Monday, April 18, 2011

La storia della famiglia Pallominy a Firenze, Toscana, Italia.

La storia della famiglia Pallominy a Firenze, Toscana, Italia.

La storia della famiglia Pallominy in Toscana in generale, e nella città di Firenze in particolare, non è quello che si aspetta molto da una tipica vecchia famiglia italiana con una linea ben documentato che risale agli inizi del periodo romano. La storia della famiglia, si legge come un moderno romanzo d'azione volte, piena di eroi, belle donne, il dramma, la ricchezza, l'intrigo e sete di potere e il dominio degli scambi commerciali e nuovi luoghi. Una volta che l'inizio lettore e ricercatore, la lettura di questo romanzo d'azione, non può smettere di andare attraverso le linee nelle pagine di questo libro affascinante. Una cosa è certa, che la storia della famiglia Pallominy è simile alla storia di ogni famiglia, tranne che è moltiplicato per il fattore dramma di un milione.
La storia della famiglia Pallominy inizia circa 800 aC, nella zona conosciuta oggi come Lazio nella parte centrale e occidentale della penisola italiana. La regione Lazio è circondata e delimitata dalle regioni di Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise e Campania. Il mare Tirreno si apre al Mediterraneo per la regione, che si sarebbe rivelato cruciale nella storia futura del popolo laziale.
La ricerca ha dimostrato che le origini etniche dei primi membri della famiglia sono Marsi. Marsi era un gruppo iniziale di persone che vivevano nel Lazio, nella regione chiamata Marsica. La storia Marsi risale a circa il 800 aC come archeologia hanno trovato tracce della loro presenza nel Lazio. I Marsi erano una tribù precoce italiano di origine germanica che si spostarono a sud nella penisola italiana, alla ricerca di più bello e migliore meteo pascoli per il bestiame. I Marsi erano guerrieri e abili commercianti, e garantito l'autonomia della loro nazione da molto presto nella loro storia. Marsi scambiati pesantemente con le altre persone vicine, e la popolazione è cresciuta, si allearono con questi altri gruppi. I Marsi e il loro tribù vicine entrato in una Confederazione nel IV secolo aC. I membri di questa confederazione incluso il Vestini, Paeglini e, infine, i Sanniti, che hanno aderito pochi anni dopo nel 308 aC. All'inizio e come il popolo romano è cresciuto in numero e importanza, i Marsi non voleva essere assimilato da loro, in modo che il Marsi combattuto numerose cosiddette "guerre ribelli" contro i Romani conquistatori.
Alla fine, i Marsi alleati con i romani in condizioni di parità per il popolo delle due nazioni. La colonia latina di Alba Fucens trova all'angolo nord-ovest del Lago di Vico fu fondata nel 303 aC vicino al territorio Aequian, come i Marsi alleati con i Romani. La città di Alba Fucens servito come un "melting pot" in cui il Marsi e Romani vennero a costituire una nazione, abbastanza forte per continuare a conquistare i popoli e le tribù circostanti come un tentativo di costruire il futuro grande Impero Romano. Ad Alba Fucens, dobbiamo aggiungere la colonia romana di altri-Marsi di Carsioli, fondata nel 298 aC. Carsioli servito lo stesso "melting pot" scopo, come Alba Fucens a est.
Archeologico trovare mostrano che la lingua Marsi era completamente latinizzata circa 275 aC, come iscrizioni su pietra e ceramica trovata nelle città Marsi show. E 'giusto dire che il Marsi divenne Latini, e / o Romani, su questo stesso momento.
Tornando alla Famiglia Pallominy, non è chiaro quando si iniziano riferendosi a se stessi come "Pallominy", tuttavia la ricerca hanno dimostrato che le origini del nome Pallominy ultima data posteriore al II secolo aC nella regione Lazio. E 'ormai ampiamente accettato che la parola è Pallominy una grafia variante della forma originale del cognome originale, che è "Palumbo". Palumbo è il termine latino per "colomba" e si ritiene che il nome di Palumbo è stato originariamente utilizzato come soprannome per i membri della famiglia. Era consuetudine nei primi tempi romani, a nome di individui sulla base di evidenti tratti fisici particolari o dettagli della persona o del suo / occupazione della sua famiglia o la fonte di ricchezza. Esempi di quanto sopra sono i nomi "Catone", che significa "saggio, Cicerone che significa cece, Bruto che vuol dire" brutto "e altri esempi.
The nickname Palumbo potrebbe avere iniziato come un soprannome per uno o più membri della famiglia Pallominy, ed è molto probabile che il motivo era che, all'inizio della loro storia, avevano qualcosa a che fare con "una colomba" e "colombe", ma il fatto importante è che il soprannome divenne il nome dell'ultimo membro della famiglia Pallominy, come prova che risale già nel 200 aC, hanno dimostrato. Questa evidenza rende anche chiaro che la famiglia Pallominy si erano incorporati nella civiltà romana presto intorno all'anno 200 aC.

