http://forum.famouswhy.com/index.php?app=blog Community Blog List Syndication Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:26:30 +0000 forum@famouswhy.com (FamousWhy.com Forum) IP.Blog 60 Valle San Giovanni is a small village of approximately 350 people located about six miles away from the town (comune) of Teramo, the capital of the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso are about 25 km away. It sits in the Tordino Valley, near the spot where two small streams, the Lete and the Fiumicello, flow into the Tordino river. Due to the kindness of its citizens and inherent beauty the village is often referred to as “La Cenerentola d’Abruzzo” (The Cinderella of Abruzzo).

Located off of the main piazza, Largo della Chiesa, is Via del Casale. The residents of Valle San Giovanni call themselves “Vallaroli”.

According to some sources the town takes its name from a powerful Teramo family with the last name “Di Valle”. Others claim that the name derives from its proximity to an ancient monastery, San Giovanni in Pergullis (Saint John amongst the Pergolae), a location surrounded by many vineyards.

Over the years, the history of Valle San Giovanni has been closely linked with two neighboring communities, Frunti a feudal holding of the “De Frunto” family, and Teramo with whom there existed an enduring reciprocal alliance. At one point Teramo briefly annexed Frunti leading to renewed efforts by it inhabitants to break these feudal ties and traditions. In 1338 the townspeople declared their independence from Teramo, thereby reaffirming their autonomous civil liberties. This arrangement lasted until 1457 when Frunti became part of the county Montorio al Vomano. In 1668 Frunti passed into the hands of the Count Crescenzio De Crescentiis. In the beginning of the 1700s Frunti became aligned with neighboring Valle San Giovanni, which at that time was becoming increasingly developed due to having annexed the surrounding church and vineyards of San Giovanni in Pergulis and to serving as a sheep herding way station. This great migration of sheep from Abruzzo to Puglia and Lazio was known as the transumanza. Valle San Giovanni sits on one such trail known as the San Quirico.

In the 1500 and 1600s, Valle San Giovanni witnessed a number of brigand skirmishes, these arising from struggles over control of the surrounding forest areas. At least a few of these brigands were themselves local townsfolk.

In the midst of these ongoing struggles, San Giovanni in Pergulis, the monastery on the outskirts of Valle San Giovanni, experienced a rapid and irreversible decline. In 1561 Pope Paul IV deeded these holdings, along with the remains of the old convent, to the collegiate church of Montorio al Vomano with the understanding that they would be restored. Unfortunately, this was not to be and further deterioration ensued. In 1775 the church authorities of Montorio al Vomano ceded San Giovanni in Pergulis and all of its associated religious functions, to the main church of Valle San Giovanni, Madonna della Neve. The latter sits in the center of Valle San Giovanni, and takes its name, Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of Snow), from a legend in which a church was to be erected on the spot where a summer snowfall was to occur. Madonna della Neve is known for its frescoes dating back to 1458 and for the religious festival held the first weekend in August of each year which serves to commemorate its founding.

In 1603 the Marquis Baltassarre Caracciolo, had three of these brigands executed in an effort to put an end once and for all to the ongoing rivalries arising at that time. In 1682, two groups of brigands again fought acrimoniously for control of the land surrounding Valle San Giovanni. One such battle lasted six days and came to an end only when soldiers from Teramo were summoned to put an end to the conflict. Just one year later, in 1683, the town was sacked and almost completely destroyed by Don Alfonso di Villaparte in an attempt to capture the famous brigand, Santuccio Di Froscia, who for years had been terrorizing the countryside.

In the first half of the 1800s, coal deposits were discovered and mined very near the town. From the early 1900s onward, many of the citizens of Valle San Giovanni emigrated to New Jersey, Montreal, and elsewhere. This served to further impoverish the small village and greatly reduced its population.

In 1868 the town (comune) of Cortino was administratively established and Valle San Giovanni came under the jurisdiction of Montorio al Vomano. In 1929 Valle San Giovanni separated from Montorio al Vomano and became a suburb (frazione) of Teramo.

According to local sources and histories, during the Second World War the grottoes located immediately above Valle San Giovanni served as places of refuge for the Italian partisans then battling the German forces.

Located off of the main piazza, Largo della Chiesa, is Via del Casale. The residents of Valle San Giovanni call themselves “Vallaroli”.

Adjacent to Valle San Giovanni are the nearby towns of Frondarola, Travazzano and Valle Soprana.]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:03:00 +0000 1, just live in poverty, founding period - ShiBuGuoFu or bread.
2, the reform and open policy before - improved, but the food is scarce, ticket drab, nutritional deficiencies, people have to solve the basic problem of food and clothing
3, since the reform and opening up - not only, still can eat enough to eat well, balanced.
housing: in peace and contentment
2, reform and opening, continuous improvement, but the former is still poor living conditions
Since reform and opening up - 3, living area expanded, living conditions have improved significantly
traffic: to rural road entailed oil
1, founding period - traffic inconvenience
2, the reform and opening up - has been improved, but the former mainly by bicycle
Since reform and opening up - 3, highway traffic conditions improved obviously, incremental, finally realizes the telephone
(5), the other: with the top-grade modernization development from cheap
Six years, with the founding of the rural residents income growth, rural residents durable consumer goods, experience from scratch, from the smallest to and from single to resist, from the overall development process to.]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:40:00 +0000 hello, everyone Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:26:00 +0000
I have heard the phrase "proud to be an American many times. It causes me to look deeply into myself and examine my feelings about being an American. I know I have many advantages because I am an American. I see it every time I go to the store, drive down the street. I feel it every time I see a hospital with modern equipment to serve the public. I see it in children’s eyes that are not lowered in fear. It surrounds me in a crowd in which I have no fear of exploding into a million pieces.

