readings
readings - marpauta
24-02
Closed Loops, Mark Papers (LRB) - it isn’t hard to imagine a perfect closed loop in which AI-generated syllabuses are assigned to students who submit AI-generated work that is given AI-generated feedback.
24-01
‘The trees are trying to tell us things’, Patrick Barkham (Guardian) - He is a fierce critic of “the current unimaginative national crusade to cover our countryside in dense, dark, lifeless plantation forestry … under the guise of carbon capture”.
23-12
How to have a happy Christmas, Wendy Cope (Guardian) - but still it's mostly women who have to think and plan.
23-11
How Migration Really Works by Hein de Haas review, Daniel Trilling (Guardian) - Between 2012 and 2022, for instance, the budget of the EU border agency Frontex rose from €85m to €754m.
23-10
L'allungamento della pista aeroportuale è una sconfitta per la città e il mondo, MarcoMaria Freddi (Repubblica) - In un momento in cui il mondo è chiamato ad affrontare le sfide della crisi climatica, è necessario ridurre, non aumentare, l'impatto ambientale del trasporto aereo.
23-09
The curious ways your skin shapes your health, Zaria Gorvett (BBC) - Please excuse me while I fetch my SPF50+, sunglasses, sun umbrella and most outrageously silly fishing hat… I have some gardening to do.
23-08
Beat stress, get to sleep and find your focus, Lucy Pavia (The Guardian) - The best thing to do before mealtimes is take some conscious slow breathing, just in the time it takes to walk to the kitchen.
23-07
Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto review – brief encounters, Sukhdev Sandu (The Guardian) - an inadvertent dissident, someone who has come to see his practice as being “about enjoying the absurdity of swimming against the tide of efficiency”.
23-06
Réchauffement climatique : faire évoluer nos territoires et nos visions du monde, Jérôme Fenoglio (Le Monde) - En quoi la fortune octroierait-elle un droit à détériorer davantage que les autres les conditions indispensables à nos existences terrestres – l’air, la température, la stabilité relative du milieu qui nous entoure ?
23-05
'There’s no reason to say humans have more worth or moral status than animals', Zoë Corbyn (The Guardian) - ChatGPT refuses to give recipes for cooking dogs on the grounds that it is unethical but readily provides recipes for cooking chickens.
23-04
Seven ways to rewild your garden, Isabella Tree (The Guardian) - Leaving dead wood to decay, such as fallen branches, logs or even a dead tree provides a similar habitat to a bug hotel.
23-03
Près de la moitié des miels importés en Europe sont « faux », alerte la Commission européenne, Stéphane Mandard et Stéphane Foucart (Le Monde) - Près de la moitié des miels en provenance de pays non européens seraient coupés avec des sirops de sucre à base de riz, de blé ou de betterave sucrière.
23-02
The stress secret: 12 ways to meditate – without actually meditating, Amy Fleming (The Guardian) - “There is no such thing as bad meditation,” says Rains. “If you’ve noticed that your mind has gone elsewhere, that’s all part of it.”
23-01
On Savage Shores by Caroline Dodds Pennock review – a whole new world, David Olusoga (The Guardian) - people who travelled to what were, after all, distant and unfamiliar lands, where they sought to understand new languages and make sense of foreign customs.
22-12
Gut microbes make mice exercise more. Might they do the same in humans? Elizabeth Pennisi (Science) - And rodents don’t make New Year’s resolutions.
22-11
Le matériau, très polluant et qu’aucun centre de tri en France ne sait recycler, reste très utilisé, Stéphane Mandart (Le Monde) - On les retrouve dans la plupart des 15 milliards de pots de yaourt achetés (et jetés) chaque année en France.
22-10
Viande, voiture, avion, streaming..., Lea Sanchez et al. (Le Monde) - Alimentation, transports, logement, chauffage, achats d’équipement ou du quotidien… Savez-vous ce qui pollue un peu, beaucoup ou énormément ?
22-09
The role of holiday styles in shaping the carbon footprint of leisure travel within the European Union, Perrine Laroche et al. (Tourism Management) - We find a substantial and equivalent carbon footprint for visiting relatives, nature tourism and sea, sun and sand tourism.
22-08
Review of A History of Water by Edward Wilson-Lee, Kathryn Hughes (The Guardian) - How is it that, as the world becomes global, the people in it have become insular?
22-07
Should cars be banned from cities? Thalia Verkade and Marco te Brömmelstroet (The Guardian) - Imagine looking out of your window but, instead of rows of parked cars and lanes of traffic, you see a communal vegetable garden, a shared barbecue, a play area for children, wildflowers to attract insects.
22-06
Review of Forget me not, by Sophie Pavelle, Amy-Jane Beer (The Guardian) - We have, Pavelle tells us as kindly as anyone can, created a world that “can barely continue to absorb our mistakes”.
22-05
Elezioni, le risposte dei candidati sindaco sull'aeroporto di Parma - Anon (Repubblica) - E ci chiedono di andare in bicicletta o di usare i mezzi pubblici? Questa è davvero una presa in giro!
22-04
Fungal states of minds, Andrew Adamatzky et al. (bioRxiv) - Our conclusions allow us to give a positive answer to the important research questions of fungal cognition, intelligence and forms of consciousness.
22-03
Le benefiche proprietà del bambu' che dal Giappone ha raggiunto le Langhe, Monica Piani (Repubblica), Essere come il bambù implica lavorare sul proprio Io interiore.
22-02
Manger plus sainement peut permettre de gagner plus de 10 ans d’espérance de vie, Mathilde Gerard (Le Monde), En 2019, les équipes du GBD avaient estimé qu’environ 11 millions de morts prématurées par an étaient attribuables à une mauvaise alimentation, soit un décès sur cinq, plus que le tabac (8 millions de morts par an).
21-12
(dis)avventure agricole, Anon (Azienda Agricola Lilliput), Poi abbiamo sovrapposto il telo bianco su un nuovo telo nero.
21-11
A pandemic of lost routines, Anonymous (Guardian), Neuroscientists suggest humans are on autopilot up to 43% of the time.
21-10
They would walk 500 miles: meet the Cop26 pilgrims who got to Glasgow on foot, Phoebe Weston (The Guardian), Wandering monk-like from place to place and surviving off the hospitality of local people is an ancient activity.
21-09
How to track a mammoth, Liam Shaw (LRB blog) - In total it walked nearly fifty thousand miles.
21-08
We need a revolution in University teaching, Simon Jenkins (The Guardian) - How many new lectures each week does Britain really need on Shakespeare’s sonnets or the history of the Victorian railway?
21-07
We should blame men for the climate crisis, Lucy Ellmann (The Guardian) - Men have also spent the last 5,000 years fighting, killing, colonising, enslaving, marauding, and yelling about football.
21-06
Welsh government suspends all future road-building plans, Steven Morris (The Guardian) - Wales has for too long been prioritising cars over people.
21-05
A eulogy for trees and humanity, Richard Smith (BMJ blog) - Exponential growth inside a finite system leads to collapse. But people don’t see it.
21-04
My most memorable mentors? Plants, Beronda Montgomery (Nature) - That plants with equal ‘aptitude’ grow and survive differently, depending on their environment, helps me think about how to help colleagues thrive.
21-03
How is this horse feeling?, Christa Leste-Lasserre (Science) - The device, she says, “gets into the animals’ minds” with objectivity and less guesswork.
21-02
Fifty-three tons of rotting pork and other Brexit nightmares, Peter Goodman et al. (New York Times) - A transaction that last year entailed seven steps, including paying and invoicing, now runs to 39.
21-01
Twenty ways to give purpose to your daily walk, Amy Fleming (The Guardian) - The goals are endless – crossing the Sahara, walking Route 66 – and one early adopting walking group has already reached the moon.
20-12
Beginners by Tom Vanderbilt review - it's never too late to learn, Joe Moran (The Guardian) - Absorption in any new activity is meditative and makes you see the world differently.
20-11
Come cuocere la pasta con meno gas, Flavia Carlorecchio (Repubblica) - Nel 2019 l’Italia ha utilizzato complessivamente 73,8 miliardi di metri cubi di gas.
20-10
Let me finish: how to stop interrupting… and change the world, Nancy Kline (The Guardian) - I often wonder if divorce figures would reduce dramatically if there had been a vow of no interruption at the wedding.
20-09
Miles and isles: our big Scottish bike ride, Kevin Rushby (The Guardian) - Now that the fire was going well, I threw on some damp driftwood and got a good fug of smoke going. The midges became socially distanced, probably put off by our coughing.
20-08
Michael E. Soulé (1936–2020), M. Sanjayan et al. (Nature) - He taught, by example, that criticizing an idea was easy, but to build upon it was far more important.
20-07
James Lovelock: 'The biosphere and I are both in the last 1% of our lives', Jonathan Watts (The Guardian) - We’re not exactly a desirable animal to let loose in unlimited numbers on the planet.
20-06
Singing Together, Apart, Rachael Beale (LRB Blog) - The whole point of choral singing is that it’s something you do – in time, in tune – with other people.
20-05
An English Clergyman’s Advice For Quarantine, Verlyn Klinkenborg (NY Review of Books Blog) - 11th. Don’t expect too much from human life, a sorry business at the best.
