Author Archives: Timothy Burke

Soldier On

Posted on July 7, 2005 by Timothy Burke

Let’s ignore the fringe elements and sad little people crying out for attention for just one moment. Bloggers, pundits, politicians, just plain folk. Everybody sensible and decent agrees on the basics. That the people who put those bombs in London … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 3 Comments

Dog Bites Man, Sun Comes Up…

Posted on July 6, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I was wondering if any bloggers would rise to Garry Trudeau’s bait. No, scratch that. I was sure some would. Sure enough. (found this via 11d) Just as a sort of sideline, I’d say that young right-wingers are in serious … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 7 Comments

War News Radio

Posted on July 6, 2005 by Timothy Burke

There’s a really interesting, exciting project here at Swarthmore that I’ve been tangentially involved with (mostly I’ve been passive-aggressively shirking my responsibilities to the group, a skill I have honed to a fine polish). The basic founding idea, from one … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Politics | Comments Off

Well, At Least It’s Over

Posted on July 3, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I’ve got an op-ed circulating out there now looking for a home that combines my critique of the new African-American history course in Philadelphia with some politely negative comments on Live 8. My critique of the course really is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Popular Culture | 8 Comments

Book Notes: Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation

Posted on June 28, 2005 by Timothy Burke

There was a good deal of discussion back in May about David Greenberg’s Slate article, “That Barnes and Noble Dream”, about whether academic historians should aspire to be “populizers”. I thought Greenberg had some interesting observations that I didn’t always … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Books | 9 Comments

No Less Than I Expected…

Posted on June 27, 2005 by Timothy Burke

…but when my daughter insisted that we try a “Wonka” candy today (we haven’t read the book aloud, but I’ve given her the bare outlines of the story, as the commercials for the Burton-Depp version have caught her eye), it … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellany | 2 Comments

A Last Straw

Posted on June 25, 2005 by Timothy Burke

I think most people understand why making hundreds of thousands of people homeless overnight is a humanitarian disaster. (As an aside: I’m seeing wildly varying numbers of people involved, no doubt a consequence of the near-closure of the country to … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | Comments Off

More on the AU

Posted on June 25, 2005 by Timothy Burke

In the comments on my AU post, Bradley Reuhs asks what I think is going on with the AU/South African position on Zimbabwe. My frustration with the AU on this and many other issues is fairly terminal, but obviously there … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 1 Comment

My Daughter on Blogging

Posted on June 24, 2005 by Timothy Burke

“I think you have a disease called blog. It’s very slimy and it makes your arms tired. Maybe it’s called flog. I hear it collects on your shoulders.”

Posted in Blogging | 1 Comment

The African Union’s New Political Platform: Whatever Pisses Off Whitey

Posted on June 24, 2005 by Timothy Burke

Ah, the African Union has “many more serious problems to consider than Zimbabwe”. Plus South Africa’s government finds it irritating that they’re expected to say something about Zimbabwe. Bheki Khumalo says that South Africa will do things that are “correct … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa | 2 Comments