Accent and Assimilation
I like to poke fun at my friend Christian. Though he is Guatemalan, when I see him in Buenos Aires he speaks like a native Porteño. A few months later, in Santiago, and his accent changes completely to the affectionate chirpiness of Chilean Spanish. I have heard his...
How to Read Google Earth Like Proust
It is said that Marcel Proust preferred to read train timetables as he fell asleep. According to Alain de Botton: The document was not consulted for practical advice; the departure time of the Saint-Lazare train was of no immediate importance to a man who found no...[Review] The Lacuna
I had a personal stake in this one. When I hear the prevalent claims of false nostalgia that “modern writers can’t compete with the classics,” I often point to Barbara Kingsolver as an obvious illustration of literary prowess that far exceeds even...
Fame, Followers, Anonymity and Activism
What follows is more or less a rough approximation of my notes for a presentation I gave on Monday at a conference organized by the United Nations Development Program and the Institute for Elections and Citizen Participation of Jalisco. The panel, “Technological...
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In April 1982 then-President José López Portillo ordered all government agencies in Mexico to cancel their advertising contracts with Proceso Magazine. It was well known that López Portillo ran one of the most corrupt governments in the world at the time, but he was...Latest Photos
