Newsletter

October 5, 2010

Greetings from GITA

Some of our Snow Birds are returning, the days are getting shorter and we've been able to turn off the AC every now and then in the past week. Some subtle but significant changes are making the weather pretty nice.

Baseball is moving into the Post Season and that's always fun. The Florida Marlins were their usual disappointment this year and finished far up the track. The Tampa Bay Rays, however, won their division over the Yankees and are headed for the playoffs. We're going to try to catch a game or two at Tropicana Field in St. Pete. As a life-long Yankees fan I feel as though I've deserted them but having lived in Florida for the past 29 years I'm beginning to feel like a native. Go Rays!

As the mid-term elections approach we seem to be increasingly headed for a huge culture war in this country. One wonders whether God is, indeed, in his heaven and paying attention to what's going on in his name. This "us against them" mentality is frightening and this strident hate mongering is obscene.

And thanks to Sebastian Fortino who wrote a very nice article about Gita for the South Florida Gay News. A minor correction would note that although Gita has been meeting at Primavera for over 5 years we have been involved in the operation of the restaurant only since June of 2009.
SFGN article: Express Your Italian-American Pride with GITA

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, October 11, 2010

Last month's dinner was well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time. Our next dinner meeting will be next Monday, the 11th of October at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

Over the years the price of the Gita Dinner has pretty much remained at $20. As food and utility costs have continued to rise we have kept the price of the dinners at that level. Over the years many of our Gita Members have been very generous to the waiters who, pretty much, depend on tips for their livelihood. Many of these members have commented on the lack of generosity on the part of some of their fellow diners and have urged us to raise the price of the dinner to more adequately compensate the waiters. We're reluctant to do that. Of the $20 we charge for the dinner, parts of that amount pay for food, utilities, salaries, taxes, insurances and tips. We're very proud of our wait staff and wish we could pay them more out of our own pockets. Their salaries are meager and they rely entirely on tips. Even a modest gratuity of a dollar or two would make a huge difference for the waiters at the end of the evening. Please give this some thought after dinner before you head home.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE

The big news, in case you missed it, is that GMAC, Chase and Bank of America have halted evictions and foreclosure sales. This is just the tip of the iceberg and we can expect more turmoil in the months to come. Seems that some of the banks have been pretty careless in processing their foreclosure packages. At least one of the major title policy underwriters has declared that they will no longer issue Title Insurance Policies for GMAC foreclosures until further notice.

Some banks seem to be going out of their way to cobble together restructured loan agreements for customers to whom they have formerly denied such restructuring. It seems to be getting crazier and crazier. Stay tuned.

If you are refinancing or know someone who is, you might want to give us a call and see if we can't save you some money on your title insurance and closing costs.

PRIMAVERA

We'd like to thank all of you who have helped us increase our business over a year ago. We're pleased to report that we've seen some nice gains over last year. Which is not to suggest that it hasn't been a grueling summer for all local restaurants. The summer was hot and the economy has been depressing. We're delighted when they get early cold snaps up North. It was particularly nice to see the Miami Dolphins game on TV Monday night advertising the fact that it was a moderately dry 80 degrees with clear skies here in South Florida.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group will be back in business shortly. The group meets monthly at the Pride Center at Equality Park to view operas. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park. Here again, to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET NEWS FLASH !!!
Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 10th at 1pm!

First up will be the Royal Danish Ballet performing LA SYLPHIDE. This was created for them by August Bournonville in 1836 and remains in their repertoire to this day.

Next will be the only ballet composed by Richard Strauss, JOSEPHS LEGENDE. This historic performance by the Vienna State Opera Ballet from 1977 features the incredible Judith Jamison as Potiphar's wife.

There will be a short talk before each ballet.

See you at the Pride Center at 2040 Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors--the front building.

R.S.V.P. [email protected]

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian Language Classes will resume on Thursday October 7 at room 204 of the Pride Center @ Equality Park (GLCC). 2040 N. Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, 33305. (about 1/2 mile south of 5 points)The classes are free to all. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected] or just how up.

BOOK BEAT

The last month has featured a variety of new works by some tired old war writers and a few new personalities.

The best of the lot was certainly The Good Son by Michael Gruber. This is a Pakistan/Afghanistan story of a kidnapping which takes place against the cultural forces of the region. There are some terrific characters in this novel. This is a very well written book that helps illuminate the difficulties of achieving peace in this volatile area of the world where thousand-year-old grudges still hold sway. By the end of the book you feel as though you've spent a bit of time in a very rugged land and have gotten a glimpse of what it must be like to live there.

The rest are in no particular order and you may find them entertaining. None were awful.

61 Hours, is a Jack Reacher novel, by Lee Child that finds Invincible Jack in a snowbound bus crash in South Dakota with lots more snow and cold and bad guys and a brave old woman.

I read The Anniversary Man by R.J. Ellory because one of his earlier books was quite good. This one does not rate another.

And not one, but two Stuart Woods books. The better of the two was Lucid Intervals and the weaker was Santa Fe Edge. Lots of the same old characters in new outfits.

Have you read any good books lately? Please.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

PICTURES

Pictures from practically all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away extravagant prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Special thanks to David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service for their kind donation to our raffle.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 11th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

September 7, 2010

Newsletter Archives
|10-05-10 | 09-07-10 | 08-02-10 | 06-07-10 | 05-03-10 | 04-07-10 | 03-02-10 | 02-01-10 |
| 12-07-09 | 11-01-09 | 10-05-09 | 09-06-09 | 08-01-09 | 06-27-09 | 06-02-09 | 05-04-09 | 04-03-09 | 02-15-09 | 01-19-09 |
| 11-30-08 | 11-02-08 | 10-04-08 | 09-03-08 | 08-05-08 | 07-06-08 | 05-28-08 | 05-04-08 | 04-10-08 | 03-01-08 | 01-25-08 |
| 12-16--07 | 11-03-07 | 09-26-07 | 08-29-07 | 07-31-07 | 06-27-07 |

Greetings from GITA

It's official. Summer's over.

Last evening Juan and I had a rare night out on the town together. Primavera was closed for the Labor Day Holiday and Juan had the day off from his new Home Health Care job.

We went to dinner at the new J. Marks in Fort Lauderdale and had a very nice time. The service was terrific and the food was very good. Although the place was very busy we found it interesting how few of the other diners one is able to see because of the way the booths are constructed. We had always enjoyed the original J. Marks in Pompano and are happy to see how well they seem to be doing now in Fort Lauderdale.

Then we went to our local Muvico to see the new ultra-buff George Cloony's new Italian Movie, The American. The presence of a screaming infant in the front row didn't add much to the enjoyment of the film which we found to be pretty lame and silly. Although the film takes place in Italy and has lots of Italian dialogue it is NOT compulsory viewing for Gita Members. In fact if you have any interest at all in the film I'd suggest you wait for it to come out on DVD.

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of long time Gita Member, Joe Rose. Until their recent move to the Tampa area Joe and his partner Fabio attended practically every Gita Dinner since its original beginnings. Joe was a wonderful raconteur and we have come to miss his happy and smiling presence. Our sincere condolences go out to Fabio and to the rest of Joe's family.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, September 13, 2010

Last month's dinner was well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time. Our next dinner meeting will be next Monday, the 13th of September at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE

Foreclosures are on the rise and the experts are predicting more gloom and doom in the real estate market. Let us know if we can help you capitalize on this bleak picture.

If you are refinancing or know someone who is, you might want to give us a call and see if we can't save you some money on your title insurance and closing costs.

PRIMAVERA

Remember, we're extending our 2 for 1 Entree Giveaway on Sunday through Thursday through the end of September. In as much as this is an email only promotion, you need to tell your waiter that you want the 2 for 1 deal. Then order any entree from our regular menu and, along with the purchase of any two beverages, get a second entree, priced the same or less, for free. This fabulous offer is independent of other discounts or promotions. Remember that on Friday and Saturday you can still take advantage of your 10% discount offer. So many ways to enjoy great food and save money.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group will be back in business shortly. The group meets monthly at the Pride Center at Equality Park to view operas. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian Language Classes will resume on Wednesday, September 29, at 6:30 PM at the home of Professor John Ritter., The classes are free to all. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

BOOK BEAT

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell is set in 1799 mostly on the artificial island of Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor. Jacob de Zoet works for the Dutch East Indies Company, which is the only company allowed to trade with Japan. At the time Japan is fierce in protecting its people from foreign ideas and cultures. Jacob has come to Japan to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancee back in Holland. The book is beautifully written and rich with its portrayal of life and customs in Japan at that time.

Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (full title: Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation) tells the story of Paul Dombey, a heartless London merchant, and the hopes he has for his new son and the neglect and disdain he offers his adoring daughter. I'd never heard of the book before so decided to give it a try. It's a very long book and offers a vivid picture of London in the latter half of the 19th century. It also portrays a nostalgic view of education that recalls the days when the kids didn't run the schools. Most of the pedagogical practices of the time are certainly in disfavor today but I'm not sure that many of them weren't more effective than what passes for education today. Overall, an enjoyable Dickens experience.

Have you read any good books lately?

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

PICTURES

Pictures from practically all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away extravagant prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 13th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

August 2, 2010

Greetings from GITA

Congratulations. We've made it to August and the summer heat continues. We're happy to report that our summer Gita Dinners have been very well attended. The crowds have been jolly and friendly. Many new members have shown up in the past few months. Everyone has been having fun.

I was very surprised the other night on the Colbert Report to hear Stephen Colbert and Kevin Kline recite in unison an old tongue twister I hadn't heard since speech class in college. Ah. Simple pleasures. Watch it. Colbert and Kline

What a to do to die today at a minute or two to two
A thing distinctly hard to say but harder still to do

For they'll beat a tattoo at twenty to two
With a rat-a-ta ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta-too

And the dragon will come when he hears the drum
At a minute or two to two today at a minute or two to two

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, August 9, 2010

Last month's dinner was very well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time. Our next dinner meeting will be next Monday, the 9th of August at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE

A few happy clients have snared some really fabulous deals in the past month. There are incredible properties out there just waiting to be snapped up. Hurry before they're all gone.!

PRIMAVERA

Working at Primavera for the past year has been quite an experience. The best part of the job is that I get to eat there every night. So, I'm really happy that the food is so good. We're also pleased to report that business is up this summer over last year, and that's a good thing. But, having said that the state of the economy is still pretty bleak. As you may have noticed we're trying a number of promotions to lure customers. And while it doesn't produce much profit if keeps everyone busy. The response has been quite positive and people seem genuinely happy.

Remember, we're extending our 2 for 1 Entree Giveaway through the end of August. On Sunday through Thursday tell your waiter that you want the 2 for 1 deal and order any entree from our regular menu and, along with the purchase of any two beverages, get a second entree, priced the same or less, for free. This fabulous offer is independent of other discounts or promotions. Remember that on Friday and Saturday you can still take advantage of your 10% discount offer. So many ways to enjoy great food and save money.

On Sunday, August 8, we're hosting Club Tropicana, a Salsa Tea Dance starting at 5 PM. We'll have a DJ and feature a live performance by "La Concha" direct from Havana.

OPERA GROUP

Although The Opera Group is taking the month of August off they otherwise meet monthly at the Pride Center at Equality Park to view operas. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) is also taking the summer off. The classes, which will resume in the fall, are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

BOOK BEAT

When the final installment of the Stieg Larsson books, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, appeared I decided to reread the first two books to get myself back to Sweden. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books and found the third equally entertaining. As for the series, I think the first and third are both better than the second.

Both of the first two books, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire have been made into movies. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is available on Video and I recommend it highly. It is definitely one of the best transfers from book to movie that I've seen. It's very well made and surprisingly includes practically everything from the book. The Girl Who Played With Fire is not yet in the local video stores.

James Lee Burke's new book, The Glass Rainbow, is one you might skip unless you're an ardent fan of James Lee Burke or are particularly fond of sleazy lowlife characters who behave like sleazy lowlife characters. I just couldn't get myself to care about any of them.

Have you read any good books lately?

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

PICTURES

Pictures from practically all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away extravagant prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 9th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

June 7, 2010

Greetings from GITA

I guess there's no question that summer has arrived. The recent 90+ degree weather and afternoon thunderstorms ought to be pretty convincing. As a result the garden looks great.

Many of our members are away for the summer but a terrific group of stalwarts remain in town. Traffic at Primavera has been steady and we're happy to announce that we've had a rash of private parties in our banquet rooms. Most of our guests have expressed their delight at our new full liquor bar.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, June 14, 2010

Last month's dinner was well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time. Our next dinner meeting will be next Monday, the 14th of June at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE

Many of you have remarked that you didn't realize that I was still very active in the real estate business now that I'm involved with the restaurant. Let me reassure you that I'm still working hard every day in the real estate and title insurance business. Let me know if I can be of service.

And let me tell you of a recent experience. If you live in Palm Aire Country Club Condo Association 2, which is the South Course Drive Association, you might be interested in the behavior of your Board if you're planning on renting or selling an apartment.

I have a client who was hoping to rent an apartment in one of the buildings. He was hoping to move in on June 1. We submitted the application to the Condo Board before the 15th of April because we were told they only handle these applications once a month and we were hoping they would deal with it in April. This board seems to have a two stage process. The first is a review by a screening committee and the second is the actual approval of the full Board. This application was not presented to the screening committee until May 20 and the full Board did not approve the rental until May 26. This was five days before the tenant wanted to move in. Until the 27th of May he did not know for sure that he would be allowed to move in by the first of June. Try planning a move with that much advanced notice. This was an applicant with perfect credit, a flawless history, and an application submitted a month and half before. I've been handling rentals for many years with many different condo associations and this is the worst service I can remember. And their justification is: "that's the way we do it." Nice!

PRIMAVERA

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre. The next production at the theatre is Mother/Son, which runs through June 27. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. Having outgrown their previous venue The Opera Group now meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park This new location is larger than the previous venue. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) is taking the summer off. The classes, which will resume in the fall, are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

I found A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett to be well worth the effort. An interesting collection of characters, some nice and some not-so-nice, will keep your attention from the start.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi is an entertaining book set in the future after the oil is gone. The main character is a teenager named Nailer who works on stripping copper out of the beached and useless tankers on the Gulf Coast. It's an interesting premise and a well written book.

A Question of Belief is another fun book by Donna Leon featuring the wise Comissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Police

Chiefs is the first novel by Stuart Woods. It is an epic tale of life and racial tensions in a small Georgia town. The novel spans fifty years and the careers of three police chiefs and a crime that involves all of them. It's well crafted and keeps you interested from the first page. It's quite different from the later Stuart Woods books.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from practically all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. I apologize for the most recent dinner where there occurred technical photographic problems. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away extravagant prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 14th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

May 3, 2010

Greetings from GITA

We had a very busy weekend at the restaurant. Lots of friends came by to say hello and join us for dinner. It's fun to work at a restaurant that's been around for 25 years. People come in after an absence of 5, 10, 15, or 20 years. They all have stories to tell.

This past Saturday evening as a party of six was leaving the restaurant one of the women in the party picked up one of my cards on her way out. She recognized the name Murabito and asked me if I was from Long Island. I told her "no" that I was from Oswego. Her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face. She said she had gone to college in Oswego and had graduated in 1954. I told her I grew up there and had graduated myself in 1964. I told her that as a kid we lived in my family's student boarding house across the street from the college. We had around 18 male college students living in the two floors above us. She said, "ah, yes, The Murabito House. That's where I remember the name from." She told me she had friends who lived with us during her college days. We had a pleasant chat and it was reassuring to once again see those six degrees of separation still holding true.

Last month's dinner was a big success and everyone reported having a good time. Special thanks to Normand Leclair, former owner of the Red Rooster Tavern in North Kingstown, RI, who donated a copy of his delicious looking cookbook, Culinary Expressions, for our raffle.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, May 10, 2010

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 10th of May at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

We're happy to announce that the restaurant has been very busy lately. Our upcoming Mother's Day Special Menu is posted on the Primavera Website TrueItalian.com

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre. Their current production is The Sum of Us, which runs through May 30. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. The show runs Thursday through Sunday.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. Having outgrown their previous venue The Opera Group now meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park This new location is larger than the previous venue. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) continues to offer weekly sessions in the joy of learning to speak Italian. The classes are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. The Italian Language Classes generally meet on Wednesdays. John Ritter is doing the teaching. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

REAL ESTATE

An interesting development in the real estate world these days is the effect that the foreclosures are having on the market. Banks are pricing their properties extremely low in what some believe to be an attempt to secure multiple offers and then create bidding wars. One case in point is a three bedroom apartment on the Intracoastal for which the owner had paid $730K in 2007. The bank foreclosed and subsequently put the same property on the market for $389K. If you had a similar apartment for sale in the same building you'd be pretty unhappy at this unbelievably low price. Buyers, of course, are delighted. Given the choice I recommend you become a buyer.

