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Category Archives: History

Launch of pattern books

Came across this today while doing unrelated research: From the London Times, 7 January 1809, page 3 ACKERMANN’S Repository of Arts, &c. which has just appeared, has adopted a novelty, we are surprised not to have been long since thought of, that of making a periodical publication the vehicle to distribute patterns of different articles [...]

Posted 23 November 2011 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

Where do you get your ideas?

As part of my prep for National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org), which starts next week (eek!), I’m reading through issues of the London Times from 1808. My story this time will be that of a British journalist sent to Spain to cover the start of the campaign there against the French. Amongst the reports on [...]

Posted 25 October 2011 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , ,

Speak no ill

A cartoon circa 1819 depicts the effects of policies such as the Gag Acts and the Six Acts as the shackling and gagging of British freedoms. The “common man” cannot speak ill of the government under pain of death and cannot rise because of the burden of taxation. In the background John Bull’s shop is [...]

Posted 25 January 2011 † nickyp § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Deja Vu, Peterloo

I am busy, but just stumbled on the first news stories on the Saville report, which exonerates the protesters during the Bloody Sunday “riot,” after decades of decrying them. I want to read more on it later, but this item just screamed out at me: Reported in The Guardian, “Bloody Sunday: the Saville report live”: [...]

Posted 15 June 2010 † nickyp § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , ,

Satire, 1819-style

From my research-pile, a snippet of one of the snarky songs of the late Regency period: WHEN full sedition’s stalking through the land, It then behoves each patriotic band      Of Noble Minded Yeomen Cavaliers; To sally forth and rush upon the mob, And execute the Magisterial Job      Of cutting off the Ragamuffin’s ears. HOW valiantly [...]

Posted 25 May 2010 † nickyp § Learning § Writing ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , ,

Travel a while in Eric Kandel’s shoes

For a peek into the life and past of famed neuroscientist Eric Kandel, check out the new documentary “In Search of Memory” (which also happens to be the name of his well-regarded memoir). Here in Chicago, it’s playing through the week of Neuroscience 2009, the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting, at the Facets Cinémathèque in [...]

Posted 18 October 2009 † nickyp § Brain science ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: , , , ,