20-04
Es ist die Frage, die die Absurdität mancher Notmassnahme offenbart: Wollt ihr denn ewig leben?, Georges Bindschedler (NZZ) - Wie reagieren wir in zwei Jahren beim nächsten «unbekannten» Virus?
20-03
Is Joe Biden the American Brezhnev?, Ben Judah (The Guardian) - Think of this comparison, in true eastern European style, as a “serious joke”.
20-02
Posso dirlo? Mi sembrate tutti esagerati, Adriana Gambacorta (Italians) - i quali poi, se l’età glielo consente, passano le giornate in giro in branco a infettarsi allegramente con ogni microbo disponibile.
Die Briten sind weg – ihre Sprache nicht, Daniel Steinvorth (NZZ) - Thank you, good bye and good riddance.
20-01
Paris à pied, entre vélos et voitures, Roger Pol-Droit (Le Monde) - Parisiens, encore un effort, si vous voulez devenir vraiment écolos, réglos, carbone zéro – et tellement heureux.
19-12
Can Italians be persuaded to speak sotto voce on the train?, Tobias Jones (The Guardian) - And, as all musicians know, when you pick up speed you sometimes, inadvertently, go loud.
19-11
Against economics, David Graeber (NY Review of Books) - The one thing it never seemed to occur to anyone to do was to get a job at a bank, and find out what actually happens when someone asks to borrow money.
19-10
Campionato mondiale del fungo: nei boschi si raccolgono anche i rifiuti, Anon (Repubblica) - Chi andrà per funghi dovrà obbligatoriamente raccogliere anche rifiuti.
19-09
Wilding, Isabella Tree (Picador) - Allowing natural processes to happen ... particularly unsettles scientists who like to test hypotheses, run computer models, tick boxes and fix goals.
19-08
Ohne Sinn um den Zürichsee. Ein Tagebucheintrag, Claudio Rizzello (NZZ) - Richterswil, Wädenswil, Thalwil, Insbettichwil.
19-07
The dying art of instruction in the digital classroom, Tim Parks (NY Review of Books blog) - While in the past they would frequently ask questions when there was something they didn’t understand ... now they are mostly silent, or they ask their computers.
19-06
Una vita in vacanza, Massimo Gramellini (Corsera) - 1. Riposatevi e divertitevi. 2. Coltivate amicizie anche nuove. 3. Se potete viaggiare, fatelo.
19-05
Here's why moderate drinking is probably not good for you, Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz (The Guardian) - We’d probably all be a lot better off if we cut out the booze.
19-04
A future without fossil fuels? , Bill McKibben (New York Review of Books) - It seems possible that the fossil fuel industry may begin to weaken much sooner than you’d think.
19-03
'We can’t afford to stand by and do nothing’: 10 everyday heroes fighting to save the planet, Helen Pidd et al. (The Guardian) - The way society is living now is not sustainable. We have to act now or regret it later.
Sixty seconds on . . . democracy, Nigel Hawkes (BMJ) - The Brexit debate has made me ill. - On the contrary, it’s democracy in action and that’s good for your health.
19-02
« Avec un masque, je suis bien protégé » : 9 idées reçues sur la pollution de l’air, Anne-Aël Durand (Le Monde) - Les automobilistes pensent qu’ils respirent moins de gaz d’échappement que les cyclistes ou les piétons...
Elemental: the periodic table at 150, Lewis Dartnell (The Guardian) - EuChemS calculates that 10m smartphones are discarded or replaced every month in the EU alone.
19-01
Seize biais qui empêchent de se connaître et de faire les bons choix (Le Monde) - Autrement dit, la grande majorité d’entre nous sommes experts dans l’art de voir la paille dans l’œil du voisin tout en ignorant superbement la poutre dans le nôtre.
Why your chicken wings mean we’ve entered a new epoch, Max Elder (The Guardian) - In 2016, the world consumed almost 66 billion chickens.
18-12
No all'ampliamento dell'aeroporto di Parma, firma anche il parroco, (La Repubblica) - Se l’aeroporto passasse da 190mila passeggeri ad oltre 2 milioni, quanto sarebbe il traffico veicolare aggiuntivo in entrata?
18-11
Is writing worth it? Tim Parks (NY Review of Books) - But onward, now, to the huge problem of obstacle four.
18-10
The rising sea, Brian Stone (London Review of Books Blog) - Some studies project the loss of all wild seafood within three decades.
18-09
Caserta-Stoccarda in bus: riflessioni varie, Marinella Simioli (Italians) - Il confine svizzero sfreccia senza lasciare impronte, fino a quando arriviamo a un posto di blocco sul confine austro-teutonico.
Airport security trays carry more cold germs than toilets, study finds, Palko Karasz (The New York Times) - The plastic trays — used at airport checkpoints around the globe and touched by millions of passengers as they drop shoes, laptops, luggage and other items into them to clear X-ray scanners — have been found to harbor a variety of germs.
18-08
Effects of long-term landscape dynamics and city growth on biodiversity in the Mediterranean: the case study of Montpellier, France, Hélène Vogt-Schilb et al. (Urban Ecosystems) - Patches of ancient woodlands are now suffering rapid urban growth that reduces their area and impacts their associated biodiversity.
18-07
Generazione Z, se i bambini si comportano come i robot, Vittorio Sabadin (La Stampa) - È ormai provato che se mettiamo una macchina vicino ai bambini loro cercheranno di imitarla.
18-06
Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening, Richard Thompson (Clinical Medicine) - Why does gardening seem to be so beneficial to health? It combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight.
18-05
Obsessive Tidiness Disorder or: how we can learn to stop worrying and love nature’s messiness, Douglas Boyes (Blog) - Embracing nature means less work, more wildlife and a more interesting garden. So why don’t more people do it?
18-04
Il superburocrate che ammazza la solidarietà, Marco Zatterin (La Stampa) - Viene il dubbio che la burocrazia renda felice chi non ha anima e fantasia.
18-03
Disarming the weapons of mass distraction, Madeleine Bunting (NY Review of Books) - It was a culture of back-to-back meetings from 8:30 AM to 6 PM.
18-02
Absurde neue Welt, Nicola von Lutterotti (NZZ) - Die Patientenversorgung besteht schliesslich nicht nur aus nüchternen Kalkulationen, sondern auch aus Empathie, Motivation und Fürsorge.
18-01
Ein Lob der Bescheidenheit , Rolf Dobelli (NZZ) - Betrachten Sie Ihre Wichtigkeit aus der Perspektive des nächsten Jahrhunderts.
The appy wanderer: smartphone walking in our cities' green spaces, Alan Franks (The Guardian) - Knowing where things are, where they were, the routes people took between them, and why they vanished.
17-12
The eco guide to not buying stuff, Lucy Siegle (The Guardian) - According to US studies the average American home contains more than 300,000 items.
17-11
We need radical change in how we produce and consume food, Peter Horton (Food Security) - Analysing together environment, land-use, food production, food consumption and human health.
Inequality in nature and society, Marten Scheffer et al. (PNAS) - Key mechanisms that counteract such hyperdominance include natural enemies in nature and wealth-equalizing institutions in society.
17-10
Referendums: yes or no?, Neal Ascherson (NY Review of Books) - When is it a referendum, and when is it a plebiscite?
17-09
The sustainable scientist, Jeffrey McDonnell (Science) - I now understand that early-career opportunities, like gray hairs, don't stop appearing.
17-08
Domande senza risposta, Mattia Feltri (La Stampa) - Perché a un richiedente asilo politico si garantiscono vitto e alloggio e, quando finalmente gli si riconosce lo status, lo si butta in mezzo a una strada?
17-07
We need robots to have morals - could Shakespeare and Austen help?, John Mullan (The Guardian) - Do the best books make us better? I have my own slightly gloomy testimony to offer.
17-06
A million bottles a minute, Sandra Laville & Matthew Taylor (The Guardian) - Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium recently calculated people who eat seafood ingest up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic every year.
17-05
Festa dell'Europa, l'EFSA brinda a tavola, Raffaele Castagno (Repubblica) - “È la prima volta che vivo in un Paese dove sono più frequenti i negozi alimentari che le catene di fast food.”
17-04
Einmachgläser und Jutebeutel statt Plastictüten, Lena Schenkel (NZZ) - Dass es auch anders geht, beweisen drei kleine Läden.
17-03
Predatory journals recruit fake editor, Piotr Sorokowski et al. (Nature News) - We submitted a fake application for an editor position to 360 journals, a mix of legitimate titles and suspected predators. Forty-eight titles accepted.
17-02
Das Glueck der Anderen, Silke Wichert (NZZ) - Wahrscheinlich gab es in jeder Sprache solche positiven Eigenheiten, die in anderen Kulturen kein richtiges Äquivalent hatten.
17-01
«Alle Schweizer sollten einmal im Leben auswandern», Peer Teuwsen (NZZ) - Es gibt die sogenannte Kaskadenmigration, man probiert es im einen Land und geht dann in ein nächstes.
16-12
En Normandie, une route solaire au banc d’essai (Le Monde) - Après l’autoroute du soleil, voici la route solaire.
16-11
Junk conferences? How would that even work?, Adam Ruben (Science Careers) - “Look!” I said. “I’ve been invited to speak in China!”
