La politica ai tempi del colera... si', magari un'epidemia se li portasse via tutti!

aaaahhh, oggi finalmente ho avuto il tempo di chattare un po', con Cristina prima e con la Mongi poi...

e grazie alle mie carissime amiche ho una visione piu' chiara delle assegnazioni dei ministeri in italia.

allego parte della conversazione avuta con la Mongi (spero non me ne voglia... Mongina, se ti da' fastidio dimmelo che deleto il post...)

[3:00:36 PM] Clauds says: allora come va? [3:00:55 PM] Clauds says: voglio sapere TUTTO! [3:00:56 PM] Mongi says: bene..anzi benone...almeno dal punto di visto di vista personale [3:01:04 PM] Mongi says: lasciamo perdere quello generale [3:01:10 PM] Mongi says: questo paese è allo scatafascio [3:01:26 PM] Clauds says: dal punto di vista generale non parliamone please [3:01:38 PM] Mongi: hai visto la formazione del nuovo governo? [3:01:42 PM] Mongi says: rabbrividiamo!
[3:01:46 PM] Clauds says: ho appena finito di bestemmiare con la mia amica cristina sulla situazione politica...
[3:01:46 PM] Mongi says: (puke)
[3:02:05 PM] Mongi says: non tornare clò..non tornare in questo paese di ignoranti
[3:02:06 PM] Clauds says: non ho visto i ministri
[3:02:11 PM] Mongi says: io appena posso corro via
[3:02:40 PM] Clauds says: mi sembra di aver letto la settimana scorsa bossi vicepresidente del consiglio, ma ora cristina mi ha dato delle news raccapriccianti
[3:02:45 PM] Clauds says: bossi alle riforme
[3:02:52 PM] Clauds says: la prestigiacomo all'ambiente
[3:03:03 PM] Mongi says: yes darling
[3:03:12 PM] Clauds says: mara carfagna ministro (di cosa???? probabilmente della CULtura?)
[3:03:25 PM] Mongi says: pari opportunità
[3:03:37 PM] Clauds says: e poi non so perche' mi ha detto che la maggior parte non li conosceva quindi non se li ricordava...
[3:03:44 PM] Mongi says: cultura e beni culturali vanno a...............
[3:03:45 PM] Clauds says: aaaahhh...
[3:03:46 PM] Mongi says: BONDI
[3:03:52 PM] Clauds says: piu' veline per tutti!
[3:03:57 PM] Mongi says: esatto
[3:04:00 PM] Mongi says: cara
[3:04:02 PM] Mongi says: questo è il trend
[3:04:10 PM] Clauds says: altre news?
[3:04:13 PM] Mongi says: chi nasce intelligente sarà immediatamente soppresso
[3:04:32 PM] Clauds says: mmmhhh mi sa che andra' davvero cosi'
[3:04:38 PM] Mongi says: già cara
[3:04:46 PM] Clauds says: dai, ho voglia di farmi del male...
[3:04:49 PM] Mongi says: ok
[3:04:52 PM] Clauds says: dimmi tutto sui ministri
[3:04:55 PM] Mongi says: allora ti elenco i ministri
[3:05:00 PM] Clauds says: grazie
[3:05:01 PM] Mongi says: DIFESA A...........................
[3:05:03 PM] Clauds says: aaahhh
[3:05:05 PM] Mongi says: LA RUSSA
[3:05:07 PM] Clauds says: masochismo
[3:05:10 PM] Mongi says: ESTERI A......................
[3:05:12 PM] Clauds says: ahhh orgasmo
[3:05:14 PM] Mongi says: FRATTINI
[3:05:17 PM] Mongi says: :P
[3:05:21 PM] Mongi says: INTERNI A................
[3:05:22 PM] Clauds says: ancora?
[3:05:24 PM] Mongi says: MARONI
[3:05:47 PM] Mongi says: ECONOMIA..(E QUESTO è UN EVERGREEN)
[3:05:52 PM] Clauds says: tremonti!
[3:05:53 PM] Mongi says: IL SOLITO TREMONTI
[3:05:56 PM] Mongi says: ESATTO
[3:05:59 PM] Clauds says: come godo!
[3:06:15 PM] Mongi says: MINISTERO DELLE SEMPLIFICAZIONI A....( E QUI POTEVA STARCI SOLO LUI)
[3:06:23 PM] Mongi says: CALDEROLI (puke)
[3:06:29 PM] Clauds says: scusa l'ignoranza...
[3:06:37 PM] Mongi says: guarda non chiedermi
[3:06:41 PM] Mongi says: di cosa si occupa
[3:06:44 PM] Mongi says: il ministero
[3:06:47 PM] Clauds says: che cos'e' il ministero delle semplificazioni?
[3:06:48 PM] Mongi says: perché non ne ho idea
[3:06:56 PM] Clauds says: ok sorry
[3:07:00 PM] Mongi says: secondo me lo hanno creato ad hoc per lui
[3:07:07 PM] Mongi says: così gli danno il contentino
[3:07:08 PM] Clauds says: probabile
[3:07:21 PM] Mongi says: rapporti con il parlamento a....
[3:07:29 PM] Mongi says: l'ex portavoce del berluska
[3:07:39 PM] Mongi says: non che EX RADICALE STORICO E TRADITORE
[3:07:41 PM] Mongi says: ELIO VITO
[3:07:42 PM] Clauds says: mmmhhhh, letta?
[3:07:50 PM] Clauds says: ah, vito!
[3:07:58 PM] Mongi says: sottosegretario
[3:08:00 PM] Mongi says: alla presidenza
[3:08:22 PM] Mongi says: scuola e università una tale gelmini
[3:08:25 PM] Mongi says: non so chi sia
[3:08:26 PM] Clauds says: ???
[3:08:34 PM] Mongi says: ah...come dimenticarlo
[3:08:41 PM] Mongi says: Brunetta all'innovazione
[3:08:47 PM] Clauds says: lavoro?
[3:08:58 PM] Clauds says: eh beh, innovativo lui!
[3:09:17 PM] Mongi says: boh?
[3:09:35 PM] Mongi says: insomma
[3:09:36 PM] Clauds says: esiste ancora il ministero del lavoro o l'hanno soppresso?
[3:09:48 PM] Mongi says: credo l'abbiamo soppresso e aggregato ad un altro
[3:09:49 PM] Clauds says: magari a causa della disoccupazione...
[3:09:52 PM] Mongi says: ma tanto
[3:09:54 PM] Mongi says: ecco appunto
[3:10:08 PM] Mongi says: che ce ne facciamo di un ministero in un paese dove il lavoro non c'è!
[3:10:11 PM] Clauds says: chi ce l'ha oggigiorno un lavoro in italia?
[3:10:29 PM] Mongi says: si infatti
[3:10:29 PM] Clauds says: voglio dire un lavoro serio, decente e onesto...
[3:10:32 PM] Mongi says: appunto
[3:10:38 PM] Mongi says: è n'à tragedia gina
[3:10:51 PM] Clauds says: me ne so' accorta mongi
[3:11:01 PM] Mongi says: madòòò
[3:11:05 PM] Mongi says: non ho parole
[3:11:10 PM] Mongi says: e poi sti ministri [3:11:16 PM] Mongi says: tutti suoi FEDELISSIMI
[3:11:33 PM] Mongi says: :S
[3:11:34 PM] Clauds says: ma la cosa che mi disgusta di piu' e'
[3:11:41 PM] Clauds says: CHI CAZZO L"HA VOTATO
[3:11:52 PM] Mongi says: lasciamo stare và...è una vergogna
[3:11:58 PM] Clauds says: e co tutti i voti che ha preso
[3:12:04 PM] Clauds says: sto governo non casca...
[3:12:08 PM] Mongi says: e no
[3:12:09 PM] Mongi says: manco morto
[3:12:16 PM] Clauds says: a meno che la lega non faccia qualche exploit
[3:12:20 PM] Mongi says: ha una maggioranza di quasi 100 seggi alla camera
[3:12:24 PM] Clauds says: ma con tutti sti ministeri dubito
[3:12:29 PM] Mongi says: e una 50ina al senato
[3:12:35 PM] Mongi says: ormai hanno le radici
[3:12:42 PM] Mongi says: nooo
[3:12:51 PM] Clauds says: che schifo
[3:12:52 PM] Mongi says: hanno preso troppi voti...ora hanno 4 ministeri
[3:12:57 PM] Clauds says: davvero non ci sono parole
[3:13:00 PM] Mongi says: non esiste che sto giro lo facciano cadere
[3:13:03 PM] Mongi says: già
[3:13:25 PM] Clauds says: e poi roma!
[3:13:29 PM] Mongi says: NO
[3:13:29 PM] Mongi says: AHHHHHH
[3:13:33 PM] Clauds says: ma dico, la destra a roma???
[3:13:34 PM] Mongi says: NON TOCCHIAMO IL TASTO ROMA
[3:13:40 PM] Mongi says: TU NON HAI IDEA
[3:13:56 PM] Mongi says: DI CHE COSA I MIEI POVERI OCCHI INNOCENTI HANNO DOVUITO VEDERE QUANDO HA VINTO ALEMANNO
[3:14:04 PM] Mongi says: GLI SQUADRISTI PER STRADA
[3:14:09 PM] Mongi says: CON BANDIERE SALUTI ROMANI
[3:14:13 PM] Mongi says: E COMPAGNIA BELLA
[3:14:28 PM] Mongi says: SEMBRAVA CHE L'ITALIA AVESSE VINTO I MONDIALI DI NUOVO
[3:14:31 PM] Clauds says: la tesi di cristina e' che i romani la prenderanno in culo alla grande con la lega cosi' forte sposteranno un sacco di uffici e ministeri a milano...
[3:14:50 PM] Clauds says: si', i mondiali della cretinaggine
[3:15:25 PM] Mongi says: e dell'ignoranza
[3:15:52 PM] Clauds says: e fermiamoci qui che ce ne sarebbero di termini da usare
[3:16:16 PM] Mongi says: già!senti ma non torni mai nel" bel paese"?
[3:16:37 PM] Clauds says: e per che cosa?
[3:16:43 PM] Clauds says: per deprimermi?
[3:16:50 PM] Mongi says: e che ne so??n'à gitarella
[3:16:54 PM] Clauds says: non che gli emirati siano un paese illuminato...