BOOK BEAT

Firewall a very entertaining Kurt Wallander story by Henning Mankell. Well crafted and most enjoyable.

Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow was published in 1987 and only just recently released as an audio book. Having read it in 1987 I was able to enjoy it anew on audio. I assume the recent release was to capitalize on the release this month of a new Scott Turow book, The Burden of Proof, which is advertised as a sequel to Presumed Innocent. Presumed Innocent was excellent.

While still in a Scott Turow mood I decided to read Ordinary Heroes: A Novel which was a pretty good WWII love story. One of the main characters was called GITA. How's that for a surprising coincidence?

The Executor was written by Jesse Kellerman, son of Faye and Jonathan. It's the not very interesting story of Joseph Geist, a perpetual Harvard post grad, who's life becomes very complicated when he answers an ad for a conversationalist.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently.

To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service and Normand Leclair for bringing donations to last month's dinner.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 10th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

April 7, 2010

Greetings from GITA

We're happy to see some nice weather coming our way. Easter was lovely and we had a nice crowd for dinner at Primavera. But, alas, it's that time of year again when we begin to say goodbye to many of our seasonal friends. It has been a good "Season" but the economy and weather have kept it from being a great season. Many potential Fort Lauderdale visitors this year chose instead to hop on cruise ships and head for warmer climes rather than brave our cold weather.

Last month's dinner was a big success and everyone reported having a good time. Hope you can join us next Monday for this month's dinner.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, April 12, 2010

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 12th of April at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

We're happy to announce that the restaurant has been very busy lately. We had a special Easter Dinner and hosted Tuesday's Angels last night. We've been hosting a lot of parties. We're pleased that people have discovered our flexible space and party potential and thank those who've taken advantage of this facility. Stay tuned for some big upcoming changes at the restaurant.

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre. Their current production is Reefer Madness: The Musical, which runs through this Sunday. Their new production of "The Sum of Us" opens on April 21. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. The show opens this Thursday.

OPERA GROUP

The Ballet and Opera Group will met on Sunday April 11 at 1 PM at the Pride Center at Equality Park. They will view a production of Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. Having outgrown their previous venue The Opera Group now meets at the Pride Center at Equality Park This new location is larger than the previous venue. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group meets in the Stonewall Library 1300 Sunrise Boulevard.

REAL ESTATE

The real estate market continues to feature outstanding bargains for those in the shopping mood. There are low priced short sales, foreclosures and competitively priced private sales. I've been very impressed with some recent purchases that my clients have been able to snare.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) continues to offer weekly sessions in the joy of learning to speak Italian. The classes are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. The Italian Language Classes generally meet on Wednesdays. John Ritter is doing the teaching. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

The Ghost Writer by Robert Harris is one of the best books I've read in the last month. It is the book from which the movie was made about a man who is hired to help with the writing of the memoirs of a former British prime minister. Haven't yet seen the movie but really enjoyed the book.

Michael Lewis is the author of Liar's Poker and Moneyball. His newest book, The Big Short, clearly examines the process by which a few individuals made billions of dollars by recognizing the absurdity of the process by which the major banks were creating artificial securities based on piles of doubtful mortgages and bet against them. He makes the whole mess pretty clear.

Solar, by Ian McEwan, is the story of Michael Beard, a fairly unpleasant Nobel Prize-winning, self centered physicist who becomes involved with global warming and green business ventures. The book is satirical and amusing and very clever and funny in parts but overall is not as thoroughly satisfying as Atonement or Amsterdam or most of McEwan's other books. He is still, in my opinion, one of the best writers ever.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently.

To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service and Ken from Macy's for bringing donations to last month's dinner.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 12th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

March 2, 2010

Greetings from GITA

We continue to marvel at the stubborness of this cold weather. Quite frankly, we're sick of it. When's the warm weather coming?

To quote a cartoon from the New Yorker, "I didn't watch him at 11:30 and then I didn't watch him at 10:00 and now I'm not going to watch him again at 11:30."

A serious oven malfunction at last month's Gita Dinner seriously hampered the delivery of the food. We apologize to all those who had to wait an unreasonable period of time for their dinner. The issue has been corrected.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, March 8, 2010

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 8th of March at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

We're happy to announce that the restaurant has been very busy and we've been hosting a lot of parties. We're pleased that people have discovered our flexible space and party potential.

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre. Their current production is Reefer Madness: The Musical, which runs Thursday through Sunday each week. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. The show opens this Thursday.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. The opera group meets at the Stonewall Library at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets in the Stonewall Library 1300 Sunrise Boulevard.

REAL ESTATE

According to the the most recent statistics Palm Beach International Airport reported that December of 2009 was the slowest December since the one following 9-11. Car rentals and related markets reported similar depressing statistics.

You can be sure these numbers are mirrored in the real estate market. Don't hold your breath waiting for this to turn around. Buy something now.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) continues to offer weekly sessions in the joy of learning to speak Italian. The classes are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. The Italian Language Classes generally meet on Wednesdays in one of the banquet rooms at Primavera Restaurant. John Ritter is doing the teaching. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Let The Great World Spin by Colum McGann is a well written novel that follows the fortunes of a menagerie of New Yorkers through a day in 1974 - the day of Phillippe Petit's death defying tightrope walk between the newly built Twin Towers.

Willie Mays by James S. Hirsch is an interesting account of the life of the superstar. It will get you in the mood for the start of Baseball's Spring Training.

The Wings of the Sphinx and Rounding the Mark are a couple more Inspector Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri. Both pretty good.

Noah's Compass is the new book by Anne Tyler. It revolves around Liam Pennywell's inability to remember what happened to him the day after retiring and moving into a new apartment. The characters are well drawn and are Anne Tyler quirky. I enjoyed it.

Worst Case is the newest book contrived and manufactured by James Patterson and his stable of co-writers. In this case it was Michael Ledwidge. Save yourself the effort.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently.

To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service and Ken from Macy's for bringing donations to last month's dinner.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

February 1, 2010

Greetings from GITA

We had a very successful Gita Dinner in January. Lots of happy smiling faces. It's nice to see our returning "snow birds" coming back to roost for a while. Welcome.

My newest favorite iPhone App is Dragon Dictation and its companion Dragon Search. Dragon is the most sophisticated and best selling transcription software available for your computer. The free iPhone app allows you to speak words or sentences into your phone and the app will transcribe your spoken words into printed text before your eyes. And it does it quite accurately if you don't mumble. You can then copy that text into an email, text message or into any other program on your phone. Truly a life saver for those of us with stubby fingers who like texting but hate trying to type on an iPhone. The companion app, Dragon Search, allows you to initiate a Google search by speaking into your phone. It's all like magic.

We thank you all for your good wishes and continued support and hope to see you very soon.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, February 8, 2010

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 8th of February at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just west of Dixie and east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

We're happy to announce that the restaurant has been very busy and we've been hosting a lot of parties. We're pleased that people have discovered our flexible space and party potential.

A party celebrating the life of Gilles Bertrand is going to be held at Primavera on Wednesday February 24. All those who'd like to attend should visit the special website which has been established for coordinating this event. http://friendsofgilles.com/

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre. Their current production is the play Sordid Lives which runs Thursday through Sunday each week. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. Sordid Lives has received some solid reviews.

Remember Valentine's Day is upcoming on the 14th. Primavera is the perfect place for you to bring your sweetie on this very special day. Call for reservations.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. The opera group meets at the Stonewall Library at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month. The Ballet Group also meets in the Stonewall Library 1300 Sunrise Boulevard.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The GITA Italian language class (Classe Italiano) continues to offer weekly sessions in the joy of learning to speak Italian. The classes are free to all. In lieu of charging a fee, and because the coordination and teaching is performed by volunteers, the students are invited to make a donation to Tuesdays Angels. To that extent, we're pleased to announce that the Classe Italiano has presented a check to Tuesdays Angels in the amount of $280, which represents the donations collected throughout 2009.

GITA and Tuesdays Angels gratefully accept the donation and thank each and every participant in Classe Italiano for their most generous gift."

The Italian Language Classes generally meet on Wednesdays in one of the banquet rooms at Primavera Restaurant. John Ritter is doing the teaching. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Lots of escapist reading this month.

Not since Cujo and Christine have I read a Stephen King novel. But at the suggestion of a friend I read his newest book, Under the Dome. The premise is interesting and the book is entertaining and King really is quite a writer. I thought, however, that they book might not have suffered by being half its length.

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead was also recommended by a friend but I just couldn't get into it.

Voice of the Violin, The Smell of the Night, The Terra-Cotta Dog, The Shape of Water, End Games, and The Snack Thief are all books by Andrea Camilleri which I've raced through in the past month. All of these books are translated from Italian and and Sicilian dialect and feature Inspector Montalbano who lives in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigata where he solves all of his cases. Montalbano is a far cry from Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti from Venice. Montalbano is far more imperious, crude, moody and demanding of his subordinates. And Sicily is a far different place than Venice. Fun books.

Kisser by Stuart Woods is a pretty good Stone Barrington novel.

Have you read any good books lately? Time to do some serious reading once again.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently.

His next class will be held on Wednesday February 10 at 1 PM. You will be served a light meal composed of the prepared items with the two featured wines, bread, buter and coffee. The featured wines for the class will be Chianti and Soave. The First Course is Linguini with Clams; the second course is Asparagus Crusted Mahi-Mahi and he'll be making Lemon Napoleon for dessert.

To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service and Ken from Macy's for bringing donations to last month's dinner.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

December 7, 2009

Greetings from GITA

December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day, which I don't remember. It is also the Sunday in 1958 that a 5 foot snowfall began in Oswego NY. I was in high school at the time and I do remember that we had several fun "snow days" as a result. Hard to believe there could be that much snow. It was quite an adventure.

Many of us seem to have gotten through Thanksgiving by eating too much and are now bracing for the Big Holidays coming in December. Thanks to all of you who took advantage of our fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner at Primavera. We had a delightful turnout. We'll be doing a similar event for Christmas. Make your reservations early.

It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of a good friend and longtime Gita member, Gilles Bertrand. We already miss his affectionate smile and genuine good cheer. Our condolences and good wishes to Dominic and to Gilles' family.

And so we come to the end of another year and that's also pretty hard to believe. Juan and I want to thank you all for your wonderful support during the past year and we want to tell you how much we enjoy your joining us for the monthly Gita Dinners. It has been a lot of fun and we're looking forward to your company in the coming year. Enjoy your holidays and good luck and good health to all of you and best wishes in 2010. Count your blessings.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, December 14, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 14th of December at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

Thanks again to all of you who joined us for Thanksgiving. We plan to be open on Christmas Eve from 5 PM to 10 PM with our regular menu and Christmas Day starting at 4 PM with our special prix fixe $19.95 menu featuring all of the holiday treats.

Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre, which is featuring Christmas with Christopher Peterson's EYECONS - North America's Foremost Female Impersonator. The show runs through December 20. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre. Everyone has been raving about the show. They all claim he's the greatest!!

Don't forget we have banquet facilities for all occasions.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The Realtors I've talked with are reporting an upsurge in activity. Although prices have not risen this is still good news for sellers who want to buy. Those who want to move and are reluctant to "take a beating" on their properties need to remember that what they'll be buying is similarly reduced in price. That's not exactly "having it all" but it's not bad.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. The opera group meets at the Stonewall Library at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes generally meet on Wednesdays in one of the banquet rooms at Primavera Restaurant. John Ritter is doing the teaching. As in the past there is no charge for these lessons but a modest voluntary donation to Tuesday's Angels will be accepted. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

My years living in Manhattan in the 70's are some of the happiest years of my life. Before moving there I had spent occasional weekends in the city staying with my good friend Fran, who was a dance student at NYU. Most of her male dance friends were, of course gay, and that was very helpful for me in my pre coming-out days. While living in Manhattan I was as much a bicycle fanatic as I am now. I lived on the upper west side and bicycled to work on the East side. We bicycled to Riis Park. We bicycled up Riverside Drive and rode over the GW Bridge and up into New Jersey. We took our bikes on the ferry and biked around Staten Island. On weekends we bicycled uptown, downtown, and crosstown. There wasn't a part of the city we didn't explore. I really loved all the different neighborhoods with their diverse personalities. I love New York.

All of this is to tell you about the new book I just finished called, New York: The Novel, by Edward Rutherford. It's a hefty 880 pages if you read the book and over 30 hours if you listen on an iPod, as I did while bicycling. If you like historical novels and like New York City you'll find this book fascinating. It follows the intricately woven lives of a number of people and families from colonial times to the present. The characters are interesting and believable and, as it happens, history is happening all around them. 400 years fly by. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

Kane and Abel is not the best book I've read by Jeffrey Archer.

Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls, on the other hand, is well worth reading. This book is called a True-Life Novel about the author's grandmother, Lilly Casey Smith who was born early in the 20th century on a ranch in the Southwest and by age 6 was helping her dad break horses. At age 15 she left home to teach in a frontier town - riding 500 miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. An incredible woman with a well written story.

Thanks to all of you who have suggested some of your favorite books.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to James Nyquist from Royal Cakes, David Malatesta and his Italian Cleaning Service and Richard Frederick and the Delray String Quartet for bringing donations to last month's dinner.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 14th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

November 1, 2009

Welcome to November and it's still summer here in South Florida. No letup in sight. We're happy to see a lot of our winter guests are returning for the season. Can't say as I blame them. Watching the baseball playoffs up North where it was 42 degrees and raining made me nostalgic for that absurd weather. Mildly nostalgic.

We had a nice Gita Dinner last month with a very nice cheery crowd. Thom Carr entertained once again on the keyboards and we gave away some nice prizes donated by several of our Gita members. Thanks to David Malatesta for the exotic personal grooming collection he donated to promote his cleaning service and to James Nyquist who donated one of his beautiful Royal Cakes commemorating Halloween. And special thanks to Kenny for providing many alluring fragrances whose winners have been transformed into irresistible lotharios.

According to many ads I've seen on TV there's a new Mercedes model that will wake the drive and turn off the car and park it when it detects the driver is falling asleep. Maybe the airlines could investigate that technology for their pilots. At least something to wake them up might come in handy now and then.

We're pleased to see that many of our Gita activities continue to be thriving and attracting new followers. Thanks to the folks who've been willing to be the contact person and to have taken the responsibility of keeping these activities going. We couldn't have these activities without them.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, November 9, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 9th of November at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

New menu and new prices. Don't forget the Special Gita Menu - Appetizer, Entree and Dessert for $15.95. Available every night except Saturday. We also have very reasonably priced Appetizers and Entrees. Also great banquet facilities, by the way. Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre, which is featuring a new production of Flora the Red Menace. This is a seldom seen collaboration of Kander and Ebb, the composers of Cabaret, Chicago and New York, New York. It starred a young Liza Minelli and earned her her first Tony Award for best actress at the age of 17 in 1965. The show, which features some very talented singers, runs through November 22. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre

And if the thought of leaving Fido at home alone when you go out to dinner distresses you remember that as the weather cools Primavera features pet friendly outdoor dining.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

I'm happy to report that both my title insurance business and my real estate business have been very active in the past few weeks. Many more people seem to be looking for and buying properties. I'm happy to report that I've sold many of my listings. Hoping things continue to improve.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. The opera group meets at the Stonewall Library at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6thTerrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes have been resurrected and meet on Wednesdays in one of the banquet rooms at Primavera Restaurant. John Ritter is doing the teaching. As in the past there is no charge for these lessons but a modest voluntary donation to Tuesday's Angels will be accepted. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

I'm not sure I know what "Chick Lit" is but I bet True Blue by David Baldacci qualifies even though it was not written by a "Chick." The heroine is a young, clever, intelligent, butch Ducati riding young lady who was framed (natch!) and tossed off the D.C. Police Force. Her even more intelligent, beautiful and clever sister happens to be the D.C. Chief of Police. The predictability proceeds to a very unsuspensful and unexciting confrontation with a nasty and vindictive female U.S. Attorney. Most of the men in the book are stupid bad guys.

Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn is another Mitch Rapp thriller set in D.C. Definiely not his best but pretty entertaining.

Void Moon by Michael Connelly was pretty entertaining. This is not a Harry Bosch book but rather a Cassie Black book. Another leading lady. This book was actually pretty exciting with lots of twists and turns. Well written.

The Charm School by Nelson DeMille is set in Russia and is a pretty exciting, if a bit long, tale of the CIA versus the KGB.

Even Money was written by Dick Francis and his son Felix. Dick Francis has written about a thousand books and I've read all of them at least once since being introduced to his writing back in the 70's. He is a former steeplechase jockey who rode for Queen Elizabeth. Another of his claims to fame is that he used to have a condo in Pompano Beach and came to lunch with his agent one day when I owned the Grand Central Cafe in Fort Lauderdale in the 80's. I was thrilled. His books are generally horse related and are usually pretty exciting. His heroes are always incredibly moral and prone to getting themselves into rough situations. But they always persevere and get even with the bad guys in interesting ways. His books were always pretty well written with a very taut and efficient style. Then his wife Mary died and the books that followed were kind of a mess. Turns out she was his editor. His last two books have been co-written with his son Felix and have gotten much better. This book deals with the complexities of off and on-track wagering and the world of bookmakers. It's pretty exciting and satisfying.