16-10
Europe's first ruling on Brexit: it's masculine, unless you're Italian, Jon Henley (Guardian) - Italy, for the time being at least, is resisting the trend.
16-09
The costs of open access papers should not be the responsibility of individual researchers, Jonas Ludvigsson (Acta Paediatrica) - I publish about 40 papers a year in international journals.
16-08
Researchers working outside their home country should be careful to brush up on local customs, Barbra Rodriguez (Naturejobs) - Direct communication is one thing; expression of emotion is another.
16-07
Words of wisdom, Rob Jenkins et al. (Global Young Academy) - Good advice at the right time can make a huge difference.
16-06
Diary, Peter Pomerantsev (LRB) - ‘May the Europe of the European schools definitively take the place of the Europe of the war cemeteries.’
16-05
Debasing the currency of science: the growing menace of predatory open access journals, Peter Beninger et al. (Journal of Shellfish Research) - On the history, evolution, and tactics of such journals.
16-04
Es war einmal ein Wäldchen, Rod Ackermann (NZZ) - Kaum macht ein Kind Anstalten, sich zu entfernen, wird es zurückgepfiffen.
Orwells Farm der Tiere, neu inszeniert in Oslo, Rudolf Hermann (NZZ) - Und der Terminplan des Chefs sei gedrängt.
16-03
Use or lose our navigation skills, Roger McKinlay (Nature News) - The days of being lost should be over.
16-02
Se i greci tirano la cinghia i nordici cercano sole e arte, Stefano Stefanini (La Stampa) - Nell’epoca di Ryanair, dei villaggi turistici tropicali e delle frontiere aperte di Schengen, più della metà degli italiani non mette piede fuori dal Bel Paese.
16-01
Apprendre, c’est marcher !, Remi Sussan (Le Monde) - Et si, pendant les leçons, les enfants ne restaient pas assis à leurs pupitres, mais marchaient sur des tapis roulants ?
A Londra arriva la scuola per genitori, Enrica Tesio (La Stampa) - «Se sei un genitore, hai una sola certezza: come fai, sbagli»
15-12
Rejection of rejection: a novel approach to overcoming barriers to publication, Cath Chapman & Tim Slade (British Medical Journal) - The solution is applicable to a wide range of circumstances (such as flawed study, lack of broad interest to the field, or highly critical assessors)
A Parigi la scuola senza professori che sforna i talenti dell’innovazione, Francesco Manacorda & Leonardo Martinelli (La Stampa) - E i professori? «Non ce ne sono... Ma all’ultimo piano è sempre disponibile un’équipe pedagogica»
15-11
Wissen, wann es genug ist, Daniela Tan (NZZ) - «taru o shiru»
15-10
Viren auf Reisen, Ronald Gerste (NZZ) - Sorge um die eigene Gesundheit lösen beim Fliegen indes oft weniger die Naturgewalten als die Mitmenschen aus.
15-09
Le père japonais dans une société ultramobile de célibataires, Valérie Harvey & Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay (Alterstice) - Pratiquement tous les livres et les articles scientifiques consacrés à la dénatalité japonaise parlent de la division des tâches domestiques.
15-08
Countering gender bias at conferences, Carrie Arnold (Science Careers) - And the issue isn’t limited to science or academics.
15-07
Wir sind dann mal weg, (NZZ) - Auch verfolge ich, wenn ich in meinem Zimmer reise, selten eine gerade Linie.
15-06
Queen-Besuch in Deutschland, Gunnar Herrmann (Sueddeutsche Zeitung) - Und Tschüss!
15-05
Professor, clean thyself: a catalogue of irritants at the British Library, Steven Poole (The Guardian) - An influx of students has annoyed the denizens of the stacks.
La sentenza della Consulta sulle pensioni e il CNR, Giovanni Portillo (Italians) - Evidentemente.
15-04
How robots & algorithms are taking over, Sue Halpern (NY Review of Books) - There is about a 50 percent chance that programming, too, will be outsourced to machines within the next two decades.
15-03
Anti-influenza virus effects of cocoa, Masanori Kamei et al. (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture) - Although natural killer cell activity was also elevated in both groups, the increase was more substantial in the cocoa intake group.
15-02
Italy's new lingua franca, Beppe Severgnini (NY Times) - Time to face the future, signori professori, in any language you like.
15-01
I Social Media vanno all’università? Un'indagine sulle pratiche didattiche degli accademici italiani, Stefania Manca, Maria Ranieri (Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies) - Nel complesso i risultati non possono, però, essere letti in modo univoco in quanto riflettono una ambivalenza presente anche in letteratura.
14-12
Grant application review: the case of transparency, David Gurwitz et al. (PLoS Biology) - Readers might find the reviews useful when assessing the reviewed work by themselves.
14-11
Solving the etiology of dental caries, Aurea Simón-Soro & Alex Mira (Trends in Microbiology) - Recent DNA- and RNA-based studies from carious lesions have uncovered an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem.
14-10
The planet needs more plant scientists, Alan M. Jones (The Scientist) - More grants = more overhead = more buildings = more PIs = more PhDs in an increasingly out-of-control spiral.
14-09
When Britain was England, Edward Pearce (LRB Blog) - Humbled as we are likely to be, we must scratch around for a name if Scotland votes for the exit.
14-08
Obst essen gegen Putin, Elisa Britzelmeier (Sueddeutsche Zeitung) - Einen Apfel pro Woche zusätzlich: nach den Polen sollen jetzt auch die Österreicher mehr Äpfel essen.
14-07
Dislocation, Italian style, Holly Brubach (NY Times) - And I couldn’t even blame a language barrier.
14-06
Mindfulness and sustainability, Torgeir Ericson et al. (Ecological Economics) - There is also a body of research that shows how subjective well-being, empathy, compassion, and non-materialistic/intrinsic values are associated with more sustainable behavior.
14-05
Beste Gruesse auf Franzoesisch, Andrea Kucera (NZZ Blog) - Umso erstaunter bin ich ob der üblichen Begrüssung, die im Gegensatz zur Verabschiedung disproportional kurz ausfällt.
14-04
Soloist evaluation of six Old Italian and six new violins, Claudia Fritz et al. (PNAS) - Some studies open new fields for investigation; this study attempts to close a perennially fruitless one—the search for the “secrets of Stradivari.”
14-03
The toddler's guide to doing a PhD, Jonathan Downie (The Thesis Whisperer) - When was the last time you paused on your way somewhere to stroke a wall, explore the feeling of a hedge or touch a tree?
Life gain in Italian smokers who quit, Laura Carrozzi et al. (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health) - keywords: smoking cessation; Italy; survival
14-02
“Zurückbleiben bitte”, Tonia Mastrobuoni (La Stampa) - Va in soffitta lo storico annuncio della metro tedesca
Die neue Herzlichkeit, Hannes Grassegger & Paula Scheidt (NZZ) - Seit der Annahme der Masseneinwanderungsinitiative begegnet man als Deutscher in der Schweiz so viel Wohlwollen und Liebenswürdigkeit wie nie zuvor.
Io e l’iPhone, Alberto Mattioli (La Stampa) - Attenzione: quello che state leggendo è un pezzo abusivo.
14-01
On breaking one's neck, Arnold Relman (NY Review of Books) - I am a senior physician with over six decades of experience who has observed his share of critical illness—but only from the doctor’s perspective.
13-12
China schreibt die Pflege der Alten vor - Konfuzianismus und Mobilität, Wei Zhang (NZZ) - Die Kindespietät («xiao») gilt in der konfuzianischen Lehre als kardinale Tugend.
13-11
Sold out, Stefan Collini (LRB) - Some of those historians may even wonder why at the time there was so little concerted protest at this deeply implausible programme.
13-10
Non valutate le università solo su base quantitativa, Claudio Magris (Corsera) - Cifre troppo basse di titoli non vanno certo bene, ma anche cifre troppo alte sono sospette.
Warum Facebook unglücklich macht, Tomasz Kurianowicz (NZZ) - Die Kehrseite äussert sich im Gefühl der Überforderung. Denn nicht jede Information ist es wert, wahrgenommen zu werden.
13-09
Musicians spot mistakes quicker and more accurately than non-musicians, James Vincent (The Independent) - In times of economic hardship, funds for music education are often amongst the first to be cut.
13-08
Inventing the Enemy: Essays on Everything by Umberto Eco – review, Nicholas Lezard (The Guardian) - 'Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must talk a great deal.'
13-07
‘It’s not fair if you don’t let us cheat’, Nick Holdstock (LRB Blog) - ‘We want fairness,’ they shouted. ‘There is no fairness if you do not let us cheat’ (i.e. everyone else does so why can’t we).
13-06
Hochwasser in Passau, Henry Day (LRB Blog) - The stench of diesel fumes from the generators that power the pumps is overwhelming.
13-05
Seven tools for thinking, Daniel Dennett (The Guardian) - In science, you make your mistakes in public. You show them off so that everybody can learn from them.
13-04
Consumo energetico correlato alla pratica di uno strumento a fiato in bambini in sovrappeso, Isabella Tonini (Universita' di Trieste) - Il problema è che la tromba non fa tutto da sola ma necessita di essere educata e dominata o meglio l’esecutore ha bisogno di una particolare educazione affinché quella capacità di trasformare rumori in suoni diventi abilità musicale.
