April 2010

The Shenkerian

April 2010

2

The Shenkerian

Cultural Magazine

April 2010

Summary

SHUTTER ISLAND 3

OBAMA'S HEALTHCARE BILL 9

HAMLET 13

LEEDS 19

HOW PRIVACY VANISHES ONLINE 25

WELCOME TO… SHENKER! 30

CLASSIC TO THE CORE 35

GOLF 39

ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON 47

www.shenker.com

N. Verde: 800 098 532

The Shenkerian

April 2010

3

SHUTTER ISLAND

MARTIN SCORSESE

2010

Films

- Totalfilm

- Empire Online

- Slant Magazine

Totalfilm Read the entire review.

A ferry emerges out of a Stygian murk so impenetrable it might well be

taking Orpheus to the Underworld. On board are Teddy Daniels (Leonardo

DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), two US Marshals heading for an

Alcatraz-like islet off the coast of Massachusetts housing a hospital for the

criminally insane. Their objective? To investigate how a multiple murderess

(Emily Mortimer) managed to escape from a locked room without anyone

noticing. Yet this is more than just an assignment for Teddy, an ex-GI

tormented by memories of liberating Dachau nine years earlier and of his

wife Dolores (Michelle Williams), who died in a suspicious apartment fire.

ferry – traghetto; murk – oscurità, torbidezza

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It‟s also a cue for revenge and the start of four days of reckoning that will

force him to face secrets buried in his past and locked in his subconscious.

So begins Shutter Island, an impeccably assembled genre thriller from Martin

Scorsese that lets the Oscar-winning filmmaker pay painstaking homage to

the Hollywood film noirs of the ‟40s and ‟50s. Laura, Kiss Me Deadly and Out

Of The Past are some of the titles it recalls, along with more recent brain-

scramblers like Memento and The Usual Suspects. There‟s also a sizeable

nod to Shock Corridor, Sam Fuller‟s 1963 loony-bin exposé, not to mention

numerous stylistic lifts from Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and The Cabinet Of Dr

Caligari.

Admittedly some of the detail is little more than window-dressing –

references to clinical experiments funded by the House Committee on Un-

American Activities, for instance, or a ferocious storm that is pure Agatha

Christie. Yet this is amply counterbalanced by some eye-bulging set-pieces,

notably a dazzling tracking shot that puts you in the crosshairs of a firing

squad as they massacre a platoon of death-camp Nazis. There‟s also a series

of haunting dream sequences that see Williams soaking wet, caked in blood

or dissolving into ash in DiCaprio‟s despairing arms. Resembling a

psychotropic reverie or unhinged fever dream, Shutter Island finds

Scorsese at his most technically accomplished.

painstaking – accurato, minuzioso; nod – cenno; loony-bin – manicomio;

dazzling – abbagliante; tracking – carrellata; crosshairs – mirini;

soaking wet – bagnato fradicio; reverie – fantasticheria; unhinged –

pazzo, demente; accomplished – dotato

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Some may find it emotionally distant and cold to the touch, yet that‟s no

slight on its superb construction and fine ensemble cast.

Empire Online Read the entire review.

Shutter Island, from the novel by Dennis Lehane, is the nearest thing to a

horror film Scorsese has made since Cape Fear. Its story of criminal

investigation turns in on itself as the detective hero suffers from contradictory

flashbacks – which run to very nasty WWII experiences during the

liberation of a concentration camp and a bad marriage which came to a

gruesome end on the shore of what looks like Crystal Lake from the Friday

the 13th films - and drug-induced hallucinations.

All this is footnoted by favourite moments from the school of fright founded

by producer Val Lewton at RKO in the 1940s: a walk through a dark corridor

of cages, as insane arms clutch at the protagonist, restages a classic shock

scene from Mark Robson‟s Bedlam, which Scorsese once thought of

remaking, while a disturbingly unsafe spiral staircase is a dead ringer for the

one in Robert Wise‟s The Haunting.

Though the US Marshals played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo sport

film noir hats and tough guy attitudes, they are forced to surrender their

guns before they are allowed to enter an insane asylum which is also a

nasty – orribile, WWII (Second World War / World War Two) – seconda

Guerra Mondiale, gruesome – macabra, raccapricciante, clutch – stretta

restages – ricrea

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haunted castle – passing out of a hardboiled mystery into a full-on gothic

melodrama which includes a creepy turn from genre fixture Max von Sydow

as the sort of shrink who reminds the hero of his bad experiences with

Nazis, an Agatha Christie-style locked room mystery, a sinister lighthouse

which doubtless harbours dreadful secrets and a spectacular thunderstorm

out of The Old Dark House or King Lear.

Ben Kingsley plays the eccentric head of the asylum, a character type we‟ve

learned not to trust since Dr Caligari, and brings some welcome, sly humor

to his barbed chats with the hero, especially when he seems to be

scheming to cover up unethical experiments or lamenting the damage done

to his beloved car.

DiCaprio delivers a startling prettyboy-to-tough nut makeover – but he has to

play it close to his chest here for the storyline to play out. Once you get past

the trickery, Shutter Island offers sumptuous, enthralling, shivery gothic

filmmaking with a hardboiled heart and a sly line in asylum humour. If a pot

is being boiled, at least it‟s an intricately-decorated pot on a spectacular fire.

Slant Magazine Read the entire review.

In the end, it all boils down to an easy bit of psychoanalysis, but until then,

Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island walks a fine line between institutional thriller

haunted castle – castello infestato dagli spiriti; creepy – pauroso;

shrink – strizzacervelli; thunderstorm – tempesta; sly – furbo, scaltro;

barbed chats – chiacchiere pungenti; scheming – macchinando;

enthralling – affascinante; shivery – da brivido; boils down – si riduce

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and what-is-reality? inquest, even as it never settles comfortably into either

mode.

Given the unwieldiness of the material, the project was probably doomed

before Scorsese ever signed on, but while the director brings great attention

to giving each scene a densely worked visual signature, his feel for the

overall arc of the film is considerably less certain.

Part of the pleasure Shutter Island offers comes from the self-conscious way

Scorsese frames his leads against a gloriously artificial sky, the noir shadings

he brings to the institution's cells, or a virtuoso tracking shot where he sends

his camera rolling behind a line of Nazi guards being gunned down by U.S.

soldiers. When Daniels's hallucinations, present in small measure from the

beginning, start to take over the film in earnest, however, Scorsese begins to

run into trouble.

