BUTTERFLIES mosche di burro

PIGS IN SPAAAAAACE! episode 417

2009-05-23T15:13:00.002+02:00

One of my favourite episodes from the Muppet Show. Hope you'll enjoy it :-)

SCRIPT

PIGS IN SPACE episode 417 part 1
[Scene: outer space; interior of the Swinetrek]

(The pigs in space theme music plays in the background while a spaceship is seen flying around in space.)

Narrator: And now, PIGS IN SPACE!!!!
The last time we saw the spaceship SwineTrek, we hoped it would be the last time. But, it’s back.

(Luke, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are at the controls of the Swine Trek.)

Luke : 3PO, activate the navicomputer. 
C-3PO : (disgusted) Eww! I’m not awfully keen of this spaceship, Master Luke. It’s so messy! Cakes, coffee, sandwiches... Luke : Will you stop it! You don’t hear R2 complaining, do you?
(R2 beeps and moans.)
C-3PO : Yes I do. He just said it’s like a pigsty.

(Captain Link Hogthrob enters.)
Link : Hey, what’s going on here? I’m Captain Link Hogthrob, and this is my spaceship! 
C-3PO : That explains everything. 
Luke : Why don’t you let me explain. I’m Luke Skywalker. My friends and I have just borrowed your spaceship so we can rescue our friend Chewbacca the wookiee.

(Miss Piggy appears at the doorway and sees Luke.)
Miss Piggy : Mmm...! It’s Luke Skywalker! Ooo! One of the heavenly bodies! I’ll go change. (she leaves) 
Luke : Now is there anything else you’d like to know? 
Link : Yes, I have one very important question I’d like to ask you. 
Luke : What’s that? 
Link : Who’s your tailor? I love that outfit!

(Dr. Julius Strangepork enters.)
Strangepork : Link! Link! What’s happening? 
Link : I’ll explain later. Right now I’m talking to Luke.  
Strangepork : Luke? 
Link : (turns to Luke) Well, now, perhaps if I give you my measurements... 
Strangepork : Wait a minute, wait a minute. Hey, hey, who are you? (looks at C-3PO) 
C-3PO : I am C-3PO, and that is R2-D2.
(R2 beeps.)
 Strangepork : I’m Dr. Strangepork. 
C-3PO : Oh my! and I thought our names were weird. 
Strangepork : Hey! Oh boy! Hot diggity dog son of a gun! Oh, boy! Oh look at that! Hey, could I play with your toy robot?
(Strangepork walks towards R2-D2)
C-3PO : He’s not a toy robot! He’s a scientifically programmed droid, and he is not to play with. 
Strangepork : Ah come on, let me push just one button. 
C-3PO : Don't be disgusting.
(Strangepork starts pressing some buttons on R2. R2 stars shakes and throws Strangepork across the room, and C-3PO catches him)
C-3PO : Well I did warn you.

(the camera moves to Luke and Link talking)
Link : Well you’ve got my jacket size. Luke : (reads a notepad he’s writing on) 44 long. And your head size: (looks at the camera) 42 thick.
(Miss Piggy bursts in dressed like Princess Leia, hair buns and all, and runs to Luke.)
Miss Piggy : Luke! Luke! Luke! Luuuuke!!!! (she starts hugging him) It is I, the princess!  
Luke : Princess? 
Miss Piggy : Yes. I’ve just escaped from an evil fiend who held me prisoner! 
Luke : (chuckles) Well, the evil fiend must feed his prisoners well. 
Miss Piggy : What?  Luke : Well, uh, what I mean is that it looks like you’ve put on hem.... 
Miss Piggy : (pulls Luke down and threatens him) Psst. Look, Skywalker, go along with this or I’ll cut you in half. 
Luke : (stands back up straight and pretends to be happy) Look! It’s the princess! (smiles and hugs Miss Piggy) 
C-3PO : Doesn’t look like the princess to me. Miss Piggy : Watch it, hardware.

(R2 beeps something.)
C-3PO: Master Luke, we’re about to make a landing. And look who’s there!
(sinister music plays, and Dearth Nadir, who surprisingly resembles Gonzo, appears in the view screen)
Everyone : Oh no! Dearth Nadir! 
Luke & C-3PO : (turn to each other) who? 
Narrator's voice : Stay tuned for part two when the Swine Trek lands on Koozebain and we learn the true identity of this archfiend. 
Nadir(Gonzo) : (looks at the camera) the world will never know!

(cut to a Muppet News Room)
Newsman : Here's a bulletin from the Muppet newsroom. The spaceship Swinetrek is about to make a soft landing on a distant planet. (The News man throws his note and reads his next headline) Another Planetary news: Venus is about to make a hard landing on the Muppet News room. (Newsman gets confused) That doesn't make sense!.........
(A Statue of Venus drops on the news desk)

* * * * * * * * * * * *
PIGS IN SPACE part 2
[Scene: the surface of the planet, Koozebane ]

Narrator's voice : When last we left our intrepid band, the spaceship SwineTrek was about to make a soft landing.

(Loud Crash. The crew stumbles out on the planet Koozebane.)
Luke : You call that a soft landing? 
C-3PO : I sprained my celluloid's. 
Link : Well you were in the driver’s chair. You forgot to push the stoppy-thing! 
Miss Piggy : It’s called a brake, dummy. 
C-3PO : Excuse me, Master Luke, but shouldn’t we be looking for a safe refuge on this planet? 
Luke : Exactly right, 3P0.
(R2 beeps.)
Link : I know! We can hide in that cave over there! 
Luke : Ahhh! A good plan!