Thanks to all of you who have recommended some of your favorite books.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 9th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

October 5, 2009

Greetings from Gita. Here it is October already. A slight change in the air. Last week we actually turned off the AC and opened the windows for a couple of nights. A sure sign of a possible arrival of Fall any day now. We're also seeing some friends returning to town and it's nice to welcome them back. Juan and I are getting used to working six or seven nights a week at the restaurant. Quite a change in lifestyle. A little more of a challenge than we were expecting, but fun.

Last month's dinner was well attended and we had a jolly crowd. We introduced a little entertainment in the form of our friend Thom Carr tickling the ivories for the entertainment of the crowd. We gave away some memorable prizes and are particularly grateful to Jim Nyquist who donated a beautiful cake, a product of his Royal Cakes business which you can reach at 954-383-0043.

Our upcoming dinner is next Monday, the 12th of October, also known as Columbus Day. This holiday is always a cause for unbridled exuberance in the Italian community. So, if you plan on coming to dinner be prepared for a no-holds-barred festive evening. I'm pretty excited just thinking about it.

This is cute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgOl3cETb4

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, October 12, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 12th of October at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

New menu and new prices. Don't forget the Special Gita Menu - Appetizer, Entree and Dessert for $15.95. Available every night except Saturday. We also have very reasonably priced Appetizers and Entrees. Also great banquet facilities, by the way. Thanks to all of you who've been so supportive. Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre, which will be featuring a new production of Flora the Red Menace. This is a seldom seen collaboration of Kander and Ebb, the composers of Cabaret, Chicago and New York, New York. It starred a young Liza Minelli and earned her her first Tony Award for best actress at the age of 17 in 1965. The show previews October 15 and 16 and opens October 17 and runs through November 22. Dinner at Primavera and then the theatre turns out to be a very nice evening. For ticket info call 943-815-8826 or visit Rising Action Theatre

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The real estate market continues to simmer. More and more foreclosures and short sales continue to dominate. Patience is required to deal in this market. Getting financing is still a challenge.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas: Some live and others on film. The opera group meets at the Stonewall Library at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month.

BALLET

The Ballet Group will meet on Sunday, October 11 at 2 PM in the Stonewall Library, 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. to see a Royal Ballet production of Leo Delibes's "Sylvia" with Robert Bolle. For more information contact Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6thTerrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct these sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Bobby Caruso has generously volunteered to take over the reins of the Italian Language Classes. He has secured the services of Professore John Ritter who has agreed to teach the classes which will resume on Wednesday October 14 at 6:30 PM in one of the side rooms of Primavera Restaurant. As in the past there is no charge for these lessons but a voluntary donation to Tuesday's Angels will be accepted. If you're interested in attending please contact Bobby Caruso at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Not a particularly good month for books.

Unfortunately, there were a couple dnf's, or books I didn't finish. I don't have much compunction about finishing books if they don't appeal to me. This month I couldn't make my way through Blood's a Rover by James Ellroy or South of Broad by Pat Conroy.

I did, however, quite enjoy Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. This is the harrowing story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-American business man who chose to remain in New Orleans after Katrina to protect his house and contracting business. This is the true story of his disappearance on September 6, 2005.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown has everyone hyperventilating. It zoomed to the top of the Best Seller List overnight. I have pretty much enjoyed his previous books but found this one lacking. It starts out with great potential and seems to have all the makings of a great thriller. Then it becomes repetitious, boring and preachy. Several chapters toward the end could and should have been eliminated. The book takes place in Washington DC and has tons of interesting arcane information about the city, its history and the Freemasons. But it is lacking in believable plot and believable characters. Robert Langdon ought to be put out to pasture. People I've talked to either love it or hate it. I join the latter group.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I also read Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Wood. He can usually be relied upon to provide a coherent and interesting story populated with smart, rich, and sexy people who fly their own planes and hang out at Elaine's. This one takes place in and around Vero Beach, Florida and packs only a moderate punch. Take a pass on this one.

A woman came into the restaurant a couple of weeks ago and was reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. She spoke highly of it so I gave it a try. Turned out to be a very good book. Set in Germany during World War II it is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside Munich, who steals books. Very cleverly written and most satisfying. Wonderful characters.

Have you read any good books lately? Please. I need something new.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 12th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

September 6, 2009

Greetings from Gita.

The Gita dinner last month was delightful. We had a nice crowd and it turned out to be special evening for me. In addition to celebrating my birthday Juan and I celebrated our 20th anniversary of being together. We're looking forward to the next 20. Thanks for your good wishes.

So, today is Labor Day. Hope it was appropriately restful and labor free for you all. Labor Day has always signified the end of summer. Until I was 37 years old I was always involved in the Education business as a teacher or administrator. Labor Day always meant back to school time. Now it signifies the middle of the hurricane season and a day off. Primavera was closed today after a very busy weekend.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, September 14, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 14th of September at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there. We're now featuring "Singles" tables for those who'd like to meet new people.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

New menu and new prices. Don't forget the Special Gita Menu - Appetizer, Entree and Dessert for $15.95. Available every night except Saturday. We also have very reasonably priced Appetizers and Entrees. Also great banquet facilities, by the way. Thanks to all of you who've been so supportive. Don't forget we're right across the street from The Rising Action Theatre, which is currently performing "Take Me Out." Dinner and the theatre turns out to be a nice evening.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The real estate market continues to simmer. More and more foreclosures and short sales continue to dominate. Patience is required to deal in this market. Getting financing is still a challenge.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group meets at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

The Ballet Group meets on the 2nd (second) Sunday of the month and the Opera Group meets on the 4th (fourth) Sunday of the month.

BALLET

At 2pm, on Sunday, September 13th, the ballet group will present an exciting full-length production from the Paris Opera Ballet of PAQUITA instead of the previously announced LA SYLPHIDE. The production is (as close as possible) a recreation of its 1846 premiere at the Paris Opera and is a feast for your eyes and ears. Mark your calendars. For more information contact Tony Janik at [email protected]

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club has suspended Saturday afternoon games until further notice but continues to meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located in Holiday Park at 700 NE 6thTerrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions. All games are now charity games. Triple masterpoints are awarded and a portion of the entry fee for all games is donated to Tuesday's Angels. All games are sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and the entry fee remains $6.00. Come out and enjoy bridge, earn triple points and support Tuesday's Angels all at the same time.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Read several good books this past month. Some that you might consider are:

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson is a reunion of many of the characters from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. If you liked the first one you'll like the second even more. Quite a good story.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo is a novel of great introspection approached with humor and sensitivity. I liked it a lot. It's the story of a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one and his daughter's new life. It's better than it sounds.

Intervention by Robin Cook turned out to be NOT one of Robin Cook's better efforts. Save your time and money on this one.

Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery came highly recommended from my friend Tony. It's a beautifully written book about life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege, and power as seen through the eyes of a 54-year-old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl. Unfortunately, too much talk of phenomenology tends to put me to sleep. Still highly recommended.

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. Don't know what to make of these co-authored books. Perhaps, books by committee will be next. Regardless of the writing process it's a pretty good book about lynchings in the South in the early part of the 20th century.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 14th.

Chuck Murabito

Primavera Restaurant
Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

August 1, 2009

Greetings from Gita.

Hope you're all doing well.

We're running a bit behind schedule with our news this month. We've been very busy with the restaurant. This past week we closed on Monday and Tuesday to have a new stained concrete floor installed. This has given the dining room a completely different look. And we've also done a lot of landscaping in the front. Everything is a lot cleaner and neater so we're feeling a bit better about our looks. When we reopened on Wednesday evening the response was enthusiastic. And we thank you all for your great feedback and support.

So here we are into August already. Wow! Tempus fugit.

One of my first executive decisions as a new owner of Primavera was to lower the price of the Gita Dinners. From now on they will be $20 instead of $25. We know what everyone is going through. We're going through it ourselves. Which is why we value your support. And not only will you get a fabulous dinner but you'll also be eligible to win some incredibly valuable and exotic prizes. Hope to see you at our next dinner.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, August 10, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 10th of August at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

New menu and new prices. Don't forget the Special Gita Menu - Appetizer, Entree and Dessert for $15.95. We also have very reasonably priced Appetizers and Entrees. Also great banquet facilities, by the way.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

It continues to be a rocky road in the real estate world. I'm currently experiencing a rush of activities on my listings. I also seem to be working with more serious buyers who are ready to buy. So for whatever insignificant part I am of the real estate business I can only say that I see lots more activity. Then, of course, that could all change in a month or so. All we really know is that we don't know. A dozen experts will tell you a dozen different predictions.

Just deal with it and try to figure out your best move.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group meets at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group will meet on Sunday August 9 at 2pm in the Stonewall library 1300 Sunrise Blvd.
We will see a production of Khachaturyan's "Spartacus." The performance features the Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, premier dancer with the Royal Ballet.

The library is cool. So wear something warm.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club now meets twice a week, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday afternoons at 12:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. While Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions, Carl Cronrath, the Club Director, handles the Saturday afternoon sessions. In addition the games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and master points are awarded at each game. The entry fee is now $6.00

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout was a most delightful experience. It is a novel in the form of stories. Olive is quite a character and personality. You'll love this book.

The White Lioness by Henning Mankell is one of his early Swedish Detective Kurt Wallander Mysteries. Pretty good.

The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto is a wonderful history of Manhattan focusing mainly on the earliest period when the island was under the control of the Dutch.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fascinating book which recounts the incredible adventure of Pi Patel. Check it out.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 10th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

June 27, 2009

Yes it's true. Juan and I are pleased to announce that we have become partners in Primavera Restaurant. We are currently greeting guests nightly from 5 PM to 10 PM. As you know Gita has been meeting at Primavera for the past four years. In that period of time we've developed a great relationship with Giacomo, the chef/owner. We're enjoying working with him and are looking forward to big changes in the future.

Primavera is a local tradition and will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year. Our intention is to keep the great food that Giacomo and Primavera are famous for and to add a more personal atmosphere to the mix and also some popular favorites to the menu to reflect a more casual dining atmosphere. Over the course of the summer we also plan to add a liquor license and do some major remodeling to give the restaurant a more contemporary look. We know you're going to be very excited when you see the changes. The current bar area, for instance, will become the lounge. The design plans are in the hands of the multi-award winning Shuster Design Associates Shuster Design Associates led by my good friend Louis Shuster, who I've known for over 20 years since he was a customer in my first restaurant, Grand Central Cafe, which was located in Progresso Plaza, opposite the railroad tracks where NE 3rd Avenue crosses the tracks and become NE 4th Ave, or Wilton Drive. Grand Central Cafe was a local favorite in the 80's and always received high marks for the quality of the food, service and unique ambiance.

What does this mean for you? As a Gita Member it means that from now on you will receive a special welcome at Primavera and will always receive 10% off your dinner check and soon you're going to have a new and exciting restaurant to visit. (Naturally the 10% discount is not available in conjunction with most other promotions.) You need only remind your server that you're a Gita Member to receive the discount. And if you receive this email you are "officially" a Gita Member. Congratulations. Come visit us and in addition to the 10% discount we're offering you a Special Treat. You can make reservations at 954-563-6363

This recipe Primavera Chilean Sea Bass With Asparagus Crust was featured in the Sun Sentinel this past week. It's delicious and you can try to make it yourself or you can save yourself the effort. Come on in and we'll make it for you. Yum!

And if you've always wanted to be part of the restaurant business we have some limited investment opportunities still available.

Bent

The play "Bent" is being performed until July 19 at the Rising Action Theatre, across the street from Primavera. This is an excellent production which, I'm sure, you'll enjoy. When you order tickets you can get a discount by inserting Gita when they ask for a code. There is also a dinner/theatre combo which combines dinner at Primavera with an evening at the theatre. For Tickets: Rising Action Theatre

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, July 13, 2009

We had a great crowd at our June Dinner. Our next Gita Dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 13th of July at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently ample space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

First the good news. Sales in May were up 47% over last year.

Now the bad news. The median price for condominiums dropped 42%. The median price for existing homes was down 38% to $190,000 from a year ago.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group will meet at its new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. in the new Stonewall Library tomorrow, June 28, at 2 PM to see a production of Massanet's romantic masterpiece "Werther." A short presentation on the background and plot will precede the viewing. If you'd like to attend please RSVP to Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group will meet at indeterminate intervals to watch dance performances. We'll keep you posted on upcoming events.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Mike Donnelly continues to direct and the games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League which allows masterpoints to be awarded at each game. The entry fee is $6.00.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

Lots of escapist lit this past month. I've read a bunch of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books: Gone Tomorrow, Echo Burning, and Die Trying. All well written with good plots that hold up. Also tried Michael Connelly's new book, The Scarecrow, which was a lot better than his previous efforts.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 13th for Gita and at any other time you'd like to join us at Primavera.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

June 2, 2009

Greetings from Gita.

Hope you're all doing well. We had a record rainfall in May so everyone's garden ought to be thriving.

Our May dinner was hugely successful and we're hoping to continue throughout the summer. Hope you'll be able to join us for the fun and frolic.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, June 8, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 8th of June at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently limited space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

Giacomo has announced a new moderately priced menu at Primavera Restaurant. You need to check it out. Great food at reduced prices is always welcome and especially during these rough economic times.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

All the statistics are showing an uptick in real estate sales. That's good news. Remember both prices and interest rates are at record lows.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group meets at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group will meet at indeterminate intervals to watch dance performances. We'll keep you posted on upcoming events.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club now meets twice a week, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday afternoons at 12:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. While Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions, Carl Cronrath, the Club Director, handles the Saturday afternoon sessions. In addition the games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and master points are awarded at each game. The entry fee is now $6.00

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-446-5666.

BOOK BEAT

I read a couple of Jay McInerney books this past month. The first was a novel, The Good Life, which takes place in New York City post 9/11. The second was How It Ended, which is a collection of short stories. The author has a great eye and ear for urban life and the characters who populate the city. Both are highly recommended.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a story about a group of classics majors at a Vermont college who murder a friend. They are a bunch of drug addicted alcoholics and it was only with great determination that I was able to get through the book. Not really worth the effort.

Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty came highly recommended. It was billed as a novel of suspense but that turned out not to be true.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

May 4, 2009

Greetings from Gita.

Our most recent Gita Dinner was held on April 13 at Primavera. We had a great crowd in attendance and everyone had a wonderful time. As usual, we also gave away some outstanding raffle gifts.

The Tuesday's Angels 100% Solution Bike ride took place on Aril 17 to 19. We started out with 13 riders and one had a bad fall a week before the ride and another had a fall on the first day of the ride. We left Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning at 6 AM from Las Olas and A1A and biked north to Fort Pierce 104 miles away. The wind had been coming from the South for the past four months but the day before the ride it switched directions and started blowing from the North. Hence, we headed into the wind rather than having it at our backs. This made a difference of several miles per hour and also increases the fatigue factor. But, it was a beautiful day. Saturday we left Fort Pierce and bicycled 50 miles north and then returned so the wind was less of a factor. On Sunday we pedaled back to Fort Lauderdale and the wind also changed direction and started blowing from the South. So, once again, we were forced to battle the wind.

Lest you feel sorry for us you should know that it was a beautiful weekend and we were able to raise more than $55,000 for Tuesday's Angels, which is the point of the whole thing. We have a wonderful and substantial crew that accompanies us along the way and who cook for us in Fort Pierce. This was the 13th year of the ride. Until this year we had always stayed at a progressively disintegrating motel on the inlet. That place is now shuttered and we stayed in a new beautiful place this year.

Thanks to all of you who were kind enough to donate to our cause. Remember, ALL the money we raise goes to people in need.

The bike ride photos are also on the Gita Website.

The horse that won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday was purchased for $9,500 and the horse that came in third cost $15,000. The "also-rans" cost millions.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, May 11, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 11th of May at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently limited space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

PRIMAVERA

Giacomo has announced a new moderately priced menu at Primavera Restaurant. You need to check it out. Great food at reduced prices is always welcome and especially during these rough economic times.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

All the statistics are showing an uptick in real estate sales. That's good news. Remember both prices and interest rates are at record lows.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group meets at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. This new location is larger than the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BALLET

The Ballet Group will meet on May 10 at 1 PM in the new Stonewall Library in the Artserve building at 1300 Sunrise Blvd. We will see a production of Adam's ballet "Giselle" in a performance by the La Scala Company featuring Roberto Bolle.

BRIDGE

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club now meets twice a week, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday afternoons at 12:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. While Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions, Carl Cronrath, the Club Director, handles the Saturday afternoon sessions. In addition the games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and master points are awarded at each game. The entry fee is now $6.00

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

My book reports include a couple good books this month.

