Sorry!

I am not going to add anything to this blog... The only thing I am updating is my
CV

I campagnoli giulivi

Vinci una copia de "I campagnoli giulivi"! Lascia un commento al post http://taomamma.blogspot.com/2011/01/giveaway-campagnolo.html Estrazione il 4 Febbraio
Oppura compralo subito - è meraviglioso, impossibile da resistere e se uno inizia a leggere non smette più. E' intelligente, divertente, vero, saggio e con fuochettini di artificio in ogni pagina. Maddalena Semino è una grande scrittirice e beati quelli che leggono questo libro.
http://ilmiolibro.kataweb.it/schedalibro.asp?id=574346

William James

"Theories thus become instruments, not answers to enigmas, in which we can rest. We don't lie back upon them, we move forward, and, on occasion, make nature over again by their aid" William James, What pragmatism means.

Centrifugal movements around Picasso's glance

Centrifugal movements around Picasso's glance
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

Matisse's Dance has made a big impression on Isabella (she calls it 'Girotondo')

Adse Leijen (17 februari 1941 – 11 november 2009)

(kleine speech voor zijn crematie)
Adse heb ik leren kennen op zijn 65ste verjaardag. Mijn relatie met Jeroen was pas een maand eerder begonnen, maar het was al duidelijk dat we bij elkaar hoorden. Ik was onmiddellijk onder de indruk van Adse. Groot, mooi, met een open gezicht, super charmant: "chiararobbiano" zei hij met een glimlach "ik heb je gegoogled... welkom!" Ik was onmiddellijk verkocht.
Zijn ziekte heeft zijn lichaam veel veranderd sinds toen maar als je in zijn tuin of in zijn woonkamer zat, merkte je geen verschil. Zijn krachtige, weldadige, magnetische aanwezigheid bleef onaangetast. Die uitstraling heeft ook op mijn ouders veel indruk gemaakt, die vandaag in gedachten hier bij ons zijn.
De sfeer bij Adse en zijn goede fee Inge was zeer bijzonder – ik ben zo dankbaar voor die zomermiddagen, grazie lieve Adse e grazie cara Inge.
Een laatste punt wil ik maken over zijn ogen. Zulke ogen had ik nooit eerder gezien: donker bruin met heel veel licht. Mijn dochter Isabella heeft altijd prachtige bizarre donker-grijze ogen gehad, met heel veel licht. Ik heb ooit gedacht dat Isabella's ogen een mix waren tussen die van mij en die van Adse. de ochtend na zijn overlijden hebben Jeroen en ik onafhankelijk van elkaar vastgesteld dat haar ogen bruiner dan ooit waren geworden.
Adse gaat voortleven in Isabella, in Rosalie en Franck en in de gedachten van al de mensen die het geluk hebben gehad om Adse's unieke uitstraling mee te mogen maken.

Katerina Scott (March 26, 1973 – November 6, 2009)

I met Katerina in high school, in Kingston Ontario when we were 17. Katerina revealed to me that thinking deeply about things should not prevent one from doing, or even making, things. At 17 I could not fry an egg by myself. With Katerina I baked 10 kinds of different cookies in an afternoon. After that afternoon I knew that everything was possible, if you had the right kind of inspiration. For everything there is a recipe/ a book explaining how to/ something or someone capable of tickling and directing your inspiration. Needless to say, very often in all these years, the inspiration came for me from Katerina.

She initiated so many of my thoughts, passions, and behaviours. I will protect, cherish and let grow the seeds she gave me in the last 20 years. I am sure you will all do the same and you will miss her creativity and her unique lovely presence as much as I do.

Katerina has always surprised me with her points of view, ideas, and knowledge. We have written tons of letters in these 20 years, we have grown up together discussing anything to the bone. Katerina knew and gave me so many crazy, new, surprising things. Katerina knew how to make chutney, to bind books and to ask questions to tarots cards. Katerina sent me once for my birthday a hand-bag made of mushrooms – for another birthday an enormous, heavy book with blank pages.

