Friday, October 30, 2009

Where I want to be

Where I want to be

Who needs a dream?
Who needs ambition?
Who'd be the fool
In my position?
Once I had dreams
Now they're obsessions
Hopes became needs
Lovers possessions.

Then they move in
Oh so discreetly
Slowly at first
Smiling so sweetly
I opened doors
They walked right through them
Called me their friend
I hardly knew them.

Now I'm where I want to be
and who I want to be
and doing what I always said I would
and yet I feel I haven't won at all.
Running for my life and never looking back
in case there's someone right behind to shoot me down
and say he always knew I'd fall.

When this crazy wheel slows down
Where will I be? Back where I started.

Don't get me wrong
I'm not complaining
Times have been good
Fast, entertaining
But what's the point
If I'm concealing
Not only love
But all of the feelings

Now I'm where I want to be
and who I want to be
and doing what I always said I would
and yet I feel I haven't won at all.
Running for my life and never looking back
in case there's someone right behind to shoot me down
and say he always knew I'd fall.

When this crazy wheel slows down
Where will I be? Back where I started
Where will I be? Back where I started...

(Written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus)

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Wisdom

Confucius says
"A constipated man
does not give a crap."

Saturday, June 13, 2009

High Crimes & Misdemeanors

They want you to believe
The unbelievable
They say you should accept
The unacceptable
Forget your common sense
It isn't sensible
Good times for fools and dreamers

Watch 'em all deny
The undeniable
See how they refute
The unrefutable
They're ready to defend
The indefensible
High times for lawyer schemers

They say we must forgive
The unforgivable
They want us to respect
The unrespectable
The pious and the hip
So hypocritical
High crimes and misdemeanors

See how they explain
The inexplicable
Watch 'em debate
The undebatable
Apparently a lie
Is never liable
Prime time for talk show screamers

They say we constitute
The Constitutional
With justice here for all
So justifiable
I'm tryin' not to laugh
But man it's laughable
High crimes and misdemeanors

And so
Today we find
They've changed their minds
They've switched their points of view

Oh what tangled webs they weave
When their beliefs ain't really
What they believe?

They're trying to divide
The indivisible
Because they think we're fools
So foolable
I'm tryin' not to laugh
But man it's laughable
Boom times for Wall Street dreamers

They want you to believe
The unbelievable
They say we should accept
The unacceptable
The pious and the hip
So hypocritical
High crimes and misdemeanors
High crimes and misdemeanors
High crimes and misdemeanors

(Dennis DeYoung)


Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Top 10 delle città ideali dove vivere

Vancouver, Vienna, Melbourne e Toronto. È questo il quartetto delle città più vivibili del mondo, secondo la classifica del Centro Studi dell’Economist, che ha preso in esame 140 centri urbani, considerando i seguenti parametri: stabilità, cura della salute, cultura e ambiente, educazione, infrastrutture.

CITTA' - PUNTEGGIO
  • 1. Vancouver 98,0
  • 2. Vienna 97,9
  • 3. Melbourne 97,5
  • 4. Toronto 97,2
  • 5. Perth 96,6
  • 5. Calgary 96,6
  • 7. Helsinki 96,2
  • 8. Ginevra 96,1
  • 9. Sydney 96,1
  • 10.Zurigo 96,1
  • 50.Milano 89,5
  • 51.Londra 89,2
  • 52.Roma 89,0
Il Canada, con Vancouver, Toronto e Calgary, e l'Australia con Melbourne, Perth e Sidney, risultano essere i Paesi con più città "vivibili" nella top 10.
:)

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Per quelli come noi - Pooh [1966]

Per quelli come noi c'è solo il vento
parlate anche di noi solo un momento
se l'erba gelerà sarà soltanto
il tempo di sparir senza rimpianto.

Voi che non vedete, non sentite, ma parlate
giudicate solo che non siamo seri come voi.

Ma quelli come noi non sanno odiare
lasciateci la forza di cantare
non vi chiediamo niente in fondo, in fondo
lasciateci soltanto il nostro mondo.

Voi che non vedete, non sentite, ma parlate
giudicate solo che non siamo seri come voi.

Ma quelli come noi non sanno odiare
lasciateci la forza di cantare
non vi chiediamo niente in fondo, in fondo
lasciateci soltanto il nostro mondo
soltanto il nostro mondo
sì... il nostro mondo...
soltanto il nostro mondo...
sì... il nostro mondo...

Saturday, March 07, 2009

175 ragioni per amare Toronto

Buon compleanno Toronto!

Ieri Toronto ha festeggiato il suo 175esimo compleanno.


Perchè mi piace tanto? Eccolo svelato!