No sooner is an initial level of reality established, the framework of a thriller

set in place, then it's quickly undermined by this sudden shift into

psychodrama. As a result, Shutter Island never gains the traction it needs to

succeed as a suspenser and never sufficiently sets a bottom-line "reality" to

ground an epistemological inquiry.

Instead the muckraking thriller and the too-slippery psychodrama exist

uncomfortably side by side, peppered with anachronistic political details and

stretched out ad infinitum across endless scenes of clumsy exposition.

inquest – inchiesta; doomed – destinato ad affondare; clumsy – maldestra

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As the film culminates in a recreation of the seminal event in Daniels's past,

Scorsese seizes the moment to stage another impeccably crafted, visually

precise set piece, even though the events that he depicts have just been

described to us seconds before. This handsome bit of superfluousness proves

that no matter how determined you may be to play each scene for maximal

effect, there's a limit to how much significance you can wrest from your

material.

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April 2010

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BARACK OBAMA'S

HEALTHCARE BILL

PASSED BY

CONGRESS

Focus On

Read the entire article on The Guardian

US president says 'this is what change looks like' about reform that ensures

coverage for 95% of Americans.

Barack Obama last night forced his bitterly fought healthcare reform bill

through Congress, bringing near-universal coverage to Americans and

delivering the first major triumph of his presidency.

After days of manoeuvring by the Democratic party leadership to bring

dissident party legislators on board and an impassioned plea on Saturday

by Obama, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi,

confirmed that the votes were in the bag. She said she would not have

decided to take the bill to a vote unless the necessary 216 Democrats had

bitterly – amara; impassioned – appassionato; plea – appello

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been secured to push the move through. As it was, the bill was passed by

219 votes to 212.

"Tonight, at a time when the pundits said it was no longer possible, we rose

above the weight of our politics," Obama said during a late-night appearance

at the White House.

"This legislation will not fix everything that ails our healthcare system, but it

moves us decisively in the right direction. This is what change looks like."

House Democrats hugged and cheered as their vote count hit the magic

number of 216, and chanted: "Yes we can."

Every Republican opposed the bill, and 34 Democrats joined them in voting

against it.

Pelosi, summing up the debate, described the bill as "the great unfinished

business of our society". The bill now goes to Obama to sign into law.

Despite not going as far as many liberals had hoped, the bill will take the US

close to universal healthcare coverage and Obama will have achieved the

goal that eluded US presidents dating back to Theodore Roosevelt a century

ago.

The reform, which will cost an estimated $940bn over 10 years, amounts to a

massive change in US healthcare provision, expanding care to 32 million

more people, predominantly the poorest, and giving the country 95%

coverage.

pundits – esperti; ails – affligge; hugged – si sono abbracciati; cheered –

hanno acclamato; chanted – hanno cantato; unfinished – incompiuto

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Obama, whose poll ratings slipped amid criticism that he was a "do-

nothing" president, needed at least one major policy success after a series of

setbacks in the last 15 months. He told Hispanic members of Congress early

last week that the fate of his presidency and their own chances in the mid-

term congressional elections in November rested on passage of the bill. In his

final rallying call on Saturday, Obama told his Democratic colleagues:

"Every once in a while a moment comes where you have a chance to

vindicate all those best hopes that you had about yourself, about this

country. This is one of those moments.

We have been debating healthcare for decades. It has now been debated for

a year. It is in your hands."

Given the huge consequences of failure, Obama spent the day on the phone

lobbying colleagues. The vote provided the climax to a year of debate in

which the bill at times seemed on the verge of passage and at others about

to be scrapped.

The issue has divided the country more than any other since the Vietnam

war, and led to the rise of the anti-establishment movement the Tea Party.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Congress at the weekend,

shouting "kill the bill". Some directed racist and other derogatory remarks at

African-American members of Congress, including John Lewis, one of the

veterans of the 1960s civil rights movement. One congressman was spat on.

poll ratings – gradimento nei sondaggi; slipped amid – scivolato tra;

rallying call – discorso “slogan”; lobbying – facendo pressione; scrapped

– cestinato; shouting – strillando, gridando

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Another protester shouted "faggot" at Democratic congressman Barney

Frank, who later told the Politico website: "It's like the Salem witch trials,

and healthcare is the witches. There is mass hysteria."

witch – strega; trials – processi

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April 2010

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HAMLET

ACT 1, SCENE 5

Reading - Theatre

The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,

That ever I was born to set it right!

Ghost

My hour is almost come,

When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames

Must render up myself.

HAMLET

Alas, poor ghost!

Ghost

Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing

To what I shall unfold.

HAMLET

Speak; I am bound to hear.

alas – ahimè; pity me not – non avere compassione di me; lend …

hearing – presta ascolto; bound – pronto (letterale: obbligato)

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Ghost

So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.

HAMLET

What?

Ghost

I am thy father's spirit,

Doom'd for a certain term to walk the night,

And for the day confined to fast in fires,

Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid

To tell the secrets of my prison-house,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,

Thy knotted and combined locks to part

And each particular hair to stand on end,

Like quills upon the fretful porpentine:

But this eternal blazon must not be

To ears of flesh and blood. List, list, O, list!

If thou didst ever thy dear father love--

HAMLET

O God!

thou – tu (arcaico); shalt – shall (ausiliare per il futuro - arcaico); thy – tuo

(arcaico); doom'd – condannato; fast – digiunare; forbid – vietato; quills

– aculei; fretful – irritabile; porpentine – porcospino (porcupine - arcaico);

blazon – abbellimento, racconto

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Ghost

Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.

HAMLET

Murder!

Ghost

Murder most foul, as in the best it is;

But this most foul, strange and unnatural.

HAMLET

Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift

As meditation or the thoughts of love,

May sweep to my revenge.

Ghost

I find thee apt;

And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed

That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf,

Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear:

'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,

A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark

Is by a forged process of my death

Rankly abused: but know, thou noble youth,

The serpent that did sting thy father's life

Now wears his crown.

murder – assassinio; foul – vile, sleale; haste – fretta; thee – te (arcaico)

apt – pronto; duller – più infingardo; weed – erbaccia; wharf – banchina,

pontile; stir in – essere attivo; orchard – giardino, frutteto; stung me – mi

punse; forged – contraffatto

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HAMLET

O my prophetic soul! My uncle!

