The consumer society and the (false) myth of mass democratisation

About fifty years from its first publication in 1970, La société de consommation. Ses mythes ses structures (Paris Denoël) confirms itself as a lucid analysis of the meanings at the basis of the consumption dynamics within contemporary society. In what he calls the ‘mystique of equality’, the concept of needs is linked to that of well-being, triggering the illusion that the increase in total amount of goods an individual can possess automatically translates into a levelling of society and in total well-being for all. According to Baudrillard, this approach does not take due account of the social logic of consumption, at which level the differentiation process for the retention of social distances is reiterated. Thus, according to Baudrillard, a mechanism that powers social differences survives through a consumerist ideology disguised as egalitarianism. Hence, Baudrillard distances himself from Marx and from the concept of value in use, understanding that at the base of mature capitalism does not lie production (and thus the dialectic of capital/labour force), but consumption. Years later, the system of consumption presents itself unchanged, to the extent that in some respects the postmodern aesthetics has actually exasperated its characteristics, blending the needs of production with an individual differentiation process that seems incapable of finding other ways of expression

The unbearable lightness of bone marrow homeostasis

The anatomical and functional dimensions of bone marrow topography have been at the forefront of modern bone and immunological research for many years and remain a source of complexity and perplexity due to the multitude of microhabitats within this microenvironment. In fact, research has uncovered fascinating functional aspects of bone marrow residents, and the bone marrow niche has been identified as the foremost reservoir of a variety of cells including hematopoietic, skeletal and endothelial stem/progenitor cells. The physical interactions of the marrow residents, combined with the release of cytokines and growth factors, organize well-defined operative compartments, which preserve bone and immune cell homeostasis. In a simplistic view, both the hematopoietic and bone marrow stromal (mesenchymal) stem/progenitor cell populations dwell at the interface between the endosteum and the bone marrow area (endosteal niche) and in the perivascular space (vascular niche). Indeed, the tantalizing hypothesis of bone marrow regulatory dependency on these niches is supported by current research insofar as the increase in the number of osteoblasts results in a concomitant increase in the hematopoietic population, indicating that the osteoblasts and the endosteal niche are key components of HSC maintenance. On the other hand, impaired function of the vascular niche compromises the endosteal niche's ability to support hematopoiesis. These fascinating discoveries indicate that there are strong ties between bone marrow inhabitants within the confines of the bone marrow itself. When these ties fail, niche-niche communication suffers and results in reduced bone formation, enfeebled hematopoiesis and unrestrained HSC migration through blood circulation. This study focused on the extraordinary homeostatic equilibrium and function of both bone and immune cells within the spatially defined microenvironment of bone marrow. But how important is the anatomically outlined scenery in which the bone marrow entity supports and hosts the hematopoietic elements

Possidet domum. Prime riflessioni a margine della religiosità domestica a Ercolano: fonti e dati archeologici

The lararium was a shrine to the guardian spirits of the Roman household. Family members performed daily rituals at this shrine to guarantee the protection of these domestic spirits, the most significant of which were the Lares. This paper focus on a new study about the domestic cult in Herculaneum, starting from the creation of a corpus of all the lararia discovered in the ancient city, until the reconstruction of the rituals and offerings that Romans made to the home altars

Novità sul fronte dell’ Iniziativa dei cittadini europei

L’ Ice, Iniziativa dei cittadini europei, è uno strumento di democrazia partecipativa previsto dall’art. 11, paragrafo 4 del Trattato di Lisbona, primo esempio al mondo di democrazia diretta transnazionale o di e-democracy transnazional

Il lobbying nell’Unione europea: le misure sulla trasparenza

Il ruolo delle lobbies nei processi decisionali europei è da sempre oggetto di un’attenta analisi da parte di studiosi e addetti ai lavori che si sono trovati da una parte a dover evidenziare le differenze di fondo rispetto all’esperienza del più consolidato lobbying anglosassone e dall’altra a sottolineare le peculiarità di quello europeo in rapporto alla complessa architettura istituzionale europea e alla vastità degli interessi che sono rappresentati al suo interno e che hanno fatto di Bruxelles una delle capitali mondiali del lobbying. Malgrado le lobbies continuino ad essere ritenute un elemento disfunzionale della democrazia europea e la causa principale della scarsa trasparenza dei meccanismi decisionali, è ormai riconosciuto il loro ruolo di canali di informazione per istituzioni che, come quelle europee, sono contraddistinte dall’endemica distanza dai cittadini. La cospicua presenza delle lobbies ha indotto le istituzioni europee ad avviare un percorso sulla trasparenza che costituisce attualmente uno degli strumenti più avanzati e in continua evoluzione di regolamentazione dell’attività dei gruppi di pressione

Cittadinanza europea vs. cittadinanza nazionale. Luci e ombre di un rapporto difficile