lo so che sembriamo due sessantenni al bar, comunque il resto e' PRIVATE...

devo assolutamente informarmi e controllare la lista dei ministri!

ma una curiosita' mi e' rimasta: CHE MINCHIA E' IL MINISTERO DELLE SEMPLIFICAZIONI???

A Country forgotten by God... but not by the US troops

Afghanistan should be a very beautiful Country. i don't know why but in the past few years i developed a kind of strange passion for this Country and i've kept myself informed with books, news and movies awaiting the right moment to plan a trip there.

now, i've had the lucky chance to meet many Afghans here in the uae and i've had the even luckier change to get acquainted to them and to have a direct insight on how life here was and still is. today, while i was surfing on the BBC website looking for some news on the Egyptian strike, my eyes have been caught by this article this article and i've had some kind of epiphany.

Minar Jam is a minaret in Western Afghanistan, in the region surrounding the city of Herat.

i remember that i've studied this architectural jewel during the funny lessons of Archeologie Islamique at the Université Paris 1 - Panthèon Sorbonne held by Prof. Alistair Northedge, who used to speak French with a hilarious Scottish accent and show us dias of his travels and excavations (his French is not perfect, but he is an amazing and famous archeologist... and my French is far from being that good too!). [ok, now imagine a Scottish highlander pronouncing "la fenêtre qui penetre" and you'll realize than Sicily and Scotland are not so far...] it is strange to think about these past very good times and the friends abroad with whom is difficult to keep tight links all the time just looking at the picture of a leaning tower in a war-torn Country. and i think it is nice to let people know that there are many beautiful Countries in the world forgotten by travel agencies (but not by the American troops...) with a lot of beauty, culture and kind and welcoming people.

there are 5 national Afghan airlines: i can't wait to book a ticket for my next vacation (one week only, looking forward things getting better...).

books to read: Buskashi by Gino Strada (in Italian) and... is there anyone on earth who didn't read The Kite Runner?

<--- this is Minar Jam in a kilim about

25 years old in Sharjah

Islamic Handicraft Centre

I believe I can fly....

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

yes, i believe i can fly...

14.57 (GMT +3): i got THE call!

I can fly

I can fly

I can fly, hey

If I just spread my wings

I can fly

Fly-eye-eye

Il gabbiano - Richard Bach

nessun posto e' lontano.

se volete essere vicino alla persona che amate, forse non ci siete già?

i swear i feel exactly like this after the last message i received.

and i'm flying too. just like jonathan livingstone.

L'ho fatto/I did it/Je l'ai fait

i did it. in the end I DID IT.

and actually i did more.

not only i send an e-mail saying tu me manques, but i also called Him.

just like that. without any particular reason.

just to hear his voice.

just to hear that Youssef is fine and is growing and "quand tu vas venir a paris pour me visiter" and "tu veux que je viens là bas" and "si tu vas prender tes vacances en aout c'est parfait comme ça tu peux venir au mariage de ma soeur: je t'envoie une invitation".

just being stupid.

and i couldn't be more stupid than this.

calling Him!

i should be named the "stupidest" girl in the world...

the worst birthday of my life...

OMG!

i was so happy that my mom came to stay with me for my 25th birthday last week...

me, before: :-)

me, after: :-(

BUT

she was able to do all those things in one day:

1. getting lost in abu dhabi without her mobile phone and without any knowledge of even one word in english (forget about arabic/urdu/hindi): i swear i was already thinking about receiving a call from a taxi driver asking for a ransom to have my mom back (i know i'm paranoid, but under this blanket of peacefullness many things are going on in the uae...);

2. getting worried for hours hearing that my brother got chicken pox (c'mon he's 19!!!);

3. going crazy till the day after suspecting that her credit card had been taken from someone in the hotel and then cloned;

4. calling italy for half a day trying to reach the customer care service of her bank to check the account on saturday afternoon;

5. keeping me home after i proposed to go having dinner outside in a nice restaurant;

6. starting crazy discussions about going back to italy and finding a job there and/or finishing my master degree (not only as a birthday gift, actually she did it for one week...).

but in the end my birthday was nothing but perfect just 'cause she was there with me and she took the time to come to visit me for these wonderful 7 days.

by the way: her credit card is fine and nobody touched it or cloned it! SIMPLY CRAZY ;-P

by the way #2: thanx to everyone for the birthday wishes...