Da questo punto in poi, possiamo iniziare riferimento alla famiglia di Pallominy come una famiglia romana. Poiché la famiglia Pallominy era stata impegnata nel commercio, prodotti per lo spostamento avanti e indietro tra le diverse città latina della regione Lazio, entro la metà del secondo secolo aC, divenne una famiglia ben consolidata romano i cui membri ora poteva permettersi di ingrossare le fila dei militari romani. I primi arruolamento militare e documenti finanziari nome di alcuni membri della famiglia del Pallominy, già nel 167 aC.
La storia ci dice che i Romani molto ammirato la civiltà greca, evethough Grece era stato indebolirsi a causa di lotte interne che portano alle guerre civili. Poiché la potenza militare greca era stata decimata, le città in lotta greco noleggiato eserciti mercenari, o comunque invitate vicine potenze ad allearsi con un qualsiasi città greca, in modo da poter combattere guerre greco tra città rivali. Roma ha visto questa opportunità di ulteriore "divide et impera" dei greci, con lo scopo di dominare tutto il mondo greco. In meno di 50 anni tutta la Grecia continentale venne sottomessa dai Romans.By questa volta, le legioni romane incontrano una certa resistenza forte da parte dei Macedoni, ma li schiacciato in due importanti battaglie, nel 197 e 168 aC. Il colpo finale è stato consegnato dal console Lucio Mummio poi, quando ha schiacciato l'ultimo libera città greca di Corinto nel 146 aC. Il superstite battaglia record lista due soldati di nome Palumbo, in quanto membri del raid orda che ha inserito la Corinto sotto gli ordini del Mummio nel 146 aC.
Analogamente, un Gneus Palumbo, è elencato come liutenant campo che partecipano alla conquista della Spagna, servendo sotto Tiberio Gracco.
Oltre alle attività militare della famiglia Pallominy, la maggioranza dei membri della famiglia hanno continuato la loro opera in quanto impegnati in iniziative di scambio e commercio. Trade Records il tempo di Gaio Mario, intorno al 100 aC, la lista della famiglia Palumbo in tasse varie e documenti di censimento come commercianti romani, principalmente commerciali con le città greche nella parte meridionale della penisola italiana, nella Magna Grecia.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The history of the Pallominy family in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

The history of the Pallominy family in Tuscany in general, and in the city of Florence in particular, is not what one quite expects from a typical old Italian family with a well-documented line that dates back to early Roman times. The family's history reads like a modern times action novel, full of heroes, beautiful women, drama, wealth, intrigue and hunger for power and dominance of trade and commercial new venues. Once the reader and researcher start reading this action novel, he cannot stop going through the lines in the pages of this fascinating book. One thing is certain, that the history of the Pallominy family is similar to the history of every family, except that the drama factor is multiplied by one million.
The history of the Pallominy family starts about 800 BC in the area known today as Lazio in the central and western side of the Italian peninsula. The Lazio region is surrounded and bordered by the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise and Campania. The Tyrrhenian sea opens the Mediterranean to the region, which would prove to be crucial in the future history of the people from Lazio.
Research has shown that the ethnic origins of the early members of the family are Marsi. The Marsi was an early group of people that lived in the Lazio, in the region called Marsica. The Marsi history dates back to about 800 BC as archeology have found vestiges of their presence in the Lazio. The Marsi were an early Italian tribe of Germanic origin that moved south into the Italian peninsula, looking for nicer weather and better pastures for their cattle. The Marsi were skilled warriors and traders, and secured the autonomy of their nation from very early in their history. The Marsi traded heavily with other neighboring people, and as population grew, they allied themselves with these other groups. The Marsi and their neighboring tribes entered a Confederacy in the fourth century BC. Members of this confederacy included the Vestini, Paeglini and finally the Samnites, that joined few years later in 308 BC. At the beginning and as the Roman people grew in numbers and importance, the Marsi did not want to be assimilated by them, so the Marsi fought several so-called "rebellious wars" against the conquering Romans.
At the end, the Marsi allied with the Roman on terms of equality for the people of both nations. The Latin colony of Alba Fucens located on the northwestern corner of Lake Vico was founded in 303 BC near the Aequian territory, as the Marsi allied with the Romans. The city of Alba Fucens served as a "melting pot" where the Marsi and Romans came to constitute one nation, strong enough to continue conquering surrounding peoples and tribes as an attempt to build the future mighty Roman Empire. To Alba Fucens, we must add the other Roman-Marsi colony of Carsioli, founded in 298 BC. Carsioli served the same "melting pot" purpose as Alba Fucens to the east.
Archaeological finding show that the Marsi language was completely Latinized around 275 BC, as inscriptions on stone and pottery found in the Marsi cities show. It is fair to say that the Marsi became Latins, and/or Romans, about this same time.
Going back to the Pallominy Family, it is not clear when they starting referring to themselves as "Pallominy," however research have shown that the origins of the Pallominy last name date back to the second century BC in the Lazio region. It is widely accepted now that the word Pallominy is a variant spelling of the original form of the original last name, which is "Palumbo." Palumbo is the Latin word for "dove" and it is believed that the name Palumbo was originally used as a nickname for the members of the family. It was customary in early Roman times; to name individuals based on obvious physical traits or peculiar details of the person or his/her family's occupation or source of wealth. Examples of the above are the names "Cato" meaning "wise, Cicero which means chickpea, Brutus which means "ugly" and other examples.
The nickname Palumbo might have started as a nickname for one or more members of the Pallominy family, and it is very probable that the reason was that, early in their history, they had something to do with "a dove" or "doves", but the important fact is that the nickname became the last name of the members of the Pallominy family, as evidence dating back as early as 200 BC, have shown. This evidence also makes it clear that the Pallominy family had incorporated themselves into the early Roman civilization around the year 200 BC.

