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Roberto Sorgo Home Page > About this Web site |
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ABOUT THIS WEB SITE Surely you do not expect me to translate all these articles into English. Maybe you can use any available software to translate them, but do not trust the outcome. If you cannot read Italian, and are interested in a particular article, please e-mail me (roby@robertosorgo.it). I could provide you with at least an abstract in English, if not the full text. Let me briefly explain what you can find in this Web site. In Chi sono I tell something about myself (a translator, unfortunately), as well as the origin of my surname and family from Ragusa/Dubrovnik (Croatia). Traduzioni is just a page for contacts, in case you need any translations into or from Italian. If you do, please contact me at the above address (roby@robertosorgo.it) to receive a cost estimate. The only texts written in English, with no Italian translation, are three short stories I wrote to take part (unsuccessfully) in the Manchester Writing Competition. You can read it here: A Good Husband (2015), The Insect (2014), Buy Britain (2013). Per me è arabo is a book I have written about the Middle East. Absurdum is a book I have written about beliefs and religions, as seen by a sceptical non-believer. It includes most themes from the Religioni section below. Non c’è più religione is a novel I have written. I spare you the details. In Recensioni you can find book reviews. Again, please contact me if you are interested in an English version. Articoli leads to a few articles I wrote on various subjects, here listed in a decreasing order of seriousness: A Brief History of Palestine — From the Ottoman Empire to the birth of Israel (with the rest to follow later) Palestina 1 The Ottoman Empire; A Home for the Jews; Herzl’s Zionism Palestina 2 From the Ottomans to the British; The Balfour Declaration; The Settlement of the Middle East Palestina 3 British Palestine; The Iron Wall Palestina 4 Revolts and Terrorist Attacks; The Birth of Israel Islamic Terrorism — Origins of the terrorist attacks that have caused bloodshed in the 21st century Terrorismo islamico 1 The Terrorism Phenomenon Terrorismo islamico 2 The Historical Context Terrorismo islamico 3 The Cultural Context (Islamic Fundamentalism) Afghanistan — History of Afghanistan from its birth in the 18th century to the Taliban Afghanistan 1 From the birth of Afghanistan to the 1979 Soviet invasion Afghanistan 2 From anti-Soviet jihad to the Taliban Perché questo posto si chiama così? A look at place-names in my home region, Friuli - Venezia Giulia Il nostro inglese inesistente Pseudo-English words in Italian Traduttori traditori Untranslatable words and mistranslations 99 centesimi di stupidità Why we pay 99-cent prices Cristiani nel pallone A comment on Christian football players invoking their God Primavera a Venezia An eventful trip to Venice, by courtesy of the Italian railways In Religioni you can find over 30 articles concerning religion, beliefs, superstition, magic, relics, dreams, miracles, and more. These subjects are viewed with a sceptic eye, so do not expect to find any mysteries or supernatural revelations. Here are the articles and the subjects they examine: Astrologia Astrology; view of the world in antiquity; watching the skies; myths and legends Astri Stars and planets; Mesopotamian and Greek astrology; divination Zodiaco The Zodiac; the number 12; horoscopes; precession of the equinoxes; April fools; constellations; influence of the moon and planets; astrologers and politicians Irrazionale Irrationality in the modern world; emotional and logical thinking Settimana Mesopotamian origin of the week; Babylonian deities; names of days of the week Nostradamus Predicting the future; Sarajevo; astrologers’ predictions; Nostradamus’ Centuries; Hitler and the French Revolution Magia Magical thinking; religion, magic and superstition; social function of magic Stregoneria Witchcraft; conformity and scapegoats; witch hunt; hallucinogens; witches’ Sabbath Vampiri Vampires; Dracula; origin of vampires; werewolves; zombies Superstizioni Religious, cultural and personal superstitions; charms and amulets; origin of various superstitions Causa ed effetto Cause and effect; Skinner’s pigeons; superstitious thinking; correlation and causality Fenomeni Near-death experiences; out-of-body experiences Paranormale Paranormal; telepathy, déjà vu, séances, dowsing; vibrations and energies; aura Extraterrestri Alien abductions and sleep paralysis; UFOs; Martians; Roswell; life in the universe Personalità Personality; fortune-telling; Barnum effect; Forer’s experiment; Rorschach test; graphology; statistical correlation Miracoli Miracles; tricks and supernatural abilities; invoking a saint Guarigioni Healing; traditional and superstitious remedies; alternative medicines; miraculous healing Lourdes Procedure to establish miraculous healing; spontaneous remissions Quarantena Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and quarantine; the Pleiades and the period of 40 days; birth of the lazaretto; various Marys in the Gospels Sogni Production of dreams; REM and non-REM sleep; sleep paralysis; interpretation of dreams; false memories; clairvoyant dreams; symbolism in dreams Allucinazioni Hallucinations; altered states of consciousness; illusions; pareidolia; apophenia Estasi Symptoms of ecstasy; stigmata; crucifixion; Padre Pio Apparizioni Apparitions; Taiping rebellion in China; apparitions of the Virgin Mary; Lourdes; Guadalupe Fatima Apparitions in Fatima; the three secrets of Fatima; dance of the sun Lacrimazioni Weeping statues of the Virgin Mary; Civitavecchia; Syracuse, Sicily; explanation Reliquie Relics; holiness and magical thinking; authenticity of relics; non-Christian traditions; relics in Christianity; medieval trade in relics Magi Zoroastrian Magi; Biblical prophecies; the star of Bethlehem; Christian calendar; Slaughter of the Innocents Vera Croce Christ’s True Cross; Jerusalem rebuilt; St Helena and the True Cross; titulus crucis; crown of thorns Sindone The Shroud of Turin and other shrouds; origin of the Shroud of Turin; scientific tests San Giacomo St James in Spain; Compostela; Dioscuri; the Celts and the New Age San Gennaro Liquefaction of the blood of St Januarius; thixotropic compound Vangeli 1 Is there anything true in the Gospels? Vangeli 2 Is there an original text of the Gospels? Betlemme The birth of Jesus in the Gospels Millenarismo Waiting for Jesus to return San Paolo 1 Resurrected who? Saint Paul and the birth of Christianity (I) San Paolo 2 Resurrected who? Saint Paul and the birth of Christianity (II) Ø Back to Home page |