(sinister music plays, and Dearth Nadir appears out of the cave.)
Nadir (Gonzo) : Ha ha ha!  
Miss Piggy : It’s...its Dearth Nadir! 
Luke : (sees puny little Dearth Nadir) THIS is Dearth Nadir? 
Link : (frightened) Yes, isn’t he just icky? 
Luke : Well, what do you want of us, Nadir? (Nadir just breathes loudly.) Well why don’t you say something? (Nadir keeps breathing...) Speak!
(Nadir walks up to Luke.)
Nadir (Gonzo) : Who’s your tailor? I love that outfit!
(Luke rolls his eyes.)
Luke : All right, Nadir! Take this! (pulls out his blaster and tries to shoot, but nothing happens.) 
Nadir (Gonzo) : Ha ha ha ha ha!!! At last you know the awful truth! This here, my dear friend, is a crypto-anagon transmitter. (Nadir produces the crypto-anagon transmitter) It can totally neutralize any blaster.
(R2 beeps and moans.)
Luke : This means we must resort to the ultimate weapon!  
Nadir (Gonzo) : (pretends to be scared) Oh! And hoity toyty what pray tell might that be? 
Luke : Chewbacca the wookiee!!
(points to where Chewie comes out behind a rock. The Star Wars theme starts, Chewie roars and starts strangling Nadir. Everyone cheers.)
Nadir (Gonzo) : Chewbacca's escaped!..... Ah!...... 
Luke : The jig is up, nothing can stop good ol’ Chewie! 
Nadir (Gonzo) : One thing can!  Luke : What’s that? Nadir (Gonzo) : Angus McGonagle, the gargling gargle gargoyle!!
(Angus appears on stage gargling loudly, and everybody moans and covers their ears.)
Luke : Horrible! Trapped by Dearth Nadir! Our weapon’s useless, and now we’re being tortured by gargling Gershwin! Ugh!! What could possibly get us outta this!?

(Kermit appears on stage.)
Kermit : What else? A song and dance number!
(music starts playing and all the Muppets sing "You are my lucky star")
Kermit : Okay that’s the song part. Now comes the dance! Take it, Chewie and R2!
(Chewie starts swaying back and forth while R2 spins around in circles.)
Kermit : C-3PO, you’re next!  
C-3PO : I certainly don’t dance. 
Kermit : Oh, but this is our big ending. 
C-3PO : Oh all right.
(C-3PO starts to tap dance.)
C-3PO : Lucky I once saw a Fred Astaire Film!
(C-3PO continues to tap dance.)
(Audience clapping)
Kermit : Okay that was really wonderful! Okay, ( Enters Luke clapping to C-3PO) Luke next!  
Luke : Not me. I’ll go get my cousin.
(Luke walks off the stage)
Kermit : Huh? (Kermit & C-3PO satire each other and look at the camera)
(Mark appears in a tuxedo and starts singing all dramatically. Audience clapping. The Muppets join him and everyone sings “When you wish upon a star” and sways to and fro. A castle rises in the background and fireworks go off.)

Inglese 2 - Tom's Diner

2009-03-31T14:32:00.002+02:00

I am sitting in the morning
at the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter
for the man to pour the coffee
and he fills it only halfway
and before I even argue
he is looking out the window
at somebody coming in.

do do do...

"It is always nice to see you",
says the man behind the counter
to the woman who has come in –
she is shaking her umbrella.
And I look the other way
as they are kissing their hellos,
and I'm pretending not to see them,
and instead I pour the milk.

do do do...

I open up the paper:
there's a story of an actor
who had died while he was drinking –
it was no one I had heard of.
And I'm turning to the horoscope
and looking for the funnies,
when I'm feeling someone watching me
and so I raise my head.

do do do...

There's a woman on the outside
looking inside: does she see me?
No, she does not really see me
'cause she sees her own reflection.
And I'm trying not to notice
that she's hitching up her skirt
and while she's straightening her stockings
her hair has gotten wet.

do do do....

Oh, this rain it will continue
through the morning as I'm listening
to the bells of the cathedral...

[I am thinking of your voice]

Inglese 4 - If I Were a Boy

2009-03-31T14:26:00.002+02:00

[Intimacy. Honesty. Commitment.You. Me. Us]

If I were a boy 
even just for a day 
I'd roll out of bed in the morning 
and throw on what I wanted and go

Drink beer with the guys 
and chase after girls 
I'd kick it with who I wanted and I'd
never get confronted for it  cause they stick up for me

If I were a boy 
I think I could understand 
How it feels to love a girl 
I swear I'd be a better man 
I'd listen to her 
Cause I know how it hurts 
When you lose the one you wanted 
Cause he's taking you for granted 
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy 
I would turn off my phone 
Tell everyone it's broken so they'd
think that I was sleeping alone

I’d put myself first 
and make the rules as I go 
Cause I know that she’ll be faithful, 
waiting for me to come home, to come home.

CHORUS

It's a little too late
for you to come back 
Say it's just a mistake, 
think i'd forgive you like that 
If you thought I would wait for you you thought wrong 

But you're just a boy 
You don't understand 
and you don't understand, ohhhh 
How it feels to love a girl 
Someday you wish you were a better man 
You don't listen to her 
You don't care how it hurts 
Until you lose the one you wanted 
Cause you're taking her for granted 
And everything you had got destroyed

But you’re just a boy

Inglese 5 - Hot'n'Cold

2009-03-31T14:21:00.002+02:00

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes
Yeah, you PMS like a bitch
I would know

And you overthink
Always speak cryptically
I should know
That you're no good for me

'Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up

You, you don't really wanna stay, no
You, but you don't really wanna go, oh

'Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

We used to be just like twins, so in sync
The same energy now's a dead battery
Used to laugh 'bout nothing
Now you're plain boring
I should know
That you're not gonna change

CHORUS

Someone call the doctor
Got a case of a love bipolar
Stuck on a rollercoaster
Can't get off this ride

You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes

'Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up

you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up

You, you don't really wanna stay, no
You, but you don't really wanna go, oh

you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down

down, down, down...

Inglese 2 - song (03/2009)

2009-03-31T14:16:00.003+02:00

Click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.divshare.com/download/6971474-c7d

A new web page will open.

On the right menu, choose 'Download original'.

Inglese 4- song (03/2009)

2009-03-31T14:14:00.001+02:00

Click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.divshare.com/download/6971469-4e5

A new web page will open.

On the right menu, choose 'Download original'.

Inglese 5 - song (03/2009)

2009-03-31T14:11:00.003+02:00

Click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.divshare.com/download/6971441-b58

A new web page will open.

