Sunday, June 28, 2015

Valtellinese Emigration to Australia (1860-1960)

The beautiful Valtellina


























The Valtellina is an Alpine valley which runs about 80 miles east-west, and is about 50 miles from the cities of Brescia and Bergamo, and the flat lands of the Po; so it's rather isolated from a historical point of view. The northernmost village of the Val Camonica, Edolo, is close to the village of Aprica of the Valtellina. The Aprica pass separates the two. The two valleys, their cultures, and their histories are very similar. The following article is from the Lombardi nel Mondo website. I did my best to translate it, often rewriting muddled portions in an attempt to get at what I thought was the true meaning. It at least gives some idea of the old experiences. You almost have to think of... perhaps movies which show very desolate locations, maybe set in the late 1800s. 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', in the sequence when they went down to Bolivia, comes to mind. Beyond the east coast cities of Australia, maybe 100 miles inland, are the farmlands; and maybe that's part of where this took place. Of course, in 1860 or 1890, this was a very underdeveloped area. Later in the article, I think they were referring to maybe the 1940s or 50s. I remember of reading some really old accounts of what overseas employers, from the perspective of Europeans, thought of workers from certain regions... and what types of work they're good at. I recall something like.. people from the Italian Alps, Slovaks, Hungarians, etc. are good at heavy work. In other words, in contrast to modern perceptions, they didn't drag people all the way over from the middle of the rural Alps on the other side of the planet just to do very hard work that Aborigines or some little islanders could do.



'Valtellinese Emigration to Australia (1860-1960)'

From letters of migrants and third party migration development

From this we can understood the early migrations from the Valtellina, deepening the meanings and expectations of this history. Perhaps, as they had feared opponents of immigration, some of the early migrants to Australia were attracted by widespread tales of gold or of a country of plenty from emigration agents, but any such illusion was short-lived. The temporary emigrants were not on their way to a generic "Australia," but headed for specific locations, looking for a specific job. In Australia you could make some good gains, but at the price of a very hard effort and lack of any attractiveness and with great personal sacrifice. More often than not they found themselves engaging in grueling logging work in remote areas, cutting sugar cane in tropical heat, or risking their lives in underground mines. The rhetoric used by emigrants in the description of their travels is revealing: "making sacrifices" was the term used to talk about these migrations. Australia had become famous not as a country of plenty, but as a place of hard work. Since they were temporary migrants, they departed without knowing the language; and they did not come with women or families, and they did not sell their lands before leaving. Their goal was to make the highest profit in the shortest possible time, in the hope of a quick return home. They probably started with few illusions. The idea was to get through the burden of the work load stoically, sit tight and hope that they can maintain their  health and safety. Normally there was no intention to settle permanently.

The presence of Lombards in Australia, and more generally of people originating from Italy, was noted by the consuls and consular agents of Italians after the discovery of gold in the State of Victoria in 1851. The Valtellinese presence was known in those areas and to the agents of the shipping companies which operated in moving Swiss citizens not far from the border from Valtellina, in the Valley of Poschiavo in the Canton of

Rural Australia
Graubunden. Historically, these were the most common destinations of seasonal emigrants of Valtellina. After the first pioneers, Australia became part of the recognized world, and this recognition greatly influenced the development of future migrations. In Italy the chance to earn money were few, even in periods of greater well-being; as contrasted to the reputation of Australia as a source of earnings. Among other things, it was becoming a regular destination of those who hoped to increase their wealth, and not just of those most desperately in need. It was temporary migrants who intended to make a fortune. They were farmers and--with a majority of males being of working age, 20s or 30s--half of them were married, many with children. The desire of these people was to get out of the cycle of poverty, which neither the government, nor the charity institutions had eased. The bad harvests, the high cost of living, the lack of work, and the heavy load of fees and taxes were all factors responsible for departures. At that time the news of those who returned from Australia were "excellent," unlike those coming from America.

Returnees had described the unfavorable treatment accorded to them by the authorities and employers in America, while Australia had proved very hospitable. In the Valtellina, a culture of migration had developed, especially to Australia; thereby ensuring that in years to come, the majority of emigrants would follow already beaten paths. Several routes were opened in Australia since 1890. The most important would lead migrants to Western Australia, to regions where there was a focus on extractive activities and of the harvesting of timber. Especially after World War II, the northern regions of Queensland opened up in the sugar cane plantations. For many years the migrants made significant progress from the fruit of their labor, to the point that they began to consider settling permanently in the country. It was starting to become apparent that with these changes, people were deciding to make Australia their home. Their lives were simple but decent, and of which their old traditions and habits continued on. It was similar to their old village life, and less like Anglo-Saxon proletarian life. They toiled all day in the fields, pulling plows, but when they returned home in the evening to a nice home, bath, dinner, and a car to drive to town to the cinema. At the tables were always their native cuisine; lots of macaroni, salads, and buttered bread, along with cups of tea.

Source: Jacqueline Templeton, 'From the Mountains to the Bush: Emigration of Valtellinese in Australia (1860-1960) from the Letters of Migrants'; Tirano Museum, 2001


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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Out of Iron Mountain: Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci - Part 2

Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈittso]; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach. Since 1995, he has been the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, presiding over a prolonged period of success.

Under Izzo, the Michigan State program has been one of the most successful in the country. Izzo has led the Spartans to the 2000 NCAA Division I National Championship, the 2009 NCAA Division I National Championship Game, seven Final Fours, and seven Big Ten Championships in his first 18 years at Michigan State. The coach with the most wins in school history, Izzo's teams have earned invitations to the past 18 consecutive NCAA tournaments, in addition to setting the Big Ten record for the longest home winning streak. These accomplishments led analyst Andy Katz at ESPN to deem Michigan State the top college basketball program for the decade from 1998 to 2007.

