tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72717367423316972462011-04-22T01:54:50.390+01:00Now covering the Edinburgh Festival! Canadian student and journalist reads the Guardian so you don't have to. Current affairs and media criticism from the UK and abroad, queer revolution, and even a little photography.Allisonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-36126984747371698822007-08-25T10:00:00.000+01:002007-08-25T10:05:46.901+01:00

Turkish historian and dissident Taner Akçam added to Book Festival programThe Armenian genocide is probably the most controversial topic a Turkish historian can study. That's why Taner Akçam's mother wishes he had written his PhD thesis on something else. "She is so upset with me. She says, 'You just settled yourself after all your troubles – couldn't you find something else?'" Years later, he

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-24253865413981089712007-08-24T10:54:00.001+01:002007-08-24T10:56:10.696+01:00

From 17 August. Originally published in ThreeWeeks."Does anyone here know anything about finance?" This small question catapulted Andrew Alderson, a former investment banker, to de facto Chancellor of the Exchequer for southern Iraq. Alderson's 'Bankrolling Basra' is by turns hilarious and depressing - by his estimation, the team of Brits that he worked with in Basra had the region stabilised

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-1773141265043605712007-08-23T10:55:00.001+01:002007-08-23T10:57:15.830+01:00

From 15 August. Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Technical problems kept Paddy Docherty from showing us a photo where he is holding a hunk of hashish "the size of a child's head". The image, from a market near the Khyber pass, stuck with me anyway. Countless armies have traveled the Khyber on their way to India, and Docherty's book 'The Khyber Pass: A History Of Empire And Invasion' looks at

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-75768974474842616942007-08-22T18:02:00.001+01:002007-08-22T18:06:03.153+01:00

This is really how it looked. The whole city stopped to stare for a few minutes.From Edinburgh

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-86191257786109766892007-08-22T17:51:00.000+01:002007-08-22T17:55:31.309+01:00

From 11 August. Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Controversy follows Tariq Ramadan to an almost baffling degree. Born and educated in Switzerland, Ramadan is probably the best-known Muslim scholar in Europe. Famously denied a visa to work at an American university, he now studies at Oxford. Ramadan's latest book, 'The Messenger', is a biography of Muhammad. He says that for interfaith dialogue

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-64710773680278495812007-08-22T17:42:00.000+01:002007-08-22T17:44:23.415+01:00

One last theatre review, of a show that isn't playing anymore, but was some of the best fun I've had at the Fringe. Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Something strange is happening in a West Country tea shop, and a ramshackle crew of comic characters seem incapable of getting to the bottom of it. Produced by Fringe veterans SNUG, an 'integrated' theatre project, 'Murder And Marmalade' includes

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-30761333833481256162007-08-22T13:30:00.000+01:002007-08-22T13:32:51.722+01:00

From 13 August. Originally published by ThreeWeeks.There were only four men in this session by Tina Cassidy about her book 'Birth: A Surprising History Of How We Are Born', but there were plenty of women, mostly in groups, who cast significant glances to each other or nodded in agreement as Cassidy spoke. Drawing on her skills as a journalist and her personal experience giving birth to her first

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-38395465034067567342007-08-17T10:00:00.000+01:002007-08-17T10:05:03.089+01:00

Since I'm covering the Book Festival for ThreeWeeks, I'm reviewing one-off readings. It's hard to know what to say most of the time, or why people would read them, so I probably won't repost all of them, but here's my first..."I always feel the imagination is greatly overrated". Strange words from a novelist, but Edmund White is more interested in playing with facts than making things up, and it

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-57541549173276215132007-08-16T09:43:00.000+01:002007-08-16T09:46:17.046+01:00

From Edinburgh

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-67501077457768927732007-08-15T16:13:00.000+01:002007-08-15T16:21:26.531+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Like Rocky Horror with wheelchairs, this show tells the story of Butch, whose dreary existence in a crumbling Northern town is brightened by the discovery of a shoe shop full of "sex, crips and queers". There are plentiful sequins, minimalist, poetic dialogue and music - Sally Clay's beautiful, versatile voice is worth the price of admission on its own. The

