What we know about our past is often heavily filtered through something like “conventional wisdom”. Certain “great men” are raised up as heroes while others are confined to the footnotes of history. The names that we hear often get credit for far more than they deserve as they ossify into myths, people who are bigger than life. That’s been changing lately as we study history as the actions of people who were simply doing their best. It’s especially evident in the growing body of performances of ancient music that showcase “minor” composers – those who made up the scene that made it all happen.
Home » 2009 (Page 7)
Yearly Archives: 2009
Big Mac Index
Very few people in the USofA have ever worried about currency exchange, at least once they returned from a vacation in another nation. The US Dollar has been a stable rock in the world that simply has not been subject to the ups and downs of foreign commerce as much as other currencies. That may be about to change dramatically, so it’s worth thinking about how currencies move in the mysterious world known as Foreign Exchange (ForEx).
Just Sayin’
Every language has a few words or phrases that are used because everyone is used to them. Some of them work pretty well, but others are used in silly ways. If you take the world at face value, some of them are literally very funny without meaning to be.
Newsbobber
One of the hottest topics in journalism is the future of the craft itself. Newspapers are laying off reporters at a rapid clip at the same time that technology has made “citizen journalists” out of any blogger willing to take up the handle. What is the future of a profession that appears to be in such decline? Like many careers, journalism is clearly going to change in ways that are hard to predict right now. The future may lie in a bit of the past and a bit of innovation, as shown by the excellent new aggregator of Minnesota blogs, Newsbobber.
Dia de la Raza
Today is an important holiday throughout the Spanish-speaking parts of the lands we know as The Americas. Not one land but many, they are all united by the simple fact that on 12 October 1492 their worlds changed forever. The holiday is known throughout most of these lands as Dia de la Raza, which translates poorly as “Day of the Race”. Understanding just what “la Raza” means and where the term comes from is critical to understanding this holiday, how it is celebrated, and how it is often impossible to take language out of a culture and still appreciate its meaning.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 