Ghost

Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,

With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,--

O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power

So to seduce!--won to his shameful lust

The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen:

O Hamlet, what a falling-off was there!

From me, whose love was of that dignity

That it went hand in hand even with the vow

I made to her in marriage, and to decline

Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor

To those of mine!

But virtue, as it never will be moved,

Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,

So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,

Will sate itself in a celestial bed,

And prey on garbage.

But, soft! methinks I scent the morning air;

Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard,

witchcraft – stregoneria; wit – ingegno; shameful – vergognosa; wretch

– disgraziato, malfattore; lewdness – volgarità; court it – la corteggi; But,

soft – aspetta (arcaico); methinks – io sento (letterario, usato spesso da

Shakespeare)

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My custom always of the afternoon,

Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,

With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,

And in the porches of my ears did pour

The leperous distilment; whose effect

Holds such an enmity with blood of man

That swift as quicksilver it courses through

The natural gates and alleys of the body,

And with a sudden vigour doth posset

And curd, like eager droppings into milk,

The thin and wholesome blood: so did it mine;

And a most instant tetter bark'd about,

Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,

All my smooth body.

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand

Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatch'd:

Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,

Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd,

No reckoning made, but sent to my account

With all my imperfections on my head:

O, horrible! O, horrible! most horrible!

cursed – maledetto; hebenon – giusquiamo (veleno vegetale);

vial – fiala, ampolla; swift – rapido; quicksilver – argento vivo; alleys –

svicola; curd – caglia; tetter – crosta (arcaico); bark'd (barked) – cresce

come la corteccia di un albero (arcaico)

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If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not;

Let not the royal bed of Denmark be

A couch for luxury and damned incest.

But, howsoever thou pursuest this act,

Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive

Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven

And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,

To prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once!

The glow-worm shows the matin to be near,

And 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire:

Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.

Exit

pursuest – conduci; taint not – non macchiare; aught (anything) – niente

(arcaico); thorns – spine; bosom lodge – racchiude in seno; glow-worm

– lucciola; „gins (begins) – comincia; pale – smorzare

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LEEDS

Travelling

Leeds Art Gallery

Leeds Royal Armouries Museum

Corn Exchange

Kirkgate Market

Historic Victoria Quarter and County Arcade

Town Hall

River Aire - Harbour area

St John the evangelist church

Kirkstall Abbey and Abbey House Museum

Introduction

Leeds, the favourite child of the New Urban Revolution, that unassailable

force that has turned punch-drunk postindustrial cities into visions of the

future. And the future round these parts is all about retail.

unassailable – inattacabile; punch-drunk – stordite

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For Leeds is the „Knightsbridge of the North‟, the shopping mecca whose

counter is just getting longer. Its heart is lined with busy pedestrianised

streets, packed with shops, restaurants, upstanding Victorian edifices and

stunning arcades.

Underpinning Leeds‟ remarkable ability to turn a profit from hedonism is

the ubiquitous northern grit, that stubborn fortitude that has overcome the

demise of the city‟s textile industry and seen it become the country‟s

second-most important financial centre after London.

Leeds Art Gallery

Its collections also include 19th century works. The gallery was built 1886-

1888 by W. H. Thorp, and opened in 1888 as Leeds City Art Gallery and was

paid for by public subscription. Ten key works, for a short visit:

Retribution, Edward Armitage, 1858

The Age of Bronze, Auguste Rodin, 1877 (cast 1906)

The Valley of Shadows, Evelyn de Morgan, 1899

Maternity, Jacob Epstein, 1910

Praxitella, Percy Wyndham Lewis, 1921

Reclining Figure, Henry Moore, 1929

Painting, Francis Bacon, 1950

Postcard Flag (Union Jack), Tony Cragg, 1981

stunning – favolose; arcades – gallerie; underpinning – incentrandosi

grit – fermezza; stubborn – testarda; demise – morte, decesso

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Maquette for Leeds Brick Man, Antony Gormley, 1986

The Artist in her Studio, Paula Rego, 1993

In front of the gallery is Victoria Square, at the eastern end of which is the

city's war memorial.

Victoria Quarter and County Arcade

Eight arcades were built in Leeds up to 1900 and four survive intact.

Thornton's Arcade was the first to be built, in 1877-8. The elaborate main

front faces Briggate. With a clock made by Potts and Sons of Leeds. Its bell

is struck by a group of cast-iron figures by J.W.Appleyard. Parallel to

Thornton's Arcade is the Queen's Arcade of 1889, restored in 1991-2, has

modern shop fronts. The Grand Arcade in Vicar Lane, (1897) is in an ornate

Renaissance style with plenty of balusters and finials. It has two parallel

arcades between Vicar Lane and New Briggate. The Victoria Quarter,

between Briggate and Vicar Lane was a spectacular redevelopment of the

meat market slum area in 1898-1904. The first block contains County

Arcade, 120meters long. The painted cast-iron roof has three glazed domes

with richly-coloured and gilded mosaics.

At the same time of the restoration of the County Arcade, Queen Victoria

Street was enclosed as a new arcade beneath a splendid stained glass roof,

is struck by – è colpita da; cast-iron – ghisa; finials – pinnacoli; slum

area – quartiere degradato; glazed – smaltate; domes – cupole; gilded –

dorati

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with a bright abstract pattern like woven fabric - blue with yellow, red and

green. The block south of Queen Victoria Street contained the Cross Arcade.

Leeds Royal Armouries Museum

Leeds' most interesting museum is undoubtedly the Royal Armouries,

originally built to house the armour and weapons from the Tower of London

but subsequently expanded to cover 3000 years' worth of fighting and self-

defence. The exhibits are as varied as they are fascinating: films, live-action

demonstrations and hands-on technology can awaken interests you never

thought you had, from jousting to Indian elephant armour.

Corn Exchange

One of Britain's most impressive victorian buildings, built in 1863, is now in

use as a shopping center. The shops inside offer mostly alternative/surfer

clothing and accessories, but most of them are quite expensive.

Kirkgate Market

Leeds Kirkgate market is Europe's largest indoor market (with over 400 stalls

inside and a further 200 outside) and offers everything from jewellery and

fine food to more or less useless items from far eastern production. The

market halls are not only of interest for shopping but also for Victorian

woven – intrecciato; fabric – tessuto; stalls – bancarelle

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architecture. The old market hall was built in Victorian style and is nice to see

from outside as well as inside. The "good" shops are situated in the old hall

from the 19th century while you can sometimes find some bargain items in

the 1981 hall and the outdoor market.

