Vol. 2, No. 4, Winter 2005 :: IMMANENCE
Writing on the existential problem of immanence, whether there is essence, something inherent and intractable, something guaranteed or inborn. The question is a question of 'ifs', of whether or not what is carried within a word, an idea, a mind or a body, is somehow a factor of universal integrity, or whether it is an accident of circumstance...

Reading as Being & Being Otherwise
MEDIA LITERACY IS AN ELEMENTARY REQUIREMENT IN A CULTURE WHERE ALL INFORMATION IS CONVEYED VIA PRINT, VISUAL OR ONLINE MEDIA
Updated, Posted to Silva 5 March 2006

We are what we read, or rather, what we take in, and what we are able to digest in full or in part. We are, beyond what is read, the extent to which we read the world. Our self depends almost entirely on our ability to make sense of information we encounter in the course of our existence. We are the extent to which we achieve a reading of the world that works and fosters new beauty and new readings.

Media literacy is implied not only by the medium itself, but by the nature of the function of communications media in general. It can be said that a pre-eminent expectation of journalists, editors, producers and directors requires of viewers, readers, and consumers a certain amount of cultural and political savvy. The extent to which we know the truth may depend entirely upon our ability to fulfill this expectation.

The important question, then, is: to what extent does this implied prerequisite dampen or modify the adaptation of truth that is presented to us? Isn't a certain degree of media literacy required in order to maintain an open and liberated society of individuals? In sum, does the nature of the service provided by media imply a service relationship where the served have an obligation to redefine, in broad terms, the mandate for service, in essence: to secure the proper dissemination of truth among all citizens so that all may remain free and capable?

The question also arises: to what extent does the dissemination of information embody the struggle for power between official representatives of a power structure and the People whom that structure is meant to serve? It is entirely possible that an ulterior text emerge within the body of an informational source. In a free society, independent sources of information have this freedom, can openly and unashamedly put forth ideas without having to distort news items or obscure their editorial positions, but the reader is always obliged to look into reports from such sources and learn where the line between fact and foment is drawn, and how clearly.

When a civil or political power dispenses information, the choice is not so clear; in fact, in a proper circumstance, there is no such choice: in service to a free society, a legitimate government should not engage in ulterior textualization, should not push an agenda or propagandize. It must, as a requirement of its service to the public, produce fact and only fact. It should embrace good ideas, but this is accomplished through the activities of elected representatives responding to recommendations from the private sphere, from science, public debate and academics.

In the end, the view/reader/citizen must learn to distinguish between e-mails, news reports and soundbites that are intended to push methods as ends in themselves and sound factual reports.

Don Quijote de la Mancha, Libro I Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha inició su carrera histórica con un éxito inmediato e internacional, y tras cuatro siglos de ávida lectura, traducción, ilustración y difusión, se ha convertido en uno de los libros fundamentales de la literatura universal moderna.		Don Quijote de la Mancha, la Tercera Parte Alberto Báez Primera novela de Alberto Báez publicada por Casavaria, relata la la búsqueda y el descubrimiento de un manuscrito que forma la tercera parte de las crónicas que relatan las aventuras del "ingenioso hidalgo", Don Quijote de la Mancha.
BREVÍSIMA RELACIÓN DE LA DESTRUCCIÓN DE LAS INDIAS Bartolomé de las Casas Los tratados de Bartolomé de las Casas son alegatos en favor de los indios; el más conocido de éstos, Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias, no fue publicado hasta 1552. Junto a pasajes como el anterior, con apasionadas descripciones del Nuevo Mundo, Bartolomé de las Casas reflexiona sobre la Conquista y sus secuelas. [Siga...]		GRAMÁTICA DE LA LENGUA CASTELLANA Antonio de Nebrija La Gramática de la lengua castellana de Antonio de Nebrija fue publicada en 1492. Era la primera gramática de una lengua romance. Su «Arte» serviría a quienes, por pertenecer al reino o tratar con España, necesitasen aprender su lengua. La lengua era un instrumento del imperio entonces en plena expansión... [Siga...]