Opinions, art, debate
There is an interesting constituency in LA that is being revealed by these late-arriving ballots. These people are simultaneously for the socialist far-left candidate AND for higher taxes on consumer goods. They all vote late and by mail. They are an extremely solid and nearly unanimous voting bloc. The incoherence of their beliefs belies the consistency of their group behavior.
Yes, this sounds impossible to believe. It’s far likelier that these are fake ballots.
Rafael Chirbes was insanely talented. But he lived like he wasn’t even a teensy bit talented. He put in so much work like he was the least talented hack on the planet.
That’s the only way to live.
In Rafael Chirbes’s diaries, you can see the extraordinary amount of reading, thinking, struggling to write, editing, rewriting, self-doubt, pain, and desolation that went into each of the novels. Chirbes’s Crematorio and En la orilla are the last two novels published while he was alive. These are his masterpieces. The writer put a lifetime of reading and thinking about literature, about art, about language, about what makes a good novel into them. He would read for 10-15 hours a day and then write about what he read. For years, for decades, that’s how he lived.
When I think about that and the ease with which AI produces its “texts”, it’s kind of really funny. I don’t think we’re in great danger of being replaced, is what I’m saying.
Having babies is obviously amazing. But isn’t it more likely if you can get pregnant, carry to term, and give birth at that age, that already means that you’re healthier and more resilient than the norm?
Having been pregnant and given birth at 40, I know for a fact that it is a physically very taxing proposition. If you are capable of carrying it out, it’s a sign of your general state of health. And even if you are capable of doing it, it takes a while to recover, and very often the recovery is never complete.
True. Obama never managed to extract a journalist’s tongue from his anus fast enough to walk away.
Trump was giving an interview about election fraud in California to a bizarre, very unhinged woman journalist. She kept repeating that she had traveled to Wisconsin for the interview, like she had gone all the way to the Democratic Republic of Congo and expected some sort of an award for bravery. Her face was contorted by rage and disgust throughout the interview. In short, an unprofessional, horrible hag who is paid insane amounts of money to throw fits on TV.
Trump simply got up, took off his mic, and threw it to the ground.
I don’t know what we are going to do when Trump’s term in office ends. We have good candidates on the Republican side, but not a single one capable of getting up, throwing the mic on the floor, and walking away. Every single one of the Republican politicians will continue trying to explain, persuade, and make himself understood. They all still think that it is possible to convince if enough evidence is provided.
Latin American leftists are having a very normal one:
Gustavo Petro is a little Putinoid bitch, by the way. Leftism in Latin America began to collapse when USAID was cut because Putin doesn’t have enough money to keep all of it going by himself. Now leftist bastards like Petro is losing everywhere, and it’s a joy to behold.
Speaking of cats, when Misty first came to live with us, she once clambered onto my bed and I started rubbing her behind her ear. In response, she rolled the tip of her tongue out and started emitting a low guttural noise. I honestly thought I had damaged the poor animal, and she was in distress. It was explained to me that she was engaging in an activity known as purring that actually meant she was enjoying herself.
How was a person supposed to know that, though? How is one supposed not to become a total neurotic when creatures in her vicinity begin to engage in unexpected behaviors?
Americans are in awe of people who can speak more than one language. When my polyglottery comes up, everybody immediately begins to react like I walk on water. This makes me feel very shy. To me, moving between languages is normal. I’ve never lived in any other way. When others start treating me like some sort of royalty for something that I do as easily as breathing, I feel self-conscious.
Of course, it’s very endearing. Whenever somebody meets me for the first time and finds out about the languages, they start announcing me to other people like I’m the 7th wonder of the world. Like, they are so happy to have uncovered this wonderful phenomenon that they can’t wait to share with others. Embarrassing. Sweet, lovely, but embarrassing.
As for learning languages, I don’t see any differences in my American and my European students. Among colleagues, Germans speak amazing Spanish. Brits are downright terrible. I am talking about Hispanists, people whose profession is the study of Hispanic literature and culture. There are exceptions, of course. Here I’m speaking in generalities. The French are not as bad as the Brits, but pretty bad. Italians are, as a rule, very good, but not nearly as amazing at speaking Spanish as German colleagues. The German-speaking Swiss are also great. As I keep saying, there is an affinity here, the nature of which I do not fully understand.
What I said above, however, only has to do with the actual quality of speaking the language. In terms of producing interesting ideas in the field of Hispanic studies, British scholars are about a hundred light years ahead of the Germans.
Going back to what I was actually asked, I see no differences in teaching Americans or Europeans. They’re equally great.
I promise just one more, people. I won’t turn into one of those besotted cat people.
Oh, whom am I kidding?
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