L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2020 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 S ince the beginning of the i n t e r n a t i o n a l h e a l t h emergency, Italy bit the bullet and kept going with strength and determina- t i o n . I t a l i a n s h a v e n ' t g i v e n u p : neither did the doctors when facing endless hospitalizations and deaths, nor the ill who are still fighting again- st a powerful disease that put on hold their lives. Tirelessly, the mayors of small vil- lages and cities alike, have been put- ting in place every type of solution to manage extremely difficult situations; volunteers who know no weariness work hard every day to help the weaker among us. We've all been trying to do our best, even if we're locked inside: some by getting used to working from home, others to online learning, others still by handling with positivity complex family dynamics. These are all demonstrations of the resilience of Italy, a country that resists and tries to adapt, to react. And it isn't a case we gave the best example of this on Easter and Easter Monday. For us Italians, these are the days of families gatherings and pic- nics, but this year everyone accepted the rules, remained home and said hello to relatives from the screens of tablets and mobiles. Some were surprised by this attitude, but just because they probably forgot Italy is not only beautiful but also strong, capable to be serious and responsible. It's the same Italy that keeps working in supermarkets, pharmacies and factories, producing and delivering primary goods for all of us. It's the country that sat down at the sewing machine and started making precious cloth masks even before textile factories converted to their production. In the end, it's also the same country that met on balconies and sang, because comfort and spiritual support are just as Italy is holding on and rolling up her sleeves: we can help her by supporting Made in Italy From the director important as material help. Indeed, we'll need to support each other and stay strong for quite a while. This pandemic has brought economies around the world on their knees. For weeks, Italy has been asking Europe to implement an adequate support system, but answers are slow to come. And slow is also the decrease of the infection curve: bulletins keep on recording more infected and more victims. Phase two, which should see the opening of non- essential productive activities and should mark the end of the most acute moment of the emergency, remains far, even if some dream of opening up our beaches for the summer, encasing beach umbrellas in plexiglass boxes. But thinking of it, how many people will actually be able to afford summer holidays this year? After Easter, the International Monetary Fund relea- sed the first official data about the effects of Covid-19 on world economy. Recession has been showing its results already. The volume of international commerce will drop of 11%; world economy of 3%, an immense difference from the 0.6% recorded in 2009 because of the Lehman Brothers cri- sis. The GDP of the world's most advanced countries could diminish of 6.1%, that of the Eurozone of 7.5%, that of Italy of 9.1% and that of the US of 5.9%. Numbers mean very little, however, if we don't remember how, behind companies and businesses, there are families and people. Even if we are not understanding right now, our lives are changing. Let's take Italy's commercial sector: people havebought 31.7% less in the month of March, which we spent on full lockdown. Our GDP for April could witness a 13% drop. Confcommercio, Italy's agency of commerce, predicts - 10.4% in consumption and -3.5% in GDP. Perspectives are dense with uncertainty and questions. This means the future must be a time of resistance and reac- tion, too. We'll need to think about those holidays because tourism isn't only pivotal for our national economy, but it's the instrument through which the world gets to know the beauties of our peninsula. Demand has diminished, and this means we must invest in our market more and better to become self-sufficient. All of us must work harder, also here on the West Coast, where the pandemic arrived, too, making us understand what life in Italy has been in the past two weeks. We can contribute to change things: because, as the pandemic itself showed, distances count nothing. We can support the land of our roots buying Italian products, choosing Made in Italy because it stands for quality, authenticity and, when we talk about food, also for health, something the many "Italian sounding" products around don't care about in the least. Buying Italian means helping Italy, her economy, her craftsmen, her fashion industry and design, and also not giving space to all those fake products that may have the appearance, but cer- tainly not the quintessentially Italian substance, of quality. In the meanwhile, just like two weeks ago, we suggest you to make a donation to the Protezione Civile Italiana, to support Italian hospitals and help purchase essential PPE. L'Italo-Americano continues to reach out to our belo- ved Italy, just as it did in 2009, to support the people of L'Aquila after the earthquake that razed most of the city's beautiful historic center, or as it did, along with the General Consulate of Italy in Los Angeles, for the reconstruction of Ferrara's Teatro Comunale, after the tragic 2012 Emilia- Romagna earthquake. Coronavirus emergency : IT84 Z030 6905 0201 0000 0066 387. BIC: BCITITMM. Help, if you can. Simone Schiavinato, Director NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale DIRECTOR/EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Joel Mack, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Dear readers, It has come to our attention that the Postal Service has been experiencing some opera- tional impacts in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result some of you may experience a delay in receiving copies of L'Italo-Americano. L'Italo Americano is continuing to print according to its regular bi-weekly schedule. There are no changes in our publishing schedule. Rest assure that we are doing everything we can to insure newspaper deliv- ery and we are prepared to extend your sub- scription to one extra month free of charge to make up for the copies that might have not y e t b e e n r e c e i v e d . P l e a s e c a l l u s a t 6 2 6 . 3 5 9 . 7 7 1 5 o r e m a i l u s a t accounting@italoamericano.org to request your extended subscription at no cost. Best regards Simone Schiavinato Director L'Italo Americano

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