As I have told you before, I have spent the last year trying to grow my own food. I thought all it took was going to be a piece of land, some seeds and a little bit of time ( maybe some water, in the rare non rainy days). I couldn’t have been more wrong! Many expert growers out there are probably laughing at my naivety right now... because yes, growing veggies takes a lot more.
One of the problems that I encountered and that was one of the most baffling was that plants would sprout and then start growing very very slowly - but very very thick. The latest thing that I obtained was some nearly unpalatable rainbow chards.. the thing is, that I didn’t understand- I thought I gave them plenty of nutrition and water, took care of removing neighbouring competing weeds..and yet, all I got was tiny thick plants, how could it be? Then, my own research came to my mind : mussels are known to have a trade-off between growing and making thicker shells when are scared from predator odours.. could it be that my plants are also scared? I couldn’t help but getting excited about th thought that a scientific discipline so close to home might give me some help with my gardening ventures. And so I went on a literature quest.. And here is what I found:
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At the beginning of June in the town of Camogli, in Italy , a new festival was taking place : the festival of podcasts This was the first of the kind, and an interesting concept. Why? Because podcasts are a relatively new thing that is taking off more and more: it is estimated that there are more than 700000 podcasts available! And weekly podcasts listeners spend an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes listening to podcasts per week. If I just calculate how many hours I do spend listening, I know that I probably up those statistics up! Why are we listening to podcasts so much? Podcasts seem to be a good fit around our lifestyles: you can listen as you are commuting, running errands, cleaning the house and even as you are exercising (it can be a nice distraction as you are gruelling through that long run. And now you can even get podcasts-supporting players to go out phoneless). For those living alone, a podcast can also be a form of company . I remember, back in the days, getting home from school and turning the radio on (Virgin radio Italy was my go to), while cooking my lunch. Now that I am less than a teenager rock head, and I am in need of interesting thought sparking ideas, I find podcasts to be a good way to make the environment less silent (much better than tv noise!). And there is more, you can find whatever you are in the mood for - whether is a silly conversation about fashion, or another perspective on the day news, whether is nature talks or history or literature. And if you are still a rock head you can also listen to how songs from your favourite artists were born! There are podcasts related to crafts, cooking, exercise, all sort of sports commentaries, interview with famous people... What I am trying to say is there is probably a podcast for any topic that you dare to imagine.
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass, Like ladies' skirts across the grass-- O wind, a-blowing all day long, O wind, that sings so loud a song! I saw the different things you did, But always you yourself you hid. I felt you push, I heard you call, I could not see yourself at all-- o wind, a-blowing all day long, o wind, that sings so loud a song! o you that are so strong and cold, o blower, are you young or old? are you a beast of field and tree, or just a stronger child than me? o wind, a-blowing all day long, o wind, that sings so loud a song! Robert Frost I have lived in pretty windy places over the last 10 years, from South West England, to Northern Ireland and the coast of the Netherlands. As someone who loves sailing and surfing, both sports that rely on winds (and waves, which wouldn't exist without winds), it may come as a surprise that I am a bit fed up of the frequent wind storms.. They can be quite annoying, causing public transport delays and making it difficult to cycle to places. And more than that, they can be dangerous when storms occur in densily inhabited areas, where objects can fly, and things can fall. If we remember the strong storms that have happened this year, when many trees fell in and around many cities in Europe (for example in Italy). Let's not forget the beast from the east... Maybe it is just that I am a little fed up of these strong weather events persisting well beyond winter, with 'orange warnings' being still around in mid-June, but I have a feeling that these are indeed becoming more frequent. And it turns out that windy days are a result of climate change How? And everywhere the same? Those who know me will also know very well how much I hate cruise ships. I cannot think of any worse ways to be near the seaside than being on board of a giant building floating on water making noise, and being stuck inside with only fake 'pool water' to get into. Not to talk about only being able to get off and explore pre determined places in a group following a pre determined itinerary. So, my 'dislike' was already well instilled into me before the recent accident in Venice. But apparently other people love it (I must be weird) and in 2017 a record was broken, with 25.8 million global ocean cruise passengers! I believe that as a society we can be quite 'thick' to understand (thick being a nicer way to say that we are after all maybe just a little bit stupid...), and despite some big accidents ( do you need a reminder about theTitanic?), which include the very recent 'Costa Concordia' crash, we still think these huge things can be governed in safety. But can they? And how are they impacting the environment? Today, I want to leave you with a topic that it is very close to my heart..
In today's world, where experience on your CV seems to be an essential requisite to get a job, it is common to see volunteering as the 'thing that one has to do' - but is all volunteering the same? Is it any useful? and should you do it? I asked my friend, a great researcher from the University of Glasgow, to help me out - so i will leave you with her post below: |
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