole department. He used to play cards up in my office. We had big card games up in my office. And when he’d come up there, we’d have the blue goose parked out in front. We’d have his bodyguard sitting out there by my door. When he was playing in the games. This went on for a couple of years. [52:15] I was at the office, but, you know, I’m at the office playing cards. [52:20] And I had a, it was a big suite. We had, you know, my office was a big office in this suite. We had about six other, you know, big, big suites in there. And so he comes over, he comes over to meet with me. And so I figure he’s in trouble. He’s arrested. He says, I’ve got a situation going. He says, well, you can get a million dollars. And he said, but if I tell you what it is, he says, and you’re in, he said, you got to be in. I’ll tell you what it is. I said, John, if I need money, I said, you get $2 million, then you can loan me if you want, but I don’t want to know what it is. I said, I just don’t want to know what it is. [52:59] It was about a week or two later. It was a pure later, basically. It was a pure later caper. Yeah, guys, this was like the huge, huge. And the one he set it up with was Pete Gucci, the guy that was going to kill him. That was the one who set it up. I knew that. I thought I remembered that name from somewhere. I don’t remember. They ended up getting popped, but everybody got caught, and most of the money got returned. No, no. No bit that the outfit kept, I understand, if I remember right. What was the deal on that? There was more to it than that. Just before that happened, I go up, and Jerry Workman was another lawyer. Actually, he was attorney up in the office, post-rending bank. When I’m going up into the office, I see Pete Gucci there. This is probably a week or so after the situation with the count. Or maybe even a little bit longer than that. I said, Pete, what are you doing? I said, what are you doing here? Jerry Workston’s my lawyer. Oh, okay. [53:55] Okay. He said, I didn’t know you were off here. I said, yeah. I said, Jerry’s a good friend of mine. Okay. And as I’m walking away, he says, you tell your friend the count to stop calling me at two, three in the morning. He says, I got a wife and kids and whatever. And I said to him, I said, Pete, you got no business dealing. I don’t know what it is. I said, but you guys got no business dealing involved in anything. You got no business being involved with him. And I walked away. I see him and I see him as he’s leaving. I see him as he’s leaving and say goodbye to him. Jerry was going to be playing cards. [54:39] It was card night too. Jerry was going to be playing cards in my office because the people would come in usually about 9 o’clock, 9.30 is when the game would usually start. I talked with Jerry. He had been in there for a while. He was arrested a day or two later. The fbi comes in there because he had stashed about 35 000 in jerry’s couch oh really that was his bond money he got that was his bond money if he got to get bailed out to get him bailed out that was his bond money that was there that’s how bizarre so i got involved in so many situations like this but anyhow anyhow now sammy uh, So it’s about maybe a week or two later after this, when I’m in the car driving, I hear they robbed a purulator. The purulator was about a block and a half from my last police station. It was right down the street from the 18th district. That was the place that they robbed. And not long after that, word came out that supposedly a million dollars was dropped off in front of Jimmy the bomber, in front of his place. With Jimmy the bomber, both Sammy Ann Arino and Pete Gucci were under him. They were gunmen from his group. Now I get a call from, I get a count was never, you never heard the count’s name mentioned in there with anybody. [56:07] The guy from Boston, you know, who they indicated, you know, came in to set it up. The count knew him from Boston. The count had some schools in Boston. And this was one of his students. And that’s how he knew this guy from Boston that got caught trying to take a, trying to leave the country with, you know, with a couple thousand, a couple million dollars of the money. Yeah, I read that. It was going down to the Caribbean somewhere and they caught him. And Sammy Ann Arino didn’t get involved in that. He wasn’t involved in that because I think he was back in the prison at the time. [56:44] Now, when he’s out of prison, probably no more than about maybe three or four months after all that toilet stuff had died down, I get a call from Sam, and he wants me to represent him because he was arrested. What happened was he was shot in a car. He was in a car, and he had gotten shot. And when they shot him, he kicked out the window and somehow fought the guys off. When they found him there in the car and in his trunk, they found a hit kit. They said it was a hit kit. How could they know? It was a box that had core form in it, a ski mask, a ski mask, a gun, a gun with tape wrapped around it and the rest of