Hablar de política es hablar de poder. Esto puede parecer una perogrullada para algunos, pero la polisemia de la palabra “política”, que además está llena de matices, puede llevar a graves malentendidos.

En primer lugar, ¿de qué política estamos hablando? En este caso, entendemos por política la actividad destinada a la toma de decisiones colectivas, es decir, la gestión de conflictos. Sabemos que el conflicto es inherente a las sociedades humanas, por lo que debe ser considerado como un fenómeno natural dentro de ellas.

Un esbozo de marco conceptual

En este contexto, dado que el surgimiento de conflictos parece inevitable, surge una incertidumbre respecto al futuro. Dicho de otro modo, si en cualquier momento pueden aparecer problemas de convivencia social, el statu quo no puede permanecer inmóvil ni invariable. El conflicto, o la amenaza del mismo, genera cambios en las circunstancias, lo que hace necesario lidiar con nuevas condiciones.

Para establecer la relación entre esta definición de política y el poder, es necesario aclarar también qué entendemos por poder. Dentro del contexto político, el poder tiene dos elementos clave: la autoridad, es decir, la capacidad de garantizar la obediencia, y la legitimidad, que es la aceptación de dicho poder por parte de la comunidad. En el contexto actual, la política se hace desde o a través del Estado(1) y este es el que ejerce el poder, para ello hace uso del monopolio de violencia para ejercer su autoridad y de la estructura democrática, en sus distintas formas, para henchirse de legitimidad.

Un ejemplo típico de la relación entre poder y política se encuentra en la educación primaria. Existe un consenso social, ya sea implícito o explícito, de que la educación primaria es tanto un derecho como una obligación. Por tanto, los niños hasta cierta edad deben asistir obligatoriamente a un centro educativo para ser instruidos. Incluso si esto va en contra de la voluntad del menor o de sus padres. En el Estado español es el Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional el responsable de diseñar el currículo que dicta los contenidos de ese aprendizaje forzoso.

El caso valenciano

Muchas regiones del mundo, como es el caso de Francia, buscan eliminar cualquier lengua distinta de la oficial para así crear una identidad homogénea en el Estado que legitime su territorio como unidad política inalterable. Por suerte, en España estas lenguas gozan del estatus de cooficiales, es decir, son lenguas que deben tener el mismo rango de oficialidad que el castellano dentro del territorio regional. Retomando el currículo educativo, esto introduce un componente lingüístico en la gestión educativa. No todo el currículo escolar está redactado por el Estado central, sino que se cede cierta competencia a los organismos regionales de las diferentes comunidades autónomas. La decisión de qué lengua y en qué proporción se enseña durante la etapa primaria de la educación en cada región es un reflejo directo de la intervención del poder político en la gestión de este conflicto.

Un caso especialmente interesante es el del País Valencià, donde en la educación primaria se enseñan dos lenguas: el castellano y el catalán. En esta región, existe una legitimidad tradicional para que los niños aprendan catalán, ya que es una lengua de arraigo histórico y uso habitual en gran parte del territorio. Al mismo tiempo, al estar esta comunidad dentro del Estado español, también existe una justificación legal-racional para que todos los niños aprendan castellano. Se ha generado una situación de bilingüismo territorial que ha sido y sigue siendo fuente de fuertes tensiones sociales y un campo de batalla político. Lo que lo convierte en un ejemplo relevante para este análisis.

Extensión del Valenciano en la Comunidad Valenciana. fuente: Joan M. Borràs (ebrenc), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

No solo eso, sino que existe una peculiaridad más dentro de València: no todo su territorio es de tradición catalanoparlante. En algunas zonas, históricamente, nunca se ha hablado esta lengua. A pesar de esto, la Ley 4/2018 aprobada por la Generalitat Valenciana, establece un mínimo de horas de enseñanza en valenciano. Esto implica que en áreas donde nunca se ha utilizado esta lengua de forma habitual los estudiantes deben aprenderla ineludiblemente.

La legitimidad en este caso es más difusa, no se puede justificar en la tradición. Lo que sí existe es la autoridad de la Generalitat, por los poderes conferidos por parte del Estado, para llevarlo a cabo e imponer este currículum en las escuelas. Este proceso refleja el ejercicio de poder político a través de la regulación educativa y la autoridad para imponer decisiones que afectan a la población.

