IwasreadinganarticleintheGuardian,aBritishnewspaper(seethelinkbelow),andhadtroubleunderstandingthefollowingsentence:
“Hehadbeenarrestedatleasttwiceforthreateningviolenceagainstthehusbandofamanwhosewifehewassleepingwith.”
Mimimally,thesequestionsensued:Isthisaman-man-womanorman-man-manthreesomemarriage?Whydoes"He"(Poulin)threaten"thehusbandofaman"ratherth...[
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Lastnight,mygoodfriend,Edgar,sentmeacliponEast-Westrelations.ItrekindledsomeunfinishedthoughtsIjolteddownwhentouringAustraliayearsago.Stereotypicalandspeculativeitmayseem,“AustralianAccent”isahastysketchofavastlandwithuniquewildlifeandlandscape,andapeoplewhoareoftenthetargetofenvy,puzzleorridicule.IstartwithmyexchangewithEdgar(hisinitalic)andendwithmytravelogue,withafewclipstoillustrat...[
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ABridgeTooFar?---OnUkraine’sUncertainFuture
byLostalley
HearingtheceasefiretruceoverEasternUkraine,IrevisitedmypiecewritteninMarch,2014.Inlessthanayear,Ukrainehasdeterioratedfromaregionalconflictintoacontinentalconfrontationthathasthepotentialofbecominganabyss.Itstartedwiththepretenseofpro-westdemocraticmassmovement,whichcouldhavebeennegotiatedforapoliticalsettlement,b...[
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ExchangewithaFriendonChineseNewYear’sEve(myfriend’sinitalic)
byLostalley
DearEdgar,
Uponreceivingyourmessage,Iwaswatching"BoysformBrazil"forthesecondtime,thefirstbeingalongwhileago,Ican'tevenremember.70sisrenaissanceforfilm.Acting,directing,music,screenplay,aresubstantiallyappealing.
LunarNewYearismostlyaformalitytome.Icalledmyd...[
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AsTimeGoesBy
ByLostalley
ItmaybeanachronistictopostanoldmoviesonghereandLwordseemsmerelyaclichénowadays.ButonthisValentinenight,watchingthemovieclipspostedbyLeafmomentsago,Irememberedsomething.
Itwasinmycollegeyears.IwasreturningtoXiamenUniversityfromShanghaiaftersummervacation.AtatrainstationinZhejiangProvince,China(Iforgotthename.It’soneofthoseshortstopsalongthe24-hourjou...[
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ParadiseLost,ParadiseNotYetRegained
byLostalley
AshipwreckandJohnMilton’sepicseemhardlyassociated.ButlastWednesday,theydid.AcargoshipFloreanasankwithmorethan1,900tonsofgoods,including13,000gallonsoffuelandgascylinders,offthecoastofGalapagosArchipelagowherethe19thCenturyBritishnaturalistCharlesDarwinconceivedhistheoryofevolutionandnaturalselection.Uponhearingthenews,myheartdropped...[
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唱希腊悲剧和意大利闹剧的阿根廷总统
昨天,我的阿根廷朋友打电话致歉。阿根廷总统克里斯蒂娜(CristinaKichner)在访华期间和习总会谈后,立刻在社交媒体上嘲讽中国人的英文烂,说中国人发不出R,只能发L。她在推特(tweeter)上写的西班牙原文如下:“Másde1.000asistentesalevento…¿Serántodosde‘LaCámpola’yvinieronsóloporelalozyelpetlóleo?&[
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ADouble-headedEagle--JewishRightandLeftIdeologuesinAmerica
byLostalley
Byreadingexceptsofthebook"UncivilLiberties--DeconstructLibertarianism",IcanagreewiththetenetthatAmericanvaluesshouldundergoconstantdeconstruction,andfrankly,allvaluesshouldbescrutinizedordeconstructiedifnecessary,astimegoesby.However,Ispeculatethatthebookhasoneparticulartargetinmind--TeaParty.It'sdeceivin...[
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BirdsofFeatherFlockTogether
byLostalley
AdamMansbachisaninterestingwriter,onthemargin.Well,interestingwritersareoftenmarginalizedandgetinspiredbythatexperience.Mainstreammeansmediocrity,andthat’swhatmostbestsellersare.HereisaJew,bornandbredinBronx,wholookswhite,talkslikeablackrapperandwritesinbetween.Istartedbutdidn’tquitefinishhis“TheEndoftheJews”,...[
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