Vicente Huidobro has New Year poems in both Spanish and French. I cannot find them now, however. Still, we can look at some very nice poems and theoretical texts at the Huidobro site hosted by the Universidad de Chile. It is sunny today, and it could be sunny tomorrow, too. This bodes well for the … More Nouvel an
The contrast between where I am now and where I was yesterday is rather stark. All of the following events have taken place within the past twenty-four hours. None seem entirely modern. I As I wended my way up the steep, narrow cobblestone street to my hostel in Valparaíso, I saw an old man wending … More Traigo queso de vaca fresco
I am in Valparaíso and it is wonderful. Everywhere else I have been in Chile has been interesting, and Valdivia has the best fish market I have ever seen, but Valparaíso ROCKS, and it is beautiful. Evidence of its ultra-hip culture can be observed here. Later, I will translate this poem by Gonzalo Rojas, on Valparaíso. PUERTO … More Valparaíso, el viento
Back in Santiago, it is warm, fortunately. Southern Chile is prized and one can see why, but I must admit I prefer Mediterranean climates and larger towns. One striking feature of the south, however, is the number of locals wearing mountaineering gear and Vibram soles. This is not something I had seen elsewhere in the … More Pleno sur
Today on this Patagonian isle it stopped raining long enough for a hike in the stunning national park, ending on a wild beach with grassy dunes. I also discovered a very hip bar with wi-fi, of all things, and I am there now. This enables me to write, over a fast connection, on the very … More Friday Night Luxury
Today it is raining in northern Patagonia, and I am drinking tea. One might think this is excellent posting weather, but it is not. Computer connections are slow, and people wait in line to use them. This not being a travel weblog, I am not attempting to make any sort of general report. I will … More Solstice
We watched the news last night and I saw an advertisement for an airline sponsored credit card that accumulates frequent flyer miles with every purchase. After explaining how the card works, the announcer sums things up: “Toda tu vida sirve para acumular millas y viajar gratis.” “Your entire life serves to accumulate mileage and travel … More Toda tu vida sirve…
It appears there may be some traffic when I finally arrive at my destination, since I will coincide with the funeral of Augusto Pinochet. He will not have a state funeral, but only a military one. Gott sei Dank, as my aunt would have said, and Alhamdulillahi, as we would have said in my Arabic … More Orlando Letelier
I I got a trolling e-mail and was disconcerted. Initially, I was just hurt, because it was in fact a hurtful remark. I apologized, thinking, if you have hurt me, then I must deserve it. Then, I realized the remark had been rude. I e-mailed again, saying, look, that was rude. If you really wanted … More On Trolls and Banes
I Tasneem Khalil is has a new weblog. This is excellent news. I discovered his old site utterly by chance, and was fascinated for technical, literary, and artistic reasons, as well as the interesting and articulate content. Then the site disappeared, and I was concerned. Khalil is a journalist who writes on, among other things, … More Tasneem Khalil
coldhearted scientist وداد 