Currently the longest tenured coach in the Big Ten Conference, Izzo, whose teams are often recognized for their rebounding prowess and defensive tenacity, has won four national coach of the year awards and maintains a considerable coaching tree—several of his former assistants are currently head coaches at other Division I schools. Izzo is just the fifth coach in Big Ten history to win seven conference titles. His immense success during the NCAA tournament has earned Izzo the nickname "Mr. March" among active coaches.



Biography

 

Playing career

Izzo was born and raised in Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he met best friend and former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci. Both attended Iron Mountain High where they were teammates on the football, basketball and track teams. At Northern Michigan University in Marquette, where they were roommates, Izzo played guard for the men's basketball team from 1973 to 1977. In his senior season, he set a school record for minutes played and was named a Division II All-American.



Early coaching career

After graduating from Northern Michigan, Izzo was head coach at Ishpeming High School for one season. He then took an assistant coaching job at Northern Michigan University from 1979 to 1983. Izzo was then named a part-time assistant at Michigan State in September 1983. After a short two-month stay in 1986 as an assistant coach at University of Tulsa, Izzo returned to Michigan State when assistant Mike Deane left to become head coach at Siena College. Prior to the 1990–91 season, then-current coach Jud Heathcote elevated Izzo to associate head coach. After Heathcote's retirement following the 1994-95 season and upon both his and the Michigan State Athletic Director's recommendation, Izzo was named the new head coach of men's basketball for MSU.


Head coach at Michigan State

Hired as head coach at Michigan State in 1995, Izzo is currently the longest-tenured basketball coach in the Big Ten Conference. He became the coach with the most wins in school history after winning his 341st game on November 29, 2009 to surpass Heathcote.[7] In his first two seasons as head coach, Izzo went 9-9 finishing 6th and 7th in the conference and failed to make the tournament. In 1998, MSU's record in conference improved to 13-3 and Izzo won the first of his seven regular-season Big Ten championships. 1998 also saw Michigan State begin a streak of 18 straight NCAA tournament appearances, which is the 3rd longest current streak among Division I teams. During that run only Roy Williams (40 wins) and Mike Krzyzewski (41 wins) have more NCAA tournament wins than Tom Izzo (39). The following season Izzo won his first of four Big Ten Tournament titles, and went to the first of Izzo's three straight Final Four appearances, joining Krzyzewski and Ben Howland as the only three coaches who have made three consecutive Final Fours since the NCAA tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Izzo's .725 winning percentage (37-14 record) in the NCAA tournament ranks third among all active coaches with 10 or more games coached.[8] However, since Michigan was forced by the NCAA to vacate five of those victories due to violations, Izzo's official record against the Wolverines is 20-9.

In 2000, Izzo led MSU to its second NCAA national championship with an 89-76 win over the Florida Gators. Eighty-two percent of his players who completed their eligibility left MSU with a degree. Over the last ten years, Izzo has been pursued by the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Jersey Nets for head coaching jobs.[9][10][11] Izzo fell short of obtaining his 2nd national championship on April 6, 2009, losing to North Carolina 89–72. His streak of three straight Final Four appearances from 1999 to 2001 is the third-longest of all time, and his six Final Four appearances in the years 1999–2010 were matched by no other team in college basketball. During the summer of 2010, Izzo was approached by the Cleveland Cavaliers on becoming their next head coach. With the possibility of potentially being able to coach LeBron James, Izzo pondered the offer for over a week. Finally, on June 15, 2010, Izzo reported to the Michigan State University's Board of Trustees that he would remain head coach of Michigan State, in which he stated he was "a Spartan for life."

In 2013 Izzo was voted the fifth angriest coach in college basketball by USA Today Sports, an honor that he cherishes.



Coaching philosophy

Izzo's teams are known for strong guard play, toughness and rebounding. Izzo is famed for his "war" rebounding drill, in which the players wear football helmets and shoulder pads.[15] His motto is "Players Play – Tough Players Win".[16] His other coaching philosophies include, "he doesn't determine playing time, players do" and "A player-coached team is better than a coach-coached team." Izzo is also known for scheduling extremely tough non-conference schedules as preparation for the NCAA tournament. This way the players have already played the top teams in the country and won't be fazed come March Madness.



"We'll play anybody, anyplace, anytime. It doesn't matter, morning, noon or night, and it doesn't matter who it is." --Tom Izzo



Iron Mountain, Michigan

Sport: Basketball

Current position
Title: Head coach
Team: Michigan State
Conference: Big Ten
Record : 494–199 (.713)


Personal details
Born: January 30, 1955
Iron Mountain, Michigan

Playing career
1973–1977 Northern Michigan

Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1977–1978 Ishpeming HS
1979–1983 Northern Michigan (assistant)
1983–1995 Michigan State (assistant)
1995–present Michigan State

Head coaching record
Overall: 494–199 (.713)



Accomplishments and honors

Championships
1 NCAA Division I Tournament Championship (2000)
7 NCAA Regional Championships – Final Four (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015)
7 Big Ten Regular Season Championships (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2012)
4 Big Ten Tournament Championships (1999, 2000, 2012, 2014)

Accomplishments
9 Elite Eights (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015)
13 Sweet Sixteens (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
18 NCAA Tournament bids (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)

Awards
1 Associated Press National Coach of the Year (1998)
1 NABC Coach of the Year (2012)
1 Henry Iba Award (1998)
3 Big Ten Coach of the Year (1998, 2009, 2012)


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Friday, June 26, 2015

Lombard bits n' pieces on Frigga's Day




Insübria, Land of Waters

Bogoljubskij

Insubria, Land of Waters

Music: "Insubria" by Ticìnn Canntàl (Google PlayiTuneseMusicAmazonMP3)

I thought that I had posted this song once before on this blog. It's a song in tribute to "Insubria," which is Western Lombardy. This is where the west Lombard dialect was spoken (along with Ticino, Switzerland), and still is in some places. The name comes from the Gaulish tribe called the Insubri, which inhabited the region in pre-Roman times.

