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This essay aims to reflect on the concept of crisis by focusing on the centrality this term has assumed in the context of contemporary public and political debate, and on the ambiguities that accompany its use in an attempt to normalise its ideological function and role. The ambiguity and conceptual density of the word “crisis” and the multiplicity of meanings that make it versatile and adaptable to the most diverse contexts contribute to fuelling a mechanism of naturalisation, even though its deployment is normally associated with conditions of extraordinariness, exceptionality, and unpredictability. In this perspective, the crisis, a constant and pervasive presence invading every area of social space and life, is unveiled as being the product of specific ideological and political practices, and social conflicts, representing multiple interests coagulated around the needs and objectives of global capitalism. The naturalisation and normalisation of the crisis do not seem to completely close off, however, the possibility of producing the conditions to imagine incisive forms of resistance and opposition. To achieve this aim, it seems imperative to recover the reasons and motivations for a cultural battle that looks at knowledge, in its manifold meanings, as a primary tool for emancipation and liberation.

Introduction: It is well known that cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In Romania in 2015, cardiovascular diseases led to 153.953 deaths, representing 59.3% of deaths from all causes. Most people in Romania today have an unhealthy lifestyle, characterised mainly by a poor nutritious diet, low physical activity and a lack of medical screening. Purpose: Considering these deficits of secondary prevention in the treatment line of the Romanian cardiovascular patient, we aimed through this study to assess the current access of the Romanian population to on-site and remote cardiac rehabilitation programs as well as their opinion regarding the telemedicine for future cardiovascular care modelling. Methods: It was a prospective observational study, which was carried out by means of an online questionnaire composed of 26 items. It was dispersed in the online environment, including Social Media platforms, where it was active for ten weeks. Results: Our online evaluation questionnaire had 1115 participants, with a minimum age of 18 years old, a preponderance of female sex and a predominantly urban background. The study participants were from all educational levels, from low to superior. We observed that most participants have an internet connection at home and use at least one form of technology daily, but most have never used a telemedicine service. Conclusions: In conclusion, the access of cardiovascular patients to on-site cardiac rehabilitation services is extremely low and for remote ones, it is almost non-existent. For a middle-income country like Romania with such a high incidence of cardiovascular disease, it is almost mandatory to provide publicly funded cardiac telerehabilitation services also for the future.

The COVID-19 outbreak is having a significant impact on both cardiac rehabilitation (CR) inpatient and outpatient healthcare organization. The variety of clinical and care scenarios we are observing in Italy depends on the region, the organization of local services and the hospital involved. Some hospital wards have been closed to make room to dedicated beds or to quarantine the exposed health personnel. In other cases, CR units have been converted or transformed into COVID-19 units. The present document aims at defining the state of the art of CR during COVID-19 pandemic, through the description of the clinical and management scenarios frequently observed during this period and the exploration of the future frontiers in the management of cardiac rehabilitation programs after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Nel lontano 1918, sulle pagine del quotidiano socialista l'Avanti, Gramsci affrontava il tema della relazione tra classe operaia e tempo libero contrapponendo il calcio ai più tradizionali passatempi operai da osteria come lo scopone (Bellamy 1994: 73-74). Il giovane intellettuale coglieva gli aspetti positivi dell'esercizio fisico all'aria aperta opponendoli all'ambiente malsano ed equivoco dei locali fumosi in cui gli operai consumavano le ore libere dal lavoro. Inoltre, per Gramsci quei luoghi contribuivano a indebolire l'affermazione di una coscienza di classe autonoma e costituivano un modo per perpetuare i rapporti di dominio esistenti. Allo stesso tempo Gramsci si rivelava poco incline a considerare la possibilità che quel gioco di squadra arrivato dall'Inghilterra chiamato football potesse imporsi sulle strutture mentali e culturali degli italiani. In queste resistenze Gramsci coglieva il riflesso delle differenti...

This essay, which relies mostly on a cultural studies approach, aims to highlight the discursive and semiotic strategies which have defined official tourism promotion in South Africa since the end of apartheid. In particular, hosting the FIFA World Cup, a mega-event which placed the Country at the crossroads of international touristic flows in 2010, was not so much a finishing line, but rather a turning point for the self-refashioning of the country’s image. Shedding stereotyped definitions such as “the country of the big five”, South African Tourism has rebranded itself so as to mirror the new, complex reality and international status achieved by the nation since the advent of freedom. South Africa’s new public imaginary resembles a challenging, richly-textured prism, whose multiple facets concur to articulate a domestic discourse of reconciliation and unity along with the international projection of a powerful national identity, rebranded for the 21st century. By focusing on the promotion of so diverse branches of tourism as wildlife and conservation, township tourism and sport mega-events, this article aims to shed light on South Africa’s extraordinary achievement in nation-branding over the last decade, and on the way this process has been transformed into an effective tool of nation-building and public diplomacy