Town Hall

The town hall was built in 1858 and was inaugurated by Queen Victoria

herself. Today, it is used for concerts and other events, but this Victorian

beauty hasn't lost a bit of its flair.

The tower and the four-tonne bell were added several years later, as was

the massive organ that's estimated at 1.25m pounds. In 1978, the facility

was renovated.

River Aire - Harbour area

The former harbour area is near to the central station. Today, many buildings

on both sides of the river Aire were refurbished and some new ones were

constructed. It is a stylish living area as well as a new business centre, just a

few minutes from the heart of the city. The most outstanding example is

"The Calls", a street where old warehouses were turned into living houses,

bars and hotels.

bargain items – articoli d‟occasione; four-tonne bell – campana da

quattro tonnellate; facility – struttura; refurbished – rinnovati;

outstanding – rilevante; warehouses – magazzini

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St John the evangelist church

The oldest church in Leeds' city centre and a good example for the transition

from gothic to renaissance style. It was built between 1632 and 1634. The

stained glass is from the 19th century.

Kirkstall Abbey and Abbey House Museum

Leeds' most impressive medieval structure is the ruined but still beautiful

Kirkstall Abbey, founded in 1152 by Cistercian monks from Fountains Abbey

in North Yorkshire. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River

Aire. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under

the auspices of Henry VIII. After a £5.5 million renovation program there is a

new visitor centre with interactive exhibits which illustrates the history of the

abbey and the lives of the monks. Across the road from Kirkstall Abbey, the

Abbey House Museum, once the Great Gate House to the Abbey, contains

meticulously reconstructed shops and houses recalling Victorian Leeds.

Some text taken by Lonely Planet. For more information visit the Lonely

Planet site.

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HOW PRIVACY

VANISHES ONLINE

Focus On

Article by New York Times

If a stranger came up to you on the street, would you give him your name,

Social Security number and e-mail address? Probably not.

Yet people often dole out all kinds of personal information on the Internet

that allows such identifying data to be deduced. Services like Facebook,

Twitter and Flickr are oceans of personal minutiae - birthday greetings sent

and received, school and work gossip, photos of family vacations, and movies

watched.

Computer scientists and policy experts say that such seemingly innocuous

bits of self-revelation can increasingly be collected and reassembled by

computers to help create a picture of a person‟s identity, sometimes down to

the Social Security number.

Social Security number – numero di Previdenza Sociale; dole out –

distribuisce con parsimonia

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“Technology has rendered the conventional definition of personally

identifiable information obsolete,” said Maneesha Mithal, associate director of

the Federal Trade Commission‟s privacy division. “You can find out who an

individual is without it.”

In a class project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that received

some attention last year, Carter Jernigan and Behram Mistree analyzed more

than 4,000 Facebook profiles of students, including links to friends who said

they were gay. The pair was able to predict, with 78 percent accuracy,

whether a profile belonged to a gay male.

So far, this type of powerful data mining, which relies on sophisticated

statistical correlations, is mostly in the realm of university researchers, not

identity thieves and marketers.

But the F.T.C. is worried that rules to protect privacy have not kept up with

technology. The agency is convening on Wednesday the third of three

workshops on the issue.

In social networks, people can increase their defenses against identification

by adopting tight privacy controls on information in personal profiles. Yet an

individual‟s actions, researchers say, are rarely enough to protect privacy in

the interconnected world of the Internet.

find out – scoprire; data mining – estrazione di dati; thieves – ladri

marketers – commercianti;

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You may not disclose personal information, but your online friends and

colleagues may do it for you, referring to your school or employer, gender,

location and interests. Patterns of social communication, researchers say,

are revealing.

“Personal privacy is no longer an individual thing,” said Harold Abelson, the

computer science professor at M.I.T. “In today‟s online world, what your

mother told you is true, only more so: people really can judge you by your

friends.”

Collected together, the pool of information about each individual can form a

distinctive “social signature,” researchers say.

The power of computers to identify people from social patterns alone was

demonstrated last year in a study by the same pair of researchers that

cracked Netflix‟s anonymous database: Vitaly Shmatikov, an associate

professor of computer science at the University of Texas, and Arvind

Narayanan, now a researcher at Stanford University.

By examining correlations between various online accounts, the scientists

showed that they could identify more than 30 percent of the users of both

Twitter, the microblogging service, and Flickr, an online photo-sharing

service, even though the accounts had been stripped of identifying

information like account names and e-mail addresses.

disclose – svelare; patterns – schemi; pool – gruppo, parco, insieme

stripped – spogliati

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“When you link these large data sets together, a small slice of our behavior

and the structure of our social networks can be identifying,” Mr. Shmatikov

said.

Even more unnerving to privacy advocates is the work of two researchers

from Carnegie Mellon University. In a paper published last year, Alessandro

Acquisti and Ralph Gross reported that they could accurately predict the full,

nine-digit Social Security numbers for 8.5 percent of the people born in the

United States between 1989 and 2003 - nearly five million individuals.

Social Security numbers are prized by identity thieves because they are used

both as identifiers and to authenticate banking, credit card and other

transactions. The Carnegie Mellon researchers used publicly available

information from many sources, including profiles on social networks, to

narrow their search for two pieces of data crucial to identifying people -

birthdates and city or state of birth.

To be sure, the work by Mr. Acquisti and Mr. Gross suggests a potential, not

actual, risk. But unpublished research by them explores how criminals could

use similar techniques for large-scale identity-theft schemes.

More generally, privacy advocates worry that the new frontiers of data

collection, brokering and mining, are largely unregulated. They fear “online

redlining,” where products and services are offered to some consumers and

slice – fetta, parte; unnerving – inquietante; brokering – scambio;

redlining – limitazione (da: “red line”, linea rossa)

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not others based on statistical inferences and predictions about individuals

and their behavior.

The F.T.C. and Congress are weighing steps like tighter industry

requirements and the creation of a “do not track” list, similar to the federal

“do not call” list, to stop online monitoring.