During our summer in Prague she would pick flowers with nice smells to put in my ring with a secret opening; later I gave her that ring – I hope Anika will wear it sometime. She would tell me fairy tales she had just invented; we would discuss our encounters with Josefa's family and friends. She initiated me to walks in the woods and swims in countryside lakes in the moonshine.

Katerina has taught me so much: from the Holographic Universe to the Art of Travelling Lightly – she travelled around Europe with Alex for months with one small backpack each. In the week they stayed with me in Genova they changed into a new dress every day. She explained that you just had to pick light clothes and squeeze them well in your bag.

Katerina was a role model. Before meeting her children, I had always been afraid of children. I thought they were small, screaming, irrational beings. Three years ago my husband Jeroen and I spent a couple of days with Katerina's family in Paris: Anika was 5 and Darrien 10. I could not believe it: it was just like a group of adults, but more inspiring. Katerina and Alex would speak to the children in a normal adult way, showing them interesting things and then they would carry out a normal conversation with us. Anika had a little booklet in her bag, on which she would draw when adults were talking; Darrien discussed with me the multicultural atmosphere in Vancouver and asked me about my friendship with Katerina. When the plan included a playground, Darrien and Katerina explained to me how important playgrounds were.
After those days Jeroen and I decided to have a baby – if a child can be like Alex's and Katerina's, we thought, then we wanted one. I have always remembered the importance of playgrounds. My daughter Isabella must be very grateful to Katerina.

A couple of weeks ago, in October I went to Vancouver where we spent together one of the most amazing weeks ever. Breakfast parties with her, Alex and the children in her bedroom; afternoons smelling marjoram, sage and essential oils; talking about how to relax without losing oneself; making lists of what gives one pleasure – Katerina loved the sound of rain on the road, the sound of water on pebbles, the smell of lavender, of bee wax, the sight of sunbeams through the trees, the sight Alpine meadows, the taste of baguette and smoked salmon, the touch of a friend's hand on her skin.

Katerina is one of those very unique persons - if you are lucky you meet one of them in your life. If you are lucky beyond words, Katerina was your Mum, your spouse, one of your closest friend - and you were allowed to have her at your side during some of your walks.

July 2009

Nonni ortaggi mare gelato-alla-panera pinguini piscine-Lavagello-e-Pra zii focaccia-col-formaggio polpettone laurea-magistrale seppie scoiattoli macedonie Barbera-di-Tacchino sagre fiori 'deze' sole Quinto acquario foche centro-storico rane zucchini bisnonni Cavi-di-Lavagna regali filmini cappellino cagnolino Verdicchio-del-Tigullio ripieni massaggi scivoli caffé musica-indianoa occhiali-da-sole kickers Castelletto-d'Orba bambini parchi-di-Nervi-e-di-Ovada amici aperitivi hic-et-nunc terrazzi parenti prosciutto-e-melone profumo-di-pino bolle-di-sapone Borzoli gechi Rossini lentiggini Desigual dadini-di-pesce rumore-del-mare cucchiaino-d'argento Ovada fata relax scaloppine Oh-Susannah macchina-del-pane giochino-con-canzoni-e-versi-di-animali mercati biscottini-Plasmon Genova Bennet passeggiata-di-Nervi salute onde Feltrinelli polpo-e-patate insalate stinco-alla-Flinstone riccioli 28gradi Panda-rossa 'daaaa' pietre-sulla-spiaggia foto-e-filmini-su-Flickr & foto-di-Papallo

Wonderful review on BMCR!!

I am so happy with this both flattering and critical review. The author has read my book so carefully and the critique is so insightful! I pasted the first paragraph below. The review is to be found online: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2009/2009-03-57.html

-------------------------------
Chiara Robbiano, Becoming Being: On Parmenides' Transformative Philosophy. International Pre-Platonic Studies; v. 5. Sankt Augustin: Academia Verlag, 2006. Pp. 240. ISBN 9783896653833. EUR 54.00.

