Martes siniestro Aquellos inclinados a no perder de vista el calendario saben que el Martes 8 de noviembre del 2016, se llevara a cabo la 58 elección presidencial estadounidense. Aquellos inclinados a seguir la pista a la historia le preguntarán a sí mismos, en qué tipo de circunstancias históricas para…
Posts published by “Enrique Quintero”
A la memoria de Malcom X, asesinado a tiros hace cincuenta años cuando comenzaba a delinear un programa radical para desafiar la opresión en todas sus formas. Toma # 1: Las películas son productos sociales manufacturados (incluso las de Woody Allen) A veces tendemos a olvidar que las películas son…
To the memory of Malcom X, gunned down fifty years ago as he was beginning to delineate a radical program to challenge oppression in all its forms. Take #1: Films are socially manufactured products (even those by Woody Allen) Sometimes we tend to forget that films are products manufactured under…
The circuitous road to democracy that has yet to be realized Do we know who invented the Blues? In her book Bright-Sided, a brilliant study about delusional American optimism, Barbara Ehrenreich mentions a remark by Soviet émigré and poet Joseph Brodsky who referred to the stereotypical image of Americans as…
El tormentoso camino de una democracia que no se realiza ¿Sabemos quien inventó los Blues? En su libro Bright-Sided, un brillante estudio sobre el delirante optimismo norte-americano, Barbara Ehrenreich menciona una observación por el emigrante soviético y poeta Joseph Brodsky quien se refirió a la imagen estereotipada de los estadounidenses…
In October of 1968, ten days before the Summer Olympics in Mexico City, over ten thousand students gathered in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in the neighborhood of Tlatelolco, to protest the repressive government policies against labor, farmers, unions, and popular organizations as well as to oppose the irresponsible…
En octubre de 1968, diez días antes de los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano en la Ciudad de México, más de diez mil estudiantes se reunieron en la Plaza de las Tres Culturas en el barrio de Tlatelolco para protestar contra las políticas represivas del gobierno contra trabajadores, agricultores, sindicatos y…
Photo Exhibit #1 Photo Exhibit #2 The first picture features Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African American Research at Harvard University, being arrested for break-in to what was his own home located within a short distance from the school. Meanwhile, the second…
The case of corporations and nature A Tale of Two Countries In September of 2008 Ecuador became the first nation on earth to recognize the Rights of Nature. Two years later, the United States Supreme Court ruled that corporations and people have the same rights. In terms of their history…
El caso de las corporaciones y la naturaleza Historia de dos países En septiembre de 2008 Ecuador se convirtió en la primera nación del mundo en reconocer los Derechos de la Naturaleza. Dos años después, la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos dictaminó que las empresas y las personas tienen los…
Dedicado a Sylvia, quien no ha nacido todavía y no tiene otra opcion que vivir en el mundo que hemos hecho para ella hasta que ella comienze a cambiarlo. El final de las lamentaciones Bajo el título “Estrategias Progresivas en un Momento Populista”, La Nación (julio 7-14) publicó una colección…
Dedicated to Sylvia, who is not born yet and has no choice but to live in the world we have made for her until she begins to change it. The end of lamentations Under the title “Progressive Strategies in a Populist Moment”, The Nation (July 7-14) published a collection of…
The last waltz of Francisco Franco On June 19, after 39 years as a monarch, Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated the crown in favor of his son Felipe VI. Juan Carlos became king thanks to the agency of fascist dictator Francisco Franco who in 1969, six years before his…
El Ultimo Valse de Francisco Franco El 19 de junio, después de 39 años como monarca, Juan Carlos I de España abdico la corona a favor de su hijo Felipe VI. Juan Carlos se convirtió en rey gracias a la intervención del dictador fascista Francisco Franco quien en 1969, seis…
Architecture and memory The White House is a building with a nefarious reputation within the South American left. Since the Monroe Doctrine in the early 1800’s, its walls and chambers have been mute witnesses of numerous decisions meant to convert the region in “our back yard”—meant to guaranty endless Latin-American…
Arquitectura y Memoria La casa Blanca es un edificio con infame reputación dentro de la izquierda Latino-Americana. A partir de la Doctrina Monroe en los inicios de los 1800’s sus paredes y recamaras han sido testigos mudos de numerosas decisiones encaminadas a convertir a la región en “nuestro patio trasero”,…
To many, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the most important writer in Spanish literature, more important than Cervantes. His main work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, has become canonical not only in western literature but in the universal republic of letters. The history of the Buendia family transcended time and place…
Para muchos Gabriel García Márquez es el escritor mas importante de la literatura en español, mas importante que Cervantes. Su obra mas importante Cien Años de Soledad, se ha convertido en canónica no solo de la literatura occidental pero de la republica universal de las letras. La historia de la…
The power of symbols A society without toilet paper is a society in trouble, we all agree with that. Not having access to such a basic commodity of modern life suggests an uncomfortable place where scarcity reigns, futile long lines at supermarkets with empty shelves, wide spread poverty, unhappiness on…
The system and its discontents If you don’t agree with the present state of things, there are basically two ways to deal with it: you try to reform it, or you try to abolish it. Both points of view share the conception that things (political institutions, economic systems, etc.) are…
El poeta Latino Americano Juan Gelman falleció hace pocos días. El es poco conocido en la Republica de las Letras y los “salonnieres” oficiales del idioma Ingles a pesar de ser el ganador de varios premios internacionales, como el Premio Cervantes en el 2007 (el premio mas prestigioso de la…
The Latin American poet Juan Gelman died January 14. He is little known within the Republic of Letters and the literary “salonniers” of the English word in spite of being the winner of many international literary awards, including the Cervantes Prize in 2007 (the most prestigious award in the in…
Napping as the world goes by A brief demographic profile of Hispanics The US Census Bureau places Latinos as the largest and fastest growing demographic group with a total of 53 million or 17 percent of the total population. Between the years 2000 and 2010 Latinos accounted for more than…
A dangerous existential choice If you happen to live in the US, and are asked about what you consider to be the most dangerous jobs in the world, your mind probably gravitates to loggers, crab fishermen in Alaska, land mine removers, helicopter cable repairmen, and workers in meat processing plants…
Populist Vatican mutations The spectre of populism is haunting the Catholic Church. Since the election of Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope, gone are the days of unctuous pomposity and rigorously staged protocol surrounding the activities and public discourse of the Sovereign of the Vatican, Bishop of Rome,…