La imposición en este caso parece un proyecto a largo plazo: un intento de crear esa homogeneidad lingüística —de inspiración francesa— en todo el territorio, que dote de cohesión identitaria y que, con el tiempo, genere aceptación y, con ella, legitimidad.

El cambio de gobierno y la consulta a las familias

Sin embargo, con el cambio de gobierno hubo un cambio en la política lingüística. Ahora ya no hay “mínimos”. Sin embargo, si con la ley anterior podíamos ver la capacidad de imposición del regulador ahora podemos ver el uso de la democracia como legitimador para, una vez otorgada esa legitimidad, ejercer su proyecto político con independencia del deseo de cada centro y familia.

Me refiero a la famosa consulta a las familias, que fue una votación en la que se pedía a los tutores de los alumnos votar qué lengua será aquella en la que se impartirán las clases, si castellano o valenciano. Como adelantaba, esto tan solo es un legitimador pues, en la práctica, institutos con mayoría de votos a favor de usar el valenciano como lengua vehicular siguieron dando las clases en castellano.

¿Y otras asignaturas?

Para contextualizar mejor la naturaleza del poder político en el ámbito educativo, resulta ilustrativo comparar esta situación con la regulación de la asignatura de religión. De acuerdo con el Real Decreto 243/2022, al principio del curso se debe dar la opción a las familias de cursar o no la asignatura de religión. En el caso de que una sola familia en todo el centro elija cursar religión, se fija la obligación del instituto de garantizar que el alumno podrá asistir a dicha asignatura.

Esta comparación revela una asimetría significativa en el ejercicio del poder político: mientras que la demanda lingüística expresada democráticamente por una mayoría de familias puede ser ignorada en la práctica, la demanda religiosa de una sola familia genera una obligación ineludible para el centro. Asimismo, la fijación del currículo de religión no corre a cargo del instituto, ni de la Generalitat, ni siquiera del Estado central: es la propia confesión católica quien decide los contenidos de la misma. El contenido de la asignatura Valenciano no lo decide una autoridad lingüística o filológica, sino que es marcado por la Generalitat Valenciana, lo cual ha propiciado la aparición nuevos conflictos.

Conclusiones

El análisis del caso valenciano nos permite observar cómo el poder político se manifiesta en la regulación educativa a través de distintos mecanismos: la imposición normativa, la consulta democrática como fuente de legitimidad y la aplicación selectiva de los resultados de dicha consulta. La comparación con la asignatura de religión revela, además, que la autoridad y la legitimidad no operan de manera homogénea, sino que se despliegan de forma diferenciada según los intereses en juego.

El conflicto lingüístico valenciano, lejos de ser una simple disputa educativa, constituye un ejemplo paradigmático de cómo el poder político gestiona —o deja de gestionar— las tensiones inherentes a toda sociedad plural.

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1 – Uso aquí la concepción weberiana del Estado como conjunto de personas que ejerce la dominación sobre otras personas mediante la violencia legítima. Se encuentra desarrollada en varios de sus libros. Muy explícito al respecto es El político y el científico.

Nota: El valenciano es la denominación estatutaria e histórica de la lengua catalana en el País Valencià. A lo largo del artículo se utilizan ambas nomenclaturas indistintamente.

#Artículos

Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: Mini skirts 1, Miss world and emancipation, Kumasi by night, Extraditing scammers and other criminals, and Tomato Italian Restaurant