On the right menu, choose 'Download original'.

teacher in concert :-)

2009-02-28T21:25:00.004+01:00

“E’ Finita La Stagione Della Pioggia”
LIVE al Felt Club - via degli Ausoni 84 (S.Lorenzo)
Venerdì 6 Marzo 2009, ore 21:30

OSEMARE
musica mediterranea e pop acustico italiano
www.myspace.com/osemare

ADRIANO BONO & LA MINIMA ORCHESTRA
"trio acustico caldo e tropicale", versione minima di gruppi epici della scena romana come Radici nel Cemento e Tribù Acustica
www.myspace.com/laminimaorchestra

Con la partecipazione di ELENA MIRAGLIA
cantautrice romana con l'animo nel folk inglese, accompagnata al piano da GABRIELLA MAROLDA

Ingresso 5 € + 1 € Tessera Annuale del Felt

Info 06/491978 - Osemare: 393 9086806

Serata a sostegno di Friends For Water, la Onlus senza compromessi che scava pozzi di acqua dolce in zone desertiche nell’Africa sub-sahariana.

AGL

2009-01-30T20:41:00.002+01:00

Comics - Angry Little Girls

2009-01-30T20:38:00.003+01:00

Elementary Listening 9 - Are you shy?

2009-01-14T02:52:00.001+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/AudioMixer/77-MX-Shy32.mp3

Elementary Listening 8 - Wellington

2009-01-14T02:49:00.000+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/Audio0501/523-Kate-Wellington.mp3

Elementary Listening 6 - Origins and background

2009-01-14T02:47:00.002+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/Audio0501/517-Carla-Origins.mp3

Elementary Listening 7 - Mom

2009-01-14T02:44:00.002+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/Audio0501/503_Akane_Mom.mp3

Elementary Listening 5 - Italian Food

2009-01-14T02:43:00.000+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/Audio0551/589-Marion-Food.mp3

Elementary Listening 4 - Italian Cities

2009-01-14T02:42:00.000+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:
http://elllo.org/Audio0551/590-Marion-Cities.mp3

Elementary Listening 3 - How much TV do you watch?

2009-01-14T02:40:00.001+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:
http://elllo.org/AudioMixer/70-MX-TV32.mp3

Elementary Listening 2 - Thai Food

2009-01-14T02:37:00.002+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/Audio0501/536_Akane_ThaiCook.mp3

Elementary Listening 1 - What are your plans for tonight?

2009-01-14T02:30:00.002+01:00

click on the post title or go to this address:

http://elllo.org/AudioMixer/62-MX-Plans-32.mp3

Short Story 2 - an Afro-American story

2009-01-13T23:31:00.006+01:00

Level: Elementary

1) click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.divshare.com/download/6313754-7a3
A new web page will open.

2) On the right menu, choose "Download original"

Short Story 3 - Wilde

2009-01-13T23:12:00.005+01:00

Level: Pre-Intermediate

click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.shortstoryarchive.com/w/selfish_giant.html

NOTES:

1) “Who hath dared to wound thee?” = Who HAS dared to wound YOU

2)“Who art thou?” = Who ARE YOU

Short Story 1 - Virginia Woolf

2009-01-13T22:47:00.007+01:00

Level: Intermediate

1) click on the post title or go to this address:
http://www.divshare.com/download/6313435-cff
A new web page will open.

2) On the right menu, choose "Download original"

Inglese 4 - Listening: Cellphone Manners

2008-12-10T05:51:00.001+01:00

Inglese 2 - Reading #2: 'Doctor, doctor'

2008-12-10T05:29:00.003+01:00

Questions about MEMORY and PERFUME: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/27/healthandwellbeing

"How dangerous is coffee drinking for women?" : http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/13/healthandwellbeing2

Inglese 5 - Reading #2: "Sign language strangles cinema"

2008-12-10T05:21:00.004+01:00

Inglese 4 - Reading #2: "Dear Mariella"

2008-12-10T05:15:00.003+01:00

Speed Dating: a short [confalonieri inglese 4]

2008-03-13T00:16:00.003+01:00

A short film about Speed Dating?! I should call the director and tell him to cast YOU as actors :-)

you can also watch it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzvn2DWh92k

Kate Nash, Mouthwash

2008-03-04T17:08:00.002+01:00

Can't get this song out of my head!

watch the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZkUI3jqeIY

This is my face
Covered in freckles
With the occasional spot
And some veins

This is my body
Covered in skin
And not all of it
You can see

And, this, is my mind
It goes over and over
The same old lines

And, this, is my brain
It's torturous analytical thoughts
Make me go insane

And I use mouthwash
Sometimes I floss
I've got a family
And I drink cups of tea

I've got nostalgic pavements
I've got familiar faces
I've got mixed-up memories
And I've got favourite places

And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright

This is my face
I've got a thousand opinions
And I've got time and time to explain

And this is my body
And no matter how you try and disable it
Yes I'll still be here

And, this, is my mind
And although you try to infringe
You cannot confine

And, this, is my brain
And even if you try and hold me back
There's nothing that you can gain

'Cause I use mouthwash
Sometimes I floss
I've got a family
And I drink cups of tea

I've got nostalgic pavements
I've got familiar faces
I've got mixed-up memories
And I've got favourite places

I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
Oh oh oh oh oh oh

Morcheeba - Otherwise

2008-02-28T17:41:00.002+01:00

watch the video on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxn-fz9mjo4

Otherwise

They wanted me here
Just to show you my face
But when it comes to the crunch
I just hide in disgrace
You're calling me mad
But I know you're the same
'Cause you got to be seen to be playing the game
Yes we got to be seen to be playing, the game

It ain't gonna hurt now
If you open up your eyes
You're making it worse now
Everytime you criticise
I'm under your curse now
But I call it compromise
I thought that you were wise
But you were otherwise

A specimen like you
I would love to obtain
I asked a tedious guy if he'd tell me your name
I'd love to impress you
With a back somersault
I want to take out your love
But it's locked in a vault
I wanna take up your love
But it's locked in a vault

It ain't gonna hurt now
If you open up your eyes
You're making it worse now
Everytime you criticise
I'm under your curse now
But I call it compromise
I thought that you were wise
But you were otherwise

