Demonic Foes (Review)

 

Demonic Foes

This is a work written by New Yorker Richard Gallagher. The printed version contains two hundred and fifty-five pages of content.

This book, which I read and enjoyed in approximately nine days, tells the story of a psychiatrist (the author) who delves into his professional practice as a consultant and collaborator in behavioral cases, as well as in Catholic exorcisms and the work of some evangelical pastors, who presented supernatural and inexplicable characteristics.

Throughout the work, Richard Gallagher shows us the characteristics and origins of demonic manifestations, as well as their structural and detailed classification, using as examples the anecdotes of cases he experienced firsthand.

Do you believe in evil or demonic spirits? Do you suspect their existence? Have you had strange experiences that you can't explain? Well, this work is for you; it will captivate you from the first page to the end.

And one last, very special recommendation: read it during the day, never at night. Enjoy it!

Note: The reviewer only writes about books they liked.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

A History of the World in Six Glasses (Review)

A History of the World in Six Glasses.

This is a work written by Londoner Tom Standage. The printed version contains 286 pages.

This book, which I read in about a month, tells the story of six types of beverages and the enveloping cultural circumstances that accompanied each of them. From the now very popular beer, through wine, aromatic coffee, aristocratic tea, and culminating with the globalized and always refreshing Coca-Cola.

Standage did extensive research and left this literary gem for the annals of history and for future generations to research. This is a necessary manual in today's world, to understand the origin and evolution of these socially gratifying liquid companions.

Note: The reviewer only writes about books he or she enjoyed.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

Podcasts: substitutes for communication and associative deficiencies?

"Podcast" is a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast".[8][9][10] The earliest use of "podcasting" was traced to The Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley, who coined it in early February 2004 while writing an article for The Guardian newspaper.[11][12] The term was first used in the audioblogging community in September 2004, when Danny Gregoire introduced it in a message to the iPodder-dev mailing list,[13][14] from where it was adopted by podcaster Adam Curry.[15] Despite the etymology, the content can be accessed using any computer or similar device that can play media files. The term "podcast" predates Apple's addition of podcasting features to the iPod and the iTunes software.[16] Source: Wikipedia

While podcasts originated in radio broadcasting, as of this writing, the dissemination of these content files on a wide variety of topics has shifted to social media, subscriber communities, and audiovisual consumers. YouTube is the most preferred program by creators, with programs in which two or more people ramble on a wide variety of topics. Some, if not most, even offer presentations in theaters or on stages specially designed for this purpose, attracting a large following.

I decided to write about this form of communication because I was surprised by the enjoyment my children felt for such productions—young people who already smell like they're in their thirties. At first, I thought it was a trend spread by word of mouth; but then I said to myself: this must be due to something more psychological, something emotional, or a lack of communication.

Seeing oneself reflected on a screen has always been a fascination for human beings, and theater and film have demonstrated this over the years. People paid an admission fee to enjoy seeing themselves in the mirror of these manifestations of sociocultural expression. The same thing happened with the advent of television, which went even further by making its way into the living room of homes; it was no longer necessary to incur a monetary outlay or leave the house.

I can believe I've come to an understanding of why podcasts are so popular: young people who are within the most intense parameters of an economically productive life, having less time to spend with their peers, successfully manage to catch up on the elements that emerge in everyday life, as well as on fashions and trends in various aspects of daily life or those closest to reality. In this way, I believe that podcasts constitute a necessity within these social groups, as they become substitutes for significant communicative and associative deficiencies within this globalized and somewhat dehumanized world.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel