Yesterday in my post, I forgot to add one of the most glaring Cognitive Biases out there when it comes to how people are reacting to the Corona Virus. In his book, Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahnemann calls it W.Y.S.I.A.T.I. (What you See is All There Is).
We make decisions based on the information we have in front of us. Here is a nice, simple explanation for it.
Last night my husband gets a strange message from a friend of his that was forwarded from someone else forwarded from someone else forwarded from someone else who APPARENTLY is an Italian in RUSSIA. The dialogue goes something like this (roughly translated):
"I am Antonio from Italy and I live in Russia and here I am in Pharmacy (which is supposedly in Russia but is spelled PHARMACY on the sign) in Moscow and I am so surprised to see that Corona Virus has existed here for 19 years and there is vaccine for it since 18 years. HOW CAN IT BE THAT IN ITALIA so many people DIE when HERE IN RUSSIA they have cure??"
WHAAAAAAA?
So I say, are you friends with Russian Bots, honey? Because that is some wacked out crazy stuff you're getting there. Does Paolo (friend who sent it who normally sends dippy jokes on Whatsapp) think this is real? Is it really Paolo? Like, maybe you need to have a talk with him or completely eliminate him from your life?
This is the perfect example of when NOT to rely on the WYSIATI cognitive bias.
How many people are getting this junk and believing it?
Then, today on the front page of one of the many newspapers I obsessively click through to fill my cup up with morning angst there is a picture of blissfully ignorant spring-break-people having chicken fights on a beach in Florida surrounded by a half-moon of spectators joyfully taking in this entertaining sight in the midst of a global pandemic.
My first thought: Really? Chicken fights? They still do those? The most un-fun game in the world at the best of times...
The photo is juxtaposed with people in full-on battle-the-virus gear in an ICU somewhere in a slide show (which means it was either the Washington Post or the New York Times) to highlight the stark contrast between the believers and the Corona Virus WHO? folks.
What would the conversation with the chicken fighters sound like?
Interviewer (crazy enough to be out instead of home like the Weather Channel people who report from the eye of a tornado): I see you are partying on the beach rather than taking the necessary precautions of social distancing in order to inhibit the spread of the Corona Virus. How do you explain your actions?
Possible Answers:
1. "I don't know anyone who has Corona Virus, so I'm ok."
2. "We're all going to get it at some point, might as well get it over with while I'm young!"
3. "This may be the last time I can party for a LONG TIME and I want to support local drinking establishments."
4. "Corona Virus is a hoax"
Then there is the only CREDIBLE (but IMPROBABLE) answer...
5. "I'm sorry but my pre-frontal cortex isn't quite developed enough for me to see the possible consequences of my actions. I'm a little weak when it comes to executive function. After all, I am a few years shy of 25, when I hope to reach full maturity!"
What is the lesson here?
How about we take all of the extra time we have because we are staying home and getting our work done so much faster because we don't have to spend all day looking busy anymore and start thinking and reasoning again and making sure we have information from credible sources before we make up our minds about things?
Trust Science, people.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Life under Corona Virus Lockdown
I have been getting a lot of questions about what it is like to be in Italy right now because of the Corona Virus situation. As it spreads around the world, the questions have become more frequent. I am assuming this is because looking at our situation provides a glimpse into a possible future, like how the Hubble Telescope helps us understand the past. Daniel, my friend in Sao Paolo, also under lockdown, but for less time, calls me his "laboratory guinea pig" who shows him what he can look forward to in the next few weeks. He's not the only one with this idea.
Here in Trieste, we are now in almost complete lockdown. This means that we are not allowed to leave our houses or apartments, that is our default position. There are some exceptions to this rule:
1) Supermarket
2) Pharmacy
3) Newstand
4) Dog walking
5) Work, if absolutely necessary
In all cases, you must have a printed document with you which is downloadable online on the government website. As of this writing, this is the latest document. If you are walking your dog, you are expected to be very close to home, as in you could point to it if you were stopped by the police.
Which comes to my next point, you can be stopped and questioned by the police. They are giving out very large fines to people who are found not following the rules, which have been expanded just two days ago to prohibit outdoor sports and, get this, walking alone.
The question arises, then, just how can the virus spread if you are walking alone or out running on your own? The simple answer is that it's not about the activities in themselves, it's about how people interpret the regulations in creative ways so they can get out of the house. See, nobody likes being required to stay home. In English we say "You give an inch they take a mile." Supermarkets are now closed on Sundays because people were organizing meetings with friends there, even when they weren't shopping. For some reason, this was happening mostly on Sundays.
For more on why it's so hard to keep people on lockdown, this Ted talk gives us some interesting insights. I also believe that another reason people try to get away with not following the rules has to do with cognitive bias. For example, the Optimism Bias states that people are more likely to assume that bad things will happen to other people and therefore underestimate their own risks. We all like to think that we will be the exception to the rule. I certainly do not intend on getting Corona Virus, but that doesn't stop me from staying home and washing my hands and taking precautions against danger, however.
Another cognitive bias we are seeing in the U.S. news, for example, is the Confirmation Bias, which states that we tend to heed information that confirms what we already believe. If you buy into a source of information that has been telling you that the Corona Virus is fake and that it will get cleaned up in a few days, it will be very difficult for you to listen to other sources, even if they are credible and fact-based. This is why so many move ahead with their same routines even if they are being instructed to do differently.
If I can say something about my experience: it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
In Italy, the fact that so many of us have had to switch to working from home on short notice has brought out the best in people. It has forced us to acknowledge that there are other ways of doing things and that the "old way" is not always the best way. Those of us who teach have found that our students are more engaged, for example. Perhaps this is because they can sleep a little longer in the morning and we are using "their" tools to reach them. Other friends in jobs who never expected to be able to work from home are finding that performance indicators are off the charts for the same reasons. There is something about being able to work from home in your own way that is helping people work better. I think the idea of "putting your hours in" has been replaced with "getting the job done" in however much time it takes you. For some of us this means working late at night or early in the morning, and on weekends, but you don't hear people complaining about it. At least I haven't.
That being said, I have colleagues who are not adapting as well to this change. They seem to hope that things will go back to "normal" (the way it used to be) in April when this lockdown situation is supposed to expire, even though it is more likely that the situation will continue into summer. They will eventually come around, I suspect, but everyone has to take their time to process what is happening. It is not easy as none of us has ever experienced anything like this.
Other positive things about being on lockdown.
1) My house is clean. I don't know when the bug hit (it was not immediate), but I am a tornado of cleanliness and I am totally digging it!
2) More time with my new puppy. When we were getting her we were worried we wouldn't be able to handle the rigorous meal and walking schedule, but that all changed the day before we brought her home. I have the happiest puppy on earth!
3) More time with my daughter. We work together at the kitchen table. She has about 5 hours of homework to complete per day. She is in fourth grade and has to meet with her class and her teachers on Zoom for 45-minute sessions about three times a week. She would be happy to do this forever. Keeping track of her work and creating a schedule took a couple of weeks. On weekdays she has to get up at 7:30 and get dressed. At first it is hard to communicate to kids that it is a school day even if you are at home. There is no TV allowed during the week. TV and Netflix (and youtube) are reserved for the weekend. She is allowed two group chat sessions on Whatsapp with her girlfriends from her class (five of them total) on mom's phone per day: one after lunch and one in the evening for about 10-20 minutes each time. The moms agreed to keep it limited to those two sessions and the girls were happy that no chatting would go on without them. No one wants to exclude or be excluded.
4) I love my house and I am happy here. I organize my time so I can do everything I need to do and I don't waste time waiting for busses anymore (I don't have a car). This lack of freedom makes me feel more free.
5) We are saving a ton of money. I am making less money (I am freelance, so I don't have a regular salary coming in) but we are not eating out (which we used to do at least once a week) or doing any other kind of shopping. Since we are home more, when it's cold I make a fire in my wood-burning stove and that heats my house. I haven't used gas to heat the house in weeks. I also stopped drinking the week before we went on lockdown, so that has saved us some cash as well. We cook more. I make bread sometimes. It's all good.
6) It's much easier to stay on my diet. We are not going out or having dinner at friends' houses so it's easier to stay on the straight and narrow.
There are lots of other reasons to be thankful about this situation as well. I will try to update as things come up if I think they can benefit someone else.
In the meantime, stay safe and wash those hands!
Here in Trieste, we are now in almost complete lockdown. This means that we are not allowed to leave our houses or apartments, that is our default position. There are some exceptions to this rule:
1) Supermarket
2) Pharmacy
3) Newstand
4) Dog walking
5) Work, if absolutely necessary
In all cases, you must have a printed document with you which is downloadable online on the government website. As of this writing, this is the latest document. If you are walking your dog, you are expected to be very close to home, as in you could point to it if you were stopped by the police.
Which comes to my next point, you can be stopped and questioned by the police. They are giving out very large fines to people who are found not following the rules, which have been expanded just two days ago to prohibit outdoor sports and, get this, walking alone.