But Jon Kleinberg, a professor of computer science at Cornell University who

studies social networks, is skeptical that rules will have much impact. His

advice: “When you‟re doing stuff online, you should behave as if you‟re

doing it in public - because increasingly, it is.”

weighing – soppesando; doing stuff – fai qualcosa

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WELCOME TO…

SHENKER!

DI FABIO ORLANDO

Interviews

“Il mondo alberghiero a livello internazionale? Con il Metodo Shenker e

Spotlight on Hotels ho acquisito sicurezza e padronanza linguistica”

PROFILO:

Mauro Spinazzola, 30 anni

Impiegato in una struttura

alberghiera

Livello di partenza: 35

Livello raggiunto: 50

Con simpatia ed entusiasmo Mauro Spinazzola ci ha raccontato come sia

riuscito a migliorare il suo inglese a 360 gradi tramite lo studio del Metodo

Shenker nell‟ambito professionale della struttura alberghiera in cui lavora.

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L‟Hotel Imperial di Montegrotto Terme ha infatti scelto Shenker per la

formazione linguistica dei suoi dipendenti, dividendo i percorsi formativi di 2

mesi e mezzo in base alle competenze linguistiche del personale.

Mauro ha seguito i corsi del secondo gruppo, insieme ai colleghi con un livello

di inglese intermedio. Partendo dal livello Shenker 35 in poco tempo ha

raggiunto il livello 50 con un importante punteggio finale. Ciò che ha

caratterizzato il suo profilo didattico è stato l‟ausilio di uno specifico

programma studiato per coloro che lavorano negli hotel che ospitano una

clientela straniera: “Spotlight on Hotels”. Un target english mirato,

finalizzato al potenziamento linguistico di tutti quei termini, modi di dire,

situazioni e frasi utilizzate in ambito alberghiero.

Ma adesso sentiamo le sue parole!

Un percorso didattico mirato, teso alla completa conoscenza

dell‟inglese in ambito professionale nel settore alberghiero. Cosa ha

rappresentato per te studiare l‟inglese con il Metodo Shenker?

È stato assai utile, è un Metodo completo sia da un punto di vista della

struttura grammaticale, sia da un punto di vista verbale e pratico, con l‟ausilio

costante e fondamentale della fonetica per la correzione della pronuncia.

Quali sono a tuo avviso le caratteristiche fondamentali del Metodo?

In passato ho frequentato altri istituti per lo studio della lingua inglese, ma i

primi risultati si vedevano solo dopo molto tempo. Invece Shenker è

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32

rapido, veloce e completo. Ecco le sue caratteristiche! Alimenta il tuo

speaking fin da subito, liberandoti da ogni tipo di blocco o inibizione.

A chi consiglieresti lo studio dell‟inglese con Shenker?

Ai giovani che cercano lavoro, perché il mondo del lavoro è sempre più

esigente e competitivo. Quindi a chi desidera investire sulle proprie risorse e

sullo sviluppo delle capacità formative in maniera ottimale. E poi

naturalmente a chi desidera ottimizzare in poco tempo e con il massimo dei

risultati la propria conoscenza linguistica.

Ti ricordi in quale preciso momento del tuo percorso di studio ti sei

sentito pienamente padrone della lingua?

Alla fine del percorso formativo, proprio in occasione della nostra penultima

lezione, ci hanno commissionato il compito di presentare un progetto,

rigorosamente in lingua inglese, di come dovrebbe essere per noi l‟hotel

ideale, completo di ogni minimo comfort e particolare. Una sorta di

conferenza stampa in cui enunciare i propri progetti. In quell‟occasione mi

sono sentito pienamente padrone della lingua, poiché ho arricchito la

presentazione di particolari vocaboli tecnici. Ho ricevuto i complimenti di tutti!

Cosa ti aspetti dal tuo prossimo futuro?

Sicuramente di restare nel settore alberghiero continuando ad operare nel

migliore dei modi. Shenker mi ha aiutato molto in questo senso. Conoscere

bene la lingua inglese, parlarla, capirla e comprenderla significa molto.

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Ancora di più nel mio settore, in cui non vai da nessuna parte senza la

conoscenza delle lingue straniere.

Il programma da te seguito è lo “Spotlight on Hotels”, specifico

proprio per il tuo ambito professionale. Come giudichi questo Target

English?

“Spotlight on Hotels” è minuzioso, approfondito. Affronta situazioni in

cui occorre sapersi muovere all‟interno della struttura e presentarsi ai clienti,

dall‟amministrazione di un albergo ai diversi servizi che si possono offrire,

dall‟implementazione del mercato dei clienti esterni, fino alla conoscenza

approfondita della propria struttura lavorativa.

In questo organigramma tu dove ti trovi inserito?

Mi occupo di front office. In reception, a contatto diretto con i clienti.

La clientela straniera in hotel è sicuramente rilevante. Avrai messo

in pratica la tua formazione linguistica acquisita con il Metodo

Shenker…

Si è presentato un gruppo di turisti giapponesi che ha soggiornato per diversi

giorni nel nostro hotel. Con loro abbiamo parlato solo in inglese. Per questo

Shenker è risultato utilissimo, non solo per la conoscenza della lingua, ma

anche per l‟attenzione alla fonetica e all‟abitudine a farti comprendere anche

da persone di diverse provenienze.

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Dovendo giudicare il nostro corpo docente, come ti esprimeresti al

riguardo?

Con tutti gli insegnanti che ho incontrato durante il mio percorso mi sono

sentito pienamente a mio agio. Ti permettono di interagire, ti motivano e ti

sostengono. Parlano esclusivamente in inglese fin da subito.

Questo rappresenta per me un grande merito e un ulteriore vantaggio,

poiché devi sforzarti a capire e ad esprimerti in inglese fin dall‟inizio. Superi

qualsiasi senso di imbarazzo o inibizione.

La domanda di rito è quella di riuscire a dare una definizione allo

studio dell‟inglese con il Metodo: in una sola parola, cosa è per te

Shenker?

Interessante! Ho imparato l‟inglese in una maniera diversa, innovativa

direi! È un corso strutturato in cui l‟imparare viene contestualizzato sin da

subito a livello pratico, concreto, comunicativo. Il tutto in poco tempo!

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April 2010

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CLASSIC TO THE

CORE

LUXURY BRANDS

THRIVED

Focus On

Read the entire article on Newsweek

Luxury companies that stayed true to their roots didn't merely

survive the recession, they thrived.

