radical politics

Raasay – Our summer vacation to the edge of civilization

Posted on by trudibell20

And now daylight savings time has ended and the world is dark by 4pm, and I have pulled out the gloves, hats, and can’t leave my flat without two pairs of socks. November has set in. It has been awhile since I have posted, but as the winter comes i can’t help but think of our lovely summer vacation. There were beaches, but instead of bathing costumes, we wore raincoats, jumpers and wellies. We traveled to the farthest, most remote place I have ever been – the Isle of Raasay. My son’s best friend since moving to Cambridge three years ago is the daughter of some of our favorite neighbors. Those neighbors happen to have a family home on this romantic and far-flung island, with scanty cell service, variable weather, loads of sheep, challenging trails and breath-taking scenery. We were delighted and grateful to be invited along for their yearly Scottish adventure.

Sheep, Skye, and Sea who could ask for a lovelier summer holiday?

Read More

film, movie diaries

Peterloo

Image | Posted on by trudibell20

As an American living in the UK, sometimes I feel like I have missed a lot of history lessons. In general, history classes in the US cover all of the important plot points of Medieval Europe (church, paintings, plague, poverty, general darkness, etc), eventually focusing on England with the Magna Carta, Tudors, Shakespeare, culminating in the eventual American Revolution. Then, our history books barely mention England until, you know, we save their butts in World War One and World War Two. There are a lot of problems with our perspective, but that is a post for another day!

Peterloo-poster-600x450

With this in mind, I went to see Peterloo, a film about the British government opening fire and sending the calvary to attack a group of peaceful demonstrators seeking better representation in Parliament on August 16, 1819. Written and directed by Mike Leigh, this was a very thoughtfully organised interpretation of the events leading up to the day. Having never heard of the Peterloo Massacre, or Mike Leigh, I was a bit of a blank slate.

Read More