When I open my mouth
I'm so brutally honest
And I can't expect that kind of love from you
When you open your mouth
Your teeth are beautifully polished
And I can't extract the pain you're going through
No I can't explain
The pain you're going through

It ain't gonna hurt now
If you open up your eyes
You're making it worse now
Everytime you womanise
I'm under your curse now
But I call it compromise
I'm under your curse

It ain't gonna hurt now
If you open up your eyes
You're making it worse now
Everytime you criticise
I'm under your curse now
But I call it compromise
I thought that you were wise
But you were otherwise

Apologies & Charlie Brown video (spelling bee)

2008-02-20T22:52:00.009+01:00

Gosh, it's been so long since my last post! I could come up with some pretty good excuses (the flu, never-ending translations, a nightmarish article which I don't seem able to finish writing), but I'd feel bad anyway. So, here's something to say 'I'm sorry' - and to remember that the world won't come to an end if you misspell a word :-))

xxx

Des'ree - You Gotta Be (Eng.3 Confalonieri)

2007-12-20T15:06:00.000+01:00

Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry

You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Herald what your mother said
Read the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my, heh, hey

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
This time it's danger staring you in the face

Remember
Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
My oh my heh, hey, hey

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

- from the album I Ain't Moving (1994)

Tori Amos 2 (Eng.4 Confalonieri)

2007-12-20T14:35:00.000+01:00

"Sweet the Sting" (from: The Beekeeper)

a) ALBUM VERSION

with a strut into the room
with his hat cocked sure defiantly
he said 'I, I have heard
that you can play
the way I like it
to be played.'

I said, 'I can play
anyway that you want.
But first I want, I want
to know

Baby is it Sweet Sweet
Sweet the Sting
is it real this infusion -
can it heal
where others before have failed?
If so then somebody
Shake Shake Shake
me sane
'cause I am inching
ever closer to the tip
of this scorpion's tail.'

He said, 'I laid my weapons
down with my pistol
fully loaded, a hunted man
to my root, will it end
or begin in your
cinnabar juice?'

is it Sweet Sweet
Sweet your Sting
is it real your infusion
can it heal
where others before have failed?
If so then somebody
Shake Shake Shake
me sane
'cause I am inching
ever closer to the tip
of this scorpion's tail

Love let me breathe
breathe you in
melt the confusion
until there is
there is you - union

b) LIVE

Tori Amos 1 (Eng.4 Confalonieri)

2007-12-20T14:32:00.000+01:00

Tori Amos commenting on her song "Sweet The Sting" (from THE BEEKEEPER DVD VIDEO)

elixirs and herbs is a place that the passion that this woman has for her beliefs or the man that she loves, for the direction that humanity is going is very much where she's exploring and allowing herself to not only heal what are wounds, but to allow her wounds to express themselves. and this doesn't always have to be a place of victimization. this sometimes is a place of being able to confront something that's out of balance. and it's an ancient practice that the bee shaman have been working with for thousands of years. they work with a tradition that forces you to look those places that may need to be stung. and there is a song on this record in the herbs and elixirs garden called "sweet the sting". and in order for you or I to gain the sweetness, wisdom does not come without the sting.

You can read the rest of the DVD transcript here: www.hereinmyhead.com/collect/beekeeper/dvd.html

Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Twisted Sister)

2007-12-13T17:25:00.000+01:00

Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Judy Garland)

2007-12-13T17:23:00.000+01:00

Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Katie Melua)

2007-12-13T17:17:00.000+01:00

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yuletide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

Anouk - Nobody's Wife

2007-11-23T00:45:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry for the times that I made you scream
for the times that I killed your dreams
for the times that I made your whole world rumble

for the times that I made you cry
for the times that I told you lies
for the times that I watched and let you stumble

It's too bad, but that's me
what goes around comes around, you'll see
that I can carry the burden of pain
'cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane
and when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
I'm suckin' out his love, 'cause I, I'll never be nobody's wife

I'm sorry for the times that I didn't come home
left you lyin' in that bed alone
was flyin' high in the sky when you needed my shoulder

you're like a stone hangin' round my neck, see
cut it loose before it breaks my back, see
I've gotta say what I feel before I grow older

I'm sorry but I ain't gonna change my ways
you know I've tried but I'm still the same
I've got to do it my own way

It's too bad, but hey, that's me
what goes around comes around, you'll see
that I can carry the burden of pain
'cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane
and when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
I'm suckin' out his love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife

It's too bad, but hey, that's me
what goes around comes around, you'll see
that I can carry the burden of pain
'cause it ain't the first time that a man goes insane
and when I spread my wings to embrace him for life
I'm suckin' out his love, I, I'll never be nobody's wife

Beatles - For No One

2007-11-23T00:08:00.000+01:00

Your day breaks, your mind aches
You find that all her words of kindness linger on
When she no longer needs you

She wakes up, she makes up
She takes her time and doesn't
feel she has to hurry
She no longer needs you

And in her eyes you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years!

You want her, you need her
And yet you don't believe her when
she says her love is dead
You think she needs you

And in her eyes you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years!

You stay home, she goes out
She says that long ago she knew
someone but now he's gone
She doesn't need him

Your day breaks, your mind aches
There will be times when all
the things she says will fill
your head
You won't forget her

And in her eyes you see nothing
No sign of love behind the tears
Cried for no one
A love that should have lasted years!

