Today the new Millennium starts

Today is the start of the new millennium.

Some, like Dick Teresi, have argued that this is the result of a number of errors in year counting committed in the past, in the middle ages in fact. There never was a year 0, we went from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. He says there should have been a year 0 however between those two years, just like there is a year 2000 between 1999 and 2001.

However, others argue that because years B.C. are counted starting from -1, there is no room for a year zero, just like on a Carthesian coordinate system, where zero is a point, not a time interval.

Be that as it may, we are stuck with that, unless we decide to renumber all years from 1 B.C. backward, so that 1 B.C. becomes the year 0, 2 B.C. become 1 B.C. and so on.

Since we are likely to stay with the current counting system for a while... pop the Champagne today!

Recensione: In Sudamerica, di Italo Moretti, ****

Sinossi
Dei fatti che hanno segnato la storia dei Paesi latinoamericani negli ultimi trent'anni si parla sempre più spesso, per la loro influenza sulla politica e la diplomazia europea dei giorni nostri - si pensi al caso Pinochet, o ai figli dei desaparecidos adottati dagli stessi carnefici dei genitori. Moretti ha seguito per la Rai le vicende di quei paesi (in particolare Cile e Argentina) dai primi anni '70. Nel suo saggio racconta quanto ha visto e vissuto, riportando brani inediti delle interviste ai protagonisti della storia sudamericana.

Recensione: Straneurocrate (2000), di Marco De Andreis, *****

Sinossi

Poche cose risultano più ostiche e tediose dell'Europa comunitaria. D'altra parte l'Unione europea ha un'importanza crescente nella nostra vita: le decisioni che ci riguardano prese a Bruxelles e a Strasburgo sono sempre di più. E poi c'è il fatto che le istituzioni comunitarie non sono state concepite per rendere conto ai cittadini europei, bensì ai governi dei Paesi Membri. Questo libro tenta di colmare la voragine fra il (poco) fascino e la (molta) importanza dell'Unione europea, cercando di spiegare l'utilità e il funzionamento dell'Europa comunitaria. E non in termini astratti: l'autore è stato un "eurocrate" negli anni dal 1995 al 1999, e qui li racconta.


Recensione

Il miglior libro per capire l'Unione Europea senza annoiarsi a morte nel tentativo! Parafrasando il film di Kubrik "Il dottor Stranamore", De Andreis racconta di come "ha imparato a non preoccuparsi e ad amare l'Unione Europea", cioè i suoi anni a Bruxelles, dove ha lavorato come membro del gabinetto della Commissaria Bonino alla fine degli anni novanta. Egli usa l'esperienza personale per sviluppare un lungo ragionamento induttivo sulla macchina comunitaria, da una parte, e sulle politiche europee degli stati membri, dall'altra.

Tutto quello che avreste sempre voluto sapere sull'Unione Europea ma non avete mai osato chiedere. Anche perché pure se lo aveste chiesto non ve lo avrebbero detto, data la mancanza di trasparenza dei processi decisionali comunitari, dai quali ormai dipende la maggioranza delle nostre leggi nazionali. Questo potrebbe essere un sottotitolo per questo libro, che parla di cose serie senza prendersi troppo sul serio. Anche se scritto dieci anni fa, per cui in parte ovviamente obsoleto, il libro resta attualissimo per penetrare la fitta cortina che oggi come allora nasconde l'apparato comunitario al cittadino comune.

Parafrasando il film di Kubrik "Il dottor Stranamore", De Andreis racconta i suoi anni a Bruxelles, dove ha lavorato come membro del gabinetto della Commissaria Bonino alla fine degli anni novanta. Egli usa l'esperienza personale per sviluppare un lungo ragionamento induttivo sulla macchina comunitaria, da una parte, e sulle politiche europee degli stati membri, dall'altra.

Da europeista convinto quale sono, il libro mi ha confermato una cosa: far gestire le cose a Bruxelles mi piace sempre di meno, ma resta forse il male minore rispetto ad un ritorno di poteri agli stati nazionali, oggi inadeguati a far fronte alle sfide del XXI.

Puoi leggere un'intervista all'autore qui su Gnosis.

Book review: Zero, the Biography of a Dangerous Idea (2000) by Charles Seife, *****

Synopsis

The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshiped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. Now it threatens the foundations of modern physics. For centuries the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics. For zero, infinity's twin, is not like other numbers. It is both nothing and everything.
In Zero, Science Journalist Charles Seife follows this innocent-looking number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe, its rise and transcendence in the West, and its ever-present threat to modern physics. Here are the legendary thinkers—from Pythagoras to Newton to Heisenberg, from the Kabalists to today's astrophysicists—who have tried to understand it and whose clashes shook the foundations of philosophy, science, mathematics, and religion. Zero has pitted East against West and faith against reason, and its intransigence persists in the dark core of a black hole and the brilliant flash of the Big Bang. Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time: the quest for a theory of everything.




Review

A fascinating book for the non-mathematical minds like mine. I was mostly struck by the philosophical implications of the concept of zero. I would never have thought that a number could have had such impact on religion, politics and indeed our way of life. The main concept I came away with is that zero, the twin brother of infinity, was not recognized as suchin antiquity. In fact it was expressely rejected by most ancient civilizations, and remarkably so by Aristotle: his theory of a "prime mover" of a finite universe (God) was taken up for two millennia by priests of various religions and catholic popes. To reject Aristotle and accept Giordano Bruno (there may be, indeed, there probably are other worlds and the universe is not finite) was heretical: there was no need for a prime mover any more and, ...might there be other popes besides the one on earth? Giordano Bruno paid with his life for defending infinity and, therefore, zero.

