Big Think

Do we always get what we pay for?

Is there anybody in the audience who has been following up on the latest events of Italian politics, inclusive of the not so edifying example of verbal exchange which has the taken place in the Upper Chamber (Senato, these are the elected individuals of socalled senior stature and maturity) after the vote which has brought down  the Government coalition?Here comes a  question found in the mail from  Gilgamesh, a friend of mine:Do Italian politicians represent a mere distortion   of the  Italian Electorate or ratheraren’t they the true mirror of the Italian people …and their character?Generalizing is an old evil but the picture of the political Italian scene over the years speaks by itself.  If “we get what we pay for”  “what to do”  in  order to make a wiser investment? … Read More

January 27, 2008   | 

Drink and Forget or Pain kills Pain?

Once upon a time there was a friend of a friend of mine who all of  a sudden was abandoned by his wife.  Ever since he has been getting drunk  at night, every single day of the week, while crying and moaning about his runaway wife.  Fist observation: while he is drunk and drinking, he is totally absorbed by the thought  of his wifeIn the morning, every single day  of the week, he can  be found in the coffee shop  drinking gallons of black coffee, with a squeeze of lemon, which is known to take care  of hangover and headache from the  excessive drinking of the night before. Second observation: while he drinks gallons of coffee he is solely absorbed by the need to get rid of his headache and does not even remember his runaway wife.Now comes the question which I have received in the mail from Ipotetico, this friend of mine, and an acute observer of human behaviour:Is it true that “one drinks in order to forget” or rather isn’t it true that “one drinks in order to have that type of headache which does help to forget the reason why one wanted to get drunk in the first place?“Coffee better than alcohol”  or“Pain kills pain”  as the old sage would say? … Read More

January 27, 2008   | 

Re: Re: How do you contribute?

the idea that language is made much more powerful by unique recombination of words in creative ways is to me the very essence of (good) literarure, whether it be prose or poetry. This might also explains while extensive, if not compulsive, reading helps  anyone develop one's own writing skills, though only a few are bestowed with the gift of the art of writing. … Read More

January 26, 2008   | 

Re: Time's Down

Time is nothing else than the contrary state to stillness. Hence the owner of time is anything or anybody that  introduces a change in the state of things. What does time's down mean? As a non-English native speaker I don't think I have come across this expression before. … Read More

January 26, 2008   | 

Re: How globalization is changing the way we eat

Tanya, very pleased to hear that in your opinion what globalization has brought about is in fact the need to rediscover and appreciate the beauty of one’s own culinary culture,  taste  and flavors. It might be far fetched but  what if this could set the stage for the new modus vivendi of the melting pot which the world is turning into? Also thanks to the Internet. I also love what you said about bread and the uniqueness of old recipes.  A staple food which survives the storms of human history. … Read More

January 19, 2008   |