January 22, 2011 – 4:04 pm
He had gifts that would have made him an explorer, a soldier of fortune, a revolutionist: they were qualities fatal to a poet. –Malcolm Cowley’s summary of Harry Crosby Having studied the works of the likes of Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, and James Joyce at university, I was really surprised that I hadn’t heard of [...]
By Jeni
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Also posted in History, Literature
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Tagged 1920s, america, caresse crosby, dh lawrence, ernest hemingway, harry crosby, james joyce, lucy moore, mary phelps jacob, paris, roaring twenties
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November 24, 2010 – 3:53 pm
The UK government is considering introducing plain packaging to tobacco packs, in an effort to deglamourise smoking to children. According to health secretary Andrew Lansley, “The evidence is clear that packaging helps to recruit smokers, so it makes sense to consider having less attractive packaging”. It’s all a far cry from tobacco’s consumerist heyday in [...]
By Jeni
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Also posted in Celebrity & Media, Fashion & Beauty, Health & Fitness, Marketing and advertising
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Tagged advertising, amelia earheart, anti-smoking, blogs, brown tobacco packs, cigarettes, Fashion & Beauty, marketing, smoking, tobacco, uk government, vintage adverts, vintage smoking adverts
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November 3, 2010 – 5:32 pm
Although many years have passed since I was first introduced to Philip Larkin’s fantastically down-to-earth and relatable poems at high school, BBC Radio 4′s readings of Letters to Monica instantly sparked my interest. I found this (fairly long) passage from Telegraph.co.uk, which really captures the intensity of his admiration for D.H. Lawrence: I get the [...]
April 14, 2010 – 12:25 pm
I used to work a few shifts at the gift shop in The National Museum of Wales during my time in Cardiff at university, and I remember finding some of Raymond Peynet’s lovely illustrations one day. Due to my bad memory, I completely forgot his name and after fruitless searches online I never thought I’d [...]
I’ve discovered a radio show, I’ve Never Seen Star Wars that asks a well-known celebrity or public figure to try five new cultural experiences and rate them. Examples include: + A bikini wax + Colonic irrigation + Eat some odd seafood + Place a race-horsing bet + Having your eyebrows threaded + Changing a baby’s [...]
I’ve just finished Obsession, a novel by A.S. Byatt, where the main narrative technique to reveal plot is based upon a series of letters between two (deceased) poets. So it got me thinking about how so much of our communication these days is based around Facebook, text messages and e-mails. Other than the odd novel [...]
One of my most burning ambitions is to get a PADI qualification and spend weeks away exploring coral gardens, swimming amongst breathtaking creatures and just generally experience something completely one-off. I’ve only ever been snorkelling in Mango Bay, Ko Tao, Thailand, and being able to explore a corner of the earth so other-worldly was so [...]
