Now it is said that rap music has eroded our moral fiber, but in 1914 Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., proclaimed that “the Negro race [was] dancing itself to death” with ragtime. The white race was doing the same, and lessons had to be given on how to dance without moving the shoulders or the hips. … More Roads to Perdition
This video of the Faroes was made in August, 2006. The Hilaro choir of Estonia, which visited then, is singing an abstract song on the soul. Axé.
I saw this excellent photograph, of an audience member at Alberto Gonzales’ testimony last Thursday, chez Life’s Journey. Meanwhile at Nezua’s, we can actually watch Gonzales equivocate. William Rivers Pitt says [t]here can be little doubt […] that Alberto Gonzales was elevated to his position by Bush to effect a political takeover of the Justice … More Our Continuous Coup d’état
Walter Benjamin says that ‘translatability’ is one indicator of a work’s quality, that neither the work nor its translation was created for the reader, and that translation is a ‘mode’. From his famous essay: 1. Translation is so far removed from being the sterile equation of two dead languages that of all literary forms it … More The Task of the Translator
As it is April, and as I am dreaming of ancient languages and points north, we will read in Middle English of sweet showers, and listen to the original sounds while reading a modern translation of Chaucer right here. I do not read Middle English well, but I am hoping to read Faroese at least … More Here bygynneth the Book of the tales of Caunterbury
From Sorvagur on the isle of Vágar, the ferry takes you to Mykines to walk and look at puffins. The Vestmanna Cliffs, also reachable by boat, are a good place to hike and see Arctic birds. Walks you can take from Tórshavn include the village of Kirkjubour. Other good walking bases are Viðareiði, reachable by ferry, and Oyndarsfjørður, Funningsfjørður, … More Hiking in the Faroes
It is the weekend, so we will sing. Now Erkin Abdulla is singing in Uighur. There is a solo on his website. Besides being an international-style pop singer from East Turkistan, Abdulla is an associate director of the Chinese Flamenco Association. Here, for instance, he sings in Chinese, with Flamenco rhythms and dancers, about Ali … More Nime Boldi
The Kingdom of Denmark still includes Greenland and the Faroes. Føroyar were originally settled by Norsemen, but they identify strongly with the Shetlands and the Hebrides. Many of the women have Scottish DNA. The Danes had colonies in the West Indies, India, and Africa as well, but its Arctic zone is the largest. Iceland won … More Island, Grønland, Norge, Føroyar
One of the reasons I loathe grading in intermediate courses, and my mood is bleak, is that I have to read too many texts like this: The adoptive mother discovers that her son’s birth parents may still be alive, and may not have given their child up willingly. She makes a great effort to contact … More Things I Would Rather Not Know
This blog sounds altogether too pedantic lately, when not downright dour. But there is some fun I would like to have, and although I do not know whether I can afford it, I believe I should really try. One of my relatives, a rather well known composer and poet, has died. His urn will be … More In Nordic Light
coldhearted scientist وداد 