The question arises, then, just how can the virus spread if you are walking alone or out running on your own? The simple answer is that it's not about the activities in themselves, it's about how people interpret the regulations in creative ways so they can get out of the house. See, nobody likes being required to stay home. In English we say "You give an inch they take a mile." Supermarkets are now closed on Sundays because people were organizing meetings with friends there, even when they weren't shopping. For some reason, this was happening mostly on Sundays.
For more on why it's so hard to keep people on lockdown, this Ted talk gives us some interesting insights. I also believe that another reason people try to get away with not following the rules has to do with cognitive bias. For example, the Optimism Bias states that people are more likely to assume that bad things will happen to other people and therefore underestimate their own risks. We all like to think that we will be the exception to the rule. I certainly do not intend on getting Corona Virus, but that doesn't stop me from staying home and washing my hands and taking precautions against danger, however.
Another cognitive bias we are seeing in the U.S. news, for example, is the Confirmation Bias, which states that we tend to heed information that confirms what we already believe. If you buy into a source of information that has been telling you that the Corona Virus is fake and that it will get cleaned up in a few days, it will be very difficult for you to listen to other sources, even if they are credible and fact-based. This is why so many move ahead with their same routines even if they are being instructed to do differently.
If I can say something about my experience: it's not as bad as I thought it would be.
In Italy, the fact that so many of us have had to switch to working from home on short notice has brought out the best in people. It has forced us to acknowledge that there are other ways of doing things and that the "old way" is not always the best way. Those of us who teach have found that our students are more engaged, for example. Perhaps this is because they can sleep a little longer in the morning and we are using "their" tools to reach them. Other friends in jobs who never expected to be able to work from home are finding that performance indicators are off the charts for the same reasons. There is something about being able to work from home in your own way that is helping people work better. I think the idea of "putting your hours in" has been replaced with "getting the job done" in however much time it takes you. For some of us this means working late at night or early in the morning, and on weekends, but you don't hear people complaining about it. At least I haven't.
That being said, I have colleagues who are not adapting as well to this change. They seem to hope that things will go back to "normal" (the way it used to be) in April when this lockdown situation is supposed to expire, even though it is more likely that the situation will continue into summer. They will eventually come around, I suspect, but everyone has to take their time to process what is happening. It is not easy as none of us has ever experienced anything like this.
Other positive things about being on lockdown.
1) My house is clean. I don't know when the bug hit (it was not immediate), but I am a tornado of cleanliness and I am totally digging it!
2) More time with my new puppy. When we were getting her we were worried we wouldn't be able to handle the rigorous meal and walking schedule, but that all changed the day before we brought her home. I have the happiest puppy on earth!
3) More time with my daughter. We work together at the kitchen table. She has about 5 hours of homework to complete per day. She is in fourth grade and has to meet with her class and her teachers on Zoom for 45-minute sessions about three times a week. She would be happy to do this forever. Keeping track of her work and creating a schedule took a couple of weeks. On weekdays she has to get up at 7:30 and get dressed. At first it is hard to communicate to kids that it is a school day even if you are at home. There is no TV allowed during the week. TV and Netflix (and youtube) are reserved for the weekend. She is allowed two group chat sessions on Whatsapp with her girlfriends from her class (five of them total) on mom's phone per day: one after lunch and one in the evening for about 10-20 minutes each time. The moms agreed to keep it limited to those two sessions and the girls were happy that no chatting would go on without them. No one wants to exclude or be excluded.
4) I love my house and I am happy here. I organize my time so I can do everything I need to do and I don't waste time waiting for busses anymore (I don't have a car). This lack of freedom makes me feel more free.
5) We are saving a ton of money. I am making less money (I am freelance, so I don't have a regular salary coming in) but we are not eating out (which we used to do at least once a week) or doing any other kind of shopping. Since we are home more, when it's cold I make a fire in my wood-burning stove and that heats my house. I haven't used gas to heat the house in weeks. I also stopped drinking the week before we went on lockdown, so that has saved us some cash as well. We cook more. I make bread sometimes. It's all good.
6) It's much easier to stay on my diet. We are not going out or having dinner at friends' houses so it's easier to stay on the straight and narrow.
There are lots of other reasons to be thankful about this situation as well. I will try to update as things come up if I think they can benefit someone else.
In the meantime, stay safe and wash those hands!
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Finding the Right Bagno For You
First, remember that in Trieste beach has nothing to do with sand. If you are into sand, you will have to drive an hour away to go to Grado or Lignano. If you stay in Trieste, don't say I didn't warn you, and please don't try to school me on what "beach" means because we are in Trieste and the rules are different. Here, what is normally considered a boardwalk by the sea is called a spiaggia or, in Triestino, il bagno.
