Things Noted Here and There

Medievalists have just returned from the International Congress on Medieval Studies, sometimes fondly known as K-zoo or the zoo. There was a gathering of anonymous and pseudonymous bloggers there. Once they've had some sleep and unpacked their bags, look for reports here, here, here, and other likely sites under Epochs and Events on Cliopatria's History Blogroll.

Among its other virtues, Amardeep Singh's"Early Bengali Science Fiction," The Valve, 7 May, helps us to think about the necessary preconditions for the emergence of a science fiction literature.

Johann Hari,"A Journey into the Most Savage War in the World," The Independent, 6 May, will remind you that Kurtz and Conrad still have it right:"The horror, the horror." More than that, in some sense, it is about us. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the tip.

Alexandr Solzhenitzyn,"Saving the Nation is the Utmost Priority for the State," Moscow News, 8 May, speaks to the immediate past and the future of Russia. Thanks to Dale Light at Light Seeking Light for the tip.

Our detained kinfolk: Chinese filmmaker and blogger Hao Wu, Egyptian blogger Alaa, and Iranian scholar Rahmin Jahanbegloo. Global Voices, Glenn Reynolds, and Daniel Drezner suggest how you can petition for their release.

Finally, thanks to Scott McLemee for the reminder that there's a tradition of and audience for African American country music. You can hear clips and buy the cd of The Ebony Hillbillies here. Music to waltz and clog by. Surely I'm not the only historian who both blogs and clogs! Clogging is closely related to step dancing, a tradition that is alive and well among black collegians.