175 ragioni per amare Toronto


1. It is the centre of the (Canadian) universe.

2. Jane Jacobs called it home.

3. Our first mayor led a rebellion.

4. We can finally buy a decent burrito.

5. We can hang up our laundry without stirring up gossip.

6. We have independent bookstores in every neighbourhood – and new ones are still opening.

7. Our sports teams wear blue and purple, and we look damn good in blue and purple.

8. We have a Little Malta.

9. And a Little Azores.

10. There are so many Chinatowns, we've lost count.

11. There's a festival for every neighbourhood and ethnic group in the city – and about a dozen crammed into every summer weekend.

12. A million people can crowd the streets during one of these festivals and nobody gets mugged.

13. Gays and lesbians can marry here.

14. There's a perfect, tiny old church in the courtyard of the Eaton Centre.

15. And a prayer labyrinth.

16. North America's most stable banks are based here.

17. The elegant footbridge at the mouth of the Humber that has inspired thousands of photographs.

18. The surreal spectacle of Church Street on Halloween.

19. Long before wi-fi, we could predict the weather by looking at the beacon atop the Canada Life building.

20. Violent crime is actually going down.

21. The downtown population is actually going up.

22. Admit it: A couple of the seemingly thousands of new condo dwellings are actually rather nice.

23. One of the city's best golf courses runs underneath its busiest highway.

24. We can watch (and cringe at) young daredevils at Cummer Skateboard Park.

25. The newspaper reading room at the Toronto Reference Library.

26. We have a restaurant devoted to poutine.

27. Those streetcar drivers who assert themselves over the automated voice system with their own personal shout-outs for various intersections and attractions along their routes.

28. Going down the giant escalator at the Paramount – er, Scotiabank Theatre.

29. Working up a sweat on the old wooden indoor running track at Hart House, followed by lunch at the Gallery Grill.

30. Dining on pho at 2 in the morning.

31. The inspirational messages on the Inglis billboard keep Gardiner Expressway commuters uplifted.

32. Touring local history (and stopping for a game of chess) at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

33. The private viewing booths at the NFB's Mediatheque.

34. That guy – you know the one – who insists on wearing shorts in the dead of winter.

35. We proudly display our favourite of Spacing magazine's iconic buttons of TTC subway stations.

36. We dutifully separate our garbage into black, blue and green.

37. Learning to love theatre classics, thanks to Soulpepper.

38. Michael Snow's Canada geese sculpture in the Eaton Centre.

39. If you're bored by what you're watching at the Winter Garden Theatre, you can admire the faux greenery.

40. The artistic Utopia of the gorgeously restored 401 Richmond and the Wychwood Art Barns.

41. We've got more cyclists per capita than Vancouver.

42. The SkyDome (okay, Rogers Centre) when the roof is in the process of being opened or closed.

43. Basking in the sun at the Canada Master tennis tournament (okay, the Rogers Cup).

44. From the Humber Bay butterfly habitat, the city looks almost beautiful.

45. The dim sum is as good as the tapas. (And the antipasti are as good as the panchan. And ...)

46. We've got a sugar museum. And a shoe museum.

47. When you look up you can see hawks circling.

48. The double-decker Go trains flashing by cars gridlocked on the Gardiner.

49. We are a hockey city, baseball city, basketball city and now a soccer city.

50. We are sometimes also a cricket city.

51. Eating your way across the globe at St. Lawrence Market on a Saturday.

52. The Dakota Tavern, the west end's roots-music rec room.

53. Watching leaves turn at the Toronto Botanical Garden in the fall.

54. Stopping in your tracks as a bigger-than-you-remembered Porter plane descends over the harbour.

55. The flume log ride at Ontario Place.

56. Without us, where would they film movies set in American cities?

57. Honest Ed's shrine to kitsch even lets Toronto fill in for Vegas from time to time.

58. We never have to stop traffic for a Stanley Cup parade.

59. A family of beavers made a home for themselves at the Music Garden.

60. Yonge-Dundas Square was supposed to be Toronto's answer to Times Square. It's really no comparison, but don't you want to give the city a big condescending hug just for trying?

61. Colin Partridge's vivid tree carvings in High Park.

62. Getting to the Toronto City Centre Airport necessitates a ride on the world's shortest ferry route.

63. Bumping into a towel-clad celeb at Stillwater Spa.

64. Marvelling at the machines that churn out sweet walnut cakes in Little Korea.

65. Chilled-out revellers and circus performers at free summertime Promise parties put Cherry Beach on the map.

66. You can pay $5 for a cup of coffee at a growing number of specialty cafes – or still get your double-double for 90 cents.

67. For 10 star-struck days in September, Toronto is justified calling itself Hollywood North.

68. The raging fandom on display – for lacrosse! – at Toronto Rock games is inspiring.

69. Spotting a big, beautiful white-tailed deer nibbling greenery at G. Ross Lord Park.

70. Watching a big ugly amphibious Hippo bus taking a swim in the harbour.

71. The legendary white squirrel.

72. We've now got a deli and bagels that make trips to Montreal almost unnecessary.

73. The smiles on everyone's faces during the first warm spell of the year.

74. A hive of indie rock, from Apostle of Hustle to Woodhands.

Hip hop too: Kardi, K-os and K'Naan call it home.