Reviewed by Shaul Tor, St. John's College, Cambridge University (st354@cam.ac.uk)
Word count: 3554 words
-------------------------------
Hailed by A.A. Long as "a full scale paradigm shift"[[1]] in Parmenidean scholarship, R(obbiano)'s provocative monograph displays an exceptionally original methodology, resulting in some radically innovative if, I believe, fundamentally problematic theses. Rather than
simply extrapolating from the poem a set of epistemological and ontological propositions, R. approaches the text from a variety of literary, rhetorical and dialectical perspectives, and finds in it a systematic heuristic guide designed to enable and help the audience to develop the unfamiliar categories and mental attitudes they would require in order to achieve an understanding of Parmenides' truth. This understanding, moreover, consists, not merely in the discursive acceptance of certain doctrines, but in a spiritual or mental transformation, culminating in the genuine rejection, and consequent elimination, of the distinction between the human knowing subject and Being as the object of knowledge. "The unique Being is what one can grasp, understand and be (at least with one's mind) if one learns a certain way of looking at reality" (p.208). Although, as I shall argue below, central aspects of R.'s elaboration of this thesis involve various difficulties, her insightful, lucid, scholarly and suggestive
discussions will reward close study not only for Parmenidean experts and specialists in other areas of ancient philosophy, but also for classicists of all disciplinary persuasions, non-classicists interested in Parmenides or ancient philosophy and students of comparative
literature or the ancient literature of other cultures (the volume includes a text and translation of the poem). [...]
[1]. A.A. Long, Phronesis Vol.53, no.3 (2008), p.296f.

canta

canta
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

Isabella sings!
On the contrary, ehm, about sleeping all night, well, I must say that last time it happened was the 10th of January.
Nevertheless: "DEDEDE"!

ready for 2009!

This is how I felt after the relaxing Christmas holidays: ready for 2009!

minus 3 grades C!

Now we are back in Amsterdam, where the weather is freezing cold but nice and sunny. Isabella has the right equipment to enjoy it... Moreover she has started crawling, she has one tooth and in 2009 she has often slept all night!

If you want to see more of Jeroen's pictures click here

Energy!

Energy!
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

The Christmas holidays are almost finished... in two days we fly back to the cold Netherlands where the busiest and most challenging of all semesters awaits us. However we are sparkling with new energy: the energy that characterizes our wonderful Isabella and that my father Lorenzo so skilfully captured in this amazing picture.

allegro con fuoco

allegro con fuoco
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

The summer seems very far away. The yellow leaves have fallen from the trees and we have had the first show. Isabella grows and surprises us everyday. She can drink holding her own bottle, she smiles and laughs, she can look very concentrated, she inspects labels of toys, she makes many noises like "aaa" and "nghe". She is adorable. Almost everything has been photographed and... put on flickr.

We are back in Amsterdam

Isabella enjoys the garden in Castelletto

Genova-Quinto beach

After the most happy and relaxing holiday - spoiled especially by my parents but also by family and precious friends, we are back.
The first part of the holiday was in Castelletto d'Orba —a small village in Piemonte, where we spent our days eating nice food, sleeping, reading, playing with Isabella, going to huge supermarkets and village festivals.
Then, when the weather became cooler, we went to Genova, where we could swim just across the street from my parents house, see friends and greatgrandparents, and enjoy the Centro Storico.

Would you like to see a lot of holiday's pictures? Please go to "Italian August with Isabella"

2 films of Isabella + link to Isabella's pictures

film: a conversation with Isabella
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

Film: Isabella's dance
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

And if you want to have a look at Isabella's set with the new pictures, click here!

Tony Long about my book!

