The ideas in this post were mostly bouncing around in my head at Christmastime, but with today being the one month anniversary of the quake in Haiti—and having just attended a panel on the international community’s response to said disaster—these things seemed suddenly relevant again. – – – – – The first proper summer job… Continue reading Giving Well
Before I came here, I expected my time at Oxford to be marked by exploring medieval cobblestone streets, rowing on the Thames in the wee hours of the morning, listening to 12th century church bells ringing through the winter fog, meeting with long-bearded professors in offices crammed with moldy volumes, and, of course, ridiculously posh… Continue reading Bright Young Things
In general, I try to make sure that most of the posts I write for my blog have at least least some “value-added” behind them. That is, if I’m not reporting on things I’ve done in my life, I at least try to provide my own original spin on things happening elsewhere. Tonight, though, I’m… Continue reading PIRATES; or, irrational enthusiasm about ongoing tragedy in Somalia
This post comes a week late. On January 27th, 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by allied forces. Tonight, Oxford’s Chabad House held a commemorative event for the 65th anniversary. Before I can return to my (now much less important-seeming) work, there are some thoughts I simply have to put to paper (but, if you want to… Continue reading (N)ever Again
Every January, I draw up a wildly optimistic set of goals for the New Year. I gave up on New Years resolutions a long time ago; at this point, I just come up with a long list of tasks to which I can apply myself. Two weeks into my second term at Oxford, I’m already… Continue reading Lists
My twelve-hour standing train ride to Den Chai afforded me the chance to read Martin Meredith’s most excellent “The State of Africa,” which provides an eminently readable and engaging account of the last fifty years in Africa. Aside from the overwhelming tragedy of it all, Martin’s account strikes me for the way it pins Africa’s… Continue reading No Heroes
Rural, northern Thailand looks a lot like rural, central Uganda. The vegetation in both places is lush and tropical but, thanks to an ongoing drought in each, also dry and dusty. A perpetual haze drifts around each place, which, while hard to explain given the lack of industry, seems fitting for the hot climate. Looking… Continue reading Ladder Theory
(who was an amazing woman) always used to say, “Things are never as bad as you think they are, and never as good as you think they should be.” A good mantra for an increasingly bleak 2010.
I was moderately disappointed on Christmas Eve that I no longer felt the wide-eyed enthusiasm for Christmas morning that I used to, when I would wake up at 4 a.m. to be begin a second-by-second countdown until 6 a.m., when my parents agreed to be woken up to open stockings. Three days later, that feeling… Continue reading Time Capsule, Pt. 2
If I actually kept careful track of how I spend my days, I am sure the result would be that I overwhelming pass through twenty-four hours by reading and listening to music (usually both at the same time). As I reflect on my rapidly-ending year, then, I figure the best way to capture this moment… Continue reading Time Capsule: Pt. 1
Alex V. Barnard - Sociology 