From this point on, we can start referring to the Pallominy family as a Roman family. Since the Pallominy family had been engaged in the trading business, moving products back and forth between the different Latin cities in the Lazio region, by the middle of the second century BC, it became a well-established Roman family whose members now could afford to join the ranks of the Roman military. Early enlistment and military financial records name some members of the Pallominy family members, as early as 167 BC.
History tells us that the Romans greatly admired the Greek civilization, evethough Grece had been weaken due to internal strife leading to civil wars. As the Greek military power had been decimated, the warring Greek cities hired mercenary armies, or invited neighboring powers to ally themselves with any given Greek city, so they could fight Greek wars between rival cities. Rome saw this opportunity to further “divide and conquer” the Greeks, with the purpose of totally dominate the Greek world. In less than 50 years the whole of mainland Greece was subdued by the Romans.By this time, the Roman legions encounter some strong resistance from the Macedonians, but they crushed them in two important battles, in 197 and 168 BC. The final blow was delivered by the then Consul Lucius Mummius, when he flattened the last free Greek city of Corinth in 146 BC. The surviving battle records list two soldiers named Palumbo, as members of the raiding horde that entered the Corinth under the orders of Mummius in 146 BC.
Similarly, a Gneus Palumbo, is listed as field liutenant participating in the conquest of Spain, serving under Tiberius Gracchus.
Besides the military activities of the Pallominy family, the majority of the family members continued their work as they engaged in trading ventures and commerce. Trade records of the time of Gaius Marius, around 100 BC, list the Palumbo family in several tax and census documents as Roman traders, mainly trading with Greek cities in the southern half of the Italian Peninsula, in the Magna Graecia.

The difference between "Metaphoric" and "Idiomatic."

Some people use the two terms interchangeably, like if they had the same meaning, however, if we study the real meaning of each of the two terms, we come to understand that there are not. Therefore, we have to be careful when we use them.
"Metaphoric' refers to the use of one word or phrase, to replace another simpler word or phrase in a descriptive sentence. The purpose is to emphasize an idea or quality. An example of metaphoric is: "I am swimming in an ocean of bills" which is a more colorful and emphatic way of saying "I have a lot of bills."
The term "Idiomatic" on the other hand, refers to a particular way speakers of a given language, word their sentences. For example it is well known that in Spanish all inanimate objects have a gender assigned to them; The "table" is feminine, and when referring to a table in Spanish, one must use the feminine article in front of it: "La mesa." The last is idiomatic of Spanish and is different from English, where "The Table " is neutral, no gender attached to it.
Finally, metaphoric and idiomatic are two different terms, and words, and should not be used interchangeably.

