CultureThe good news
Parma’s Alice Library returns to the Pablo neighbourhood
The new building was inaugurated on 27 October. Reading spaces come with a programme devoted to illustrated books.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
Thought for the day
By the imagination we place ourselves in his situation
Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part I, Section I, Chapter I, “Of Sympathy”; Dublin edition, 1777.
Source and reflection
Imagining someone’s situation can begin an act of listening, without proving that we already know how they feel. An editorial reflection from our Adam Smith feature.
Original English text by Adam Smith; no translation.
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part I, Section I, Chapter I: Of Sympathy — Dublin 1777 edition Adam Smith · Project Gutenberg
Music for reading
A Shelf, a River, a Return
A composition inspired by the news, to accompany your reading.
Ready to listen
Music settingsGood news from Italy and the world
N° 050 8 stories to take with youPerspectives.
ScienceThe good news
NEO Surveyor’s sunshade makes power while keeping the telescope cool
NASA’s 26 October update reports integrated solar cells and completed ground tests for the future asteroid observatory.
SocietyThe good news
Cattolica brings help with court paperwork closer to home
The local assistance office has been inaugurated at Palazzo Mancini. Wednesday appointments will begin on 4 November.
Photo · Comune di Cattolica · CC BY 4.0
EnvironmentThe good news
On the Derg, a pilot looks between the monthly water samples
Northern Ireland is testing more frequent river monitoring. The aim is to identify short episodes of poor water quality.
Archive · Kenneth Allen / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Moving forward.
CultureThe good news
Canova’s colossal horse returns to Bassano, ready for assembly
Parts of the sculpture arrived on 27 October. The museum plans to open its final display to visitors on 12 December.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
CultureThe good news
Mangroves enter the comic strip: UNESCO publishes Las Visiones del Manglar
The Spanish-language book brings storytelling and environmental knowledge together, rooted in Latin American and Caribbean biosphere reserves.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
WorldThe good news
Food safety: three contaminant-prevention texts move towards adoption
The Codex committee meeting in Cairo completed three codes of practice. Final adoption by the Commission remains ahead.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
WorldThe bright side
UK and UNDP agree £24.75 million in flexible funding through 2028
The agreement announced on 27 October supports funding that can respond to programme needs, including crises. Its results still require verification.
AI illustration · Positive Times · ImageGen
THE CITY NOTEBOOK
Rome, together.
Three journeys, one map and a good reason to go out.
A little more to discover.
Design · Philosophy · Plants · Curiosities · Words · Food · Cultures & peoples. Ideas worth a closer look.
01Design
Hans J. Wegner: the Y that helps hold a chair together
The Wishbone Chair connects a memorable shape with construction and the human body, revealing skilled work behind an apparently simple object.
Read the full story
Adam Smith: imagining is not mind-reading
Smith’s account of sympathy begins with imagination: approaching another person’s situation requires attention without pretending to know it from inside.
Read the full story03Plants
Goeppertia orbifolia: two names on one plant label
Large striped leaves introduce a small botanical lesson: an updated scientific name does not turn the same species into another plant.
Read the full story
What do you leave on paper when you write with a pencil?
An ordinary mark connects graphite to a structure made of layers: the surprise lies inside the material, not the drawing.
Read the full story05Words
Disastro: the star still inside an Italian word
The Italian word disastro contains astro, but a word’s history does not show that the sky causes our misfortunes.
Read the full story06Food
Black and white pepper: two journeys for the same fruit
Black and white pepper need not come from different plants: ripeness and processing change the appearance of Piper nigrum fruit.
Read the full story
Oostduinkerke: the horse that helps catch shrimp
On Belgium’s coast, a local practice combines tides, nets and trust in horses: its most important knowledge cannot fit into a photograph.
Read the full storyOriginal illustrations made with AI assistance. Facts and sources stay in plain sight.
A chart a day
Edition of
Enlarge the chart Doctors: the profile changes with age
- Data period
- 2024 · 31 December / 31 dicembre / 31 décembre
- Datobello chart dated
Among practising physicians in Italy under 45, women accounted for 59.1% in 2024; among those aged 65 and over, they accounted for 24.4%. These shares are calculated from Eurostat counts by adding the relevant age groups. The bars show all six groups, from under 35 to 75 and over. This compares generations within one year; it is not a series following the same people over time. [1]
The Italian source covers physicians practising at 31 December, including residents in training, rather than only licensed doctors or public health service employees. The counts represent people, not working hours. The methodological annex describes the latest year as provisional and partly estimated; the observations retrieved carry no individual flags. This profile alone does not measure staffing available on wards or quality of care. Adaptation and translations by Positive Times: Eurostat is not responsible for this presentation. [2][3]
A project by gaiaz · Instagram
View the sources
- Physicians by sex and age (hlth_rs_phys): Italy, 2024, numbers Eurostat · Published · Accessed
- Italy: methodological information — Physicians by age group and gender Istat / Eurostat · No publication date provided · Accessed
- Health care resources: concepts and definitions Eurostat · Published · Accessed
That is quite a lot of good for one day.
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