Monthly Archives: August 2019

Non-fiction: 6 (YTD 35) Kate Bush: Under the Ivy, by Graeme Thompson John De Courcy, Prince of Ulster, by Steve Flanders Adventures in Kate Bush and Theory, by Deborah M. Withers Second Generations, by Mary Tamm The Early Life of … Continue reading →

Fri, 12:29: Is Brexit A Rerun of the 1930s? https://t.co/4ygpfRVhYN via @sluggerotoole Fri, 12:56: RT @JP_Biz: EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier is coming to Belfast on 9 Sept to deliver a lecture on ‘Brexit and the Future of Europe’ at… … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third story (“Fast Contact”, by Matthew Griffith): ‘Hello, my name’s Bernice.’ His skin is not nearly so rough as I was expecting. He bows his head and, anticipating his kiss, I slip my hand away and smile … Continue reading →

Thu, 12:56: RT @garvanwalshe: I’m sure that suspending parliament by executive decree will reassure Britain’s EU partners that the backstop is not nece… Thu, 13:36: RT @JerrySanBXL: … I’m adding the famous « Nicholas ( @nwbrux ) LIST ©️™️ » for all … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: Francis M.N. Cleary is confused, but that’s nothing new. By way of example, just last week, dressed in pyjamas, he walked out of the nursing home, babbling something about losing a door. Three weeks ago, … Continue reading →

Wed, 12:05: Artificial Intelligence and the Global Policy Landscape – by my @APCOWorldwide colleagues https://t.co/izbZxI55ZK Wed, 12:56: Johnson’s Brexit plan has a hole so big you can swim through it https://t.co/NpAGuyBkpj Penetrating the metaphor. Wed, 14:49: RT @FabianZuleeg: Brexit suspicions … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: Graham [Williams] just could not or would not take no for an answer, and although I did not know it at the time, he was in behind-the-scenes negotiations with Tom [Baker], too, who was asking … Continue reading →

Tue, 12:56: The key question. Personally I am pessimistic. https://t.co/6haF64tyZX Tue, 13:38: Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Assassination of Lord Mountbatten and the Narrow Water Attack…… https://t.co/7tb6FKiI41 Tue, 13:57: Agreed. https://t.co/TkJHme6f2t Tue, 16:17: Post-match analysis of the G7 … Continue reading →

Current De Bourgondiërs, by Bart Van Loo Pigs in Heaven, by Barbara Kingsolver Cat Country, by Lao She Last books finished The Early Life of Samuel M. Wickersham, based on his writings 1819-1862, edited by Edward Wickersham Hoffman True Stories, … Continue reading →

Mon, 12:13: Nearly 100 firms have moved to the Netherlands over Brexit fears, say Dutch https://t.co/HNf7pSBDmM #TakingBackControl Mon, 12:56: RT @piris_jc: If the U.K. refuses to pay its debts to the EU, then the EU will not accept to negotiate … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: I screamed and buried my face in my hands; but I could still see the light of the enhanced sun, leaking even through the flesh of my fingers, and blazing from the nickel and brass … Continue reading →

Sun, 12:56: Is Britain Becoming a Failed State? by Chris Patten https://t.co/8oQHBub7G5 Sun, 14:48: Do American Writers Think Irish is Public Domain Elvish? https://t.co/sOnmcEtbkH Good question, to which the answer… https://t.co/ZsOiI1r33Q Sun, 15:54: He means “no-deal” rather than “do-deal” but … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: Harry backed away from them, diving into the shadows. He could hear rats scrabbling frantically overhead. He heard a distant scream, carried on the winds from the farmhouse. At long last, a project discussed between … Continue reading →

Sat, 12:56: RT @TheDaiLlew: The Sun: “You can’t say nothing these days. It’s PC gone mad!” Also The Sun: “OMG A WOMAN DID A SWEAR.” https://t.co/M1cGx… Sat, 14:01: RT @frootsmag: Sad to hear of the death of Shirley Hart who, … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter of Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush, by Graeme Thomson: When the light falls a certain way an unlikely pub singer comes into focus, embarking on an enforced, somewhat delayed apprenticeship. … Continue reading →