The real story behind the movie Scarface, by Boris F. Pallominy

The real story behind the movie Scarface, by Boris F. Pallominy.
The movie Scarface with Al Pacino, and directed by Brian DePalma, is based on a true story that was still evolving about the time the movie was shot. This real life story is very violent, and started a couple of years before the movie was shot. The real life story involved real life individuals living and interacting both in the USA and in Bolivia. These individuals were criminals and outlaws at all levels of the illegal drug trade and of government structures. These characters crossed the borders back and forth in the commission of their crimes, which evidenced the trans-national character of their criminal enterprise. The real life story is more complicated and interesting than what the movie Scarface portraits. The story of the real Scarface started in Bolivia, around July, 1980. The increased demand for Cocaine in the USA and northern Europe in the late 70's and early 80's resulted in a shotgun increment in the production of this drug in South America, mainly in Bolivia. With a Wild West mentality and attitude, drug lords in Bolivia started to bribe corrupt Bolivian officials at all levels, which soon became greedy and started to find new ways to facilitate drug trafficking within Bolivia and to move the cocaine produced, to the drug markets in the USA and northern Europe. The corrupt Bolivian government officials included some high-ranking military officers, who allied with each other and planned and executed the ultimate attempt to finally seize power by the horns in Bolivia. With a violent coup d'etat, these military officers aided by the extreme "right wing" members of the Bolivian government, seized the reins of government in 1980, and did not meet any resistance by the citizens, since they were dissatisfied with the civilian government anyway. The high ranking military officers involved in the coup d'etat of July 1980, were headed by General Luis Garcia Meza Tejada and his right arm and Minister of the Interior Cnl. Luis Arce Gomez. General Luis Garcia Meza and to his left, Colonel Luis Arce Gomez, La Paz, Bolivia, 1980. These two were just the two heads of a body of hundreds of military officers that aligned themselves with Garcia-Meza and Arce Gomez, but that were never publicly denounced. Some of them are even still active today in different spheres of government and economic activities in Evo Morales' Bolivia. The above referenced group of Bolivian Military Officers, headed by Garcia Meza and Arce Gomez, weaseled their way inside the close circle of the then lawfully elected President of Bolivia, Mrs. Lydia Gueiller Tejada. Gueiller Tejada was pressured into appointing Army General Luis Garcia Meza as Commander in Chief of the entire Bolivian Armed forces. Once in office, Garcia Meza formed a military "Junta." Garcia Meza made it looks as if were acting in defense of the welfare of the Bolivian people, as if the constitutional government of Gueiller Tejada were inefficient and corrupt and as if he were the rescuing hero of the populace. A military Junta is a powerful body created in times of extreme distress in a country, and it is usually composed of all the country's Military Generals coming together to decide over national matters and the countries destiny, as they take over the government from the hands of the constitutionally elected civilians. The history of the Junta goes back to Roman times, when military Generals formed Triumvirates to seized power and the reins of the government, mainly to benefit themselves, but pretending that they are doing it for the good of the people. The Junta created in Bolivia in 1980, was unlawful and unnecessary, since there was no distress in the country at the time, and the civilian government was not committing any abuses or illegal activities at all. The Junta headed by Garcia Meza was created by him, with the sole purpose, and intention, of taking over power and to facilitate cocaine traffic within Bolivia and to facilitate export activities of Cocaine to the USA and European drug markets, where demand had reached the highest point in history. Investigations have revealed that the money used to finance the coup d'etat by the Junta, came from Cocaine trafficking, and was handed out personally to Garcia Meza by two of the most powerful drug lords in Bolivia. The coup d'etat committed by Garcia Meza's "Junta," went to the history books as the “Bolivian Cocaine Coup" of July 17 1980 (wikipedia.org). Additionally, it is worthwhile to mention that most of the officers involved in Garcia Meza's coup d'etat, were the same officers involved in General Hugo Banzer Suarez's dictatorship of the early 1970's. Maybe these officers aligned themselves with Garcia Meza, because they missed the power they enjoyed during Banzer Suarez's dictatorship, or maybe they felt compelled to re-take power because the net was tightening around them as the people demanded the investigation of the economic and human right abuses committed by these officers while in power with Banzer Suarez (wikipedia.org). Anyhow, once Garcia Meza was in power, he immediately appointed the then Army Colonel Luis Arce Gomez, as his Minister of the Interior. Furthermore, Garcia Meza invested Arce Gomez with unlimited powers and immunity, to reign loose even over life and death of the Bolivian citizens. It is now part of history what Arce Gomez said once on public television, addressing the Bolivian public, Arce Gomez said: "from now on, anyone who is against the government in any way, better leave his house with his last will under his arm." Arce Gomez is actually portrayed in the Scarface movie; he is portrayed as one of the associates of Tony Montana's powerful cocaine supplier Alejandro Sosa. Furthermore, in the scene where Sosa seeks Montana's help to get rid of a political adversary in Washington DC, the president of Bolivia's name is mentioned openly, as one of Sosa's co-associates; Obviously, DePalma changed Garcia Meza's real name to General "Cucombre," the "Bolivian Cocaine President." Also, the reason why Alejandro Sosa wants Montana to help him is to prevent the speech of a Bolivian political dissident and activist, who is in New York at the time, to speak in front of the United Nations to get help to destitute Garcia Meza from power. The last, is a real episode in history, and it is even depicted in the movie Scarface, when the dissident is talking with 60 Minutes' reporter, which happened in reality at the end of 1980. It is also a real fact that the real life individuals, portrayed in Scarface by Montana, Alejandro Sosa, the Cucombre's minister of the interior, met at Sosa's mansion in Santa Cruz, Bolivia to plan this assassination. The meeting was investigated and made public by a real life documentary aired by the CBS's "60 minutes." Furthermore, in this documentary, the Bolivian political activist, denounces the involvement of the Bolivian government in drug trafficking activities, and names all three players in the cocaine trafficking from Bolivia to the USA: Bolivian President General Luis Garcia Meza, Bolivian Minister of the Interior Colonel Luis Arce Gomez, and drug lord and Bolivian entrepreneur Roberto Suarez Gomez, the King of Cocaine, portrayed as Alejandro Sosa in Scarface. The way this character of Alejandro Sosa is portrayed in the movie Scarface, is based on a real-life events and documented incidents and activities, related to drug trafficking involving Bolivian drug lord Roberto Suarez, "the King of Cocaine." (For more information on Roberto Suarez Gomez, go to the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Su%C3%A1rez_Gom%C3%A9z ).
Roberto Suarez Gomez, nicknamed The "king of cocaine" (1932 – July 20, 2000), the real Tony Montana, the real "Scarface."