Feb. 9 seemed like an odd night for a party. New York City was locked in

the jaws of one of the coldest winters on record, and the economy was in

deep freeze. Yet few of the guests at the Park Avenue Armory, sipping

French champagne and munching on Wagyu beef sliders, seemed to notice.

They were there for a gala thrown by Hermès, the 173-year-old French bag

maker and fashion house.

The pretext for the party was the next-day opening of Hermès's new 278-

thrived – hanno prosperato; odd – strana; locked in the jaws – stretta

nella morsa (lett. fauci); sipping – che sorseggiano; munching – che

masticano, sgranocchiano

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April 2010

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square-meter men's store, in a jewel-box Madison Avenue townhouse. The

store would be the company's 24th in the United States and its 250th in the

world, but the first anywhere dedicated exclusively to men.

If that was the ostensible cause for the gala, however, Hermès had more

profound reasons to celebrate. The company is one of a handful of luxury

brands that have not only weathered the global financial crisis but thrived.

Most fashion houses slumped last year: according to Bain & Company, the

overall luxury market fell for the first time ever during this recession,

dropping 10 percent in the U.S. and 8 percent worldwide in 2009.

But Hermès managed to increase sales by 8.5 percent, including an 11

percent bump in the final quarter (and a whopping 20 percent gain in the

Americas). Its secret? Rather than slash prices, follow fashion, or go

downmarket, Hermès decided to focus on what it does best: produce

expensive but timeless classics with unimpeachable quality that will last a

lifetime.

Call it the end of the trend: as the experience of Hermès and a few other deft

brands shows, the crisis hasn't killed the luxury market. Buyers have just

become more discriminating, "moving away from conspicuous consumption,

fat logos, and lively colors," says HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg, toward

tried-and-true stalwarts. As Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH – which

weathered – superato (la crisi); slumped – hanno subito un crollo delle

vendite; bump – balzo, aumento; slash – tagliare; chairman – presidente

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April 2010

37

saw sales by its flagship, Louis Vuitton, grow by double digits last year -

puts it, "with the crisis, bling bling is passé."

Something similar is happening in the hotel industry, where trusted old firms

like Ritz-Carlton are holding steady and Asian companies such as Raffles and

Shangri-La are expanding by carefully replicating their traditional look and

feel in new places. In the car business, Bentley - which traces its lineage back

to the '20s - has just introduced a superpowered new model that gestures

back in time even as it roars forward. And the airline industry is trying to get

in on the act, with its highest-end carriers introducing first-class air suites

that harken back to Victorian rail carriages and the luxe golden age of air

travel.

All these firms seem to have recognized that during downturns, people -

especially at the high end - don't stop spending, but they do become much

more conservative. A woman who, during the boom, might have bought five

expensive handbags a year may now purchase only one or two - but those

are even more likely to come from brands known for quality and

timelessness. "People are looking to be reassured," says Rambourg. So they

are turning to products, like Louis Vuitton luggage, that isn't "just a nice bag,

but an inherently precious object, almost a piece of art," says Solca -

something "investment grade," in the words of Tod's chairman Diego Della

Valle.

flagship – fiore all‟occhiello; bling bling – gioielli ed ornamenti

eccessivamente elaborati; steady – salde; harken back – riportano, hanno

il sapore di; downturns – flessione, fasi negative

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Milton Pedraza of the New York - based market research firm the Luxury

Institute says that at a time like this, successful firms can be "trendy along

the edges, but they don't bet the whole brand on something too edgy.

People are not going to buy Versace."

There are two reasons to expect more trendiness and glitz in our future.

One is our baser instincts. Scott Galloway, an NYU professor who studies

luxury marketing, expects conspicuous consumption to resume as soon as

people have money in their pockets again. "As long as men feel the need to

spread their DNA to the four corners of the earth, they're going to buy

Porsches," he says. "And as long as women look for as many offers for

mating as possible, they're going to keep buying Manolo Blahnik shoes."

Even if sex appeal doesn't drive us back to flash in Manhattan, it probably will

in Beijing. Retailers are already enjoying a huge boom in emerging markets

like China, India, and Brazil, all of which scarcely suffered from the

downturn and have exploding middle classes and nouveaux riches. While

these countries currently represent only about 20 percent of the global luxury

market, Bain predicts that will soon shift as high-wealth individuals in these

countries up their luxury spending by 20 to 35 percent in the next five years.

The message for Hermès and other luxury brands, in other words, is that

they're unlikely to sell many $8,500 baseball mitts in the States. But a soccer

ball in Rio - that may be a whole other story.

edgy – nervoso, rigido; glitz – sfarzo; mating – accoppiamento; scarcely

– appena, scarsamente

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April 2010

39

GOLF

UNO SPORT

ESCLUSIVO

PER SPIRITI

INTEGRI

Sport

La storia

Il gioco

Principali tornei

Curiosità: il Caddie

Link utili: per saperne di più

Il Golf è uno sport che unisce la passione per il gioco a quella per l‟ambiente,

il relax e i viaggi. Ogni anno milioni di persone nel mondo (le stime parlano di

oltre 25 milioni, su una popolazione totale di giocatori che si aggira intorno ai

70 milioni!), si spostano alla ricerca dei migliori e più bei campi.

In Italia questo gioco sta prendendo sempre più piede, grazie anche al fatto

che a livello turistico è sinonimo di qualità. Infatti il Golf è sempre stato

associato all‟idea di esclusività e d‟altra parte si tratta di un gioco che fa

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appello al senso di correttezza, integrità e responsabilità dei singoli giocatori,

tanto che non esiste né è mai esistita la figura dell‟arbitro.

Golf was once a rich man's sport, but now it has

millions of poor players.

Many a golfer prefers a golf cart to a caddy because

the cart cannot count, criticize or laugh.

La storia

Cercare di tracciare un quadro delle sue origini è cosa alquanto difficile,

anche perché la questione tocca un popolo, quello scozzese, estremamente

sensibile e orgoglioso! Quindi prendete quanto segue con le pinze…

Qualcuno attribuisce addirittura all‟epoca romana i primi sport vagamente

somiglianti al Golf. Ma questa teoria sembra decisamente stiracchiata!

