Motovun is so dead, its silence is so complete, that one accepts the Buddhist injunction against saying anything that does not make the world better as obvious.

Addendum (December 19, 2009)

I am a funny bird. How funny? Yesterday I got a postcard with an advertisement for Damir Kajin, a hapless candidate for Croatian presidency. He is portrayed as staring to the left above the camera and grinning with bated breath. As he is the closest political associate of Ivan Jakovčić, the indomitable governor of Istria, I could not restrain myself from sending it to the governor with this piece pasted on the back. It felt so good, too. Next to the stamp, I even added another sticker with Warhol’s rendering of Mao, which I love sending to the governor whenever an opportunity arises. The main message on the postcard itself exclaims either “Honest!” or “Honestly!” in Croatian. Try as I might, I could not restrain myself from sending yet another missive to the valiant governor. In spite of everything I know about politics in Istria and Croatia, and by now I do know much more than I have ever wished to know on this contemptible subject, that is how funny a bird I really am. As funny as birds can ever get!