Next man or woman on the moon

Sulla luna, Gianni Rodari Sulla luna, per piacere, non mandate un generale: ne farebbe una caserma con la tromba e il caporale.... Ha da essere un poeta sulla Luna ad allunare: con la testa nella luna lui da un pezzo ci sa stare… A sognar i più bei sogni è da un pezzo abituato: sa sperare l’impossibile anche quando è disperato. (Versiòn furlana) In ta la luna, par plašej, no stèit mandà un generàl: na cašerma a ti farès cu la tromba e il caporàl... Al à da èsi un poeta che'n ta la luna a lunà al và: belzà un bel toc a è che in ta la luna bon al è da stà: da tant timp abituàt al è a 'nsumiasi daj suns pì bièj: l'impusìbul al sà sperà par no lasasi disperà. (English rendering) Please oh please don't send a general to the moon: a barracks he would put up with a trumpet and a corporal... It has to be a poet to moon on the moon: he is really quite good at keeping his head on the moon... he's been used for quite some time to dream the nicest dreams: he knows how to hope for the impossible even in moments of despair.

Towards a better world

Down with Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations. That, evidently, seems to be the mood in some states down south. Maybe it's just a distraction from the steady drumming we get on the Covid thing. But maybe not. Maybe it's an honest call to get us all to refine our ways and our thinking in these cancel-culture days. Let them come down then, just as statues have already come down! But this wish, or act, of purification, shouldn't stop at tearing down lights or monuments that so obviously offend people. Foodbanks should be made illegal, for in these days of rising unemployment and widespread inequality they remind us of those who can still afford to give. Cops, who are guilty of hampering the Robin Hood quest in a society of haves and have nots, should of course be defunded. In schools the study of history and science should be discouraged: the one because it focuses too much on discoverers and conquerors and legislators who were responsible for or codified today's inequalities; the other because its discoveries have in the past advantaged the wealthier countries, and to a large extent still do. For the sake of a better world all these things, obviously, should be cancelled out. Heck, the use of the English language should be muted out, being, as it is, one of the most insidious and widespread reminders of the ills of colonialism. Indeed, the colour white, or what we call white, should itself be smudged out, guilty as it is of perpetuating today's most glaring sin. The shutting off of Christmas lighs is therefore a welcome first step—and a great Christmas cheer! Ermes

People of colour?

Letter to Scientific American Dear Editors I have just read your editorial on the December issue of your magazine in which you focus on how the current Covid pandemic affects “people of colour” much more adversely than it does whites. Clearly the intent of the editorial is to highlight a condition that needs to be brought to the awareness of all—particularly of those who have the knowledge and ability to remedy the situation. I do wonder, though, if your basic thesis is correct, given that the incidence of people affected by the Corona virus in some notable non-white countries is much, much lower than it is in the US and in other Western countries—in Japan, for instance, where, so far, only about 2500 people have died of the virus, let alone China where (if we believe the reports that come from there) hardly any people have tested positive since last April. Given these facts, should not Sci-Am revise its position by making its claim valid only for the US, or for North America? I wonder, too, about your journal's insistence on referring to non-whites as “people of colour.” It would be nice to think that in drawing a distinction between people of colour and white people, the editors intend to highlight the colourfulness and vibrancy of the former and the blandness and dreariness of the latter. But I am afraid I would be kidding myself to think that way. What Sci-Am is doing, instead and alas, is the opposite: it perpetuates a distinction between us and them, between us privileged and them non-privileged—a distinction which, sadly, is the essence of racism. Ermes Culos Ashcroft BC Canada (Ps. You may find the attached article of some interest.) https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/adam-why-the-term-people-of-colour-is-offensive-to-so-many

Evolusiòn lenghìstica? Hmmm...

Baipassà Baipassà? Ma da indulà al sàltia fòu stu mostru di peràula? Da Timbuctu, a si pensarès, o adiritura da Majiriti che, coma che dùcjus a sàn, al è un exoplaneta lontàn na manada o dos di àis lus da la Cjera. Ma no; chista abominasiòn a vèn invensi da La Repubblica, che pròpit vuej (in ta sta zornada freiduta di disembri) a ni dìs che Londra a à decidùt di “bypassare” li règulis da la UE e di dàighi il so OK al ušu da la vacina Pfizer. A no ni tòcjia duncja strinzi i dincj' e acetà che se Londra a pòl fà sè ca vòu, e che se i gjornaj taliàns a pòsin rìdighi davòu a li règulis da la Crusca— a no ni tòcia duncja rasegnasi a jodi che encja il furlàn, par pura conveniensa o musetàt al è bon da baipasà ogni preteša di puresa? (Dec 2/20)

Stranèsis dal furlàn

Imprest An imprest is what in Italian passes for anticipo and in fact comes from the Italian imprestare Imprest is also an archaic spelling for impressed. but none of these help us undestand that imprest simply stands for the lowly Friulian tool. Trist Trist ti sòs se bon no ti sòs. No coma'l taliàn, che triste ti permèt di èsi sensa èsi trist. Luliania The reference of course is of the lowly sausage, much lower in rank than that of a salame or of a mušèt —but oh what romance it evokes, what minuets under the chandeliers with all eyes on Princess Luliania and all hearts pounding for her —Oh!

Satan in the Garden of Eden

PARADÌS PIERDÙT A no è da surprìndisi se BLAKE, lešìnt rìghis coma chìstis, al veva pensàt che MILTON al era “of the devil's party without nowing it." ...WITh what delight could I have walked thee round, If I could joy in aught, sweet interchange Of hill, and valley, rivers, woods, and plains, Now land, now sea and shores with forest crowned, Rocks, dens, and caves! But I in none of these Find place or refuge; and the more I see Pleasures about me, so much more I feel Torment within me, as from the hateful siege Of contraries... ...Cun cuant gust che atòr di te cjaminàt i varès, se'n alc di godi i sarès bon, in ta dols càmbius di culìnis, di valàdis, di fluns, boscs, e pras, cjera adès e'l mar dopo cu li so rìvis silvèstris, clapòns, tànis e gròtis! Ma jò rifugjo i no cjati in ta nisùna di chìstis; e pì godimìnt che atòr di me i jòt, e pì e pì i mi sìnt plen di turmìnt, coma che oh asaltàt i fòs da contràris...

Unforgivable!

letter to WASHINGTON POST Dear Washington Post, “As an ex-president, Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, current and former officials fear”—so reads one of today's headlines of your online newspaper. Your revelation that President Trump just might make use of his secrets to blow us all up (yes, even us Canadians, since your article makes it very clear that his vengeful spirit knows no bounds) has scared the bejeezus out of me, and I suspect out of countless other readers of yours. Your newspaper (and by no means just your newspaper) has warned us countless times in the past several years of the unbalanced and vengeful nature of your president, and in doing so has contributed an awful lot to his final ousting. Wasn't that terribly irresponsible of you, knowing, as all along you obviously did, that Trump just might behave in this apocalyptic way once out of office? Shouldn't you have done your level best to keep him in office and thus save the US and the world from catastrophe? Unforgivable! Ermes Culos Ashcroft, BC 2504539519