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Mini skirts 1. Who said corporate fashion has to stop above the knee? Definitely not us! The mini skirt can have a place in the Accra office wardrobe—yes, even when the weather is doing the absolute most. The secret is balance. Because there’s a fine line between “young boss lady on her way to a board meeting” and “I thought this was a Saturday night outing.” Here’s how to make the mini corporate skirt work without compromising your polish. Let the skirt be the “fun” piece: If your skirt is short, keep everything else relatively sophisticated. Think a structured blazer, crisp button-down shirt or elegant knit top. The shorter the hemline, the more refined the rest of the outfit should feel. Translation is If the legs are making a statement, let the neckline take a seat. Go for structured minis: Not every mini skirt belongs in the boardroom. Choose styles with structure—think tailored A-lines, pencil skirts, pleated skirts or clean, straight silhouettes. Avoid anything excessively tight, sheer, distressed or designed primarily for the club. A structured mini immediately says “corporate girlie” rather than “Friday night plans.” The blazer is your best friend: Nothing rescues a mini skirt from looking too casual quite like a good blazer. Try a matching skirt-and-blazer set for maximum sophistication, or pair a neutral mini with an oversized tailored blazer. The blazer adds coverage and creates that effortless “I have a meeting at 10 and a cocktail at 7” energy. Keep the top classy: A mini skirt and a plunging neckline at the same time? Your office might not be ready for that level of confidence. Instead, opt for button-down shirts, high-neck blouses, polo shirts, elegant camisoles layered under blazers or modest fitted tops. Remember: Corporate sexy is about suggestion, not exhibition. Consider your office environment: Let’s be realistic: not every workplace has the same dress code. If your office is conservative, keep your mini closer to the knee and add tights or a longer blazer. If your workplace is fashion-forward and relaxed, you can experiment with slightly shorter lengths while keeping the overall look polished. And if you're heading into a serious client meeting? Maybe save the micro-mini for brunch. Miss world and emancipation. In a test 60 students were randomly placed in a classroom. All those who were seated on the left were told that they were good students and would likely pass the exam, all those seated on the right were told that they’d likely fail. Result? Of the “good” students 70% passed, of the ‘bad” students 70 % failed. In other words, to achieve you need to believe in yourself, if your opinion about yourself is that you can’t achieve you most likely will not achieve. And Miss World? All African contestants think their African hair is not good enough so they have put western style. What’s wrong with our hair? We spend millions every year straightening and attaching, the chemicals used are poisonous and cause cancer, but we insist, we want to look like what we are not. We don't accept the way God made us. And what happens if you think you are not good enough? 70 % failed. But finally a different wind is starting to blow. Ivory Coast only allows natural hair for the Miss Ivory Coast competition. Nana Tamakloe, founder of Ghana Fashion Week is complaining. We just need a few role models showing the right direction and we’d follow. AI Generated Any candidates?

Kumasi by night. Going to Kumasi? Coming back it took my friend 9 hours with STC VIP. No breakdown, just a bit of traffic here and there.

Extraditing scammers and other criminals. Not long ago becoming a cyber scammer was a serious option for earning money in Ghana, and sometimes a lot of money, and quick. The romance scammer is a favourite, fleeing thousands of lonely people off their savings in return for a never arriving lover. Though one wonders how stupid some people are, really. This put Ghana on the world map as a money laundering scamming narco-state, and the good ones are suffering it, the bad ones often not. The recent good news is that one of Ghana’s scam kingpins got extradited to the USA, Ghana has an exrtradition agreeement with them. Finish the bottles of poor quality champagne at 10,000 GHC in some of the night clubs. And I read that nr 2 will soon join his comrade to visit to the USA, courtesy Mr. Trump, long term visa approved. The USA claims that the scammers damaged USA citizens, thus must be punished. I think we can agree. But do monkeys play by sizes? Our very much wanted top scammer Mr. Ken Ofori Atta, our beloved former Minster of Finance who almost managed to collapse the entire economy including a sovereign default, the deepest you can go, is still arguing things out in the USA. He did not commit any crime against any American citizen, only against 37 million African blacks, and I do not see the USA being in a hurry to extradite him back to Ghana for crimes he committed against all of us. Let’s hope the USA does the right thing, or in my eyes they sink even deeper than the sovereign debt Atta caused.

Tomato Italian Restaurant 6 Dodi Link, Airport Residential Area, Accra. I am sure there are other worthwhile Italian restaurants in Accra but if I want a decent spaghetti or thin crunchy pizza this is the place for me. We had a classic Bolognaise which was very nice and a spaghetti Carbonara which could have been better, don't deep fry the bacon! The pizza was perfect. The owner really likes local painters, the place almost looks like a gallery. Maybe not a bad idea, sell spaghetti and in addition artworks for thousands of dollars.

Lydia...

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“Cut them down, rip them all down..”

A while back, I took our music down from streamers. It wasn’t hard, didn’t feel ever like a sacrifice once I finally did it, and it didn’t hurt at all. But at the time I felt like Joan of Arc. I actually made it harder for others to do. Who wants to be Joan of Arc?

Well, that wasn’t so bad.

The fact is not having music on streamers has been nice. Maybe numbers go down somewhere that doesn’t pay me for them, but the positive interactions about my music have skyrocketed. I am no longer a musician in the crowd. There’s no crowd.

What am I in this for?

