Spanish Conquistadors
The Spanish national soccer (football) team earned the title of World Champion for the next four years, after its 1-0 win over the Netherlands on Sunday, July 11. The following day the national team returned to Spain, specifically to Madrid, for a triumphal procession through the capital city where they greeted throngs of screaming fans. Their chariot—an open-air bus—proclaimed not only their championship but also their conquest of the world.
A Poet, an Empress, and the Sublime
One way to fight an addiction is to try to substitute a second, healthier activity for the baleful one.  Lately, during the evenings, to prevent myself from playing World of Warcraft, I have been translating Russian verse. 
Thoughts on Reading Joseph Levenson
Contrary to the menacing spectacle of national chauvinism associated with China today, Confucian universal values embodied by the idea of tianxia (all under heaven) stem from an ethical scheme of ritualistic empire.  This global view based on cultural improvement is a far cry from the image of modern empires bent on acquiring territories, markets and resources.