Tracy Chapman - "Telling Stories"

2007-11-22T23:51:00.000+01:00

There is fiction in the space between
The lines on your page of memories
Write it down but it doesn't mean
You're not just telling stories

There is fiction in the space between
You and reality
You will do and say anything
To make your everyday life
Seem less mundane
There is fiction in the space between
You and me

There's a science fiction in the space between
You and me
A fabrication of a grand scheme
Where I am the scary monster
I eat the city and as I leave the scene
In my spaceship I am laughing
In your remembrance of your bad dream
There's no one but you standing

Leave the pity and the blame
For the ones who do not speak
You write the words to get respect and compassion
And for posterity
You write the words and make believe
There is truth in the space between

There is fiction in the space between
You and everybody
Give us all what we need
Give us one more sad sordid story
But in the fiction of the space between
Sometimes a lie is the best thing
Sometimes a lie is the best thing

Ian McEwan interview with Fabio Fazio 11/11/2007

2007-11-14T19:12:00.000+01:00

You can watch the interview here

How to be English: Making a Cup of Tea

2007-11-14T17:13:00.001+01:00

Suggested Reference Materials - Grammar & Vocabulary

2007-11-14T15:52:00.000+01:00

Michael Vince and Kevin McNicholas, ELEMENTARY LANGUAGE PRACTICE (with key), Macmillan [in English, elementary]

Michael Vince, INTERMEDIATE LANGUAGE PRACTICE (with key), Macmillan [in English, pre-intermediate to intermediate]

Michael Vince, Lelio Pallini, ENGLISH GRAMMAR PRACTICE FOR ITALIAN STUDENTS (with key), Macmillan [in Italian, elementary to intermediate]

Raymond Murphy, ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR IN USE, Cambridge [in English, elementary to pre-intermediate]

Raymond Murphy, ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE, Cambridge [in English, intermediate to upper intermediate]

Coursebook: Level 4 (Seneca)

2007-11-14T15:32:00.000+01:00

Course: Seneca Inglese 4

Move Intermediate Student's Book with CD-ROM

Author: Harrison et al
Publisher: Macmillan
Format: P/Bk
ISBN-10: 1405086165
ISBN-13: 9781405086165
Publication Date: 2006

Coursebook: Level 4 (Confalonieri)

2007-11-14T15:25:00.000+01:00

Course: Confalonieri Inglese 4

New English File Pre-Intermediate: Student's Book + Workbook with key

Author: Oxenden , C , Latham-Koenig , C & Seligson , P
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN-10: 0194384330
ISBN-13: 9780194384339
Publication Date: 2005

Coursebook: Level 3

2007-11-14T15:22:00.001+01:00

Course: Confalonieri Inglese 3

Straightforward Pre-Intermediate Student's Book

Author: Kerr , Phillip
Publisher: Macmillan
Format: P/Bk
ISBN-10: 1405010576
ISBN-13: 9781405010573
Publication Date: 2005
Price: about 24 euros

Coursebook: Levels 1 & 2

2007-11-14T15:13:00.000+01:00

Courses: Maggiolina Inglese 1 - Fermi Inglese 1 - Seneca Inglese 2

Straightforward Elementary Student's Book

Author: Clandfield , L
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN-10: 1405010738
ISBN-13: 9781405010733
Publication Date: 2006
Price: about 24 euros

Getting older

2007-11-14T11:29:00.001+01:00

Hi there!
My birthday is coming up: next Tuesday I'll be 28!
Just kidding...I'll be 63.

AHAHAHAHA

But please, DO tell me that I look younger :-)

Fermi Inglese 1 - Plurals

2007-11-14T10:52:00.000+01:00

Hi! Ho problemi a caricare il doc con lo specchietto dei plurali usato in classe. Chi ancora non avesse il testo di Michael Vince (English Grammar Practice) per il momento può guardare qui:

regolari
irregolari

(NB:in fondo a entrambe le pagine c'è un link a una sezione di esercizi)

Seneca Inglese 2 - Indirizzo Libreria

2007-11-01T22:21:00.000+01:00

LIBRERIA BOCCEA. VIA DI BOCCEA, 249/A - 00167 ROMA - TEL. 06/6637196 - libreria_boccea@bookstore.it

Confalonieri Inglese 4 - Lesson 1 (Oct 31)

2007-11-01T21:54:00.000+01:00

Here's the reading we used in class last Wednesday: TAXI!

Confalonieri Inglese 3 - Lesson 1 (Oct 31)

2007-11-01T21:35:00.000+01:00

Here's the reading we used in class last Wednesday: RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses

2007-09-08T13:29:00.000+02:00

(Live on Smother Brothers Show 17.05.1968)

You thought the leaden winter would bring you down forever,
But you rode upon a steamer to the violence of the sun.

And the colours of the sea blind your eyes with trembling mermaids,
And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses:
How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing,
For the sparkling waves are calling you to kiss their white laced lips.

And you see a girl's brown body dancing through the turquoise,
And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea.
And when your fingers find her, she drowns you in her body,
Carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind.

The tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers,
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.

Her name is Aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell,
And you know you cannot leave her for you touched the distant sands
With tales of brave Ulysses; how his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing.

The tiny purple fishes run lauging through your fingers,
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.

(Eric Clapton & Martin Sharp)

It's only natural...

2007-09-08T13:19:00.000+02:00

...ain't it, Robbie?

Di ritrovarmi, amore, lascia ogni speranza

2007-09-08T12:58:00.000+02:00

Marco Foschi legge da "Il Vicario" di Rolf Hochuth.

Pride and Prejudice: 2

2007-08-09T15:19:00.001+02:00

Pride and Prejudice: 1

2007-08-09T15:16:00.000+02:00

La farfalla impazzita

2007-08-01T21:54:00.000+02:00

Ebbene sì, anche le farfalle impazziscono.
Secondo quest'inedito di Battisti, poi ritornano dal sole.
Ma chissà.
Forse Battisti doveva chiedersi se, dopo tutto, il sole era proprio lui.

The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??

2007-07-27T03:27:00.000+02:00

(miaoooooo)

The Merchant of Venice: Orson VS Al

2007-07-22T22:27:00.000+02:00

Il monologo di Shylock interpretato da Orson Welles:

E da Al Pacino (versione italiana, per fortuna a doppiare Pacino è Giancarlo Giannini):

Marilyn's poems

2007-07-22T21:42:00.000+02:00

DUE POESIE SCRITTE DA MARILYN MONROE.
Quadro di Monica Casali (www.monicasali.it)

From time to time
I make it rhyme
but don't hold that kind
of thing against me-
Oh well what the hell
so it won't sell
what I want to tell-
is what's on my mind
taint Dishes
taint Wishes
it's thoughts
flinging by
before I die
and to think
in ink

**************************

Life -
I am of both your directions
Existing more with the cold frost
Strong as a cobweb in the wind
Hanging downward the most
Somehow remaining
Those beaded rays have the colors
I've seen in paintings - ah life
they have cheated you...

thinner than a cobweb's thread
sheerer than any-
but it did attach itself
and held fast in strong winds
and sindged by leaping hot fires
life - of which at singular times
I am of both your directions -
somehow I remain hanging downward the most
as both of your directions pull me.