I value things like warm conversation and exchanging favorite works. I don’t need to monetize that or incentivize it. I already enjoy it. In fact, if I made enough money, I would probably figure out how to buy it. But I have to resort to writing and music, the old-fashioned way. It’s a damn good perk of being a writer and musician that I enjoy those things too. Otherwise this gig would suck. But fortunately I enjoy writing, music, and talking about them. That’s what I aim for, that’s what I get. When I realized that leaving the streamers actually helped me with my goals, I felt vindicated. It wasn’t the annual distribution fee that chapped my ass, it wasn’t so many links to store and copy/paste (although..), it wasn’t even the scammy playlists and folks paying for spots. It was having to partner with such loser companies to “keep up.” Software has always had that pitch. I don’t know why it took me so long to recognize it with music. But I am glad it is recognized.

Want to look at my music? It won’t cost a penny.

So I decided to make a free folder of all the music I have released, (and even not released). It is clearly labeled, what band, what album, what song. Not a mess like a record store. A neat folder. You might appreciate a rundown of what you will find there. This is that.

3 bands to rule them all.

Boots on the Ground – This is a band with BK Birge, (who also writes for the mag). Keri and I drove to his place when he was in Houston not long ago. He had an amazing all analog studio set up there. The board was owned by The Cars! Stuff I had read about, but never heard in real life before. He got me started, The Doc’s fault. We made protest music for a few days, ate delicious food. We will do it again soon.

The Kintners – Keri and I like to sing, write lyrics, record, play small shows with acoustic guitar, and he even help when we can on others’ stuff. The Kintners is the sing-songy band I have always wanted. There's usually harmony, there’s typically lyrics. There’s often big arrangements so far. The next album coming this Christmas 2026, is a double-album of smaller arrangements. Keri writes lyrics like in “Picking Flowers” and it gives me chills for years.

Djembe Funk – This band is me. If anyone is helping their name is part of the title. This is my one-man can do anything band. Djembe Funk’s self-titled record came out June 4, 2026. It is a zany record. Spoken word to protest to punk to acoustic firesides. Before that record, I made a ton of solo stuff, all in the folder.

Shout out to The Horse’s Mouth.

The Treasure is simply the Treasure Chest on The Horse’s Mouth Linktree below my signature at bottom. There, you will find all the free bonuses to the magazine. Art from Chris Triggs, Writers reading audio versions of pieces they wrote, even folks who pitched in the magazine hung around to make music and that is there too.

I need nothing. Just take.

This is a good amount of stuff, it’s all free. I hope you take me up on it. I am done with it, but it really helped me out to make. I’ve learned those kinds of things can help other folks when they’re in the mood for listening. I don’t want numbers going up, I don’t need money, I am counting nothing, except maybe warm conversations where we swap favorite novels.

Thanks.

Kelly Kintner, Editor

The Horse’s Mouth Magazine

There are moments when I look at the absolute weight and caliber of who he is, and it commands my total respect.

It is impossible not to admire him.

He lives life with this quiet, grounded mastery: building things with his own two hands, navigating the rivers and the mountains with such ease, training his dogs, and showing up for his community when people need help. He doesn’t just move through the world; he builds a life in it, piece by piece, with intention and strength. He has done so much, seen so much, and holds this effortless capability that I’ve always found so

deeply attractive.

That strength was magnetic. To be seen by him, to share that sharp, undeniable spark and the fierce alignment we had, it was electric. It was strong, real, and undeniable. I’m sitting here holding all these big, tender feelings while the silence stretches out between us, and I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t still wonder: What if? What if the timing was just wrong? What if the distance closes one day? What if, somewhere down the road, when the air clears and the pieces fall into place, we actually end up together?

The truth is, I really don't know.

It is hard to hold on to a hope like that, but it’s also hard to just turn off the light on something that felt so real to me. Maybe I don't have to figure out the final chapter today. Maybe I can just honor how much I admired him, appreciate the connection we shared, and leave the rest sitting gently in the unknown while I keep moving forward.

Tonight we turn to the NFL. We hope to follow a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets with a scheduled start of 6:00 PM CDT. And we hope to follow game coverage provided by NFL Plus.

And the adventure continues.

14 August 2026

Firmly in the floating world after finding a robust Hokusai monograph at Edith's. These are the works that have been with me since:

Girls at their Toilette, from the series Seven Stylish Foibles (late 1790s) Mountain Tea-house, album-plate from Mists of Sandara (1798) Pheasant in Autumn from Album from Life (c. 1814)

Incoming waves/Receding waves, from Hokusai manga (1815) *One of the best artworks I've ever seen...