I can express my feelings for my government without being assassinated or crippled. I can endeavor to cause change in my local and federal government in a manner that does not threaten me. All of those things I am able to enjoy along with the ability to travel freely from state to state. all of them and much, much more; because I was born an American.

I can take pride in the goals and aspirations of my country based on the foundation of inalienable rights fused into the American Constitution and Bill Of Rights by our forefathers.

For me though, I think I am extremely thankful for having been born an American. I am though, ”proud of the principles America was founded upon and aspires to”. I am proud of the of the people in America who are not caught up in the US and Them mind set that fosters mistrust, hate, and violence that sadly snares so much of the world.
r8dmarshall]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:28:00 +0000
We are in a very dangerous time for America. I am not referring to the war on terrorism, or Iraq. I am referring to the increase in mean spirited attitude motivating personal attacks that have become more prevalent since 1992. Senators and House members and, "others", are not conducting themselves in a manner befitting their station as representatives of the most farsighted constitution designed by free thinkers.

The first Amendment gives us all the right to speak our minds, but to do so in a manner that exudes disrespect has never been profitable or productive. It is a sign of decreasing control of one's emotion, and in fact shows others that we are being controlled by our emotions and not logic or reasoning. To do so in the public eye makes the disrespect more obvious and makes one question motivation of that person.

Consolidation of power within the Executive Branch is the second step.

Degradation of checks and balances is very dangerous. Our Government is based on questions and answering in the most marvelous process of coming to the best solutions for important decisions that require serious meditation, introspection and in depth discussion between differing opinions.

The most dangerous mind set in America is the "us and them attitude". We can see the pitfalls of that in all of the most dangerous places in the world. Cooperation between the us and them changes groups of Me's to We, and that has been and should continue to be U.S. in America.

Our Fore Fathers had had enough of unbridled power's misery, and designed a frustratingly marvelous system that insured a slow burn instead of an explosion. Peaceful change of power is the corner stone propped up by the Bill Of Rights. Checks and balances hold it together. Beware of what lay outside of mutual cooperation in government. Loss of respect for one another in government is the first step toward a new form of government.
r8dmarshall]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:25:00 +0000
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 10:09am |
IT HAS BEGUN”!
“The American way is under attack from within”.
Freedom of speech and the right of peaceful assembly is being attacked. ‘Not from the Federal Government“, but from the radicalized extreme wing of a major political party. Intimidation and coercion has become the tool of this militant faction. It seeks to divide the country, suppress peaceful gatherings for discussion of political issues, silence freedom of speech by those it disagrees with, and control government agenda.
In it’s application it seeks the demise of mutual cooperation and the Democratic electoral process and leads to violent dictatorial methods for change of power. It is the door to the anarchy and the chaos of the most dangerous places in the world.
The recent shouting down, and now the showing up at town hall meetings with not just hand guns, but automatic military style assault weapons has opened the door toward further intimidation and explosive situations. It is inviting an unbalanced, or seemingly unstable person to act upon the emotions fostered by biases and or prejudicial hate. It is a show of the desire to use any method to control public input in the political discussions other than their own.
It began years ago with the injection of disrespect within the halls of government, to divide the opposition for political gain. The use of the Us and Them tactic became entrenched in a political party and has trickled down into the population. The use of religious beliefs became tools to place a wedge between the electorate and label one side the righteous patriots, “US, and the opposition “Them“.
Misinformation, innuendo, and lies, the old standby in political campaigns became an industry. Confusion of records and facts and intimidation denied the electorate the truths needed to make educated judgment became an enhancement to the Us and Them mind set tactics. Where in history did we see those tactics used??
R8dmarshall Aug. 16, 2009]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:59:00 +0000 “ The Sickness in America”
America the beautiful is ill. It has a sickness that is putting us all in danger of becoming infected with a most destructive malady. What is it that is so insidious it spreads without notice until the infection is so severe it begins not only affecting the ill, but the entire population by proxy?
The will of the people spoke for change in the direction of America’s future. The will of the majority of Americans spoke loudly to remove the ideologies of the last administration that damaged America’s image and direction in foreign relations with our allies. Americans spoke it loudly with a vote instead of intimidation or coercion and followed the tenants of our constitution and bill of rights.
The illness that had been growing over the last 20 years or so made itself manifest in the tactics and mind set of the “US and Them incursion into the halls of government, industry, and citizenry. The division based upon the desire for political gain and power put a wedge between the cooperation of differing political ideologies ethnicities and other entities.
Ill will is the infection, and it attacks mentally and or physically. Ill will, the pathogen produced by labeling everyone other than your group “Them, the Enemy, the Evil. It seduces some into the realm of hate, violence, slander, and self righteousness. Us at that point is no longer the U.S. of the American citizen living by the will of cooperation, discussion, and solution, but the use of negativism to procure political gain at the cost of Americanism and “the Rule of Law”. We are literally looking down the barrel into an America that throws aside it’s dignity and becomes just another most dangerous place in the world.
r8dmarshall]]> Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:44:00 +0000 I love school and friends so much... Marks and exams have irritated me... but now, a little late, I know how to move on and live healthily.. I've grown up a lot and now I am really enjoying my life! It's easy.Just split all the differences in life, forget all things about unfairness, troubles... Just be who you are all the time and enjoy every moment of your life! You lose one and you'll get another one. Close one door, then you'll open another one. I feel a little sorry for me because I have spent most of my time with rivalry, stress,... and I've thought about my position in life too much.. Now, after 12 years, I know the secret of life...just feel happy and enjoy every moment you have.. because you can't know for sure the day you die, the day you lose everything, relatives and love... I like the sentence in Moulin Rouge " The best thing in life is to love and be loved" Another thing I've learnt is that you can only know the true value of what you've got when you lose something in life (like me)!
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