As if Edinburgh didn’t have enough book temptation…
I heard a rumour at the end of last year that a Middle Eastern specialist bookshop was going to open in Edinburgh. After months of intermittent hovering about on Google, … Continue reading
Greycat
I shall probably cringe with shame and delete this post later on, but this evening I’m in a wistful, nostalgic kind of mood. In the middle of having another clear-out … Continue reading
‘Human rights’: how meaningless can this phrase become?
A really important article – and a bitter expose of the ironies of Western ‘human rights’ work – came out last night from Electronic Intifada. By Lebanese journalist and fixer … Continue reading
Maxime Rodinson on ideology and oppression
Ideology always goes for the simplest solutions. It does not argue that an oppressed people is to be defended because it is oppressed and to the exact extent to which … Continue reading
Manchester/climate change short story competition
Manchester Climate Monthly is running a short story competition on the theme of “Manchester in a warmer world” (that’s Manchester, Britain, not some American interloper). You don’t have to live … Continue reading
Some ancient history on Nigel Farage, UKIP and the BNP
The Francis Wheen article reproduced below is from 1999 – which seems like a terrifyingly long time ago – and was originally published in The Guardian. It’s a reminder, whilst … Continue reading
UK Border Agency vs art/sanity (AGAIN)… and an intemperate rant against UKIP
Facebook is bad for my blood pressure. Usually because of its commercialised intrusive horribleness (although AdBlock still goes a long way…), but also because of information like this, from yesterday: … Continue reading
TWO paid postgrad internships in Arabic/English publishing
… both based in London (booo…) and both open to people with Masters level degrees from UK universities or enrolled on PhD programmes at UK universities. Both organised by the … Continue reading
The Queen of Sheba/Kathleen Jamie
The Scottish Poetry Library has a delightful programme of publishing a set of postcards every six months, each featuring different poems or excerpts from them. One of the first I … Continue reading
New article: Palestinian-Scottish bilingual poetry collection
Electronic Intifada, 1st May 2013 In 2003, Iyad Hayatleh and Tessa Ransford met during a project to introduce Scottish and refugee poets to one another. Hayatleh is a Palestinian “double … Continue reading
RIP Rabea
A few hours ago the Freedom Theatre in Jenin put out this short statement: The Freedom Theatre mourns the death of one of our graduated Acting School students, the brave … Continue reading
Forensics, denial, Rios Montt, Green Lines and ratshit
Last Monday I had the privilege of seeing Eyal Weizman deliver the 2013 Tom Hurndall Memorial Lecture at Manchester Metropolitan University. Tom, in case you don’t know, was a young … Continue reading
Overheard on a train
On the subject of holidaying in Bulgaria: “oh yes, there’s loads to do there. It’s almost like Blackpool”. Which leads me to wonder…?
Rant warning: on capitalism, the Western media and different types of explosions
It is a commonplace which has, in a few days, spread from the leftist Twittersphere to the liberal media (hell, even Owen Jones is doing articles on it now) to … Continue reading
