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demoleft's Journal - EuroDem from Italy
Posted by demoleft in The DU Lounge
Sun Jul 22nd 2007, 06:55 PM
"If happy little bluebirds fly / Beyond the rainbow / Why, oh, why can't I?"

Does it go like this?
My American uncle gave me a record with Judy Garland's greatest and I, obviously, fell in love with her interpretation of "Over the Rainbow" (together with "For Me And My Gal" to be honest).

Well, I'm not against technology. I like it. But birds - I would not have them faked. Moreover, I had a literary historical Bildung. I like Keats' birds, give me tens of Dickinson's birds and thousands from Leopardi. But a mechanical one...

Imagine my sorrow as I started reading about a robotic bird aimed to spy on other birds and/or to humans.
"A shape-shifting, robotic bird that can sweep through the skies without a peep has all the right stuff for ground surveillance and even spying on its real-life inspiration—the common swift."

The article source is livescience, here http://www.livescience.com/technology/0707...

"The new robot has “unprecedented” features, the researchers say. It relies on only four “feathers” for morphing ability" and is able to adjust the wing shape during the flight.
Scientific purpose? Military purpose? Civil purpose?

Once realized it goes for all of these, I believe. Which is good, in a sense...though a bird spying and telling private things about other birds or humans...

I think I'll still prefer Judy's "bluebirds" and, if I ever come to see one of those robobirds, I'll still believe it was a true bird flying beyond the rainbow.
I'm too old to change my mind.

The official website of Roboswift, http://www.roboswift.nl/index.php?lang=en

Ciao!


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Howard Dean in Italy, April 2007
Dean invited at the last Congress of the Italian Democratic of the Left party (DS), that is going to dissolve and create, with progressive partners, the Democratic Party in Italy.

As leader of the Democratic Party in the USA, he said, I congratulate with you for your decision to create a new Party. This is a really historical moment for the Italian people. The Democratic Party in Italy will grant a more stable progressive government and to the American democrats will mean a bigger partner in Europe.

Dean recalled the Italian history, culture, cuisine (!) and sport, mostly our soccer team (“azzurri”, we are world champions since last July - let me say!)

Comparing the work made in Italy by DS and Margherita (Daisy) in creating the strongest core of the UNIONE, the alliance that defeated Berlusconi, and the effort made by the American Democratic Party, he said that USA democrats made the decision of uniting to defeat the far republican right wing. United, added Dean, working hard we won in 2006: today we are majority at the Congress and Senate.

He remembered Nancy Pelosi, of Italian origin, and the teachings in governance of Bill Clinton and his efforts to give USA a new profile in the world. A word for France to make a step forward was spent: an indirect “good luck” to Segolene Royal, the socialist candidate as President.

Really appreciated by the DS delegates was the portrait of the future democratic America: it’s time to leave Iraq, said he, and it’s time to change USA relationships with the rest of the world. According to Dean, we have to fight for the respect of human and civil rights. A new political course is necessary with the Muslim world: it’s going to take a long time but a bridge with the Muslim people who work on democratic efforts in their countries must be built.

On Global warming he said it is an actual matter and the poorest are the ones who will pay the highest price. To negate the problem is useless, USA must work with Europe to solve this problem.

The progressive parties unite, told Dean, because they are parties of the “we”. The right wing parties are parties of the “I”. The power doesn’t belong to us, he added, it’s only lent to us. So must we always communicate with the people both in traditional and new ways.

I can say, we democratic of the left enjoyed the words very much!
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