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Linnea Ashley on October 21st, 2006

the debate rages on in the US with most people oblivious – it seems – to the reality that it is not going on anywhere else. nigger. the power of it mobilizes schools of thoughts. rappers who consider it in all its variations (with an “a” or and “er” ) to have meanings that they […]

Continue reading about just a word?

Linnea Ashley on October 19th, 2006

a few days ago a friend and i were remarking on the power of words. she’s a reseracher, a poet, and newly, a pr person. she was revealing how acutely she felt the power of her words now that so many people with different agendas were searching her writing to satisfy their own needs. all […]

Continue reading about pink elephants in the room

Linnea Ashley on October 16th, 2006

Australia is in the middle of a drought. I’m not talking no rain this year…I’m talking no rain for some years. I’m not sure of the exact number now – and I’m too lazy to look it up, but on the Today Show Australia they had a rather long segment complete with dust blowing behind […]

Continue reading about deserts and floods

Linnea Ashley on October 14th, 2006

this weekend in the city is diwali, festival of lights. last year i missed this festival in sri lanka by a day and i was beyond bummed. yesterday, however, despite fasting, S and i wandered down to see the sights. there was music and stalls and people milling about. and as night fell and our […]

Continue reading about festival of ills

Linnea Ashley on October 9th, 2006

You’d think by now I’d learn my lesson…cheekiness is next to idiocy. But still I persist on being smarmy and then having to apologize. They other day I was lamenting to S that I only have three months left. I forgot why…but there was some urgency to the conversation. He corrected me, “you only have […]

Continue reading about coming home

Linnea Ashley on October 9th, 2006

why is it that when there were “hypothetical” wmd in the middle east…we invaded with little provocation – but when the raging meglomaniac in north korea confirmed that he did in fact have wmds and that he doesn’t like us…and now that he has actually tested wmds and is planning follow-up tests, we have nothing […]

Continue reading about questions

MSF

Linnea Ashley on October 7th, 2006

last year i read a book called, a bed for the night. at first it infuriated me and then it scared me in the best kind of way. it took a critical look at aid work and the consequences of the work being done. at first glance it seems as if he is raging on […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 7th, 2006

i’m grumpy these days. i’m not really sure why…i could blame it on hormones or stress or the urge to break up my general routine but it all still settles into me being grumpy for some intangible reason. and in the scheme of things…life is looking pretty good. i went down to tokaurua to conduct […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 4th, 2006

I used to write poetry. I used to surround myself with people who did the same. In college I was a co-founder of the writers’ guild. We met weekly and shared new stuff, and eventually we put on shows. In peace corps I did haiku challenges over text message and scrawled in my journal regularly. […]

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Linnea Ashley on October 1st, 2006

It is amazing the things you can take for granted everybody knows and understands…peeling a banana from the stem instead of from the other end…     I don’t know if I should be joyful or I should weep. People ask me what I want to do when I graduate and my answer has been…work […]

Continue reading about soul less