Because I love you and want you to fit in, here is a trigger warning:
Do not get the Triestini started on the debate about Concrete vs. Sand because it is a battle no foreigner can win. Here are the arguments in advance.
Sand: Bad
1. Not hygienic.
2. Gets in your swimsuit and itches.
3. Prevents water from being transparent.
Cement: Good
1. Fits more people. (Carry your portable chaise-longue or brandin by your feet on your scooter)
2. Does not get in your swimsuit and/or itch.
3. Allows water to be transparent so you can see the prickly sea urchines (also an indicator of clean water) before you step on them (Don't. Trust me on this.).
4. Provides a flat surface for your card table so you can play gnagno (which is Triestine UNO) or other card games with your deck of Triestin cards (listen up, over 75 crowd, and get there early!).
If Barcola area is your preferred beach destination, for a chance at parking, try transition times like 5am (especially if you are bringing your card table and four folding chairs), lunch time and after work.
Different areas at Barcola
Topolini: Built by the Americans after the war, they are tiled areas where teens hang out.
Pineta: This part has a little pebble beach, so lots of families with small children. The wooded area has shade, another draw for families. Don't hang up a hammock here between two trees and try to catch a nap. You could get a 300 euro fine.
There are a few kiosk bars and you are walking distance from two pizzerias and several restaurants and an ice cream place, too.
If you are feeling athletic and want to get away from the crowds, go a little further down the road towards Sistiana with your car.
Filtri is good if you are feeling adventurous and don't mind walking. Park and take a hike down to the water and back up: more work means less people.
There are a couple options in downtown Trieste.
Pedocin: It is near the port and the Aquamarina swimming pool. You pay one euro to enter here and it is divided by gender. The women's area is crowded. The mens' part is not.
Ausonia: Also downtown, you pay to enter but have summer entertainment as well and even yoga at sunset and that type of thing.
From here, you can go to Muggia, and look for the perfect solution along the coast. There is a doggy beach near the Lido hotel, by the way.
Molo T is a nice place for kids to spash around. There is a pebble beach and also a pier for diving and clanfe.
Most beach areas in Trieste and Muggia have a bar outside but feel free to bring your own snacks.
Enjoy your summer!!
Thursday, May 23, 2019
What? No Harriet Tubman on the Twenty?
Shame on you, Mr. President.
I have been waiting so long to see a woman on the money. Phooey.
It's not fair.
Tell me what I can knit to protest. I need a new project. This is ridiculous.
I have been waiting so long to see a woman on the money. Phooey.
It's not fair.
Tell me what I can knit to protest. I need a new project. This is ridiculous.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Make Way for Goats!
I haven't been blogging lately because I have been writing more offline. I have also been getting up at 5:00 every day to run. This may sound crazy to you, but I did a little life assessment. This means I tried to remember the last time I had a surplus of energy and felt healthy and could do a million things and felt happy and fulfilled all at once. I had to go back a few years to a simpler time when it was just me in a big empty house in West Falmouth, Massachussetts. The big difference between then and now? Bed time and wake up time. At that time I was waking up at 5:00 and running until 6:30. Then I would go back home, take a shower, and go to work.
In early February I decided to give this a try. Being out of shape and a good twenty pounds (minimum) heavier, I decided to shoot lower as far as time, so I settled on one hour, which was one hour MORE than what I was doing before. I chose a start date and went for it. I use my watch as an alarm clock so I don't wake up my husband with my phone, which I charge in the kitchen. I lay everything out the night before so I get dressed automatically with no thinking necessary. This is important at 5am. When you are worried about waking other people up you can't use the snooze button, either.
In early February I decided to give this a try. Being out of shape and a good twenty pounds (minimum) heavier, I decided to shoot lower as far as time, so I settled on one hour, which was one hour MORE than what I was doing before. I chose a start date and went for it. I use my watch as an alarm clock so I don't wake up my husband with my phone, which I charge in the kitchen. I lay everything out the night before so I get dressed automatically with no thinking necessary. This is important at 5am. When you are worried about waking other people up you can't use the snooze button, either.
At 5, the world is still sleeping. Your time is your own. After 6:30, people start wanting things from you. I run on the bike path by my house. I have a flashlight, but I don't need now like I did a couple of weeks ago.
For the most part it's just me and the birds. One day there was a red jackal on the path (I turned around and went the other way because I hadn't yet read that they normally don't attack people). Over the last two weeks I have seen jackrabbits too.