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The DeConcinis

Dennis Webster DeConcini (born May 8, 1937) is a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Arizona. The son of former Arizona Supreme Court Judge Evo Anton DeConcini, he represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 1977 until 1995.


Background information

DeConcini was born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Ora (née Webster) and Evo Anton DeConcini. His father was Judge on the Arizona State Superior Court for 10 years, then served as the Arizona Attorney General for one two-year term from 1948 to 1949 before being appointed to the Arizona State Supreme Court where he served as a Judge for four years from 1949–1953. DeConcini received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1959 and his LLD from the University of Arizona in 1963. He then worked as a lawyer for the Arizona Governor's staff from 1965 to 1967. He founded the law firm of DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin & Lacy (where he is still a partner) with offices in Tucson, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Evo Anton DeConcini (March 25, 1901 – 1986) was Attorney General of Arizona, and a Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court from 1949 to 1953.

Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, DeConcini and his family soon moved to Wisconsin. He began studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1920, but his father's death in an automobile accident in February 1921 forced DeConcini to move to Arizona.

Around 1928, DeConcini developed the Government Heights subdivision just south of the VA Hospital (now known as the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System) in Tucson, Arizona. He named the roads in the subdivision President and Lincoln streets and Washington, District and Columbia streets. In honor of President Lincoln and the U.S. capital Washington D.C. Washington Street was later renamed Palmdale Street.

After running various family businesses for a decade, he received a J.D. from the University of Arizona in 1932 and married Ora Webster, of Thatcher.

He was attorney general of Arizona from 1948 to 1949, and then served on the Arizona Supreme Court until January 13, 1953, when he was succeeded by Dudley W. Windes. Prominent attorney Daniel Cracchiolo served as law clerk to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Evo DeConcini in 1952 [1].

He was the father of longtime Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini and Dino DeConcini a Federal DEA official.

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"Not Padania, but Lombardy, Venetia, etc... Different Lands"

by David from Bergamo

I wanted to mention briefly a piece written several years ago on one of the PAL forums regarding how the former nation of "Lombardia"--as well as numerous other former nations--should be a nation in of itself, rather than a northern "Padania."

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Independence Front Lombardy

The Independence Front Lombardy (Fronte Indipendentista Lombardia, FIL) was a padanist and separatist political party active in Lombardy.

Founded in 2006 by Max Ferrari and other splinters from Lega LombardaLega Nord, FIL joined Lombardia Autonoma in 2008, but soon regained its autonomy as a markedly-separatist party. Ferrari chose to stay in Lombardia Autonoma, which had its name changed into "Lega Padana Lombardia", and finally returned in the League in 2010.

The party eventually re-emerged under the leadership of Piergiorgio Seveso in 2011, when it ran a candidate in the Varese municipal election, but gained a dismal 0.2% of the vote. Since 2012 the website is no more active.


Leadership

National secretary: Max Ferrari (2006–2008), Piergiorgio Seveso (2009–2011)


References

http://www.laprovinciadivarese.it/stories/Cronaca/206143_il_fronte_spiazza_tutti_e_si_schiera_con_oprandi/

http://comunali.interno.it/comunali/amm110515/C0861160.htm

http://www.frontelombardia.net/

I remember a few years ago they were on many forums, try to push for this. It was brought to my attention that there was a much better chance for an independent Lombardy and other northern states, than there was for a Padanian nation. Of course, the requirement would be that they would be under the umbrella of the EU/Bilderberg "European state." It just never got any traction. They had that great Lombard party symbol of the two-headed white eagle with the red cross on white background. The ancient nation flexing it's muscles once again, if even for only a short time.

Lega Lombarda and Lega Padana Lombardia--both Padanist and "Lombardist"--are now active and independent.

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Palazzo del Te

Palazzo del Te or Palazzo Te is a palace in the suburbs of Mantua, Italy. It is a fine example of the mannerist style of architecture, the acknowledged masterpiece of Giulio Romano. The official name, and by far the most common name in Italian, is Palazzo Te, but this may be a relatively recent usage; Vasari calls it the "Palazzo del T" (pronounced as "Te"), and English-speaking writers, especially art historians, continue to call it the Palazzo del Te. In Italian this now suggests use for tea-drinking, which may account for the divergence in usage.

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Clan Wallace Insubria Festival

madmak007's channel

Clan Wallace Insubria Festival marcallo Italy.

The Matt Maginn set


Ever since the movie 'Braveheart' twenty years ago, there has been that comparison with the British Isles' "northern Gaelic-Celt vs. English military power" dynamic.... with that of the "northern Gaulish-Celt vs. Roman military power" dynamic within the Italian peninsula. In both cases, the empirical establishment eventually won and absorbed the conquered region.