it. Yeah. And he’s an extra time. Mask and tape or little bits of rope and shit like that. I’d say no. So he was charged with it, and he was charged with it in his case, and he had a case coming up. I met him the first time I met him. He came by my office, and he said, you know, and I said, no, that’s not a problem. And he says, but I’ve got to use Eddie Jensen, too. [57:52] And I said, I said, what do you mean? I said, you don’t need Eddie. And he says, I was told I have to use him. Jimmy Couture, his boy, he said, I have to use him. I know why, because Eddie lets these mobsters know whenever anybody’s an informant, or if he’s mad at somebody, he can tell him he’s an informant, they get killed. And so I said, you know, that piece of shit. I said, you know, I want nothing to do with him. I had some interesting run-ins with him before, and I said, I want nothing to do with that worthless piece of shit. You know, he’s a jagoff. And I said, you know, I says, no. He said, please. I said, no. I said, Sammy, you know, you don’t need me. He knows the judge like I know the judge, Sardini. I said, you know, you’re not going to have a problem in there. I get a call from him again, maybe four or five days after that. He’s out of my restaurant and he says, Bob, please. He said, You know, he says, please, can I meet you? He says, I got a problem. I go out to the meeting. And so I thought, there’s something new. I want you to represent me. I want you to represent me, you know, on the case. And I says, did you get rid of that fence? He says, no, I have to use him. But I says, look, I’m not going to, I want, no, Sammy, no, I’m not going to do it. He leaves the restaurant. He gets about a mile and a half away. He gets shotgunned and he gets killed. In fact, I read about that a couple of days ago. [59:22] I know it’s bullshit. They said he was leaving the restaurant. It was Marabelli’s. It was Marabelli’s Furniture Store. They said he was leaving the furniture store. What they did was they stopped traffic out there. They had people on the one side of the street, the other side of the street, and they followed, they chased him. When he got out of his car and was going to the furniture store, They blasted him with shotguns. They made sure he was killed this time. After that happened, it’s about maybe three or four days after that, I’m up in my office and I get a call. All right, when I come out, I always parked in front of City Hall. That was my parking spot. Mike and CM saved my spot. I parked there, or I parked in the bus stop, or in the mayor’s spot. Those were my spots. They saved it for me. I mean, that was it, for three, four, five years. That’s how it was. I didn’t want to wait in line in the parking lot. So my car is parked right in front of the parking lot. And as I go to get in my car, just fast, fast, so walking, because he was at 134 right down the street from my office and he parks like everybody else in the parking lot so he can wait 20 minutes to get his car. [1:00:40] And, and, and Bob, Bob, and, you know, and when I meet up with him, I’m both standing and we’re both standing right there in front of the, in front of the, uh, the parking lot. And he was a big guy. He weighed probably about 280, 290, maybe more. You know, mushy, mushy type, not in good shape at all. In fact, he walked with a gimp or whatever. And he says, you better be careful, he says. Jimmy Couture is furious. He heard what you’ve been saying about me. [1:01:17] You’ve been saying about me. and something’s liable to happen. And I went reserved. I grabbed him, and I threw him up on the wall, and I says, you motherfuckers. I said, my friends are killing your friends. [1:01:34] I said, my friends, because he represented a number of these groups, but I’m with the most powerful group of all. And when I say I’m with him, I’m with him day and night, not like him just as their lawyer. Most of them hated him, too, because most of them knew what he was doing. Yeah most of these and most of these guys hated him and i said you know but i and and i just like you’re kissing his pants and i don’t know if he crapped in his pants too and uh you know because i just turned around i left that same night jimmy katura winds up getting six in the back of the head maybe three miles from where that took place yeah he was uh some kind of trouble been going on for a while. He was a guy who was like in that cop shop racket, and he had been killing some people involved with that. He was kind of like out away from the main crew closer to downtown, is my understanding. Like, you were in who were you in? Who was I talking about? Jimmy Couture? Jimmy Couture, yeah. He was no, Jimmy Couture was Jimmy Couture, in fact, all these killers, we’ll try and stay with this a little bit first. Jimmy Couture was a boss and he had probably about maybe a dozen, maybe more in his crew and, He didn’t get the message, I’m sure. [1:03:01] Eddie Jensen firmly believes, obviously, because it’s the same day and same night when I tell him that my friends are