13-03
Eurodomande per Grillo, Marco Zatterin (Straneuropa) - "Voglio un’Europa unita, che sia moderna, parli una lingua comune e non undici diverse come al parlamento europeo."
13-02
The 21st century hazards of smoking and benefits of stopping: a prospective study of one million women in the UK, Kirstin Pirie et al. (The Lancet) - Among UK women, two-thirds of all deaths of smokers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s are caused by smoking; smokers lose at least 10 years of lifespan.
13-01
Librarians of the twitterverse, James Gleick (New York Review of Books) - Of course, the chance of even your very best tweet being seen again by human eyes is approximately zero.
12-12
On the 12th day of Christmas ... your gift will just be junk, George Monbiot (The Guardian) - Bake them a cake, write them a poem, give them a kiss, tell them a joke, but for God's sake stop trashing the planet to tell someone you care. All it shows is that you don't.
12-11
Is God happy?, Leszek Kolakowski (The New York Times Review of Books) - Happiness is something we can imagine but not experience.
12-10
In praise of ... a day in the garden, Anonymous (The Guardian) - Time outdoors is a stress-busting, calorie-consuming, mobility-enhancing, all-round good thing, and time spent growing stuff you can eat is just the proverbial icing on the homegrown strawberries.
12-09
Lob der Faulheit, Thomas Straessle (NZZ) - Hier schlägt Koch einen sehr weitgespannten historischen Bogen vom paulinischen «Wer nicht arbeiten will, der soll auch nicht essen» über die getaktete Zeit in den mittelalterlichen Klöstern und die vielbeschworene protestantische Arbeitsmoral bis zum modernen Primat der Arbeit über die Nichtarbeit und zum Ende der Vollbeschäftigung in der Arbeitslosigkeit.
12-08
Ecco perché servirebbe una doc per i monumenti, Francesco Bonami (La Stampa) - Su pizza e pasta non si discute. Le tuteliamo come se fossero i nostri figli. Tanto che abbiamo inventato la definizione «doc» per tutto, compresi i grissini o la focaccia genovese. Per i monumenti invece siamo disposti a chiudere un occhio.
12-07
Als ob Wünsche Berge versetzen könnten, Markus Haefliger (NZZ) - Schliesslich seien unsere Banker in die gleiche Falle getappt, als sie das westliche Wirtschaftssystem ins Wanken gebracht hätten.
12-06
Education through music—the model of the Musikkindergarten Berlin, Stefanie Uibel (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences) - In this context, the method, the aim, and the experimental ground is not only education in or with music, but through music.
12-05
Come the revolution, Thomas Friedman (New York Times) - “There is always someone up somewhere to answer your question” after you post it, he said. The median response time is 22 minutes.
12-04
Sarkò-Hollande, chi parla d'altro vince l'Eliseo, Alberto Mattioli (La Stampa) - Sui conti, i programmi dei due candidati sono irrealistici o demagogici, oppure tutti e due insieme.
12-03
Perché non un decreto verd-Italia?, Alberto Pizarro (Italians) - E’ primavera. Dopo i decreti salva-Italia, cresci-taglia e lavora-Italia, non sarebbe un momento perfetto per un bel decreto verd-Italia?
12-02
What Are Universities For? by Stefan Collini – review, Peter Conrad (the Observer) - "Any answer," Collini sighs, "is bound to be a tiresome combination of banality and tendentiousness." Further questions proliferate, "spiralling down into an endless regress".
12-01
Ein Bärendienst an der Forschung, Donat Agosti (NZZ) - Das Internet ermöglicht theoretisch einen freien Zugang zu Daten und Forschungsresultaten an jedem beliebigen Ort der Welt.
British prospects grim, Anonymous (Nature) - Recruitment and job security for early-career faculty members in the United Kingdom will become more uncertain as government funding for higher education declines.
11-12
Touristisches Kraftwerk, Alois Feusi (NZZ) - Im Bündner Bergdorf Tenna wird am Samstag der erste mit Sonnenenergie betriebene Skilift der Welt eingeweiht.
Il lavoro e la vita, Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna (Corsera) - Oggi la grande maggioranza dei neo pensionati passa da un lavoro più o meno simile a quello che svolgeva quando aveva quarant’anni alla totale assenza di lavoro. Ciò è irragionevole e poco efficiente.
11-11
Exit Berlusconi, Thomas Jones (London Review of Books blog) - At last Berlusconi has said he’ll step down. It should be a good day for Italian democracy. Except that – assuming he really does go...
11-10
But, And, Why, Paul Krugman (New York Times Blog) - I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
11-09
Les rythmes scolaires dans l'Union européenne, Florence Kamette (Le Monde) - Dans le système scolaire français, les heures de cours sont nombreuses et réparties sur un nombre limité de jours dans l'année, de sorte que les journées sont longues et fatigantes.
11-08
24/7 isn't the only way: a healthy work–life balance can enhance research, Julie Overbaugh (Nature) - I am also fortunate to work at an institution where the focus is on our contributions, not our hours.
Venise, trop d'eau, trop d'amour..., Philippe Ridet (Le Monde) - C'est toujours la même histoire. Venise souffre de trop d'eau et de trop d'amour.
11-07
Babys, interkulturell, Thomas Balmes (NZZ) - Weshalb der kleine Bayar in der mongolischen Steppe ganz eindeutig als das glücklichste unter den vier Kindern hervorstrahlt.
11-06
The bilingual advantage, Claudia Dreifus (NY Times) - Until about the 1960s, the conventional wisdom was that bilingualism was a disadvantage. Some of this was xenophobia.
Dialekt und Hochdeutsch nicht gegeneinander ausspielen, Annelies Häcki Buhofer (NZZ) - Die Globalisierung wirkt sich zwar auf den Konsum von Alltagsgütern und die Reisemöglichkeiten aus, bis anhin jedoch erst in Ansätzen auf eine breiter vorhandene Mehrsprachigkeit.
11-05
Whispering on paper, George Blecher (Eurozine) - Thought was expected to precede action; now the writer could type and send faster than she could think.
11-04
Die Idee vom friedlichen Atom ist eine Illusion, Joachim Radkau (NZZ) - diese Thematik wurde bis zur Katastrophe von Fukushima von der japanischen «Kultur des Schweigens» zugedeckt.
11-03
Review of 'The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember', Jim Holt (LRB) - Perhaps the internet can serve not merely as a supplement to memory, but as a replacement for it.
11-02
Understanding current causes of women’s underrepresentation in science, Stephen Ceci and Wendy Williams (PNAS) - Despite frequent assertions that women’s current underrepresentation in math-intensive fields is caused by sex discrimination by grant agencies, journal reviewers, and search committees, the evidence shows women fare as well as men in hiring, funding, and publishing (given comparable resources).
11-01
This Year, Change Your Mind, Oliver Sacks (New York Times) - New Year’s resolutions often have to do with eating more healthfully...
10-12
On 'Securing a Sustainable Future for Higher Education: An Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finances', Stefan Collini (London Review of Books) - Nobody should pretend that all is well with British universities in their present condition.
10-11
The benefits of multilingualism, Jared Diamond (Science) - You readers may demand evidence of more tangible benefits before you commit yourselves to babbling in two different languages to your infant children.
10-10
Long-running German panel survey shows that personal and economic choices, not just genes, matter for happiness - Bruce Headey et al. (PNAS) - The most comprehensive twin study reached the conclusion that “trying to be happier may be as futile as trying to be taller.”
10-09
I miei consigli al maestro, Marco Rossi-Doria (La Stampa) - E poi: scrivi dritto sul rigo, metti bene i numeri in colonna, finisci di colorare, pulisci i pennelli, lavati le mani.
10-08
Evolution and emergence, Martin Rees (European Review) - Any creatures witnessing the Sun’s demise 6 billion years hence, here on earth or far beyond, won’t be human.
10-07
Oui, le tabagisme passif rend malade et tue par milliers…, Jean-Jacques Hosselet (Le Monde) - Il suffit d'un minimum de réflexion pour comprendre que ce serait un miracle biochimique que la toxicité de la fumée puisse discriminer celui qui la produit de celui qui l'inhale passivement et épargner ce dernier.
10-06
Taking care of smoker cancer patients: a review and some recommendations, Roberto Mazza et al. (Annals of Oncology) - Without the exposure of women and men to the carcinogens of tobacco smoke, lung cancer would probably be a rare pathological abnormality in humans.
10-05
Bisogna dire la verità ai malati? Ferdinando Camon (La Stampa) - Dire la verità e dirla con termini netti, spietati, senza scampo, sarà deontologico ma non è umano.
10-04
Il catalogo degli Italiani a terra, Mattia Feltri (La Stampa) - Avviliti, rabbiosi, creativi: un giorno di bivacchi con l'occhio al tabellone.
10-03
Lord Layard’s Movement For Happiness seeks a director with vision, Valentine Low (The Times) - We hope this movement will help to shift our culture away from selfish materialism towards more rewarding forms of social engagement.
Scooting towards oblivion, Steve Mirsky (Sci Am) - People with no actual circus experience still try amazing stunts on our roads.
10-02
Google's innovation is a new speech impediment, Nathalie Haynes (The Times) - The gist is there, but the tense has changed and one of the adjectives has leapt [sic] to a different noun.
