Anna Maria dell'Ovo, writer and violin player, born in the poor districts of Melbourne from parents coming from Torino di Sangro, says that now in Australia Italian is the most common foreign language studied in elementary schools. In her book 'Songs of the Suitcase' she tells of her colorful Abruzzese family, and how at school she forgot her Italian language in a desire of integration.

Padre Celestino Di Giovambattista, 67, a Camillian priest born in Massa d'Albe, for 30 years in Africa, was killed last Saturday by a convict in Ouagadougou. Padre Di Giovambattista, the prison chaplain, was helping to rehabilitate the convict, due for release in just three months from now. It seems the man, surely seriously disturbed, took an axe and attacked the priest, who pardoned him before dying. Padre Celestino asked to be buried in Africa. A brother, Giuseppe, also a Camillian, died some years ago, and another, Serafino, last September.

Ceremony for honors degree this morning to James McGaugh, founder of the «Center for the neurobiology of learning and memory», University of di California. For 45 years now Prof. McGaugh has been studying memory, why we remember certain events, and recently also beta-blocking drugs and their action on memory; a research group in L'Aquila has been working with him for over ten years.