We have obviously and luckily moved beyond that by now, but zero has not yet become a familiar concept for most of us. Most people, if asked, will start counting from 1, though 0 is the first number. Most celebrated the new millennium one year early, on 31 December 1999, because they were unaware that there was no year 0, but the 3rd millennium began on 1 january 2001. And 0 is placed after 9 in the keyboard of my computer, and not before 1, where it should be.

This is not a heavy math book, but a pleasure to read for the scientifically minded, especially if you have a propensity to look for the root causes of philosophy and politics.

Book Review: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray, *****

Man and woman in a Sikh temple

Synopsis

A practical guide for improving communication within relationships, helping both sexes get what they want from love and friendship. The author encourages readers to accept the other gender's particular way of expressing love and helps men and women accept each other's emotional needs.

'A treasure', 'a bible' and 'an heirloom' are some of the words used to describe the book that has saved countless relationships and improved innumerable others. Now repackaged to relate to a new generation of readers, this phenomenal book continues to carry its legacy of understanding and trust into the world.

Since its first publication, over a staggering 15 million copies of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS have sold globally to single men and women looking for guidance on how to find the perfect partner, married couples seeking to strengthen their bond, and divorcees hoping to fathom where it all went wrong. Gray's insights into how to allow your other half to "pull away" like an elastic band, prevent your emotional baggage from polluting your current relationship, and translate the phrases of the opposite sex are as relevant now as when they were first published.

With straightforward, honest writing from that precious male perspective, Gray unlocks the secrets hidden in your partner's words and actions to enable you both to reach true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love. Discover for yourself why thousands believe that MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS should be mandatory reading for everyone.


Review

This is one of the most important books I have ever read. It succintly puts together the reasons why men (all men) are different from women (all women); why this creates problems of communication in a couple; and what to do about it. I found it fascinating reading and illuminating for its insights. This is a summary table I have written based on the book. I think it summarizes the main thrust of the argument Gray makes and is spelled out  in the video by Paul Dewandre (in French) Les hommes viennent de Mars, les femmes de Vénus.

Man	Woman
values competence	values relationship
reasons in sequential mode	can do multi-tasking
wants to resolve a problem alone	wants to talk about a problem
is rational	is emotional
needs trust	needs attention
needs appreciation	needs understanding
is like a dolphin, wants a fish when he gets something done	is like a garden, wants to be mantained every day no matter what

For alternative arguments on the same topic, read my reviews of the books by Cordelia Fine and Allan and Barbara Pease

Recensione: Lettera da Singapore, ovvero il Terzo Capitalismo, (1995) di Giuseppe Bonazzi. ****

Sinossi

Il libro nasce da un'esperienza personale dell'autore ed è strutturato in maniera inconsueta: a una prima parte scritta nella forma diaristica di lettere ad amici è consegnato il racconto emozionale, soggettivo dell'impatto tra l'autore, armato delle sue spesso inadeguate categorie "occidentali", e una realtà così contraddittoria, esotica e misteriosa.

Accanto a ciò, la riflessione propriamente teorica. "Unicum" politico, sociale, economico, Singapore è retta da una singolare forma di democrazia autoritaria, con il Presidente e "dittatore benevolo" Lee che gode di un consenso elettorale plebiscitario.

L'autore scorge in questo sistema una caso di "terzo capitalismo", non riconducibile né al liberismo classico né al capitalismo sociale.


Recensione

Bonazzi ci racconta il mese da lui passato a Singapore a fare ricerca sull'economia e la società di questo paese molto peculiare. Il libro è interessante perché oltre a raccontarci le sue esperienze dirette l'autore fornisce anche molte informazioni di tipo politico, economico e storico che aiutano a capire il contesto in cui lui si è mosso.

In particolare Bonazzi ci spiega come a Singapore si sia potuto sviluppare, con contraddizioni ma anche enormi successi, il "terzo capitalismo", una via alternativa sia al liberismo eccessivo sia alle socialdemocrazie dirigiste dell'Occidente.

Un ottimo libro da leggere prima di andare a Singapore, anche se l'esperienza dell'autore risale al 1995 molto di quanto scrive resta ancora valido a distanza di anni.

Today is not the start of the new Millennium!

To see when the new millennium actually starts, go to my post of 1 January 2001!

Much of the world celebrates the new Millennium today, but it will actually happen in a year's time.

The year 2000 is the last year of the XX century, not the first year of the XXI, and thus also the last year of the 2nd millennium AD...

Itinerary of trip to Rajasthan, India 22 December 1999 - 10 january 2000

View Rajasthan trip in a larger map

This the map of my itinerary. Soon to be followed by details and pictures from this trip...

Book Review: Bad Times in Buenos Aires (1999), by Miranda France, ****

Synopsis

In 1993 Miranda France moved to South America, drawn to Buenos Aires as the intellectual hub of the continent, with its wealth of writers and its romantic, passionate and tragic history. She found that is was all these things, but it was also a terrible place to live. The inhabitants of Buenos Aires are famously unhappy. All over South America they are known for their arrogance, their fixation of Europe and their moodiness.

Book review: Cobra Road, by Trevor Fishlock, ***

Synopsis

Trevor Fishlock set off from the harsh and haunted gables of the Khyber, zigzagged to the dazzle of India's southern tip at Cape Comorin and came at last to the little town called Cobra Road. Here, he presents his experience, the smell, feel and history of the subcontinent.



Review

This is a fairly typical jounalist's book. A good journalist for sure. It is full of sharp anecdotes and vivid vignettes of India's immense diversity.

It is also a very disorganized book, his personal explanations intertwined with more detached historical explanations, eyewitness accounts and stories he picked up along the way.

They style is uneven, at times fun and witty, at times rather boring.

All in all a book that I would recommend, even with the reservations above, especially for readers who have never been to India or read much about the country.

Read my other reviews of books on India here on this blog.