Prove aperte per la Didone di Randazzo

2007-07-22T05:22:00.000+02:00

Ostinati Officina Teatro in collaborazione con International Acting Society
presenta
24 - 25 - 26 - 27 luglio ore 20, 30
Sala dell' International Acting School, via Portuense 102, tel. 06 5880406
PROVE GENERALI APERTE: ingresso libero su prenotazione telefonica

DIDONE ERRANTE, un monologo di Francesco Randazzo
liberamente tratto dal libro IV dell’Eneide di Virgilio e da Heroides di Ovidio

interpretato da Giorgina Cantalini
musiche a cura e di Calogero Giallanza
movimenti coreografici Giovanna Summo
costume Dora Argento
direttore di scena Monica Mariotti
ideazione scenica e regia Francesco Randazzo

Didone riaffiora e ripercorre la sua tragedia come in una reviviscenza che attraversa i detriti della storia per giungere fino a noi con la forza dell’ineluttabilità e la potenza “barbara” del personaggio, fino alla sua totale annichilazione nell’amore.

Didone ritorna fra noi. La sua voce e la sua presenza ci rendono l’ accadere infinito di questa donna, in fuga da millenni, la sua lotta contro il destino, l’ appassionante catarsi della sua scelta finale, estremo atto di liberazione.

Wild Horses (cover)

2007-07-22T05:06:00.000+02:00

Questa è per linuzzo. (sì, sì, lo so, Alicia Keys e Adam Levine non sono certo i Rolling Stones, però la cover non è male, e poi mi ha fatto pensare a te)

Mercan Dede in concert a Roma lunedi 23 luglio

2007-07-22T04:40:00.000+02:00

DEVO segnalare (thanx matty for reminding me):

Merçan Dede in concert
domani, lunedì 23 luglio 2007, insieme a Ludovico Einaudi.
Villa Ada, RM, h 22:00

Ho 'scoperto' Merçan nella mia seconda sortita in Turchia, assillando (come faccio spesso) il commesso del negozio di dischi: "che musica ti piace? mi consigli qualche artista del tuo paese?". Ed è valsa davvero la pena di fare le mie domande da straniera ignorante. Da allora non mi perdo un album.

Per saperne di più:

http://www.myspace.com/mercandede

http://www.mercandede.com/md/EN/index.html

e date un'occhiata su You Tube

Damien Rice - Delicate

2007-07-22T04:26:00.000+02:00

il concerto dell'altra sera è stato così bello che ho già nostalgia. e bravo damiano riso!

PS per una vera chicca da You Tube - tutto 9 dal vivo su KCRW Radio (40mins) - andate su:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc5aRx-a8qQ

The Othello Rap - Reduced Shakespeare Company

2007-07-22T04:10:00.000+02:00

...sheer genius!

T.S.Eliot legge 'The Waste Land'

2007-07-22T03:53:00.001+02:00

Doppia Donna

2007-07-22T03:23:00.000+02:00

I. 'Cover'

Jennifer dai jeans a vita bassa
cammina con andatura latina:
ogni vetrina che passa sorride
a se stessa, alba chiara riflessa.

Fra le pieghe della stoffa
brilla polvere di stella,
e dagli orli sfilacciati
soffia fresca l’avventura.

Oh, essere Jennifer! Poter infilare
dentro ai suoi jeans le forme del dolore!
Vestirsi di stelle cadute e aria d’avventure,
per respirare piano, per non fare rumore.

II. 'Falpalà, la zingara'

"Falpalà, Falpalà, Falpalà..."
Soffia nel vento, lontano:
eco di un canto gitano,
miraggio liquido nel sole
di gonne cerchi di colore.

"Falpalà, Falpalà, Falpalà…"
Bracciali argento, anelli, pietre dure,
piedi scalzi nati per viaggiare
danzando,
sollevando polvere di stella
dalla terra secca della sierra.

Falpalà: mia fantasia latina
senza una storia, un corpo, un luogo;
zingara d’ombra e specchi,
più vera, meno menzognera.

EM

miao a tutti!

2007-07-22T03:07:00.000+02:00

Un tempo i mascalzoni erano onesti, forse...

2007-07-11T14:50:00.000+02:00

Da LA STAMPA di oggi, riporto un articolo che da voce in modo equilibrato a paragoni che spessissimo, mio malgrado, anch'io mi ritrovo a fare. (E mi sa che non sono la sola.)

*** *** ***

QUANDO I MASCALZONI ERANO ONESTI
Dal finto colonnello Titta al generale De Lorenzo i documenti dimostrano che pure da tessitori di trame possono tenersi comportamenti coerenti e seri. E oggi?
ALFIO CARUSO

Il generale De Lorenzo giocò pesante nell'Italia dalla democrazia monca, asfissiata da odi e compromessi. Prima da responsabile del Sifar, poi da comandante dei carabinieri, De Lorenzo fu detentore di un potere nel quale lecito e illecito facilmente si mescolavano e s'ingarbugliavano. Lui e molti altri militari dell'epoca facevano coincidere il dovere con la difesa della Patria dalle mire dell'Unione Sovietica. Che questo poi si traducesse in uno spregiudicato superamento di codici e di regole veniva ritenuto un male necessario. Ma a modo loro il senso dello Stato lo possedevano e lo rispettavano. Mai il generale minacciò di svelare segreti e presunti altarini.