The relationship between European citizenship and national one is since the first formulation the main topic of the debate on its statute. At the present time, the short circuit between European citizenship and national one produces differentiated effects: the freedom that member States have to assess the criteria for the acquisition of citizenship produces a contrast between ‘citizens non-resident’ and ‘non-citizens resident’

Medea or the mother who kills her children: Some aspects regarding family murder

This article looks at the phenomenon of the killing of children within the context of family murder. An analysis of the case studies in the Human Sciences Research Council Report on family murder published in 1991 suggests that the parent who carries out the family murder is usually the 'mother’ figure of the family. This is also the case when the father is the perpetrator, who is then the parent most emotionally involved with the children. This phenomenon is examined against the background of other theories regarding the killing of one’s children. The case of the mythological figure Medea, a mother who also took the life of her children, is also analysed. It is suggested that the underlying cause of a parent killing his or her children is a distorted perception of motherhood. This perception causes the 'mother' to take the nurturing aspects associated with motherhood to an absurd extreme which is totally out of touch with reality and could be termed as a kind of ‘deluded motherhood’. This phenomenon is discussed within the context of disturbed family relationships indicating how different interacting factors lead to the destruction of the family system

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIVORCED FAMILIES AND FAMILIES UTILIZING SUPERVISED VISITATION SERVICES: CHILD BEHAVIOR, INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT, PARENTING ATTITUDES AND PARENTAL STRESS

Research has repeatedly demonstrated the association between families of divorce and variables of child behavior, interparental conflict and parenting attitudes. However, overall research exploring supervised visitation services and examining these variables in relationship to this population is limited. Furthermore, studies designed to compare these groups (divorced and supervised visitation) is sparse. Overall, children from single parent homes (e.g., divorced and/or supervised visitation situations) tend to have more child behavior and adjustment problems as compared to children of intact families (Hetherington, Cox & Cox; 1982; Portes, Howell, Brown, Eichenberger, & Mas, 1992). However, such problems are not attributed to marital disruption alone but are also impacted by the interparental conflict. In addition, a plethora of literature has suggested that discipline and attitudes toward corporal punishment are associated with child behavior and adjustment problems (Kurtz, Gardin, Wodarski, & Howing, 1993; Strassberg, Dodge, Pettit & Bates, 1994; Tunner & Finkelhor, 1996). Finally there is ample research linking parenting stress and trauma to all of these variables: child behavior, interparental conflict, and parenting practices and beliefs. Thus, the interplay of these variables and the way in which they impact both divorced and supervised visitation families was explored in the present study. Results yielded a number of significant findings. Partner psychological aggression and self negotiation scores were significantly higher in the supervised visitation sample than in the divorced sample. Scores on numerous child behavior indices (e.g., social behavior, attention, and total child behavior) for males were significantly higher than those for females. In addition gender, but not group membership (e.g., divorce or supervised visitation) had a min effect on total child behavior scores. Results demonstrated a significant relationship between partner injury scores (e.g., interparental violence) and child anxiety/depression scores. Implications of results are explored in terms of needed community services, therapeutic groups, and outreach to underserved populations (e.g., ethnic groups, victims of domestic violence, younger parents). In review of the qualitative data, it was very apparent that the expectations of parents at the supervised visitation center paralleled the goals of the centers as a whole (e.g., protection for the child)

Could time detect a faking-good attitude? A study with the MMPI-2-RF

Background and Purpose: Research on the relationship between response latency (RL) and faking in self-administered testing scenarios have generated contradictory findings. We explored this relationship further, aiming to add further insight into the reliability of self-report measures. We compared RLs and T-scores on the MMPI-2-RF (validity and restructured clinical [RC] scales) in four experimental groups. Our hypotheses were that: the Fake-Good Speeded group would obtain a different completion time; show higher RLs than the Honesty Speeded Group in the validity scales; show higher T-Scores in the L-r and K-r scales and lower T-scores in the F-r and RC scales; and show higher levels of tension and fatigue. Finally, the impact of the speeded condition in malingering was assessed. Materials and Methods: The sample was comprised of 135 subjects (M = 26.64; SD = 1.88 years old), all of whom were graduates (having completed at least 17 years of instruction), male, and Caucasian. Subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: Honesty Speeded, Fake-Good Speeded, Honesty Un-Speeded, and Fake-Good Un-Speeded. A software version of the MMPI-2-RF and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were administered. To test the hypotheses, MANOVAs and binomial logistic regressions were run. Results: Significant differences were found between the four groups, and particularly between the Honest and Fake-Good groups in terms of test completion time and the L-r and K-r scales. The speeded condition increased T-scores in the L-r and K-r scales but decreased T-scores in some of the RC scales. The Fake groups also scored higher on the VAS Tension subscale. Completion times for the first and second parts of the MMPI-2-RF and T-scores for the K-r scale seemed to predict malingering. Conclusion: The speeded condition seemed to bring out the malingerers. Limitations include the sample size and gender bias