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-48007752946698472542007-08-15T16:07:00.000+01:002007-08-15T16:11:55.944+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Some shows are less than the sum of their parts. This musical about a museum where the statues come alive at night is full of players who can evidentially dance, sing and act, yet we only catch a glimpse of their potential. Plot points are the first distraction - the sculptures claim not to remember being the mythological figures they resemble, but then freely

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-36592535713991890722007-08-13T09:13:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:26:11.331+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.This is youth theatre at its best. Commissioned by Westminister Abbey, 'Flesh' brings together students from three secondary schools in London to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Using the story of one man, music and movement, they pack dozens of perspectives on the slave trade into this short production. Clarity suffers a little in

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-62209274817452542152007-08-13T09:11:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:42:33.586+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.I expected controversy from this re-imagined New Testament tale - something cynical and cutting edge. What I didn't expect, or expect to enjoy, was sincerity. The company loves this story, they tell us so straight away - and by the end, you will love it too. In this version, our saviour (Joshua) is born to rotten parents in modern-day Texas. The other twist -

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-52572611934292729102007-08-13T09:00:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:26:11.332+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.If there is peril in writing a play about the theatre, writing yourself in as a passionate, idealistic playwright must be nearly fatal. But this is what Athol Fugard does in his latest work. 'Exits And Entrances' is based on Fugard's relationship with the Afrikaans actor Andre Huguenet - "South Africa's Olivier". Morlan Higgins fills the theatre as Andre - you

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-82285884371024188602007-08-12T11:21:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:26:11.332+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Part cooking demonstration, part improvisation, 'In My Father's House' is ostensibly about plums, but might have more to do with death or religion, if you're looking for deeper meaning. The performers are in character from the moment we enter the theatre - but who are these characters, exactly? If you need definite answers, this is not the production for you.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-56382620338335019072007-08-12T11:19:00.001+01:002007-08-14T08:26:11.333+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.How many missed notes does it take to turn off a full house? Not many, it seems. ExADUS Theatre Company's production of the darkly comic musical 'Little Shop Of Horrors' is fast-paced and well-rehearsed, with creative staging and several good performances. Thomas Holmes is particularly effortless as Seymour, letting us both laugh at and sympathise with the

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-64494666884859829952007-08-11T19:11:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:41:00.251+01:00

The last eleven months, when Edinburgh seemed to do little but renovate, repair and plan for the Festival, it was easy to forget that the month of August itself has little to do with the people who live here. Much of the audience is from away, as are the performers and a substantial number of organisers and writers. It's an awkward embrace, sometimes. Take this tip from the ThreeWeeks Ladies

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-17777016147597222872007-08-11T18:46:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:42:33.587+01:00

I'm covering the Edinburgh International Book Festival now, which is pretty exciting - that tent in Charlotte Square Gardens is like an alternate universe based entirely on books. :)My first reading was a discussion with Tariq Ramadan. He's a Muslim scholar currently at Oxford, one of the best-known in Europe. It was a fantastic session - I'll post more about it once I've written my ThreeWeeks

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-45806578228690779462007-08-10T08:41:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:40:19.168+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.A play about genocide is not the first place you would look for a story of faith and forgiveness. But the tagline to Leslie Lewis Sword’s one-woman show ‘Miracle In Rwanda’ is “finding God in genocide”, and she sees no contradiction. The show, Sword’s Fringe debut, tells the true story of Immaculée Ilibagiza. Ilibagiza lost her family in the 1994 Rwandan

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-31018693175575579072007-08-09T15:38:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:39:55.123+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.What gives a car a “fascinating sound”? For Christian von Richthofen, the percussionist who destroys vehicles, in rhythm, each night during ‘Auto Auto’, the answer is obvious. “How it’s built, what it’s made of. And of course cheaper cars sound better, because there is not so much material inside,” he says. “Never play on Mercedes or Rolls Royce - they sound

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-62668352386086575282007-08-09T15:29:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:41:00.252+01:00