Tracce effettivamente concrete si hanno a partire dal tredicesimo secolo

tanto in Scozia quanto in Olanda. Dal momento che in quel periodo gli scambi

commerciali tra i due paesi erano stabili e frequenti, facilmente il gioco

potrebbe essere passato da uno all‟altro. Ed è quindi difficile e forse

politicamente scorretto (soprattutto per una scuola di inglese!), approfondire

quale dei due paesi lo abbia inventato per primo! Tanto più che ben presto in

Olanda non venne più praticato mentre in Scozia ebbe grande diffusione.

Le prime regole scritte furono redatte nel 1744 ad opera della Company of

Gentlemen Golfers (oggi nota come Honourable Company of Edinburgh

Golfers), di Edimburgo, in occasione di un torneo al quale avrebbero

partecipato anche ospiti esterni, che dovevano essere messi a conoscenza

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delle regole locali. Quelle che però si sono effettivamente affermate, e che

tutt‟oggi sono alla base del gioco, sono le regole stilate nel 1754 dal Club di

St. Andrews (ora noto come Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews).

Un secolo dopo, grazie ad alcune innovazioni tecniche, questo sport iniziò a

diffondersi in maniera consistente. Si passò infatti dalle originarie palline di

piume, molto fragili, costose e comunque irregolari (quindi con una traiettoria

praticamente imprevedibile), a quelle in guttaperca (materiale gommoso

indistruttibile e a basso costo), via via migliorate. Da allora i progressi sono

stati continui e oggi ogni anno vengono realizzati nuovi materiali per palline e

bastoni che migliorano notevolmente le prestazioni di gioco!

In primitive society, when native tribes beat the

ground with clubs and yelled, it was called witchcraft;

today, in civilized society, it is called golf.

Il gioco

Lo scopo del Golf è far entrare la pallina in una buca nel terreno, colpendola

con un bastone. La partenza è fissata in un punto prestabilito e si deve

raggiungere la buca con il minor numero di colpi. Il campo da gioco non è

predefinito, anzi!, ogni campo ha la propria forma e mediamente è composto

da 18 buche (anche se vi sono campi da 3 per arrivare ad un massimo di 27),

diverse l‟una dall‟altra per lunghezza e difficoltà.

In generale poi le buche si distinguono in tre tipi a seconda del numero

minimo di colpi (par) necessario per raggiungerle (in genere da 3 a 5),

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numero che dipende dalla distanza tra il punto di partenza e la buca (distanza

che va da un minimo di 90 ad un massimo di 550 metri circa).

Sommando i par di tutto il percorso si ottiene il par del campo (per un campo

da 18 buche si va da 69 a 72 par).

Il tratto di campo di ciascuna buca presenta sempre degli elementi

caratteristici: tra il punto di partenza e la buca vi è una striscia di prato rasato

(fairway), fiancheggiata da prato alto (rough) ed eventualmente

contrassegnata dalla presenza di ostacoli (alberi, parti sabbiose, laghetti,

ecc). La buca è indicata da una bandierina, per essere visibile anche da

lontano, ed è circondata da una zona di prato molto ben curato (green).

Golf: A five mile walk punctuated with

disappointments

I principali tipi di gioco sono due:

- Match Play (il gioco “a buche”): viene assegnato un punto al giocatore

che raggiunge ciascuna buca con il minor numero di colpi, per cui vince chi,

alla fine della partita, ha totalizzato più punti.

- Stroke Play (il gioco “a colpi”): vince il giocatore che percorre l‟intero

campo nel minor numero di colpi.

Altri tipi molto comuni di gioco sono il Four Ball, il Best Ball e il Louisiana.

Nel Golf le regole sono estremamente importanti, abbiamo visto infatti che

non esistono arbitri e che tutto è rimesso all‟integrità del singolo giocatore. E

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per essere abilitati al gioco è necessario superare un esame proprio sulle

regole, esame erogato solo dai circoli riconosciuti dalla federazione sportiva.

La loro complessità però è solo apparente, in realtà infatti sono solo molto

numerose perchè devono tenere in considerazione tanti fattori: le diverse

situazioni morfologiche dei campi, le condizioni atmosferiche variabili, le

possibili attrezzature e materiali per giocare, gli eventuali vantaggi (handicap)

assegnati a ciascun giocatore, i vari tipi di competizione e non ultima

l‟etichetta.

Ogni 4 anni vengono aggiornate e pubblicate dagli organi competenti (uno

Europeo, il Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, in Scozia, e l‟altro

Americano, la United States Golf Association).

Gli attrezzi fondamentali sono le palline (di cui abbiamo già parlato), ma

soprattutto i bastoni: in legno oppure in ferro. I “legni” (solitamente di due

tipi) servono per coprire con un colpo la maggiore distanza possibile. I “ferri”

(in tutto 9) servono invece per effettuare colpi più precisi e si distinguono a

seconda della distanza che permettono di raggiungere.

Esistono poi alcuni bastoni speciali per permettere di tirare la palla in

situazioni particolari: ad esempio per far uscire la palla dalla sabbia si ha il

sand wedge, per effettuare tiri eccezionalmente lunghi il driver e per portare

la palla in buca dal green il putter.

The secret of good golf is to hit the ball hard, straight

and not too often.

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Principali tornei

I tornei, ovvero i Tour, sono gestiti da associazioni di golfisti istituzionali

oppure indipendenti, le quali si occupano di organizzano l‟evento, di trovare

gli sponsor e di individuare le regole del torneo. La partecipazione può essere

riservata ai soli membri dell‟associazione oppure può essere ammessa anche

quella di membri esterni, in qualità di ospiti. E riuscire a partecipare ai tour di

maggiore spicco può essere estremamente difficile, anche per i migliori

giocatori!

Il tour più rinomato al mondo è il Tour Americano (PGA Championship), che

attrae i maggiori golfisti internazionali (d‟altra parte il premio in palio è

decisamente importante: 800.000 dollari!!!). Di gran rilievo è anche il Tour

Europeo e infatti i giocatori più quotati cercano di essere partecipare ad

entrambi gli eventi.

Molto noti sono anche il The Open Championship i Masters, gli U.S. Open e la

Ryder Cup. Inoltre, caratteristici di questo gioco sono i tornei riservati a

persone oltre i 50 anni.

One Sunday morning, a priest wakes up and decides

to go golfing. He calls his boss and says that he feels

very sick, and won't be able to go to work.

Way up in heaven, Saint Peter sees all this and asks

God, ''Are you really going to let him get away with

this?''

''No, I guess not,'' says God.

