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Among the porticoes of Bologna
a few days exploring beautiful Bologna in Northern Italy Continue reading Among the porticoes of Bologna
Month: January 2015
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Orientalism and Genocide
Paris – Belgium – Nigeria – Afghanistan, and we’re still only in January. This coming so soon after a bumper 2014 in which a Christian genocide took place in Iraq at the hands of Islamic State, and countless Muslims in Syria were murdered by the same. The response to this assault on civilisation is a most peculiar thing to watch: like the smoke of an … Continue reading Orientalism and Genocide
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December in Amalfi
The silent, wondrous beauty of Italy’s Amalfi Coast in winter Continue reading December in Amalfi
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the Isleworth Mona Lisa
Did Da Vinci paint two versions of the Mona Lisa? Compelling evidence suggests he did. Continue reading the Isleworth Mona Lisa
So, what about you, Charlie?
Freedom of Speech Continue reading So, what about you, Charlie?
Narcissus of the Republic
The $40 breakfast
I recently shared a cab from Tiong Bahru to the east coast of Singapore with a local woman. It was late at night, there was a paucity of cabs to be had, and we both managed to avoid the unpleasant stand off when one taxi pulls up to two different waiting people. It was very agreeable; she lived a mile further than me, it made … Continue reading The $40 breakfast
… and some have Nationality thrust upon them
Few urban centres can claim to be as pluralistic and lacking in any national identity as London. Being part of London is a life-challenge for the many travellers who pass through, hoping to call it home. They endure, in many cases, three-to-a bed cramped rooms at Waterloo, poor salaries; it is a shared struggle with other kindred souls. The poster above articulates this sense of … Continue reading … and some have Nationality thrust upon them
The Heart is where the Home was
The question of land, urban development, property and who is allowed to live on it, is an unsentimental representation of the emotionless, invisible hand of the market in the face of the common desire to put down roots and create our own history. Sadly, land (just like everything else) is a highly monetized commodity, and any attempt to use it to root ourselves to the … Continue reading The Heart is where the Home was
Muslim Rage, still?
Salman Rushdie is still deplored east of Istanbul: looking at his twitter stream, it is obvious he finds it difficult to restrain his contempt for the illiterate death threats and abuse he still receives for his alleged, but absent blasphemy in The Satanic Verses. I say ‘absent’, because, ten years ago, when England still had laws against blasphemy, 13 Muslim barristers brought a case against … Continue reading Muslim Rage, still?