How many references do you write a week?, Mary Beard (The Times, A Don's Life) - I'm complaining about the cumbersome, inefficient and sometimes downright obstructive infrastructure.
10-01
Quantitative research assessment is a bad idea whose time has come, Colin Macilwain (Nature) - But the question of what a given advance in knowledge does for society as a whole is essentially unanswerable.
09-12
Am Ende ist alles Geschichte, Thomas David in Gespraech mit A.L. Kennedy (NZZ) - Die computerisierte Welt infantilisiert uns, sie schwächt die Vorstellungskraft, weil sie ihr alles Mögliche aufzwingt.
09-11
Der lebenspendende Strom, Gottfried Schatz (NZZ) - Unsere industrielle Nahrungsproduktion ist zur grotesken Maschine geworden, die Erdöl in Nahrung verwandelt.
09-10
Eremitage, umzingelt, Beatrix Lagner (NZZ) - Denn zwischen Reisen und Ankommen, Ehrgeiz und Angst, Legenden und Wirklichkeiten, Einsamkeit und Zweisamkeit liegen viele Tunnel.
09-09
The Earth After Us by Jan Zalasiewicz, Robin McKie (The Observer) - The crucial point, says the author, is that the remains of humanity's handiwork will be pitifully hard to discern.
Tomaten aus dem Wolkenkratzer, Matthias Daum (NZZ) - Alles könnte in den Türmen angebaut beziehungsweise gezüchtet werden: Gemüse, Getreide, Fisch, Geflügel, Shrimps oder Muscheln – nur keine vierbeinigen Tiere.
09-08
Britain’s population has passed 60 million, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (The Times) - Population alarmism tends to overinvest in short-term statistics, but on present trends the global population will begin to fall by the final third of the present century.
There's no such thing as a free bus pass, David McKie (The Guardian) - Perhaps the 9.30 brigade (and I'm one of them, too) may occasionally suffer a twinge of guilt about this lavish treatment in such straitened times.
09-07
Offen fuer Neues?, Kristina Bergmann (NZZ Blog vom Nil) - Es kriselet, es kriselet / Es drohet d'Kindigung.
09-06
Can civilization (at least the U.K.) run sustainably?, Marty Hoffert (Science) - The author doesn't consider cost or socio-economic factors, just physics and engineering. With this caveat, MacKay finds there's barely enough "green" power to meet demand in the United Kingdom.
09-05
Hausbesetzer wohnen in London wie Aristokraten, Julia Grosse (NZZ am Sonntag) - Wie moderne Robin Hoods beweisen Ben und die anderen den Durchschnitts-Londonern seit Monaten, dass es eine Alternative gibt zu überteuerten 45 Quadratmetern, in denen es zieht und die Mäuse hausen.
Tenure and the future of the University, Dan Clawson (Science) - Scientific paradigms shift, and student thinking is stimulated, when dissidents take unpopular positions—unpopular not just with the public, but also with administrators and faculty colleagues. People are much more likely to buck the tide if they know their jobs are secure. Cutting costs by cutting tenure means that a smaller proportion of faculty have the structural conditions needed to challenge conventional thinking.
09-04
End the university as we know it, Mark Taylor (New York Times) - For many years, I have told students, “Do not do what I do; rather, take whatever I have to offer and do with it what I could never imagine doing and then come back and tell me about it.”
09-03
Students give up wheels for their own two feet, Elizabeth Rosenthal (New York Times) - Last year the European Environmental Agency warned that car trips to school — along with food importing and low-cost air travel — were growing phenomena with serious implications for greenhouse gases.
09-02
Kein Land für junge Menschen, Franz Haas (NZZ) - Die Reform kommt mit diesem Gesetz gegen die akademische Verblendung ohnehin zu spät und gibt vor, das Tor halb zu schliessen, wenn die Ochsen aus dem Stall sind.
Keine Chancengleichheit in Berufungsverfahren, Ingrid Galster (NZZ) - Das Ergebnis dürfte kaum jemanden überraschen, der solche Auswahlverfahren aus eigener Anschauung kennt.
09-01
My family values, AC Grayling, Interview with Juliet Rix (The Guardian) - You can only talk about loving somebody when you've lived with them for 10 years, with the smelly socks and the quarrels.
Censiti gli alberi “monumentali” d'Italia, Gianni Lannes (La Stampa) - Scopo principale del censimento, oltre quello scientifico, era di far conoscere all’opinione pubblica un importante patrimonio naturalistico e culturale e sensibilizzare le istituzioni sulla necessità di tutelarlo.
Tav e aeroporti, Nord in sofferenza, Paolo Baroni (La Stampa) - Se avesse utilizzato gli stessi metodi di valutazione costi-benefici, anziché fare il tunnel del Frejus avrebbe potenziato le mulattiere.
08-12
Auf der Suche nach dem richtigen Mass, Urs Schoettli (NZZ) - Ist der Mensch zur Gier verdammt? – Eine Betrachtung zwischen Mahatma Gandhi und Deng Xiaoping.
Che goduria il capodanno da soli sul sofa, Mattia Feltri (La Stampa) - Può darsi siano venuti a noia la crapula obbligatoria, il patibolare conto alla rovescia, i baci sulle guance, il fois gras a buon mercato.
08-11
2011: My Space Odyssey, Esther Dyson (Project Syndicate) - If you learned you had a high chance of developing Alzheimer’s in a few years, what would you do? Why, I’d go train to be a cosmonaut, of course!
08-10
Indro Montanelli auf dem Seziertisch, Rudolf Stamm (NZZ) - Warum dieser eigensinnige, unkonventionelle Schreiber den beschriebenen Schwächen zum Trotz zu einem der führenden Journalisten Italiens und Europas geworden ist, lässt sich dem Buch nicht entnehmen.
08-09
Die Kinder der Erdbeerpflücker, Keno Verseck (Le Monde Diplomatique) - In Rumänien wächst eine Generation von Migrationswaisen heran.
08-08
Was wäre, wenn Graubünden autofrei wäre, Jost auf der Maur (NZZ Folio) - Als grünes Unikum in einer vom Auto gemarterten Welt braucht das Heidiland Graubünden kaum noch die Werbetrommel zu rühren.
I've been, like, won over, David McKie (The Guardian) - For some time now I have regularly writhed, inwardly howled, and, even at moments on trains when the onslaught was at its most merciless, clapped my ancient hands over my ears.
08-07
Who needs the humanities?, Steve Fuller (Project Syndicate) - This idea is lost in today’s cost accounting for universities, which treats what transpires between teacher and student in the classroom as akin to what happens between producer and consumer in the market.
08-06
Bits, bands and books, Paul Krugman (The New York Times) - Bit by bit, everything that can be digitized will be digitized, making intellectual property ever easier to copy and ever harder to sell for more than a nominal price.
08-05
Einsam in Assiut, Kristina Bergmann (NZZ) - Was bedeutet denn «esseulé»? «Allein» ist es nicht, vielleicht «allein unter Menschen»? Nein. Oder «einsam»? Nein. Nahe kommt ihm das Wort «vereinsamt», obwohl das zu endgültig ist. Ich plädiere deshalb für die Aufnahme dieses herrlichen Ausdrucks in alle Sprachen.
Politiker und ihre Vorstrafen – ein neues «Who's who», Erich Kusch (NZZ) - Das Vademecum ist an alle gerichtet, die von einer sauberen Politik träumen.
08-04
Figli nostri che turbano la Germania, Chiara Saraceno (La Stampa) - In Germania tra i ragazzi con un’origine migratoria alle spalle quelli italiani presentano i risultati scolastici peggiori fin dai primi anni.
08-03
Allegra!, Iso Camartin (NZZ) - Begrüssungsformeln sind konventionell. Gleichzeitig bezeichnen sie fürs Ohr ziemlich genau, wo man sich gerade befindet.
And the band played badly, Alexander McCall-Smith (Herald Tribune?) - Why should real musicians - the ones who can actually play their instruments - have all the fun?
08-02
Let's forget Nasa's fancy ideas, Martin Rees (The Times) - Manned space exploration is an expensive waste of effort. Europe can do a lot better.
08-01
The secret of happiness - it's in Iceland, Anonymous (The Economist) - The search for happiness is becoming more scientific. But does that make it any more accurate than it used to be? Two books explore a growth industry.
Il senso del laico, Claudio Magris (Corsera) - Quando, all'università, con alcuni amici studiavamo tedesco, lingua allora non molto diffusa, e alcuni compagni che l'ignoravano ci chiedevano di insegnar loro qualche dolce parolina romantica con cui attaccar bottone alle ragazze tedesche che venivano in Italia...
Tony Blair ne peut être le président de l'Europe, Edouard Balladur (Le Monde) - J'ai encore le souvenir du sommet de Corfou en 1994, durant lequel la Grande-Bretagne fit obstacle à la désignation d'un président de la Commission européenne, motif pris de ce que la France et l'Allemagne avaient manifesté une préférence trop grande pour le candidat qui semblait avoir le plus de capacité.
Tav e rifiuti, i rischi del rinvio, Antonio di Pietro (La Stampa) - Nel corso degli ultimi mesi sono stati fatti molti, significativi passi avanti per la realizzazione della linea ad alta velocità/alta capacità tra Torino e Lione. Ora è il momento delle decisioni...
