Dutch in Korea

I’d like to see Guus Hiddink take over England asap, but then I was supporting Mark Oaten (go on, get me one for my birthday!) to run the Lib Dems until he started chasing the England job, leaving Boris Johnson as the LDs’ only potentially electable leader. (Apparently the Koreans gave Guus a villa on…

Nations and Europe

It’s extraordinary that there’s no discussion of the UK in the paper by György Frunda (via Arcadi Espada) being debated today in the Council of Europe (countries without formal constitutions obviously don’t count). I’m of the view that cultural nations, like religious sects and Ruby programmers, should be self-financing and not be allowed anywhere near…

In praise of troglodytes

The NYT editorial Army Troglodytes in Spain is misguided and reactionary (as well as being factually inaccurate re Spain’s history and constitutional order). Troglodytes are good, forward-looking people whose choice of housing reflects a concern for energy conservation; unlike nomads, troglodytes rarely form armies and are generally nice, romantic things like shepherds, brigands and Ruby…

Reasonably priced pit

These Andalusian caves have been for sale for ages. I’d be tempted by the one that needs work, but it’s a bit far away.

Dancing with Rottweilers

Erik Dams links to an intriguing little thing by Bill Horton, editor of Offbeat Magazine (“not the New Orleans one”) about musical hand signals. I’ve bumped into about half of them, but there are many others–jazz is much more formulaic than most folks think, and it’s not difficult to communicate which ending you’re going to…

Carro de la muerte variant

Apparently there’s an urban legend in circulation in which, as a cult initiation ceremony, the occupants of an unlit car pursue and murder the occupants of the first car to beep at them–and they’re not actors.

I am completely unlike anyone else

That’s what this facial analysis site said to this heavy/ska-period PR shot. This wide awake one on the other hand had it thinking of Alfred Rosenberg, Eddie Murphy and Jane Fonda. This would have been too obvious. (Via whatserface)

Can I coup my horse here?

PP senator Carlos Benet has said that Pavía entered Congress on a horse (during the 1874 coup), Tejero with a pistol (this is the 1981 coup that failed), while Zapatero arrived by suburban train (the reference is to the Al Qaeda train bombs before the elections two years ago). I don’t think Pavía actually went…

Theo van Gogh film @ the Filmoteca

Tomorrow at 7:30 they’re showing old fatso’s low-budget, quasi-real, low/high culture Interview (“The cabinet’s going to fall tonight and I’ve got to go and interview a pair of tits”; Dutch with Spanish subtitles(?)) as part of a Dutch film week. There’s a full programme here (PDF), but I make this the pick of the bunch.

More citizen journalists…

Manel Al Qaafr and the people over at Hispalibertas are launching something. Here are some rules for contributors, and here‘s how to get a look at a trial version. I’m sceptical: I think the future of participatory journalism lies not in sites like this but rather in a combination of mass, diffuse publishing with improved…