Many people liked Milan Kundera’s “Die Weltliteratur” (The New Yorker, 8 January 2007, 28-35), but I was slightly bored – perhaps because I am so familiar with the issues this piece raises, but also because it seemed so provincial, limited as it is to Europe and to a few very classic authors. I do realize … More Die Weltliteratur

The sun came out and we opened all the windows. Music poured out onto the veranda where we ate greens and smothered chicken, and then walked down to the parade. Night parades are magical. Torches gleam, horses prance, and masked riders float just below the tree branches. Plumes quiver on the high hats of the … More Magical

If the sound of my poor lyre were strong enough to trumpet my tastes above the cyclone’s rage, I would award a large prize to DISSENT the BLOG for this graphic: One might consider replacing “Cal State University Mission Viejo” with the name of one’s own institution. And in matters universitarian (observe my neologism), I … More Home of the Fighting Deconstructionists!

People post about serious things, but forget to watch the Mardi Gras Indians, who are far more interesting. The excellent, classic film on Mardi Gras Indians is, as I have said before, Always for Pleasure. The classic album to own is The Wild Tchoupitoulas. These are only the starting points. To find the Indians, you … More Indians!

It is time once again to thank Nezua for help with images. This is his proposed modification of my current header image. Its use would enable me to eliminate the text box I have at the right, where I had placed the subtitle of this weblog for the time being – since the template does … More Le Monde Eléctronique III

“From its monumental revolution and establishment as the first free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere, to its current crisis, Sak Pasé is a cry for liberty and freedom for a nation that has contributed so much to the world: Haiti. The song is played in Cuban Cha Cha Cha with a touch of Hip … More Sak Pasé

Last night at dinner my colleague and I decided that, rather than attribute our work-related depressions to our own weak characters, it would be more practical to admit that the atmosphere in our department sucks a green one (as my friends in junior high school used to say) and that it is dragging us down. … More Red Monday

[Lydia Mendoza. Folk Roots/Arhoolie Foundation.] Every once in a while, you need mariachis, but I could not find a video that was not just too campy. So I started looking at conjunto music, and finally decided to introduce the amazing tejana singer Lydia Mendoza. NPR’s brilliant Lydia Mendoza page page allows us to hear her … More Lydia Mendoza

Now it is time to thank a mysterious Erik, who has sent the link to an interesting video, made this year in Stockholm on the Jantelov. It has English subtitles, and it is only a minute long, so go ahead, watch. It emphasizes the oppressive aspects of Janteloven – to say the least. Especially considering … More Tak skal du have, Erik

“What housewife has not felt just a bit lame upon arriving at the supermarket? What housewife has not, at times, lacked the strength to lift her hand high enough to reach that slightly more expensive product?” I am quoting Dona Edith, a character in the São Paulo comedy series Terça Insana or Crazy Tuesday. This … More Terça Insana