07-12
Non à l'emprisonnement identitaire !, Jean-Paul Fitoussi (Project Syndicate) - Qui suis-je et pourquoi devrais-je accepter que l'on me réduise, moi et la richesse de mon identité, à une seule de ses dimensions ?
Acabar con la pena de muerte, Emma Bonino (Project Syndicate) - Algunos países de la Unión Europea querían impulsar de inmediato la abolición total de la pena de muerte.
Death and tobacco taxes, Prabhat Jha (Project Syndicate) - On current trends smoking will kill about one billion people in the twenty-first century, mostly in developing countries.
07-11
Following history through the camera's gaze, Verlyn Klinkenborg (Herald Tribune?) - At the edges of every crowd - even at moments of intense historical importance - there is an unknown someone being distracted by the world, uninterested in what's happening behind his back.
A 100 dollars le baril, on change de civilisation, Yves Cochet (Le Monde) - La seule politique susceptible d'éviter cette catastrophe est celle de la sobriété, c'est-à-dire la décroissance franche et régulière de la consommation de pétrole dans les pays de l'OCDE.
07-10
The hidden menace of mobile phones, Geoffrey Lean (The Independent) - Using a mobile phone for more than 10 years increases the risk of getting brain cancer, according to the most comprehensive study of the risks yet published.
Why can't the British be more like the Poles?, Jemma Lewis (The Independent) - The most unusual aspect of their invasion is that it has aroused as much self-loathing as it has loathing.
Più immigrati e decisi a restare, Giovanna Zincone (La Stampa) - Insomma gli immigrati sono la fascia più flessibile della forza lavoro e sono anche in molti settori un fattore indispensabile alla tenuta del sistema economico italiano.
07-09
I’d love to live a more rounded life, but I’m too flat out, Caitlin Moran (The Times) - Someone said something amazing to me last week [...]: “I can do any day that week, really. I haven’t got much on at the moment.”
Papi - cos'e' la lira?, Giancarlo Dotto (La Stampa) - La malvagia domanda del pupo ti sprofonda improvvisa in un bianco e nero da revival neorealista, dal dopoguerra al dopolira.
How time and technology did for the letter, Jane Shilling (The Times) - These days, almost no one has free time enough to assemble a pen, a bit of paper, an envelope and a stamp, then sit down for half an hour to compose an epistle amusing enough to merit the cost of postage.
07-08
Zahlreiche Strassen und Bahnlinien unterbrochen, (NZZ) - Aufgrund der heftigen Regenfälle in der Schweiz sind viele Strassen und Bahnstrecken unterbrochen oder nur beschränkt befahrbar.
Un’umanità che non sa salvare se stessa, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - La Terra è ammalata, il clima è impazzito, le risorse si assottigliano. Pian piano (troppo piano) se ne stanno accorgendo un po’ tutti.
To Romania by rail: a bishop's green example, Kim Sengupta (The Independent) - Blessed are those who leave no carbon footprints.
07-07
Linguistic follies, (Economist) - In recent years Brussels has been a fine place to observe the irresistible rise of English as Europe's lingua franca.
The mythical chat gap, Ellen Goodman (The Boston Globe) - This story began as an attempt to put a number on the chat gap between men and women.
Books we have never read, Adrian Tahourdin (TLS) - on 'Comment parler des livres qu'on n'a pas lu?
07-05
This urban chainsaw massacre has got to stop, Ben Macintyre (The Times) - The plight of gritty city trees.
Id quod circumiret, circumveniat - Latin makes a comeback, Andy McSmith (The Independent) - Objectors may say: ars long [sic] - vita brevis.
Man weiss nicht genau, was man nicht weiss, Hans-Joerg Rheinberger (NZZ) - Über die Kunst, das Unbekannte zu erforschen.
Ricercatori: il pasticcio e' servito, Ermanno Bencivenga (La Stampa) - Il regolamento proposto dal ministro dell’Università prevede per i concorsi «revisori esterni». Tuttavia si rischia un subdolo perpetuamento della cooptazione.
07-04
Altro che brain drain, Ezio Giacobini (La Stampa) - Una delle fissazioni dei governi e della scienza europea è la fuga dei cervelli + Breathing lessons, Leo Hickman (The Guardian).
La terra a quota 10 miliardi, Massimo Livi-Bacci (La Repubblica) - Dove va la popolazione mondiale?
07-02
Who is et al.?, Richard McDonald (Science) - Et al.'s work is referenced in diverse journal articles demonstrating technical and research abilities that cross many scientific fields.
22, 922 Mandarin teachers, please, Alan Coren (The Times) - I spend a lot of time in France, where I see a lot of Britons, most of them middle class and therefore middle-educated in French, and do you know what I see them doing? Shouting and gesticulating. They are not doing it to pass themselves off as French, they are doing it because they can’t.
07-01
Losing his mind, Richard Dawkins (The Guardian) - In executing Saddam Hussein, we have vandalised a unique resource for political, psychological and historical research.
Pena di morte, Emanuele Severino (Corsera) - Gli argomenti relativi alla pena di morte sono deboli - e dei sostenitori e degli avversari.
Agent provocateur, Alice O'Keeffe (New Statesman) - Iñárritu's three features - he now calls them a trilogy - have revolved around chance incidents that send the lives of his protagonists spiral ling out of control.
06-12
Verächter der Demokratie, Ulrich Schmid (NZZ Folio) - Russen und Chinesen sind um vieles freier als früher. Von den Freiheiten des Westens aber trennen sie noch immer Welten. Ein Vorteil im globalen Kampf um Macht und Reichtum? Viele Westler glauben es.
06-11
Ma ognuno di noi è il selvaggio di qualcun altro, Alessandro Barbero (La Stampa) - Bisogna essere molto civilizzati per poter dire «noi, i barbari.»
06-10
Zur Geburt der Europa-Bewegung, Gottfried-Karl Kindermann (NZZ) - Coudenhove-Kalergi als Vorläufer von Churchill und Adenauer.
The Suez crisis: stuck in the canal , David Fromkin (New York Times) - Britain and France had gone to war in order to keep their empires; instead, they lost them.
Going nowhere fast, Peter Hetherington (The Guardian) - The irony is that the vehicles meant to relieve congestion by providing an alternative to cars are creating more snarl-ups.
When journalism was face to face, not screen to screen, Richard Morrison (The Times) - What many journalists report now is not reality, but virtual reality: human existence as perceived via a computer screen.
Training peer reviewers, David Mackey (Nature) - Ten steps to master the art of peer review.
06-09
Wenn der Nachwuchs ausbleibt und die Gesellschaft schrumpft, Franz-Xaver Kaufmann (NZZ) - Inzwischen ist die Nachwuchsschwäche ein gesamteuropäisches Problem geworden.
Why my house is a disaster zone, Peter Monbiot (The Guardian) - How we can hope to cut carbon emissions and stop climate change when our own homes are so environmentally unsound.
Vivere nel vuoto, Barbara Spinelli (La Stampa) - Il linguaggio della società aperta (...) presuppone in ciascun individuo la coesistenza di molteplici identità: civili, estetiche, etiche, religiose.
06-08
The pull of the sea, Elissa Ely (Boston Globe) - Why does a man give his entire life to the sea?
Professoren sollten oefter gemeinsam zu Mittag essen, Uwe Justus Wenzel (NZZ) - Eine kleine Typologie der rezenten Professoren gibt Aufschluss über den gegenwärtigen Zustand der höchsten Bildungsanstalt in unserer Weltgegend.
Scarcity, mother of invention, Stephen L. Sass (New York Times) - If there is anything to be learned from history, it's that we need to face the harsh reality of fossil fuel scarcity.
Great British Fallacies Nr 83: we are not churning out enough scientists, Jamie Whyte (The Times) - There is almost certainly a surplus of British scientists.
Walking a road of discovery, C.J. Moore (Herald Tribune) - Many start out with no clear aim or intention.
Headless, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Economist) - Playing without a conductor is risky, but the free-spirited energy of these keenly attentive musicians results in an edgy spontaneity.
Terrorism: let's do the maths, Daniel Finkelstein (The Times) - My chances of being blown up by al-Qaeda are minuscule, but that doesn't mean I can ignore them.
Old Worlds for New, Fernando Cervantes (TLS) - Imagine what the world would look like today had Henry VII been willing to sponsor Christopher Columbus’s first transatlantic voyage, and a subsequent expeditionary force of Englishmen conquered Mexico for Henry VIII.
Der globalisierte Daene, Aldo Keel (NZZ) - Am Öresund diskutiert man die Einführung von Englisch als zweite Landessprache.
06-07
Gretchenfragen: wie es einige Philosophen mit der Religion halten, Uwe Justus Wenzel (NZZ) - Keine letzte Antwort.
Universities: Renaissance or Decay?, Ralf Dahrendorf (Project Syndicate) - Loosen rigid structures and habits to avoid decay and nurture a renaissance.
Monoglot incuriosity and dumb insularity certainly have their benefits, Jonathan Meades (New Statesman) - Bad Food Britain: how a nation ruined its appetite.
Une urbanisation galopante menace l'équilibre de l'ensemble du littoral européen, Gaelle Dupont (Le Monde) - Le développement touristique et l'afflux vers les côtes des retraités sont responsables de cette évolution.