Mi manchi, mi maaaanchii, posso far finta di star bene, ma MI MAANCHIIIII! (E tu lo sai chi sei...)

23 Aprile 2008: posto questo post (cacofonia cacofonia portami via!) per ricordare il compleanno di una delle persone piu' importanti della mia vita, una delle persone piu' magnifiche che ho incontrato sulla mia strada, nonche' membro onorario aggiunto della famiglia panei-ciprietti, che oggi compie 26 anni (o erano di piu', non ricordo ;-P).

sperando che oggi legga il blog...

mi manchi un casino! non c'e' nessuno come te: ovvio, conosco tantissima gente, ho molti "amici", ma tu sei unica e speciale nella mia vita!

sei il mio specchio-riflesso!

dall'italia mi sono riportata un cd di canzoni miste ed ogni volta che lo ascolto (specialmente "l'animale" di battiato) mi torna in mente l'ultima volta che son venuta a trovarti, quanto siamo stupide, quanto ridiamo, quanto ci divertiamo, cantare a squarciagola nella tua macchina con i finestrini abbassati come le zingare, fumare di nascosto nel bagno, piangere per la felicita', l'egitto, mangiare sardine dalla scatoletta sedute su una panchina, andare al negozio della caritas a comprare borse e cinte per 1 euro, prenderci in giro e prendere in giro le secchione, sbrodolarci con il kebab a campo santa margherita/campo san polo, i 5 fiorini magici, la tour eiffel ogni mattina appena sveglia, la tua vita multicolore, arrivare alla stazione di padova e cominciare a vedere i tuoi piedi mentre salgo le scale e poi piano piano le caviglie, le gambe, i fianchi, le tettone e finalmente la faccia (o a volte aspettarti per mezz'ora fuori dalla stazione mentre trovi parcheggio...), bere vino dalla bottiglia al concerto di vinicio capossela in piazza san marco, le foto stupide con gli arrosticini, giavera del montello, il bruco-mela, vedere oc prima di prendere l'aereo, la legna da tagliare, dario, il cervello fritto, strong man, tutta la collezione di bigiotteria, la macelleria islamica a castelfranco, tutta la benzina che ti faccio consumare, la soppressa ed il baccala' alla vicentina di mamma pierina, le foto del mare, la casa di montebelluna, l'indiano, tutti i libri e cd che ci piacciono, amanda lear, essere buttate fuori di casa alle 4 di mattina, il panino col farj, il divano letto del tuo appartamento e la casa nuova che non ho ancora visto, gli scherzi che mi avete preparato per la laurea (stronzi!), la tua laurea bellissima, svetlana, che noce!, il cous cous a menilmontant, le chiamate interrotte, sbarro, tim, tutti i treni presi insieme o da sole per vedersi, la danza del ventre, l'aula C di caccappello, bruno che ora che xea, i caffe' caffe' caffe' e the' the' the' presi, dr. salty, quante volte ti ho fatto impazzire per colpa della mia insofferenza alla burocrazia, la razza brenta, ommioddio sto impazzendo a ricordare tutte queste cose, rido da sola davanti al pc...

... e mi viene da piangere a ripensare a tutte queste cose gazo!

Riunioni di Famiglia...

can't wait for my mom to come! today i called her 3 times just to make sure that everything was ok... i hope she will not get lost in doha ;-P

Memorabilia #4

abdullah stasera va a dubai con il suo nuovo coinquilino maniaco sessuale riccardo.

mmmh, mi sa che mi sono messa con l'ennesimo figlio di puttana...

April 5, 2008

mai previsione fu piu' azzeccata...

April 20, 2008

Memorabilia #3

appena ho conosciuto abdullah, il mio attuale "ragazzo", ne parlavo con la mia amica flavia ed abbiamo riso parecchio della sua serieta' nel propormi il matrimonio e del momento (teorico) in cui lo avrei presentato alla mia famigghia:

"mamma, papa', questo e' abdullah, il mio fidanzato e l'uomo che voglio sposare..."

"e' afghano" ---> infarto n.1: fa fuori mio padre

"ha 36 anni" ---> infarto n.2: fa fuori mia madre

"e' divorziato" ---> infarto n.3: fa fuori mia nonna

"ha 2 figli" ---> infarto n.4: mia sorella sopravvive (e' ancora giovane e forte), ma paralizzata

"ha avuto in passato problemi di alcoolismo e depressione ed ha tentato il suicidio" ---> mio fratello scoppia a ridere e dice che solo un pazzo mi si poteva incollare.

lo so che non e' bello ridere delle disgrazie della gente, ma la cosa divertente e' che ora che mia madre verra' ad abu dhabi a trovarmi, ABDULLAH LA VUOLE CONOSCERE!!!

che fare?

April 5, 2008

Memorabilia #2

farouq. farouq is a good guy. i feel it...

but maybe the stupid test i've taken on facebook was right and i'll always fall for bad guys only.

but why? why human nature is so mocking? why we usually love people who make us bad and suffer and we do not consider good people suitable for ourselves?

love is a wild animal. it's like a lion you cannot tame, a bull on San Firmin's parade. out of any control. you can try to anticipate its moves, you can try to entrap it, you can try to escape from it, but you'll always fail. power is not in your hands. power is in its hands. and you cannot fight that power. love is a monster.

my colleague reema once told me that one of her friends married a man that she didn't like, but this man loved her to death and was willing to do everything just to make her happy and after getting married to him, her friend was so happy that she started to love him. so, reema's moral was: if you feel that someone loves you so much, marry him, even if you don't like him, and he will make you happy in any way.

is this the right answer? i am not sure.

April 2, 2008

Memorabilia

mum... am i doing the same like you when you kept saying grandma about my dad "he is a good man, clever, cultivated, he is not like all the other motherfuckers out there..."?

(ok, maybe you never said motherfuckers!)

April 1, 2008

Priceless Antiques... (now that it's over!)

abdullah...

messing my life even more. why do i give chances to people to hurt me? why can't i just stand apart and look at this circus instead of being one of the fools on the panoramic wheel bringing you to the top and then down and down and down again till someone comes to you and tells you that the ride you paid for is finished?

it would be much easier remaining aside and don't try to be a main carachter... but, do i really want to be a main character? do i think i'm better than others?

or maybe i'm the one who messes others' lives... like it happened with G. and N. ... like it happened (i discovered lately) with F. and C. ... like probably will happen with abdullah too... i donno... perhaps he really loves me. perhaps he really can't live without me... perhaps. then why i'm not in love with him? why not always at least? sometimes i love him. and sometimes i don't. i think i love him when i realize that i want a family and that he really would be a perfect father for my children.

but most of the time i don't love him.

and... human beings are selfish... and i'm a selfish human being... so i want someone perfect for me... i rather want a perfect husband than a perfect father... sorry for being honest!

or maybe i also want (well, need) a perfect father, but for me not for my children.

dad called me a couple of days ago. strangely, because it was only 2 weeks that i didn't talk to him... but manu told me that he saw on the PC recent pics of me with the new haircut and that he was almost crying in front of the screen.

no matter what, la famigghia e' la famigghia and i miss all of them.

actually i miss their support... i miss fighting with my mom and then crying and asking her pardon while she cuddles me and explaining her why i was upset... i miss her hands on my shoulders and my cheeks and my head... i miss when my nose becomes a big red potato and starts dripping while i cry... and i miss her blowing my nose in those moments... i donno from where she always finds a handkerchief to blow my nose... here i only cry when i'm with abdullah... he's a kind of my family right here right now...

but it's not enough.

after what happened last year i cannot trust anyone... not him. and not K. ...