In real life, Roberto Suarez Gomez, established connections and deals with both, General Garcia Meza and Colonel Luis Arce Gomez, "the minister of Cocaine." By these connections and agreements, Roberto Suarez obtained protection and Carte Blanche, to do and undo whatever he pleased in order to further his drug trafficking activities. Roberto Suarez of course, was to make payments to every single member of the corrupt military government pyramidal structure, which had Garcia Meza and Arce Gomez sitting at the top. Roberto Suarez's operations included the production of cocaine in Bolivia, starting at the purchase of coca leafs from the coca farmers in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz; the clandestine production of base paste of Cocaine in laboratories hidden in the jungles of Santa Cruz; the packaging of Cocaine base paste into cocaine bricks of one kilo each; the stashing all those kilos to make tons so they could be flown in bulk from clandestine air strips in the jungles in Santa Cruz. Bolivia, to be dropped in the swamps in Florida, near Miami. Researchers have estimated that Roberto Suarez Gomez made an average of six hundred million dollars a year, that is in 1980's millions of dollars. If we convert the buying power of 600 million dollars to today's dollars, we get $1500 million dollars a year that Roberto Suarez Gomez earned after paying all expenses of the overhead. Roberto Suarez was so filthy rich and cocky, that he contacted both presidents, President Ronald Reagan of the USA, and the then president of Bolivia in 1983, and offered to pay off the entire Bolivian International debt in one cash payment, in exchange for immunity for his drug-trafficking activities in the USA and Bolivia (wikipedia.org). Just to have an idea of how much money Roberto Suarez offered, we must remember that at the time, the Bolivian International Debt was 3 billion dollars, again, in 1980's dollars, about ten billion dollars today. Nobody knows what ever happened with this offer, obviously it was discretely ignored by everyone, but it made the news all over the world though. Finally, it is important to mention that the wealth that is presented for the fictional character Alejandro Sosa from the movie, is nothing when compared with the actual wealth Roberto Suarez amassed during his outlaw reign in Bolivia through his puppet government headed by Luis Garcia Meza. Also, Roberto Suarez Gomez, the King of Cocaine, is actually the one who started Pablo Escobar into the business. Pablo Escobar was Roberto Suarez's agent in Colombia. Thanks to Roberto Suarez support, Pablo Escobar rose rapidly through the ranks, from a street level drug dealer, into what he became, the biggest drug lord the world has ever seen. In actuality, Pablo Escobar took over the reins of the business after Roberto Suarez stepped down due to family and legal problems in Bolivia, when the USA tighten the noose once Garcia Meza was put out of power. In conclusion, it is calculated that about 10000 people in Bolivia, and about 4500 people in Miami, USA and in Colombia, lost their lives as a direct result of the illegal deals and connections of these nefarious Bolivian strong men: Luis Garcia Meza, Luis Arce Gomez, and Roberto Suarez Gomez. The Garcia Meza dictatorship was short-lived, as it only held the country's government for 13 months. After these 13 months, Garcia Meza was forced by international pressure, to turn over power to yet another Army General, Celso Torrelio Villa, in August 3, 1981. Regardless of its length in power, the Garcia Meza dictatorship has left a profound mark in the Bolivian history and in the minds of the Bolivian and the American people, not only because of the intense violence and all the civil rights abuses, but also because it created, and marked, a time in the history of both counties, strongly related to dirty money, corruption, abuse, drugs, libertinage, street violence, and the wrong way of pursuing the American Dream. The above is beautifully portrayed in the Brian De Palma film Scarface, interpreted by the great Al Pacino.


References: http://www.wikipedia.org/ For more information on General Luis Garcia Meza, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Arce_G%C3%B3mez


If you have any questions, e-mail me at: pallominy@msn.com

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The origin of the last name Pallominy

