Category: Thinking points

La dura, durissima vita degli allenatori delle giovanili

Un bell’articolo di un vecchio compagno di gioco (Mattia Losi del Sole 24ore) su quanto vincere nel breve termine sia più facile dell’investire sui ragazzi della propria squadra per costruire fondamentali come si deve. Vale per il basket, ma per molto altro…
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Nella vita di un giocatore di basket (ma potremmo parlare di qualsiasi altro sport) esistono due fasi distinte: la prima è quella delle giovanili, in cui l’insegnamento della parte tecnica costruisce le basi indispensabili per poter arrivare alla fase due. Che è quella dei campionati senior, di qualunque livello essi siano. E lì, dalla Serie D alla Nba, non ci sono eccezioni: se non hai imparato davvero a giocare… smetti. Arrivi a diciotto, diciannove anni e improvvisamente ti ritrovi a guardare le partite da bordo campo: rigorosamente lato tribuna, in mezzo al pubblico.

Continue reading “La dura, durissima vita degli allenatori delle giovanili” →

Jonathan Cook, journalist

This seems to me one of the most balanced comments on the Syria facts. Plus, I would add a comment someone made on another post, that sounds extremely relevant to this case: “The US intervention in Syria looks like someone dangling a set of car keys in front of a newborn to distract his attention while he takes something else from him”. Or, as Karl ReMarks http://ift.tt/2nKS8SP put it: “Trump has quickly discovered the magic principle of US politics: when things go wrong at home, start a military venture in the Middle East.”
http://ift.tt/2o3GS7y

Formare giovani e regalarli all’estero

“Nel 2016, ben 115 mila italiani si sono trasferiti fuori dal Belpaese. Sono soprattutto studenti e neolaureati. Un flusso di persone istruite, il 31% è laureato, il doppio della media nazionale.” (Dati ISTAT 2016)

È da tempo che dico che l’Italia è un Paese in cui l’emigrazione funziona alla rovescia: non più i disperati che partono, ma i ‘migliori’ che se vanno e i disperati che arrivano.

http://ift.tt/2oHKPwQ

Requiem for the American Dream EN sub (2015, Noam Chomsky documentary)

A very good use of a Saturday evening.

REQUIEM FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM is the definitive discourse with Noam Chomsky, on the defining characteristic of our time – the deliberate concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a select few. Through interviews filmed over four years, Chomsky unpacks the principles that have brought us to the crossroads of historically unprecedented inequality – tracing a half century of policies designed to favor the most wealthy at the expense of the majority – while also looking back on his own life of activism and political participation. Profoundly personal and thought provoking, Chomsky provides penetrating insight into what may well be the lasting legacy of our time – the death of the middle class, and swan song of functioning democracy. A potent reminder that power ultimately rests in the hands of the governed, REQUIEM is required viewing for all who maintain hope in a shared stake in the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5fiJRqFzsk

Trump’s lies are not the problem. It’s the millions who swallow them who really matter | Nick Cohen

A bit long, and I am not sure I share the author’s conclusions but certainly worth reading for the analysis of Trump’s supporters.

http://ift.tt/2jMRp6E

The Misinformation Machine

Donald Trump’s staff are drawn from an opaque network of corporate-funded thinktanks and fake grassroots campaigns

By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 30th November 2016

Yes, Donald Trump’s politics are incoherent. But those who surround him know just what they want, and his lack of clarity enhances their power. To understand what is coming, we need to understand who they are. I know all too well, because I have spent the past 15 years fighting them.

Over this time, I have watched as tobacco, coal, oil, chemicals and biotech companies have poured billions of dollars into an international misinformation machine, composed of think tanks, bloggers and fake citizens’ groups. Its purpose is to portray the interests of billionaires as the interests of the common people, to wage war against trade unions and beat down attempts to regulate business and tax the very rich. Now the people who helped run this machine are shaping the government.

Keep reading: http://ift.tt/2gYcl92