Today I didn't get to finish my whole route. I was interrupted by about two dozen GOATS on the other side of the old railroad tunnel. Hilarious. There was a dog with them, so I imagine they belong to someone. There they were. Right in the middle of the road. I thought they would go away once I got closer to them, and a couple of them did move, but most of them were more interested in whatever they eating than me. When two of them did an honest-to-God Head Butt against each other, I realized that this was a turf war that I could not, would not, did not want to win. I watched them for a while, then I turned around.
What happiness! What energy! What a day! And all it took was a bunch of goats.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Anyone up for some Gnagno?
What?!?
You Never knew the Triestini had playing cards of their very own? Ever heard of the game Scopa?
Whaaaaaaa?!
Well, here you are, my friends. YOU ARE WELCOME!
We are going to the States this week and guess what we are bringing. Yep, two packs of cards (and some Olive Oil and some trinkets).
In Trieste, quality time with family means playing cards.
You can buy them in most Tabacchino shops (look for the stores with a big T sign outside). It's what the kids here play when they are skipping school. It's what the senior citizens most love and fight about with their friends.
Having a deck of cards can be a good way to make friends and/or enemies. Either way it's a good way to pass the time.
If cards aren't your thing, don't worry, your new Triestine pals will entice you into a nice game of Tombola (Bingo basically) after Christmas supper, which is also a great way to practice your numbers in Italian.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Sunday Lessons in Village PR
We finally had some time to get stuff done around the house today so Cristian was out in the driveway cutting wood this morning. See, we have this woodburning stove we use to supplement the regular gas heat (and having fires in winter rocks). Since there are other people at his work with fireplaces and woodburning stoves, they order their firewood together. You can load it up and take it home when you want (company perk, Triestine style). The wood is cheap but you have to cut it to fireplace size yourself, which is a great excuse to buy a chainsaw.
Which brings me to the lessons I learned today.
Lesson 1.
My husband really loves his chainsaw.
Lesson 2.
Chainsaws are Man Magnets.
Within about 10 minutes there was a 3-man fanclub out there talking wood: where to find it, how to cut it, the best ways to burn it.
And in this neighborhood, when men come over to talk anything, you better offer them something to drink. This is met with, "Oh no, I couldn't. You are so busy..." followed by "Oh, alright. Let me bring home the hound and I will be right back."
When they come back, they bring a bottle of wine and you know it's going to be good because it has no label, which means that it is "Domace" and if they didn't make it themselves, someone close by did. This is a precious gift and a gesture of friendship.
Of course, you will not open it (now) because you also have a bottle waiting. It also has no label and is "Domace," fresh from the cantina of someone in the village up the hill. In this case, it is Emil's, the one with the twin boys who just graduated from College. Uncle Boris gets his wine from him, too.
The neighbors stay for two drinks and in that time they talk about what the village looked like 40 years ago, when our house was a small grocery store and the yellow house on the corner was a bar, and the house behind ours was the bakery.
Oops. Look at the time, they drink up, and say their goodbyes. They, too, have a lunch to get to. We call the mother-in-law and explain that we lost track of time. We were cutting wood, the neighbors stopped by and Cicole Ciacole, an hour has passed. In the meantime the washing machine finished its cycle and we still have to hang out the clothes (in our village you hang clothes outside even in winter), then we will be right over. Of course, she says, that's life in a village.
Which brings me to the lessons I learned today.
Lesson 1.
My husband really loves his chainsaw.
Lesson 2.
Chainsaws are Man Magnets.
Within about 10 minutes there was a 3-man fanclub out there talking wood: where to find it, how to cut it, the best ways to burn it.
And in this neighborhood, when men come over to talk anything, you better offer them something to drink. This is met with, "Oh no, I couldn't. You are so busy..." followed by "Oh, alright. Let me bring home the hound and I will be right back."
When they come back, they bring a bottle of wine and you know it's going to be good because it has no label, which means that it is "Domace" and if they didn't make it themselves, someone close by did. This is a precious gift and a gesture of friendship.
Of course, you will not open it (now) because you also have a bottle waiting. It also has no label and is "Domace," fresh from the cantina of someone in the village up the hill. In this case, it is Emil's, the one with the twin boys who just graduated from College. Uncle Boris gets his wine from him, too.
The neighbors stay for two drinks and in that time they talk about what the village looked like 40 years ago, when our house was a small grocery store and the yellow house on the corner was a bar, and the house behind ours was the bakery.
Oops. Look at the time, they drink up, and say their goodbyes. They, too, have a lunch to get to. We call the mother-in-law and explain that we lost track of time. We were cutting wood, the neighbors stopped by and Cicole Ciacole, an hour has passed. In the meantime the washing machine finished its cycle and we still have to hang out the clothes (in our village you hang clothes outside even in winter), then we will be right over. Of course, she says, that's life in a village.
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