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The arms of the House of Visconti
Wars in Lombardy

The wars in Lombardy were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy that ravaged the economy of Lombardy and weakened the power of Venice. They lasted from 1423 until the signing of the Treaty of Lodi in 1454. During their course, the political structure of Italy was transformed: out of a competitive congeries of communes and city-states emerged the five major Italian territorial powers that would make up the map of Italy for the remainder of the 15th century and the beginning of the Italian Wars at the turn of the 16th century, viz. Venice, Milan, Florence, the Papal States and Naples. Important cultural centers of Tuscany and Northern Italy—Siena, Pisa, Urbino, Mantua, Ferrara—became politically marginalized.

The wars, which were both a result and cause of Venetian involvement in the power politics of mainland Italy, found Venetian territory extended to the banks of the Adda and involved the rest of Italy in shifting alliances but only minor skirmishing. The shifting counterweight in the balance was the allegiance of Florence, at first allied with Venice against encroachments by Visconti Milan, then switching to ally with Francesco Sforza against the increasing territorial threat of Venice. The Peace of Lodi, concluded in 1454, brought forty years of comparative peace to Northern Italy, as Venetian conflicts focussed elsewhere.


After the Treaty of Lodi, there was a balance of power resulting in a period of stability lasting for 40 years. During this time, there was a mutual pledge of non-aggression between the five Italian powers, sometimes known as the Italic League. Even there was frequent tension between Milan and Naples, the peace held remarkably well until the outbreak of the Italian Wars in 1494, as Milan called upon the king of France to press his claim on the kingdom of Naples.


The rivalry between the Venetians and the Milanese nations was not always a forgone conclusion as to which side the aristocratic classes of eastern Lombardy would side with. Eventually the Brescians, and later the Bergamasques, would switch loyalty to the Venetian side. Of course these aristocratic milieus, such as the Brescian Council--although powerful in their own right--were still relegated to a lessor position than that of the Venetians, Milanese, Genoese, or Florentines. In the sixteenth century, both Brescia and Bergamo would become part of the Venetian Republic.

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Cisco's Mike Volpi - Born in Milan

Michaelangelo "Mike" Volpi (born 13 December 1966) is best known for his leadership of Cisco Systems business development efforts as Chief Strategy Officer during the company’s prominent growth era, acquiring over 70 companies in less than five years. He then became SVP of the Routing and Service Provider Technology Group, where he managed over 5,000 engineers; in early 2007 this was an $11 billion business for Cisco. He was considered the right-hand man and successor of CEO John Chambers. In 2007 he left Cisco and became EIR at Sequoia Capital. A few months later, he was appointed CEO of Joost. In 2009 he became General Partner at Index Ventures.

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The Lombard origins of "Italian Graubünden"

The Italian Graubünden or Italian Grigioni (Italian: Grigionitaliano or Grigioni italiano; German: Italienischbünden; Romansh: Grischun talian) is the region of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland where Italian and Lombard are spoken.

Located in the southernmost part of the canton, it includes the districts of Moesa (to the west) and Bernina (to the east), and the municipalities of Bivio in the Albula district and Bregaglia in the Maloggia district. It has a population of about 15,000 inhabitants, of which over 85% speak Italian or Lombard.



Geography

The three regions that make up the Italian Graubünden are separated by mountains, isolated from the rest of the canton as well as from each other. Because of their remoteness and the lack of economic possibilities, emigration has traditionally been a serious issue, and even today more than half of the people born in the Italian Graubünden live and work outside of the region in the predominately Italian-speaking region of Ticino.


This region is a remnant of when the Grey Leagues political alliance of the canton still occupied the Valtellina (Sondrio) against it's will. The Valtellinese didn't  have any "league" or any stake in the struggle for Swiss nationalism. Later the Spanish invaded for a time. Only with the help of the Napoleonic French powers did the region gain some autonomy in 1797, within the old Cisalpine Republic, under the French empire. However, the Grey Leagues were able to maintain control over the three little isolated valleys of this "Italian Graubünden." 

To add to the confusion, the native Romansh language is spoken throughout Graubünden, and even in a few parts of the Valtellina as well. To start with, this people/language is not Romanian, although it is a Romance language. It's a leftover of a culture which was more widespread, but has declined from the encroaching German and Italian languages. In a perfect world, the Lombard and Romansh languages are the proper tongues of this canton and the Valtellina. The famous actor Jim Caviezel is partly of Romansh descent; "Caviezel" being a surname of Romansh origin. There could have been some pre-Roman Germans there, who later assumed a Romance (Roman derived) language.

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Alberto Rabagliati
4 famous Milanese born on this day:

Paolo Maldini - Soccer star; born in Milan; played 25 seasons for A.C. Milan club; longtime captain for Italian national team; son of longtime player and manager for A.C. Milan Cesare Maldini

Claudio Abbado - One of the most celebrated and respected conductors of the 20th century; born in Milan

Carlo Facetti - Auto racing driver; European Touring Car Champion in 1979; born in the province of Milan

Alberto Rabagliati - Singer and actor in Italy and the United States; although more known as a singer and stage actor in Italy, he was known to American audiences for his acting roles in 'The Barefoot Contessa' (1954), 'The Christmas That Almost Wasn't' (1966), 'Street Angel' (1928), 'The Montecarlo Story' (1956), 'Il vedovo' (1959), and 'La vita è bella' (1943); the movie had traditional December airings on Home Box Office (HBO) during the 1970s and early 1980s; his name brings up almost 9,000 results on YouTube; born in milan

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Lake Garda biking trails

When observing a satellite image, such as with Google Maps, Lake Garda is the massive lake which most stands out by far as it sits majestically where the Po flat lands meet the pre-Alps between Lombardy and the Veneto. It's the Lake Tahoe of Europe, as they both sit amid beautiful unspoiled mountains. As old as time, it watched the Battle of Lake Benacus on it's banks in 268 AD--between Roman and Germanic armies--as we would watch ants moving upon a yard.