Taken late evening, a few weeks ago.From Edinburgh

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-90329949587515403232007-08-09T12:47:00.001+01:002007-08-14T08:42:33.588+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.This glitter-drenched production recalls the events that led to a 1969 raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York; a raid which turned into a riot, then days of riots, and then the first Pride parade. It's no Andrew Lloyd Webber - the sixties girl group soundtrack is lip synched, and the dance sequences wouldn't hold up on Broadway. But the punchlines hit

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-31985808506388764852007-08-06T20:54:00.000+01:002007-08-06T20:58:15.650+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Superb performances unfortunately serve to underline the problems with James McManus' script, in this drama about amateur boxing, abuse and devotion. We follow no-good Fish from childhood to disaster, and the boxing aspect is well-integrated and interesting. Jason Planitzer is fantastic as Fish's long-suffering brother and kudos goes to the actors for flawlessly

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-73041851408090923982007-08-06T20:31:00.000+01:002007-08-06T20:40:23.727+01:00

Originally published in ThreeWeeks.Early in his show, Stan Stanley greeted some latecomers with the line: "We're having an awkward moment". Unfortunately that was too true. Stanley's Fringe solo debut, a self-deprecating stand-up routine about embarrassment and awkwardness, had solid moments rather than a solid whole. You get the sense that Stanley is charming and funny in the pub, but not yet

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-16338752187786594072007-08-06T09:25:00.000+01:002007-08-06T09:31:29.814+01:00

Fringe Review has compiled a list of nearly all the review sites. The volume is a bit overwhelming, but do have a poke around.My choice this morning is View from the Stalls - there is lots of intelligent content up already.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-9478442035292777702007-08-05T11:25:00.000+01:002007-08-14T08:41:56.747+01:00

I went to see this show after catching a preview at The List's Fringe launch party. It's returning from last year, when apparently everyone loved it. I was not disappointed. Zoonation's "narrative street dance" is the whole package - fantastic breakdancing, obviously, but also fun, subverted fairy tales, clever minimalist sets, even a sprinkling of cute local children from their hip hop

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-43868367057508410172007-08-05T10:39:00.001+01:002007-08-14T08:41:38.787+01:00

Here's what I've found in the way of interesting-looking, regularly updated sites. The Edinburgh Blog has switched over to Festival coverage for the month of August, with mostly Fringe reviews.Fest, one of the review papers, has a blog on their site. Julian Fox is posting, along with some of the writers. I've been enjoying it so far. The Podcast Network is producing regular episodes, but is worth

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-2327349649425057582007-08-05T10:38:00.001+01:002007-08-14T08:41:38.787+01:00

Over the next month I'll be posting a lot about the Festival, the world's biggest arts event and Edinburgh's year worth of cultural life shrunk down into the month of August.The Festival transforms Edinburgh completely - every spare meeting room becomes a bar, and every kitchen becomes a room for let. It actually includes several unrelated festivals, including the International Festival (formal,

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-72379015817184635102007-07-29T11:28:00.000+01:002007-07-29T11:47:34.597+01:00

For the last month or so I've been temping, most recently on a placement which involved a lot of brainless data entry. After a week or so I decided that (1) my hands didn't really need my brain's supervision any more, and (2) my brain was dying from neglect. So I downloaded a variety of podcasts and radio programs. Over the next couple weeks, I discovered some gems, mostly from the CBC. Here's a

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-46201160987111699982007-07-29T11:24:00.001+01:002007-07-29T11:27:18.976+01:00

I've added LesbianDad to the link list on the right, mostly because of this post about the open nature of queer families. It got me thinking; you should read it.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-46239602116588121662007-07-28T12:32:00.000+01:002007-07-28T12:39:12.167+01:00

Our latest ridiculous violation of civil liberties - Heathrow seeks a court order against five million members of UK environmental groups. The ban could keep people off local motorways, and even parts of the London Underground, though Ken Livingston is threatening to sue over that - it's really none of BAA's concern who goes on the Picadilly line. Details are pretty fuzzy on this, and I wouldn't