Donna Leon has a new book, "About Face" which is better than her last and pretty interesting. Her books take place in Venice and are rich in local color.

"First Family" is the new book by David Baldacci and it's pretty good. Nothing special.

Just read "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth and really enjoyed it.

Stuart Woods can always be counted on to provide an engaging story and his new book, "Loitering With Intent" which takes place in Key West and Miami is a pleasant adventure.

"Madness Under the Royal Palms" is a new book by Laurence Leamer about life and death in Palm Beach. Pretty interesting insider view of the ruling class and their constant struggle against the social climbers on the island.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 11th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

April 3, 2009

Greetings from Gita. Hope you are all doing well. It's getting warmer and we can be sure that summer is just around the corner.

Our most recent Gita Dinner was held on March 9 at Primavera. We had a great crowd in attendance to celebrate the Gita 6th Anniversary Dinner. Sure hard to believe that we've been around for six years. We have been having our dinners at Primavera for about 4 years and that's also hard to believe. While we're on the subject I'd really like to thank Giacomo and the staff at Primavera for making our monthly dinners run so smoothly. It has been a pleasure dealing with them.

Last month's dinner also marked the final appearance of Charlie Caldwell our talented paparazzo. Charlie has accepted a job in Atlanta and has refused to consider jetting on down for our monthly dinners. We'll miss him and want to thank him for his stellar efforts on our behalf. His pictures and wonderful remembrances of dinners past are on the Gita website GitaUSA

At last month's dinner we also gave away some outstanding raffle gifts. Gene Huszcza, of Photo Impressions International, generously donated some of his outstanding nature photography to a couple very lucky dinner guests. Often called the "painter with a camera" Gene's photos are breathtaking. Thanks Gene for your generosity. Gene can be reached at 954-540-1136. In addition to Gene's beautiful artwork several lucky guests received stylish Gita fashion and exotic fragrances from our friend Ken at Macy's.

Pandora on my iPhone

Also at last month's dinner special guest Pedro from the Miami and Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival told members how they could sign up for memberships in the Film Festival and that if they signed up 10% of the membership fee would be donated to Tuesday's Angels Charity. If you're interested you can sign up directly from the Gita Website.

And while we're on the subject of Tuesday's Angels I need to tell you that the annual Tuesday's Angels 100% Solution Bike Ride for Life is upcoming in a couple of weeks. The ride will again be held on three days from April 17 to 19. Once again Juan and I will be biking 308 miles in three days. We bicycle from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Pierce on day one and from Fort Pierce to Melbourne Beach and back on day two and from Fort Pierce back to Fort Lauderdale ending up at the Alibi at 5PM on day three, Sunday April 19. Total: 308 miles.

The purpose of the ride is to raise money for Tuesday's Angels, which is a local charity that helps people suffering from AIDS pay their bills. This charity is a nonprofit Section 501 (c)3 organization with no administrative expenses thus enabling all money raised to go directly to people in need.

If you'd like to support our ride you are encouraged to bring a tax-deductible check (made out to Tuesday's Angels) to dinner on April 13. We and the people who benefit from this charity would be most grateful.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, April 13, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 13th of April at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently limited space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

Yes, things are picking up in the real estate business. We can report heightened activity and can assure you that some savvy buyers are taking advantage of the situation. Both prices and interest rates are at record lows.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group will meet at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd on Sunday, January 25th at 1pm. when a production of Rossini's opera La Cenorentola will be presented. A short presentation on the background and plot of the opera will precede the viewing.

The new location is larger that the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

Bridge

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club now meets twice a week, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday afternoons at 12:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. While Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions, Carl Cronrath, the Club Director, handles the Saturday afternoon sessions. In addition the games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and master points are awarded at each game. The entry fee is now $6.00

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

I've been through quite a few books lately and only a few of them merit much comment.

I enjoyed Jeffrey Archer's new book, Paths of Glory. This is a novel about the life of George Mallory who might have been the first person to climb Mt. Everest.

Joe Torres new book, The Yankee Years, is quite entertaining. It probably helps a bit if you're a baseball fan.

John Grisham can usually be relied upon to present a well written and carefully plotted book. His new book, The Associate, however, is a real clunker. The story spins along for quite a while getting you immersed in a pretty outrageous plot. Then when things get exciting it just ends. No ending. Not even a passable attempt at an ending. He might just as well at some point have written "and they lived happily ever after." Do not buy this book. You will be sorry if you do. If you want to know the story just ask me and I'll tell you. Without an ending, of course.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, on the other hand, is well worth the read. This novel presents an intimate picture of India today as seen by Balram, a poor peasant who becomes a servant and driver for a wealthy family. He's also a philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. His story is amusing and enlightening.

Gita Member, John F. Rooney, has come out with a new book called Last Passage to Santiago. John's books are frequently rich in travel lore and make you want to visit his exotic locales.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news about upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 13th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

February 15, 2009

Greetings from Gita.

We had our first monthly dinner this past Monday and the crowd was very receptive to our new smaller limited seating policy. It was a delightful dinner and featured some fabulous Gita prizes, as usual.

Our next dinner will be on Monday February 23, 2008. The second monthly dinners always draw a more intimate crowd. Very pleasant.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, February 23, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 23rd of February at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

It's still a good time to be a buyer and not a seller. If a new south Florida home is in your plans this is a great time to be shopping.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group will be meeting at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd. The new location is larger that the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

Bridge

Quick Tricks Duplicate Bridge Club now meets twice a week, Tuesday evenings at 6:30 and Saturday afternoons at 12:30 at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale: Right off Federal Highway just south of Sunrise Blvd.

While Mike Donnelly continues to direct the Tuesday sessions, Carl Cronrath, Director of the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club, directs the Saturday afternoon sessions. In addition games are now sanctioned by the American Contract Bridge League and master points are awarded at each game. The entry fee is now $6.00.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news on upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

The Next Class:
WEDNESDAY February 18, 2009. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: Sauvignon Blanc, Red Zinfandel
APPETIZER: Lobster, Crab &Tomato Bisque
FIRST COURSE: Peas and Potato Risotto
SECOND COURSE: Duck Breast Almondine, with Blueberry sauce
DESSERT: Crepes with Orange sauce

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 23rd.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

January 19, 2009

Greetings from Gita. Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for your terrific support in 2008.

We had a dinner meeting this past Monday and our "downsizing" met with enthusiastic support from all and many claimed it to be the best dinner ever. The reduced crowd enabled dinner to be served with greater efficiency and care.

We'll be having a second dinner this month on Monday January 26 to accommodate those unable to attend the earlier dinner and those wanting to do it again. We're expecting a moderate and intimate crowd. Hope you can join us.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, January 26, 2009

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 26th of January at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The statistics are showing an upturn in real estate sales in the past couple of months. That's good news and may reinforce the thought of some that we may be hitting the bottom of the real estate market. There are many truly fabulous properties on the market at breathtaking prices.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. The opera group will meet at a new location at 1300 East Sunrise Blvd on Sunday, January 25th at 1pm. when a production of Rossini's opera La Cenorentola will be presented. A short presentation on the background and plot of the opera will precede the viewing.

The new location is larger that the previous venue. We are grateful to the Stonewall library for its support of this activity. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

Bridge

All of the gay bridge games in the city have combined forces to present a professionally run duplicate game each Tuesday at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Right off Federal Highway just south of Sunrise Blvd. The game is run by our friend Mike Donnelly who gives a short class before the 6:45 PM game. Just show up early and they'll find a partner for you. Price is $5.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

Since our last Newsletter we've read a number of good and bad books. A quick review:

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille is the long awaited sequel to The Gold Coast. It continues the saga and if you like the first one you're sure to like this one.

The Girl of His Dreams written by one of my favorites, Donna Leon, who writes wonderful books about police Commissario Brunetti in Venice. Her books are usually excellent with wonderful characters and a rich view of everyday life in Venice. I don't know what happened to this one but is definitely her worst book and should be avoided as a waste of time.

Born to Run by James Grippando: Not bad political intrigue

Cross Country by James Patterson is a typical James Patterson and pretty entertaining. Some interesting action in Nigeria.

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill is about Hans, from the Netherlands, who while living in NYC hooks up with other Cricket players. A most entertaining subculture and a most entertaining book. Very good.

Divine Justice by David Baldacci More Camel Club nonsense. Fair

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates excellent book. A surprisingly large number of laughs in this pretty somber story. Very well written. Eagerly anticipating the movie.

The Last Spymaster by Gayle Lynds Didn't finish this one.

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian Excellent book. In 1945 during the waning months of WW2 a fascinating cast of characters attempt to cross Germany to the West in advance of the oncoming Russian Army.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink is a wonderful book. Also set in Germany Michael Berg gets involved with and reads to Hanna, an older woman. Great book and excellent movie.

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark. A very amusing account of Luciano, a street urchin in 15th century Venice, who is apprenticed to a great chef in the palace of the doge. Lots of intrigue and mischief. If you like food and cooking you'll find it even more fun.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. Here are some of his upcoming classes. For news on upcoming classes or to make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363. Remember you need to tell them that you are a Gita member to get the $10 discount. Giacomo is a most amusing and entertaining teacher and really knows his stuff. Class is delicious.

WEDNESDAY January 29, 2009. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: Vernaccia, Merlot
APPETIZER: Pasta &Fagioli (Bean Soup)
FIRST COURSE: Potato Gnocchi, with four cheeses sauce
SECOND COURSE: Chicken Scaloppine Sorrentina
DESSERT: Chocolate Bread Pudding

SUNDAY February 1, 2009. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: Chianti, Viognier
APPETIZER: Beer Battered Artichokes
FIRST COURSE: Spaghetti Carbonara
SECOND COURSE: Salmon Wellington
DESSERT: Lemon Flan

WEDNESDAY February 18, 2009. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: Sauvignon Blanc, Red Zinfandel
APPETIZER: Lobster, Crab &Tomato Bisque
FIRST COURSE: Peas and Potato Risotto
SECOND COURSE: Duck Breast Almondine, with Blueberry sauce
DESSERT: Crepes with Orange sauce

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 26th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

November 30, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope your Thanksgiving celebration was successful. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with friends.

We had a huge turnout last month for our GITA dinner and those pictures can be found on the website GitaUSA and are excellent.

As part of my job as a realtor and title insurance professional I've always tried to be as current as possible with up-to-date technology. I have always been supported by an array of gadgets that have made life and work easier and more productive. How anyone ever did the job of a realtor without a cell phone and a computer is a mystery to me. I never owned a Blackberry so it seems I got a little behind the curve for a while. But, a month ago I purchased an iPhone and I've found it to be a truly revolutionary bit of technology. It is literally like carrying your computer in your pocket. It's a cell phone, a camera, a voice recorder, a GPS, a calculator, an iPod, a calendar and appointment book, an internet connection, phone book, text messenger, email sender and receiver, and among many other things, a flashlight. I can drive down the street and if I see a property for sale I can go online with my phone and find the listing and learn everything I need to know. I can touch the listing agent's phone number on my screen and be immediately connected. Or I can look up similar listings on my phone and the GPS will tell me how to get to them. In fact I can speak any address or business into my phone and it will display a map of how to get there. For good or bad this is the ultimate in connectivity and it's comforting to know that one can find out everything about anything at any time and in any place. A bit overwhelming!

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, December 8, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 8th of December at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

Possible GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, December 22, 2008

If there is sufficient interest we will hold an additional Gita Dinner Meeting on the 22nd. Same time, same place. This is the week of Christmas so you may or may not want to add another event to you social schedule.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The statistics are showing an upturn in real estate sales in the past couple of months. That's good news and may reinforce the thought of some that we may be hitting the bottom of the real estate market. There are many truly fabulous properties on the market at breathtaking prices.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical but will be resuming shortly as snowbirds return. Classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. Because of the renovations at the new location of the Stonewall Library, the group will not meet until the new year. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

Several people are wanting to organize a group of those who are interested in seeing ballet performances. If you'd like to be part of this group please let us know and we'll steer you in the right direction.

Bridge

All of the gay bridge games in the city have combined forces to present a professionally run duplicate game each Tuesday at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Right off Federal Highway just south of Sunrise Blvd. The game is run by our friend Mike Donnelly who gives a short class before the 6:45 PM game. Just show up early and they'll find a partner for you. Price is $5.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

I read several good books this month and I recommend all of them.

Call Me Ted, by Ted Turner was very enjoyable. Ted has quite a history as the only person to have won both the America's Cup Yacht Race and the World Series as owner of the Atlanta Braves. He founded Turner Broadcasting and CNN and is the largest landowner in the United States. And let's not forget Jane Fonda. He is mostly responsible for his own success. A very interesting life.

Dennis Lahane, author of Mystic River and a few other notable works has a new book called The Given Day. Set in Boston immediately after World War I the story focuses on two families, one black and one white. It's a story of anarchists, immigrants and ward bosses and culminates in the Boston Police Strike of 1919. Interesting characters include Babe Ruth, Eugene O'Neil, Jack Reed, W.E.B.DuBois, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge and an ambitious young Department of Justice lawyer named John Hoover.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson is just a wonderful meditative story. 67 year-old Trond Sander lives in a far coner of Norway and reflects upon a horse-stealing prank with his best friend in 1948 that turned tragic and changed his life forever.

Nelson DeMille's The Gold Coast was written in 1991 and is set on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America. Many of the estates are falling on hard times and an Italian, a Mafia don no less, buys the palatial estate next door to the Sutters. Then follows friendship, seduction, love and betrayal and all mixed with great humor.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news on upcoming classes call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and for a class discount tell them you're a Gita member.

Giacomo has two upcoming cooking classes. The next is on Wednesday December 3 at 1 PM featuring Mushrooms Strudel, Gnoccchetti alla Parigina, Pan Seared Salmon with a ginger/basil sauce and Passion Fruit Custard for dessert. On Sunday, December 14 at 1 PM he has another class featuring Shrimp Polpette, with Marinara sauce, Whole Wheat Spaghetti with artichokes and Tomato Sauce and Snapper Oreganata, with baby clams sauce and Fillo Cups with Mascarpone Cream. Prepared dishes are served with appropriate wines. Classes are entertaining, informative and delicious.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

November 2, 2008

Greetings from Gita. We've survived another hurricane season and are grateful to enjoy the cool weather and just love having the doors and windows open at home. It's a great thing. Finally.

We joined the throng on Wilton Drive on Friday night for the Halloween Celebration and it was a lot of fun. The weather was perfect and an enormous crowd displayed some truly great costumes, many of which you can see on the Gita Website GitaUSA.com

We went to see the new film RocknRolla last night. It's a film written and directed by Guy Ritchie and it's smart, sexy and lots of fun. I found it to be very clever and entertaining and recommend it highly.

We had a huge turnout last month for dinner and those pictures are also on the website GitaUSA and are excellent. Charlie did an incredible job with the camera. Check them out and you'll be very impressed.

In the past few months you will recall that we've grappled with the price of our monthly dinners and tried to find a solution to the ever increasing cost of food and energy and everything else. The feedback from all of you has been consistent in encouraging us to increase the price so that everyone contributes equally. Consequently, as of our upcoming November Dinner the price is being increased to $25, which will continue to include Bruschetta, salad, choice of entree, coffee, dessert, tip and also a chance to win fabulous prizes. It is with great reluctance that we make this change and hope you appreciate the necessity.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, November 10, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 10th of November at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $25 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The real estate market has seen a moderate increase in activity in the last month or so. It continues to be a depressing market for sellers and "shopping heaven" for buyers. For the most part the properties that are selling are the best in their particular price range. There is so much available that as you shop you find that if a particular house/condo has any drawbacks you can just move on to the next one until you see the perfect place. It's home shopping paradise and the prices are stunning.

If you have questions about short sales or foreclosures or what's going on in general, call me or any of our talented Gita member Realtors.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical but will be resuming shortly as snowbirds return. Classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

Bridge

All of the gay bridge games in the city have combined forces to present a professionally run duplicate game each Tuesday at the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club located at 700 NE 6th Terrace in Fort Lauderdale. Right off Federal Highway just south of Sunrise Blvd. The game is run by our friend Mike Donnelly who gives a short class before the 6:45 PM game. Just show up early and they'll find a partner for you. Price is $5.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

Blindness by Jose Saramago was recommended by my friend Jim. I think there's a movie around with the same name. Pretty entertaining book with an interesting concept: everyone suddenly goes blind and society deteriorates. Having read the book I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell was fun. I Saw the author on the Daily Show as a guest of Jon Stewart. She was pretty entertaining, as is the book. An amusing account of the religious fanatics who settled our country.

Grass Roots by Stuart Woods was very good. Thought I'd read all of the Stuart Woods books but then found this one. An earlier effort featuring Will Lee, whom I've encountered in subsequent adventures. In this one Will runs for the Senate. It's an interesting political thriller with an interesting plot and lots of political strategizing that is more relevant considering our current political overkill.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides was recommended by my good friend Vincenzo. I wasn't expecting to be enthralled by a tale of a hermaphrodite but I was pleasantly surprised. It's quite an entertaining intergenerational epic. Really well written and absorbing. You'll like it.

