White Ribbon Day…
is this weekend. I heard Andrew O’Keefe, of Aussie Deal or No Deal (in)famy, on JJJ this afternoon talking about it. I was very impressed with his attitude. He had a great deal of ownership of the whole programme – it was all “we” and “us”.
It’s a fabulous cause, obviously, so it’s magnificent that they are getting some sort of a celeb on board – especially since I presume Deal has a fairly large daily/weekly audience, allowing the message to get out to (hopefully) a large group of people. Whatever works is good.
Damming Sudan
This is a particularly appropriate title of an article in Archaeology magazine, an exceprt of which can be found here. I am so angry at what is being done here – the lack of attention that is being paid to the remains of the area, which may well be incredibly significant. But it also makes me wonder a lot of things.
How much does it matter if we don’t know about a certain period of time? (and how much is that a heresy for a historian?) We are always told not to make a case from silence, but surely there are many, many things we don’t know because it never got written down, or the mss/artefacts were not preserved… surely some, at least, of what we know is preserved by fluke alone. So does it matter that we don’t know something? How much does it matter? How can we make that call? I just don’t know the answer to that question, and it bugs me a lot. Does it change the world that we don’t know exactly how Nubia/Sudan influenced the ancient Egyptians, or more recently medieval African Christians? Maybe not that much… except that more people might respect the modern inhabitants of the area if that became more well-known (which begs the question, how much do people pay attention to historical/archaeological discoveries? Not that much, I suspect, except when it’s about homo sapiens and Neanderthals having sex…).
How do you make the call between modern needs and archaeological needs? I guess people who are still alive take precedence, but surely there can be ways that both interests can be served? It makes me very sad both that nomads are being displaced by this new dam, and that lots and lots of archaeoloical stuff will be lost. But that tribal elders can think that keeping archaeologists out because it will slow the dam down means either that they are stupid and naive – which I am very not convinced by – or they are getting bad advice….
Richard Pipes
I’ve just finished his Concise History of the Russian Revolution, preparing for next year. The book as a whole is fascinating, and glaringly showed up my lack of knowledge, but the end in particular is interesting, for its ruminations – and, to some extent, attack – on historians and thinkings about history. He says that historians should not be passionless in dealing with their subject, that we should not always be scientific in our thinking about historical events.
He says a lot of other things, but right now I have to both make a cassata and get busy with my reports, so I am going to leave this half-thought-out and do those… because my brain really isn’t on theoretical things at the moment.
Still in the Kingdom of Heaven
Gosh, it’s so useful to have a leader who used to be a blacksmith, isn’t it? You can think up all sorts of useful little tricks to bring down the belfries.
And, much as I am embarassed to admit it, Orlando really is a bit of a cutie (sorry J, but he is). He does always play the same character, though… much like Hugh Grant. And bordering on being almost as weak-looking, too. Perfect for Paris Alexandros… what a pansy.
ASIM
New ASIM! Hurrah! Voume 26… review to follow… I’ve read maybe half; it’s mostly good, but not as overwhelmingly good as previous issues.
Kingdom of Heaven
So I borrowed this out for viewing with some students on a Medieval Day we had at school. We offered Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Monty Python and the Holy Grail also, and I watched the former. I was glad I did, since half way through one of the teachers came and asked whether I had seen it, and if I knew where to forward it to. I hadn’t, so I didn’t; she said the kids were getting bored because it was a talkfest, with very little fighting.
Anyway, we decided to watch it tonight, since it’s our Friday and there is nothing else on TV. It’s not quite as bad as the teacher suggested yesterday, but I can see why the kids were bored. The fighting is – well, I think it’s stylised in some ways, and there really isn’t as much as I had expected. I had thought that this was set during one of the actual Crusades, but it isn’t. (but OH – we just got to the Saladin bit, and that is clever! I knew the Saracen he didn’t kill wasn’t a servant or slave… oh hang on, I thought he was Saladin himself. OK, that’s not quite as cool as I originally thought. Oh well.).
There is a lot of talking. And some bits that I find highly dubious. However, the fact that I picked it was going to be Baldwin the Leper as king has me very smug (and the mask is very cool; I wonder how Edward Norton felt about that, since you basically don’t know it’s him). And the portrayal of Saladin is very positive, for a Hollywood film. Made in 2005… so after the latest crusade was preached by Bush… I wonder if that is deliberate.
Lots of familiar faces in this film too, which is fun. Reinault, he fauning leader of the Templars, was Menelaos in another role. Jeremy Irons, hurrah! Liam Neeson, for all of 10 minutes. Guy de Lusignan… what a different role for Martin Csorkas. I loved him in Aeon Flux, and of course as Celeborn. And the lord not killed by Orlando was blown up in Spooks in very sad fashion. (Notice how I am not bothering to mention Orlando? Pft. Playing Will, again, basically.)
Carole King
Carole King being interviewed on the 7:30 Report, as she’s in the country at the moment – wish I was going to see her, but oh well. She comes across as a lovely person; it’s bizarre to think that she was originally too shy to perform herself. She was performing in James Taylor’s band as a back-up singer, and he basically forced her up the front to perform at a concert. That’s cool.
Ooh, footage of her singing “You’ve got a friend” – shivers up the spine! She’s just great. “It’s too late” is still one of my favouritest songs ever. Which is a bit odd, and probably disturbing to J, but eh.
I didn’t know she was an environmentalist. That’s cool too.
Weather
It’s November, God! Hello!! Yes, I know we need the rain, but… hail? And snow?? That’s just a bit crazy.
Isn’t it?
Books up for grabs
We’re having a minor clean-out, and these are the books I’ve decided I can bear to part with!
Fantasy/scifi:
Till we have Faces, by CS Lewis
House Atreides, by Brian Herbert
Ash: A Secret History, by Mary Gentle
The Misplaced Legion, by Harry Turtledove
The Skystone, by Jack Whyte
Run to the Stars, by Michael Scott Rohan
The Galactic Milieu trilogy – Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask, and Magnificat – by Julian May
Hal Spacejock, by Simon Haynes
Time Storm, by Gordon R Dickson
The Deep Range, by Arthur C Clarke
The Deepest Sea, by Charles Barnitz
Titan, by Stephen Baxter
Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card
ThiGMOO, by Eugene Byrne
Eragon, by Christopher Paolini
Labyrinth, by Kate Mosse
“Literature”
Three Jacobean Tragedies
Unnatural Fire, by Fidelis Morgan
Le Morte D’Arthur, by Malory (translated)
Box, by Penelope Todd
The Lost German Slave Girl, by John Bailey
Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
The Lost King of France, by Deborah Cadbury
Other (mostly action/adventure)
Wings of the Storm, by Susan Sizemore (!)
The Guns of Navarone, by Alistair MacLean
Ice Station, by Matthew Reilly
I, Claudia, by Marilyn Todd
The Little Lady Agency, by Hester Browne
Atlantis Found, by Clive Cussler
Warriors of the Dragon Gold, by Ray Bryant
True Polar Adventures, by Paul Downswell
The Summer of my Greek Taverna, by Tom Stone
Rule No5: No Sex on the Bus, by Brian Thacker
There’s also some old travel mags. Interested in any of them? Let me know! In the comments, or alex@ the url of the site.
Tibetan railways
I’ve been really digging having World Hum on RSS. Thanks to it comes this article on the railway that China has built into Tibet – the highest railway, I think, anywhere. It’s about the experiences of the author on the 48 hour trip. I’d love to visit Tibet some day… but probably not by this train.
Randomly Yours, Alex 