Last name: Pallominy (Italian). Original form: Palumbo (Roman, Latin). Meaning: Dove. The last name Pallominy is an Italian last name that has its roots in the old Roman name "Palumbo".The last name Palumbo is a word in Latin, and has pre-Christian origins. Research has shown that the last name "Palumbo" originated as the nickname of an individual, later becoming the last name of the descendants of that first member of the family, the first Palumbo. Palumbo means 'dove' in Latin, and it is believed that in ancient Rome, people started calling "Palumbo," as a nickname, to that first individual which gave origin to the Palumbo family name.It is a well-known fact, that ancient Romans, traditionaly named individuals based on their personal traits, their looks, any defects or the family's occupation or source of wealth. Examples of this custom are: the name Celsus, which means "tall"; Cato which means "wise"; Cicero which means "chickpea"; Priscus which means "ancient, old" and so forth. It is highly probably that the first Palumbo had something to do with doves or "a" dove. It is probable that he exclusively sacrificed doves to the gods in their Temples; or maybe a dove appeared in the sky when he was giving a speech, or when Palumbo was in battle; At the end, we will never know why people started calling him "Palumbo".In support of the above, Archeologist have found graffiti in Rome about a Roman gladiator called Palumbo. The graffiti is very early, maybe from the first century BC. The graffitti mentions Palumbo's prowesses as a champion gladiator and how women were in love with him, and the populace adored him. One can speculate that that gladiator was the first Palumbo in the family line, or just a descendant of an earlier Palumbo. However, one thing is certain, the first member of the Palumbo family got his name as a nickname which stuck, and later became his real name, and then the last name of a long line of individuals, which branched out bearing not only their last name in the original form "Palumbo", but in many different variants and spellings.Historical research has shown that the original "Palumbo" has been spelled and misspelled over the centuries, and millennia, not only in Italy, but where ever the descendants of that first Roman Palumbo had emigrated to live or settle. These variants and different spellings, include: Palomba, Palombi, Palombe Palombini, Pallombini, Palumbi, Palaminy, Pallumbo and Pallominy. We know this by tracking and researching historical documents, such as church and court papers in different countries. For instance, the last name "Palumbo" appears in church records as early as the 4th century AD. Also, Palumbo appears in many court records and other historical documents all over Italy and Western Europe. These papers document facts involving the Palumbo, that span over many centuries from the 4th to the 11th century AD. By tracking these church and court records, we can trace the migration trail of the Palumbo family from their origin in ancient Rome to other regions of Italy, Western Europe and later, the Americas. The Palumbo family members moved mostly to the north of the Italian peninsula, to regions such as Tuscany, Liguria, Piemonte and the Valle D'Aosta. Many Palumbo members moved to the Republic of Venice in the 1100's, as trade record show. Additionally, it appears that some members of the family settled in the south of France and founded the town of "Palaminy", in or around the end of the Frankish conquests and reign. During the Middle Ages Palaminy was under the rule of the Counts of Toulouse, the Counts of Foix and the Counts of Comminges. Additionally, during the middle ages, the city of Palaminy was an obligatory stage for the pilgrims in their way to, and from the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It is believed that the above mentioned pilgrimage to Spain is what moved some of the Palumbo descendants, and the last name, to Spain, where some variants of Palumbo are recorded in court records starting in the Middle Ages. From Spain, the last name Palumbo and its various forms, were brought to Latin America after the discovery by Christopher Columbus. In Latin America and in North America, we find the last name Palumbo, transformed into different spellings, such as: Palumbo, Palomba, Palumbe, Palomino Palomeny and other forms.Back in Italy, Palumbo and related spellings and variations of this last name, appear in court papers again. For example, in 1583 in Messina, apparently a Francesco Palumbo served as a witness in a jury trial. Also, a Sebastian Palumbo, was baptized at Monteveglo, Bologna, around the same time. Although Italian last names are traditionally the most difficult of all European languages to research genealogically, because the spelling of a given last name varies from time to time and from town to town, it is still relatively easy to trace a last name like Palumbo over the centuries. It looks like the Palumbo family branched out to England as well. In the 18th century, church records show, an Italian, Arcangelo Palumbo, married an English noble woman, Elizabeth Gray at St Anne's church, Soho, Westminster, on September 23rd 1758. By way of this marriage, Arcangelo Palumbo rose to the noble ranks of England as the new Lord Palumbo, considered a life peer, and passing the title to his descendants in England. Finally, in the new world records show that the Palumbo came to the USA from England and Italy; and that the Palumbo came to Latin America from Spain and Italy. Today, the descendants of that early Roman Palumbo family can be found in every country in the Western hemisphere.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

bullying in America, bullying in schools

BULLYING

By Boris F. Pallominy

pallominy@msn.com

1451 Seven Locks Rd

Rockville, MD 20854

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Definition of bullying
  3. Types of bullying
  4. Effects of bullying on people
  5. Characteristics of bullies
  6. School bullying

· Dangers of bullying at school,

· Cyber bullying,

· Hazing.

7. Conclusion.

INTRODUCTION

In general terms, Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others. Bullying can take the form of:

· verbal harassment,

· physical assault, or

· emotional abuse, which includes coercion and manipulation.

Bullying in school and the workplace is also referred to as peer abuse.

Bullying is usually done to coerce others by fear or threat.

Bullies can pick on people bigger or smaller than their size.

Bullies hurt people verbally and physically.

Ironically, bullies themselves could have been bullied at home by their siblings, parents or other relatives; also bullies could have been bullied earlier in their lives. Adult bullies might have been bullied by their colleagues, or relatives.

Bullying is often described as a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser who possesses more physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim.

The victim of bullying is sometimes referred to as target.

Bullying can occur not only in schools, but also in the workplace, home, church, neighborhoods, the military, in college, and anywhere where people interact socially.

Furthermore, anyone can be a victim of bullying, not only children.

Definition

Bullying is an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally.

Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.

Behaviors may include:

· name calling,

· verbal or written abuse,

· exclusion from activities,

· exclusion from social situations,

· physical abuse, or

· coercion.

Bullies may behave this way to be perceived as popular or tough or just to get attention. They may bully out of jealousy or be acting out because they themselves are bullied.

Types of bullying

According to the USA National Center for Education Statistics, bullying activities could be broken into two categories:

1. Direct bullying, and

2. Indirect bullying or social aggression.

Direct bullying involves a great deal of:


· physical aggression such as shoving and poking,

· throwing things,

· slapping,

· choking,

· punching and kicking,

· beating,

· stabbing,

· pulling hair,

· scratching,

· biting,

· scraping and

· pinching.


Indirect bullying is characterized by threatening the victim into social isolation. This isolation is achieved through a wide variety of techniques, including:

· spreading gossip, lies, rumors,

· name-calling,

· silent treatment,

· staring,

· giggling, laughing or mocking at the victim,

· refusing to socialize with the victim,

· bullying other people who wish to socialize with the victim, and

· criticizing the victim's manner of dress, race religion,disability, appearance height, weight et cetera.

