The publication of Camille Paglia’s Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson in 1990 announced the arrival of a new intellectual voice. That work – with its startlingly immodest ambition to “demonstrate the unity and continuity of western culture” – embodied what has come to be seen as Paglia’s hallmark style: deep […]
Known for novels such as Santa Evita and The Perón Novel (La Novela de Perón) and winner of awards such as the 2003 Rodolfo Walsh Award for his career in journalism, and the 2002 Alfaguara Prize with El vuelo de la Reina (‘The Flight of the Queen’), Tomás Eloy Martínez was also one of eighteen […]
In August of 1990, Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti confirmed that a secret army, called Gladio, had existed in Italy throughout the Cold War period. His revelations were shocking, not simply because they admitted to something that had long been denied (including by Andreotti himself when speaking to a judicial enquiry in 1974 in his […]
Many happy returns to Silvio Berlusconi, celebrating his birthday. Well wishers (or spin-doctors?) on the Forza Italia official site posted gloriously over the top messages of congratulation: “Don’t give up President, you’re the only idol left in this disgusting world. Save us from Prodi and Bertinotti [left-wing opponents] – Many Happy Returns!”. Such devotion (let’s […]
Many happy returns to Silvio Berlusconi, celebrating his birthday. Well wishers (or spin-doctors?) on the Forza Italia official site posted gloriously over the top messages of congratulation: “Don’t give up President, you’re the only idol left in this disgusting world. Save us from Prodi and Bertinotti [left-wing opponents] – Many Happy Returns!”. Such devotion (let’s […]
The BBC features an article on The Meaning Of Tingo, a book by euphoniously named Adam Jacot de Boinod that collects some words or phrases that deserve to be borrowed by English.For example, the Japanese phrase “bakku-shan” describes a girl who appears pretty from behind but not from the front (a phrase that is quite […]
From the surprisingly dependable National Enquirer:”Bush, who said he quit drinking the morning after his 40th birthday, has started boozing amid the Katrina catastrophe.”When the levees broke in New Orleans, it apparently made him reach for a shot,” said one insider. “He poured himself a Texas-sized shot of straight whiskey and tossed it back. The […]
After just over a year in office, Italian finance minister Domenico Siniscalco has resigned. Ostensibly provoked by the continuing inability of the Government to force the resignation of Banca Italia’s discredited Governor Fazio. Siniscalco commented: “The problem isn’t Fazio, but the inability to resolve the problem. I’m not bitter about this: I’m scandalized.” Arguments over […]
Those who have earned a crust writing courseware for that nebulous industry, e-Learning, often cringed at the “scenarios” they had to create that illustrated some recommended workplace behavior. These scenarios are usually populated by saintly figures of decorum and tact (illuminating the “right” approach) and oblivious boors who make sexist comments and say the worst […]