Thc ctECNON CceRntRSrUNE ERIS helmet nthe] been —e atoreene Sina et heett-eumnAs tio enirtaettiintertetdmtitne north shore news EWPOINT eee Somme NE Ode to Italians among us COCHOeDeeneepeaeneredeonacetoenenesetotea a second opinion APPARENTLY this is a true story. “In 1972 U.S, President Richard Nixon travelled to ‘Moscow for a historic meet- "ing with Soviet Communist party chief Leonid Brezhnev, “Ata packed news confer- ence'— a rare event in the Soviet Union -- Brezhnev ‘answered questions through an interpreter, American jour- ~ nalists asked if he had any ‘nuclear missiles aimed at ~ cities in the United States, Brezhnev waved off these . Queries, , But there was a Canadian reporter there too, and he, wanted to know if the com.” miunist boss had any missiles " pointed in the direction’ of Canadian cities, A lack of a - “response brought a yet more specific question: “How many Soviet missiles are ‘.- aimed at Toronto.” This . ‘time, Brezhnev smiled and responded: “None. I’ve got nothing against the Italians,” .. “The'story is surprisitig for ¢ {wo reasons. First, it demon: * ‘. strates that the late Soviet cold warrior actually had’a ..,. sense of humor. But it also j late- showed he had a good knowledge of Canada, for ‘Toronto contains dhe targest number of Ttalin-speaking citizens of any city in the world outside of ftaly, Earlier this week, | got some laughs when [related this story in a speech to the Italian Chamber of Commerce of British Columbia, That such an organization exists is testimony to the fact that Italian iminigrants have settled in Canadian cities and regions other than Toronto, In fact, British Columbia’s lively multicultural society includes a surprising number of people — almost 5% of the. province's total population — who claim Italian ancestry. These iiclude a number of prominent British Columbians, such as the Gaglardis of Kamloops, the Capozzis of Kelowna, the late distinguished judge, Angelo Branca, and even current labor leader (arid unofficial «NDP cabinet minister) Ken . Georgetti, But life in British, Columbia is certainly differ- “ent trom -back home in the Old Country for most-Italian ': immigrants, oe Fer instance, during a / recent visit to Italy [ found * ou that young people there live at home with their par- ents and grandparents well. beyond the age whemyoung Canadians anxiously flee the: “family nest. Well inte their "30s, most, Italians are still Lops living at home — whieh would he enough to strike fear into the hearts of most parents of Canadian teenagers, And, yet, there's a gender differences for many young halian men it’s not uncom: mon to remain at home well into thelr carly-30s, They're called “mamone” or momma's boys, and offer proof of the special, mysteri- ous relationship that contin- ues to prevail between Italian men and their mothers, In spite of the differences, there are similarities as well between Italy and our own country, Both are modern, industrialized nations, offer- ing a high standard of living; “both have a high degree of government involvement in the economy, yet are trying to reform the trappings ofan expensive welfare state; bath have confusing political sys- tems, with new parties form: | ing at the national level and separatist movements threat- ching to tear the country apart. In this sense, Italy pro- ‘vides a distant mirror in _ Which we can see many of our Wn challenges ina dif- ferent light. ‘When we think of multi- culturalism today, we proba- bly don’t initially consider Italians or even other Europeans. Instead, we're likely to think of more visible groups in‘our community, ., especially Asians, “This 4s understandable,’ because In recent years the Wildlife. Five storeys high. ae ALASKA, AN IMAX® FILM . Your journey begins the moment-you enter our theatre. Explore mountains and lakes; watch ‘grizzlies hunt; and salmon spawn. Experience Alaska: Spirit Of The Wid, in IMAX.at the CN IMAX Theatre at Canada Place. With our giant five- storey screen and wraparound IMAX® Digital Sound, no other movie brings you closer to this mystical land, And you'll only need hot, buttered popcorn to survive. GO THERE. BE THERE. , “Preserited by: , Cre Venenurer Sun u “CAA Call 682-IMAX (4629) for information AG and to charge hy phone. Tickets are available at the CN IMAX Theatre at the norib end of Canada Place, near the Seakus and. Waterfront Skytrain stations. a 5 = ae ft SINGLE FEATURES: Alaska: Soirit Of The Wild: !2 noon, 2, 5 and 7 p.m. daily. Into The Deep in IMAX 3D: If a.m., 1 and 3 p.m, daily. Titanica: 4 and 8 p.m. daily, / The Last Buffalo in IMAX 3D: 6 p.m. daily. *Films and showtimes are subject to chan, Save up to Presant this coupon at the CN IMAX Theatre at Canada Place and receive $1.00 off each of . i up to five regular admissions purchased together. Not valid with other offers. Coupon expires July 31, 1997. Not valid with Charge-By-Phone. EVENING DOUBLE FEATURE: Alaska / Titanica: 9 p.m. daily. without notice. trend in immigration to British Columbia has been predominantly from the Pacitie Rim, Nevertheless, we should: n't ignore the fact that British Cohimbia's non-native popu lation still hails mostly trom European origins, In fact, Ive stumped a number of knowledgeable friends in recent days with the follow. ing trivia question: What per- centage of British Columbians can trace their ancestry to Europe? Answer: At least three-quarters, Here on the North Shore, we've had some healthy dis- cussion-about multicultural- ism, It’s important to remember thar, in one way or another, almost all of us are immigrants, We hail from all points of the globe, cach of us bring- ing special contributions to our unique and diverse com- munity, » ; Our collective roots are changing and growing in new directions, but they're still mostly European — over- whelmingly so. And included among, this majority group are the dis- tinctive Italian-Canadians, : who add so much vibrancy, humor and entrepreneurial spirit to the rich tapestry of our. local life, ; * Tt reminds me ofa bumper-sticker I once admired: “Thank God I'm Italian!” ries . 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