De Lorenzo fu il primo destinatario di una legge ad personam per consentirgli di mantenere la guida del Sifar pur essendo stato promosso; proseguì l'usanza sviluppata dall'Ovra di accumulare dossier (Andreotti osservò che d'ignoto in Italia era rimasto soltanto il Milite); sovrintese al piano Solo: secondo i nemici il canovaccio di un golpe, secondo gli estimatori una normale misura preventiva per l'ordine pubblico; fu iscritto a un'importante loggia massonica riservata, la Giustizia e Libertà dipendente dalla Gran Loggia di piazza del Gesù, e gli facevano compagnia diversi colleghi, i cui nomi saranno poi ritrovati nella P2 gelliana. Insomma a rileggere quei funambolismi e quei sotterfugi ci si accorge che purtroppo niente è cambiato, che forse aveva ragione Montanelli allorché asseriva che in Italia i servizi o sono deviati o non sono. Tuttavia i documenti ci raccontano che pure da tessitori di trame possono tenersi comportamenti coerenti e seri. Ci si può battere in modo onesto per una causa sbagliata. È possibile affermarlo pure per gli attuali protagonisti della vicenda Sismi?

Il finto colonnello Adalberto Titta guidò dal '48 una struttura particolare, quasi clandestina. La chiamavano Anello, doveva servire per le operazioni dove esiste la licenza di uccidere cara a James Bond. Ma Titta non era stato raccomandato dal don Verzè dell'epoca, nel bene e nel male aveva contato il suo passato di maggiore pilota nella regia Aeronautica e nella Repubblica di Salò. E quando venne fuori che Anello aveva contribuito alla fuga di Kappler, che Titta aveva condotto le trattative con Cutolo per la liberazione di Cirillo, i suoi capi ebbero il buon gusto di abbozzare. Il generale Pollari, invece, afferma che niente sapeva dei dossier su magistrati, politici, giornalisti stilati dal dottor Pompa. Fosse anche vero, qual è l'affidabilità di un servizio segreto il cui capo non s'accorge che il principale collaboratore gioca una partita del tutto personale?

La Cia brutta, sporca e cattiva di Angleton, di Offie, di Allen poteva impiegare un graduato dei Carabinieri, ma non spingerlo fino a diventare il numero 2 dell'apparato, com'è accaduto con Mancini. Allora non bastava essere cagnolini fedeli, occorreva sbrigarsela bene con il mestiere. A Mancini viene attribuito il merito di aver indicato, attraverso una propria fonte, un importante arsenale di Saddam nella prima guerra del Golfo. La leggenda, però, racconta che nel '56 gli agenti del Sifar, dopo aver annunciato agli statunitensi l'esistenza del memoriale Krusciov sugli orrori dello stalinismo, strapparono a malapena una gratifica. All'ombra della Guerra fredda e delle ideologie poteva anche capitare. Ma oggi all'ombra dei soldi?

(La Stampa, 11/7/2007)

Francamente, me ne infischio! (Dopo tutto, domani è un altro giorno)

2007-06-23T11:05:00.000+02:00

WHEN LOVE GOES WRONG - Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell

2007-06-23T10:39:00.000+02:00

When love goes wrong
Nothing goes right
This one thing I know
When love goes wrong
A man takes flight
And women get uppity-oh

The sun don't beam
The moon don't shine
The tide don't ebb and flow
A clock won't strike
A match won't light
When love goes wrong
Nothing goes right

The blues all gather round you
And day is dark as night
A man ain't fit to live with
And a woman's sorry sight

When love goes wrong
Nothing goes right
When love goes wrong
Nothing goes right
When love goes wrong
Nothing goes, nothing goes right
A woman's a fright, a terrible sight
A man goes out, gets high as a kite
Love is something you just can't fight
You can't fight it, honey
You can't fight it
When love goes wrong, nothin'
No bows, honey, just cigat bars and off
Nothing goes right
Crazy, Crazy oui, oui

lt's like we said
You're better off dead
When love has lost its glow
So take this down in black and white
When love goes wrong nothing goes right
When love goes wrong nothing goes right
Nothing goes right

(Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953)

Philip Larkin: Water

2007-06-23T10:17:00.000+02:00

If I were called in
To construct a religion
I should make use of water.

Going to church
Would entail a fording
To dry, different clothes;

My liturgy would employ
Images of sousing,
A furious devout drench,

And I should raise in the east
A glass of water
Where any-angled light
Would congregate endlessly.

la mela magica!

2007-06-21T19:37:00.000+02:00

Mentre ero in cerca di vulcani (vedi post precedente), mi sono imbattuta in una splendida performance di Fiona Apple.
La canzone è 'I Want You', di (e in questo video anche con) Elvis Costello.

Damien Rice a Roma il 19 luglio

2007-06-21T19:19:00.000+02:00

AUDITORIUM PARCO DELLA MUSICA, Giovedì 19.07.2007, ore 21 (...io ci sarò!)
Cavea Superiore 40euro, Cavea inferiore 50euro
per altre info: www.auditorium.com/eventi/4895897

Ecco la mia preferita, 'Volcano' (live@Abbey Theatre)

Philip Larkin, Annus Mirabilis

2007-06-16T17:47:00.000+02:00

Come forse avrete notato, nel corso dell'intervista di McEwan salta fuori il nome del mio amato poeta, PHILIP LARKIN
(Coventry 1922- Hull 1985).
Colgo l'occasione per trascrivere di seguito la poesia cui fa riferimento l'intervistatore.

ANNUS MIRABILIS

Sexual intercourse began
In nineteen sixty-three
(Which was rather late form me) -
Between the end of the Chatterley ban
And the Beatles' first LP.

Up till then there'd only been
A sort of bargaining,
A wrangle for a ring,
A shame that started at sixteen
And spread to everything.

Then all at once the quarrel sank:
Everyone felt the same,
And every life became
A brilliant breaking of the bank,
A quite unlosable game.

So life was never better than
In nineteen sixty-three
(Though just too late for me) -
Between the end of the Chatterley ban
And the Beatles' first LP.

* * * * * *

I rapporti sessuali ebbero inizio
nel millenovecentosessantatre
(piuttosto tardi per me) -
Tra la fine della censura di Chatterley
e il primo LP dei Beatles.

Fino ad allora c'era stato soltanto
una sorta di patto,
una baruffa per l'anello,
un senso di vergogna che cominciò a sedici anni
e si diffuse in ogni cosa.

Poi il diverbio di colpo svanì:
tutti ci sentivamo uguali
e ogni esistenza divenne
un favoloso en plein;
un gioco in cui non si può perdere.

Così la vita non fu mai migliore come
nel millenovecentosessantare
(sebbene un po' troppo tardi per me) -
Tra la fine della censura di Chatterley
e il primo LP dei Beatles.