There's the surrounding mountains and it's ancient villages; as well as the coastal towns such as the beautiful Gardone Riviera.

'Scanuppia and other Bike Trails in the Lago di Garda Area' (LonelyCyclist.rtij.nl)

Sirmione, Lake Garda
Sirmione, Lake Garda
Sirmione, Lake Garda



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Friday is "Frigga's Day"

In Langobardic mythology, this goddess was known as "Frea." She is the only goddess who has a day of the week named after her (along with three gods and three planetary bodies).


Frigg

In Germanic mythology, Frigg (Old Norse), Frija (Old High German), Frea (Langobardic), and Frige (Old English) is the Goddess of the Atmosphere,or the clouds. In nearly all sources she is described as the wife of the god Odin. In Old High German and Old Norse sources, she is also connected with the goddess Fulla. The English weekday name Friday (etymologically Old English "Frīge's day") bears her name.
In Norse mythology, the northernmost branch of Germanic mythology and most extensively attested, Frigg is described as a goddess associated with foreknowledge and wisdom. Frigg is the wife of the major god Odin and dwells in the wetland halls of Fensalir, is famous for her foreknowledge, is associated with the goddesses Fulla, Lofn, Hlín, and Gná, and is ambiguously associated with the Earth, otherwise personified as an apparently separate entity, Jörð (Old Norse "Earth"). The children of Frigg and Odin include the gleaming god Baldr. Due to significant thematic overlap, scholars have proposed a particular connection to the goddess Freyja.

After Christianization, mention of Frigg continued to occur in Scandinavian folklore. In modern times, Frigg has appeared in modern popular culture, has been the subject of art, and receives modern veneration in Germanic Neopaganism.


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Sunday, June 21, 2015

Ancient Aliens - 'The Viking Gods' - Part 4




The above video was of a particularly good lecture by Stephen McNallen from 1993. He's always a fascinating speaker and interview. He's conducted quite a few interviews recently.

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Asatru-related videos

Steve McNallen on Red Ice Radio from June 9th - "Asatru: A Native European Spirituality"

"Asatru: The Ways of Our Ancestors" with Stephen McNallen On GW Radio (Gnostic Warrior Radio)

A Varangian Saga (latter adventures of the Vikings in service of the Byzantines)

What Are Runes? (an interesting short history)

The Nine Noble Virtues

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Some Heathen music

Viking Pagan Folk Song - Yggdrasill 

"WOTAN" Video - "Under the sign of Odin's Ravens"

Eliwagar "Die Geheime Sprache Der Runen Im Schwarzwald

Vikings Return ! War - Burzum - Norvegian Black Metal

Odin's Dance

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Queen Wealtheow In the 2007 film 'Beowulf'

This character of Wealthow was played by Robin Wright Penn in a semi-animated portrayal. She appeared so docile and beautiful, yet still such a strong character. Two memorable songs, in which she sang and played the harp, were 'Gently As She Goes' and 'A Hero Comes Home'.

Queen Wealtheow In Beowulf (both songs complete and uninterrupted)

A Lenda de Beowulf Queen Wealtheow (animated version of the Queen playing 'Gently As She Goes' in the Portuguese language version of the film)

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Seana Fenner on a version of Red Ice Radio

Radio 3Fourteen - Seana Fenner - "Odinism, Traditional Tribalism and The Noble Virtues"

Seana Fenner, also known as Odinia, is the founder of Odinia International, a worldwide native European Odinist organization whose headquarters are based in Hawai`i. She did her graduate work in archaeology at Oxford, has created and taught archaeoastronomy courses for the physics department at the University of Hawai`i, and worked for the NASA Infrared Telescope. She has two upcoming books, one on archaeoastronomy.

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Focus on the Folk

This was a rather enlightening, California/Nevada Odinic leadership panel, question and answer session. Some interesting ideas are floated around here.

Focus on the Folk Part 1

Focus on the Folk Part 2

Focus on the Folk Part 3

Focus on the Folk Part 4

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Question about "Double-Algiz" symbol

I wanted to know if, in fact, the symbol shown here is an actual sign? I assigned the name "Double-Algiz" to it, as it appears like a Life Rune with double-petals so to speak.

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Various links and articles

Aryan Myth and Metahistory blog

Norse/Germanic Runes

Celto-Germanic Culture, Myths and History blog

'Odinism & Rodnovery and the Importance of the Fylfot'

'Contra Vitium: How VICE Mischaracterized a Religious Movement' ("vice" meaning vice.com)

List of Germanic deities

Wodenswolf - Norse art and craft (Freki Jungnickel)

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Stephen McNallen's new book

My Book is Now Available! 

My first book -  Asatru: A Native European Spirituality  - is now available for preorder through Amazon!

This is it  -  the product of 45 years devotion to Asatru, in easy-to-understand words.  I will write other books, but never one like this!


'Asatru: A Native European Spirituality' at Amazon.com

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'Sister Golden Hair' by America (1975) 

I don't mean to read too much into something, but this song feels to me like a light tribute to Germanic or blonde beauty... behind what was obviously a simple ode to a young woman. I remember some years ago, taking an evening class at the College of San Mateo one summer. A 30ish sort've long-haired hippyish guy had a crush on this young 20ish woman from Russia. She was a tall, slender, very pretty blonde with a humble personality. He was tactful, but he tried to convey across some sort of expression of his like for her, although he didn't overstep his bounds. I recall of him saying to this young immigrant woman, something like "we're glad to have you here Zoya."

