Tuesday, September 15, 2009

6/24

Pittsburgh will host the G-20 meeting in about a week and a half. Some local residents felt "outraged, because of all issues that it will bring" like the punks coming to manifest against it. Other residents consider it an historical event. Me: I wish I knew if I will have to work during the event...


If you think your life is bad, just think about this guy - "specialized personnel" was not able to find a vein so they can administer his lethal injection. So they give him a break: two weeks, no more, no less. So, what do you think: cruel and unusual punishment? I mean, com’on you try to kill the guy for 2 hours and because you cannot succeed to kill him you tell him: well, let's try next week?
This is why I cannot agree with the death penalty; it is not because I consider his action less despicable but shan't we behave humanly because they did not behave so?


I am enjoying "Reading Lolita in Tehran". This time I am not going to bore you and try to review the book. I shall quote Margaret Atwood instead:
"Azar Nafisi's engrossing Reading Lolita in Tehran is the sort of book that ruins the sleep of those in charge of placing books in bookstores. Where to shelve it? Under literary criticism? No, for although it subjects a number of classics to revealing scrutiny, that would miss much of its point. Under memoirs? Similar problems: although its story is intertwined with the life of its author, it is not that life. Women's issues or feminism would not be entirely out of place—the main characters who both act and suffer in this book are female—but again, in such a classification something would be lacking. A mischievous soul might stash it under book groups, which would be about as appropriate as my college library's choice of veterinary medicine for Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon: there is a book group in Reading Lolita, but it is more like a life raft than an after-work social gathering."


Last, but not least:You might have noticed the changes to my blog layout. The main reasons for these changes were to simplify a visitor's access and to ease the reading of the post:black on white seems to be best. You will also note a new category :me, myself and... : it is designed to group links to certain blogs, essays, articles I had liked as well as blogs, essays, articles belonging to people that I like -some I met in real life , just in case you doubted that the person beyond this blog is real....

4 comments:

Paul said...

Will you be out in the street waving a placard at the G-20? Haha, I don't think so. The death penalty is brabaric and you have pinpointed an excellent argument against it. I can't wait to get my internet connection back so I can explore all your new linkages.

Ana said...

As an elegant lady, I would go out on the street waving placards only if I could see some imminent threat. I know that China and US are not likely to reach any significant agreement in only two days, so…
I agree with “barbaric” – there is no civilized way to kill.

Julie said...

Very chilling. I have read some articles about racism and the death penalty. It makes me wonder why some people go free and others are executed. What a crazy world.

I hope you can get off work for the G-20. I love your blog's new look. It's beautiful and easy to navigate and read.

Ana said...

Julie,

Some people go free because they can afford very good lawyers –think O.J Simpson. The system is far from perfect, it cannot be perfect. And this shall be one more reason against the death penalty: death is too final…