The Brass Verdict is the new book by Michael Connelly. Another book that was better than expected. This one has two of Michael Connelly's heroes, Micky Hammer is the leading character with Harry Bosch joining forces in a courtroom thriller. My take is that sticking them both in together is a silly marketing ploy and they tend to diminish each other. But the book has enough excitement and drama and twists and turns to keep you entertained.

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn is the latest Mitch Rabb adventure. Most of them have been pretty good. This one is pretty slim and not worth the effort.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news on upcoming classes call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and for a class discount tell them you're a Gita member.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 10th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

October 4, 2008

Greetings from Gita. It's October already. Wow! Things are still pretty quiet around town. Heard that Salute is no longer in business and that didn't come as much of a surprise. But, we're still here and going strong. We had a great crowd at dinner last month and are looking forward to a good crowd this month. Our next dinner is on the 13th. This month's dinner will feature our extravagant celebration of Columbus Day. Photos of last month's dinner are on the newly revamped Gita website GitaUSA

We're happy to announce that our good friend Raoul Pinho has offered to present an iPhone course to interested members and friends. Raoul is an ardent gadget freak and lives on the "cutting edge" of technology. He's had years of practice with his iPhone and is willing to share his expertise with eager iPhoners. He will, quite literally, help you unleash the potential of the gadget and simplify the whole process for you. If you'd like to be involved please get in touch with Raoul at [email protected] and he'll set up a class.

You're now able to purchase Gita Fashion on the Gita Website. Each order is individually prepared and shipped directly from the boys at EmbroidMe. We are encouraging all current owners of Gita Fashion to send us their pictures wearing Gita Fashion. We'll add them to the website. If you'd like you can wear your fashion to a dinner and we'll take your modeling picture for you. Looking forward to some great pictures.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, October 13, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 13th of October at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

More people are taking advantage of the great bargains in the real estate market. We've seen quite a bit more activity this past month. There are now 2 bedroom apartments in Palm Aire listed in the $80K's. There are houses in Fort Lauderdale reduced from the $700K's to the $400K's. Also, many short sales and foreclosures are continuing to drive prices down.

If you have questions about what's going on call me or any of our talented Gita member realtors.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical but will be resuming shortly. Classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

We've been through quite a few books this month and most don't have much to recommend them. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier &Clay by Michael Chabon, Not in the Flesh by Ruth Renndell, Winterkill by C.J. Box, Stray Dog Winter by David Francis, The Ambler Warning by Robert Ludlum, Second Wind By Dick Francis and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.

Of this group two merit special attention. The first because of how bad it was; Second Wind by Dick Francis. It is painful to endure such a poorly written book from one of my favorite authors of all time. This one is mindless and pathetic and ought to be avoided. And maybe he ought to retire.

The second book deserves praise because of how good it was; The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. This is a fascinating story about the Sawtelle family of northern Wisconsin, their son Edgar who was born mute, and the breed of outstanding dogs they breed. This is a first novel that will captivate you. Beautifully written and absorbing from the start. You won't be disappointed.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news on upcoming classes call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and for a class discount tell them you're a Gita member.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 13th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

September 3, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope you've had an enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. We've been lucky to have a couple of hurricanes avoid us and we hope that continues. Now we have Hanna and Ike and Josephine to keep us restless. Since we last met we've been through the Olympics, the democratic convention and now the republican convention. It's been a busy month.

Our summer dinners continue to attract great crowds and we're glad for the support. We had a delightful crowd at last month's dinner and we're looking forward to a good attendance this month. Our next dinner is next Monday on the 8th. Photos of last month's dinner are on the newly revamped Gita website GitaUSA We've done quite a bit of work to our Gita Website and we hope you enjoy the updates. Among other things we've made the Photo Gallery easier to navigate. Let me know what you think and let me know if you have any suggestions.

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Guy Boccia. From the beginning of Gita five years ago Guy has been one of our most faithful members. He rarely missed an event and only did so when he was out of town or, more recently, in the hospital. He was a friendly and happy fixture in our lives and we'll miss him.

You're now able to purchase Gita Fashion on the Gita Website. Each order is individually prepared and shipped directly from the boys at EmbroidMe. We are encouraging all current owners of Gita Fashion to send us their pictures wearing Gita Fashion. We'll add them to the website. If you'd like you can wear your fashion to a dinner and we'll take your modeling picture for you. Looking forward to some great pictures.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, September 8, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 8th of September at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

I'm happy to report an uptick in real estate activity in the past couple of months. Although that's certainly good news we'll caution you to not get too excited. The real estate market is definitely loaded with great bargains right now. If you're interested in one of the many beauties on the market just give me a call. You need to get out there and buy something.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical. Classes will resume in the fall and are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

This month we're recommending White Teeth, a highly acclaimed first novel by Zadie Smith. The book takes place in London and explores the lives of some pretty exotic characters with varied ethnic and religious backgrounds. How they all interact is presented with great humor and wit. If, by chance, you've already read the book let me know. I have a couple of questions.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents cooking classes frequently. For news on upcoming classes call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and for a class discount tell them you're a Gita member.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

August 5, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope you're are enjoying your summer wherever you are. We're sticking close to home this summer and enjoying the heat and the brisk real estate business.

Our summer dinners continue to attract great crowds and we're glad for the support. At last month's dinner Gita author John J. Mcneill was kind enough to donate three of his books to a most appreciative winner during our exciting after-dinner raffle. Photos are on the newly revamped Gita website GitaUSA We've done quite a bit of work to our Gita Website and we hope you enjoy the updates. Among other things we've made the Photo Gallery easier to navigate. Let me know what you think and let me know if you have any suggestions.

You're now able to purchase Gita Fashion on the Gita Website. Each order is individually prepared and shipped directly from the boys at EmbroidMe. We are encouraging all current owners of Gita Fashion to send us their pictures wearing Gita Fashion. We'll add them to the website. If you'd like you can wear your fashion to a dinner and we'll take your modeling picture for you. Looking forward to some great pictures.

We'd like to thank Giacomo and the folks at Primavera for all the help they've extended to us over the past few years. They have been most accommodating and it has been a pleasure to work with them. We are currently in discussions with them about the cost of putting our excellent dinners on the tables. If you've been to the grocery store lately (or just been alive) you know what's been going on as far as food, gas, and electricity costs are concerned. In the last year eggs are up 100%, butter and dairy products 50%, flour over 50%, potatoes 150%, veggies at least 50%, cooking gas 25%, FPL 16%, pasta and flour 50%, etc. You get the idea. As it currently stands we're still paying $20 which includes salad, entree, dessert, coffee and tip. If each person were able to leave a tip of at least a couple of dollars at the end of the dinner; that's a modest 10%, we will be able to forestall a price increase.

Additionally, Giacomo has come up with a totally new modestly priced everyday menu which he is implementing immediately. A copy of this new menu is attached to this newsletter.

Our next Gita Dinner Meeting is upcoming next Monday. We're delighted that the summer crowds have been so supportive.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, August 11, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 11th of August at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently space available for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

Although there seems to be more shoppers looking at properties these days they all expect huge discounts. It still isn't a very good time to sell if you don't need to. The real estate market is definitely loaded with great bargains right now. If all the talk about foreclosures and short sales intrigues you and you'd like more information just give me a call. You need to get out there and buy something.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Although the Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical the same doesn't apply to our Firenze born instructor. Manuel has been dazzling the crowds with his fabulous modeling. Hope you were able to catch him on the July 17 cover of 411 Magazine. If you missed it you can check it out at 411 Magazine and choose Issue 29. Classes will resume in the fall and are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language and seeing more of Manuel you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

We're very fortunate to have several professional writers in our membership. Last month John J. McNeill generously donated three of his books to a lucky recipient in our hugely exciting dinner raffle. John is a noted author, psychotherapist, and former Jesuit priest who has been involved with DignityUSA for over 30 years and writes about liberating spirituality for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and transexuals. Thanks John for your generosity.

Gita Member John F. Rooney's books probably couldn't be more different from John McNeill's books. Mr. Rooney has published a couple of thrillers set in New York involving terrorists with overlapping characters. His second book,The Rice Queen Spy, deals with a former gay British Secret Service agent who was outed by the spy agency and who has an eye for Far Eastern lads. In all of his books Mr. Rooney makes good use of his exotic locales. If he tires of fiction he could easily write travel books.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo has a couple of upcoming cooking classes. The next one is this Sunday, August 10, at 1 PM. The menu includes Eggplant &Ricotta Rolls, Potato Gnocchi, Pizza and Crema Cotta for dessert. The next class will be on Wednesday, August 20, at 1 PM. This menu includes Shrimp Cocktail with an unusual sauce, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Veal or Chicken Zurighese with Sour Cream and Mushrooms Sauce and Coffee Mousse Cake for dessert. Featured wines are also included. Cooking Class Price is $40 with Gita members getting a 25% discount. For reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and tell them you're a Gita member.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are hoping to add more member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 11th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

July 6, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope your summer is going well.

We had a great crowd at last month's Gita dinner and were happy to welcome Richard Childs, an owner of the fabulous Gelato Station which is located just across the street from Tropics, who contributed several gift certificates for his tasty shop to our exciting prize drawings.

A couple of weeks ago Juan and I traveled to St. Petersburg to visit my cousin Susan and her husband and attend three Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays baseball games. Her husband, Norm, works for the Rays so in addition to being a big baseball fan he was also able to get us prime seats. It was a great weekend getaway. Disappointingly the Marlins lost the first two games.

The Stonewall Pride Parade was held last Saturday evening and it was quite impressive. I'm sorry we didn't have a Gita contingent. The rain was a bother but we brought umbrellas so it wasn't a big deal. It was great fun and inspiring to see such a huge turnout.

Our next Gita Dinner Meeting is upcoming next Monday. We're delighted that the summer crowds have been so supportive.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, July 14, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 14th of July at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. There is currently still some space left for this dinner. Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The real estate market is loaded with great bargains right now. If all the talk about foreclosures and short sales intrigues you and you'd like more information just give me a call. You need to get out there and buy something.

HORSE SHOW PICTURES

I've recently added some horse show pictures to the Photo Gallery on the Gita website. If you'd like copies of any of them just let me know.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking a summer sabbatical and will return in the fall. The classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

Really good gay bridge news. The Gita Bridge Group, organized by Ron Webb, has joined forces with the Wilton Station bridge group. The newly formed group has moved to the Fort Lauderdale Bridge Club, located at 700 NE 6th Terrace where Mike Donnelly, who directed the two groups, will direct the new game and provide instruction every Tuesday at 6:30 PM. If you're interested in playing just show up at the bridge club before 6:30 on Tuesday.

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

If you enjoyed the Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett you'll be delighted by his sequel, World Without End, which also takes place in Kingsbridge two hundred years later. World Without End was written in 2007 and once again the cathedral and the priory are at the center of a series of emotional battles of love and hate and you name it.

While watching the Colbert Report one evening I was interested in the interview with Junot Diaz who won a Pulitzer Prize for his new book The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Oscar is a sweet overweight Dominican nerd from New Jersey whose family has been plagued by a Fuku (curse) for generations. Some legendary Dominican characters including playboy Porfirio Rubirosa and dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo add some Dominican background to the tale. I thought it was a very enjoyable book but another cousin, Barbara, felt she would have enjoyed it more if she knew more Spanish.

Limitations is a new legal thriller by Scott Turow. It's well written and I'm sure you'll find it a satisfying read. All the pieces fit well together.

Have you read any good books lately?

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA MEMBER NEWS

SANTA FE OPERA TRIP ORGANIZED BY GITA MEMBER PATRICK CASALI
Join GITA member, Patrick Casali (Professor Emeritus of Humanities) on an exciting opera excursion (una gita) to Santa Fe, New Mexico: July 28 - August 3, 2008. This is a 7 day Opera &Arts adventure sponsored by the North Shore Senior Center of Chicago, combining the cultural sophistication of an urban center with centuries-old traditions of a Spanish and Native American heritage. Santa Fe is internationally famous for its outdoor opera, film festivals, music and dance, as well as galleries, world-class museums, sophisticated shopping (if fashion is your passion) and fine dining; its allure as a special city is infectious. There will be ample time for independent "discovery" while showcasing a number of must-see sights and events, all designed to provide an unforgettable experience. Scheduled operas include: Falstaff, The Marriage of Figaro, and Billy Budd while Radamisto and Adriana Mater are optional. The tour is all inclusive (airfare, lodging, operas, excursions, etc.) and priced at $2,485 for double occupancy. For further details on this exciting tour please contact Patrick at (954) 566-8257 and/or [email protected]

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents excellent cooking classes at irregular intervals. We'll keep you posted on upcoming events.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 14th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

May 28, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope all of you are doing well.

It seems like summer and the living is easy. No crowds. No traffic. Deserted restaurants. Restaurants closing - Flowers. Lots of warm weather. Florida Marlins baseball team breezing along in first place. The Big Bang Theory (CBS Mondays at 8PM), the funniest and cleverest program on TV seems to be in reruns. Watch it. You'll thank me.

At last month's dinner we celebrated our 5th GITA Anniversary. Although we had a big crowd last month I don't expect we'll be so crowded this month. Many of our regulars have deserted us for the summer. At this point we have plenty of room for this month's upcoming dinner on Monday, June 9. So, let me know if you'd like to attend.

As we celebrate our fifth anniversary I'd really like to give special thanks to Mario Petri, Ron Webb, Dominic Bisignano, Charlie Caldwell, and Chef Giacomo for their great efforts in making our activities so successful. You've all been incredibly helpful and I'm very grateful. Thank you.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, June 9, 2008

Our next dinner meeting will be on Monday, the 9th of June at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. When you make a reservation by email I ALWAYS respond. If you don't get a response I probably didn't get your email.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

This is certainly a great time to buy something. There is such a huge variety of houses and apartments on the market that it's staggering. There are many moderately priced apartments that have been on the market for a couple of years now that have been reduced more than $200K. More bargain hunters are entering the market and scooping up fab deals. Call me if you have any questions.

HOME HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL AVAILABLE

Juan, my partner, is an experienced and professional Home Health Care Professional. He's currently looking for a new client. If you or anyone you know needs some help at home let me know.

HORSE SHOW PICTURES

I've recently added some horse show pictures to the Photo Gallery on the Gita website. If you'd like copies of any of them just let me know.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

With Mario's leadership the Italian Language Classes are going strong. The classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently to view operas. Some are live and others are on film. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is taking the summer off but during the season has a delightful game that meets on alternate Mondays. If you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Mah Jongg anyone? this ancient game from China combines skill and luck and is played with tiles. If you like cards or board games and a challenge, you will probably enjoy it. Beginners welcome. Contact Keith at 954-832-9403.

BOOK BEAT

I've read a few good books lately. Now that Ken Follett has written a sequel to the Pillars of the Earth I decided it was time to read the original and I did and it was pretty fun. Nothing like a 12th century soap opera about the building of a cathedral. Quite a saga. You need a lot of time.

Also read another book by David Rosenfelt called Play Dead. His main character is a wealthy snappy attorney in Patterson, NJ who likes dogs. Funny and clever plots. Good writer.

Then I read John Grisham's new book The Appeal. Tried to read his previous book Playing For Pizza but couldn't finish it. It was really bad. This new one is more along the lines of his previous books. It is about the legal appeal to a civil judgment that takes an unusual course. It involves some scary political chicanery at the state supreme court level. Very entertaining.

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GITA website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA MEMBER NEWS

SANTA FE OPERA TRIP ORGANIZED BY GITA MEMBER PATRICK CASALI
Join GITA member, Patrick Casali (Professor Emeritus of Humanities) on an exciting opera excursion (una gita) to Santa Fe, New Mexico: July 28 - August 3, 2008. This is a 7 day Opera &Arts adventure sponsored by the North Shore Senior Center of Chicago, combining the cultural sophistication of an urban center with centuries-old traditions of a Spanish and Native American heritage. Santa Fe is internationally famous for its outdoor opera, film festivals, music and dance, as well as galleries, world-class museums, sophisticated shopping (if fashion is your passion) and fine dining; its allure as a special city is infectious. There will be ample time for independent "discovery" while showcasing a number of must-see sights and events, all designed to provide an unforgettable experience. Scheduled operas include: Falstaff, The Marriage of Figaro, and Billy Budd while Radamisto and Adriana Mater are optional. The tour is all inclusive (airfare, lodging, operas, excursions, etc.) and priced at $2,485 for double occupancy. For further details on this exciting tour please contact Patrick at (954) 566-8257 and/or [email protected]

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents excellent cooking classes at irregular intervals. We'll keep you posted on upcoming events.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Each month at our dinners we have a raffle and give away modest prizes. There is no charge to participate in the raffle. Again this month we will be accepting modest raffle gifts from interested members who choose to promote their business in this most entertaining way. Thanks to all of our donors.

