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Long, long ago in a galaxy far away in a previous job at Another Repository I compiled a guide to its holdings relating to a certain part of the world.

Today I was invited to lunch by someone with whom I have had dealings in my present job, who is interested in that certain part of the world, at which there were two people of similar interest, who ( Read more... )

Am entirely yay about people discovering how very good Stella Gibbons' non-Cold Comfort Farm novels are, even when I think they miss the point about the ending saying that there are other things besides the Romantic Happy Ending and there is some indication that anyway as Margaret becomes less miserable about her lot she becomes livelier and to an ( Read more... )

Yet again, the world of interior design Does Not Get Books: Recycling Books to Pot Indoor Plants. Can I get a loud, resounding *AAAAAAAARRRRRRGH* on this?

Marc Quinn: Just don't call it a freak show - I am really a bit dubious about whether he is not, in fact, using, even if he is aestheticising, bodies which could be assimilated to a discourse of ( Read more... )

Afghanistan - the new skiing destination: Taliban-plagued Afghanistan is not an obvious tourist draw. But it's hoped that a snowy valley may change that.

Apart from all the other objections (dangerous political situation, lack of infrastructure, etc, etc): in what sense can this possibly be described as "ecotourism"? Only if you wend your way ( Read more... )

Men Are Terribly Poor Stuff, reprised yet again: Online dating: Cyber Cyrano for hire - Too busy to chat up the suitors in your online dating account? No problem. Matt Prager will simply assume your identity and do it for you. Can I get a loud, collective *EEEEUUUUWWWW*? At least Christian had already seen and fancied Roxanne when he asked Cyrano ( Read more... )

Fascinating if distressing article about women in Afghanistan (under a curiously misleading title, because the matter seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with family planning as commonly understood). It seems, alas, that although it was reported that the President had backtracked on an extraordinarily retrograde law on women that he had signed:
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Should anyone else desire 5 words I associate with you, for discursing upon, please speak up in comments.

From
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The two-day, bone-rattling journey to Band-i-Amir may be littered with landmines and the odd village of Taliban sympathisers, but if the Afghan government gets its way a collection of five sapphire-blue lakes will one day become one of Central Asia's hottest international tourist destinations.

Hey, excuse to be much-travelled person and post a link ( Read more... )

Today is Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights (also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains), which is something I am rather fond of. I think this dates from when I was in Kabul, and one evening came back to the British Embassy to find all the houses of the Indian staff in the Embassy compound lit up with little fairy lights, very pretty. Also, something to ( Read more... )