Mohamed was a room in my home, a ventricle in my heart, a synapsis in my brain... wherever i go and whatever i do he'll be with me always... like a tattoo inside my DNA... even with laser i can't remove him... i got an e-mail from him last week... saying "tu me mankesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss"... he will never change. and i do hope he won't... his charme is in his carefree approach to life and responsibilities, in being a child even if now he is a father...

he is with me when i go home in italy: he is with me in my own home. my whole home is still full of him. i open my wardrobe and i find the coat and t-shirt i wore the first time we went out together. i look for a pair of earrings and i find the jewel he brought me after his first trip to alexandria. i choose which book i wanna read and i eye the Gamal Al-Ghitani's novel we broke our heads on that night in barbara's home. i open the cupboard to pick a clean glass and i see the tea and sweets he brought for my family from paris.

so i go out. and i pass by the hotel where we spent four wonderful days, the bar where we drunk cappuccino and ate cornetto, the corniche where we used to walk and that reminded him of some places near alexandria, the beach we went at 6.00 AM just cause he wanted to see the sunrise, the bus stop from where he left to rome and i fought with the bus driver.

then i take a bus, probably the same where we sat and i took pictures of him. and i take the plane, reminding me of all the planes i took to reach him. venice. paris. cairo. alexandria. finally i arrive to abu dhabi, the only place in the world where i don't think about him. even if i still get his picture and his first phone number written on a small piece of paper in my wallet here. but i try not to open it. and not to think about it.

maybe i should answer. "tu me manques aussi". the truth.

i want to be the same that he's to me to someone. i want to be important for someone. i want to be a room in someone's home. i wanna be a room in K.'s home.

March 31, 2008

Love matters

and also this one is over...

i was waiting for this moment, really!

i knew it was about to come. but i'd never thought it would come like this. like a fist straight in your face. like a TGV in the middle of the french countryside. like a Hummer which doesn't stop at a red signal.

like this. without any guard on. without the possibility to make any move. without any warning bell and with no time to pull the security handle.

no security exits allowed.

actually no kindness allowed.

no reasons and explainations and/or excuses.

strange...

last week i said on the phone: "i don't give a fuck about love. love is nothing. love is shit. i don't want love, i want respect. love doesn't matter without respect."

now i'm thinking that probably love matters, no matter what.

and also i'm thinking: does Dr. Marini carry bad luck?

Il Nuovo che avanza

l'altra sera al Carrefour stavo leggiucchiando il Courrier International quando sono incappata in un (abbastanza ovvio) speciale sulle elezioni italiane in cui si mettevano a confronto le strategie comunicative di veltroni e berlusconi.

il succo piu' o meno era che veltroni ha basato la sua campagna su un copy&paste della campagna di barak obama per le presidenziali americane, letteralmente traducendo il suo slogan "yes, we can", girando l'italia su un bus e appellandosi (quelle naïveté!) ad un cambiamento radicale per l'italia: non solo un cambiamento di governo, ma un cambiamento di mentalita' e procedure democratiche (si parlava addirittura di ridurre i privilegi dei parlamentari mon dieu!!!).

berlusconi d'altra parte ha utilizzato slogan vecchi ed idee trite e ritrite, suoi cavalli di battaglia anche nelle precedenti elezioni.

ed ha vinto.

questo avviene secondo il settimanale francese perche' l'italia e' un paese vecchio popolato di vecchi, tanto e' vero che un articolo (premonitore!) facente parte dello "speciale" e' intitolato Pas de renouveau au pays des vieux: Société, économie, politique : les jeunes ont du mal à trouver une place dans un système régi par des seniors de plus en plus nombreux ("Niente rinnovamento nel paese dei vecchi. Societa', economia, politica: i giovani fanno fatica a trovare posto in un sistema retto da seniors sempre piu' numerosi").

nell'articolo, il Prof. Alessandro Rosina, 39 anni, professore Associato di Demografia all'Universita' Cattolica di Milano (uno dei rari professori universitari di meno di 40 anni, che in italia sono pari solo al 17% del totale), parla del destino dell'italia e delle nuove generazioni di italiani.

Traduco (malamente):