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 9th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

May 4, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Hope all of you are doing well.

It has been a busy time since we last communicated with you. Juan and I and 10 others completed the Tuesday's Angels 308 mile bike ride in good form during the weekend of April 11 - 13. The ride was very successful. To date we've collected more than $65,000 and we thank all of you who have contributed to this wonderful cause. The weather for the weekend was great and all of the riders and support crew worked great together for a terrific effort.

It was during the second day of the ride that I learned of the death of my Aunt Rose in upstate New York. So, the following weekend we flew Jet Blue's handy nonstop flight to Syracuse and joined a huge family gathering for the funeral. Aunt Rose, the family matriarch, would have been 94 today. She kept track of every member of the family and remembered everything about everyone. I shall greatly miss her intelligence and perspective and unsolicited advice in our regular phone conversations. The funeral was a sad event but it was a pleasure to see family members who I haven't seen in over 20 years. That's the way with funerals.

Juan is blaming the return flight for catching a bad cold/cough/flu/whatever that's been lingering for nearly two weeks. Naturally, I was also able to catch it from him. It's an unpleasant affliction and it seems that everyone you talk to has it or just got rid of it. Very nasty, indeed.

Many of our GITA regulars have left us for the summer. Although we miss them a great deal we can't hide our pleasure at finding the city more relaxed and unhurried.

Our April dinner on the 14th attracted a great crowd that enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Although we'll be expecting fewer people during the coming months we still have a large crowd coming in May. The May dinner is, in fact, sold out. Our dinners will continue to take place on the 2nd Monday of the month throughout the summer. Hope you'll be able to join us.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, May 12, 2008 Sold Out

Our next dinner meeting will be on the second Monday of the month which is the 12th of May at 7 PM at Primavera. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. This dinner is currently sold out.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

OPERA GROUP

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group continues to meet on alternate Mondays. Their final gathering of the season will be on May 19. If you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

PICTURES

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the Gita website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA MEMBER NEWS

SANTA FE OPERA TRIP ORGANIZED BY GITA MEMBER PATRICK CASALI
Join Gita member, Patrick Casali (Professor Emeritus of Humanities) on an exciting opera excursion (una gita) to Santa Fe, New Mexico: July 28 - August 3, 2008. This is a 7 day Opera &Arts adventure sponsored by the North Shore Senior Center of Chicago, combining the cultural sophistication of an urban center with centuries-old traditions of a Spanish and Native American heritage. Santa Fe is internationally famous for its outdoor opera, film festivals, music and dance, as well as galleries, world-class museums, sophisticated shopping (if fashion is your passion) and fine dining; its allure as a special city is infectious. There will be ample time for independent "discovery" while showcasing a number of must-see sights and events, all designed to provide an unforgettable experience. Scheduled operas include: Falstaff, The Marriage of Figaro, and Billy Budd while Radamisto and Adriana Mater are optional. The tour is all inclusive (airfare, lodging, operas, excursions, etc.) and priced at $2,485 for double occupancy. For further details on this exciting tour please contact Patrick at (954) 566-8257 and/or [email protected]

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo presents excellent cooking classes at irregular intervals. We'll keep you posted on upcoming events.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 12th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

April 10, 2008

Greetings from Gita. Season's over. There seem to be noticeably fewer cars on the roads these days. That must mean that the "birds" have left us until the fall. It's been a great season. Our Gita dinners this past winter have drawn the biggest crowds ever. Hope you've enjoyed them and will continue to visit with us. We'll continue to have dinners on the second Monday of the month and if you're in town we hope you'll join us.

Tomorrow morning at 6 AM Juan and I and the other riders and support crew will set off from Las Olas and A1A on our bicycles and head north on our Tuesday's Angels 308 mile 100% Solution Bike Ride for Life adventure. If things go as planned we'll return on Sunday at 5 PM to Georgie's Alibi on Wilton Manor Drive where you're invited to join us for a festive reunion. Special thanks to all of you who've contributed more than $5,000 so far to support my ride. I'm truly grateful as will be the clients who will benefit from your generosity.

The Horse Show season in Wellington ended a couple of weeks ago. For me one of the nicest features of living here in South Florida is the wonderful horse show jumping facility in Wellington. We've spent practically every Sunday during the season there for the past twenty years with me enthusiastically taking pictures. This past year the facility was sold and the new owners spent millions of dollars upgrading the site. Of particular interest to the horsemen is the quality of the footing on which their million dollar horses compete. The footing was totally replaced this past year and is now among the finest in the world. (In the past the traction was terrible because the field was a muddy grassy mess and is now a non-slip surface composed mostly of a combination of sand and ground-up tennis shoes) Because of the excellent footing and facilities and substantial prize money the site attracts some of the best horses and riders in the world for 12 weeks of the year. During this past season there were about 5,000 horses in attendance and the competition was excellent. On the final Sunday afternoon just before the big prize money event was to begin I was pleased to see a former sixth grade math student of mine from a Manhattan private school where I taught back in the early 70's, standing in the center of the ring describing to the crowd the jumping course and the strategies for jumping it without knocking any jumps down. He and his brothers have become quite famous in the show jumping business and it was nice to see that he has made quite a successful life for himself riding and training horses and students, which I know comes a lot easier to him than mathematics. It's always a treat to see former students do well even if I can't take any credit for their success. And especially to commemorate such a wonderful facility. It was a very pleasant ending to a very good season.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, April 14, 2008 Sold Out

Our next dinner meeting will be next Monday, the 14th of April at 7 PM at Primavera. This dinner, which is sold out, takes place on the day following the Tuesday's Angels bike ride. So, I'm hoping we'll be back in time for dinner. If we're not there start without us. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The Real Estate news is slightly more optimistic. Quite a few people seem interested in taking advantage of the portability feature of the new tax rules. It's still a great time to buy. Home prices and mortgage rates continue to fall. And if you decide to refinance your property I hope you'll let me give you a quote on your title insurance.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

OPERA GROUP

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is running smoothly offering a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. If you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

BOOK BEAT

Just finished reading a terrific book by Jeffrey Archer. It's his new book called A Prisoner of Birth. If you enjoy courtroom drama you'll love this book. Archer is a superb story teller. The plot is intricate and believable throughout. Very satisfying.

PICTURES

GITA MEMBER NEWS

SAGE presents "VARIETY SHOW 2008":
Since many of our Gita members are also members of SAGE, we thought we would extend our best wishes to SAGE on the occasion of their upcoming "Variety Show 2008." Featuring performances by the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus Ensemble, in-Harmony, the Lambda Chorale, Mr. Sandy Ross as Marlene Dietrich, the New-Sagettes, and many other local favorites, this promises to be a fun-filled evening. Billed as a night of "music and dance, comedy and drag," this will be a perfect way to top-off your Pride weekend celebrations. Hosted by Mr. Sandy Ross (female impersonator extraordinaire), the Show is being held at the Sunshine Cathedral MCC (1480 SW 9 Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.) on Saturday, April 12th. General Admission Tickets for the 8PM show are only $25. They may be obtained by calling the SAGE office at: (954) 720-0833; or by e-mailing SAGE at: [email protected],net. Hope to see you there.

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo is presenting a number of cooking classes in the month of April. The regular charge is $50 per person but Gita members get a 20% discount of $10. Classes are demonstration style, with printed recipes for your recipe book. Items on the menu will be served with the featured wines and coffee. To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and be sure to tell them at the time that you are a Gita member. Classes are approximately 2 hours long. His classes are instructive and entertaining and delicious.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 16, 2008. STARTING AT 1 p.m.

FEATURED WINES: SAUVIGNON BLANC &PINOT NOIR
APPETIZER: EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA IN CRUST
FIRST COURSE: FETTUCCINE WITH LIGHT MUSHROOMS SAUCE
SECOND COURSE: N.Y. STRIP WITH ASPARAGUS FILLING, CABERNET &ROSEMARY SAUCE
DESSERT: SAINT HONORE= CAKE

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 14th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

March 1, 2008

Greetings from GITA. We had two very successful dinners in February. At our first dinner on the 11th we were pleased to have as our guests of honor Gay Italian authors Matteo B. Bianchi and Ivan Cotroneo. These two novelist/screenwriters were introduced by Valerio Bartolucci, who had organized their US visit. Matteo and Ivan were in town to present offerings of their works to appreciative crowds at the GLCC's Stonewall Library, ArtServe Auditorium and at Cinema Paradiso. Valerio Bartolucci, a novelist and writer for the Italian magazine, Babilonia, coordinated the visits as part of the ArtExplosion activities here in Fort Lauderdale. We'd like to thank Valerio for his initiative in coordinating these visits and allowing both artists to join us for dinner at Gita.

Our Italian guests also provided copies of their books and various memorabilia as raffle gifts at the first dinner and our friends from EmbroidMe provided fabulous Gita Fashion at the second dinner. All of this, when added to the regular raffle bounty of Gita Fashion and Primavera Gift Certificates, made for a very profitable evening for the lucky winners.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, March 10, 2008 is sold out

Our next Gita dinner will be on the 10th of March at Primavera at 7 PM. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. This dinner is completely booked.

2nd GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, March 24, 2008

We'll be having a second March Dinner on Monday March 24 at Primavera at 7 PM. Seating is still available for this dinner.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

GITA MEMBER NEWS

SAGE presents "VARIETY SHOW 2008":
Since many of our Gita members are also members of SAGE, we thought we would extend our best wishes to SAGE on the occasion of their upcoming "Variety Show 2008". Featuring performances by the Ft. Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus Ensemble, in-Harmony, the Lambda Chorale, Mr. Sandy Ross as Marlene Dietrich, the New-Sagettes, and many other local favorites, this promises to be a fun-filled evening. Billed as a night of "music and dance, comedy and drag", this will be a perfect way to top-off your Pride weekend celebrations. Hosted by Mr. Sandy Ross (female impersonator extraordinaire), the Show is being held at the Sunshine Cathedral MCC (1480 SW 9 Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.) on Saturday, April 12th. General Admission Tickets for the 8PM show are only $25. They may be obtained by calling the SAGE office at: (954) 720-0833; or by e-mailing SAGE at: [email protected],net. Hope to see you there.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The Real Estate Discussion group met in January and reviewed the current market. Most reported an uptick in activity with more sales being recorded. Certainly good news for the market. Many people are taking advantage of the dramatically low selling prices that are currently available. Great news for buyers and not very good news for sellers.

The recent passage of Amendment 1 has prompted many to take advantage of the new "portability" feature of the tax program by exploring the possibility of moving without losing their homesteaded tax advantage. If you'd like to know how this Amendment affects you don't hesitate to call me or any of the fine realtors in our Gita group.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Mario has gotten our Italian Language Classes going again. The classes are organized to accommodate all ranges of ability from beginner to advanced. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is back in business and plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. If you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

BOOK BEAT

Finally got around to reading Barack Obama's book, Dreams From My Father . In 1990 Obama was elected by his peers as the first black president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review in its 104 year history. He wrote this book in 1995 as he was just beginning his political career in Illinois. This unsentimental memoir recounts his experiences in coming to terms with his life as the son of a black African father and a white American mother. It's a well written book that gave me a great deal of respect for him and his accomplishments.

Am also recommending The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford. This is Ford's third book following his Pulitzer Prize winning Independence Day . The protagonist, Frank Bascombe, returns as a successful realtor on the Jersey Shore. This story takes place in November of 2000 just before Thanksgiving as the presidential election hangs in the balance and a postnuclear-family Thanksgiving looms in front of him, along with crises both marital and medical. The book is hilarious and captivating.

PICTURES

UPCOMING GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo is presenting a number of cooking classes in the month of March. The regular charge is $50 per person but Gita members get a 20% discount of $10. Classes are demonstration style, with printed recipes for your recipe book. Items on the menu will be served with the featured wines and coffee. To make reservations call Primavera at 954-564-6363 and be sure to tell them at the time that you are a Gita member. Classes are approximately 2 hours long. His classes are instructive and entertaining and delicious.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2008. STARTING AT 1 p.m
FEATURED WINES:
APPETIZER: AVOCADO CRAB CAKES
FIRST COURSE: FUSILLI WITH EGGPLANT BOLOGNESE
SECOND COURSE: VEAL STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST, WITH SOUR CREAM SAUCE
DESSERT: STRAWBERRY CAKE
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SUNDAY MARCH 16 , 2008. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: PINOT GRIGIO &AMARONE
APPETIZER: SPINACH STUFFED MUSHROOMS CUPS
FIRST COURSE: RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE
SECOND COURSE: BEEF OSSOBUCO
DESSERT: TIRAMISU=
__________________________________________________________________________________________

WEDNESDAY MARCH 26, 2008. STARTING AT 1 p.m.
FEATURED WINES: VERNACCIA &VALPOLICELLA
APPETIZER: SOFFIATELLI (PASTRY SHELL WITH 4 CHEESES FILLING)
FIRST COURSE: FETTUCCINE WITH PESTO
SECOND COURSE: SEA BASS WITH ASPARAGUS CRUST, DIJON MUSTARD &WINE SAUCE
DESSERT: CREAM PUFFS

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 10th and/or the 24th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

January 25, 2008

Greetings from GITA. At our dinner on the 14th we celebrated two exciting years at Primavera Restaurant. I'd like to extend my thanks to Giacomo and the staff for their flexibility, cooperation and great food. They are delightful to work with and I'm very thankful that we have such a wonderful site for our dinners. You might be interested to know that Primavera has recently instituted on a regular basis an additional "Taste of Primavera Menu" that includes a choice of appetizer and entree as well as coffee and the popular dessert trio. All priced, with minimal fine print, at $19.95 before 6 PM and $24.95 after 6 PM.

Our GITA dinner on the 14th was extraordinarily well attended. The person taking reservations suffered a lapse of concentration and suddenly we were overwhelmed with reservations. We shall have fewer people for dinner from now on.

Our second January dinner will be this coming Monday, the 28th, at 7 PM. We still have space available for that dinner so let me know if you'd like to attend.

Our first February dinner on the 11th is all booked up but we still have space for the second dinner on February 25.

ArtExplosion COMING IN FEBRUARY WILL FEATURE ITALIAN ARTISTS

The February 11 dinner is also part of the ArtExplosion festivities. ArtExplosion is one of the largest GLBT Arts Festivals in the country and includes the largest GLBT visual arts exhibits in the Southeast United States.

ArtExplosion 2008 runs from February 8-23. The Festival opens with a free outdoor sing-along screening of "The Wizard of Oz" in Hagen Park in Wilton Manors. The Finale will be a night of improv comedy by The Gay Mafia at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts. In between will be two weeks of performances by local and national GLBT talent throughout greater Fort Lauderdale, including art exhibits, theater, film, cabret, music and choral performances, poetry and literary readings, and comedy.

GITA Member Valerio Bartolucci, a writer for the Gay Italian Magazine, "Babilonia" has organized an exciting addition to this year's ArtExplosion called "Gay Literature in Italy." He has arranged for Gay Italian Author Matteo B. Bianchi and Gay Italian Screenwriter Ivan Controneo to join him on Sunday February 10 at 2 PM in the ArtServe Auditorium at 1350 East Sunrise Boulevard to discuss GLBT Art in Italy and to screen some of their award winning movie shorts. Admission is free.

On Monday these three artists will join us at Primavera for the February 11 GITA Dinner. You'll have an opportunity to meet them at that time. This dinner is fully booked.

On Tuesday evening at 6 PM at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE 6th Street, Italian screenwriter Ivan Controneo will discuss the emerging Gay Italian Cinema and present a screening of his award winning Italian comedy, "Paz!" Admission is $8, $7 for students and seniors and $5 for FLIFF members.

Check out the website at ArtExplosion for more details.

A reminder of our upcoming dinners.

GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, January 28, 2008

Our next dinner will be on the 28th of January at Primavera at 7 PM. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. Reservations are still available for this dinner.

The Menu for January 28, 2008

Rinfresco

Bruschetta al Pomodoro
with Cash Bar (Beer and Wine)

Primo Piatto

Insalata Della Casa
(Special House Salad)
Romaine Hearts &more with our lemon vinaigrette
and crumbled Gorgonzola

Secondi Piatti

Stuffed Pork Loin with Italian Sausage
(Lonza di Maiale, ripiena di salsiccia)
Boneless pork loin with an Italian sausage
&Italian cheeses stuffing, oven roasted, sliced
served with a tomato &Chardonnay sauce

Bone In Veal Chop Parmigiana
(Costoletta di vitello alla Parmigiana)
Bone in veal chop, pounded, lightly breaded
topped with tomato sauce &melted cheese

Stuffed Calamari Over Fusilli
(Calamari Ripieni)
Calamari filled with a mixture of shrimps, calamari, garlic,
parsley and a touch of breadcrumb, served over noodles
with a marinara sauce

Bass &Salmon Roll with Pesto
(Involtino di Salmone &Sogliola al Pesto)
Boneless fish fillet, filled with fresh salmon,
and Pesto sauce, oven baked, with a lemon &basil sauce
(Note: Pesto has pine nuts as one of the ingredients)

Entrees served with a side of vegetables of the day and Spaghettini with Tomato sauce.
*****
Dolce

Sampler Trio

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, February 11, 2008

This dinner is currently sold out but space is available for the second February dinner on Monday February 25th.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow!!!

