Wednesday, January 27, 2010

"solo"

Únicamente, nada más, sin otra cosa:

no me atrevo a cruzar el bosque

Expresamente, sin otra intención

te escribo solo para felicitarte.

Único en su especie

Porción de terreno donde se destina a edificar

Que está sin otra cosa o que se considera separado de ella

Dicho de personas, sin compañía

Que no tiene quien le ampare o consuele

Desierto: Composición o parte

de ella para una única voz o instrumento

interpretó un solo de piano.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"punta"

Extremo agudo o afilado de algo, generalmente alargado
Extremo de una cosa
Ángulo externo de algunos objetos
Clavo pequeño y delgado
Pequeña cantidad de algo
Lengua de tierra generalmente baja y de poca extensión que se mete en el mar
En el fútbol, posición avanzada o de ataque
jugador que la ocupa
Zapatillas de ballet con un refuerzo en el extremo
En gran abundancia

Saturday, January 23, 2010

"el menos malo es el más bueno"

Similar to many other democracies, the world of Costa Rican political commercials is usually pretty grim, with candidates portrayed as either scions of the community, conveyed by action photos of each interacting with others: helping their constituents; or as eloquent and dutiful public servants, shown speaking candidly to the audience directly "though" the camera.

Costa Rica is a direct democracy; you vote in your own president and congress directly, no electoral college, which fact is important when the above commercials are made, since the only requirement is to win a majority of the popular vote. Costa Rican presidents don't have primaries and they aren't required to win in otherwise innocuous battlegrounds like Ohio and Iowa.

So needless to say, I was much surprised with Christian Democrat Luis Fishman's series of commercials, "el menos malo es el mejor" (the least worst is the best). The most hyperbolic and outlandish of these being this one here.

I'm not sure about the baby and the chorus of pregnant women, but if you're interested, there's another video of his explanation of the video's symbolism: something garbled about babies representing new starts and days after elections...blek.

Here's the song's translation:

I'll vote for Luis
my baby will be born soon
The least worst is the best
that's why i'm voting for him
He's the best.
A realist, w/o illusions, I believe him
that's why in February
I'll give my sincere vote to Luis
I'll support the least worst
with flags and a banquet
I'll celebrate it honking*.
I'll follow him.
I'll vote for him.
He's the besssssssssssst!

“The least worst is the best. Fishman.”

[*In Costa Rica, soccer and election victories are celebrated with incessant car honking.]

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

every Scout should replace water periodically

This is from a longer piece called swords with lord baden-powell


our great wetlands
where land is wet so sure

there will be abuses (hold on
to your auto fruition

not to mention unclean subject)
to nominal rejection by opposite sexos

where these are in opposing
life into a gamer's game schedule

small ants collect around scouts' middles
these are food the real slow food
ant vs. whoever grasshopper

enormous vs. steadily enlarging
swollen for a reason vs. taking up inordinate planning
for the family planning entry

small stork wage a war for survival
in a scout's nurturing hand, the charges democratize
and the stork learns a to appreciate fragile homes
a lesson from here:

these lands opened up for development
without asking
no one with permission and rules
is interesting enough to flying animals.