Ibsen, l’immoralità dell’anima , Claudio Magris (Corsera) - Il cristianesimo sacrifica vita e felicità. Meglio abbandonarsi ai nostri demoni.
The opponents of female ordination have lost the war, Charlie Lee-Potter (New Statesman) - If you would rather remove your own appendix than worship at a church with a female priest...
What use the United Nations?, Rosemary Righter (TLS) - A cheerful guided tour with lots of brightly lit signposts.
Why would you leave a place like Wroclaw, Helen Pidd & Luke Harding (Guardian) - The moment Poland joined the EU, its citizens rushed for the exits.
06-06
«Ausgebrannt» - das Etikett für ein diffuses Leiden macht Karriere, Regula Heusser? (NZZ) - Das Burnout-Syndrom ist in aller Munde, doch sein Profil bleibt unscharf für alle, die es nicht selbst erfahren.
Religion from the Outside, Freeman Dyson (New York Review of Books) - on Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon.
06-05
Milano: la capitale della non-politica & Lombardo-Veneto, Ernesto Galli della Loggia (Corsera) - Tutta la nostra storia unitaria sta lì a testimoniarlo.
There goes the neighbourhood, (Economist) - How London has changed in the past 108 years—and how it hasn't.
Career Counseling for the Twenty-First Century, Robert J. Shiller (Project Syndicate) - As a college professor, I hear a lot of career concerns.
06-04
The perils of prosperity, (Economist) - Affluence may present new challenges but they are a lot better than the alternative.
The end of sisterhood, Alison Wolf (Prospect) - For the first time in history, women in developed societies can take up any occupation or career they please.
Imagined Soil, Neal Ascherson (LRB) - on The Conquest of Nature: Water, Landscape and the Making of Modern Germany.
Pour un "réalisme cosmopolitique", (Le Monde) - à propos de Qu'est-ce que le Cosmopolitisme?
I libri italiani sugli inglesi spiegano più l’Italia che la Gran Bretagna, Beppe Severgnini (Corsera) - su Dio ci salvi dagli inglesi...o no!?
The digested read, digested: The literature of pretention, John Crace (Guardian) - on The Architecture of Happiness.
Das »Haus der Natur« – ein Luftschloß?, Josef H. Reichholf (Merkur) - »Zurück zur Natur« hatten Rousseau und nach ihm die Romantiker gefordert.
A sour note on modern times, Tony Long (Wired News) - I tuned into my local classical music station the other day and was pleased to hear the andante from Beethoven's Sixth Symphony.
06-03
Das Weisse Haus wird zum Museum, Andreas Ruesch (NZZ) - Ende eines amerikanischen Anachronismus.
Urbanizzazione: la Lombardia al collasso, Emilio Parravicini & Rinaldo Roveredo (Italians) - Si riconoscono sofà lustrati, tavoli di vetro spolverati, scrivanie laccate e moquettes senza macchia.
Il voto fiducioso e quello punitivo, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - Queste elezioni del 9-10 aprile proprio non mi piacciono. Per niente e in niente. Se ne scrivessi, direi male di tutti. Perciò lascio perdere.
06-02
Lebensfragen, Gottfried Schatz (NZZ) - Stimmen der Nacht, Sternenstaub, Spurensuche, Biologie der Stille, Jenseits der Gene, Zellzeiten, Die Fremden in mir, Portraet eines Proteins, Der kleine Bruder, Erdfieber, Sonnenkinder, Eisendaemmerung, Meine Welt.
Se Kafka cede alla «dittatura» dei bestseller, Claudio Magris (Corsera) - Chi vince, nella storia e in letteratura, non ha sempre ragione.
Another hard day in the library, Germaine Greer & John Sutherland (Guardian) - Oxford is planning to introduce contracts requiring students to attend lectures and tutorials.
A town with no weather, David McKie (Guardian) - The Met Office may want to investigate a curious lack of rain or shine in a small corner of Cumbria.
Dem Zivilisationsdruck zum Trotz ein Stück Wildnis bewahren, Rahel Walther (NZZ) - Historische und aktuelle Beobachtungen im Bärenland Amerika.
Teure Kunst zum Schrottwert?, Georges Waser (NZZ) - Skulpturenraub mit Methode in Grossbritannien.
06-01
La scienza con l’anima sconfiggerà il pessimismo, Anonimo (Corsera) su L'anima della tecnica.
Holz als unterschätzte Feinstaubquelle, Lukas Denzler (NZZ) - Die Toxizität hängt von der Vollständigkeit der Verbrennung ab.
Chinas fahrlässiger Umgang mit dem Wasser, Urs Schoettli (NZZ) - Zu den härtesten Bewährungsproben, die das Reich der Mitte in seiner langen Geschichte immer wieder zu bestehen hatte, gehört der Kampf gegen Dürre und Flut.
The fertility bust, Charlemagne (Economist) - Very low birth rates in Europe may be here to stay.
05-10
Novecento, questa è tutta un’altra Storia, Sergio Romano (Corsera) - L’influenza e il potere di anticipazione della letteratura nei destini dell’umanità.
05-09
Unsichtbare Feinde, Uwe Justus Wenzel (NZZ) - Ein Zürcher Kongress zur «politischen Logik» der Infektion.
UK: in crisi il mito del multiculturalismo, Francesco Andreoli (Italians) - C'è qualcosa di marcio nel mito del multiculturalismo.
Il mercato non ci salverà, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - La difesa dell’ambiente e il caso del petrolio.
Wälder auf dem Meeresgrund, Georges Waser (NZZ) - Das Meer fordert seit Jahrhunderten britisches Küstenland.
05-08
Il paese dei giovani vecchi, Massimo Livi-Bacci (Il Mulino) - L'Italia e' un grande Paese, ma viaggia con un piccolo motore e con il freno a mano tirato.
05-06
Democrazia, l’Occidente non ha il monopolio, Amartya Sen (Corsera) - Il cambiamento politico più significativo del XX secolo è stato forse il diffondersi della convinzione che la democrazia sia una forma di governo «normale» a cui ogni nazione ha diritto.
Philip Glass: un’opera contro la guerra in Iraq, Matteo Persivale (Corsera) - Continuo a imparare: ascolto, rifletto, studio.
L’onnipotenza che ci fa paura, Claudio Magris (Corsera) - Al referendum sulla legge 40 non si è votato soltanto per abrogare o mantenere alcuni suoi precisi articoli. Si è votato anche — ... — contro o per le trasformazioni della vita e dell’uomo stesso che la scienza e la tecnologia promettono e permettono in una misura esaltante e inquietante, sino a ieri imprevedibile.
Nos villages à l'heure anglaise, Frederic Potet (Le Monde) - Julian et Sarah Diprose en avaient tout simplement assez. Assez de travailler du matin au soir, assez de courir d'un endroit à l'autre, assez de l'Angleterre.
University library dumps rare books, Duncan Campbell (Guardian) - In his satire about a library, The Battle of the Books, Jonathan Swift recounts that "a restless spirit haunts over every book till dust or worms have seized upon it."
05-04
Homo oeconomicus, Anonymous (Economist) - Since the days of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, advocates of free trade and the division of labour, including this newspaper, have lauded the advantages of those economic principles. Until now, though, no one has suggested that they might be responsible for the very existence of humanity.
05-03
Happiness is back, Richard Layard (Prospect) - Growing incomes in western societies no longer make us happier, and more individualistic, competitive societies make some of us positively unhappy.
Not the Queen's English, Carla Powers (Newsweek) - Non-native English-speakers now outnumber native ones 3 to 1. And it's changing the way we communicate.
La vita umana secondo ragione, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - Fede e ragione. Vi sono questioni che sono materia di fede, e questioni che sono materia di ragione. Se Dio esiste è materia di fede. Se è vero che gli aeroplani volano perché sostenuti da angeli è materia di ragione.
05-02
In cattedra da nonno, Gaspare Barbiellini Amidei (Corsera) - Come nella «Montagna incantata» di Thomas Mann, il tempo non passa mai nel mondo degli studi, dalle ex elementari agli atenei. Si invecchia senza dirlo. E si aspetta.
Lingua morta - identita' negata, Ernesto Galli della Loggia (Corsera) - La notizia pubblicata dal «Corriere» [e'] che la lingua italiana è stata cancellata da tutte le conferenze stampa (salvo quelle del mercoledì) tenute dai commissari dell’Unione Europea.
05-01
Inquinamento da ignoranza, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - Il fumo di sigaretta fa male ai polmoni? Certo che fa male.
Corpus colossal, Anonymous (Economist) - How well does the world wide web represent human language?
04-11
Wo Europa endet, Axel Christoph Gampp (NZZ) - Die Frage, wo Europa beginnt und wo es endet, bewegt derzeit viele Köpfe.
Cracks in the ivory towers, Polly Curtis & John Crace (Guardian) - From outside, universities may seem like havens of calm and civilisation, but an increasing number of academics are suffering from work-related stress, and even bullying.
L’invenzione? Vedi alla voce leggerezza, Serena Zoli (Corsera) - Un vecchio titolo della Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung invitava: «Spaghettisiert euch».
Severgnini in concerto nelle case dei ricchi d’America, Beppe Severgnini (Corsera) - È accaduto quando l’autista cubano ci ha scaricato tra le palme di Coconut Grove, in smoking, sotto un acquazzone tropicale, accusandoci d’essere saliti sulla macchina sbagliata: allora ho capito che valeva la pena.