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The priest drives about five to six hours away, so he

doesn't bump into anyone he knows. The golf course

is empty when he gets there. So he takes his first

swing, drives the ball 495 yards away and gets a hole

in one.

Saint Peter watches in disbelief and asks, '' Why did

you let him do that?''

To this God says, ''Who's he going to tell?''

Curiosità: il Caddie

Anche senza aver mai giocato a Golf, abbiamo tutti presente l‟immagine di

una persona che segue il giocatore sul campo portandone la borsa con le

mazze: il Caddie.

La presenza di questa figura è antica e risale agli albori del gioco stesso! Per

lungo tempo infatti i campi utilizzati per giocare non erano campi speciali, e

quindi esclusivamente destinati al gioco, bensì aree pubbliche, dove potevano

essere presenti anche altre persone. Per cui era necessario che vi fosse

qualcuno che andasse in “avanscoperta” ed avvisasse i passanti di fare

attenzione alle palline che potevano sopraggiungere, e che segnalasse anche

le buche ai giocatori, oltre a portare loro i bastoni.

L‟esperienza che i Caddie maturano, nello svolgere il loro ruolo, fa sì che essi

siano una presenza importante e preziosa per il giocatore, anche dal punto di

vista della regolamentazione e della tecnica di gioco. Furono loro infatti ad

essere i primi professionisti del Golf, sia come giocatori veri e propri, sia come

persone che ne facevano la loro professione (seguiti in questo dai costruttori

di palline e bastoni e da coloro che hanno cura del campo).

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Caddy Humor:

Golfer: Notice any improvement since last year?

Caddy: Polished your clubs, didn't you?

Golfer: Why do you keep looking at your watch?

Caddy: This isn't a watch, sir. It's a compass.

Golfer: The doctor says I can't play golf.

Caddy: Oh, he's played with you, too, huh?

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47

ST. GEORGE

AND THE DRAGON

Reading - Literature

From The Golden Legend or Lives Of The Saints, compiled in 1275 by

Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, englished by William Caxton in

1483.

St. George was a knight and born in Cappadocia. On a time he came in to the

province of Libya, to a city which is said Silene. And by this city was a stagne

or a pond like a sea, wherein was a dragon which envenomed all the

country. And on a time the people were assembled for to slay him, and

when they saw him they fled. And when he came nigh the city he venomed

the people with his breath, and therefore the people of the city gave to him

every day two sheep for to feed him, because he should do no harm to the

people, and when the sheep failed there was taken a man and a sheep.

Then was an ordinance made in the town that there should be taken the

pond – laghetto; envenomed – infestava; slay – uccidere (arcaico, kill)

fled – fuggivano; nigh – vicino (arcaico, near); harm – danno

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children and young people of them of the town by lot, and every each one as

it fell, were he gentle or poor, should be delivered when the lot fell on him or

her. So it happed that many of them of the town were then delivered,

insomuch that the lot fell upon the king's daughter, whereof the king was

sorry, and said unto the people: For the love of the gods take gold and silver

and all that I have, and let me have my daughter.

They said: How sir! ye have made and ordained the law, and our children be

now dead, and ye would do the contrary. Your daughter shall be given, or

else we shall burn you and your house.

When the king saw he might no more do, he began to weep, and said to his

daughter: Now shall I never see thine espousals. Then returned he to the

people and demanded eight days' respite, and they granted it to him. And

when the eight days were passed they came to him and said: Thou seest

that the city perisheth.

Then did the king do array his daughter like as she should be wedded, and

embraced her, kissed her and gave her his benediction, and after led her to

the place where the dragon was. When she was there St. George passed by,

and when he saw the lady he demanded the lady what she made there and

she said: Go ye your way fair young man, that ye perish not also.

Then said he: Tell to me what have ye and why weep ye, and doubt ye of

ye – tu (arcaico, you); weep – piangere; thine – tuo (arcaico possessivo,

your); espousals – sposalizio (arcaico, wedding); respite – tregua; thou –

tu (arcaico nominativo, you); perisheth – consumarsi, perire (arcaico, is

dying); wedded – sposata (arcaico, married)

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nothing. When she saw that he would know, she said to him how she was

delivered to the dragon.

Then said St. George: Fair daughter, doubt ye no thing hereof for I shall

help thee in the name of Jesu Christ. She said: For God's sake, good

knight, go your way, and abide not with me, for ye may not deliver me.

Thus as they spake together the dragon appeared and came running to

them, and St. George was upon his horse, and drew out his sword and

garnished him with the sign of the cross, and rode hardily against the

dragon which came towards him, and smote him with his spear and hurt

him sore and threw him to the ground.

And after said to the maid: Deliver to me your girdle, and bind it about the

neck of the dragon and be not afeard.

When she had done so the dragon followed her as it had been a meek beast

and debonair.

Then she led him into the city, and the people fled by mountains and valleys,

and said: Alas! alas! we shall be all dead. Then St. George said to them: Ne

doubt ye no thing, without more, believe ye in God, Jesu Christ, and do ye to

be baptized and I shall slay the dragon.

fair – leale; for God's sake – per l‟amor di Dio; abide not with – non

restare (arcaico, don‟t stay with); spake – parlavano (arcaico, spoke); drew

out – tirò fuori; garnished – segnò; smote – percosse (arcaico, stabbed);

spear – lancia; maid – fanciulla; girdle – cintura, corsetto; afeard –

spaventata (arcaico, afraid); meek – mansueta; debonair – cortese

The Shenkerian

April 2010

50

Then the king was baptized and all his people, and St. George slew the

dragon and smote off his head, and commanded that he should be thrown in

the fields, and they took four carts with oxen that drew him out of the city.

Then were there well fifteen thousand men baptized, without women and

children, and the king did do make a church there of our Lady and of St.

George, in the which yet sourdeth a fountain of living water, which healeth

sick people that drink thereof.

After this the king offered to St. George as much money as there might be

numbered, but he refused all and commanded that it should be given to poor

people for God's sake; and enjoined the king four things, that is, that he

should have charge of the churches, and that he should honour the priests

and hear their service diligently, and that he should have pity on the poor

people, and after, kissed the king and departed.

slew – ammazzò (arcaico, killed); sourdeth – sorgeva (arcaico, flowed);

healeth – curava (arcaico, heals)

The Shenkerian

April 2010

51

Bye,

see you the next month…