"L'Italia e' il Paese d'Europa dove i giovani sono meno ben messi, che si parli dal punto di vista sociale, economico, demografico o politico." Una sorta di sindrome di Dorian Gray si e' impadronita del nostro Paese. Tutto il mondo si sforza di sembrare giovane, anche i vecchi. E tanto peggio per chi e' realmente giovane e che e' sistematicamente tenuto al di fuori dei processi decisionali. Il simbolo di quest'Italia e', una volta in piu', Silvio Berlusconi: lifting, trapianti capillari, fanfaronate quanto ai suoi successi con le donne. Un falso giovane di 71 anni. Ed i discendenti del 1968? "Quelli, sono i peggiori, dice il professor Rosina. Sono convinti di rappresentare l'eterna giovinezza. Nessuno riesce a sbarazzarsene." Non esiste un termine per definire con esattezza una realta' che in Italia ha raggiunto livelli senza paragone in Occidente: solo un cittadino su quattro ha meno di 25 anni, una proporzione uguale a quella degli ultra 65enni e che potrebbe ancora abbassarsi nei prossimi trent'anni. "Quando parliamo di invecchiamento della popolazione, si pone l'accento sull'aumento del numero delle persone anziane e non sulla diminuzione di quello dei giovani", spiega il ricercatore, che ha coniato il termine "déjeunisation" ("degiovanimento" se mi passate la traduzione, ndt). "E' un fenomeno nuovo, inedito nella storia dell'umanita'." In teoria, quando un bene diventa piu' raro, il suo valore aumenta. I giovani dovrebbero dunque essere particolarmente ricercati nelle imprese, che dovrebbero offrire loro buoni salari. Ora, quello che succede e' tutto il contrario. Antonio Incorvaia ha scritto Generazione Mille Euro (ed. Rizzoli) dopo aver creato tre anni fa un sito Internet dove i giovani precari potevano far conoscere le loro esperienze. "Dire che sono riuscito a sfondare? Sicuramente no! A 33 anni vivo ancora da mio padre, racconta. certo, ho ricevuto diverse proposte, ma nessuna che dia un senso al mio cursus universitario. Voglio ancora credere alla meritocrazia, ma, dopo aver spedito un centinaio di CV rimasti senza risposta, comincio a mollare. Il rischio e' di diventare cinico ed avido. E' piu' facile cercare di conoscere persone che conoscono altre persone, fino al momento in cui se ne incontrera' una con un braccio lungo e da cui si otterra' una raccomandazione, piuttosto che cercare di uscirne contando unicamente sui propri mezzi." Il nostro sistema di sicurezza sociale protegge le persone che hanno un lavoro fisso o che sono in pensione. Pensioni a parte, lo Stato non riserva al sociale che il 10% PIL, record negativo in Europa (in Svezia le spese per il sociale salgono a piu' del 20%, un po' meno in Francia e Germania). Un debito pubblico da record, accumulato dalla generazione precedente, pesa sulla giovane generazione ed ipoteca pesantemente il suo presente ed il suo futuro. "L'Italia si morde la coda. Si fanno meno figli, ci sono sempre meno persone in eta' lavorativa, la crescita economica ristagna, spiega Alessandro Rosina. Non abbiamo ne' il dinamismo del mercato del lavoro americano, ne' la protezione sociale dei Paesi scandinavi. In Italia, la flessibilita' e' diventata sinonimo di precarieta'." "Gli anziani reggono tutto, in tutti i campi, e non danno molto in cambio, prosegue il ricercatore. Il voto dei giovani pesa sempre di meno, quindi i partiti non si occupano molto di loro. Si tengono alle belle parole." D'altra parte, il sistema elettorale e' anch'esso squilibrato, poiche' bisogna avere almeno 40 anni per poter essere eletti al Senato - organo essenziale per l'adozione delle leggi. Il problema, aggiunge Rosina, e' che e' tutto bloccato. Cosi', i giovani italiani si rassegnano. Sono meno dinamici dei Francesi, il cui Paese somiglia molto al nostro, ma va nettamente meglio. Certo, e' dura. Sfortunatamente, l'idea di merito, la sola che permette un'accelerazione nella buona direzione, si e' praticamente perduta." Piu' si e' giovani, meno possibilita' si hanno di essere eletti "Non vedo perche' disapprovare quelli che vanno all'estero, dichiara Antonio Incorvaia. E' una scelta leggittima. Anch'io c'ho pensato, ma in Italia i problemi rimangono interi. I giovani sono pieni di collera. Ma, dato che non viene canalizzata, alla fine e' lo sbrogliarsi individualmente che prevale." Rosina: "E perche' prendere dei rischi, se si e' praticamente sicuri che il lavoro sara' precario o che si restera' in mezzo alla strada? Allora si rimane dai genitori. Ed anche loro ne pagano le conseguenze. Mantengono i loro figli fino a 30 anni ed oltre. ma e' un sistema ingiust, che privilegia coloro che hanno delle famiglie agiate e impedisce agli altri di restare in corsa." Si aspetta per metter su famiglia, si rinvia a piu' in la' il momento di fare figli. Un circolo vizioso. Le donne ne escono meglio. Puo' sorprendere, ma e' cosi'. Si parla di "quote rosa", i partiti si sono smossi ed hanno proposto delle candidate, la proporzione di donne in posti di responsabilita' e' in aumento. E i giovani? Lo studio di Rosina sulle probabilita' di essere eletto in funzione del rango dei candidati sulle liste dei due principali partiti indica che l'eta' media dei candidati certi di essere eletti e' di 53 anni, quella degli esclusi di 42 anni. Piu' si e' giovani, meno chance si hanno di essere eletti. D'altronde, l' 88% della classe politica attuale ha molti piu' anni dietro che davanti a se', seconda la media della speranza di vita. L'afflusso massiccio di giovani immigrati cambiera' la situazione? "Gli immigrati di seconda generazione si trovano in situazioni ancora piu' disagiate e marginali, spiega il ricercatore. O, se si integrano, faranno come gli Italiani: pochi figli, ecc." Non se ne esce."

Ok, quindi un bell'esempio di quello che dice Rosina nell'articolo e' uno degli eletti al Senato nel mio caro VECCHIO Abruzzo: Franco Marini (classe 1933 = 75 anni suonati!), il "nuovo" che avanza!

Congratulazioni! E' un bel maschietto!

che bello eh!?
finalmente questo e' quello che hanno partorito gli italiani alle elezioni, dopo un travaglio lungo, sofferto, faticoso e difficile...
un bel maschietto! ma, ma... orrore! il feto e' nato morto!


Risultati Camera

Risultati Senato

Il Nuovo Millennio Avanza


il deluso dalla politica dice: rossi e neri tutti uguali, rossi e neri tutti uguali...
ce lo meritiamo proprio alberto sordi! ops berlusconi!
adesso mi aspetto solo di veder la mia bella pescara adorna di bandiere nere e azzurre (non quelle dell'inter sia chiaro...) e magari la rinomineranno pure "pesconia" o "d'annunziaria", chesso'?
in questo giorno di profonda costernazione per la nascita di un bambino morto (chissa' cosa dira' ratzinger Z... aspettiamo solo una sua peerla)
Vi invio i miei piu' rispettosi riguardi

cla

Italian Elections

what? what makes me so angry? whaaat? click Here and Here

Errare e' umano, ma perseverare e' diabolico...

23.29

i have just received an sms. i was trying to set up a Wireless Internet connection, so i didn't pay attention to that, promising to myself that i would read it when i would finish or just before going to sleep. anyway, what could be of so important? most of the messages i receive are stupid jokes or reminders from Etisalat…

then i've checked my phone just because i received another sms right after. the first one was from Mr. K., saying:

برلسكوني يقترب من الفوز بالانتخبات الإيطالية و اليسار يقر بالهزيمة

in other words: Berlusconi is about to win the Italian elections and the Left recognize the defeat.

so, here it is: Italians never learn… this people should be beaten to death with a spiky chain, then their corpses should be seized in small pieces and set on fire and the ashes spread on a desert island so that they cannot contaminate normal human beings. this is what my mercy decreed for them. Amen.

At least...

23.22

it's 23.22 and i've just finished reading Girls of Riyadh and i'm happy with it. i swear in these 2 days i couldn't stop from reading it and having contrasting feelings about it.

i advice reading it to all girls thinking that they are the ones who have been hurt… at least we have a word to say about our future husbands. at least we can choose and marry someone that we love. at least we have the right to make mistakes and be hurt on our own behalf.

i have been Gamrah, who loves someone who's cheating on her while being married to her and has no guts to tell her. i have been Michelle, refused by the family of her beloved because she's not a real Saudi, because her mom is American, because she doesn't come from a famous tribe, basically because she's strong, independent and unconventional. i have been (and probably still being) Sadeem, waiting ages for a man who at the end drop her not to break the conventions of society and not to ruin his political career. but i'm still dreaming that this man will rise once and would tell me that he loves me… Insha'llah.

i hope i will be Lamees, who finds and marries her real love and is perfectly satisfied from her life with him. Period.

Nothing else matters.

Ogni vita vale la pena di essere vissuta!