Fri, 12:56: When Colchester was part of Suffolk (and other thoughts on boundaries) https://t.co/G3tS8UECOR The English local go… https://t.co/ZTMDfT1dNT Fri, 14:12: RT @JP_Biz: Asked the NI Sec of State how the Alternative Arrangements plan is coming on. Got a lot … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: About 50 years later, however, the first William de Courcy of Stogursey granted all of his lands to his own first son, named William after him, undoubtedly expecting him to make some provision for his … Continue reading →

Thu, 12:56: Is democracy rigged? The debate over Senate representation ignores a much more plausible reform… https://t.co/U6aeFMyjtH Thu, 15:45: Turns out that this was wrong of me. The mover of the procedural manoeuvre did not expect that the result would … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of third chapter: If there was any job that needed doing, it was always the elder son who had to do it. But there was one thing the elder son wouldn’t do: if his father asked him to … Continue reading →

Wed, 12:16: https://t.co/4mOJDwJIGk Wed, 12:39: RT @davidallengreen: Those who so adamantly wanted to take control of our borders… …appear to have no clue what to do with the one lan… Wed, 12:56: RT @Mij_Europe: .@SteveBarclay may not wish to admit … Continue reading →

Second paragraph of first letter from third month of correspondence with Fanny: I would, if it was consistent with the duties now dwelling upon me, have been with you this morning, but I can not, I must forgo for a … Continue reading →

At the recent Worldcon, I was asked to moderate a panel on “Using SFF as sandboxes for ideas on politics and society“, with co-panellists Eyal Kless from Israel, Sam Hawke from Australia and Taiyo Fujii from Japan. It was quite … Continue reading →

Tue, 12:56: RT @davidallengreen: Once central, inescapable truth about the Boris Johnson letter If he and his government had the slightest confidence… Tue, 16:05: RT @jonworth: This is a fantastically bad letter. How it articulates the UK Govt’s problems with … Continue reading →

Current De Bourgondiërs, by Bart Van Loo The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin True Stories, ed. Xanna Eve Chown Last books finished Alina, by Jason Johnson Next books Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky Berlin Book Three: City of Light, … Continue reading →

The Catechism of Cliché: What is a bad thing worse than? Useless. What can one do with fierce resistance? Offer it. But if one puts fierce resistance, in what direction does one put it? Up. In which hood is a … Continue reading →

Mon, 12:14: We were surprisingly close to not awarding Best Fanzine in both 2019 Hugos and 1944 Retro Hugos this year. The tota… https://t.co/NR6Qp68YOq Mon, 12:56: RT @DmitryOpines: Reminder: When New Zealand lost preferential access to its traditional export market … Continue reading →

3097 votes were cast for the final ballot, 3089 online and 8 by paper ballot – higher than the number of votes cast in 2018, or in any year up to 2013, but lower than the years 2014-2017. All but … Continue reading →

Sun, 13:25: I don’t mind losing, but I prefer to lose fairly. https://t.co/Ajbyov0moJ Sun, 14:22: RT @JohnnyPixels: No. 10 sticking to the line that the EU couldn’t possibly know anything about how the UK operates and trades, despite the… Sun, … Continue reading →

Sat, 12:26: I nipped across town to the @TudorStuartIre conference, where Melissa Shiels has got into character for a paper on… https://t.co/MCB1wfj513 Sat, 12:56: RT @Barristerblog: Kicking criminals is easy, but who will speak up for the accused? https://t.co/JGs7f0SQRs Sat, … Continue reading →

Fri, 12:05: Rankings of #RetroHugoAwards finalists on second page of @Dublin2019 newsletter. #Dublin2019 #AnIrishWorldCon… https://t.co/7x2vP8xcxG Fri, 12:24: For @Dublin2019 fans of #DoctorWho and Ireland – all the times the Doctor has visited the Emerald Isle. (None of th… https://t.co/eTzdYqTZA3 Fri, … Continue reading →