killing your friends. [1:03:14] He’s telling everybody that I had him kill, I’m sure. Yeah, yeah. Because it was about another few days after that when I’m out in Evanston going to a courthouse. And there you had to park down the street because there was no parking lot. Here I hear Eddie, you know, stay. I’m going to say Bob, Bob. And when he gets up, he says, Bob, he says, when I told you, I think you misunderstood. When I told you it was Jimmy Cattrone. it was it was jimmy katron was a lawyer that you know worked in out of his office close friend of mine too he was a good friend of mine it was jimmy it was jimmy katron that you know not because he obviously thought he believed so he’s got all these mobsters too bosses and all the rest thinking that i was involved in that when i when i wasn’t uh when i was when i wasn’t actually But it’s so amazing, Gary. And that’s one of a dozen stories of the same sort. I met unbelievable people. I mean, we’re talking about in New Orleans. We’re talking about in Boston. Now, if you were to say, who were you with? Always somebody’s with somebody. Were you with any particular crew or any particular crew. [1:04:41] Buzz, were you totally independent? [1:04:46] Everybody knew me to be with the Elmwood Park crew. And that was Jackie Cerrone before Michael, I mean, before Johnny DeFranco. That was Jackie Cerrone. Okay. That was Giancana. That was Mo Giancana. Mo was moving at the clubhouse all the time. That was the major people. [1:05:13] And where was their clubhouse? What did they call their clubhouse? Was that the Survivors Clubhouse, or what was the name of their operation? Every group had one, sometimes more clubhouses. Right. That was where they would have card games in there. They’d have all kinds of other things going. the place was full of like in Marcos I call it Marcos but it was actually Jackie Sharon’s when I first got involved Jackie Sharon was the boss who became a good friend of mine, Jackie Sharon was the boss and Johnny DeFranco was, right under him and then a number of others as we go down, our group alone we had. [1:06:04] Minimum, I’d say, a thousand or more people in our group alone. And who knows how many others, because we had control of the sheriff’s office, of the police department, of the sheriff, of the attorney general. We had control of all that through the elections. We controlled all that. So you had 1,000 people. You’re talking about all these different people who we would maybe call associates. It would be in and out of our club all the time. Okay. Yeah. We’re talking a number of policemen, a number of policemen, a number of different politicians of all sorts that we had. I knew dozens of people with no-show jobs there. We had control of all the departments, streets and sanitation, of absolutely urbanizing. We controlled all the way up to the Supreme Court. What about the first ward, Pat Marcy, and the first ward now? Was your crew and Jackie Cerrone’s crew, did that fall into the first ward, or were they totally there? How did that relate, the Pat Marcy and the politicians? And I found out all this over a period of time. [1:07:28] Everything had changed right about the time I first got involved with these people. All these people you’ve read about, no one knows they were still alive. I met just about all of them when I got connected over there with the first word. A lot of the, we were talking about the gunmen themselves. All the Jackie not just Jackie but I’m talking about Milwaukee Phil Milwaukee Phil and all the rest of them they were over there at Councilors Row all the time because when they were to meet Pat Marcy, what they had there in the first war and, It just so happened, when I started in my office, it was with Alan Ackerman, who was at 100 North, where all their offices were upstairs. The first ward office was upstairs. [1:08:22] And below the office, two floors below, I found out on this when I got involved with them, we had an office. looked like it was a vacant office because the windows were all blackened out. That’s where he had all the meetings with people. When Arcado or Yupa, anybody else, any of the other people came in, this is where he met them. When the people from out of town came in, we’re talking about when, what do you think? [1:08:58] But when Alpha, when Fitzgerald, when all these people would come in, this is where they would have their meetings. Or these are the ones who would be out with us on these casino rides. When these people came in, this is where they would do the real talking because we’d go to different restaurants that weren’t bugged. If this office was checked every day, the one that they had down below, and nobody, nobody, their office was, I think it was on the 28th floor, the first ward office. You had the first ward office, and right next to it, you had the insurance office when everybody had to buy their insurance. Obviously at upper rates big office connected to the first ward office when the back there’s a door that goes right into into theirs but the people