La fantasia al potere (per 48 ore), Beppe Severgninih (Corsera) - Non credo esistano studiosi del weekend italiano: anche perché dovrebbero lavorare nel fine settimana, e non tutti se la sentono.
Camerieri e operai, senza certezze, Paolo Di Stefano (Corsera) - I nuovi emigranti italiani in Germania.
04-10
L'inglesorum del ministro - Gian Antonio Stella (Corsera) - >Parla in francese al cane!< inorridiva Camilla Cederna per chi voleva darsi un certo tono.
Plurilinguisme : la dernière bataille - Claude Hagege (Le Monde) - C'est donc l'apprentissage de deux langues étrangères qu'il faut promouvoir à l'école primaire.
04-08
You don't need a PhD to use your brain, David Anderson (Nature) - I do not perceive "holders of the degree" as being experts in their field.
04-05
Die Maschinerie der Vorurteile, Wolfgang Schneider (NZZ Folio) - Was alle meinen, ist wahr, und was ich selber zweimal erfahren habe, gilt für immer.
04-04
La superposta google, Franco Carlini (Corsera) - L'annuncio è talmente clamoroso che essendo stato emesso il primo di aprile molti commentatori, anche rispettabili, l'hanno considerato uno scherzo, ma tale non era.
Remembrance of meals past, Ian Jack (The Guardian) charts a brief personal history of Britain's dietary development.
04-03
Intelligence science: reverse peer review?, Donald Kennedy (Science) - The status of inspection science seemed to argue for a delay in beginning hostilities.
04-02
Un Paese invertebrato e ammalato di conformismo, senza anticorpi, Giovanni Sartori (Corsera) - Io ho pochissima memoria delle cose che ho scritto. Una volta licenziate alle stampe, le dimentico.
03-12
Sisyphus im Klassenzimmer, Christophe Buechi (NZZ) - Weshalb Deutsch in der Westschweiz schlecht gedeiht.
Über Anglizismen und den Zustand der deutschen Sprache, Christian Meier (NZZ) - Unter den Klagen über den Zustand (und die Gefährdung) der deutschen Sprache schält sich die über die vielen und sich mehrenden Anglizismen besonders heraus.
03-11
Scientists: four golden lessons, Steven Weinberg (Nature) - When I received my undergraduate degree — about a hundred years ago — the physics literature seemed to me a vast, unexplored ocean, every part of which I had to chart before beginning any research of my own.
Long-lived fellows, Anonymous (The Economist) - Oxbridge lifestyle helps dons live longer. No kidding.
03-06
Strangers know us best, Felipe Fernandez Armesto (Index on Censorship) - The careless British pose a greater threat to Britishness than any number of willing migrants to their shores.
03-02
Memory overload, Jim Lewis (Wired) - As hard drives get bigger and cheaper, we're storing way too much.
The galling rise of English, Anonymous (Economist) - The European Union is becoming an English-speaking zone.
Il prezzo da pagare per il diritto di parola, Pierre Hadot (Corsera) - Ritrovo in Bruno tutto ciò che considero come l’esperienza filosofica per eccellenza
03-01
Lost for words?, Robin McKie (The Observer) - It began with grunts, and very soon it may end with them + (Matthew Fort) The family that eats together speaks together (Ask the Italians).
A sudden loss of words, David McKie (The Guardian) - Suddenly an honest, decent, serviceable English word is under ruthless, two-pronged attack.
02-10
The language of exile, Imre Kertész (The Guardian) - My subject is the freedom of self-definition, which entails the simple notion that each and every member of society has the right to be what he or she is.
Salviamo la biblioteca (e i lettori), Hans-Magnus Enzensberger (Corsera) - La difesa della biblioteca: chi, ancora in grado di leggere e scrivere, non vorrebbe farne la propria causa?
02-08
L'inglese? Meglio il latino, Luciano De Crescenzo (Corsera) - Sono fuorimoda: amo il latino e odio l’inglese.
02-06
Se ogni scuola fa gli esami a modo suo, Giovanni Belardelli (Corsera) - C'è qualcosa nella nuova maturità (fondata sulla presenza di soli commissari interni) che non convince.
Un saggio di Donatella Marazziti tra ricerca sperimentale e citazioni colte, Serena Zoli (Corsera) - Una psichiatra studia il più nobile dei sentimenti in chiave biologica.
02-05
On parting, A.C. Grayling (The Guardian) - Ask them to point out the road that the other man would say is your route - and then take the other one.
02-04
Das Internet wirft die Frage nach einer Universalschrift auf, Florian Coulmas (NZZ) - Seit einigen Jahren bietet das Internet ungeahnte Möglichkeiten des weltweiten schriftlichen Austausches.
02-02
«Troppi divorzi? Rendiamo i matrimoni più difficili», Serena Zoli (Corsera) - Riemerge il contrasto fra rigoristi e possibilisti.
01-12
Il dizionario di Babele, Giorgio Pressburger (Corsera) - Ci sono alcuni miti strettamente legati alla nostra civiltà, che improvvisamente cambiano segno. Uno di questi è certamente la narrazione di Babele.
01-11
La new economy ci rubera' anche la vita, Serena Zoli (Corsera) - Il lavoro si mangiava la sua vita intera, l’occupava tutta, senza più spazio per famiglia, amici, letture, viaggi, emozioni altre.
01-10
I regolamenti? L'arma dei burocrati contro chi ha talento, Francesco Alberoni (Corsera) - Una volta formalizzato, qualunque sistema normativo tende a diventare un labirinto di cui solo pochi conoscono la mappa.
The roots of conflict, Umberto Eco (The Guardian) - All the religious wars that have caused blood to be shed for centuries arise from passionate feelings and facile counter-positions, such as Us and Them, good and bad, white and black.
01-09
Addio principe azzurro - i sogni sono finiti, Serena Zoli (Corsera) - Che cosa sognano le ragazze d’oggi? Niente. Le ragazze non sognano più. Progettano.
L' Europa unita ultima utopia, Ralf Dahrendorf (La Repubblica) - "Pensate", ha detto "che ogni bambino nato oggi in Europa comprerà il suo primo gelato pagandolo in euro!".
01-07
Der Traum von der Abschaffung der Wörter, Sieglinde Geisel (NZZ) - Das Pfingstwunder und die babylonische Sprachverwirrung im Zeitalter des Internets.
01-06
Requiem per gli alberi di citta', Pietro Citati (La Repubblica) - Dopo più di un secolo, comprendiamo quale ampiezza di sguardo possedessero gli urbanisti della fine del secolo scorso.
01-05
On voting, A.C. Grayling (The Guardian) - A major collateral theme in the current general election campaign is the question of voter turnout.
01-03
Too few children and too much family, Massimo Livi-Bacci (Daedalus) - Let us stop for a minute and reflect on the meaning of this change.
00-01
When in Assisi, don't feed saint's flock, Alessandra Stanley (The New York Times) - The gentleman from Verona reared back guiltily when asked why a horde of pigeons were pecking around his feet.
+ extra
(Dec 1999): How work can be made less frustrating and conversation less boring, Theodore Zeldin (BMJ) - The frustrations of relationships and of work are at the root of much illness in today's society.
(Apr 1999): Time to stop and stare, Thierry Paquot (Le Monde Diplomatique) - Idleness, once considered one of the deadly sins, now implies the right to slow down, go at your own pace, have time to stop and stare.
(~ 1999): Beer, Butter & Bacon, John Searle (from Mind, Language & Society) - The different types of intentional states relate the propositional content to the real world with different obligations of fitting.
(~ 1999): Zitate aus "Technisches Übersetzen in Theorie und Praxis" von Brigitte Horn-Helf
(~1994): Veraendert der Computer die Sprache?, Wolf Schneider (NZZ Folio?) - Aber selbstverstaendlich!
(Jan 1989): Administratium, William Debuvitz (Physics Teacher) - The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by investigators at a major U.S. research university.
(1979): da Se Una Notte d'Inverno un Viaggiatore, Italo Calvino, Einaudi - La voce va o troppo svelta o troppo piano ... Lettore, è tempo che la tua sballottata navigazione trovi un approdo ... Se leggo non solo per dovere professionale? ... L'unica cosa da fare è mettersi a correre in lungo e in largo sulla collina ... Non solo il corpo è in te oggetto di lettura ... Questo me lo leggerò quando vado in pensione ... Mi sono abituato così bene a non leggere... ... Magari qualche volta hai provato a dare un'apparenza d'ordine ai tuoi scaffali ... Scagli il libro contro il pavimento ... Come scriverei bene se non ci fossi! ... Ti fai largo nella lettura come in un fitto bosco ... Non basta dichiarare che la mia è una reazione di rifiuto ... Non stacchi l'occhio dal libro da un aeroporto all'altro.
(1972): da le Citta' invisibili, Italo Calvino, Einaudi - Argia, Bauci, Cecilia, Despina, Eutropia, Ipazia, Irene, Isidora, Olinda, Ottavia, Procopia, Tecla & Trude.
(~1923): Accumulations, Aldous Huxley - In the brevity of life and the perishableness of material things the moral philosophers have always found one of their happiest themes.
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