Cambio de Poderes

December 23rd, 2011

Como en el Gobierno de nuestra querida España, toca un cambio en el blog de Willow y Juanjo: ¡apúntate al cambio! ¿No es eso lo que han dicho los ganadores de las últimas elecciones?

Desde la rueda de prensa en San Francisco, nuestro pater familias se ha dirigido al pueblo esta mañana y nos ha dicho:

– “Españoles, dado el momento de crisis (de tiempo) en el que nos adentramos, dado el diferencial de pañales sucios con respecto a otras familias más asentadas al que nos vamos a enfrentar en los próximos meses, y dado el trabajo intensivo que nuestra querida corresponsal de prensa tiene que ahora dedicarle a su incipiente barriga y a su tesis de doctorado, nos vemos obligados a dar un golpe de estado en la autoría de este blog y a partir de ahora se hablará de lo que me gusta a mí: de fútbol y de política …”

Anonadados, los lectores de este blog han hecho oir sus quejas, pero creemos que no hay vuelta atrás.  Más vale que se pongan ellos a escribir sus propios blogs para contarnos lo que pasa por sus vidas en vez de meter prisa al personal para que escriban más a menudo.

Para el que no sepa entender tanto el sarcasmo como la ironía de estas palabras pedimos perdón por adelantado, pero para al menos apaciguar al personal pasamos a compartir este perfecto Photoshop de Willow con un bebé no mucho mayor de 10 días, para que se vaya haciendo a la idea la gente de lo que se nos viene encima:

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Late Autumn in Santiago

May 31st, 2006

Chile

Earthquakes, fires, and a history as one of the more remote and poor colonies have meant that Chile’s capital does not have the lasting colonial grandeur that other Latin American capitals might have. The city is large, but not imposing. The mountains hang over the whole city, a point of reference for everyone when giving directions—to get downtown from where I’m staying I was told to “go away from the mountains through Parque Bustamante, take a left when you get to Providencia”. It’s late fall here, and yellow and red leaves are falling from the trees. Mornings are cold when I go catch the metro to go to work, and it’s dark by 5:30.

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Visit to the Prague Museum of Communism

August 4th, 2005


Prague Museum of Communism

The highlight of my visit so far from a cultural perspective has been the Prague Museum of Communism. The museum chronicles the rise of communism more generally, then specifically in the Czech Republic—formerly Czechoslovakia – focusing on the oppression and harsh political conditions under which people lived during Soviet Rule and highlighting the Czech resistance. From the Prague Spring where the Prague resistance was squashed early on to the Charter 77 group in 1977 and the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the museum goes through the key moments of communism for the Czechs. Through the Czech case I saw some of what the Soviet Union was like—for a country that lived the years under communism as an occupation, as oppression from outside powers.

Part of the museum was a room where you sat and watched a video that included footage of many important moments in the Czech Republic’s history with communism. Most strking was the footage of the Velvet Revolution, seeing young people filling the town square and protesting the regime despite the dangers still posed by the totalitarian government. People had so much courage, were so brave to stand up against this totalitarian government that had police who worked for the state regime, not for the people. Most striking were images of plainclothes policemen beating people -young students- in the middle of the street. Seeing the images brought home how the system pitted one Czech against another.

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