were told you never get off or you get off you get off at the office floor but then you you walk you you get off it and i’m sorry you get off it at the. [1:10:11] You don’t get off at the first ward office you get off at one of the other offices one of the other offices or the other floors and when you come in there, then you’ll be taken someplace else after that a double shop that’s where they would go and in fact when I had to talk to Petter Cary messages or whatever people like Marco couldn’t talk to Marcy. [1:10:41] Only a few people could. Only people at the very top level could. Marco, he was a major boss. He could not talk to Marco. If he needed, you know, whatever. Marco D’Amico. Marco was, you had, Marco was the one right under Johnny DeFonza. Yeah. Marco’s the one that was in charge. He was the one who was in charge of all the gambling. Not just in Chicago, but around all those areas in Cook County. We had not just Chicago. They were also the ones that were in charge of all the street tax, collecting all the street tax. That’s where the big, big money was also. Everybody paid. What happened was in the 70s, right as I got involved

This episode of the Italian American Podcast offers a rich and intimate look at the enduring legacy of women religious through a conversation with Sister Helen Sanchez, with hosts Patrick O'Boyle and Marianna Gato. Centered on the Religious Teachers Filippini—an Italian-founded order devoted to the education of girls and women—the episode blends personal vocation, immigrant history, and Catholic education into a single, compelling narrative. Sister Helen recounts her path to religious life as a Puerto Rican woman entering an Italian order, and her years teaching in Italian-American parishes across New Jersey, Ohio, and beyond. The discussion explores how ethnic religious communities shaped Catholic schooling—preserving language, music, and devotion while adapting to new immigrant populations. These institutions emerge not merely as schools, but as cultural anchors for successive generations. The conversation also honors the often-unseen heroism of the Filippini Sisters, from their educational mission to their wartime courage, including efforts to shelter Jews during World War II and the scholarly legacy documenting that work. Personal stories of sisterhood, aging communities, and vocational discernment are woven together with festive traditions, underscoring how faith, culture, and memory endure. Warm, thoughtful, and deeply human, this episode is a tribute to women religious and their quiet but lasting imprint on the Italian American story.   HOSTS: Patrick O'Boyle Marianna Gatto   SPECIAL GUEST: Sister Helen Sanchez   PRODUCED BY: Nicholas Calvello-Macchia

Camillo Tarello was one of the fathers of modern agriculture. Fighting the headwinds of state disapproval for his innovative farming methods, he made many agricultural discoveries, benefitting not only his fellow Italians, but future farmers around the world.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/camillo-tarello-forgotten-farmer-who-outsmarted-state

Revisit this classic lesson on cognitive switching from the Plain English archives: What is cognitive switching? It's when you switch your attention from one task, or one type of task, to another. Cognitive switching could be robbing you of up to 40 percent of your daily productivity, and it may be increasing your potential to make mistakes.Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/cognitive-switching--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Marshall Allen w. Neneh Cherry; new Myra Melford; Webber/Morris Big Band; Gurmeet Singh & Sardur Surjeet Singh (mystical vocal music Punjab); new music from Noah Franche-Nolan; Sima Bina sings Afghan music; Steve Swell, Warren Smith, Chad Taylor & David Taylor;  vintage John Handy;  Billy Hart w.  Tired & Tickled Trio; Taha Suliman (pop from Sudan): Saudi vocalist Mohammed Abdu; Ethiopian vocalist  Kuku Subside; Italian pop vocalist Nada;  much, more.... Catch the BIRDS live on Friday nights, 9:00pm-MIDNIGHT (EST), in Central New York on WRFI, 88.1 FM Ithaca/ 88.5 FM Odessa;. and WORLDWIDE online via our MUSIC PLAYER at WRFI.ORG. 24/7 via PODBEAN: https://conferenceofthebirds.podbean.com via iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conference-of-the-birds-podcast/id478688580 Also available at podomatic, Internet Archive, podtail, iheart Radio, and elsewhere. Always FREE of charge to listen to the radio program and free also to stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast online: PLAYLIST at SPINITRON: https://spinitron.com/WRFI/pl/21701834/Conference-of-the-Birds and via the Conference of the Birds page at www.WRFI.ORG https://www.wrfi.org/wrfiprograms/conferenceofthebirds/  Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/conferenceofthebirds/?ref=bookmarks Find WRFI on Radio Garden: http://radio.garden/visit/ithaca-ny/aqh8OGBR   NEW MAILING ADDRESS:  Stephen Cope  @ Conference of the Birds, POBOX 428, Tivoli, NY, 12583, USA. 