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

Out of Iron Mountain: Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci - Part 1
























Steve Mariucci

Stephen Ray "Steve" Mariucci (born November 4, 1955) is a former National Football League coach. He coached for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. 


Early career

Mariucci was born and raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he met best friend and current Michigan State University basketball head coach Tom Izzo. Both attended Iron Mountain High where they were teammates on the football, basketball and track teams. At Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, where they were roommates, Mariucci was a three-time All-America (Division II) quarterback . In 1975, he quarterbacked NMU to the NCAA Division II National Football Championship. He then went on to play two weeks with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater (1978–79), and moved to Cal State Fullerton (1980–82) and Louisville (1983–84). Mariucci's first pro position was as a receivers coach for the United States Football League's Orlando Renegades in 1985. Later that fall, he had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams as quality control coach.

He joined the USC staff in 1986. He coached WR Ken Henry to a season where he had 807 yards with 7 TD. WR Randy Tanner also had 408 yards with 3 TD.


He then moved to the coaching staff at the University of California, Berkeley (Cal) in 1987. In 1987, WR Brian Bedford had 515 yards with 4 TD. WR Mike Ford had 479 yards with 3 TD. In 1989, WR Brian Treggs had 746 yards with 4 TD.


In 1990 and 1991, he served as the Golden Bears offensive coordinator. QB Mike Pawlawski threw for 2,069 yards with 17 TDs and RBs Anthony Wallace & Russell White combined to run for 2,002 yards with 16 TD. In 1991, QB Mike Pawlawski threw for 2,517 yards with 21 TD and RB Russell White ran for 1,177 yards with 14 TD. WR Sean Dawkins had 723 yards with 11 TD.


In 1992, he was appointed as quarterback coach for the Green Bay Packers.

After four years as quarterback coach for the Packers, Mariucci returned to Cal as head coach in 1996 where the team finished 6–6, including a loss in the Aloha Bowl to Navy.



Coaching career in professional football

Following his season with the Golden Bears, Mariucci was considered a leading candidate for several National Football League coaching positions, and was hired to coach the San Francisco 49ers.

Mariucci's 1997 team went 13–3 during the regular season, earning home-field advantage in the National Football Conference (NFC). After defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Playoffs, San Francisco hosted the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, but lost 23–10 in a muddy, rainy contest at Candlestick Park. The defeat was the 49ers fourth NFC title loss of the 1990s, following losses to the New York Giants in 1990 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 and 1993. In 1998, the 49ers posted a 12–4 record and returned to the playoffs as a wild card team, but lost 20–18 in the divisional round to the eventual NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. Two losing seasons followed, but in 2001, the 49ers returned to the playoffs after a 12–4 season, once again to be eliminated by the Packers.

Mariucci's final season in San Francisco was 2002. The 49ers won the NFC West with a 10–6 record and beat the New York Giants in a controversial wild-card game, posting the third-biggest comeback playoff victory in NFL history (second biggest at the time). However, they were crushed 31–6 by the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round. On January 15, 2003, the 49ers fired Mariucci, reportedly after the coach lost a power struggle with general manager Terry Donahue. As San Francisco's coach, he compiled a 60–43 (.583) record, while his teams earned playoff berths four times.

Mariucci was named the Lions' 22nd head coach on February 4, 2003, and was fired on November 28, 2005. In his 2+ years in Detroit, he compiled a disappointing 15–28 record. Mariucci's troubles in Detroit were partially attributed by many fans and experts to poor personnel evaluations by then Lions' General Manager Matt Millen, who had signed Mariucci to a five-year $25 million guaranteed contract, the NFL's highest coaching contract at the time. During his time in Detroit, the Lions never finished higher than third in their division and never contended for a playoff berth. The decision to fire Mariucci came after a 27–7 blowout loss on national television on Thanksgiving Day to the Atlanta Falcons.

During the Brett Favre–Green Bay Packers dispute throughout the 2008 off-season, Favre discredited the Packers for not interviewing Mariucci for their head coaching job in 2006. Mariucci, who previously worked with Favre, was figured to be a great candidate for the West Coast Offense style played in Green Bay.

Mariucci is one of thirteen head coaches since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970 to lead his team to a division title in his first season. Mariucci established an NFL mark for consecutive wins by a rookie head coach with an 11-game winning streak, which has since been trumped by Jim Caldwell's 14–0 start with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2009 season.



Iron Mountain, Michigan
After coaching

Since being fired by the Detroit Lions, Mariucci has not returned to coaching. He has since been hired by NFL Network to work on their show NFL GameDay and contribute as an analyst on NFL Network's four-hour pregame show "NFL GameDay Morning", as well as provide follow-up reports from the late afternoon and Sunday night matchups on "NFL GameDay Highlights".

Many speculated that Mariucci would be considered for the head coaching position at Michigan State after the dismissal of John L. Smith. However, Mark Dantonio was hired to replace Smith. Mariucci had been a prospective coach to replace Karl Dorrell at UCLA but such assertions were dismissed with the hiring of Ravens Offensive Coordinator and UCLA alumnus, Rick Neuheisel. He was also speculated to be in talks with the Washington Redskins, who have hired West Coast-style offense personnel since Joe Gibbs' second retirement. However, the Redskins named former Seahawks' QB coach Jim Zorn as the Head Coach.


Mariucci now resides in Monte Sereno, California. He has four children – Stephen, Tyler, Adam, and Brielle. Stephen and Adam are founders and frontmen to their pop-rock band The Relay Company. His eldest son Tyler is an Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Maryland.

Shortly after Pete Carroll left USC, Mariucci was reportedly seen on campus, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported shortly thereafter that Mariucci was a candidate for the Trojans head coach position and that the university had "made contact" with the announcer.