GITA TRAVEL

GITA is cooperating in an Italian 7 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise hosted by GITA member Salvo Mule and endorsed by a number of Italian American organizations aboard the Italian Cruise Ship Costa Fortuna. This cruise will take place on February 10 through 17, 2008. The theme of the cruise is the Italian Culture, featuring free Italian Language classes each day. There will also be presentations of Italian Opera and Italian Film Classics.

Prices are very reasonable starting at $529 for an inside stateroom and $629 for an ocean view. Let us know if you need a cabin-mate. For more information go to www.ItalianCruise.org or call Salvo at 954-566-1015 Ext. 208.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The Real Estate folks will be meeting for Lunch on 12 PM on Wednesday, January 30 at Primavera. This will be our first luncheon in several months so we're expecting a lot of news. If you're interested in attending let me know. We have a few vacancies.

The Property Tax Amendment which appears on the ballot this month is a terrible bit of legislation. It does little to relieve the huge tax inequities in the current system. It does, however, provide for portability and that is the only reason I would urge you to approve this Amendment. This does not mean that we would not continue to press the legislature for meaningful change. Portability would allow many people to move who otherwise find moving a financial tax nightmare. Many, many people would love to move but are trapped in their homes by the terrible tax structure. If people can move it will do a great deal to stimulate the real estate market in Florida. This would provide immediate relief and be a huge financial boon to the local real estate economy and the many people involved in some aspect of the business. Waiting for the legislature to act is like waiting for Godot. I'm voting "YES."

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently at the GLCC to view operas. The next opera program, a production of Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers," will be this Sunday, January 27, at 1pm in the Stonewall library. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

MAH JONGG

MOVIE / BOOK BEAT

It seems that some the best movies of the year were first excellent books. I think the best movie-from-book is the Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. This is one of my favorite movies of the year and it faithfully follows the book and includes excellent acting, as do they all. Also well done was No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. This movie by the Coen Brothers is notable for, among other things, its dramatic use of silence. There are long stretches of the movie with no sound and but 16 minutes of music in the whole movie. The least well done transfer to the silver screen I thought was Atonement by Ian McEwen. I felt that the movie misdirected the focus of the book. In all cases I think you'd like the books.

PICTURES

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo, from Primavera, offers cooking classes when he feels like it. His classes are instructive and entertaining and delicious. Stay tuned.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 28th and/or the 11th.

Don't forget to vote.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

December 16, 2007

Greetings from GITA.

It's nice to see Jim Cantore (from the Weather Channel) measuring snow in Boston rather than standing on the beach in South Florida waiting for the arrival of a hurricane. In fact, I think it would be just great if he was stuck there measuring snow from now until Ground Hog Day. Tons of snow in the North can only serve to pump a little enthusiasm into the real estate market down here. So, let it snow! And to those of you suffering in the North, come on down here and buy something. The real estate bargains are truly amazing. Call me.

In November we had two very well attended GITA Dinners and last week our December dinner was a sell out. We'd like to thank John Bourassa from Crest Realty, the guys from EmbroidMe, and Giacomo from Primavera for their generous contributions to our dinner raffles. The smart GITA Fashion we give away is also a popular dinner feature. Our next dinner is scheduled for Monday, January 14, the second Monday of the month, as usual. The January dinner on the 14th is nearly sold out so we'll probably have a second January dinner on Monday, January 28, 2008.

Tomorrow is our GITA Holiday Pot-Luck Party at Al and Tom's in Coconut Creek. Hope to see you there. Information follows.

If you're looking for a great place to go for New Year's Eve don't forget Primavera. Giacomo is hosting two dinner seatings for the evening. Both feature dazzling set menus. The first is from 5PM to 7 PM and is priced at $39. The second seating starts at 8:30 PM with a choice of entree, plus a Champagne Toast, Party Favors and Live Entertainment and is priced at $79. For more information and reservations contact Primavera at 954-564-6363.

GITA Holiday Party December 17, 2007 at Al and Tom's:

Two of our members, Al Natali and Tom Moore, have again invited us to their home in Coconut Creek for a December 17 GITA Holiday Party. This will be a Pot luck affair so all are encouraged to bring a covered dish. To coordinate food, you should contact Al and Tom at 954-570-5906 or [email protected] Each year Al and Tom decorate their home with over 150,000 lights and 25 Christmas Trees. It is a lavish display. Not to be missed.

Date: Monday, December 17, 2007
Time: 6-9 PM
Beverages: GITA will provide beer, wine, soft drinks, cocktails, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
I 95 to Copans Rd. or Sample Rd., west to Lyons Rd., right (north) on Lyons Rd. to Winston Park Blvd. Winston Park Blvd. is the next traffic light after Wiles Rd. Right on Winston Park Blvd. After you pass the school on the right you can park on the swale of Winston Park Blvd. A short walk down NW 54th Ct. to #5450 on the right at 38th Terrace will bring you to their home. It's at the end of the street on the right. Their address is 5450 NW 38th Terrace, Coconut Creek. Handicapped parking is available in their driveway. Do NOT park in front of house. Call if you get lost. 954-570-5906 or call me at 954-629-5525

You can go to MapQuest.com and type in their address and be provided with a lovely map and directions.

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, JANUARY 14, 2008

Our next GITA Dinner Meeting will be in January on the second Monday of the month, the 14th of January at Primavera Restaurant at 7 PM. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door. This dinner is nearly sold out so we're anticipating a second dinner on the 28th of January. Same time, same place.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow!!!

GITA TRAVEL

REAL ESTATE CHAT

The GITA Real Estate Luncheons will resume in January after the Holidays. These luncheons provide an opportunity for anyone interested in the Real Estate Market to share their perceptions, experiences and prognostications. Stay tuned.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes have resumed and are again proving to be instructive and entertaining. The classes are open to all who would like to learn Italian regardless of one's level of competence. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario Petri at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets frequently at the GLCC to view operas. The next opera program, a production of Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers," will be on Sunday, January 27, at 1pm in the Stonewall library. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is back in business and plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. Games will be starting shortly so if you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

BOOK BEAT

Some of my favorite books that I've read this year in no particular order: What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George; Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen; Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich; The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahin; Atonement and On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; Bridge of Sighs and Empire Falls by Richard Russo; and No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.

PICTURES

Many thanks to Charlie Caldwell who has been our photographer for the past few months. He received some help in December from Vince Sportiello. Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GayGita.com website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo, from Primavera, offers cooking classes when he feels like it. His classes are instructive and entertaining and delicious. Stay tuned.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 17th.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

November 3, 2007

Greetings from GITA.

As we head into November we're delighted to report a quiet hurricane season thus far. The lack of storms has been a pleasant treat for us and for South Florida. We'll take a deep breath and try to get through the rest of this prolonged season.

Along with November comes the return of many of our GITA members who summer elsewhere. Welcome back. Our monthly GITA Dinner Meetings have been extremely well attended all summer and we've already seen what an affect these returning members are having on our monthly attendance. This month we reached our capacity so quickly that we decided we'd try adding another dinner to accommodate all of the people who want to attend. Therefore, in November we'll be having dinners on the second and fourth Mondays: the 12th and 26th. We hope you'll attend either one or both. The dinner on the 12 is sold out but there is still room on the 26th.

The photos on the GITA website have been rearranged by year which makes them easier to view. I was looking at the 2003 pictures which track our progress from our very first evening at The Italian American Civic League to Simply Delish and then to Vico's Downtown Restaurant. Wow, what a long time ago that was. And I'm so pleased to see how many of you have been such enthusiastic supporters from the very beginning. You've all been great.

Last month's dinner was well attended by a jolly and friendly group. The food was particularly delicious. Special thanks to James Basmajian from Precision Printwear and Giacomo from Primavera for their generous gift certificates. The audience was most appreciative of these gifts as well as the smart GITA fashion that we typically give away during our drawings.

Incidentally, we're pleased to note that many of you are choosing to make a bold fashion statement of your own by wearing your GITA attire to the dinners. Very smart, indeed !

We had a few problems recently with the GayGita Website. Specifically, the Photo Gallery had been out of commission but it's up and running now. When you visit the website you should refresh your browser on the home page and then you shouldn't have any problems. All of the pictures from the past five years are there.

On the political front there has been recent talk about dynasties in the White House. In the not too distant past there were the Roosevelt's and Kennedy's. And here's a statistic that might give you an idea of how "out of step" you are and how dated is your perception of reality. According to Nancy Benac of the Associated Press, 118 million Americans - nearly 40 percent of the nation "have never lived when there wasn't a Bush or a Clinton in the White House." How comfortable does that make you feel?

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, NOVEMBER 12, 2007 and Birthday Celebration for Juan Carlos

This month's GITA Dinners will be on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, the 12th and 26th of November at Primavera at 7 PM. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

The November 12 dinner is sold out. Space is still available for the dinner on the 26th.

And yes, Juan, my adorable partner of 20 years, will be celebrating his 50th birthday on the 12th. He'd be embarrassed that I told you how old he is so please don't mention it to him.

The Menu for November 12

Rinfresco

Bruschetta al Pomodoro
with Cash Bar (Beer and Wine)

Primo Piatto

Insalata Della Casa
(Special House Salad)
Romaine Hearts & more with our lemon vinaigrette
and crumbled Gorgonzola

Secondi Piatti

Fettuccine with Conch "Bolognese" & Scallops
Fettuccine noodles in a cream and parmesan cheese sauce
Topped with sauteed jumbo shrimps

Pork Tenderloin Wellington Style
Pan seared, wrapped with a mushroom & spinach mousse
Wrapped in puffed pastry, sliced and served with a toasted spinach glace

Sole & Shrimps Rollatino
Boneless sole fish fillet, wrapped around a shrimp & basil, broiled
With a lime, Chardonnay and butter sauce

Veal Cordon Bleu, with Prosciutto & Asiago Cheese
Boneless veal pounded filled with Italian Asiago Cheese & Prosciutto.
Lightly breaded, served with a Cabernet & sun dried tomato sauce

Entrees served with a side of vegetables of the day and Spaghettini with Tomato sauce.
*****
Dolce

Chef's Dessert Surprise

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow!!!

GITA TRAVEL

REAL ESTATE CHAT

After dithering for months the state legislature has finally passed a new property tax bill for which they should be disgusted with themselves. The bill offers little, if any, relief for the huge inequities of the current system. It's great for those of us with Homesteaded properties which we purchased before the boom. We currently pay comparatively low taxes and are now going to get an additional $25,000 homestead exemption along with the wonderful feature of portability. We'll be able to sell our properties and buy something new and take our low property tax rate with us. Everyone else gets the shaft. First time home buyers and snowbirds will continue to unfairly shoulder the brunt of the tax burden.

As a realtor I'm happy about the portability feature and expect it will generate some much-needed real estate activity. All those homesteaded people who have felt trapped in their homes because of the huge "tax hit" they would face if they sold their homes and bought something new can take advantage of some of the great "buys" now available in the real estate market. One can only hope.

GITA Holiday Party December 17, 2007 at Al and Tom's:

Date: Monday, December 17, 2007
Time: 6-9 PM
Donation: $5.00 and a covered dish
Beverages: GITA will provide beer, wine, soft drinks, cocktails, etc.

You can go to MapQuest.com and type in their address and be provided with a lovely map and directions.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

Mario has gotten our Italian Language Classes going again. They will be running a beginner group as well as a more advanced group. Manuel, from Firenze, will be conducting the classes as well as being available for individual lessons. If you're interested in learning the language you ought to take advantage of this great opportunity. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets monthly at the GLCC to view operas. To get more information and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

In addition to doing a wonderful job running the Bridge Group these past few years, Ron Webb is also responsible for staging the very successful Tuesday's Angels Fall Charity Golf Tournament which takes place this weekend. We're expecting that Bridge will likely resume after Ron has had a chance to recover from the tournament. The bridge group plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. Games will be starting shortly so if you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

Book Beat

What's new on the literary front?

Dick Francis has always been one of my favorite writers. He is famous for writing taut mysteries usually involving horses and the steeplechasing world. (He was, in fact, the steeplechase jockey for Elizabeth the Queen and started writing after he stopped riding.) From the very beginning in the 1970's I read all of his books as soon as they came out. I've reread many of the earlier books and still found them satisfying. The fact that I like horses may have something to do with it, but not necessarily. He's a good writer. When I was the owner of the Grand Central Cafe in Fort Lauderdale in the 1980's one of my happiest times was when Dick Francis came to lunch at the restaurant. He was accompanied by his agent and I was giddy with excitement. It would be a little presumptuous to suggest that that culinary experience was what prompted him to write his newest book, but you never know. The new book, "Dead Heat," has less to do with horses and more to do with food and the restaurant business. He wrote this one with his son Felix. His wife Mary, who passed away a few years ago, is generally credited with editing his books and making them as good as they are. Indeed, his first book following her death was one of his weakest. This one is exciting and satisfying.

Richard Russo's latest entry onto the best seller lists, following his Pulitzer Prize winning "Empire Falls", is "Bridge of Sighs." This book magically captures the life and rhythms of growing up in a small town in upstate New York. I felt as if I were a child back in my old neighborhood reliving the fears and adventures of early childhood and adolescence. The characters are beautifully rendered and entirely believable. Although not stereotypes you know that growing up you've met them all before. This is my first Richard Russo book but certainly not my last. He's a wonderful writer.

Just read "The Kalahari Typing School for Men: More from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency", another of Alexander McCall Smith's books about Precious Ramotswe's life and adventures as the proprietor of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Botswana. If you're looking for an easy read you can't do better than to dive into one of these books and enjoy the company and easy humor of these wonderful characters and their pragmatic approach to life.

PICTURES

Many thanks to Charlie Caldwell who has been our photographer for the past few months. He succeeds our beloved and multi-talented Rick Sherman who did the snapping for many years until multiple business obligations forced him into semi-photographic-retirement.

Pictures from all previous dinners since 2003 can be found on the GayGita.com website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints, suitable for framing, of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo, from Primavera, offers cooking classes when he feels like it. His classes are instructive and entertaining and delicious. Stay tuned.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for yur continued support. Hope to see you on the 12th and/or the 26th.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

September 26, 2007

Greetings from GITA.

We're back in Florida after our nearly 6,000 mile driving trip to upstate New York. On our trip north we made stops in Atlanta and Asheville to visit friends and relatives. Atlanta was just plain HOT! 105 degrees. But we had a nice visit. I was eager to see Asheville because I'd never been there and have heard so much about the place and how "everyone" is moving there. It was not as I expected. From the way people talk about the place I was expecting to find a smallish provincetownish sort of place. It is not. It's quite a good size city crisscrossed with busy expressways. Definitely not small and quaint but very nice, nonetheless. A really beautiful location and the appeal is understandable. Our friends have a really beautiful house on the top of a downtown mountain with spectacular views. Very nice.

We stayed in a cabin on the shores of Fair Haven which is a small bay, dotted with sailboats, on the south shore of Lake Ontario. It was beautiful. The temperatures were generally in the 60's and 70's with an occasional scorcher in the 80's. We spent lots of time with friends and family and occasional day trips here and there. Lots of driving. We went to the horse races in Saratoga to see the Traverse Stakes (called the Midsummer Derby which was won by this year's Kentucky Derby winner) and experienced our single worst day at the races - EVER ! ! Not only was it a terrible day at the betting windows, but the crowds packed the place to overflowing and the temperatures were in the humid 90's. They've been racing at Saratoga since 1863 and I lived there in the 1960s and it was never like this. I think I'm getting old and crotchety. In the good old days the walking and saddling ring for the jockeys and horses was behind the grandstand among the magnificent stately elms. It was serene and elegant. There is now very little serenity or elegance and very little room for the horses and jockeys because the whole area has now been usurped by the hordes of people who are allowed to wheel in their huge ice chests of beer, wine, and whatever. You are literally allowed to bring anything you like onto the grounds. Nothing is checked or inspected. Nothing. People get there at 5 AM to stake out their plot of ground and fend off the competition. Quite an adventure. The racing, however, is still excellent and we would have had a much better time if we'd been able to pick a winner or two.