[traduzione di Luisa Pontrandolfo (Alte Finestre, ETS, 1990)]

Ian McEwan, On Chesil Beach: interview, etc.

2007-06-16T14:02:00.000+02:00

Nell'intervista con il New York Times Book Review (Podcast del 2 giugno), McEwan parla del suo ultimo romanzo, On Chesil Beach, ma anche degli anni '60, dei Beatles, del modo in cui sessualità ed emozioni sono raffigurate nella narrativa inglese, e del rapporto fra scienza e letteratura. Per ascoltare la prima parte dell'intervista cliccate
qui.
Per la seconda parte qui.

Potete leggere in PDF il primo capitolo di On Chesil Beach sul New Yorker (Winter Fiction Issue, December 25, 2006 & January 1, 2007), cliccando qui!

Varie recensioni del romanzo le trovate qui.

Politica e intercettazioni: piccola rassegna stampa

2007-06-14T15:43:00.000+02:00

1. Dal sito a lui dedicato, gli ultimi commenti di Marco Travaglio (12 giugno). Per leggere cliccate qui

2. Dal Corriere di oggi, un articolo di Angelo Panebianco, dove inoltre si riportano osservazioni del Wall Street Journal. Clicca qui

3. Da La Stampa di oggi, ecco un ritratto dell'Italia Paese dei Balocchi nella rubrica di Lietta Tornabuoni:

CHI STA AL GOVERNO NON VINCE

Chi sta al governo non vince alle elezioni: per l’ennesima volta, anche le ultime consultazioni amministrative l’hanno confermato, e forse non è determinante quanto la maggioranza abbia fatto o non fatto, come si sia comportata. Si capisce che alcune riforme minori (liberalizzazioni, per dire) possano irritare gli elettori appartenenti a specifici gruppi (il che non vuol dire che non debbano essere fatte). Si capisce che i pensionati siano arrabbiati di ricevere somme tanto esigue da non riuscire a vivere. Si capisce che soltanto persone molto ingenue, molto moraliste o in cattiva fede possano scandalizzarsi leggendo le trascrizioni delle conversazioni telefoniche tra leader della maggioranza e uomini d’affari anche discussi: come se quelle telefonate non indicassero altro che una certa familiarità, come se D’Alema o Fassino non dovessero conoscere uomini d’affari magari in maniera diversa da altri politici, come se i leader del centrosinistra fossero diversi da tutti, santini estranei al nostro mondo. Lo credeva soltanto Pasolini, e al tempo del cuccù: del resto, i testi di queste telefonate sono venuti fuori poco dopo le elezioni, benché fossero già da prima noti.

No, la questione non è questa, o non solo questa: altrimenti, quasi mezza Italia avrebbe votato alle ultime elezioni politiche per Berlusconi e i suoi. Si può azzardare un’altra ipotesi. È che (almeno in Italia, ma forse non solo in Italia) l’abisso tra bisogni-desideri della gente e azione governativa è così vasto, profondo, così capace di ampliarsi continuamente, da non poter generare negli elettori altro che delusione e quindi rifiuto. Lasciamo stare adesso le responsabilità di questa perdita del senso di realtà (o di questo meccanismo desiderante che altrove ha dato vita a forti ambizioni, carrierismi eccetera, mentre da noi provoca avvilimento e ricerca di colpevoli da punire). Le risposte sarebbero sempre le stesse, identificate una volta per tutte dalla sociologia: la tv, la pubblicità e le altre pressioni al consumo, una cultura sociale puntata sui ricchi e i famosi che ignora ogni altra componente della popolazione, lo scontento di corpi elettorali limitati dalla legge elettorale e dalla disinformazione, il velleitarismo nazionale. Fatto sta che la maggioranza al governo risulta sempre tanto inadeguata ai bisogni-desideri, che gli elettori sono pronti a bocciarla appena possibile: e magari è questa, nel Paese dei Balocchi, la vera, inevitabile alternanza.

Ancora sull'università

2007-06-14T10:45:00.000+02:00

Mi è stato fatto notare, probabilmente a ragione, che la mia coda di ieri all'articolo di Citati può essere interpretata come un "è colpa di noi tutti ( e quindi di nessuno), dovremmo fare di più noi piccoli soldatini - che già sputiamo sangue, immolandoci per 4 soldi e in nome di chissà quale ideale, schiacciati dalle inamovibili gerarchie accademiche". No. Non volevo dire questo. Non volevo esortare all'autofustigazione. Lungi da me. So bene che c'è un impero della mediocrità a rendere estremamente difficoltosa ogni nostra azione, e che un intervento dall'alto nel segno del rigore e della qualità è assolutamente necessario. Tuttavia, volevo sottolineare come ci sia bisogno di cambiare atteggiamento anche fra 'noi soldatini', altrimenti nessuna nuova strada è possibile, ma si va solo a rafforzare le schiere dei mediocri e, peggio, si finisce per diventare dei mediocri.

Citati e l'università per i ricchi

2007-06-13T18:55:00.000+02:00

Su Repubblica di oggi Pietro Citati lamenta lo stato in cui si trova l'università italiana, nonostante la presenza di ottimi insegnanti e validissimi studenti. Vale davvero la pena di leggere l'articolo:

http://unive.waypress.eu//RassegnaStampa/LeggiArticolo.aspx?codice=SIH3000.TIF&subcod=20070613&numPag=2&tipo=PDF

In coda, aggiungo solo una piccola riflessione.
In questo paese siamo tutti, me compresa, molto bravi a lamentarci. Poi però, quando si tratta di prendere l'iniziativa, mettendo in gioco energie ed entusiasmo, condividendo la propria esperienza con i colleghi, il più delle volte ci si tira indietro. Non basta un uomo solo, fosse anche un ministro, a cambiare le cose, se nemmeno fra chi è lì a insegnare esistono autentica solidarietà e voglia di confrontarsi.

The reason why

2007-06-13T18:38:00.000+02:00

Per condividere l'utile, il futile e il dilettevole con amici, parenti, studenti e, perché no, emeriti sconosciuti.
A prestissimo!