76. Scouting for migrating birds at the Leslie Street Spit – but look out for the snakes.

77. Nuit Blanche, for letting us see the city with fresh eyes.

78. The gorilla compound at the Toronto Zoo.

79. The intimate zoos at High Park, Riverdale Park and Centre Island.

80. A huge festival that treats authors like real celebrities.

81. Exploring the cottagey, car-free Ward Island neighbourhood and wondering why we don't all live there.

82. The united nations of Baldwin Street.

83. Tai chi at Christie Pits.

84. The sad, poignant sculptures at Ireland Park.

85. Being able to overhear – and see – top-shelf jazz from a comfortable perch outside the Nathan Phillips mainstage tent during the jazz festival when you can't afford a ticket.

86. Getting back to nature, almost, in a meandering ravine.

87. Housing is getting more affordable by the month.

88. The view of the city as you drive south on the DVP.

89. Riding your bike along the DVP and Gardiner during the annual Ride for Heart.

90. Lively literati – from Michael Ondaatje to Bryan Lee O'Malley – helped make this a city of the imagination.

91. Enza, supermodel.

92. The glass staircase in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

93. The glass floor at the CN Tower.

94. The perfect blend of old and new in the Brookfield Place atrium.

95. Top-notch, small-scale comedy at Bad Dog, Comedy Bar, Second City – and a dozen other barroom stages.

96. Basking in verdant luxury in the backyards of the wealthy along the Belt Line trail.

97. Shirtless Zanta doing pushups in the cold.

98. Extensive back-alley graffiti, some of which is better than the stuff hanging in galleries.

99. Gehry, Libeskind, Alsopp: Thank you, thank you, thank you, for giving us architecture worthy of debate.

100. Spotting the almost mystical garbage train on the TTC late at night.

101. Fig and molasses, chestnut and birch syrup ... and other exotic flavours from Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream.

102. The care that goes into irrepressibly quirky allotment gardens.

103. Winter? What winter? Eating, shopping and working in the PATH.

104. Rightfully beloved Massey Hall has welcomed too many big names to count.

105. Distillery delicacies: Mayan hot chocolate at Soma, organic beer at Mill Street Brewery, exotic fromage from A Taste of Quebec and a meat pie from Brick Street Bakery, enjoyed in the city's most cinematic setting.

106. The surprisingly vibrant beach volleyball scene at Ashbridge's Bay.

107. Helping a student by riding a rickshaw.

108. Listening to live music at the restored deco classic Carlu.

109. Eating brunch three times a day, every day, in Leslieville.

110. SARS made us stronger – and the resulting benefit concert found a use for the empty expanse of Downsview Park.

111. Ron Baird's landmark kinetic steel sculpture on Dufferin St. south of Steeles Ave.

112. The smell of baked goods at Bathurst and Eglinton subway stations.

113. The giant glowing pill-shaped classroom in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at U of T.

114. There's a downtown driving range that doubles as a drive-in theatre.

115. The CN Tower withstands some 50 lightning strikes a year.

116. We saw a guy take his Christmas tree home on the subway.

117. The Dufferin Grove organic farmers market is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. year round.

118. Going for mojitos at Julie's.

119. Then listening to live Cuban music at Lula Lounge.

120. Hopping from one you-call-that-art? gallery to another on Queen West for Thursday-night opening receptions.

121. Coming across a part of the city transformed for a movie shoot.

122. The impossibly ornate, painstakingly constructed Hindu temple that seems totally out of place alongside the 427.

123. Sipping from a green coconut and wishing Toronto had palm trees during Caribana.

124. Lining up for Hakka food in Scarborough.

125. Dancing to a band from a faraway land in the open air at Harbourfront.

126. Reading a book on the bizarre slab of granite on Yorkville Ave.

127. Feeling like you're the first to discover fresh pupusas on Augusta Ave.

128. Jackie Richardson, a one-woman musical treasure.

129. Dusk Dances and Shakespeare in the Park: keeping green space interesting.

130. Pillow fights, Zombie Walks, subway parties, Manhunt and Capture the Flag: keeping it weird.

131. Spectacular patios – the Madison, Quigley's and the Rectory, to name just three – filling up at the first sign of good weather.

