This article should have, in addition to the title, an epigraph that would say: “How to get away with your attempt. And perhaps with your neighbor’s.” That would not mean that it is advised to act with premeditation, treachery and advantage. It does mean, yes, that with a little ingenuity you can achieve things that, seen at first glance, seem impossible to achieve. I will start by mentioning a notebook. It appeared to me in a box full of papers that I was going through last night. At my age, Saturday nights are no longer what they were at another age. I leafed through it – I leafed through it – and found notes from my time as a student at Indiana University. I found class notes, and among its pages the stub of a ticket to the Rose Bowl from January 1968. The result of that game was the one that I will cite shortly with great sadness: University of Southern California, 14; Indiana, 3… The big figure in that game was a guy from USC named OJ Simpson. Here’s another half-ticket, for an Ella Fitzgerald recital. I also see an entrance pass to a poetry reading by Pablo Neruda. I remember the occasion. When the poet began to read his verse there were a thousand listeners in the crowded room. When he finished we were 200. And it is that Neruda destroyed the beauty of his poems by reading them in a monotonous and tired voice, without ever looking up from the pages. Now I look at, written in a very particular shorthand version that I can now barely decipher, the notes I took at a lecture given by Henry Kissinger, then at the height of his power and his fame. “… You can achieve anything if you know how to take advantage of the ambition of those who also want to achieve theirs. Let’s do a very simple exercise that I hope will be interesting. Let’s propose to achieve something, the most absurd thing that you can imagine. Let’s propose, for For example, marrying a Rockefeller daughter to a mujik -a poor peasant- from Russia… (Laughter). The first thing we will do is travel to Russia. There are only mujiks there. (Laughter). We choose one at random, any , and we say to him: ‘Would you like to marry an American?’. ‘Marry an American? – the mujik will be surprised. – Why? There are very pretty girls here.’ ‘But this is the daughter of Rockefeller.’ “Well, the truth is that I wouldn’t mind marrying her” (laughs). We have taken the first step. And the first step is always the most difficult (laughs). The rest is a matter of mere detail. Now let’s travel to Switzerland and let’s present ourselves at a meeting of the board of directors of the Swiss Bank, the most important from the country. ‘I have come to propose a mujik for President of the Council.’ ‘Are you crazy?’ ‘Not that much. This mujik is Mr. Rockefeller’s son-in-law. ‘Ah, well. Ahem. What is the distinguished gentleman’s name?’ (Laughter). The second step is done. Let’s go to the third. We will now meet with Mr. Rockefeller. ‘Would you accept a Russian mujik as your son-in-law?’ ‘What do you mean? A Russian mujik? Nonsense! My daughter can only marry a banker.’ ‘This mujik is president of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Bank.’ ‘Really? When could I introduce you to my daughter?’ (Laughter). Now let’s put the cherry on the cake. (Laughter). We’re on our way to break the news to Miss Rockefeller: she’s marrying the president of a Swiss bank. She won’t like the idea. She knows the bankers. (Laughter). ‘They are very boring’ -she will tell us. ‘You are right, Miss Rockefeller. What do you think, then, if she marries a Russian mujik?’ ‘A Russian mujik? Gee, that sounds interesting!’ (Laughter). Girls and boys: our purpose is fulfilled.” (Boisterous laughter and applause.) THE END.
LOOKOUT
By Armando SOURCES AGUIRFRE
STORIES OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
The Lord God saw Cain and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Herod and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Attila and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Napoleon and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Hitler and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Stalin and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
The Lord God saw Putin and said:
-I mine! What did I do?
Until tomorrow!…
MANGANITES
by AFA
“. AMLO inaugurates his airport.”.
There will be a ribbon cutting
to the applause of his people.
now only missing
that one day I will fly an airplane.
#politics #worse