Please read, if you like, the words that prof. dr. A. A. Long wrote about my book on Parmenides in his review for the last issue of Phronesis:

"Chiara Robbiano, Becoming Being. On Parmenides’ Transformative Philosophy.10) This monograph, which began its life as a University of Leiden dissertation directed by the late C.M.J. Sicking, is a very stimulating contribution. Robbiano modestly calls her book ‘an integrated study’ of the poem’s literary and philosophical features, but what she actually offers is a full-scale paradigm shift in the interpretation of this perennially challenging and frustrating thinker. Rather than taking Parmenides’ project to be an analysis of reality that detaches the knower from the knowable, what primarily interests Robbiano is ‘the place of the knowing subject in a monistic reality’. She proposes that Parmenides offers his audience a ‘mental journey’ whereby ‘one who understands Being becomes Being’. If we initially balk at this proposal, on the ground that it is at odds with Parmenides’ metaphysical monism and denial of all becoming, Robbiano makes the fascinating suggestion that Parmenides’ monism should be interpreted perspectivally, as a way of learning to ‘see everything as unity’ and in that process becoming one with it. In this way, she is able to dissolve many of the standard paradoxes arising from metaphysical monism without losing her grip on Parmenides’ challenge to acceptance of the reality of empirical phenomena, substantive change, difference, and so forth. Among many fresh suggestions of detail, I single out Robbiano’s treatment of
Ananke and Dike which, together with Moira, she is probably right to capitalize and treat as literarily, though not ontologically, divine. The book is up to date bibliographically and very generous in its acknowledgements. She draws effectively on the recent work of Kingsley and Cerri as well as that of such classic authorities on Parmenides as Mourelatos, Mansfeld, Kahn, and Coxon. Only the most rigidly analytical readers will leave this book without having their understanding of Parmenides enhanced.11)

10) Chiara Robbiano, Becoming Being. On Parmenides’ Transformative Philosophy. International Pre-Platonic Studies vol. 5, Sankt Augustin (Akademia Verlag), 2006, pp. 240, ISBN 3-89665-383-0 €54.00.
11) In recommending this book, I should note that I am not a completely detached reviewer. I discussed Parmenides with the author before she finalised her work, and, in reference to my article, ‘Parmenides on thinking being’ (BACAP 12 (1996), 125-51), she thanks me for having influenced her approach, especially over the idea that Parmenides identifies being and thinking. However, Robbiano takes the idea much further than I did, and gives it a deeply suggestive meaning for Parmenides’ project in its entirety." (pp.296-297)

Long, A.A., 2008 "Presocratic Philosophy", Phronesis: A journal for Ancient Philosophy, Volume 53, Number 3 , pp. 290-302

More Isabella photo's on flickr

with her proud father Jeroen
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

Click here and Enjoy!

Isabella!!

Nutrition and then SLEEP
Originally uploaded by jeroenleijen

Dear all,

Finally Isabella and I are at home! I am happy as I have never been before and completely in love with my wonderful daughter!

Isabella was born on the sunny morning of the 1st of July at 10.42.

The day after, a few hours after leaving the hospital, we had to go back: Isabella had a fever and the physicians decided to give her antibiotics in order to cure possible dangerous infections that, as it turned out after 3 days, luckily, she had never had.

She is a lovely sweet child: my husband, my mother, who joined us from Italy, and I are completely crazy about her.

We will put more pictures on flickr soon- in the meanwhile you can have a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroenleijen/tags/isabellaleijen/

very warm regards,

Chiara

maternity leave!

Picture taken by Alexis, at Lonia's
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

ik met buik
Originally uploaded by chiararobbiano

It's the 4th of June, I have completed week 36 and I am on maternity leave - which I have inaugurated with two siestas: one this morning and one this afternoon. I guess it's a good start.

Almost 8 months...

I am 34 and a half weeks pregnant - another 2 and a half week and my baby is "ready". However the due date is the 2nd of July...

Do you think that my tummy can grow much more than this?! It looks like I have hidden a balloon under my shirt, but I assure you that it feels much heavier than that.

Well, let's hope that it will be a June child...

Chiara happy inside the Hagia Sophia

Some of Jeroen's pictures of our Istanbul's holiday are online: click here!

Chiara happy inside the Hagia Sophia
Originally uploaded by jeroenleijen

Inside the Blue Mosque
Originally uploaded by jeroenleijen