[I wrote this post half-sleeping. I have already fixed most of the typos, but the whole text may still feel somewhat disjointed.]
If your reaction to murderous intent or actual murder is affected bewilderment, cosmopolitan goodwill, sentimental grandstanding, or praying for universal love, you have failed at some very basic things that all animals understand. Fight back or flight, but don’t do this:
Heartbroken at the tragedy in Istanbul. Let's work towards a critical mass of peace consciousness in the world. Love to all. 🙏🏾 #Istanbul
Como comenté en otro post, Cataluña tiene un serio problema de autopercepción y de concienciación sobre su propio fanatismo, que esconde bajo lemas como ‘la revolución de las sonrisas.’ Básicamente, está todo el día proyectando y cree que el desprecio que siente hacia esa entidad satánica llamada “España” es proporcional o simétrico al que desde allí sienten hacia nosotros. Ni se les pasa por la cabeza que el odio es, habitualmente, unidireccional.
Me refiero a que Borrell dijo que los argumentos del nacionalismo son similares a los de los partidarios del Brexit. Algunos lo son, pero fijáos en que no añadió más, que el simple hecho de verse asociado con el Brexit ya se presume como algo moralmente deleznable, una especie de leprosidad política que no merece mayor precisión.
I was 19 or so the first time I read ‘The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody,’ by Will Cuppy (1884-1949,) and I was so in love with it I decided to write something similar. I began collecting notes and writing little encyclopedic articles about, well, everything I could, in a style that combined (or tried) Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary‘s sarcasm and Cuppy’s own brand of comparatively more light-hearted humor. Then I read that it took Cuppy 16 years and 15.000 notes to write that book (and he didn’t even finish it,) so I decided to do something else with my time.
It’s a tragedy that Cuppy, crippled with increasing depression and the prospect of eviction from his apartment, committed suicide because his book became an instant best-seller when it got published (1950) just one year after his death. Not to mention that it’s one of the best books ever written.
“The better to order his faculties, Cugel took a long draught of beer.”
I was going to write a long review of Jack Vance’s Cugel’s Saga, the book about the adventures and misfortunes of the outrageously selfish and coward Cugel the Clever (or so he thinks,) but I have decided to let the book and its florid style speak for themselves.
Don’t panic, it will be a short expatiation, just a few things from the first chapter, but they will be enough to convince you of its merits.
After some magical mischief, Cugel finds himself lost. He comes upon “an elaborate manse of archaic design” and tries to convince the peculiar doorman to let him in.
Menuda chorrada, pues claro que hay ciudadanos malos. Como estúpidos, que puede incluso ser peor. El problema es intentar hacer clasificaciones morales no a nivel individual o grupal (moderado) sino por masas ingentes de gente por afiliación y polarización.
La alcadesa de Barcelona, Ada Colau, ha reivindicado este sábado que las mujeres y hombres feministas harán fuera al PP del gobierno español en las elecciones del 26-J […] Ha afirmado que no lo harán por revanchismo sino porque está convencida de que gobernarán mejor que ellos y ‘para representarles mejor a ellos mismos‘
I was going to write a long review of
Emperor's Notepad 