Saudi Aramco has a fascinating review of the history and significance of poetry in the Horn of Africa: Somalia did not possess a written language until 1973, when the Latin alphabet was put to Somali phonetics; until then, people who wanted songs and words in their heads had to either memorize someone else’s or compose … Continue reading Of contract negotiation, cryptography, and camels…
I thought it fitting to take a moment this Easter Sunday to remember three noted poets who gave their life in a struggle against British rule. Patrick Pearse (Pádraic Anraà Mac Piarais) — called the “embodiment of the rebellion” and credited with proclaiming a Republic — Joseph Mary Plunkett and Thomas MacDonagh. After the British … Continue reading The Easter Rising and Vernacular Poetry
Let’s say the public is polled, and they say they oppose something; perhaps something like drilling for oil in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge: Question: Should oil drilling be allowed in America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? — 53 percent — Do Not Allow Oil Drilling — 38 percent — Allow Oil Drilling The poll found a … Continue reading If we oppose drilling, why do we do it?
by Jim Harrison in The Shape of the Journey I went to Tucson and it gave me a headache. I don’t know how. Everyone’s a cousin in this world. I drove down a road of enormous houses that encompass many toilets. Down hallways, leaping left or right, you can crap at will. A mile away … Continue reading 16