El Pícaro y el Pardillo

¿Con o sin IVA?
No sabía qué contestar. Con el impuesto los mil euros se convertían en 1210. Pero... ¿Este dinero no es para la sociedad, los hospitales y centros educativos, las infraestructuras y, de vez en cuando, las prestaciones sociales? ¿Qué hacer?
Menos mal que nuestros ilustres mandatorios predican con el ejemplo: doble contabilidad, 'sobre' sueldos, cuentas en Suiza, comisiones de todo tipo.
¿Pícaro o pardillo?
¡Sin IVA, hombre!

Y así estamos.

Thick and Fast - Discriminación Intelectual

Thick and Fast es el título de mi nueva novela, publicada hoy. Intenta atender  una de las últimas desigualdades de la humanidad – la discriminación intelectual.

No me refiero a los que requieren tratamiento especializado, que en general están muy bien atendidos. Se trata más bien del esnobismo inherente en la sociedad. Como los que tienen una coeficiencia intelectual inferior son los encargados de hacer los trabajos más sucios y peor remunerados.  Como los humillamos y abusamos sólo porque no son capaces de entender los mecanismos necesarios para su emancipación.

Es increíble cuantos sinónimos hay para la palabra ‘tonto’. También es interesante reflexionar sobre el significado de la palabra ‘inteligente’ en sus diferentes contextos.

Pero quizás lo más importante a tener en cuenta es esto: nadie se considera un tonto.

Thick and Fast - Intellectual discrimination

Thick and Fast is the title of my new novel, published today. It deals with one of the last and least attended inequalities that still plague mankind - intellectual discrimination.
I am not talking about those who clearly require psychiatric or medical aid; they are generally well cared for. What I try to address here is the inherent snobbery of intelligence in society as a whole. How the menial, underpaid tasks fall on those with a low I.Q. How they are duped and used, humiliated and abused, simply because they are unable to understand the mechanisms necessary for their emancipation.
It is amazing just how many synonyms there are for the word 'fool'. It is also interesting to ponder on the meaning of the word 'intelligent' in its different contexts.
But perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is this: nobody considers themself a fool.

Tolerance of IntoleranceYear 2013 (Christian calendar), at the height of the technological revolution, the machete of science is still indefatigably cutting through the undergrowth of ignorance. Thousands of years of progress, from the wheel to space probes, and yet we are still unable to shake off the fetters of religion. Not faith, not belief: religion. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that a large portion of Humanity, in the face of so many unanswered questions, has a need for faith in some form or other. Belief in the existence of a god or gods is as respectable as the contrary. It belongs to the realms of personal belief and as such is harmless. This is not the case of organized faith, i.e. religions. Religions go far beyond the simple, deep-rooted and heartfelt credence of the faithful. They become powerful entities, with financial and political backing. Their theologians outline their doctrines. They claim to be the holders of Truth, often in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary. We believed, yes, believed, that with the separation of powers, with laws of religious tolerance, we could keep the Church, the Churches, in check. That has not been the case. A U.S.President must, almost by definition, have a creed of some sort, be he Obama, Bush or JFK. We swear and take oaths on a bible. Legislators have to bear in the mind the power of the Catholic vote, the Jewish lobby, the Islamic opinion. It is time to move on. Remove God from the dollar bill, take down the crucifixes and stars of David from all public places, keep religion out of schools, out of local administration, out of politics. Faith should be a purely personal issue and any attempt at coercing others to share your beliefs should be discouraged. Zero tolerance with organized religion in public life is not incompatible with respect for individual belief. If we managed to achieve that, perhaps people would no longer kill or be killed in the name of …….. (please choose a name from the list below).

Year 2013 (Christian calendar), at the height of the technological revolution, the machete of science is still indefatigably cutting through the undergrowth of ignorance. Thousands of years of progress, from the wheel to space probes, and yet we are still unable to shake off the fetters of religion.

