The high point in the depiction of strong, powerful women in posters almost certainly remains J. Howard Miller’s ‘We Can Do It’ poster from 1942.
Source: Beyond Rosie: Where Are the Strong Women in Posters?
Immigration and visas
Living as a foreigner in a foreign country has certain pluses and minuses and these are going to be different for everyone involved, but one thing remains the same for everyone – dealing with immigration to ensure your resident status.
In the seven years I’ve lived in Lithuania, I’ve had to deal with it every year and every year, it’s been a different experience. This year was the most harrowing of all, though. Continue reading “Immigration and visas”
On Judging English Competitions
Several years ago, back when I was regularly attending pub quiz, I met a woman who was the head of a primary school. Being a native English speaker, she had asked me if I could possibly come and be part of a jury for an annual English/speech competition the school hosted. Naturally, I said yes and have been doing it now for several years. In addition, I’ve also done some recording for her as the voice on the audio portions for grammar school English books (and, I was just informed, the English teacher in the books was named for me!) Continue reading “On Judging English Competitions”
Neil Gaiman on Why We Read and What Books Do for the Human Experience – Brain Pickings
So I posted this on Facebook, but it seems like it needs a more permanent home. Therefore, posting it here.
And while it’s true this is piece is focused on Gaiman, there are a number of really good links which are just as important to the truth of reading and storytelling that I wanted to keep it nearby. “Truth is not in what happens but in what it tells us about who we are.”
Source: Neil Gaiman on Why We Read and What Books Do for the Human Experience – Brain Pickings
Day Zero | David Magazine
Once again I have committed writing. This time about the water crises affecting Capetown and, by extension, the whole world. “Our Blue Planet is Running Out of Water”
Source: Day Zero | David Magazine
The US has 11 separate ‘nations’ with entirely different cultures – Business Insider
Each region in the United States, from “Yankeedom” to “El Norte,” has its own cultural identity, says author Colin Woodard. This is a fascinating theory. While I’m not entirely convinced by the geographic breakdowns, it certainly makes a lot of sense as to why different areas of the country think the way they do. Continue reading “The US has 11 separate ‘nations’ with entirely different cultures – Business Insider”
Skids Poppe
I’ve always loved motorcycles. I’m gonna say it stems from first picking up a Ghost Rider comic book (#35, “Death Race,” way back in early 1979, from the wall rack at the Readmore bookstore on Spring Mountain and Jones). Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider‘s secret identity, became my personal favorite hero and I proceeded to collect every appearance of the character in the Marvel universe up to that point. Continue reading “Skids Poppe”
On Writing Preparation
“Writer’s Block” by Vincent Fink
So I’m in a bit of a quandary. I just finished a fairly massive writing project and waiting on notes but while working on it, I was hitting my goal of writing every day (one of my personal, accountability goals). Once it finished, though, I’ve skipped a day here and there, but I want to get back to it, and I want to write something for me, not something I have to write to fulfill someone else’s deadlines and content pools (Yes, I’ll still do that, but I like writing fiction). Continue reading “On Writing Preparation”
A history of the TV remote control as told through its advertising
Was having to explain to my wife, who is from a different culture and generation, what a “clicker” was… after she was lamenting the “old days” of having to actually put the key in the car door to lock/unlock it. So here’s what we found. Enjoy “flipping through channels of the past to check out early television clickers that look like ray guns and complex calculators.”
Source: A history of the TV remote control as told through its advertising
So I Went to Alaska…
Way back in 2007, just before my 40th birthday, I had planned an epic road trip on my motorcycle. Originally, the intent was to leave from Vegas and head up the coast, visiting places and taking my time, exploring the scenery. I wanted to take the Canadian highway and head up to Alaska and then maybe put the bike on a ferry and see how far I could get out into the Aleutian Islands. Continue reading “So I Went to Alaska…”
Ursula K. Le Guin on “Spare Time,” What It Means to Be a Working Artist, and the Vital Difference Between Being Busy with Doing and Being Occupied with Living – Brain Pickings
In praise of the mundane, unquantifiable, impractical activities that feed creative work and fill life with meaning.
20 Awesome Historical Words We Need to Bring Back
Let’s bring these back
13 Secrets of Rare Book Dealers | Mental Floss
Hi.
I’m Jaq…and I’m a book collector.
<hi Jaq>
Continue reading “13 Secrets of Rare Book Dealers | Mental Floss”
Two sides of teaching
There are two types of teachers in the world (two types of adults, really, but teachers works for what I want to say), those who want to participate in the education of their students, who want to help them investigate the topics at hand, to guide them along the way, and those who want to belittle their students, to make sure those students know who is in charge and take great delight when their students fail to overcome those teacher’s own unfair machinations. Continue reading “Two sides of teaching”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 