Un atto terribile ed insensato ha rubato la vita ad Ilenia Graziola, una persona speciale. Gli amici che hanno danzato con lei, che hanno riso con lei, che con lei hanno vissuto momenti meravigliosi la salutano con una lettera. Danzerai nei nostri cuori, Ilenia
Il nostro ricordo
A volte la vita lascia senza parole…siamo impreparati e increduli, di fronte a ciò che è accaduto. Non saranno le nostre parole, né quelle di altri a riempire questo vuoto; non ci sono commenti o pensieri che riescano a dare un qualche senso ai fatti. Il pensiero va ad Ilenia, ai suoi cari perché trovino la forza di non spegnersi quando la vita è così dura… E scorrono veloci nella mente le immagini delle serate trascorse insieme… con in bocca il sapore amaro dovuto al pensiero di essere stati solo più fortunati della nostra cara amica. La sua assenza improvvisa fa sentire forte la responsabilità di essere vivi e di dover dare un senso alla nostra esistenza… anche per lei.
Ognuno di noi è una persona speciale. Possiamo capire ciò che c’è di speciale in una persona soltanto conoscendola, frequentandola. Ilenia è stata una persona speciale. Lo sapevamo; amavamo condividere con lei la passione per la danza, per il tango. Quando sentivamo di voler raccontarci a qualcuno, ci faceva piacere che quel qualcuno fosse lei; e ci piaceva ascoltarla, quando lei parlava di sé. Non c’era bisogno di dare un nome a quel qualcosa che la rendeva unica. Oggi che non possiamo più viverlo con lei, abbiamo bisogno di parlarne; non solo per ricordarla.
Quello che rendeva Ilenia speciale era la sua apertura al mondo, il suo voler essere un ponte: “La cosa che mi piacerebbe fare”- diceva - “è aiutare le persone ad incontrarsi, a collaborare, a realizzare le loro potenzialità”. Sognava di farlo nelle cose importanti, desiderava poter lavorare in un progetto di cooperazione con l’Argentina. Lo faceva anche nelle cose piccole, organizzando eventi di Tango. La vogliamo ricordare così, leggera sui suoi tacchi, gli occhi grandi che ridono, il sorriso aperto e generoso.
Ilenia forse non aveva ancora trovato la strada, ma le era chiara la direzione. Per essere se stessa, per realizzare la sua potenzialità. La sua apertura al mondo era fiducia, in fondo era coraggio, era amore per la libertà. Col senno di poi qualcuno dirà che non fidarsi è meglio. Dirà che bisogna costruire muri, per difendersi. Ilenia non conosceva il suo destino, ma le era chiaro quale fosse la sua natura, quali i suoi valori: chiederle di rinunciarvi significava chiederle di non essere se stessa.
Lei non potrà realizzare le sue potenzialità; quello che è successo non può essere capito, non può essere accettato, non può essere giustificato. Forse non può essere nemmeno giudicato.
Lei ora non c’è, ma noi che l’abbiamo conosciuta sappiamo che era speciale. Come Ilenia, dobbiamo aver cura dei sentimenti e delle persone, credere in quello che facciamo e avere delle ambizioni, amare, farsi amare, avere il coraggio non solo di dare aiuto, ma anche di chiederlo. E quando, nella vita, dovremo fare delle scelte, grandi o piccole, quando dovremo decidere se costruire dei muri o dei ponti, ci rimarrà un esempio, luminoso, coraggioso, generoso.
Grazie, Ilenia, per il tempo che ci hai dedicato.
Elisa C, Stefano B, Niji, Chiara e Tullio, Elisa TB e Andrea, Elisa C ed Emanuele, Luna, Lucys, Maddalena, Milena, Tullia e Franz
Posted on November 14, 2008 by Stefano Bussolon in Politica, poesia
Cosa si saranno aspettati di trovare, gli agenti della CIA, nello zaino di Ernesto Che Guevara, dopo averlo imprigionato ed ucciso? Non certo un quaderno di poesie. Chissà cos’avranno pensato. Lo avranno giudicato pazzo? Difficilmente quel quaderno, quelle poesie avranno turbato le loro menti.
In un articolo sul Corriere, Paco Ignacio Taibo II ci racconta di quel quaderno verde, di come sia riuscito a venirne in possesso di una fotocopia. Ci parla delle poesie che il Che aveva ricopiato, senza scriverne l’autore. Solo quattro i poeti presenti nella sua personale antologia: Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo, Nicolás Guillén e León Felipe.
Posted on November 8, 2008 by Stefano Bussolon in Uncategorized
Il design partecipativo
Da anni, oramai, mi occupo di design partecipativo.