quelle in lilla sono le cose fatte, quelle in celeste piu’ o meno fatte
(grazie sore: ho preso la lista dal tuo blog ;-P…)
ho offerto da bere a tutti in un bar
ho nuotato insieme ai delfini
ho scalato una montagna
ho guidato una Ferrari
sono stato all’interno della Grande Piramide
ho tenuto in mano una tarantola
ho fatto il bagno nuda al mare
ho detto ti amo credendoci
ho abbracciato un albero
ho fatto uno striptease
ho fatto bungee jumping
sono stata a Parigi
ho visto una tempesta marina
ho passato la notte sveglia fino a vedere l’alba
ho visto l’aurora boreale
ho cambiato pannolini a un bambino
sono salita a piedi in cima alla Torre di Pisa
ho coltivato e mangiato verdure del mio orto
ho toccato un iceberg
ho dormito sotto le stelle
sono stata su una mongolfiera
ho visto una pioggia di meteoriti
mi sono ubriacata
ho fumato erba
ho guardato le stelle con un telescopio
mi e’ venuta la ridarella in un momento inopportuno
ho scommesso e vinto ai cavalli
mi sono finta malata pur non essendolo
ho invitato uno sconosciuto a casa mia
ho fatto la battaglia a palle di neve
ho gridato con tutta la mia forza
ho tenuto in braccio un agnellino
avrei voluto fermare il tempo
ho fatto una doccia con acqua gelata
mi sono messo a parlare con uno sconosciuto
ho visto un’eclissi totale
ho preso il sole in topless
ho ballato come una matta fregandomene degli altri
ho parlato in una lingua straniera per un giorno intero
ho visitato il luogo d’origine dei miei antenati
almeno una volta nella vita mi sono sentita davvero felice
ho visitato gli USA
amo il mio lavoro in ogni suo aspetto
ho confortato un’amica/o che aveva bisogno
ho vinto a qualche lotteria
ho ballato con estranei in un paese straniero
ho visto le balene
ho rubato cartelli stradali
ho fatto un viaggio on the road
mi hanno dato un abbraccio che avrei voluto non finisse mai
ho mentito alla dogana
ho fatto una passeggiata notturna sulla spiaggia
ho fatto parapendio
sono stata in Irlanda
ho avuto il cuore spezzato per un ragazzo
ho preso una decisione sbagliata
ho munto una mucca
ho sistemato i cd in ordine alfabetico
ho cantato in un karaoke bar
sono stata a letto per un giorno intero
ho fatto immersioni subacquee
ho sognato di essere invisibile
ho fatto l’amore con qualcuno senza desiderarlo
ho baciato sotto la neve
ho fatto qualcosa di cui pentirmi senza pero’ pentirmi d’averlo fatto
ho visto la Muraglia Cinese
ho rotto una finestra con un sasso
ho iniziato un business
ho promesso a qualcuno di sposarlo
sono stata sposata
sono stata in un film
ho rovinato una festa
ho pianto vedendo un film
ho amato qualcuno che non lo meritava
sono stata baciata tanto appassionatamente da avere giramenti di testa
ho divorziato
ho fatto sesso in ascensore
ho cucinato
sono stata in gondola a Venezia
ho almeno un tatuaggio
ho almeno un piercing
ho ricevuto fiori
mi sono ubriacata senza poi ricordare piu’ nulla
ho avuto dipendenze da droghe
ho inciso musica
ho comprato casa
sono stata in crociera
mi sono depilata
conosco piu’ di una lingua
ho traslocato e iniziato vita in un’altra citta’ (piu’ o meno)
ho cantata in macchina senza fermarmi per tutto il viaggio
ho abortito
sono sopravvissuta ad un incidente stradale
ho scritto articoli per giornali
ho fatto diete
ho accarezzato animali di cui ho paura
ho fatto innamorare senza poter ricambiare
ho fatto nascere un animale
mi sono rotta qualche osso
ho guidato una moto
sono stata male per qualcuno
ho fatto sesso sul treno
ho fatto l’autostop
ho avuto relazioni della durata di oltre un anno
ho fatto cambiare idea su qualcosa a qualcuno
sono stata eletta capoclasse
ho rubato le saponette nell’hotel
ho copiato un compito in classe
ho detto una bugia per non far soffrire
sono sicura di avere amici veri accanto
ho difeso qualcuno
sono finita all’ospedale
ho guidato una macchina
ho portato un bimbo a fare un giro
ho ascoltato musica per dimenticare (facendomi sempre piu’ male)

queste sono cose che forse non sapevate di me... ora ditemi voi quello che avete fatto e quello che siete andati vicino a fare...

Animali Notturni & Co.

anche stasera ho continuato nelle mie passeggiate notturne alla ri-scoperta del circondario. non so perche', ma mi rilassa...

oggi non c'erano odori a farmi compagnia (a parte qualche cara vecchia zaffata di fritto...), ma in compenso c'erano il bzzzbzzzbzzz dell'insegna luminosa intermittente, il kneekkneekkneek della bicicletta scassata di un mio vicino pakistano con la jellabah (dev'essere abbastanza scomodo andare in bici con la tunica da antico romano... e che buffo con quelle cavigliette sottili sottili...) ed il voumvoumvoooouuuum delle macchine che vanno e vengono costantemente.

spese del giorno: Girls of Riyadh (AED 89), White Teeth (AED 45: non e' uno sbiancante per denti, ma un libro di Zadie Smith...) e Muslim Girl Magazine (AED 32, grandissima la sezione sulla "moda modesta"!!!).

ah, e per cedere alle mie voglie (non sono incinta, tranquilli!) ho mangiato sushi ad Abu Dhabi Mall (AED 27, ouch!)

April 12, 2008

Comparisons

why do i keep writing on/being so interested in egyptian strikes?

i donno, but if i think about it, i can find a few reasons... for exemple:

1. emotional reasons:

• i love this country, its people and its culture;
• i know cairo better than rome;
• i've had a great time every time i went there;
• the two most important guys of my life (till now) were egyptians.

2. sociological/historical reasons:

• egypt is the archetype of arab world: a big countrywith a long history to be proud of, but an uncertain future. then, if a pacific revolution will be possible in egypt, it means that all the arab people can stand up against their government and fight for their rights;
• egypt is a country where, in the past few years, a great civil society movement has developed: human rights activists, bloggers, talented youth are all creating and developing projects to rise political awareness among the new generation, so i want to learn something from their experience.

3. comparative reasons:

i find a big amount of similarities between egypt and italy (that's why i also feel half egyptian ;-P). for instance:

• we both have a proud long history of domination over the mediterranean area that make us wonder on the low standars of living we reached in the present days: we are threatened between being the past pharaons and emperors before and our present situation of instability, deprivation and decay;
• we have common ancestors, so we are almost the same family on two different shores of a lake: cleopatra & marco antonio. or (as my friend mashraheya's dad told me once) sophia loren & omar sharif ;-)
• we both have corrupted governments which are just looking for international recognition as democracies, but do not hesitate to menace, arrest and shoot their own citizens (for the italian chapter, see G8 Genova 2001 - i was there);
• there is nothing interesting going on in italy in this moment.

oh, yes, i remeber! there are presidential elections tomorrow...

same shit as usual, then!

Pyjamahedeen

ok, if you have never heard of this word and you don't know the meaning, just check Here

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

nupe, it will not be Nancy Ajram (as a kind of Arab Marilyn Monroe, if you let my comparison pass...) to sing with her persuasive voice "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on his 80th birthday on May 4, 2008.

the most unusual (yet not unexpected after 25 years of despotic regime) gift for the Egyptian Sphinx comes from Egyptian web activists, who have launched new mass street protests on the same day to commemorate his birthday.

opposition to President Mubarak has been growing lately with rising prices and stagnating wages adding to public discontent.

"The credibility, legitimacy and the grip of the regime are eroding" said Ibrahim Issa, editor of the independent daily newspaper Al-Dostur, to Reuter.

actually my favourite quote is one from Abdel Wahab el-Messery, an organizer of kefaya movement, who told The New York Times: "The element of fear is there. The people are afraid of the government, but the government is as afraid of the people." (damn if it's true!)