Turtles in Sayama Pond, from Hokusai manga (1817) Sunset over Ryogoku Bridge, from Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji (early 1830s) Mt Fuji from Kajikazawa, from Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuiji (early 1830s) The Horse-washing Falls, from The Waterfalls (c. 1833) Suspension-bridge between Hida and Etchu, from The Bridges (c. 1834) Tiger in the Snow (1849)

It was really my first time swimming in the totality of his work, and the first thing that comes to mind as it settles in my head is rhythm. Rhythms of nature; human inclusive. Devotion to its majestic indifference. Waves, waterfalls, hair, fabric folds, wood grain, turtle shell patterns, bird feathers, shifting clouds, and, of course, geologic formations. His stillness is singular, frozen solid yet flowing. I thought often of Turner's Snow Storm (1842), and it's lovely to think about both of them working at the same time—their timelines overlapped almost completely.

I sent Tiger in the Snow to my dad, and he responded with recently captured images from the Inouye solar telescope that show the surface of the sun in more detail than ever seen before. A network of burnt-golden vortices cycling and spiraling. He was right—it looks just like the pattern of the tiger's fur. I don't find this coincidental; Hokusai's subjects are his own dilating device toward an inner actuality that magnified something elemental. Which I am now noticing in the modular makeup of everything moving.

3. Trouble-fête

Le Japon parti, il restait à la France à reprendre le contrôle de la colonie. Les communistes, entrant par la frontière chinoise, commencèrent une guerre de guérilla puis, en 1946, ce fut l’offensive de l’armée de Ho Chi Min pour s’emparer de Hanoï. Le domaine familial s’étendait en pleine zone de combat, il semblait difficile de faire valoir ses droits dans de pareilles conditions. Il faudra attendre encore 3 ans avant que les conditions ne paraissent propices. Le retour fut décidé pour la fin 1949, la situation semblant favorable avec l’imposition de l’usurpateur fantoche Bao Dai et la perspective du commandement du général de Lattre. Cependant un grain de sable imprévu et non souhaité s’installa au cœur du plan : un deuxième enfant, moi, 7 ans après ma sœur. L’état de santé de ma mère inquiétant la famille, la deuxième grossesse s’avérant pénible, il fallut temporiser. On attendit donc la naissance du trouble-fête pour s’embarquer.

Le garçon naquit fin mars, le Viêt Nam et son nouvel empereur fantoche, totalement sous influence d’une France qui venait de rétablir au canon son autorité sur la colonie, venaient d’être reconnu par les USA. Tout allait de nouveau très bien. Du moins le croyait-on, vu de la métropole. En mai, toute la famille embarqua dans l’enthousiasme à Marseille sur un beau bateau blanc. Le bébé se portait très bien, il supporterait le voyage. La mer était belle, l’avenir radieux.

Haïphong, la Venise du Tonkin, juillet 1950. Il pleut dans le Nord. C’est la saison. À peine arrivés sur les bords du fleuve rouge, tout juste remis d’une traversée pas toujours calme, voilà qu’on apprend que les opérations sur la RC4 tournent mal. Très mal. D’abord Dong Khe en août. Puis en septembre c’est le désastre de Cao Bang, la glorieuse armée coloniale n’est plus invincible du tout, c’est très inquiétant. Plus question de Hanoï et des rizières, ça chauffe trop.

#nguolai

Hey did you feel the rain yesterday? Just came out of nowhere, there was even a big yellow sun shining just moments before.

That’s how life often is; one moment everything is fine, then when you least expect it: misery strikes from the least probable angle

Then tears well up inside, of course; sometimes the feelings of betrayal are bigger than what can fit inside a single human being, I think.

But hey, what’s the alternative? You have to participate in this so called life even though you’re several ways of doomed from the start.

(We all know how this will end, even though it’s generally not something we enjoy talking about)

Just hope to have enough grit to get back up on your feet, get up get up get up,

Limp forwards, upwards

Reach for the light!!!!

But it’s not wrong to be angry and sad, because it’s not fair

It’s not fair .

I was never a morning person even when I worked as a private investigator. But I got used to it. Waking my older son up for school still takes getting used to but at least I’m not waking up at 4 to 4:30 am. Still, the idea of sleeping in sounds good right about now.

Which is why I don’t like recommending writers to sacrifice their sleep in order to write. I never liked that particular advice. I’ll take sleep more than a few minutes or an hour of writing. More rest is good.

#writing #children #mornings #school #stayathomedad