Il design partecipativo è un insieme di teorie, pratiche e studi finalizzati a coinvolgere gli utenti finali nell’attività di progettazione di un artefatto. Questo approccio nacque nei paesi scandinavi negli anni ottanta, con un esplicito intento politico, in collaborazione con le organizzazioni sindacali. Ben presto questo approccio è stato adottato anche nella progettazione di software e, poi, in quella di siti web, all’interno di dell’approccio dello human centered design.
Secondo Maguire (2001) i principi dello HCD, infatti implicano
il coinvolgimento attivo degli utenti, a partire dalla definizione dei requisiti d’uso
una appropriata gestione ed allocazione del lavoro fra l’utente ed il sistema
Risulta importante coinvolgere gli utenti sin dall’inizio della progettazione, per definire i requisiti del sistema, attraverso degli appropriati strumenti di elicitazione.
Uno degli strumenti più appropriati è il free listing.
Internet ha reso possibile la somministrazione di questionari quali il free listing via web.
Questo approccio permette di coinvolgere gli utenti finali non solo nella progettazione di un prodotto, ma anche nella sua evoluzione.
My Starbucks Idea
Un esempio molto carino di questa possibilità ce lo offre Starbucks, con il sito My Starbucks Idea. Lo slogan è efficace e chiaro: Help shape the future of Starbucks - with your ideas. Il meccanismo è semplice. Il sito offre 4 servizi:
share: scrivi la tua idea (meccanismo simile al free listing)
vote: vota le idee degli altri
discuss: discuti le idee e contribuisci a migliorarle
see: guarda quali sono le idee più apprezzate e come Starbucks le realizza
Fra le idee più recenti: prodotti senza glutine, punch cards (tessere fedeltà), bevande sugar free, ma anche la richiesta di usare tazze e stoviglie riciclabili. Il mio preferito, però, in termini di usabilità, è la richiesta di Revolving Door in Chicago Store
Store located at Lake Street and Jefferson Street, in Chicago, does not have a revolving front door. It’s a small store, but can get busy at peak hours. The line wraps inside by the door. Whether cold temps and wind in the winter or hot temps and humidity in summer, a revolving door would be a benefit to waiting customers, staff, and the costs to cool or heat the building. Additionally, in the Windy City, the wind can live up to its name. In such conditions, the front door can be extremely difficult to open, from both sides, a difficult challenge when trying to carry your coffee and food. A redesign on this storefront would allow some extra space inside for waiting customers when the store gets busy and may reduce heating and cooling costs for Starbuck’s.
Il sito di Obama non è scarno, ma nemmeno affollato. Il menu in alto, una grande immagine positiva di Obama e Biden. Obama Blog, Barack TV, my.BarackObama, Welcome Hillary supporters, Obama mobile, Obama everywhere (social networks), Obama store (con tazze e T-shirts). Il sito del PD, al contrario, è piuttosto affollato.
Il messaggio
Obama:
I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about change in Washington … I’m asking you to believe in yours.
Dunque: messaggi positivi da una parte (MacCain non è mai nominato), messaggi negativi dall’altra.
Il programma
Obama: Issues. Economy, Education, Energy & Environment, Ethics, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Homeland Security, Iraq, Seniors & Social Security, Taxes.
Per ogni voce 30, 40 parole sul suo programma, 30, 40 sul programma di MacCain, e un Read more per approfondire. 2300 parole.
PD. Il link a “programma” porta ad una pagina di 2000 parole, che non è il programma ma la presentazione del programma. il testo integrale, 15.000 parole. Illeggibile.
People
La pagina People di Obama è geniale. Corrisponde al “chi sei”. Asian Americans, African Americans, Women, Republicans for Obama, Americans Abroad, … andatela a vedere. Nulla di tutto questo nel sito del PD.
States
Nel sito di Obama la mappa in flash non mi funziona, almeno con Firefox per Linux. Dal menu c’è la possibilità di selezionare uno dei 52 stati. Questa sezione del sito non mi entusiasma.
Nel sito del PD, la pagina Sedi Territoriali è una lista di numeri di telefono
Action
Come i due siti coinvolgono gli elettori? Direi che il la pagina del PD in questo caso non è male: Attivati. Quella di Obama è davvero esenziale: Action. Ma la vera arma segreta di Obama è stata my.barackobama.com. Sull’importanza di questo strumento nella campagna di Obama vi rimando ad un ottimo articolo di Wired: Obama’s Secret Weapons: Internet, Databases and Psychology.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