132. The "secret" patios hiding at the back of dozens of restaurants.

133. Grazing among the cow statues in the TD Centre plaza.

134. Watching glass blowers performing their molten arts at York Quay Centre.

135. Lying on the grass for a concert at Molson Amphitheatre.

136. Determining your favourite pa'an-wallah – by sampling them all – on Gerrard Street.

137. Collecting your winnings – even if you're at a loss overall – at Woodbine Racetrack.

138. The fact that decades after Mies van der Rohe designed them, the TD towers look brand new.

139. The myriad and lovely stained glass windows on Annex-area homes.

140. Singing karaoke with the Gladstone Cowboy.

141. Doors Open proves that yes, we do give a damn about architecture.

142. And there's more to like here than just the Flatiron Building.

143. Neil Young and Glenn Gould were both born here.

144. The Rolling Stones surprise us with a secret concert once in a while.

145. Off-leash areas of parks, where dog owners sit on picnic tables and mingle while their furry charges roam free.

146. The harbour lit up with sails at sunset on a windy summer's eve.

147. Watching an extended streetcar accordion its way around a curve.

148. Winter DJ skating parties.

149. The overhead OMNIMAX screen and comfy chairs you can lay back on at the Ontario Science Centre.

150. Trying not to puke while riding the Zipper at the CNE.

151. Surviving the vomit comet.

152. The awe-inspiring R.C. Harris fortress of water filtration.

153. York University's ravine-shrouded Glendon campus.

154. The best movies you've never heard of at Cinematheque Ontario.

155. The best movies you missed the first time around – for a better price – at neighbourhood rep houses.

156. Ogling the old-money opulence of Rosedale.

157. And the nouveau opulence of the Bridle Path.

158. The sights and smells of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

159. Summertime drum circles at Trinity Bellwoods Park.

160. We have had two World Series championships when cities that have had franchises longer – that means you, Houston and San Diego – haven't had any.

161. Finding the perfectly musty tweed jacket in Kensington Market.

162. Watching a dance lesson through the expansive windows of the National Ballet School.

163. A taste of Dover at Bluffer's Park.

164. The historic outdoor pool at Sunnyside Park.

165. Helping the artisans make meals from scratch at Black Creek Pioneer Village.

166. Actual gold in the windows of the Royal Bank tower makes us almost nostalgic for days of excess.

167. Winterlicious and Summerlicious, when we can afford to dine amongst the expense-account set.

168. The city is finally realizing there's a waterfront.

169. The Mayor is your Twitter buddy.

170. Looking out from a rooftop lounge, you can see how much the city has changed in the last decade.

171. We're nicer than they say we are. We're just a little shy sometimes.

172. Big enough to be anonymous. Small enough to know your neighbours.

173. It's easy to leave.

174. It's just as easy to come back.

175. If we don't love it, who will?


Tratto a TheStar.com

Friday, February 06, 2009

Carolina Morace nuovo ct del Canada donne



TORONTO, 5 febbraio - Carolina Morace, storico simbolo del calcio femminile italiano, è stata nominata nuovo ct della nazionale donne del Canada. La Morace, primatista tra le goleador azzurre, ex tecnico della Viterbese (primo tecnico donna nei campionati pro italiani), ex ct della nazionale azzurra («me ne sono andata perché non c'era un progetto in Figc, in Canada ora c'è»).

Ieri Carolina ha palesato la sua gioia e l'orgoglio: «Mi danno una bella chance con la nazionale undicesima nel ranking mondiale, ma con un gran numero di praticanti: questo è un premio per la scuola allenatori di Coverciano, dove vengono formati tecnici di primo livello internazionale».

Notizia e foto tratta da TuttoSport.com




Italy's Morace named coach of Canadian women's soccer team

Former Italian international star Carolina Morace was officially introduced as the new head coach of Canada's women's soccer team on Thursday.
The Canadian Soccer Association made the announcement at a media conference in Toronto.

Morace will also serve as coach of the Canadian under-20 women's team.

"Today we embark on a new era in women's soccer in Canada," said CSA general secretary Peter Montopoli. "Our goal is very clear: winning medals on the international stage. We've taken the first step to achieving this goal by hiring the best coach available to lead out the women's program."

Montopoli heralded the appointment of Morace "as a very significant milestone in the development of women's soccer" in Canada.
"Carolina will now be the face of women's soccer in Canada," proclaimed Montopoli.

Tratto da cbc.ca
Link alla notizia integrale: cbc.ca/sports


Sunday, February 01, 2009

Scoperte piantagioni di marijuana con Google Earth

Notizia un po' bizzarra....

La polizia Svizzera ha scoperto delle piantagioni di marijuana attraverso Google Earth, un programma gratuito che permette di osservare la terra con la possibilità di vedere i dettagli delle città attraverso lo zoom.
I poliziotti Svizzeri stavano indagando su un giro di droga e, mentre cercavano l'indirizzo di uno degli indagati, hanno scoperto le piantagioni.

Link alla notizia in lingua Inglese: Torontosun

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Alla Pugacheva

Alla Pugacheva è una cantante russa. Non ho mai capito cosa dice nelle sue canzoni, ma la sua voce mi piace parecchio.