Following the dismissal of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, Mariucci was recommended as a replacement by Carroll.

Mariucci expressed interest in the head coaching job of the San Diego Chargers in late 2012 with speculation of Norv Turner's departure from San Diego.



After coaching

Since being fired by the Detroit Lions, Mariucci has not returned to coaching. He has since been hired by NFL Network to work on their show NFL GameDay and contribute as an analyst on NFL Network's four-hour pregame show "NFL GameDay Morning", as well as provide follow-up reports from the late afternoon and Sunday night matchups on "NFL GameDay Highlights."

Many speculated that Mariucci would be considered for the head coaching position at Michigan State after the dismissal of John L. Smith. However, Mark Dantonio was hired to replace Smith. Mariucci had been a prospective coach to replace Karl Dorrell at UCLA but such assertions were dismissed with the hiring of Ravens Offensive Coordinator and UCLA alumnus, Rick Neuheisel. He was also speculated to be in talks with the Washington Redskins, who have hired West Coast-style offense personnel since Joe Gibbs' second retirement. However, the Redskins named former Seahawks' QB coach Jim Zorn as the Head Coach.


Mariucci now resides in Monte Sereno, California. He has four children – Stephen, Tyler, Adam, and Brielle. Stephen and Adam are founders and frontmen to their pop-rock band The Relay Company. His eldest son Tyler is an Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Maryland.

Shortly after Pete Carroll left USC, Mariucci was reportedly seen on campus, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported shortly thereafter that Mariucci was a candidate for the Trojans head coach position and that the university had "made contact" with the announcer.

Following the dismissal of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, Mariucci was recommended as a replacement by Carroll.


Mariucci expressed interest in the head coaching job of the San Diego Chargers in late 2012 with speculation of Norv Turner's departure from San Diego.


During coverage for NFL Combine, he had been mocked for cutting Jerry Rice and Kurt Warner.



Miscellaneous

Date of birth: November 4, 1955

Place of birth: Iron Mountain, Michigan


Career information


Position(s): Quarterback
 

College: Northern Michigan

 

Head coaching record

Career record: 72–67 (Regular Season)
3–4 (Postseason)
75–71 (Overall)


 

Stats

Coaching stats: Pro Football Reference


Coaching stats: DatabaseFootball



Team(s) as a player
   
1974–1977 Northern Michigan



Team(s) as a coach/administrator
   
1978–1979 Northern Michigan (RB)
1980–1982 Cal State Fullerton (QB)
1983–1984 Louisville (WR)
1985 Orlando Renegades (WR)
1986 USC (WR/ST)
1987–1989 California (WR/ST)
1990–1991 California (OC)
1992–1995 Green Bay Packers (QB)
1996 California (HC)
1997–2002 San Francisco 49ers (HC)
2003–2005 Detroit Lions (HC)


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'Steve Mariucci shares vintage photo of Tom Izzo from 1977'

Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo and NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci have been best friends ever since their high school days in Iron Mountain, Mich. in the early 1970s. The pair both attended Northern Michigan University, where Izzo became school MVP in basketball, with Mariucci doing the same in football.

With Izzo on the verge of taking the Spartans to their eighth Elite 8 in his 20 years as head coach, his old buddy decided to break out a classic Throwback Thursday photo on Twitter.

The hairstyle may have changed, but Izzo is still pretty recognizable. Mariucci on the other hand, looks ready to audition for Adam Driver’s role in Girls.

One surefire way to tell that the photo is 37 years old? Izzo wouldn’t be caught dead in Adidas gear these days.


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Friday, June 19, 2015

Mother of Times - Neopagan and Heathen music 3 of 3




Celtic Metal - The Sylvans Path

Adrian von Ziegler

Facebook / iTunes / Bandcamp:
https://www.facebook.com/AdrianvonZiegler
https://itunes.apple.com/artist/adrian
http://adrianvonziegler.bandcamp.com/

Real CD's / Twitter / Merchandise:
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Adrianvo
https://twitter.com/#!/AdrianVZiegler
http://adrianvonziegler.spreadshirt.com/

This is another self composed Song of mine. It's very special, because for the first Time, I was able to combine Celtic, Metal and orchestral Parts in one Song.

Arranged on the Keyboard and the Guitar, and produced with Magix Music Maker 16.

© Copyright of all Audio belongs to AdrianvonZiegler.

I own everything of this Video, Audio- and Visual-Material.






Burzum-Die Liebe Nerthus

The Nipster Experience

www.ThuleanPerspective.com

Music
"Die Liebe Nerpus" by Burzum (Google PlayeMusicAmazonMP3iTunes)






Ravens Wing- Fading memory   

smashtheredsmd

RAVENS WING - THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS



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The first one, another good piece by Adrian von Ziegler. The second is by "Barzum," which is the musical moniker for a controversial Norwegian named Varg Vikernes. The third is by Ravens Wing, a Viking metal band from Germany, although this song was in English.