Among our excursions while in upstate New York was a trip (una GITA) to Jones Pond Campground in Angelica, New York (south of Rochester) to visit our friends Steve and Doug who own the place. They used to own the trailer park on Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. When developers bought them out in Wilton Manors they found this established gay campsite in western New York. They've made a lot of modifications and improvements and it's now the social gathering place for people from hundreds of miles away. Eschewing actual camping we stayed in their nicely appointed guest cabin. The place is beautiful with huge wooded spaces between campsites. Many campers leave their trailers there year 'round and others just come in for the weekend. They have a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights for dancing in their new barn and a gigantic bonfire out on the lawn to keep things lively. We were there for just one night on the Wednesday before Labor Day. They were expecting around 450 guys for the holiday weekend. It's the happening place in western New York.

And what did you do for your summer vacation?

Last month's GITA dinner was very well attended rivaling our biggest "season" crowds. Once again there seemed to be no end to the drama and excitement before dinner and then again during our prize drawings. Special thanks to Charlie Caldwell for doing a great job with the photos which you can see on the website. James Basmajian from Precision Printwear generously provided us with a Primavera gift certificate and some stylish GITA shirts. The boys from EmbroidMe were kind enough to donate some shirts and hats and John Bourassa from the Crest Realty Group generously donated a gift certificate to Primavera. Giacomo from Primavera was also nice enough to donate some gift certificates.

Our upcoming monthly dinner on Monday October 8 will be our annual Columbus Day Extravaganza. Be prepared for some really exciting nonsense. Hope you'll be able to join us.

And as we resume our new season I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been so supportive over our four years. Special thanks to Mario, Dominic, Ron, Rick, Keith, Charlie, Giacomo and the crew at Primavera. Thanks to all who help with activities and all who attend the dinners and who offer kind words of support and suggestions.

Remember that if you have an activity that you'd like to pursue (Latino dancing on Friday Nights, for example) just let us know and we'll be happy to help you find some playmates.

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, OCTOBER 8, 2007

This month's GITA Dinner will again be on the second Monday of the month, the 8th of October at Primavera at 7 PM. This is our Columbus Day Dinner. Reservations are required so if you plan to attend please let me know as soon as possible. When making reservations PLEASE give me the names of all those in your party. That would include both first and last names. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow!!!

GITA TRAVEL

We have two exciting travel adventures that we're promoting. The first is a trip to China, including Beijing and Yangtze Cruise, starting on October 18, 2007. This 14 day trip starts at $3000 with an optional 3 night extension to Hong Kong. This trip is being organized by GITA member Mike Greenwald at Personalized Travel - [email protected] - 954-360-6363

The second is an Italian 7 Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise hosted by GITA member Salvo Mule and endorsed be a number of Italian American organizations aboard the Italian Cruise Ship Costa Fortuna. This cruise will take place on February 10 through 17, 2008. The theme of the cruise is the Italian Culture, featuring free Italian Language classes each day. There will also be presentations of Italian Opera and Italian Film Classics.

REAL ESTATE CHAT

Our next Real Estate Luncheon will take place on Wednesday October 31 at 12 noon at Primavera. It has been several months since we last met so there should be quite a lot to talk about. Previous luncheons have been well attended by realtors, mortgage and title professionals, investors and interested individuals. It's a great opportunity to share information about the local real estate market. The next luncheon will be sponsored by the Title Company of South Florida. And once again, we'll limit attendance to the first 25 people who sign up. There is no charge for the luncheon.

I recently had occasion to show some new townhouses in a development called Bamboo Flats which is located on NE 3rd Avenue at 7th street in Fort Lauderdale. If you or someone you know is in the market for some new construction featuring some good buys you ought to take a look at this development. There are about 50 townhouses which feature some very stylish original architecture with lots of glass and space. Very open and bright and beautifully landscaped. They just received their CO so those who committed themselves in pre-construction are now having to close on their properties. As is the case in many other new projects around town quite a few people have chosen not to close and have forfeited their deposits while others who bought them to "flip" are now trying to do that in a pretty depressed market. This is one of the nicest townhouse projects I've seen and there are now some very good bargains. Prices start in the low $400's. Call me if you'd like to know more.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes will be reconvening shortly. Mario is ready to get going again so if you're interested in attending you need to let him know so he can schedule new classes. For more information contact Mario at [email protected]

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets monthly to view operas. Their next event is this Sunday September 30 at 1pm in the Stonewall Library at 1717 N Andrews Ave. In homage to the recently deceased Luciano Pavarotti, the group will view a performance of La Boheme. To RSVP and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is always open to new players. The group plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. Games will be starting shortly so if you'd like to join the fun or get more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

PICTURES

The pictures from the September dinner will be on the website shortly. Thanks again to Charlie for his photographic skills.

Pictures from all previous dinners can be found on the GayGita.com website. From the home page select "Photo Gallery" then select GITA-Dinners. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo will be offering a cooking class on October 10 at 1 PM. That's the Wednesday after our next GITA dinner. The classes are excellent. Giacomo is an entertaining and instructive performer and the food and wines are delicious. Regular price of the classes is $40 but GITA members get a 25% discount. If you'd like to attend make reservations directly with the restaurant and tell them you're from GITA in order to qualify for the discount. If you're interested in cooking you'll be pleasantly surprised.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 8th

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

August 29,2007

Greeting from beautiful Fair Haven in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Ontario where the current temperature is 64 degrees. Other than a day or two in the 80's that's been pretty much our weather since we arrived over a week ago. It's a nice change from Florida. But we'll be back in time for the September 10 Dinner. Hope you'll be there too.

The summer GITA hiatus continues for most of our activities except for the opera group and our monthly dinners. We were pleasantly surprised when our August dinner attracted a huge "season-size" crowd. The food was great and the excitement reached a feverish pitch as we gave away dramatic GITA Fashion and Primavera Gift Certificates. James Basmajian from Precision Printwear (who is responsible for our T-Shirts) donated a $50 Primavera Gift Certificate and Giacomo, our host, donated two of them. Charlie Caldwell captured all of the excitement in pictures. Everyone is delighted with our new reserved seat policy. Gone are the days of anguish and frustration over dinner seating. Everyone has the "peace of mind" of knowing that they have a reserved seat.

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, SEPTEMBER 10, 2007

This month's GITA Dinner will again be on the second Monday of the month, the 10th of September at Primavera at 7 PM. Reservations are required so if you plan to attend please let me know as soon as possible. When making reservations PLEASE give me the names of all those in your party. That would include both first and last names. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We are now accepting reservations for parties of ANY SIZE up to tables of 12. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow!!!

GITA TRAVEL

REAL ESTATE CHAT

We'll be scheduling a Real Estate Luncheon soon. The legislature has attempted to provide a solution to our real estate problems. How well they've succeeded is questionable. We'll discuss these and other issues. Stay tuned.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

The Italian Language Classes are taking the summer off. There are too many scheduling problems with people coming and going. Things will pick up again in the fall. For more information contact Mario at [email protected] or call him at 954-240-8090.

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets monthly to view operas. To find out what comes next and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is always open to new players. The group plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. The Bridge Group is taking the summer off but play will resume in the fall. If you'd like more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

PICTURES

The pictures from the August dinner will be on the website shortly. Mea culpa. Thanks again to Charlie for his photographic skills.

Pictures from all previous dinners can be found on the GayGita.com website. The site is best accessed using Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. If you'd like prints of any of the photos on the website, just let me know.

The GITA Photo Gallery is now accessible directly from the home page of the website.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo conducts cooking classes at Primavera on a random basis. The classes are excellent. Giacomo is an entertaining and instructive performer and the food and wines are delicious. Regular price of the classes is $40 but GITA members get a 25% discount. If you'd like to attend make reservations directly with the restaurant and tell them you're from GITA in order to qualify for the discount. If you're interested in cooking you'll be pleasantly surprised.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 10th

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

July 31, 2007

Greetings from GITA. Everything is running smoothly here in Fort Lauderdale. I'm happy to report a modest personal upsurge in real estate activity here in South Florida. As you know, I sell both real estate and title insurance. Two weeks ago I had one of my busiest weeks for title insurance ever. There were a few sales and a few refinances. So that's pretty good news. Remember, if you need title insurance let me know. I can save you some money.

Congratulations to the folks at the Vespa Store on 26th and Federal. They have an outstanding mural, which is best viewed traveling north on Federal Highway, in which they've incorporated the store into a Venice-ish canal mural. Also outstanding is the performance of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in the film La Vie En Rose. And if you didn't see Bill Maher:The Decider on HBO make sure you see it if they re-run it.

I get a lot of amusing emails and usually keep them to myself. I have to make an exception, however, because this video from youtube is unbelievable. Check out Bill Malone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C96Hc1m7pRU

July's dinner was excellent. We had over one hundred members show up and things went very smoothly. We had some fabulous prizes that we gave away. James Basmajian gave away a Primavera gift certificate, Giacomo also donated a couple of gift certificates and then, of course, there was some new and exciting GITA fashion with some shocking new summer colors. Vincenzo Sportiello did an outstanding job as our photographer and also doubled as a winner. The tension always seems to build as we give away one fabulous prize after another. Anyway, a very nice night and a wonderful crowd. And everyone had a reserved seat and we're going to continue that practice. No more tension and anxious moments. Anyone can now sit with whomever they like.

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, AUGUST 13, 2007

This month's GITA Dinner will again be on the second Monday of the month, the 13th of August at Primavera at 7 PM. Reservations are required so if you plan to attend please let me know as soon as possible. When making reservations PLEASE give me the names of all those in your party. That would include both first and last names. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

The Menu

Rinfresco

Bruschetta al Pomodoro
with Cash Bar (Beer and Wine)

Primo Piatto

Insalata Della Casa
(Special House Salad)
Romaine Hearts &more with our lemon vinaigrette
and crumbled Gorgonzola

Secondi Piatti

Fettuccine Alfredo with Jumbo Shrimps
Fettuccine noodles in a cream and parmesan cheese sauce
topped with sauteed jumbo shrimps

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Slowly cooked in a red wine, tomato &diced vegetables sauce
served with a side of polenta with Gorgonzola

Yellowtail Snapper "Francese" Style
Boneless local fish fillet, lightly coated with egg, pan seared and served with a lemon, Chardonnay and butter sauce

Sausage Stuffed Grilled Chicken Breast
Boneless chicken breast filled with Italian sausage, grilled & served with a
Fresh tomato &mushrooms sauce with Kalamata olives &basil

Entrees served with a side of vegetables of the day and Spaghettini with Tomato sauce.
*****
Dolce
Chef's Dessert Trio

Price is $20 payable at the door

Hope to see you there.

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We shall now be taking reservations for parties of ANY SIZE. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. ALL seats will be reserved. That's right. Everyone gets a reserved seat. Wow.

GITA TRAVEL

REAL ESTATE CHAT

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets monthly to view operas. To find out what comes next and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is always open to new players. The group plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. The Bridge Group is taking the summer off. Games will reconvene in the fall. If you'd like more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

PICTURES

The pictures from July's dinner are on the website. Thanks again to Vinzenzo for his photographic skills.

The GITA Photo Gallery is now accessible directly from the home page of the website.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo conducts cooking classes at Primavera on a random basis. The next class will be on Wednesday August 8 at 1 PM. The classes are excellent. Giacomo is an entertaining and instructive performer and the food and wines are delicious. Regular price of the classes is $40 but GITA members get a 25% discount. If you'd like to attend make reservations directly with the restaurant and tell them you're from GITA in order to qualify for the discount. If you're interested in cooking you'll be pleasantly surprised.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support. Hope to see you on the 13th

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

June 27, 2007

Greetings from GITA. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and spurts of rain. Summer is in full swing. The biggest news for those of you who are away is that Chardees has closed. Thus, the unsurprising end of an era. Who knows what will happen next. Our summer is progressing very nicely. Tennis from London, Yacht Racing from Valencia, Bike racing from Italy, Soccer from Venezuela and baseball from everywhere is keeping us busy and the Marlins seem determined to disappoint us again. Incidentally, during the recent French Open Tennis Tournament we noticed that there were no evening matches because the stadium has no lighting. This, in Paris, the City of Lights. Thought you'd like to know.

Our upcoming July dinner will celebrate the fourth anniversary of Carlos and Ken who met at our GITA dinner in July of 2003. Happy Anniversary to them and Happy Birthday to Carlos, one of our Italian Language instructors.

Our June dinner was excellent. We had over 125 people for dinner and that was a surprising number for June. We're happy that everyone had such a good time. In addition to a delicious dinner we gave away some great prizes in our free raffle. Ronn, Albert and Steve, The boys from EmbroidMe came up with some new great hats which we gave to some lucky diners along with some gift certificates from Giacomo at Primavera. Needless to say the winners of our new GITA fashions were ecstatic.

Our plan is to continue dinners throughout the summer. As long as people are interested in coming for dinner we'll be there. Giacomo has put together a great menu for July. We're not expecting a huge crowd but hope to see you there.

MONTHLY GITA DINNER MEETING on Monday, JULY 9, 2007

This month's GITA Dinner will again be on the second Monday of the month, the 9th of July at Primavera at 7 PM. Reservations are required so if you plan to attend please let me know as soon as possible. When making reservations PLEASE give me the names of all those in your party. That would include both first and last names. Primavera is located at 830 E. Oakland Park Boulevard just east of KMart. Cost is $20 payable at the door.

The Menu

Reception
Cash Bar (Wine and Beer)
with Complimentary Bruschetta

First Course

Special House Salad
Romaine Hearts &more with our lemon vinaigrette
and Crumbled Gorgonzola on the side

Entrees:

Stuffed Calamari Over Linguini
Large calamari tubes, filled with chopped shrimps, calamari and Italian seasonings
Baked in a tomato sauce, served over linguini noodles

Pork Tenderloin "Leek &Herbs"
Boneless Pork Fillet, wrapped in leek leaves with chopped herbs &extra virgin olive oil
Oven roasted, served with a rosemary &crabmeat sauce

Veal Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken breast filled with veal meat and cheese, grilled
Served with a cream &diced tomato sauce

"Busecca" Veal Tripes the Lake Como Way
Slow cooked tripes, with sliced vegetables &potatoes in a light broth

Chilean Sea Bass Ravioli
With asparagus, walnuts &basil Pesto

*****
entrees served with a side of vegetables of the day and Spaghettini with tomato sauce

Dessert

Chef's Dessert Sampler Trio

Price is $20 payable at the door

RESERVING SEATS AT DINNER

We shall continue to reserve tables for parties of six or more. When you make a reservation, please give me the names (both first and last) of those in your party. The reserved tables will have "reserved" signs on them to avoid confusion.

GITA TRAVEL

REAL ESTATE CHAT

We'll be scheduling a Real Estate Luncheon for July. The legislature has attempted to provide a solution to our real estate problems. How well they've succeeded is questionable. We'll discuss these and other issues. Stay tuned.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES

OPERA GROUP

The Opera Group meets monthly to view operas. To find out what comes next and to get your name on their email list you need to get in touch with Dominic Bisignano at [email protected]

BRIDGE GROUP

The Bridge Group is always open to new players. The group plays a pleasant and instructive duplicate bridge game on alternate Mondays. Mike Donnelly provides professional instruction and runs the game. The Bridge Group is taking the summer off. Games will reconvene in the fall. If you'd like more information contact Ron Webb at [email protected]

MAH JONGG

BOOKS

One of my favorite writers is Ian McEwen. Some of his most well known books include Saturday and Atonement. His newest book is called On Chesil Beach . It is excellent. McEwen writes like a dream. This story is about a sexually inexperienced couple on their honeymoon in the early sixties in a hotel on the beach in Dorset. It's a great book about bad sex.

The version which I "read" was an audio book which was actually read by the author. Thank God for Audible.com. I frequently download books to my IPod and listen while biking, skating or waiting in traffic. If you haven't discovered the vast reservoir of titles on the web and their easy access you ought to check it out.

Another fine book is the newest by Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, which was hugely successful. His new book is called A Thousand Splendid Suns and also takes place in Afghanistan during the past thirty years of Soviet and Taliban turmoil. It is a story of two women who are improbably brought together and become imbroiled in the events of these troubled times. Beautifully written and totally enthralling.

PICTURES

The pictures from June's dinner are on the website.

The GITA Photo Gallery is now accessible directly from the home page of the website.

GITA COOKING CLASSES

Chef Giacomo conducts cooking classes at Primavera on a random basis. The next cooking class will be held on Wednesday July 11 at 1 PM. This is two days after our next dinner.

The classes are excellent. Giacomo is an entertaining and instructive performer and the food and wines are delicious. Regular price of the classes is $40 but GITA members get a 25% discount. If you'd like to attend make reservations directly with the restaurant and tell them you're from GITA in order to qualify for the discount. If you're interested in cooking you'll be pleasantly surprised.

BUSINESS CARDS

We are adding member's business cards to our website. If you'd like us to add your card you need to either send me a card or email me a scan of your card. The more the merrier.

DINNER RAFFLE

Thanks for your continued support.

Chuck Murabito

Real Estate and Title Insurance
both Residential and Commercial

954-629-5525

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