Camillo Tarello was one of the fathers of modern agriculture. Fighting the headwinds of state disapproval for his innovative farming methods, he made many agricultural discoveries, benefitting not only his fellow Italians, but future farmers around the world.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/camillo-tarello-forgotten-farmer-who-outsmarted-state

The award-winning author and historian Matthew Restall unpacks Columbus' enduring cultural and political presence while weaving a new history of the modern world.During a stay in Galicia, Spain, Restall was startled to encounter a local castle claiming to be Columbus' true birthplace. Locals insisted that Columbus, an Italian by birth, was born and raised in Galicia under the name of a local lord, Pedro Álvarez de Soutomaior. Thus began an in-depth investigation into the stories swirling around Columbus six centuries after his birth.In the years since Columbus “sailed the ocean blue in 1492,” his journey and its consequences have gained notoriety across the globe. Scrutinizing nine key myths, Columbus' “nine lives,” Restall tugs apart our misconceptions about the historical figure of Columbus, his exceptionalism, and his culpability for colonial violence in the Americas.Born in Genoa to a local cloth weaver, Columbus had an unextraordinary childhood. He left as a young man to pursue a maritime career – which would eventually lead him to the Spanish court of Queen Isabel and King Fernando where he received the lofty title “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” In the years after Columbus' 1506 death, the mythology surrounding his life blossomed. From contentious debates over the location and possession of his remains to the campaign for his beatification in the 19th century, Columbus loomed large.He is the author of "The Nine Lives of Christopher Columbus." https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Lives-Christopher-Columbus/dp/1324086939

It's the calm between the Christmas storms in the Cassidy-Humphreys household and Nat, Marc, and Eliza have popped into the pod room to debrief Christmas so far, and brief on the rest to come. Enjoy! xx Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nat's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natcass1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Marc's insta: @camera_marc Neice's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natsnieces⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tony's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tonycass68⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linny's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@auntielinny.lwn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MORE LIVE SHOW! 07/02/2026 Brighton, The Forge TICKETS 08/02/2026 Newcastle upon Tyne, The Stand TICKETS 25/02/2026 Folkestone, Quarterhouse TICKETS 28/02/2026 Colchester, Arts Centre TICKETS 07/03/2026 Manchester, Fairfield Social Club TICKETS 22/03/2026 Leeds, The Wardrobe TICKETS 29/03/2026 Bristol, The Gaffe - TICKETS Book Club: November's book - All Together for Christmas by Sarah Morgan & December's book (optional extra for the speedy readers) - A Heart for Christmas: Advent Romance by Sophie Jomain Nat's solo chats - any rants always welcome!  Scraping the Barrel - SCAN AND SHOP VIRGIN NO LONGER! Bonce vs list! - Are you a list maker? Always collecting for Nostalgia Fest! What's brewing with the Nieces - are we all skipping the end of summer, all of autumn and going straight to Christmas - Nat's door is! Group chat ettiquette & pranks. Nice Lorraines… get in touch! Advent calendars & gift recommendations v. welcome! Things we're nagging with Linny about - More lateness stories and some cleaning questions, please! The Tony talks chatter - Keep your DIY questions coming, also open to some saucy two paragraph stories for Tony to read out at the Southend show - think cheeky postcards (both in tone and length)! Can we make Tony an influencer and get him any freebies?  TBC Cultural differences ep - inspired by Linny's Mediterranean heritage and her & Ellia's Italian trip, we'd love to hear about the cultural differences you've noticed between the UK and basically ANYWHERE else!  A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hello@keepitlightmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOIN THE ITALIAN ACTIVATION COURSEAnd get access to the proven Neuroscience-based process to:✅️ Get into the right mindset to become fluent✅️ Build a personalized and sustainable Italian study routine that makes you consistent and fluent 10x faster✅️ Learn the best strategies to improve your speaking (even if you don't have anyone to speak Italian with)✅️ Make Italian stick into your memory(and finally remember and easily recall Italian words in conversation)LINK TO JOIN:Apply coupon code READY2026 to join for just 49€ (instead of 79€)https://www.rightwayitaliano.com/the-italian-activation-course/Questions before joining? The link to the course doesn't work? Simply send me an email ciao@rightwayitaliano.com and I will be more than happy to help you!