Anthony: A sales manager for one of the largest health clubs in the Chicago land area. He lives in a condo in Schiller Park.

What is your ethnicity/race and how has it affected you in life thus far?

Well I'm a hundred percent Italian, first generation. Both of my parents are from Italy. Well growing up both of my parents spoke English, but they weren't educated here. I learned a great deal from my older sisters. As in regards to the work industry, well One thing with my parents being born in another country... the drive to go to college was there, but it also wasn't if that makes sense. So that's kind of a set back; I'm 27 now and attending college. I feel as though if my parents had been college graduates in America it would have been easier for me to relate. Going on from there in the work field I always had the stereotypical spiky hair Diego look pretty much. Alot of people looked at me that way. I remember when I was 23, after working for the company since I was 18, and my supervisor laughed at me. I feel this was because of race and gender. Basically just being Italian, being stereotyped as a "wiseguy." I felt this might have hindered me in the past. But also I think it had helped me to get places in life, if that makes sense. So it's a curse and a blessing. I have meet many other Italian Americans and Europeans that are more open and willing to help.

With all the problems in the financial district; how has this affected your job and your view of the business world?

Well I mean all the problems right now... basically... with one industry doing bad obviously another is slowly starting to worsen, repeating itself over and over again. A person then losses their job and are unable to purchase the things they had prior to working. Which causes another company to go out of business and so on. Me working at a health club...uh....everybody that still needs to work out now a days is now saying where, why, and how much. So it has affected my work as making major changes as far as what we charge our customers and what we pay our employees. I mean this time is really killing.... really hurting myself and others around me.

What is your view on the war in Iraq?

The war in Iraq. . . I have a brother -in-law a few years back was an army ranger that spearheaded Iraq. He actually had the opportunity to guard Saddam Hussein prior to his execution, so his unit actually did that job. Probably alot of influence from my brother-in-law, but I have always supported the war in Iraq. I feel that these are people there, that are good innocent people, not associated with any terrorists; that maybe these people may have been hurt in the cross fires. Other than that ...uh.. there were alot of terrorists in that nation... along with Afghanistan, and other parts of the middle east. But they had a horrible dictator, Saddam Hussein, who was just an evil man. A murderer. A Killer. I think it was good he was taken out of power, who knows what he would have done next in the middle east. I feel that we should remain there until the Iraqi Army and Government of Iraq is strong enough. I don't ever think we will fully be out of there, the presence of the United States... uh.. Do I wish one day we will eventually get out? Yes, but I don't think it is going to happen. It is also a good thing for the United States as well. We are able to occupy land there. Obviously now we have dibs on their oil; financially... our countries in a big deficit because of it as well, so I think we should be able to reap some benefits and gain some money because of it . Getting parts in the oil, getting parts in the land, there is alot. It is a rich land, not financially wise, but the earth like oil and other products from there. It can be beneficial to the United States and Iraq as a Nation.

Where do you stand on Abortion?

Abortion, I can say at one time uh... I can say I was always against it until I got in a scenario where I thought I got my girlfriend pregnant. And I felt myself so scared and basically I was about to have a child. As I thought, we were unsure she skipped her period. Uhh I thought ohh my gosh this is it. It was a scary period for a couple of months she gained weight and when the reality came she took a couple of pregnancy tests and it was no.. no.. no and umm to learn and find out she wasn't pregnant, but her birth control was going crazy on her. I look back at that time, and remember feeling so scared of killing my own child. Umm I really wasn't a believer of any kind of faith at that time, but more of a agnostic. Umm I believe that whoever created us punished me for what I did, so I was very scared about possibly having an abortion. But if it would have come to I might have gone through with the abortion. But honestly, I don't know how I would live with myself to this day to know that I would have had a child and he or she is now dead. Thank God that didn't happen. A few years after, I became a believer of Jesus Christ and my ways and opinions changed. I thank God first and foremost that I didn't go through with it. Uhh... I don't sit and condemn people that do it, I mean it's wrong even by choice. But I go back and even if she was pregnant and did have an abortion, I don't know how I would live with myself to this day. It's very sad. But you know what it comes down to, my mother always said "if you want to play with fire you're going to get burned." I feel that if your responsible enough to be sexually active with a woman that's not your wife and you do get pregnant...uhh...step up and take responsibility for that child. Even if it was a one night stand, you were more than willing to do that act and now it's time to take responsibility for the consequences. So in essence, I am against abortion. I would never recommend it for anybody. I believe that having children now is a blessing, a gift from God. Umm and alot of people have asked me, "well what if someone is raped?" Well the bible states in Romans 8:28, that "all things work together for good to those who are in Christ." And I look back at alot of stories that I've heard of women being raped and having these children. Well guess what, alot of these children now a days could be CEOs of companies. People that I actually know and have heard of are pastors. These are all byproducts of rape. So I mean if someone gets raped and becomes pregnant, I still don't see it necessary for abortion. It happened, it was sinful and wrong, but it's still a child and you still have an opportunity to make the best as well. So if you can't deal with it (because I know it can be very stressful) then give it up for adoption and go on with your life. It may not have been something you wanted, but that child is there and a gift from God. That if you don't want to take care of it someone else will be more than happy to take care of it. But when it comes down to it myself. I am against abortion.