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-31851191607353804082007-07-16T22:02:00.000+01:002007-07-16T22:41:35.306+01:00

I can't fathom why, but I have now seen the first two episodes of Courtney Cox's new (to the UK) series Dirt. I wasn't expecting to like it, mostly because it's a whole show about trash - Cox plays the ruthless editor of a Hollywood gossip mag.The show is all sex, betrayal, and career-ruining front covers. Celebrities examine the viciousness of celebrity culture - this is supposed to be edgy, I

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-75298289339878567702007-07-14T11:43:00.001+01:002007-07-14T11:59:16.773+01:00

This article, about a social networking site for DC's young elite, is making a bit of a splash on the US liberal internet. (See it linked here, here, and with some interesting observations here.) None of the article surprised me, particularly, but one bit is sticking with me: In June, she attracted a crowd to the Courage Cup, a polo match in Virginia that raises money to teach disadvantaged D.C.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-44721699113299640872007-07-14T10:58:00.000+01:002007-07-14T12:25:25.157+01:00

I saw Harry Potter last night, and I'm not afraid to say so...I thought it was great, maybe the best so far. The pace was a bit rushed at times, but that's the nature of this beast - condensing Rowling's increasingly rambling novels will be more and more of a challenge as the series goes on. It was fun, it was funny, and even the final fight scene managed to engage me, though I'm usually bored by

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-23187277689675445972007-07-13T08:15:00.000+01:002007-07-14T12:28:23.594+01:00

Yesterday morning was more fun thanks to a story near the top of the Guardian - see a synopsis of it here: The footage, a trailer for a fly-on-the-wall documentary, made headline news around the world after it showed [Annie] Leibovitz apparently asking the Queen to remove her crown because it was too "dressy".The Queen was shown saying: "Less dressy? What do you think this is?"In the next shot,

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-12535756116019358762007-07-06T16:48:00.000+01:002007-07-14T12:25:41.617+01:00

From person al blogI went for a walk before sunset a few days ago, up the crags.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-47258768101388925372007-07-05T16:12:00.000+01:002007-07-05T16:35:54.838+01:00

From Feministing - high school students use their White House photo op to hand over a letter condemning the US government's use of torture. It sounds like about a third of this year's presidential scholars signed the letter. Check out an interview below. When I was around this age I was doing a lot politically, much more than I am now, certainly. The energy and fearlessness that I found in youth

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-45742689525727618342007-05-03T17:17:00.000+01:002007-07-14T11:32:40.454+01:00

I am up well past my bedtime watching the Scottish election results trickle in. (The polls closed at 10pm, and three and a half hours later there are three seats declared - what gives?) If I was less tired I might write about left-wing nationalist movements in Scotland and Quebec - Scottish National Party voters are not necessarily pro-independence, much like the Bloc voters that turned against

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-8002421283669934652007-04-22T08:27:00.000+01:002007-07-14T12:27:49.947+01:00

The other day I climbed the Scott Monument, which might be my favourite structure in Edinburgh, mostly because it was built for a poet. It's taller than it looks.From Edinburgh

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-41504300049356209522007-04-09T11:15:00.000+01:002007-07-14T12:25:41.617+01:00

Who knew Scottish weather could be this sunny?From Edinburgh

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-81864723158514548852007-03-08T16:29:00.000Z2007-07-14T12:27:49.947+01:00

I'm researching a paper on IR and feminism, and had to share. This is from 1981, so we can hope that things have improved a little, but it's pretty devastating. While women represent half the global population and one-third of the paid labor force and are responsible for two-thirds of all working hours, they receive only one-tenth of world income and own less than 1 percent of world property.

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271736742331697246.post-22241202807803338612007-03-08T11:30:00.000Z2007-07-14T12:27:49.947+01:00

The site is up and running! Please email with any comments.Happy International Women's Day! If you haven't already checked out Shameless Magazine's blog, please do. (I also post over there.)

Allisonnoreply@blogger.com0