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Thursday, June 18, 2015

!!! SKEPTIKO !!! - Part 3




Parapsychology: World of the Paranormal 1
 

PARAPSYCHOLOGY1
 

World of the Paranormal
 

Topic: Parapsychology
 

Visit: www.parapsychologylab.com

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This movement, to merely get at the truth, is nothing new. However, Skeptiko is more of an offensive-minded concept. Alex Tsakiris is courageous and a great thinker. An interesting historical overview is A History of Parapsychology and Psychical Research by George Hansen (poor audio quality).Some of the scientific organizations, associations, and departments involved in all of some areas of this research:

Society for Psychical Research
American Society for Psychical Research
College of Psychic Studies
Institute of Noetic Sciences
International Association for Near-Death Studies
Koestler Parapsychology Unit
National Laboratory of Psychical Research
Parapsychological Association
Parapsychology Foundation
Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab
Rhine Research Center  

North American Institute of Parapsychology
American Institute of Holistic Theology

Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research
Parapsychology Institute of America
American Association for the Advancement of Science

The first two have, to my knowledge, been the most prominent over a long period of time. The Parapsychology webpage at Wikipedia, which has many links (see bottom of page) to the various areas of study and to the important individuals over time. Naturally Wikipedia, although it's such a great resource, must play along with the mainstream game... "pseudoscience"... "subject rarely appears in mainstream science journals." That's the old game where, when someone or something is targeted for marginalization, they must be directly tied to loose links with negative images... and subtle words like "para," "pseudo," "unofficial," and "self-styled" are used. Obviously if an institution has been corrupted in some way, being "certified" means little intellectually. Also at the bottom is a list of "critics." Social engineering has it backwards: While science is ultimately finite; all human politics should be under constant review. Critics who incessantly defend the mainstream are most often cowards. You can tell a whole lot more about them by reviewing what they will not criticize, than what they do.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

!!! SKEPTIKO !!! - Part 2

Skeptiko podcast: Alex Tsakiris with Dr. Rupert Sheldrake on 'How Controversial Science is Debated'

Featured Interview: Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. Is science news dominated by a few loud voices? On this first episode of Skeptiko we’ll explore how controversial science is debated, the current state of telepathy research, and ‘neo-Darwinism’.

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake

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skeptiko

Alex Tsakris (Wikipedia)

Why Science Is Wrong...About Almost Everything (Amazon.com)

WhyScienceIsWrong.com

Alex Tsakiris Twitter

Alex Tsakiris facebook

AlexTsakiris.com 

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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The "Eighteen Families" of Loveno Grumello II
























I had put up a piece years ago entitled 'The "Eighteen Families" of Loveno-Grumello', and I wanted to put a sampling of Camunian surnames from the comunes that my grandparents came from before migrating to the Ironwood-Hurley area along the Montreal River. "Loveno Grumello" are two villages within the comune of Paisco Loveno, which are both under one administration. There are only 199 inhabitants today in Paisco Loveno, which is made up of the villages of Ardinghelli, Case del Longo, Case di Bornia, Grumello, Loveno, and Perdonico. The comune of Prestine has 390 inhabitants today. Some of the old family names have disappeared into one of the big Italian or European cities, or into the United States, Canada, Argentina, etc.

Surnames today in Paisco Loveno include Armeni, Baldoni, Berardi, Bordoni, Bressanelli, Brianza, Brunelli, Calufetti, Caluffetti, Calvetti, Capelli, Caratti, Catotti, Chiapparini, Cicchitti, Contenti, Curcelli, Degani, Ferrari, Filafusi, Fioroni, Franchini, Ghenzi, Ghirardi, Lucchi, Mansini, Manzini, Marzi, Mascherpa, Mastaglia, Mastiglia, Mattia, Mitterpergher, Moraschetti, Morelli, Moreschetti, Moreschi, Moreschini, Omassoli, Palazzi, Pangrazio, Pantaleoni, Salvetti, Somenzi, Sorosina, Zigliana, and Zucchi.

Surnames today in Prestine include Abarelli, Avanzini, Ballerini, Bellicini, Bettoni, Bomtempi, Bontempi, Bonali, Canossi, Corbelli, Cominini, Corini, Danioli, Domenighini, Ducoli, Fanti, Fumagalli, Ferrara, Giarelli, Giorgi, Grassini, Iannucci, Imperadori, LaFfranchini (LaFranchini?), Laini, Monchieri, Martinelli, Menolfi, Morandini, Mulattieri, Orsatti, Panizzoli, Panteghini, Pedretti, Pessina, Poli, Quaglino, Rebaioli, Romagnolo, Romelli, Ruffini, Sacchet (Saccheti or Sacchetti?), Salvetti, Scarsi, Scolari, Stabile, Santicoli, Trombini, Tottoli, Tagazzini, Tapini, Troletti, Vaoltropini, Vezzoli.

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Monday, June 15, 2015

Mother of Times - Neopagan and Heathen music 2 of 3




Faun - Walpurgisnacht (Director's Cut)

Thais Lopes

From the album "Luna"
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1s3wdE1
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1pEsCg6
EMP: http://emp.me/KFB

"Walpurgisnacht" by Faun (Google PlayiTunesAmazonMP3)






Lisa Gerrard - Come Tenderness

rubberrecords

Lisa Gerrard - Come Tenderness

Music: "Come Tenderness" by Lisa Gerrard (iTunesAmazonMP3eMusic)





Dark wolves

kyduky


Celtic Pagan Metal - Gleipnir
quelle: AdrianvonZiegler



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Faun is a German band formed in 2002 who play pagan folk, darkwave and medieval music. The originality of their music style is that they fall back to "old" instruments, and the singing is always the center of attention. The vocals are performed in a variety of languages, including German, Latin, Greek, and Scandinavian languages. Their instruments include Celtic harp, Swedish nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, cittern, flutes and many others.

Actually Lisa Gerrard is listed as "Neoclassical dark wave, new-age, ethereal wave, gothic rock), of which there has been a lot of overlap with pagan styles. The Australian artist is also known for being in the darkwave band Dead Can Dance, and composing one of the songs for the movie 'Gladiator'. The final song is another by Adrian von Ziegler.

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