What Goes Around Comes Around

the wheel turns. the wheel of fortune. what goes around comes around. this is what they use to say. then i'm thinking about what i've done to upset the god of karma. i look at myself as an honest, fair, hard-worker girl. i've made a couple of big mistakes and bad actions in my life, but i have the impression i can count them on the fingers of a hand: i was unfaithful to my former boyfriend and i've slept with my friend's boyfriend once. oh, and i've stolen something in a flea market when i was 14.

i don't know if it has to do with the small things of our daily life: i have not left the tips to the waiter at the fast-food, i've stolen a taxi to some pilipinos waiting since longer, i'm rude on the phone when people don't understand what i say.

but i think that all those things are related to the situation i'm in. yesterday (thursday) i've met F. in Marina Mall and she told me that i'm stressed and i really need to relax. of course i'm stressed!
and all those talks about buying designer shoes in an outlet for 500 AED or going to dance in dubai or waterskiing or going to the spa was got on my nerves even more. it's easy being relaxed while earning 6,000 AED without having to think about your rent or your transportation.

for me it's a bit different, let's say is a kind of that old punk slogan. Produce. Consume. Die. and have no time for pleasures.
i don't think i need advices from someone to whom i've taught what living here meant. i still remeber when, after 7 months that i was here alone without seeing my family not even in picture, i "confessed" that i missed my family and that this kind of life was hard and she told me that this means being adults and that i cannot always lean on my family whenever i feel like doing it because it's not mature. and then, after 3 weeks that she came back from italy, she told me: "oh, y' know my parents are coming for easter. i miss my family so much. it's hard working here alone and being so far from your parents…" oh, no, i don't know what you are talking about: i have no feelings.

i feel pity for myself. i mean: i was so lucky that i had all the blessings one could have (and i thank god or his deputy CEO for this). i was born healthy. i was born in a free, rich, democratic western european country. i never had to face poverty, hunger, war, diseases in my life. not directly, i mean. i was born in a middle class family with enough money to provide me with a good education and a more than decent standard of living. i have always had all the moral support of my parents for everything i've done. almost all the people that i've known in 25 years of useless life (especially people older than me) think that i'm very smart and talented.
so now i feel that i'm throwing away all these blessings.
for what? nothing. at least, nothing that worths it.

independence maybe. but independence from what, if my happiness still depends on my family's recognition of my efforts?

Karma, please, give me an answer. What did I do wrong to you?

Looking forward to your kind reply,

Best Regards

Claudia Ciprietti
Life Disappointed

Smell Like Teen Spirit

it's 00.39 and i just came home.
actually not… that's only partially true since i've spent the all day at home hand-washing about 10 kilos of clothes and i went out only at 11.33, after my mum called me. i ate and then i just had a tour to discover the smells of my old days in Abu Dhabi (a kind of life i'm not in anymore).
i'm always amazed at how human mind works: for example, for me smells are as much evocative as sounds and sights (and sometimes even more…). and i don't know if it is related to some kind of childhood experiences or maybe prenatal or maybe even "past lives" we lived and we are not aware of. lately, every time that i go for the italian lesson and i pass by laura's home, where i used to live in my first three months in the emirates, the smell of freshly brewed coffee remind me of those days (even if little changes have undergone in the area, i associate that period to the smell of that coffee).
this evening, i wanted to check if the same would happen for other places. so i walked off to Al Salama Hospital's signal, i turned left on Al Ferdous Street and started to smell the air. nothing. i reached the end of the street and, at Capitol Hotel, i turned left again on Mina Road. still nothing. only the smell of the sea, so similar to the smell of the Adriatic Sea and so different at the same time. the smell of the sea here is somehow less marine than in my place: probably it has to do with the massive urban development the city is facing. skyscrapers. fake islands. harbours. Corniche reshaping. walking with my nose in the air i arrived to the building where my friend jonas used to live… so i turned back not to start being romantic and missing those nice moments i had with him and barbarella. probably the best friends i have had in this place (together with alessia). for sure the healthiest.

i don't know. i don't feel well. i'm tired and fed up.

6 April 2008

some 100 people have been arrested during the clashes risen on April 6, day of the Egyptian general strike.

actually 23 people (2 women and 21 men) were arrested even before taking any action in the strike as a preventive measure. they are currently placed in provisional detention for 15 days under investigation for provoking public unrest and calling for a strike which is against an emergency law that has been implemented in Egypt now for more than 25 years (the same law according to whom more than 50 homosexuals have been processed in the 2001 "Queen Boat Trial"). there is a big possibility those young Egyptians will be sentenced for imprisonment.

today, April 10, journalist Amina Abd El Rahman, has been arrested and detained in a police station in the town of Mahalla al-Kubra. she has been questioned in the absence of a lawyer and has been accused of working as a reporter without permission, according to the story of her husband Hamada ElKashef, reporter in El Badeel journal and who is on his own now in Mahalla.

yesterday, April 9, George Ishaak, one of the leaders of the opposition movement Kefaya, has been arrested. he has been accused of provoking unrest and calling for strikes. El Marg Prison administration has been preventing the admission of medications, food, clothes and blankets to the detainees since the morning. Hossam Shahata, the person in charge of delivering them started a hunger strike inside the prison. finally the authorities yielded to the pressure and allowed everything to be delivered to the detainees.

then my question is: is Egypt a democratic Country? answer: NO.

question #2: are these actions violations of human rights? answer: YES.

Egypt is a strategic partner for America in the process of "pacification" currently ongoing in the Middle East and its soldiers have been sent to kill their Arab brothers in Iraq just not to break the close ties the Country has had with the USA since the Sadat Era in the 70s and (of course) not to lose the HUGE aids its government is receiving from President Bush (Egypt is the second Country after Israel per weapons received). BUT, isn't President Hosny Mubarak aware that, in the past, Saddam Hussein has been a close friend of US too and Osama bin Laden was actually a business partner of Bush sr. and jr. himself? there could be a possibility than, in an attempt to "export democracy" in the Middle East, US troops up river Nile to "protect the disrespected rights of Egyptians"... i hope i'm just too fond of conspiracy theories...

by the way the strike was a kind of success: according to local sources, Cairo streets were empty and many people stayed at home from work, while many parents didn't send their children to school. students at Cairo and Helwan universities held demonstrations, while the Nasserite Students of Assiut university held a vigil on campus.

the Muslim Brothers, instead, did not take part in the strike (unless in the past days it seamed they would do it).

streets of Mahalla al-Kubra (where 27,000 textile workers on strike were expected to be the centre point of the nationwide demonstrations) were empty and schools were closed. The Misr Helwan Spinning & Weaving Company workers said security forces prevented them from demonstrating, arriving in the factory during the night and arresting 150 workers.

now, a new action has been planned for May 4, 2008...

La vita e' un sogno o i sogni aiutano a vivere?

OMG, i think i'm starting to get crazy over this guy... last night i've dreamt of K.
(don't indulge in XXX thoughts: no kisses and no sex were involved...)