Effects of bullying on people

The effects of bullying can be serious and even fatal. Victims of bullying, children and adult, are at risk of”

· stress related illness,

· suffer from short and long term emotional and behavioral problems,

· loneliness,

· depression and anxiety,

· low self-steem,

· weight loss or weight gain, and even

· suicide.

Characteristics of bullies

In general, bullies have personalities that are authoritarian, they feel a strong need to control or dominate others, sometomes they have prejudices against certain groups of people. Some bullies harass others driven by envy, resentment or because they have low self-steem, and to hide their own fears or shame. Bullies want to feel better about themselves by making other people feel bad.

One effective way to prevent child to become a bully or to be a victim of bullying is by:

1. Challenging aggressive behavior in childhood and at home, and

2. By showing the child that abusive behavior is bad and will not be tolerated.

Failure to address aggressive behavior in young children, may cause them to grow up and get involved in, or participate of:

· domestic abuse,

· street violence,

· criminal activity,

· gang activity and

· inadequacy when socializing in the real world.

School bullying

Bullying in school is a very serious problem and the cause of other related issues observed in school students.

In schools, bullying usually occurs in all areas of school, anywhere in or around the school building. Bullying occurrs more often in PE, recess, the hallways and in school buses or while waiting for the school buses.

Bullying in school sometimes consists of a group of students taking advantage of, or isolating one student in particular and gaining the loyalty of bystanders who want to avoid becoming the next victim.

These bullies will taunt and tease their target before physically bullying the target. Targets of bullying in school are often pupils who are considered strange or different by other students.

Some children bully at one point, because they have been bullied in the past.

Some children buly, because they do not have the social skills to develop friendsship with other staudents and classmates.

Most students in schools do not perceive bullying as something bad, negative or unacceptable as much as adults do.

Some students have come to accept bullying as “normal” and part of going to school.

Sometimes students perceive bullying as an spectators sport, they enjoy it and entertain themselves by watching bullies victimize their targets.

Dangers of bullying at school

When bullying is not addressed at school, several problems are created. These problems may include, but are not limited to:


· Gang activity,

· Drug use,

· School desertion,

· Low grades,

· Fights in hallways, classrooms and school buses,

· Violence between teen couples,

· Teen pregnancy,

· Weapons in school,

· Thefts in school property,

· Destruction of property,

· Stabbings, and

· School shootings.


It has been proved that school shotings are a bullying-related phenomenon. Research shows that 2 out of three school shooters are victims of bullying, they are targets, who felt themselves to be persecuted, bullied, threatened, attacked, or injured by others prior to the school shooting.

In recent years, bullying is schools have reaised a great deal of concern, school staff have been actively involved in erradicating bulying from their schools. Several Anti-bullying programs have been created and designed to prevent bullying by teaching students cooperation among themselves their parents and teachers. Additionally, school staff wants to change the perception that bullying is OK and normal in schools; students now receive training on definition, types and effects of bullying, as well as the consequences of bullying, not only in school, but everywhere.

Cyberbullying

In recent years, since the invention of the Internet, and its ease of access, students in schools have been using a different type of bullying, Cyberbullying.

In few words, cyberbullying is bullying through the use of internet services and systems. Bullying can occur by one student directly attacking the target via e-mail, blogs, chat or text messaging.

Another way of cyberbullying is by isolating the target, by ignoring, blocking, or making fun of the internet participation by the target. Additionally, cyberbullyies usually bully indirectly their target, by posting rumors, lies, threat on school related chats, blogs, e-mail, cyber-boards et cetera.

Cyberbullying should be considered equal as traditional bullying, and all definitions, types, and measures should apply to cyberbullies.

Hazing

Hazing is the ritualistic testing of an individual, which may take the form of harassment, abuse, or humiliation. Hazing is sometimes considered to be a rite of passage, or an initiation into a new group of individuals.

Hazing is sometimes observed in some schools, between students in upper grades toward students in lower grades, or toward newcomers to the school or into sports teams.

Hazing is , and should be addressed as bullying. Hazing is dangerous and inappropriate.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, bullying is a real problem we face not only in schools, but in other social settings as well. Bullying in schools should be taken seriously by staff, students, parents and other organizations such as police and community leaders. Additionally, it is imperative to take immediate action and to create measures to erradicate it, prevent it and educate students on bullying. Preventing bullying should be a cooperative effort, aimed to avoid the direct and indirect effects of bullying, as well as the short and long term consequences of this dangerous behavior.

Boris F. Pallominy.

gang awareness, gangs in America

GANG AWARENESS

By Boris Pallominy

pallominy@msn.com

1451 Seven Locks Rd

Rockville, MD 20854

INTRODUCTION

Today, many communities including yours are facing serious problems with gangs. As a member of the community, you may feel helpless against gangs, but there are things you can do by yourself, and in conjunction with community resources and the authorities, to prevent or reduce gang problems in your neighborhood. Also, as a parent, there's a lot you can do to keep your own children from joining gangs.