Not faith, not belief: religion. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that a large portion of Humanity, in the face of so many unanswered questions, amidst so much suffering, has a need for faith in some form or other. Belief in the existence of a god or gods is as respectable as the opposite. It belongs to the realms of personal belief and as such is harmless.

This is not the case of organized faith, i.e. religions. Religions go far beyond the simple, deep-rooted and heartfelt credence of the faithful. They become powerful entities, with financial and political backing. Theologians outline their doctrines. They claim to be the holders of Truth, often in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.

We believed, yes, believed, that with the separation of powers, with laws of religious tolerance, we could keep the Church, the Churches, in check. That has not been the case.

A U.S.President  must, almost by definition, have a creed of some sort, be he Obama, Bush or JFK. We swear and take oaths on a bible. Legislators have to bear in the mind the power of the Catholic vote, the Jewish lobby, the Islamic opinion.

It is time to move on. Remove God from the dollar bill, take down the crucifixes and stars of David from all public places, keep religion out of schools, out of local administration, out of politics. Faith should be a purely personal issue and any attempt at coercing others to share your beliefs should be discouraged.

Zero tolerance with organized religion in public life is not incompatible with respect for individual belief. If we managed to achieve that, perhaps people would no longer kill or be killed in the name of …….. (please choose a name from the list below).

Nostalgia Política

España avanza con paso firme hacia el pasado. Estrenamos 'nueva' ley de educación, donde una vez más Dios (léase catolicismo) se cuela en la escuela. Si todos los educadores insisten que los conceptos abstractos como el infinito no se pueden entender hasta los trece o catorce años, ¿por qué esta insistencia en la enseñanza de religión (léase catolicismo) a niños de primaria? ¡Y dicen que hay que erradicar el adoctrinamiento!
Pronto tendremos también una 'nueva' ley del aborto. Es el onceavo mandamiento: No abortarás. ¿Por conciencia? No, por ley.
Las raíces de cuarenta años de dictadura son muy profundas y no basta con podar de vez en cuando como han hecho los 'socialistas' hasta la fecha. Porque con cada cambio de estación rebrotan con fuerza.
Los vencedores de antaño (léase catolicismo) no van a entregar sus privilegios sin luchar. ¡Si ya ganaron una vez! Así que lo que hace falta es una deforestación en toda regla.
Si no, el pasado regresará una y otra vez y España seguirá siendo el anacronismo que es.

Legacy

Well, she's gone to meet her maker, whoever that was, at last. No doubt her friend and ally Pinochet will be there to greet her. Whether you agreed or not with her vision of society, one thing is clear - she triumphed. The whole world now follows in her footsteps. No market regulation, might is right, money is god, and compassion is for the weak.
She had her way, it seems. The European Union is bent on destroying social welfare, at any cost. Individual tragedy means nothing, it is merely a passing news item. The spoils of war are for the victorious - the losers, like the defunct Iron Lady, can go to hell.
A New World, not in the slightest bit Brave. A new generation of selfish, over-ambitious climbers who disdain any form of weakness. A primitive society of leaders and the led, of winners and losers, of haves and have-nots, that is in effect anti-social inasmuch as it is divisive and spurns cohesion.
I don't know if Elvis Costello went through with his desire to tramp the dirt down. It was not meant to be personal anyway, I suspect. The dirt is her legacy of greed and indifference to others. We are the unfortunate heirs of this barbaric, prehistoric world view. It is up to us to make sure that our children receive a more dignified inheritance.

Give them ehough rope...

... and they'll stockpile it, push up the price, then bring out a law forcing everyone to buy rope ladders as a security measure.
The game has always been make as much as you can, by hook or by crook. The problem for aspiring tycoons has always been the watchdog. Remove that dog, or keep it on a short leash, and you're laughing all the way to the offshore investment trust.
In many countries this has been taken this a step further.  Any guard dog caught barking at an intruder will be immediately put down, as it is a menace to society.
Corruption and impunity. Two words that will eventually destroy the established status quo. Because what is good for the goose....