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Who Reads Here
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Apr
28
On Elections
April 28, 2007 | 6 Comments
Before I start, let me say three things.
First, I am a civil servant, for better or for worse, for my sins. As a civil servant, I am obliged to serve the government of the day, no matter whose initials they wear.
Second, as a writer, I prefer not to politicize (in terms of superficial party [...]
Apr
22
Let’s Give ‘em Something to Talk About
April 22, 2007 | 5 Comments
There’s a site called Strange Maps, which fascinates me. The owner is a person after my own heart, but more diligent; he(?) understands that mapping is an exercise not only in making sense out of the world, but in dominating the world. A map, like a book, is not a fact; it is [...]
Apr
19
Why Poetry Matters - Giovanni’s “We Are Virginia Tech”
April 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
When it’s good, and when it’s right, it speaks to that part of us that is deepest and most fully human. All creative art does, when it’s good and when it’s right. This is why those people who ignore or belittle or sideline or erase creative endeavours — from the education administrators who [...]
Apr
16
Tourism - a different perspective
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Literature is driving tourism in many places.
This post, from GalleyCat, caught my attention:
Dickens World, a theme park devoted to - you guessed it - the work and life of Charles Dickens, has had its opening delayed to May 25. The BBC reports that the one-month delay of the four-acre attraction in Chatham, Kent had been [...]
Apr
14
New Theme?
April 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Well, maybe.
Though I really like Red Zinfandel, there was a bug in it that meant that it kept reverting to the default theme. And because I took people’s advice and renamed the default folder, that meant that it would turn blank every now and then.
I rather like this one, I must say, [...]
Apr
12
My Favourite New Blog
April 12, 2007 | 2 Comments
outside the lines
My brother’s blog. The first Junkanoo blog I’ve come across. At least for now it’s Junkanoo.
And yeah, I’m biased. So what?
It’s got some great posts already, like this one:
Red, white and blue
I can remember the first times I actually rushed, though. In fact I remember the year before that, when [...]
Apr
10
R.I.P. Viveca Watkins
April 10, 2007 | 2 Comments
1951-2007
She passed far too suddenly, far too soon.
Apr
2
English: the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto
April 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment
That title is ironic, by the way. Just so you know.
I also want to link to this article by Sylvia over at Anti-Essentialist Conundrum.
Here’s the bit I particularly like:
we simultaneously promote lockstep conformity to amorphous and contradictory “American†values whose only blatant connection is raw opportunism. We sit and we applaud blatant bigotry [...]
Apr
1
A view from South Africa
April 1, 2007 | 1 Comment
I want to link to a debate on Ten Taxis, a South African blog, for a couple of reasons. One of them is that, in commemoration of the Abolition Act, two Ministers of Government here — Fred Mitchell of Foreign Affairs and Alfred Sears of Education — organized two days of activities that helped [...]