Il prezzo della cultura part 2

and by the way my (w)horoscope for 2008 said it...: "Taurus, you are a very cultured and talented person, but you have to cultivate your gifts and focus on learning this year... read more books, go for a master degree, keep yourself updated on world news... do something for your education."

and Mr. Robert Brezny is always right!

so, since prices of university courses here in the UAE are nothing but HUMANGOUS, i've chosen to read more...

the second part of my 2008 (w)horoscope was: "Quando nel 2009 la diga delle Tre Gole, in Cina, funzionera' a pieno ritmo, la sua produzione idroelettrica costituira' una fonte di energia rinnovabile per buona parte della popolazione del paese. Andando a sostituire il carbone, eliminera' anche 100 milioni di tonnellate di gas serra. Questa e' la buona notizia. Quella cattiva e' che migliaia di villaggi e paesi saranno permanentemente inondati e oltre un migliaio di persone saranno costrette a lasciare le loro case. Penso che potresti trovarti davanti a una scelta simile nel 2008, Toro. Se sei disposto ad accettare l'esilio e la perdita delle tradizioni, guadagnerai l'accesso a incredibili riserve di magica energia."

("If you are willing to accept the exile and loss of traditions, you will gain the access to incredible stocks of magic energy.")

i guess i'm ready.

ready to lose my traditions.

ready to live on exile.

ready to sign this contract.

ready for this fucking visa.

Il prezzo della cultura

on saturday evening i've bought 2 books in Abu Dhabi Co-Op: an old novel by V.S.Naipaul (i've loved his books Beyond Beliefs and The Suffrage of Elvira!) and a kind of essay about how chance affected the results of many battles and wars (from the Horse of Troy to the Gulf War in 1991).

i need to read. actually i should read more: last week i've finished a very good novel, Absurdistan, but before that it was at least one month that i didn't read a real book.

all i've been reading lately were tips and samples on "how to build a successful marketing plan" and academic papers on the health sector in the UAE and on Al Ain city. "i have to admit" that it helped me a lot in my work, but i'm not that keen in sales&marketing.

i prefer literature... any suggestion about must-read books?

Facetta nera...

yesterday afternoon on the bus, coming back from Sharjah, where i went for an appointment, i've met Deniet.

she was sitting besides me and, when i woke up from my sleep, i've noticed that she was reading the Gospel in italian (and that she was kind enough to take care that, while sleeping, my head would not hit the sit in front of me when the driver braked...)

so, we started to talk and i found out that, beyond being a very pretty girl, she's eritrean from the capital city Asmara and that she can speak italian PERFECTLY 'cause she learnt it in the italian school in Asmara. she was an italian teacher before coming here and she's looking for a job now.

i would really like to help her, so i'll try to propose her as an italian teacher at CICER (Circolo Italiano Culturale E Ricreativo di Abu Dhabi), but i doubt that the italian mafia will give her a chance...

sometimes we still think that we had an "Empire" (???) before:

1884 – Eritrea: the first attempts to set an Italian Colonial Empire goes back to the 1884, when the Prime Minister Francesco Crispi tried to acquire a port on the Red Sea through an agreement with the United Kingdom to occupy the city of Massaua. Further to the Treaty of Uccialli, in 1890 Eritrea became an Italian colony with Asmara as its capital. Then it stayed like that until 1941, when it was occupied by the British troops together with the rest of the Italian Eastern Africa.
1889 – Somalia: the first Italian colony was established in Southern Somalia between 1889 and 1890, initially as a protectorate. In June 1925, the Italian influence was extended to former part of British Kenya and in 1940 the Italian troops occupied the British Somalia, known as Somaliland. But in 1941, British occupied the whole Italian Somalia and re-conquered Somaliland also.
1911 – Lybia: After a fast war against the Ottoman Empire, in 1911 Italy took control on the Lybian regions of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania, which have been then unified in 1934 under the name of Lybia (the old Roman name for the territory). During Fascism Age, Italy have been attempting to “pacify” the colony (against the rebels of Omar Mukhtar), during which gassing campaigns and mass deportations have been severely perpetrated against the original inhabitants. Italy lost control of Libya when German and Italian forces withdrew into Tunisia in 1943. Italians were against the Lybian invasion because they didn't want the government to spend their money to build roads and infrastructures in a land that they claimed was "uno scatolone di sabbia" (a box full of sand). Unfortunately they didn't notice that it was a box full of oil, so when Colonel Qaddafi took power in 1969 after the Green Revolution, he evenly kicked all the remaining Italian asses out of the Country and kept the royalties on petroleum and gas. On the Lybian campaign there is by the way a nice movie from 93 years old Italian director Mario Monicelli: Le Rose del Deserto (2006).
1912 – Dodecanese Island: the islands of Rhodes and the surrounding islands were a territorial gain Italy was able to make at the expense of the enfeebled Ottoman Empire with the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912. While the Treaty of Sèvres in 1919 called for most of the smaller islands to join with Greece, with Rhodes and several other islands remaining Italian, later, in 1923, the treaty of Lausanne gave international recognition to the continued Italian administration over the whole group. Two days after the Italian Government reached an armistice with the Allies on 8th September 1943, German forces attacked the Italians on Rhodes, forcing a surrender the next day. Despite the landing of British troops, the Germans seized Kos on October 4 after a day of fighting, and Leros fell to the Germans on November 16 after five days of fighting. You can find some details about this story in the movie Captain Corelli's Mandolin with Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz (if you are good enough to get rid of the buttery love story...). Otherwise i suggest Gabriele Salvatores' Mediterraneo (Oscar Winner as Best Foreign Language Film in 1992): w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l!
1936 - Ethiopia: in the 1890s the Italian Army, following a previous agreement with the Negus of Ethiopia Menelik, occupied a part of the Ethiopian Highland including the city of Asmara. Italy was defeated in its first attempt to conquer Ethiopia (called Abyssinia by Europeans at that time) in the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1895-96, but the Italians were able to occupy Ethiopia in the war of 1935-36 after seven months of fighting. Victory was announced on 9th May 1936, when the Italian King Vittorio Emanuele III proclaimed himself “Emperor of Ethiopia” and Benito Mussolini “Founder of the Empire”. At the beginning of 1941 the English troops defeated Italians and occupied Ethiopia, but some flash points of Italian resistance remained active until the autumn of the same year and re-established the former Negus Haile Selassie.i've read an interesting article on the excellent Italian magazine Internazionale last year about the Italian heritage in Ethiopia and Eritrea: in Asmara, Massaua and Addis Abbeba is still plenty of old people speaking Italian and of places built during the Fascism Age with names in Amharic and Italian. I've remembered this article once when i was in Rock Bottom (a club in Abu Dhabi where i used to go) with my friends and the Ethiopian bouncer wanted us to leave even if our glasses were still full. i asked him where he was from and when he told me "Addis Abbeba", i said: "Ah, what a beautiful city!" "Have you been there?" i lied: "Yes, i've spent one week there..." "Really? Where were you staying?" "Oh, do you know that nice hotel near Cinema Impero? i can't remember the name..." "Oh yes, yes! I know it! Then if you were in Addis Abbeba, no need to leave now my friend!"... as you see, we are all brothers and sisters in the end...

1939 – Albania: Albania was already firmly within Italy's sphere of influence for twenty years when, in 1939, Mussolini decided it should formally be brought under Italian control. The Italian invasion of Albania began on 7th April 1939, but resistance to the Italian occupation grew rapidly at the end of 1942 and in 1943. By the summer of 1943, most of the mountainous interior was controlled by resistance fighters led by the Communist leader Enver Hoxha. By the end of September 1943, three weeks after Italy signed an armistice with the Allies, Germany took control over Albania.


Other territories submitted to Italian authority were Montenegro and Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia), Tiensin in China, and Nice and Corsica (French territories invaded by Italians during World War II).

But we don’t study these things at school ;-P