One of the first things you can do is learning about gangs and signs of gang activity.

Join with others to make or keep your neighborhood gang-free, additionally, sharpen your skills as a parent and use them.

Nowadays, very young people, as young as 8 or 10 years old, are joining gangs in ever-growing numbers in all parts of the country. When asked, the reasons they give for joining a gang are remarkably similar:

  • To belong to a group.
  • For excitement.
  • To get protection.
  • To earn money.
  • To get drugs.
  • To be with friends.
  • To be popular.
  • Because it’s “cool.”

Gangs leave signs of their presence everywhere. As gang members, young people may adopt, and display, specific behavior, such as:

  • Wearing specific colors or emblems.
  • Using special hand signals.
  • Wearing or drawing gang symbols, on walls as graffiti or on books, paper or clothing.
  • Wearing certain kinds or color of clothing in very specific ways.
  • Possessing unexplained, relatively large sums of money.
  • Declining grades and interest in school.
  • Staying out without good reason.
  • "Hanging" with known or suspected gang members.
  • Carrying weapons and/or drugs.
  • Skipping school.
  • Getting in trouble with the law.

DEFINITION OF GANG

A gang is a group of two or more individuals that get together with the purpose of engaging in criminal activity.

A group of friends hanging out or playing sports or studying is not a gang, because they are not committing any crime.

Historically, gangs have been created by groups of individuals that share common traits, realities or problems. Originally, gangs resulted as means of protection against other groups of individuals, but over time, gangs started committing crimes and engaging in criminal activities for profit.

Today, gangs fight with each other for control of territory. The reason why gangs want to control territory is so they can traffic and sell drugs to the residents living in those territories. Additionally, gangs engage in prostitution, extortion of business and homeowners, the selling and buying of guns, armed robberies et cetera.

In order to control a territory, gangs need to be big and strong in numbers, that is why gangs are constantly recruiting new members from the territories they have encroached in. Furthermore, the bigger the number of members of a gang, the more illicit business they will be able to do. In years past, gangs use to recruit only young males within their ethnic or racial groups, but today, gangs recruit across cultural, gender and racial lines, the main goal is rapid increase in numbers.

REASONS WHY YOUNG MALES AND FEMALES JOIN GANGS

When asked, many gang members say they originally joined because the gang offered them support, caring and a sense of order and purpose; all the things most parents try to give their kids. The odds are that the better you meet these needs, the less need your children will see for gangs.

HOW TO PREVENT YOUR CHILDREN FROM JOINING A GANG

Get involved!

Be alert; look for sudden changes in your children’s behavior. Keep an eye on your children’s grades and behavior in school.

In the school, put a high value on education and help your child do his or her best in school. Do everything possible to prevent dropping out. Stay in touch with your children’s teacher, get to know them by name, call them frequently. Visit their school regularly, ask what is new, what new programs they have, do they need help or volunteers for some of those programs. Ask what kind of student is your child, ask if there is anything you can do to help in their education, check if they do their homework everyday. If they tell you the teacher did not give them any homework, call the teacher and ask yourself.

At home, talk with and listen to your child. Spend some special time with each child. Help your kids identify positive role models and heroes, especially people in your community. Do everything possible to involve your children in supervised, positive group activities. Praise them for doing well and encourage them to do their very best to stretch their skills to the utmost.

Know what your children are doing at all times, and with whom. Know about their friends and their friends' families, visit their friends’ houses, meet their parents, see how they live, what kind of persons are they. Get phone numbers and full addresses in case of an emergency, provide your information to them, just in case, ask them to call you if something happens.

About gangs.

Tackle the issue of gangs head on. It is important to discuss with your child gangs and the problems they can create. Do not wait until they are about to join a gang to start talking about them. The best time to talk about gangs is before there's a major problem.

Let your child know very clearly that:

  • You disapprove of gangs.
  • You don't want to see your child hurt or arrested.
  • You see your child as special, and worth protecting.
  • You want to help your child with any problems he or she might face.
  • Family members don't keep secrets from each other.
  • You and other parents are working together against gangs.
  • Listen to what your child has to say.

Tell your child that if they suspect gang activity in your area, they should tell immediately so you can contact the police immediately. Let your child know that gang presence in the area often lead to crime problems, and the police should be made aware of any potential problem areas.

As a parent, make sure you develop positive alternatives, such as after-school and weekend activities kids can enjoy; these activities can include reading clubs, sports teams and clubs, leadership training, dance classes, martial arts, painting or drawing classes, piano or other instruments classes et cetera.

Remember that not only schools offer these programs; there are community centers that offer a great variety of classes, training and education.

Do not forget to ask your kid what are his/her interests, what classes does he/she want to attend, do not force them to take any class, this will create another set of problems you do not need.

Finally, as a parent and as an active member of your community, work with the police and other agencies in preventing or eliminating gang problems in your neighborhood.

Always report all suspicious activity. Set up a Neighborhood Watch or a community patrol; Let the police know about gang graffiti. Get the facts on the gang problem in your community. Find out what local services, non-profit as well as government, will work with communities to help avoid gang problems.

My Motto is:

“ crime prevention through education.”

Boris F. Pallominy